Exhibits
Click on the name of the exhibit on the left to read more information about the exhibit and see images on the right.
The Monon Railroad
The pace picked up dramatically when the Monon Railroad ran new lines to French Lick and West Baden, practically dropping guests at the hotels’ doorsteps.
Guests traveled on regular trains, in their private cars, or on corporate trains. In addition to bringing people, the trains also brought the circus to winter here. Horses were shipped to the hotel stables, and freight of all kinds arrived in a more timely fashion.
Our exhibit shows you how the Monon put us on the map.
This photo dated 1918 shows one of the Monon Railroad's steam engines.
The railroad depot in French Lick, Indiana when rail transportation was the main mode of transportation to the valley's resort hotels. This station still stands today at the base of the French Lick Springs Hotel's parking lot. It houses the Indiana Railway Museum.
The unusual certificate shown in this photo was issued to L.S. Dickey after he traveled 5,000 miles on the Monon railroad. Mr. Dickey was a trainer of American Saddlebred horses and owned the premier stable in the valley located at the West Baden Hotel. He trained and sold horses and gave trail rides to the guests.
The railway spurs came right up to the West Baden and French Lick Springs Hotels for the convenience of hotel guests. The engine to one of the passenger trains can easily be seen through the archway to the West Baden Springs Hotel in the above photo.
The proximity of French Lick to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky was especially important on the first Saturday in May when as many as ten trains ran from the hotels carrying guests to the Kentucky Derby. The last Derby special train ran May 1971 and included one coach and a business car.
An engine and 3 passenger cars parked at the Monon Railroad Depot in West Baden, IN. This railway station was located just yards away from the main arched entry to the West Baden Springs Hotel. This same train could then travel a mile down the way to the French Lick Springs Hotel where there were additional spurs to park private railcars for the duration of their owner's stay.