Catharine, formerly known as Burgess Junction, is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Serena Township,
LaSalle County,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, United States. Catharine is located along County Route 2, west of
Sheridan. Burgess Junction was named for a
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest, Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of ...
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
A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
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
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