Roadside History of Illinois

by Stan Banash

Overview

Stan Banash has diligently recorded Illinois' rich history…. A unique guide to Illinois and its history as America's crossroads and the home of Abraham Lincoln. There is a vital need for a new "biography" of the Land of Lincoln. Stan Banash of Chicago has masterfully supplied that need through years of research. … Mr. Banash writes with a keen sense of style and verve, making for an enjoyable and informative read. This large volume is a most welcomed addition to history bookshelves, far and wide. Did you know that Chicago was named for a wild onion? Or that the only president born in Illinois was Ronald Reagan? Or that the Ferris Wheel, processed cheese, the game of softball, the fly swatter, and the automatic dishwasher were all invented by Illinoisans? You'll find these stories and hundreds more in Roadside History of Illinois, an entertaining and revealing tour of the Prairie State's historical places.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780878425990
Publisher:	Mountain Press
Publication date:	06/25/2013
Series:	Roadside History
Pages:	475
Sales rank:	1,021,451
Product dimensions:	10.90(w) x 7.30(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Stan Banash, a.k.a. Tex, was born in Chicago and raised in suburban Niles. He received his Bachelor of Philosophy degree in political science from Northwestern University in 1968 and his master s degree in urban studies from Roosevelt University in 1972. He has authored numerous feature articles and book reviews for a variety of national magazines and three books. Stan and his wife, Laura, live on Chicago s far northwest side in a rustic, Old West style home landscaped with native plants from the western plains.

Table of Contents

Preface viii

Illinois Chronology ix

Illinois Facts xvi

State Song xvii

Illinois Originals xix

Special Introduction by Dee Brown (with Author's Note) xxi

Overview: A Brief History of Illinois 1

Region 1 Southern Illinois: Between the Great Rivers 9

Ohio River Scenic Byway (IL 37, IL 169, US 45, IL 145, and IL 146): Cairo-Golconda 12

IL 146: Golconda-IL 3 19

Ohio River Scenic Byway (IL 146, IL 1, and IL 13): Golconda-Shawneetown 21

IL 13: Old Shawneetown-Murphysboro 24

IL 37: Marion-Salem 30

IL 15: Mount Carmel-Mount Vernon 33

US 50: Lawrenceville-Salem 36

US 51: Carbondale-Centralia 40

Great River Road National Scenic Byway (IL 3): Murphysboro-Waterloo 41

I-64 and US 50: East St. Louis-Lebanon 46

I-55/I-70 and IL 159: East St. Louis-Edwardsville 48

Great River Road National Scenic Byway (IL 3, IL 143, and IL 100): Cahokia-Grafton 53

Other Communities and Sites of Interest in Southern Illinois 64

Region 2 Western Illinois: Utopia on the Prairie 67

Illinois River Road (County Rte 1 and IL 100) and IL 106: Brussels-Pittsfield 70

I-72/US 36, I-172, and IL 96: Pittsfield-Hamilton 71

US 136 and US 24: Hamilton-Peoria 78

Great River Road (IL 96 and IL 522) and US 34: Hamilton-Galesburg 83

I-74: Galesburg-Rock Island 92

US 34: Galesburg-Princeton 98

Other Communities and Sites of Interest in Western Illinois 104

Region 3 Central Illinois: Lincoln's Legacy 107

IL 3, Otterville Road (County Rte 9), and IL 16: Grafton-Hillsboro via Jerseyville 109

Old Route 66 (IL 157), I-55, and IL 4: Edwardsville-Springfield 114

I-72/US 36 and US 67: Springfield-Beardstown 125

IL 125, IL 123, and IL 97: Springfield-Havana via Pleasant Plains 132

I-55 and US 66: Hamel-Lake Springfield 138

IL 54: Springfield-Clinton 140

I-55: Springfield-Bloomington-Normal 143

I-155, IL 122, and IL 29: Lincoln-Creve Coeur via Delavan 150

IL 116, IL 117, and US 24: Creve Coeur-I-39/US 51 via Metamora 154

US 51: Vandalia-Decatur 157

Other Communities and Sites of Interest in Central Illinois 166

Region 4 Eastern Illinois: More than You Expect 169

IL 37 and US 45: Salem-Effingham 170

US 40: Effingham-Marshall 172

IL 16: Pana-Paris 174

IL 32 and IL 133:Windsor-Arcola via Arthur 180

I-72 and US 45: Decatur-Rantoul 185

US 45 and I-57: Rantoul-Kankakee 191

I-55 (Old Route 66) and IL 53: Bloomington-Normal-Wilmington 194

IL 17, IL 18, I-39/US 51, and IL 71: Dwight-Starved Rock State Park 202

IL 1/US 150: Lawrenceville-Danville 206

IL 1: Danville-Watseka 210

Other Communities and Sites of Interest in Eastern Illinois 214

Region 5 Northern Illinois: Rock River and Beyond 217

Great River Road National Scenic Byway (IL 84 and US 20): Moline-Galena 219

IL 92, IL 78, IL 172, and IL 40: Moline-Rock Falls via Prophetstown 226

Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway (I-88): Rock Falls-DeKalb 228

Lincoln Highway (US 30, IL 2, and IL 38): Fulton-DeKalb 238

US 52 and IL 89: Dixon-Spring Valley 242

US 6: Spring Valley-Morris 247

IL 71, Millbrook Road (County Rte 14), and Fox River Drive (County Rtes 1 and 15): Ottawa-Plano 254

US 34, County Rtes 41 and 6, US 30, and I-39/US 51: Mendota-Rochelle 257

IL 2: Dixon-Rockford 260

US 20: Galena-Rockford 267

US 20, IL 176, and IL 47: Rockford-Woodstock 270

Other Communities and Sites of Interest in Northern Illinois 274

Region 6 Greater Chicagoland: Metropolitan Diversity 277

Stevenson Expressway (I-55) and IL 171: Chicago (Bridgeport)-Joliet 278

I-55: Summit-Plainfield 283

Ogden Avenue (US 66 and US 34): I-290 (Chicago)-Aurora 286

IL 31: Aurora-West Dundee 294

Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) and Roosevelt Road (IL 38): Chicago (Loop)-Wheaton 302

I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) and US 14 (Dempster Street): I-290 (Elmhurst)-Skokie 309

I-94: Skokie-Libertyville 313

US 12 (Rand Road): Des Plaines-Spring Grove 318

Sheridan Road: Chicago (Rogers Park)-Waukegan 321

Other Communities and Sites of Interest in Greater Chicagoland 330

Region 7 Chicago: City of Neighborhoods 333

South Lake Shore Drive (US 41): Roosevelt Road-67th Street 338

North Lake Shore Drive (US 41) and Sheridan Road: Roosevelt Road-Devon Avenue 352

Michigan Avenue: Wacker Drive-Roosevelt Road 356

Wabash Avenue/Van Buren Street, and Wacker Drive: The Loop 363

Michigan Avenue: Wacker Drive-Oak Street 371

Clark Street: Oak Street-Foster Avenue 375

North Wells Street and Lincoln Avenue: Wells Street Bridge-Devon Avenue 380

JFK Expressway and Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/I-94): Kinzie Street-Garfield Boulevard 386

Dan Ryan Expressway and Bishop Ford Freeway (I-94): Garfield Boulevard-130th Street 401

Milwaukee Avenue: Kinzie Street-Montrose Avenue 407

JFK Expressway (I-90): Montrose Avenue-O'Hare International Airport 411

Other Communities and Sites of Interest in Chicago 415

Acknowledgements 417

Bibliography 427

Index 439