World Champion Cincinnati Reds to Play DeKalb (Illinois) Baseball Team in 1920

From the May 27, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1920, 100 Years Ago.

"The Champions of DeKalb are going to play the champions of the world.  Arrangements have been made whereby the Cincinnati Reds, the champions of the world by virtue of licking the Chicago White Sox last fall, will play  in this city in a match game with the local nine on August 18."

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"DANCING -- At Electric Park, Saturday night , May 29th."

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Imagine a major league baseball team visiting a small town in Illinois for a game these days.  Plus, we know there was a problem with the 1919 World Series.  I couldn't find out anything about the game, but the Reds played at the Chicago Cubs on August 17 and won 3-2.  On August 19 they beat the Brooklyn Robins 3-2 in 13 innings in Cincinnati.

Plus, there was this thing called the Spanish flu still going around in 1920.

Electric Park was a big amusement spot just south of Sycamore on the DeKalb-Sycamore Road (now Illinois Highway 23).  Click on the Electric Park Sycamore Ill. label to find out more about the park.

--Cooter

Death of a 5-Year-Old in DeKalb By Disease in DeKalb in 1920

From the May 27, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illininois)  "Looking Back."

1920, 100 Years Ago.

"Bernard Welstead, 5-year-old son of Claude Welstead of 120 Cotton Avenue, passed away last night at 9:30.  The cause of his untimely death was the children's disease now prevailing, measles.

"It will be remembered that his mother, Mrs. Hazel Hetchler Welstead passed away from pneumonia about a year and a half ago."

And, the Spanish flu was still around as well.

Diseases Killing People Is Not a New Thing.  --Cooter

No More Fox Bounty Money in 1969

From the April 3, 2019 MidWeek "Looking Back."

1969, 50 Years Ago.

"The bounty paid on fox carcasses was eliminated by a ruling of the DeKalb County Board of Supervisors.  The measure was taken because the amount of money paid to bounty hunters is in excess of the money appropriated for that  purpose."

Was This Just Temporary?  --Cooter

15 Military Weapons That Changed the World-- Part 2: Jeeps, Rockets and Jets

8.  Willys Jeep  (WW II)

7.  V 2 Rocket  (WW II)

6.  Messerschmitt-262  (First jet fighter)

5.  B-29 Superfortress

4.  F-100 Super Sabre

3.  F-117 Night Hawk

2.  MQ-1 Predator Drone   (I have written about a WW II drone built in DeKalb, Illinois, in my Tattooed on Your Soul:  World War II blog.)

1.  Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier

--DaCoot

15 Military Weapons That Changed the World-- Part 1

I'd have to call them Weapons, though.

From the May 24, 2020, Hot Cars site"15 Military Vehicles That Changed the World. Go to the site to find more information.  I'm just listing here.

15.  Wright Military Flyer  (airplane)

14.  British Mark I Tank  (WWI)

13.  French Voisin III  (WW I airplane)  First true bomber

12.  USS Monitor

11.  HMS Dreadnaught  (WW I)

10.  HMS Hermes  (First designed aircraft carrier)

9.  U-boat  (WW I and WW II)

--Cooter

Fifty Years Ago, the Kent State Riots at NIU

From the May 20, 2020, MidWeek "Looking Back.'

1970, Fifty Years Ago.

"Students and police left the western part of the Northern Illinois University campus deeply scarred after a nightlong  series of hit-and-run clashes.

"Fifty-four persons were arrested, five police officers and four students injured, two university cars and two trucks were burned, and countless windows broken."

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"A Rumor Control will be established  at 5 p.m. tonight by the DeKalb Human Relations Commission.

"The number to call is 756-XXXX for clarification  of any rumors you have heard or any information you have gathered pertaining to violence or disturbances in town."

To read about my experience during this time, click on the NIU Kent State Riots label below.

These Were Very Strange Times Indeed.  And, I Was on Campus When This All Happened.  --RoadDog

NIU's 125th Anniversary-- Part 4: Huskies, Greeks, Lorado Taft and Grad

1940--  Northern Illinois' athletic teams  are formally named the Huskies.

1944--  First official Greek organizations installed.

1949--  Leslie A. Holmes  becomes fifth president.

1949--  The NISTC Foundation established.

January 22, 1951--  The first master's degree is authorized.

1951--  Gilbert Hall, the first men's dormitory, opens.

1951--  Lorado Taft Field Campus is established.

1952--  Founding of the Graduate School.  I received my BS-Ed in 1973 and MA-History on 1981.  Both from NIU.  Liz received her BS-Ed in 1973 and MA-Ed from Concordia College.

