FL/GT Historical Society Meeting, Jan. 2014: Black Hawk War Cannonball

January was Show and tell where folks brought in stuff to show. //// A person from Round Lake Park brought in a small cannonball he had found while digging a garden at his home close to the American Legion on Il-134. How a two-inch diameter iron cannonball got in his yard was a puzzling thing. First thought was that it might be from the Civil War. But, there were no battles fought in Lake County, Illinois. He contacted museums and was told the cannonball pre-dated the Civil War. Maybe someone had dropped it there? //// A good clue came from the Round Lake 75th Anniversary pamphlet which mentioned that Chief Black Hawk passed through what became the Round Lake area when he was forced to retreat from Big Hollow (by where Il-134 and US-12 intersect) Illinois militia pursued him and had small howitzer cannons which likely fired shots at the retreating Indians. //// Most People Don't Know That Chief Black Hawk Was in the Area. --RoadDog