Elgin, IL news and local guide

Early Elgin was known for the butter and dairy products it sold to Chicago, and Gail Borden opened a condensed milk factory there in 1866; the city library is named for him. Dairying became less important after the arrival of the Elgin Watch Company, which employed three generations of residents from the late 19th century to the mid-20th, when it was the largest maker of fine watches in the United States and ran the largest watchmaking complex in the world. The factory stopped production in 1965 and was torn down in 1966, though the clocks at Chicago's Union Station still bear the Elgin name. From 1910 to 1920, except during World War I, the city hosted the Elgin National Road Races, sponsored by the watch company, which drew top racers and automakers and contributed to the development of the modern automobile. The Elgin Academy was the oldest coeducational, nonsectarian college preparatory school west of the Alleghenies. Sources Wikipedia: Elgin, Illinois