Catharine, Illinois

Catharine, formerly known as Burgess Junction, is an unincorporated community in Serena Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. Catharine is located along County Route 2, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Sheridan.^[2] Burgess Junction was named for a Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad attorney. Its name was changed to Catharine in 1968 by the CB&Q at the request of Ellis Waller who proposed to Catharine (Katie) Bentley there on May 23, 1968, during a fund raising railroad excursion that Ellis had arranged.

Catharine, Illinois
Unincorporated community
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Coordinates: 41°31′23″N 88°43′09″W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	LaSalle
Township	Serena
Elevation	643 ft (196 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area codes	815 & 779
GNIS feature ID	405700[1]

Ellis asked the railroad to rename Burgess in honor of Catharine and the railroad agreed. A surprise reception was held on a CB&Q private car in Union Station where Catharine was presented with the metal sign that would be erected at the junction.^[3]