Lake & Wells

Chicago's elevated rail system, built in 1892, promised to serve a growing population and solve the city's traffic congestion at the same time. By elevating the rails, trains could travel between, in back of and around existing structures. When this photograph was taken in 1919, the intersection of Lake and Wells Streets in Chicago was the world's busiest railroad intersection, with an average of three trains passing through every minute. The city's most important businesses were built along Lake Street, making it Chicago's first principal thoroughfare. Today, less than 40% of this transit system is above ground, yet riders still say that they are "taking the El."