By Ricky Rieckert
Dear readers,
This week we’re focusing on Galena Boulevard, the street formerly known as Main Street in Aurora, stretched across what is now part of the downtown area, until the 1960s.
East Main Street started east of Stolp Avenue (Island Avenue), heading east, until it turned into Hill Avenue, and then continued east to Farnsworth Avenue and after a short jog to the south and went one block east before ending.
West of Stolp Avenue, it was called W. Galena Boulevard, heading west to Barnes Road.
Main Street in Aurora was renamed E. Galena Boulevard primarily to standardize street names and alleviate confusion caused by different names for continuous streets.
The renaming occurred as part of a City-wide effort in the mid-to-late 20th Century to integrate the street naming conventions of the east and west sides of Aurora, which had historically developed independently on opposite banks of the Fox River.
Prior to the change, a street might have one name on the east side of the River (e.g., Main Street) and a different name on the west side (e.g., Galena Boulevard). This was highly confusing for newcomers and visitors.
The City sought a more logical system where a single, continuous street would carry the same name across the entire City, generally adopting the more prominent “Galena Boulevard “ name for that thoroughfare.
Some locals also associate the street name changes with the implementation of one-way street systems to manage traffic control in the downtown area.
The change happened a long time ago, with historical photos referring to the street as “Main Street, later renamed Galena Boulevard” as far back as the 1940s, suggesting the name change took place in the mid-20th Century.
Galena Boulevard was named after the historic lead mining town in Galena, Illinois.
Stay warm!