Tag Archives: Illinois history

The Abandoned Golf Course of Palos Woods

Some years ago I spoke at the Lemont Historical Society on the history of local golf courses. While doing research for the talk, I stumbled across one of the first courses in the area, the Palos Golf Course, owned and … Continue reading

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Taming the Wilderness #3

Exciting news! My new novel, The Mystery at Mount Forest Island. is now in the design phase at Amika Press and should be out soon! Meanwhile, enjoy reading the last article in the series about surveying Northern Illinois. If you … Continue reading

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TAMING THE ILLINOIS WILDERNESS #2

If you’ve walked through County Forest Preserve trails you have some idea of what Northern Illinois looked like before Illinois became a state in 1818. The land was wilderness: woods and grasslands… Continue reading

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Taming the Illinois Wilderness

If you’ve walked through County Forest Preserve trails you have some idea of what Northern Illinois looked like before Illinois became a state in 1818. The land was wilderness: woods and grasslands. Native American trails were intended for foot traffic. … Continue reading

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CHIEF SHABBONA – Peacemaker in a Turbulent Chicago

One translation of Shabbona’s name is “Built like a Bear,” and from all reports the name fits. As the picture above shows, he was a tall man, with broad shoulders—a large, muscular man of commanding appearance. He was an important … Continue reading

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BLACK PARTRIDGE: HERO OF THE BATTLE OF FORT DEARBORN

During the two years I conducted research for The Mystery at Black Partridge Woods, I encountered a number of little-known but remarkable Native American persons. I thought my readers would be interested in knowing more about their lives. Today’s post … Continue reading

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