Early farmers paid tolls, too

A friend recently visited from Columbus, Ohio - a land sans tollgates - and was completely perplexed. She ended up driving through without paying, and had to go online to pay the fines. Of course, for us "lucky" natives, tolls are a fact of life.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Illinois Tollway. Although the Toll Authority was created in 1941, the start of World War II delayed plans for a new highway system until 1958. The first three toll highways were Interstate 90, Interstate 94/ Interstate 294, and Interstate 88.

Tolls were not an invention of the 20th century. In fact, throughout world history travelers have faced toll keepers. In the United States, the first toll road appeared in 1795 at Snicker's Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In Lake County, the first toll road was not I-294, but State Route 120, also known as Belvidere Road. In 1848, the County Commissioners approved a "turnpike plank causeway" from Waukegan to McHenry.

This was a private enterprise with Elmsley Sunderlin, John Gage and John Tyrell as the investors. Their initial capital of $45,000 got the road started, and it was believed that tolls would maintain the road and profit the investors. A sawmill was brought from Saugatuck, Mich., and set up on the east side of the Des Plaines River to produce 3-inch-by-12- to 16-foot oak planks. By 1851, the road extended from Waukegan to west of Hainesville for a total of 15 miles, at a cost of $2,000 per mile.

Toll gates were established at the west limits of Waukegan, Gage's Corners (Route 120/Route 45), and the road's terminus. Asahel Kellogg was the toll keeper at Gage's Corners. His house was on the northeast corner where tolls were collected through a little window.

The toll rates were as follows: one coach with four horses: 31/2 cents per mile; one wagon with two horses: 2½ cents per mile; one buggy with one horse: 1 cent per mile; one horse: 1 cent per mile; each head of cattle: a half-cent per mile; and each sheep or hog: one quarter-cent per mile.

The Plank Road was used extensively by farmers to get produce to markets in Waukegan. By 1855, farmers had more options, including a railway along the North Shore. Expenses for the Plank Road exceeded estimates, and toll receipts fell below expectations. With lack of funds, the road was not maintained and soon abandoned. Local lore has it that farmers recycled the planks to make outhouses.