Joliet, IL: Rock Island Depot and Freight House, Water Tower, Roundhouse

Before the tracks were elevated and the Union Station was built, each raillroad had its own depot.

Bill Molony posted
This was the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad passenger depot in Joliet.
The Ottawa Street crossing is in the foreground, and the building on the far left (partially visible through the crossing gate) was the Rock Island freight house.

Bill posted again
The Rock Island passenger station in Joliet - circa 1895.

Peter Zimmermann posted

Joliet Illinois:

Passenger depot on the Chicago Rock Island & Pacific main line, 40 miles southwest of Chicago.

The Rock Island began operating through Joliet in 1852. The Rock Island's original main line through town was realigned in 1910 and in 1912 elevated as a part to elevate all the railroad lines into the Joliet area, and to establish a union passenger depot.

John Smith commented on the above posting
[Facing West. The building in the middle foreground is the current courthouse. The tracks used to cross the courthouse square when the earlier courthouse was smaller and the square had a lot of grass.]

Update:

Bill Molony posted
This southwest view of Joliet was shot from high atop the Will County Courthouse.

In the foreground, the street crossing the tracks is Ottawa Street, while the street intersecting Ottawa on the right is Washington Street.

The building with the three chimneys on the right side of the tracks is the Rock Island passenger depot.

Just beyond the water tower, Joliet Street crosses the tracks.

Farther down across Joliet Street is the Rock Island freight depot.

A crew of men are working n the tracks in the middle of Joliet Street.

Across the tracks from the freight depot is the Rock Island's roundhouse.

The bridge in the upper right corner spans the Des Plaines River and the Illinois & Michigan Canal.

Judging from the lettering on the cars, the link-and-pin couplers and the "cabbage" or diamond stack on the locomotive, it would appear that this photograph was taken in the early 1880's.