Author Archives: editor

Tuxhorn Mine

Posted on January 12, 2026 by editor

The Tuxhorn Coal Mine, which opened in 1903 in the Round Prairie/Rochester area, produced more than 3 million tons of coal before it closed two decades later. As many as 250 miners worked at the mine during its most productive … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Coal mines and mining, Communities, Labor unions, Railroads, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

James Wickersham, legendary Alaskan

Posted on December 21, 2025 by editor

James L. Wickersham spent only six years, from about 1877 to 1883, in Sangamon County. He came to Springfield as assistant, office boy and general dogsbody to former Gov. John M. Palmer. He left the city as a fledgling lawyer, … Continue reading →

Posted in Prominent figures | 1 Comment

Rochester’s Alaskan mountain

Posted on December 13, 2025 by editor

A photo caption below has been corrected. Unlikely though it seems, Rochester, Illinois, elevation 570 feet, has a legitimate claim to a mountain in Alaska. But you have to drive 3,800 miles to see it. Mount Deborah, 12,339 feet above … Continue reading →

Posted in Prominent figures, Uncategorized, Women | 3 Comments

Santa surrenders sleigh to snowballs (1950 Christmas parade)

Posted on December 3, 2025 by editor

Santa Claus, of all people, should have felt right at home when a four-inch snowfall greeted Springfield’s 1950 Christmas parade. But Santa couldn’t overcome a barrage of snowballs. The parade, which stepped off from Fifth Street and Lawrence Avenue the … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Celebrations, Children, Spectacles | Leave a comment

Thanksgiving menu at the Oriental Café, 1925

Posted on November 23, 2025 by editor

Cream of oyster soup and Lobster Newburg joined Vermont turkey on the Oriental Café’s holiday menu for Thanksgiving Day 1925. The price? $1.25. The Lum family served Chinese and American dishes at the Oriental, “Springfield’s finest café,” from 1924 to … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Celebrations, Chinese, Ethnic groups, Medicine, Prominent figures, Restaurants | 1 Comment

Glenwood Park and the Kalb family

Posted on November 16, 2025 by editor

Glenwood Park was a small resort that operated along the South Fork of the Sangamon River from the mid-1890s until the early 1900s. Facilities included a small dam, docks and rowboats, an excursion steamboat and a pavilion with a dance … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Communities, Parks, Sangamon River, Social life, Sports and recreation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Beauty ban, 1911 Illinois State Fair

Posted on November 11, 2025 by editor

The “lady managers” of the 1911 Illinois State Fair’s domestic science school were appalled when they learned one of their instructors was giving young women advice on cosmetics well as hygiene. The 102 young women in attendance “need not trouble … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Illinois State Fair, Women | Leave a comment

Krous Park

Posted on November 7, 2025 by editor

Beer was the lifeblood of Krous Park, which operated west of Amos Avenue in Springfield from about 1878 until the early 1910s. John G. Krous (1847-94), who owned a saloon on the northwest corner of Edwards and Baker streets (today’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Celebrations, Germans, Hotels & taverns, Local government, Markers, Prominent figures, Social life, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Springfield Zouave Grays go to war, 1861

Posted on September 29, 2025 by editor

“The city yesterday (wore) a camp like appearance,” the Illinois State Journal reported April 18, 1861, three days after President Lincoln called for volunteers to defend the Union from southern rebellion. From many a housetop the grand old flag of … Continue reading →

Posted in Markers, Military, Social life | 1 Comment

Gray Eagle’s Salve

Posted on September 7, 2025 by editor

Chief Gray Eagle, a Native American born in Oregon, sold what the label claimed was a miracle-working ointment for two decades in Springfield. According to the label on each 2-ounce, $1.25 jar, Gray Eagle’s Salve could treat symptoms of head … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethnic groups, Medicine, Native Americans, Prominent figures | 1 Comment