Contact Jill Reyna at 815-631-8774 or jreyna@saukvalley.com
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4 Customers get the royal treatment
There’s a lot in store for folks who drop by a Stillman Valley business: Eats and sweets, a piece of local history, and a place where they can chew some beef while chewing the fat with friends.
12 A golden anniversary
Rock River Center celebrates 50 years of helping the community.
26 Martial-ing all their resources
At a Mount Morris club, jiu jitsu is about more than just learning ways to take people down, it’s about learning to build them up.
32 Having some cents of history
Centennial, quasquicentennial, sesquicentennial, dosquicentennial ... Ogle County can observe them all this year.
COLLECT ALL!
COLLECT ’EM ’EM ALL!
By CODY CUTTER
Sauk Valley Media
Rick Giddings is living proof that if you play your cards right, you can turn a hobby you love into a living you love; this leader of the packs from Davis Junction has spent years building collections and building his reputation as a premier dealer of sports cards and memorabilia
f you’re a sports fan, and you’re looking for that extra special piece of memorabilia to give friends and fellow collectors something to be jealous of, Rick Giddings is your guy.
Maybe it’s a future sports legend’s rare rookie card, or a hall-of-famer’s signed photo. Perhaps it’s a game-worn jersey, or just a small piece of one attached to a card. If you’re looking for it, there’s a sporting chance Giddings has it — or he knows someone he can get it from. Giddings has developed connections with fellow sports memorabilia dealers that’s helped him score points with both sports fans and collectors alike. Giddings owns Gizmo’s Sportscards, running it out of his Davis Junction home, and he’s developed a national reputation in the sports card and memorabilia hobby. The small Ogle County town is his home base during a year full of travel that takes him across the nation seeking those “holy grail” sports treasures, and helping others sell theirs for wads of cool cash. It’s a fastpaced industry where sports moments, major news and the national economy can help or hurt the collector market, but Giddings has his pulse on what’s trending in the hobby in a way that only a select few can.
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RUSTYSCHRADER/SVMPHOTOILLUSTRATION
The year was 1969, and a young Rick Giddings was getting hooked on a hobby that would start with a pack of Topps cards, grow into a collection, and become a business that boasts an inventory of a few million cards. Top: Cards from the 1969 Topps series. Below: Cards from the 1975 series, which was the first that Giddings put together a complete set of, when he was a teenager (and yes, that’s Cubs legend Ron Santo on a White Sox card).
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Collectors from across the nation have turned to Giddings to help them finish a collection or start a new one, bringing a happy ending to what can be a years-long quest for that key card or hard-to-find collector’s item. He brings years of expertise and connections he’s made in the memorabilia industry to authenticate signatures and establish provenance. He’ll know a fake card or signature when he sees it.
“I’ve bought collections of signed balls of hall-of-famers, and I have a guy for that,” Giddings said. “I have a guy for helmets, and a guy for jerseys. It’s really about making connections with guys in this industry.”
Of the entire gamut of memorabilia he sells, sports cards are Giddings’ true love.
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Since touching his first pack of cards, from the 1969 Topps baseball set, as a 6-year-old, Giddings has owned, and sold, countless cards, some of which casual collectors could only dream of owning: the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle that became rare after a large amount of its print run was discarded, cards of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig from their playing days in the 1920s and 1930s, mini cards that came in packs of tobacco before World War I, and even rookie cards of hall of fame athletes from the 1950s that would take most people a month of paychecks to afford.
Giddings, an Army veteran whose nickname of “Gizmo” came from his slowpitch softball playing days, is a fan of the Pittsburgh pro sports teams — baseball’s Pirates, football’s Steelers and hockey’s Penguins — and just like the collectors he helps today, he’s had his share of
dream cards. Early on, Pirates legend Roberto Clemente’s 1955 Topps rookie card was one of those. Today, he has stacks of Clemente cards from throughout his playing days, as well as tribute cards released after Clemente died in a December 1972 plane crash in Puerto Rico.
