Catharine, formerly known as Burgess Junction, is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Serena Township,

LaSalle County LaSalle County is located within the Fox Valley and Illinois River Valley regions of the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 Census, it had a population of 109,658. Its county seat and largest city is Ottawa. LaSalle County is part of the O ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States. Catharine is located along County Route 2, west of

Sheridan Sheridan may refer to: People Surname *Sheridan (surname) *Philip Sheridan (1831–1888), U.S. Army general after whom the Sheridan tank is named *Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816), Irish playwright (''The Rivals''), poet and politician ...

. Burgess Junction was named for a

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

attorney. Its name was changed to Catharine in 1968 by the CB&Q at the request of Ellis Waller who proposed to Catharine (Katie) Bentley there on May 23, 1968 during a fund raising railroad excursion that Ellis had arranged. Ellis asked the railroad to rename Burgess in honor of Catharine and the railroad agreed. A surprise reception was held on a CB&Q private car in Union Station where Catharine was presented with the metal sign that would be erected at the junction.

References

Unincorporated communities in LaSalle County, Illinois Unincorporated communities in Illinois {{LaSalleCountyIL-geo-stub