Monthly Archives: May 2025

John W. Sturdy, Rochester’s Confederate veteran

Posted on May 31, 2025 by editor

This entry is an edited version of an article that originally appeared in the May 2025 edition of The Prairie Land Buzz Magazine. Copyright Raymond Bruzan. Published with permission. Contributor: Raymond Bruzan A Virginia-born soldier who fought for the Confederacy … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Military, Prominent figures | 3 Comments

First game at Reservoir Park/Robin Roberts Stadium, 1925

Posted on May 26, 2025 by editor

On May 12, 1925, 9,000 people watched the very first baseball game ever played at what today is Robin Roberts Stadium. They filled the grandstand, crowded the foul lines and jammed temporary bleachers erected around the outfield. “Not even on … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Architecture, Buildings, Celebrations, Sports and recreation | Leave a comment

Henrietta Ulrich, businesswoman

Posted on May 25, 2025 by editor

Henrietta Ulrich, the story goes, sold her fabulous pearl necklace to buy what became the near west side of Springfield. Sadly, the story probably isn’t true. As a young woman, Ulrich (1797-1887) hobnobbed with Russian aristocrats and married into German … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Early residents, Germans, Prominent figures, Women | Leave a comment

Adlai Stevenson’s cat bill veto, 1949

Posted on May 18, 2025 by editor

“Governor Stevenson did no pussyfooting on pussy’s perambulations,” the Chicago Daily News editorialized after Gov. Adlai Stevenson II vetoed what had become known as “the cat bill” on April 23, 1949. The proposal, pushed for years by a one-woman bird … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Illinois capital, Presidential candidates, State government | Leave a comment

‘The Sycamore Sentry’: Memories of Cantrall, 1950s

Posted on May 16, 2025 by editor

(This entry is excerpted from Old Cantrall: The History of a Small Village Carved Out of the Illinois Wilderness, a work-in-progress by Cantrall native Andrew Wasilewski.) “It was a special place during a special time with special people, but it … Continue reading →

Posted in Communities, Histories | 2 Comments