--CootGrad

NIU's 125th Anniversary-- Part 3: NISNS to NISTC and World War II

1917--  NISNS Board of Trustees replaced with  "Normal School Board."

1919--  J. Stanley Brown becomes  second president.

1921--  Name changed to Northern Illinois State Teachers College  (NISTC).

1927--  J. Clifton Brown becomes third president.

1929--  Karl L. Adams becomes fourth president.

1936--  Alumni Association is incorporated.

1945--  World War II leaves its mark on NISTC.  I will be writing about NISTC/NIU and WW II in my Tattooed On Your Soul:  WW II blog.

--CooterHuskie

U.S. Ships Named Vixen

You've probably never heard of a U.S. Navy ship named the Vixen.  I am a big Navy fan and I sure hadn't.  But right now, I am writing about Edward Simpson, a Navy officer during the Civil War who also fought in the Mexican War.  This is in my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog (you can find those posts by clicking on the My Blogs section to the right of this).

During the Mexican War, he was on the USS Vixen during the fighting.  One of his commanders was Matthew C. Perry, brother of Oliver Hazard Perry and a War of 1812 veteran himself (probably better known for the opening of Japan).

From Wikipedia.

There have been several USS Vixens in the U.S. Navy.

The first two were in the War of 1812 and both captured by the British.

Simpson was on the third USS Vixen, which strangely enough, had been built in the United States for purchase by Mexico, before the Navy got the ship.

Then there was a Civil War gunboat.  The fifth Vixen was the former monitor USS Neosho, which temporarily was renamed Vixen in 1869

The next Vixen was  a tender commissioned in 1917 during World War I.

The last Vixen was a gunboat during World War II.

And, That's It for Da Vixens For Now.  You Vix Me.  --DaCootVix

NIU's 125th Anniversary (1904-1918)-- Part 2: Homecoming and WW I

As NIU commemorates its 125th anniversary.

1904--  First overseas students arrive.

1906--  Athletic Association adopts cardinal and black as the official colors.

1906--  The tern "Home-Coming" first appears in the campus newspaper.

1907--  Illinois General Assembly votes to allow normal schools to confer bachelor degrees.

1907--  The East Lagoon is created.

1915--  First black student graduates.  Fanny Ruth Patterson.

1915--  Williston Hall opens as the first residence for women.

1917-1918--  World War I puts its stamp on NISNS.

--CootNIU

NIU's 125th Anniversary, A Look Back Timeline (1895-1900)-- Part 1: All This and Teddy Too

1895--  Legislation passed  to create a new normal school (for teachers) in northern Illinois.

1895--  DeKalb chosen as the location for the new normal school.

1899--  John W. Cook becomes first president.

1899--  Northern Illinois State Normal School opens.

1899--  First issue of student newspaper published  (October 1899).

1899--  First marching band starts with 14 members.

1900--  Future President Theodore Roosevelt campaigns on campus.

1900--  First commencement honors 16 graduates.  (3 men and 13 women)

Let's jump ahead a few years.

1973--  RoadDog and Liz graduate from NIU.

It's Been A Real Long Time.  --RoadHuskieDog

Crimson Days Marks Opening of NISNS (NIU) in 1899

From the April 3, 2019, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

Photograph from 1899.

A photograph shows a horse-drawn carriage fully festooned with flowers and a woman in it in her finest cloths.

The caption reads:  "Crimson Days marked the opening of Northern Illinois University (Northern Illinois State Normal School) on September 21, 1899.  It was a three-day celebration that included the dedication of Altgeld Hall."

--Cootgeld

Top Ten WW I Movies, Ranked

From the Dec. 26, 2019, Collider by Brendan Michael.

I am just listing them.  Go to the site for details.

10.  The Water Deviner

9.  Sergeant York

8.  They Shall Not Grow Old

7.  War Horse

6.  The African Queen

5.  Gallipoli

4.  All Quiet On the Western Front

3.  Paths of Glory

2.  1917   I am really looking forward to this movie next year.

1.  Lawrence of Arabia

--Cooter

NIU's Lagoon Open to Fishing Back in 1920

From the May 13, 2020, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1920, 100 Years Ago.

"An announcement today that will be hailed with delight by hook and line enthusiasts is that from  the Normal school (NIU at the time) to the effect that the administration is planning to grant permission to the public to fish with hook and line in the lake on the Normal school grounds (now the Lagoon) on Saturday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

"No seining will be permitted at any time.  The notice is signed by Dr. J. Stanley Brown, president of the school.

"If you can't find the boys on Saturday, you'll know where they are.  Get your fish worms ready fellers!"

Fishin' at the NIU's Lagoon.  --DaCoot

Gas Shortage in 1920

From the Nay 13, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1920, 100 Years Ago.

