Time Was

Fur, farms and the French, early life on the Kankakee

Published by admin on Wed, 05/10/2017 - 9:00am

    Parlez vous Francais? That means do you speak French.
    Why should you speak French? Because gentle readers, you are standing on soil that once belonged to France. It is hard to imagine that time in our local history, but let's give it a try.

Fashion and dance at the Joliet Pen, 1896

Published by admin on Wed, 05/03/2017 - 9:00am

    Today we shift our view of history a little bit north, specifically the Joliet Penitentiary on Collins Street.
    Out of the July 6, 1896 Joliet Weekly News we read of prison reforms that changed the fashion and lives of the men living there and a bit about the ladies as well.
  “The Fourth of July came as a day of welcome cessation from the daily routine to the prisoners at the penitentiary, and joy almost dared to show itself.  Everything that could be done was done to give the 1,200 prisoners a happy time.

The most haunted place in Will County?

Published by admin on Wed, 05/03/2017 - 9:00am

    Haunted places have a fascination for us. From reality shows to local lore, ghosts have not lost their popularity with the living
    I was asked recently where I thought the most haunted place in Will County might be. I am not sure, as I have not taken a survey of ghosts at various places, but I do know the place that I believe should be haunted even if it isn't.
    It would be at the north end of County Line Road, where it meets the Des Plaines. In my mind Harborside Marina and Big Fish should just be crawling with ghosts.

The last tiny bit left, Wilmington's depot district

Published by admin on Wed, 04/26/2017 - 9:00am

    There is not a single of you gentle readers who has not at one time cursed it, used it or wondered about it
    I am of course talking about the elevated railroad tracks at the west end of Chicago Street and that giant “hump” on Kankakee Street where the depot used to be.
    The work being done now on the tracks may wipe out entirely those very things, the last tiny bit left of Wilmington's depot district.

They say the older the wiser, maybe

Published by admin on Wed, 04/26/2017 - 9:00am

    Many of our previous looks at the history of Braidwood took place in the 19th century, when mines were springing up faster than morels and hundreds of people speaking different languages, with different cultures all came together to work in dangerous jobs under difficult conditions.
    But as Braidwood aged, did all of that go away? Did the jobs get safer? Were there less murders? Were workers still organizing unions?
    Set the wayback machine for the beginning of the 20th century and we will try to answer those questions.

Women in mining communities

Published by admin on Wed, 04/19/2017 - 10:00am

    The subject of women has been much bandied about in recent weeks.  Respect for women, equal pay for women, etc., etc.
    Broad statements have been made about the history of working women and women's role in the community. I then started to compare two communities that were somewhat equal in their focus - both mining areas. This is what I have found in my research.

The entrepreneur of the coal fields, Wm. Odell

Published by admin on Wed, 04/19/2017 - 10:00am

    Anyone who has driven south on Interstate 55 will see a sign for the town of Odell. Some of us have even been there. It was named after a guy named Odell we guess.
    William Odell not only had a town named after him, but he left his name in the history books of every small and large town in this area. Today we look at the entrepreneur of the coal field.
    I am still in the dark as to the beginning of the life of William Odell. I do know he was born in 1840.

Fishing by hook, crook or dynamite

Published by admin on Wed, 04/12/2017 - 10:00am

    Today we look a bit east to the unpredictable Kankakee River and the piscatorial tribe (fish) that inhabit her.
    As the industrial age started polluting land, sea and sky during the first decade of the 20th century people started to appreciate the unspoiled, unpolluted places.
    The Kankakee River, both up and downstream from Wilmington, was one such place.  

Wesley, it hasn't always looked this way

Published by admin on Wed, 04/12/2017 - 10:00am

    Those of us who live near the “town” of Ritchie have grown accustomed to the way things look now.
    Very few question the location of flood water, the placement of roads or the location of the old Wabash railroad bed now known as the Wauponsee Glacial Trail.
    Today we learn how flood waters, a railroad and an opportunistic town board created what we see now.

The one-legged sheriff of Will County

Published by admin on Wed, 04/05/2017 - 10:00am

    Hardy is a word that is usually used to describe early settlers in any part of the country. But in Robert Huston's case, it just doesn't say enough. Let's look at the life of the one-legged sheriff of Will County.
    Robert Huston was born in New York City on Aug. 7, 1844 to Irish immigrants Robert and Elizabeth Huston. His father was a weaver back in Ireland, but in New York he scrambled to make a living. Searching for a better life, the Huston's came west in 1850, settling on a farm near Gardner.