Editing Gridley, Illinois (section)

===Later history===
Until the third decade of the twentieth century, Gridley had been a railroad town; in the early 1920s six passenger trains in both directions served the town. Then, in June 1924, the newly paved Route 8, today US-24, was opened. The hard road quickly destroyed rail passenger traffic. In 1925 it was announced that the depot would be closed on Sundays. In 1929 all passenger traffic ended.<ref>Klopfenstein, 1991, pp. 175-177.</ref> One of the more tragic episodes in Gridley's history took place on September 3, 1946. Striking railway workers had attempted to shut down the Toledo Peoria and Western Railroad. In response the railroad loaded a train with fourteen workers and four armed guards who were tasked with keeping the tracks open. Striking workers followed the train in automobiles, driving along U.S. Route 24, which paralleled the tracks. Whenever the train slowed it was pelted with rocks. At Gridley the train stopped and a gun battle erupted. When it was over, two workers were dead and three were wounded. A jury later found that the guards were acting in self-defense, and were therefore innocent.<ref>Gridley, 2007, pp.9-11</ref> However, for the most part Gridley was peaceful, with a flourishing civic life. The [[Fourth of July]] was celebrated with races. There were Saturday night band concerts in the park, which by the 1940s had given way to free movies.<ref>Gridley, 2001, p. 7.</ref> Many recreational improvements were made. For example, in 1937 the old clay pits from the tile factory were bought by the town for use as a skating rink,<ref>Gridley, 2007, p.13.</ref> and in 2001 the Gridley Telephone Museum opened.<ref>{{cite web|title=Official site|url=http://telephonemuseumofgridley.com|publisher=Gridley Telephone Museum|access-date=December 12, 2015}}</ref>