"Another filling station is out of gasoline.  Sawyer & Sons reached the limit this morning and at the present time, the only place in town that has gas is the independent oil filling station.

"The Standard is all out and has been for the past four days.  Both it and Sawyers are expecting a car, but because of the uncertainty of the railroads, do not know when  it will arrive."

Gas Shortages?  Back then?  Didn't Know there Were That Many Cars.  --CootGas

About Those Titanic Passengers-- Part 4: Popcorn Dan

Same source as last two entries.

One person on the fated ship was a local legend of author Veronica Hinke's hometown of Merrill, Wisconsin, Popcorn Dan aka Daniel Coxon.  From England, the one-armed Coxon was headed for Merrill on that trip. 

He had traveled to his native England for a visit home, then delayed his journey home so he could book passage aboard the "highly touted new steamer, the Titanic.  Traveling in steerage, he boarded the ship in Southampton only to be lost forever in the disaster, his body never recovered.

It was this story of a man from northern Wisconsin aboard that magnificent ship that got her to delve further into the story and find out about onboard experiences.

--Cooter

What They Ate on the Titanic's Last Night-- Part 3

In order to write her book, Veronica Hinke gathered every bit of information she could about the food and drinks.  Perhaps they tucked away menus or written letters to home.

One was a splendid letter that passenger Adolphe Saalfeld wrote home to his wife Gertrude, telling in incredible detail, of the fabulous lunch that he ate on his first day aboard the Titanic.   He had boarded in Southampton and his letter was mailed before the Titanic left Europe before the trip across the Atlantic.

HNGN site says a menu was recovered from the wreck.  It showed the last meal  had eggs Argenteuil,  consomme fermier,  and chicken a la Maryland on the first class deck.  It sold at auction for $83,000.  This was the luncheon menu.

Good Eating in the Neighborhood.  --CootFeast

What They Ate On Titanic's Last Night-- Part 2: Try Some Apple Meringue

On the evening before roughly 1,500 people would lose their lives in one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century, the first-class passengers on the Titanic sat down for an elaborate meal on that April 14, 1912.

This included oysters, consomme Olga (a veal stock soup flavored with sturgeon marrow), filet mignon, poached salmon and chicken Lyonnaise.

Also, roast squab with cress, foie gras, roasted pigeon, lamb with mint sauce and punch romaine, a palate-cleansing granita flavored with oranges and drenched in Champagne.

In case you'd like to replicate one of the Titanic's first-class passenger goodies, there is a recipe for apple meringue which was served for lunch on April 14, 1912.  Way too much effort for me to even think about attempting it.

Eat Well and Sink.  --Cooter

What They Ate (and Drank) on Titanic's Last Night

From the October 16, 2019, Chicago Tribune by Amy Bizzarri.

Before it sank to the bottom of the ocean in the wee hours of the morning on April 15, 1912, the "floating mansion" that was the Titanic set the bar for luxurious dining.

Four city blocks long and as tall as an 11-story building, the mega-ship spoiled its first-class passengers with exquisite 10-plus course meals prepared by top chefs using state-of-the-art cooking equipment, including toaster and the electric sorbet maker, served in airy cafes and lavish dining halls that rivaled the finest restaurants in Paris.

More than 1,000 bottles of wine, 850 bottles of spirits and 20,000 bottles of beer were stocked in the ship's hold and the bartenders knew the latest and fanciest drinks.  That included the stirred, strained and bracing Manhattan and the gun and sparkling lemonade Tom Collins.

If you've always wanted to know what they ate and drank, author Veronica Hinke has a book to tell you just that, titles "The Last Night on the Titanic:  Unsinkable Drinking, Dining & Style."

--CootDrinker

Tuberculosis in DeKalb County in 1920

From the May 6, 2020, MidWeek (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1920, 100 Years Ago.

"DeKalb County is to have a visiting nurse  to work in conjunction with the anti-tuberculosis movement.  She will be engaged continually in a survey of the county to discover the tuberculosis cases and attend to their treatment and entrance, where possible, at the sanitarium."

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"Dr. J. Stanley Brown, president of the DeKalb County Anti-Tuberculosis League, says that at the present time there are 93 cases of tuberculosis in DeKalb County at the present time and a large number of suspect cases."

Other Epidemics in the Past.  --Cooter

Pandemics in Chicago-- Part 5: Almost a Lethal Mistake

Before the advent of antibiotics, brandy was a common treatment for cholera.  "Most of the medicines given really only functioned as sedatives,"  Selzer said.

