Clearing and Proviso: How'd those yards get those names????

They seem like weird names for train yards.

A Wiki search proved fruitless in both cases, btw.

motor

Proviso is a township located in Cook County, IL.

http://www.city-data.com/township/Proviso-Cook-IL.html

Clearing is a community also located in Cook County IL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearing,_Chicago

Proviso I believe comes from the the surrounding area of western Cook County named Proviso. With Berkley, Northlake, Bellwood, Hillside, Maywood, and other towns all apart of this area. I'm sure there is much more to it. Don't know about BRC Clearing Yard.

Read somewhere that A.B. Stickney (president of various railroads) named Clearing because his idea would be that the BRC would serve as a "clearinghouse" for freight cars......

LCJ wrote:Proviso is a township located in Cook County, IL.

http://www.city-data.com/township/Proviso-Cook-IL.html

Clearing is a community also located in Cook County IL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearing,_Chicago

OK, thanks.

Clarification: When I used Wiki, I searched under "Proviso Yard" and "Clearing Yard".

motor

I agree with above - the town "Clearing" was named after the railroad yard, not the other way around. It's pretty clear to locals (me at one time) that the industrial area grew outward from the rail yard, meaning the railroad was one of the first things in the area.

The history of Clearing Yard can be found on the Belt Railway of Chicago's web site.

http://www.beltrailway.com/history.html