Columnist

Braidwood papers vs. the Wilmington Advocate

Published by admin on Mon, 06/05/2023 - 3:40pm

I am sure that you are aware that a majority of my research is done in local newspapers. I have found that there are times when they are the only source of news about the “common” man. To my great sorrow there are no 19th century Braidwood newspapers in existence that I am aware of. But we know that there were at least 3 newspapers published in Braidwood in the 19th century, possibly more. Today we look at the history of newspapers as seen from Wilmington and points north.

Life on the river, everybody loved it

Published by admin on Mon, 06/05/2023 - 3:36pm

Spring of 1879 was probably the most anticipated season in the memory of the townsfolk. It wasn't Easter vacation, or spring flowers that had everybody excited.
It was the prospect of the best boating, shipping, and partying ever on that mighty and now deep Kankakee. The economy was going great guns, fueled by the thriving canal boat trade and peace in the coalfields.

Difficult talk often done behind closed doors

Published by admin on Sun, 06/04/2023 - 3:20pm

An often bitter, loud and racially divisive debate played out before, during and after last week’s Chicago city council meeting where members voted to pass a temporary funding package to shelter asylum-˙seekers.
The debate pitted mostly older Black alderpersons and moderate-to-conservative Whites against Latinos and progressives of all stripes. Much of the division also fell along many of the same council battle lines drawn during the recent campaign between Mayor Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas.

Giving them a run for their money

Published by admin on Tue, 05/30/2023 - 11:03am

Watching children at play you frequently hear, “Bet I can climb this tree faster than you can!” or “Race you to the next corner!” I guess being the fastest kid on the block is a real feather in your cap.
But it's not just kids that do it. Just watch NASCAR and you can see that big boys do it too. In the 1880's Braidwood was full of big boys who wanted to be the fastest kid on the block. Let's look at a few.
Running races became the fad sometime in the late 1870's and by 1880's it had gotten serious, especially in the coal mining communities.

June 1923, in the good old summertime

Published by admin on Tue, 05/30/2023 - 9:58am

It was all you imagine the sweet summertime to be. The weather was perfect; it was vacation time alright. And in this modern age, travel was easier than it had ever been.
It was a little costly, but times were good and that is what money is for, right? Today we travel to June of 1823, unfortunately the last two weeks of June are missing from our newspaper files.

Illinois $56.6 billion budget has no wiggle room

Published by admin on Mon, 05/29/2023 - 2:32pm

House and Senate Republicans claimed during budget-related floor debate last week that the super-majority Democrats had masked the true size of their plan by delaying the start of some spending until the second half of the upcoming fiscal year.
Yes and no.
Republicans pointed to the $317 million cost of increasing Medicaid provider reimbursement rates, including for hospitals. But that new spending doesn’t begin until January 1, the halfway point in the 2024 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Braceville grows up, saints and sinners

Published by admin on Tue, 05/23/2023 - 11:43am

Last week we looked at a murder in 1894. Let's go back to the beginning of the town to it's earliest history. When a new town springs up from nowhere as did the coal towns, there is no long-time residents, no established social groups or religions. Everything comes at once. So, it was with Braceville.
Although Braceville was incorporated in 1880, we have some history from as early as 1861. “Married - On Thursday, October 3rd, by J. T. Augustine, Esq., Mr. John Laymon to Miss Elika A. Olmstead, both of Braceville, Grundy County, Ill”

Laying out the foundation, the Cox family

Published by admin on Tue, 05/23/2023 - 11:13am

Before the white man came to this area, there were only native Indians. They created trails to travel on, but other than that the landscape was not altered.
When the white man came the landscape changed. The settlers cut down trees, built roads, erected homes and businesses, moved around the dirt to suit themselves, cut deep channels in the river, and changed what we see forever.

Proposed transactions tax doesn’t stand a chance

Published by admin on Sun, 05/21/2023 - 10:50am

From Illinois law: “No unit of local government shall levy any tax on stock, commodity or options transactions.”
That statute has long been targeted for elimination by the Chicago Teachers Union and its allies. The CTU reliably shuns any proposal to increase property taxes across the board, instead pushing often-times “magical” solutions as alternatives. It’s one way the union has maintained its popularity among Chicago voters.

A beer murder in Braceville

Published by admin on Tue, 05/16/2023 - 11:29am

Although Braidwood has a reputation for being a rough town, the other towns of the coal field were no different. Today we look at one incident in Braceville.
The miners and railroad men had just settled their four-month long strike. Men were going back to work, so they celebrated, a little too much. Set the wayback machine for August 1, 1894.
From the pages of the Joliet News: