Plaques are going up at the four boxcar campsites where about 20 Mexican families lived from roughly the 1920s to ‘50’s.
The city presented these plaques on Monday prior to the Galesburg City Council meeting with many relatives and descendants of the railroad families in attendance.
The plaques will go up at the Davis Camp at the corner of S. West and Sixth streets, the Santa Fe Camp at the intersection of Berrien Street and Dietrich Avenue, and the West Hump Camp at the corner of Knox County Highway 10 and South Henderson Street and the Plant Camp just south of Galesburg.
PHOTOS: Historical markers to be installed for railroad families.
Director of Public Works Wayne Carl says the street division will build a concrete marker with the plaque incorporated at each of the four locations.
The plaques are primarily the result of advocacy and research from students with Carl Sandburg College’s Hispanic Latino Student Association
Mayor Peter Schwartzman invited members of the railroad families to come forward and be recognized, with many of them speaking about their experiences.
