Mira (or Myra Station) 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 Champaign County,

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

, United States. It was formerly a stop on a branch of the

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary co ...

with a grain elevator, but the elevator was removed in 1986, leaving the name behind but no train station. It was named for a 'prominent resident of hevicinity', Myra Silver; one contemporary newspaper article states she was killed by a train at the station.

History

Myra Station elevator (Section 22, Urbana Township) was built along the Wabash—Norfolk Southern railroad spur running between Urbana and Sidney 1881−1990. The elevator was operated by Jacob G. Holterman until December 1903 when it was taken over by Alfred Edmond Silver as Silver Elevator Company. The concrete elevator at the intersection of Illinois Route 130 and East Windsor Road was demolished in 1986. Myra Station depot on the opposite side of the tracks was named for Myra Silver (1834−1903) who owned a farm south of the depot in Section 26. On 30 November 1903 she was killed by a train approaching from the southeast as she was crossing the tracks to board at the station. The accident was described in some detail by one of the local newspapers.″Killed by Train on the Wabash; Miss Myra Silver Meets Death at Station Named in Her Honor″ ''Champaign Daily News,'' Champaign, Illinois. 1 December 1903, p. 1. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=CDN19031201&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN--------- Accessed 11 April 2021 The railroad spur was abandoned and the tracks taken up in the 1990s. The variant spelling Mira first appeared on maps of Champaign County in the early 1900s and has persisted on some maps and highway signs, although it is not justified by local usage. In addition to a memorial to Myra Silver set up by a resident near the intersection, there is a Myra Ridge subdivision nearby. Recently as of 2023 it was found out that “Mira” was a spelling error that never got corrected.

References

Unincorporated communities in Champaign County, Illinois Unincorporated communities in Illinois {{ChampaignCountyIL-geo-stub