Chicago Great Western Museum

05/31/2026

Come and join Kari at the Chicago Great Western Museum in Elizabeth, Illinois. The train depot is the original building on the original site and is listed on the National Historical Registry! Depot has been restored and is a museum full of train memorabilia! Depot is open from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. today.

Also, Janna is the host for the day! She would LOVE for you to stop by!

There is a running N scale and HO scale trains as well as a running speeder!

05/30/2026

These reproductions of postcards and many more are on display at Elizabeth Depot! Come on down and see the collection! Trains are running and lots of railroad memorabilia to see! The original collection belongs to Wayne Wand whose wife collected Elizabeth memorabilia over the years!

Liz S. is at the depot and would LOVE to have you stop by for a visit! Chicago Great Western Museum is open today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday) from 11:00-3:00.

The view of Highway 20 heading east out of Elizabeth is photo 1.

Photo 2 is an image of the depot from Highway 20. To stand there now, a person would see a circle parking lot and Veteran's Memorial.

05/30/2026

1,000 years ago a Thunderbird Effigy Mound was created by the Woodland Indians. These Indians were ancestors to the Alonguin Tribe. This effigy is located on the land owned by Pat and Dave Casper whose foresight to preserve the land for generations is to be commended.
Another important element to the Casper Bluff Effigy Mounds is that all 3 realms of the belief system of the Woodland Indians is present at Casper Bluff and nearby The Thunderhawk Effigy at Casper Bluff, the Bear Effigy at Keough Effigy Mounds representing themiddle plane and the Galena River representing the under realm all clearly demonstrate system of the Woodland Indians. another importance of the Thunderbird effigy at Casper bluff mounds is at the Thunderbird effigy is one of only 2 Thunderbirds in the state and is currently being protected the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation and the Illinois Archaeological Society.

A third significant element to the Casper Bluffs Mounds is presence of conical and linear mounds which are thought to to have been used to bury the dead and their possessions.

oOher mounds in the area can be viewed at Gramercy Park in East Dubuque, Mill Creek Mounds outside Elizabeth and Dixon Mounds in Fulton county.

Take the time this summer to visit these wonderful places and pay homage to the Native Americans who were here long before anyone else.

Interviews provided by Jeff Horn,
Phil Millllhouse, Dave and Pat Casper and help from teachers, Michael Dittmar

River Ridge Wildcat High School students who are responsible for the creation of this video are: Joshua Crist, Taegen Ertmer, Kelsey Finn, Corey Wachter.

This video was posted to YouTube in 2013.

An Illinois History Fair Project created by students at River Ridge...

05/28/2026

Happy Thursday! Train photos from Lombard, Ingalton and Glen Elyn, Illinois.

Enjoy!

05/27/2026

As summer has officially started, so too has the baseball season. These images of baseball harken back to the early days of America's pastime.

Photos are from the Pictorial History of
Jo Daviess County Book: A Project of The Gazette by P. Carter Newton &
Sarah Jane Newton, Publishers in 1995.

Individual photos are members of the Elizabeth baseball team from the early 19th century.

05/25/2026

Memorial Day:
As the Civil War was drawing to a close and immediately after, people of the North and South decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers during springtime 'decoration days'. Placing flowers on graves has been a long time event dating back to Classical Roman times to western Europe in the 19th century.

On May 5, 1868, the Grand Army Republic (GAR), Major General John A. Logan issued General Orders No. 11 or 'The Memorial Day Act'. This issuance formally established "Memorial Day" as a Decoration Day on which the nation would remember its war dead and decorate their graves with flowers. (cem.va.gov)

Amid your kick off to summer, your picnics, cookouts, and family celebrations, please pause at 3:00 (local time) today to pause to remember and pay tribute to those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and democracy. This one minute of silence allows us all to be united in paying tribute and homage.

Memorial Day has been celebrated for over 160 years, and to bring to light the idea of national unification, The National Moment of Rememberance was added to the Memorial Day celebrations. The Moment of Rememberance was first proclaimed in May 2000 for Memorial Day that year, and was put in law by the United States Congress in December 2000 as stated from Wikipedia.

05/24/2026

Thanks, Evalynn! You did a fine job of hosting today! River Ridge CUSD #210 Wildcats are fine people!

05/24/2026

Happy Sunday! St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church.
1st member baptized: August 11, 1895.
Irma Augusta Studier
1st wedding: Carolina Schmith and
Richard Backenkeller November 14, 1895
1st burial: December 29, 1895,
Johannes Rottman
1st Confirmation Class: Heinrich and Hedwig Sind, Ida Kuhse, and Johan Wiehler,
April 5, 1986



Information provided by book:
Past to Present Elizabeth Centennial 1868-1968. Copies of this book is available for free at the Chicago Great Western Museum . Come to the depot and get a copy and visit the depot!

Depot open: Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31 from 11:00-3:00 p.m. Come and visit!