Editing Mendota, Illinois (section)

==History==
[[File:MendotaDepot.jpg|thumb|left|Mendota depot ca.1898]]
In summer of 1853, the [[Illinois Central Railroad]] was completed and crossed the existing Chicago and Aurora Railroad. The [[Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad]] completed the crossing at the present site of Mendota. By the following year, the population had grown to more than 1,000 and the town was home to saloons, hotels, and various shops. The town was [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] as a village in 1855 and reincorporated as a town in 1859. By 1860, the town was also home to churches of 5 denominations.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

With the availability of the railroads to facilitate export, several manufactures of items ranging from [[Organ (instrument)|organs]] to [[cigars]] and [[Button (clothing)|buttons]] opened factories in Mendota. By the end of the [[American Civil War]], the population of the town had more than doubled to over 2,000. By winter of 1866, citizens voted on a referendum to secure a city government.<ref name="Elmer" /> Mendota was incorporated into its current [[city government]] on April 9, 1867.<ref name="Elmer" /><ref>{{cite book|title=Illinois Central Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3WI3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PT48|year=1922|publisher=Illinois Central Railroad Company|page=43}}</ref>

A library was opened on September 8, 1874, with 1700 books secured by donation. It was acquired by the city government in 1894. The original building was replaced in 1905 by a new [[Carnegie Library]].<ref name="lib" />

A new [[Union station]] was opened on February 23, 1888, to replace the Passenger House, which was the original depot that had burned down in 1885. The new building contained a hotel, restaurants, and separate waiting areas for passengers and railroad staff. Because of falling revenue and ridership, much of the station was torn down in 1942. The current [[Mendota station]] is the only remaining portion of the original structure.<ref name="station">[http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/MDT/Station_view Mendota, Illinois; Great American Stations (Amtrak)]</ref>