Time Was

The peaceful Illinois, wiped out by greed

Published by admin on Mon, 09/09/2024 - 12:29pm

The signs are all around us, “Pottawattamie camp ground” or “Indian Boundary Line” or “Wauponsie Glacial Trail.” Those romantic Native American names are not just for show. Time was when white men did not live here, only tribes of warring Indians roamed the prairie. Set the way-back machine to the late 17th century for a look around.

Coal City, A 1870's Planned Community

Published by admin on Mon, 09/09/2024 - 12:16pm

“With the onward march of time the vast coal fields adjacent to this city are being developed. Mother Earth is being disemboweled on all sides, and among the jewels of her existence, few are more sought for than the precious black diamonds that adorn the crown of King Coal.”

John Mitchell, Braidwood's pride and joy

Published by admin on Mon, 09/02/2024 - 11:24am

We have just celebrated Labor Day, named for the everyday folks who labor for a living. Braidwood can boast that it produced one man who fought for the laboring men, there and across the country - John Mitchell.
In M. J. Donna's book The Braidwood Story, he describes John Mitchell as the “Father of the Miners' Union.” I pretty much agree with him as Mitchell was there for its birth. Even today the miners' union is still struggling for safe working conditions and a decent wage. Today we look at the very beginning of that struggle. Set the way back machine for 1870.

Elisha Sly and the I & M Canal, inseparable

Published by admin on Mon, 09/02/2024 - 11:23am

Last time we followed Elisha Sly from his home in Lockport, New York to Lockport, Illinois where he worked as a lockkeeper al Lock #2 on the I & M. So, again in Elisha's own words we have the rest of the story.
“I stayed there until Horace Singer went into the stone trade at Lemont. Then I took a boat to run for him. After I had left him I bought a grain boat and have been boating ever since off and on have owned and built boats and rebuilt boats.”

Hey, what's for supper, not corn again!

Published by admin on Mon, 08/26/2024 - 11:54am

If there has been one staple in the American diet, it's corn. This is true mainly for the new world, as most European's don't eat corn; they say it's animal food. And yes, we all know it's animal food, but the earliest settlers in this area called it breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was probably the most important crop they grew.

An American story, the life of Elisha Sly

Published by admin on Mon, 08/26/2024 - 11:11am

While going through the archives of the I & M Canal I came across a document that told an amazing story - an American story both good and bad. The subject of the story is Elisha Sly written when he was 73 years old as part of a job application. I decided I must tell that story, so today we depart from local history and go a bit further north to Lockport and the I & M Canal.

There's gold in them there hills, or not

Published by admin on Mon, 08/19/2024 - 12:35pm

The first great gold rush in 1849 made history, even in Will County. Six hundred people left to find gold; many did not come back. The scenario was played out again, this time in another location. By 1870 the great wild West was beginning to open up. In 1874 an event occurred which affected even little old Will County. Let's go back to 1874 and listen to the call of gold from the Black Hills, South Dakota.

The rise and fall of Shermanville

Published by admin on Mon, 08/19/2024 - 12:32pm

There is a place, just north and west of Braidwood, on the county line between Will and Grundy County, that could be termed a “ghost town.” The only remaining clue that it was once there are a few large sandstone boulders. Its name was Shermanville and this is its story.

Technology comes to Braidwood

Published by admin on Mon, 08/12/2024 - 2:06pm

Technology has the power to transform lives, just look at the change made in all our lives since the computer revolution. In Braidwood technology at first was limited to the coal and railroad industry. It was not until the 1880's that technology came into the lives of the average guy, bringing Braidwood out of the dark and into a new world.

1871, Wilmington a house divided

Published by admin on Mon, 08/12/2024 - 2:05pm

Politics is surely not a new creature. There isn't a day goes by when the news isn't filled with Republicans versus Democrats. And so, it has been forever. But for Wilmington, 1871 was a particularly bad year for it. Let's look at what the issues were, and who were the players.