Time Was

        When we think about the first settlers in our area, we imagine them living on the prairie with beauty all around them. The tall grass dotted with flowers waved all around them as they went about their chores.
    This very beauty however could turn into a wild monster in a blink of the eye. I speak of the monster known as the prairie fire. Today we look at fire.

    Recently I drove past the old Joliet Penitentiary on Collins Street. It's getting an exterior makeover, new plantings, new parking lot and new signage. Soon it will be open to the public, and will no doubt be a great success.
    We all have a fascination for the place, and we always did. Today's way back machine will take us to October of 1883.

    Students of Braidwood history know that coal mining meant coal mining injuries. But the other side of that coin meant business for men of medicine, whether legitimate or not.
    The earliest reference to any type of medicine men was very early in Braidwood history. On Aug. 6, 1865 the Wilmington Advocate reported the following, “A prominent physician of this city has said that with three weeks of dry weather, there would not be doctors enough in Braidwood to attend the sick.”

    Of all the many social and political organizations that existed in Braidwood in 1886, one stood out as having the youngest most active members. This week we will look at the Sons of Veterans and their role in Braidwood society.
    It must be remembered that during the Civil War, Braidwood was just a flat, open, boggy prairie with only a few hardy residents scratching their living out of the poor soil.