"In one case in 1866 it worked too well -- a patient was knocked out so thoroughly that the family thought he was dead and called for the undertaker.  The coffin arrived just as he woke up.  The same may have happened when Philo Carpenter, Illinois' first pharmacist, was digging graves for victims of the epidemic, one of the men he was about to bury stirred back to life."

--Cooter

Pandemics in Chicago-- Part 4: The 1866 Cholera Epidemic

A military leader sounding the alarm about a disease spreading?  And, not knowing the causes of it or what to do for sure?  Sounds a bit similar to what we have these days.  Who says history does not repeat itself.  Personally, at age 68, I never thought I'd be in one of these disease events right now.  I kind of thought that was a thing of the past.

The causes of cholera weren't well known at the time.  One thought would be considered an ugly xenophobic speculation that immigrants coming to the city caused it.

A thousand Chicagoans would die in the next cholera epidemic in 1866, including Dr. Daniel Brainard, founder of Rush University and hospital, who had studied the disease a lot.  The Tribune called the disease "the grim destroyer" and it killed about a third of the people who caught it."

It was after this third wave that the city began working to fight it.  They still didn't quite understand where it came from. but they'd figured out that good sanitation would help.

--DaCoot

Pandemics in Chicago-- Part 3: Cholera and Fort Dearborn

Continued from April 21, 2020.  Before I got on the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in Butler County, Pennsylvania.  You can catch up on the first two posts by clicking on the label Chicago below this entry.

Adam Selzer is quite knowledgeable about Chicago's history and its epidemics and pandemics.  He leads guided tours of cemeteries including one of the bigger ones called Graceland.

One of the epidemics that plagues Chicago in the 1800s was that of cholera.  Multiple outbreaks took place in the city in the 19th century.  He says the first major epidemic took place in 1832 (Chicago became a city in 1837).

It was brought in on a ship by Gen. Winfield Scott who arrived in town by ship with soldiers from the Black Hawk War. Dozens died as they occupied the old Fort Dearborn and Scott later said that the disease scared him more than any enemy because there was no way to fight it; he couldn't fortify his walls against it or even offer terms of surrender.

Fort Dearborn was the site of the infamous Fort Dearborn Massacre in the War of 1812.

--Cooter

1918 Influenza Butler Co., Pa., --Part 7: Remembering the Victims

In 2002, the Saxonburg chapter of the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) spearheaded a campaign, led by Doris Herceg and Drenda Gostcowski, to designate the mass grave of the influenza victims in Winfield Township as a historic site.

They succeeded and in a ceremony at the site, Father Velerian M. Muchlik and Janet Pazzynski of St. George's Ukranian Catholic Church in Pittsburgh performed  a Greek Catholic service, respective of the victims' Eastern European heritage.

A granite cross was erected at the site to replace the original wooden cross, and a historic roadside marker was placed adjacent to the site.

--Cooter

1918 Influenza in Butler Co., Pa.,-- Part 6: A "Forgotten Epidemic?"

The epidemic faded from public memory almost as quickly as the disease itself vanished.  The deaths of servicemen in the Great War received far more attention than the deaths caused by the influenza.

Furthermore, on November 11, 1918, the Great War, known now as World War I in the U.S. and the First World War in Britain (hey they wouldn't have known about the second one back then) which overshadowed the influenza outbreak in western Pennsylvania (well, it was also in Chicago and in much of the rest of the United States in October that year).

This was kind of like the Civil War's Sultana Disaster which took place April 27, 1865, when the steamboat Sultana blew up while carrying several thousand recently released Union prisoners.  It is regarded as the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history with at least 1,168 deaths. But it was soon forgotten what with the end of the Civil War, Lincoln Assassination and the killing of John Wilkes Booth all occurring around the same time.

The Influenza epidemic of 1918 became "The Forgotten Epidemic" until various other outbreaks in more recent history brought back the memories.

I'm not so sure it was all that forgotten, but definitely this new coronavirus we're involved with these days has brought back the memory.  I was completely unaware of how hard western Pennsylvania was hit, though, until I came across the information about the immigrant cemetery in Butler County which started this thread.

And, there is still one more entry to go.

--Cooter

1918 Influenza in Butler Co. Pa.-- Part 5: It lasted a Month and Abated, But A Quarter of Population Got It and Hundreds Died

Elsewhere in the county in October,the epidemic continued to sicken people.but the number of new cases began to decline sharply.  By the beginning of November, the total number of cases reported in Butler County since the beginning of the epidemic  began exceeded 7,000.  However, the number of cases statewide  had fallen so dramatically  that the department of Health lifted the month-long ban on public gatherings.

The crisis, it seems, had abated  The influenza outbreak in Butler County lasted only a month, but nearly a quarter of the population contracted the disease and several hundred died.

--Cooter