Tracy, Illinois
- Ghost town
- In Tracy, Illinois
- 3.6 mi from Route 66
Tracy was a coal-mining town in Essex Township, Kankakee County, about 6 miles south of Braidwood, IL, and about 3.6 miles off Route 66. In the late 1800s it was a small coal camp of perhaps a dozen buildings beside an Illinois Central rail spur. When the coal gave out around 1900, the people left and the town vanished, so today it is a story on the map rather than a place to tour.
What is Tracy?
Tracy sat in the coal country of northeastern Illinois, about 3 miles west of the village of Essex, and an 1892 Illinois Central map shows it as a spur off that line. State mine records list a Central Illinois Coal Company shaft here, also called the Tracy Mine, working in the early 1880s, and at least one more small mine later in that decade is listed under a Tracy address. The camp lasted only as long as the coal, and Essex Township had two other vanished mining hamlets, Oklahoma and Clarke City.
Visiting Tracy: tips
There is no town left to see and no known marker, so set expectations accordingly. To spend time in this old coal country, Mazonia/Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area is about 2.7 miles away. Wilmington's Eagle Hotel, a Route 66 town landmark, is about 10.6 miles off.
Where to eat near Tracy
All diners on Route 66 →
On the map
Full mapTracy with the 6 closest stops and a place to eat (fork and knife). Tap a marker for details.
Tap a dot to see that stop here.
Stops near Tracy
All of Illinois2.7 mi from Tracy
10.6 mi from Tracy
10.9 mi from Tracy
10.9 mi from Tracy
11.9 mi from Tracy
12.9 mi from Tracy
Questions about Tracy
Where is Tracy, Illinois?
Tracy was in Essex Township in western Kankakee County, about 3 miles west of the village of Essex and about 6 miles south of Braidwood. It is about 3.6 miles off Route 66. The town disappeared around 1900, so nothing is signed on the ground today.
Why did Tracy, Illinois become a ghost town?
Tracy existed for its coal. It was a small miners' settlement of perhaps a dozen buildings, and when the nearby seam was worked out around 1900, there was no reason to stay. The miners moved on and the town quickly disappeared.
Own or run Tracy? Send us a photo or a correction.