Even now, when Giddings comes across Clemente’s 1969 Topps card for a customer, or the 1975 Topps MVP tribute subset card of him, it still brings back memories of his first pack of cards, as he embarked on a quest to peel open the wax paper of every pack he could get his hands on to complete his first set. Even as a kid, his determination was strong and he eventually built 19 sets of the 1975 cards, known among collectors for their colorful borders.
“When I started, I was 6,” Giddings said. “My dad bought my first cards in 1969, and the packs were a nickel or a dime. I collected because I liked baseball cards. When I was 12 years old, I built a 1975 Topps set, which has [hall of famers] George Brett’s and Robin Yount’s rookie year. I was spending every piece of my allowance.”
Giddings’ dedication to the sports card hobby followed him into his adulthood in the early 1990s, an era of good and bad in the industry. Brand-name baseball cards were being mass produced during the “junk wax era,” Michael Jordan’s 1986-87 Fleer basketball rookie card was becoming the hottest card in the hobby, and vintage Mickey Mantle cards soared in value after his death in 1995. At that time, Giddings worked in the poultry and food service industry full time, but he still found time for his hobby, and in 2004 he turned his attention full-time to selling cards and memorabilia.
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CARDS COURTESY OF CODY CUTTER
There’s something special about this place. If you’ve been here before, you know the feelingcrisp mornings on the fairway, laughter in the clubhouse, unforgettable nights with friends.
Under new ownership, we’re bringing back the spirit of Lost Nation: the lively atmosphere, the community connection, and the vintage charm that made this a local favorite in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
Whether you’re here to play, unwind, or just sip something smooth on the patio-come experience the new chapter of a place filled with history, heart, and a whole lot of fun.
The tradition lives on. Come be part of it.
Loose cards, cards in boxes, boxes of cards, or just the card boxes themselves, Rick Giddings has built an impressive inventory at Gizmo’s Sportscards. He’s also built quite a reputation in his hobby, serving on the board of directors for the annual National Sports Collectors Convention. “Being on the board of directors is very neat,” he said. “You’re voted in by your peers, so you’re voted in by someone who actually knows what they’re doing.”
Gizmo’s is open by appointment only — owing to the time it takes for Giddings to hunt down top-notch items across the country — and like some of the cards he sells, he’s a rarity himself: a hobby dealer who he doesn’t sell through online markets, nor does he accept credit or debit cards or payments through apps — he sticks to cash, personal or cashier’s checks, money orders and bank transfers. It’s a system that’s worked well for him, and he’s amassed an inventory of a few million sports cards, sold in singles, boxed sets and bulk boxes. Many of his customers are dealers looking for cheap cards of stars to sell at card shows. He also sells card supplies, including sleeves and cases.
Not selling his wares on the web, Giddings also keeps to more traditional means of advertising; about 90 percent of his ads are on paper, he said, from full pages on the inside cover of hobby publications to placemats at local restaurants, and he’s had good results
attracting people of all ages, he said.
“We supply collectors and dealers, and I do a lot of wholesale,” Giddings said. “I have guys who come and say, ‘Rick, I need stars.’ Okay, I have seven boxes for you from the era you want. We work with a multitude of dealers, guys who are setting up at shows.”
Giddings doesn’t set up at regional card shows, such as the ones in Rockford and Peru. There’s only one show where he has his tables of cases and cards, and that’s at the National Sports Collectors Convention, the largest annual card show in the nation. This year’s show isn’t too far from home, in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center from July 30 to Aug. 3. Giddings is a member of the show’s board of directors, and expects about 125,000 visitors to this year’s event, he said.
“Being on the board of directors is very neat,” Giddings said. “You’re voted in by your peers, so you’re voted in by someone who actually knows what they’re doing. I do one show a year, and it’s the greatest show on the Earth.”
Not all of Gidding’s clients are collectors. Some people who aren’t in the hobby but have a feeling that their old cards are worth something will contact him to see if he wants to buy them. Sometimes those calls have turned into huge finds for him and big paydays for the seller. He’s also spent his share of time in attics and basements, discovering long-forgotten cards shoved in shoe boxes decades ago, back when kids would stick cards in bicycle spokes instead of collector sleeves.
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GIZMO’S
“I had a guy from Freeport whose grandpa had passed and was searching through his stuff,” Giddings said. “He came here with tall boxes that were on a shelf in the basement. It was all ‘55 Bowman and ‘53 Topps, and these cards looked like they had never been out the box. I found the ‘53 Mantle in there, and it looked gorgeous. These were just cards that he found that were handed to him. He got a new car and took care of stuff that he needed to do, and was happier than hell. That was a lot of fun. It was just two old ratty boxes.”
As technology has evolved, so have sports cards: chrome cards were introduced in the early 1990s, cards with swatches of game jerseys and pieces of autographs attached came later in the decade, and countless variations, colors and cuts — some of which are one-of-akind — took off in the 2000s and continue to evolve with this year’s releases. The hobby has also become a multibillion dollar business that not even a pandemic could stop — in fact, it turned out to be a benefit to some businesses, like Gidding’s. When the coronavirus pandemic limited travel in 2020, collectors were ordering boxes of packs of cards through the mail, passing the time at home hoping to find rare and unique cards that would net them some extra cash.
“Covid was good because everyone wanted to rip packs, and we were buying them by the cases,” Giddings said.
Prices of vintage cards, made before 1979, also started to rise during the pandemic as collectors had more time on their hands to build their collections.
Whether it’s been collectors starting out or finishing up their collection, Giddings has been a big part of this American pastime, helping them find what they’re looking for.
These days, the same cards Giddings collected as a kid in the 1970s are seeing a rise in value — “If you’re smart, buy vintage,” he said.
“The ’70s stuff is the thing to collect right now, as you can still buy them,” Giddings said. “In about 10 years, you’re going to have a tough time buying ‘70s stuff. They need to be bought now, because that market is starting to move.”
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Even though vintage cards are currently hot, there are still treasure to be found in the “junk wax” era of the ’80s and ’90s, such as autographed inserts, rainbow refractor chrome cards, mistake cards not meant for printing (such as a 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken card with an expletive on a bat knob), and rare cards produced in a limited market that are still squirreled away in bedroom closets and basements, waiting for someone like Giddings to put them back in the market.
“I want to see what they got,” he said. “There’s stuff that no one even knows about. There are rare inserts from the ’80s-’90s era — die-cut Jordans, anything like that is the stuff I’m looking for. That’s where the money’s at. There are guys who just want the $1-$20 dollar stuff, and I’ll have boxes of it; they’ll sell them and make a fortune, and then come the next month and buy more.”
It takes a special know-how to succeed in the sports memorabilia industry, and Giddings has seen that pool of people become younger over the years, including teenagers. He enjoys getting to know someone who is as big into the hobby as he is, he said, and when he sees a kid open a pack of new cards, hoping for that one-of-a-kind card, he thinks back to the days when he would do the same thing as a young collector.
GIZMO’S A CALL ...
Gizmo’s Sportscards is open by appointment Monday through Saturday. Go to gizmossportscards.com, email pirate8@ aol.com or call 815-540-5206 for more information.
“It’s really fun,” Giddings said. “I get to like what I do. It’s interesting. It’s been a very, very interesting run.” n
Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
FELLOWSHIP travel support
health & fitness friends outreach Medicare guidance arts & crafts meals
TAX PREPARATION
TRANSPORTATION
With so many different things to navigate as we get older — staying fit, signing up for benefits, finding a reliable ride, technology that changes faster than we do, feelings of isolation — it’s easy to see why some people may feel like there’s sometimes a little tarnish on their “golden years.”
Thankfully, there’s help.
For five decades, seniors and their caregivers, as well as disadvantaged individuals throughout Ogle County have turned to an organization in Oregon that can help them deal with issues they may face, whether it’s getting them out of the house and making new friends, exploring financial benefits, untangling tech troubles, or simply helping them spot junk mail.
Rock River Center’s mission is to provide resources, activities and services to help improve the quality of life for Ogle County’s older adults, the disadvantaged, caregivers, and the greater community — and
this year it’s celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Through its senior assistance programs and a monthly calendar filled with games and activities and support groups, the center has been a resource for generations of residents who’ve stopped by for a helping hand — and some of them were surprised to find out there were so many resources available at the center.
Through its senior assistance programs and a monthly calendar filled with games and activities and support groups, the center is a resource that improves quality of life in more ways than one — “mind, body and spirit,” according to its website — and many who’ve reached out through the years for help in one area have been surprised to find so many other resources that ended up making a difference in their lives. That’s something executive director Jamie Nobis and her staff enjoys seeing.
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Rock River Center executive director Jamie Nobis says being able to help people who need it makes the center a “wonderful place to work.” Among the center’s resources are pamphlets and booklets with helpful information. “You meet a lot of wonderful people,” she said.
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“There’s a lot of different interests and age spans here,” Nobis said. “It’s a great place for people to network and get out, and it’s a great onestop shop for people who may have some challenges and don’t know where to get started and are looking at what may be available to them.”
Need help figuring out income taxes? The center hosts trained tax aides through AARP from February to April. How about assistance with Medicare and Medicaid enrollment? That’s done there, too. Enjoy playing pool? There are a pair of pool tables in its game room (and if you need someone to shoot with, there are players who come regularly at 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday who are always up for a game). Heard of Rummikub, but don’t know how to play it? A group meets at 12:15 p.m. every Monday to learn about the tile-based game combining elements of rummy and mahjong — not just to have fun, but also to keep their mind sharp.
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PALLIATIVE CARE IN THE SAUK VALLEY
Palliative care is a specialized medical care approach focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. Its primary goal is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and their family. This type of care is appropriate at any stage of a serious illness and can be provided alongside curative treatment.
Kim Gaffey MSN RN
The concept of palliative care has its roots in the hospice movement, which began in the 1960s with the work of Dame Cicely Saunders in the United Kingdom. Saunders founded St. Christopher’s Hospice in London in 1967, which combined medical, emotional, and spiritual support for patients in the final stages of terminal illness. This pioneering approach emphasized the importance of pain management, compassionate care, and the dignity of the patient. Gaffey Home Nursing & Hospice recognized an unmet need in the Sauk Valley with Dr. Mir Alikhan 5 years ago. Many cancer patients were having symptoms needing professional management, for example iv hydration, pain and nausea management during and following chemotherapy. Care that previously required an emergency room or hospital visit and could be provided in the home with professional nurses limiting exposure for these cancer patients while on chemotherapy. The goal of palliative care is help alleviate a person’s suffering, reduce symptoms, and improve their quality of life over time. Palliative care helps people live their best lives for as long as possible. Since then, palliative care has evolved and expanded beyond hospices to become an integral part of healthcare systems worldwide. It is now recognized as a critical component of comprehensive care for patients facing lifelimiting illnesses, ensuring they receive holistic support tailored to their individual needs.
Palliative care is for individuals who are suffering from serious illnesses that significantly impact their quality of life. To qualify for palliative care, a patient does not need to have a terminal diagnosis, but they must be experiencing distressing symptoms that require specialized management. Palliative care is interdisciplinary, which means that it involves multiple types of doctors and other care providers. These providers at Gaffey include physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual leaders, and other services as identified such as bathing services, physical therapy or occupational therapy, all focused on improving the quality of life while undergoing treatment for serious illness. Cancer is not the only diagnosis covered; any life limiting disease can be managed with palliative care. Palliative care differs from Hospice care. Palliative care can be provided while completing curative measures for the disease present. Hospice requires that life is limited to 6 months and no further curative treatment is offered. Palliative Care may lead to Hospice and Gaffey offers a transition program, so patients do not need to get all new staff, the nurses and caregivers are all cross trained to provide individualized care.
Various healthcare providers, including Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance companies, and sometimes even charitable organizations or hospices, may cover the costs associated with palliative care. In many cases, insurance plans will cover palliative care services if they are deemed medically necessary by a healthcare provider. Gaffey Home Nursing & Hospice utilizes Medicare and insurance for those covered. For those patients without coverage Gaffey offers care through the Gaffey Hospice Foundation, which pays for the care from donations and fund-raising efforts. No patient is turned away from Gaffey Home Nursing & Hospice.
For more information on Palliative care services, call Gaffey Home Nursing & Hospice Inc. 815-626-3467.
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The center also works closely with the Illinois Department on Aging to combat social isolation, a common issue with the older population. Part of achieving that goal involves offering handicap-accessible bus rides for those 60 years and older to take them anywhere in the county on weekdays, as well as Dixon, Freeport and Rockford on scheduled days.
Among the fun and games found at Rock River Center are a Rummikub group that meets at 12:15 p.m. each Monday, and a Mexican train dominos group that meets at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesdays.
“We have transportation services to get people where they need to go, not only for doctors appointments but to come to the center for activities, or even go to friend’s homes or to go out to eat,” Nobis said. “We can do anything they need as long as we can accommodate it.”
For those who can’t make it to the center, staff members are on the move, setting up appointments at locations throughout the county, where they help people with various issues, including navigating the maze of benefits available to them, such as Medicare and the LIHEAP energy assistance. Locations include the Jarrett Prairie Center in Byron, the Forreston library, Mount Morris Senior Center, Polo Senior Center, and Hub City Senior Center in Rochelle.
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Among the center’s support groups that meet regularly include one for people with vision issues, which meets at noon the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month; one for diabetic support at 10:30 a.m. the first Wednesday; and a cancer support group at 2 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of February, May, August and November.
There’s help for caregivers, too, including a group that offers resources and encouragement at 10 a.m. the third Tuesday of the month.
“Being a caregiver can be an incredibly taxing job, and it gives people time to get together, give tips, and do some self-care,” Nobis said. “To be a good caregiver, you should have a lot of patience, and to assure that you’re also looking out for providing yourself with some self care to keep yourself healthy as well.”
If you’re just looking for things to do, there’s no shortage at the center. Games and activities include Bingo, shuffleboard, Mexican train dominoes, the hand and foot card game, Michigan rummy, various dice games, line dancing, wood carving, quilting, yoga and chair yoga for those who want to stretch but need a chair for assistance. A computer lab is available also, with monthly classes to help users become more tech savvy. A calendar with a listing of games and activities is available on the center’s website.
Those who’ve taken part in the center’s activities but have since passed away are remembered on a memorial wall in one of the hallways, and those who shot pool regularly are remembered near one of the tables, with their pool cue displayed on a wall with their names on it.
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Rock River Center publishes a bimonthly newsletter, “Senior Outlook,” with information on programs, activities and special events. It’s available for free to seniors in Ogle County, though a $10 suggested donation is welcome, to assist in printing. Call 815-732-3252 to subscribe.
It’s Party Time
With our beautiful prairie setting, the Byron Forest Preserve is the ideal location for your special occasion.
• Great facility for indoor or outdoor celebration
• Accommodate 400 guests on 2 levels including outdoor deck
• Choose your own caterer
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Want to take a trip? An “outing of the month” takes seniors 60 and older to various destinations, such as April’s visit to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House in Rockford. May’s trip returns to Rockford for a tour of Anderson Japanese Gardens. Nationwide trips are offered too, in coordination with American Classic Tours of Grayslake and include an American Liberty tour of Philadelphia, Valley Forge and Gettysburg from May 24 to June 1; Mackinac Island in Michigan from May 29 to June 3; Cape Cod, Massachusetts from May 31 to June 6; and a tour of various places in the Pacific Northwest from July 12 to 20. (Call 847-548-3333 for reservations and pricing).
Whatever the activity, Nobis and her staff enjoy doing their part to help people lower their anxiety and raise their spirits. A sigh of relief or a smile on their face or hearing a heartfelt “thank you” makes their day.
“It’s a wonderful place to work, and you meet a lot of wonderful people,” Nobis said. “I like helping people in the variety of things that we do, and every day is different. There’s always a new program or a new client.”
The center also has a puzzle library and large-print books for checkout provided by the Oregon Public Library, a cafe, small gift shop, and artwork from Eagles Nest Art Group on
display throughout the building. Its multipurpose room can be rented out for special events and parties; and it even serves as a way to get people moving. “A lot of individuals come in the winter time or on the really hot summer days and just walk around, and we allow that as well,” Nobis said.
Rock River Center began as Oregon Senior Citizens in April 1975 under the leadership of Anna Mae Lillie; it was a gathering place for seniors and also a store for items made by the Village of Progress developmental disabilities center. A few months later, it became Yellow Bird Senior Citizens Drop-In Center, and then in 1986, Ogle County Senior Services after receiving grants to expand its scope outside of Oregon. Its name changed again, in 2005, the Rock River Center. Originally located in downtown Oregon for many years it moved to its current home on the southwest edge of town in 2011 on property gifted to it by the Oregon Park District. Overseeing Nobis and her staff is an 11-person board of directors with representatives from throughout Ogle County.
Like other senior organizations, the coronavirus pandemic a few years ago proved to be a trying time for the center, but things eventually returned to normal and Nobis was happy to see seniors eagerly return.
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& So Unique
Create the vintage vibes you love with our beautiful selection of home furnishings, tableware, linens, antiques, collectibles and accessories.
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“Covid was challenging for us, as it was for any organization,” Nobis said. “We had to learn and adapt to new ways of doing things, but we also found some ways that worked quite well that we were able to carry on. The seniors were most excited to get back to business as usual and come in for programs with the appropriate social distancing measures and things like that. Now we are as busy as we ever have been.”
The center will celebrate its 50th anniversary on June 21 with an open house from noon to 2 p.m. and a concert by The Four C Notes, a Four Seasons and Frankie Valli tribute group, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.; concert tickets are $60 and are available starting May 1.
Government assistance programs and tax laws and benefits will continue to change, new coping mechanisms will continue to be developed, and new avenues of fun will be dis-
More info
Rock River Center, 810 S. 10th St. in Oregon, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Find it on Facebook, go to rockrivercenter.org or call 815-732-3252 for upcoming activities, programs and services, or for more information.
covered — but no matter the changes, Nobis and her staff are committed to being there for the people who walk through their doors, whether they stop by for help or to just say “hi.”
“One of the greatest challenges is when you look at our population, and focusing on individuals who are retired, that could be anyone from 50 to 100,” Nobis said. “That’s a large group of people with a variety of different interests, and we’re trying to accommodate multiple generations and have a variety of different things available.”
“It can be a one-stop shop where if someone is looking for one thing,” she said, “Yet we might end up hooking them up with several other things while they’re here.” n
Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or
ichael Cruickshank might not have known much about Stillman Valley when he decided to open a business there, but what he did understand is the importance of honoring local history.
When Cruickshank and his wife Lisa bought the former Cardinal Cafe at the downtown crossroads in 2022 to start a restaurant of their own, hearing that it was once a grocery store in the Royal Blue chain for nearly 70 years not only piqued their interest, but it became the name of their business.
What once was a grocery store owned by three genera tions of the Castelli Family now is the Royal Blue General Store, a restaurant known for its broasted chicken and custard; its menu also features sandwiches, including chicken, Italian beef, sausage and more, and other cold desserts such as Dole Whip and banana splits. It’s open for both dine-in and carry-out.
Cruickshank isn’t alone in making Royal Blue a Stillman staple once more: He has help from Chris Wasilewski’s grandma and her family’s beef jerky recipe. Wasilewski and his wife Meredith Carey own Gram’s Jerky, selling beef jerky at Royal Blue, where they also make it in a variety of flavors in a commercial kitchen.
Although the two businesses are strictly separate, their offerings have gone hand-in-hand with customers: Some will buy jerky to munch on while they’re waiting for their fresh-cooked chicken, or to take home along with their custard.
“We call it a trifecta, and we’ll see someone get some beef jerky, and then get a chicken sandwich and then get some custard, all from the same table,” Cruickshank said. “Sometimes they’re eating the jerky before the sandwiches come out. It compliments each other real well.”
The Wasilewski Family jerky recipe has been around for 35 years, but that’s only about half the time that the Castellis of Stillman Valley owned their Royal Blue grocery store.
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Stillman Valley’s grocery story is almost as old as the village’s, stretching back to the 1880s, not long after the village was founded in 1875. The local grocery story became part of the Royal Blue chain in 1932 under the ownership of Jim Canour of Creston. Virgil Castelli bought it in 1936, and it was later owned by his son Pete and then grandson Tom until the store closed in 2003. The building later housed the Royal Blue Restaurant (not affiliated with today’s operation) and then the Cardinal Cafe; when the name change happened, the familiar steel blue Royal Blue sign on the front of the building was removed and replaced with the town’s school colors of red and white.
While the old store sign was gone, it wasn’t forgotten, and when the Cruickshanks, who live in Belvidere, set out to restore the Royal Blue name, Tom Castelli still had the Royal Blue sign and gifted it to them to use.
For the Cruikshanks, being a smalltown business is about more than just providing a service, it’s about being a member of the community, and touches like Royal Blue’s “Wall of Fame” (above), which includes drawings made by customers’ kids, are a reminder of the role they play.
“From the very beginning, when I saw the building and saw the history, I was going to name it the Royal Blue,” Cruickshank said. “That was going to be the name no matter what, because it was something for 70 years; and in retail, if you last 70 years with a name, I want that name, and especially what it meant to ‘The Valley.’”
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• Treatment for mental illness
• Treatment for substance use
• Individual and family counseling
• Child and adolescent services
• Early childhood mental health
• Crisis services
• Many other services
The “General Store” part of the name is a nod the business’ history and its previous life as a grocery store.
Cruickshank had worked in the corporate side of the restaurant business for more than 20 years before aspiring to own one. As he set out to plan his menu, he brought some of his own history to it too, adding the same sort of broasted chicken and custard that he fondly recalled from his childhood.
Cruickshank knows what having a place like Royal Blue in a small community can mean to the people who live there. More than just a business, he said, Royal Blue is a place where friends and family can come gather to enjoy the food and each other’s company.
“The food and custard are kind of secondary, but it compliments it to create a social destination where families can have a gathering. It can be for kids and families to come have a great meal and also have custard as well. That’s what we committed on, and I never took my eyes off of that.”
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Royal Blue General Store is also home to Chris Wasilewski and Meredith Carey’s business, Gram’s Jerky. The Monroe Center couple sells homemade, old-style beef jerky in a variety of flavors.
CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM
While the broasted chicken may look like fried chicken on the outside, inside it’s a different story. Made in a pressure cooker, and with less oil than fried chicken, broasted chicken is considered healthier than fried. The pressure cooking seals in the flavor and juices, making it a crispy and tender treat for chicken lovers. At Royal Blue, the chicken is breaded fresh and broasted to order in about 12-15 minutes.
“It just has, in my opinion, a little bit of a better flavor than regular drop-fry chicken,” Cruickshank said. “It’s a popular item here, and a lot of family meals go out.”
Dole Whip is a fairly new dessert offering to the Midwest. The dairy-free treat is a cross between Italian ice and gelato, with a thick texture. Its name comes from the strawberry and pineapple flavors that come from the Dole fruit company.
Cruickshank tried it during a vacation and was hooked, and only in the last few years has Dole offered it nationwide. “I really wanted to bring something that would compliment the custard. Custard is as dairy as you can do,” he said Dole Whip offers a dairy-free alternative for someone looking for a sweet treat that’s a perfect for warm weather — but that’s not the only time you can get it. Royal Blue sells it year-round.
Ah, the good old days, when you could get a bag of potatoes and a bag of potato chips for under a dollar, and still have money left over for a can of Hi-C. A copy of an old ad hangs on the wall at Royal Blue General Store, a nod to its history, back when it was a grocery store owned by the Castelli family.
Wasilewski said he gets a kick out seeing people enjoy a cold treat when temperatures are in the single digits. “It can be five degrees out, and there’ll be people who come to get custard and Dole Whip,” he said.
Though Royal Blue is well known for its broasted chicken and custard, the menu also features other items, including sandwiches, chicken tenders, potato wedges, sides, and sweets, including Dole Whip (above, center), a cross between Italian ice and gelato.
Wasilewski started Gram’s Jerky five years ago when he lived in Aurora. He and Carey live in Monroe Center now, and they’ve been at Royal Blue for a year now.
What started as a gift became a gift that keeps on giving, with the couple turning the family recipe into revenue. Wasilewski would get two-pound boxes of his grandmother’s jerky each Christmas, which she made at home in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
As the story goes, Wasilewski’s grandmother, Diane Growe, cam home one night in 1990 from playing Bingo at the Moose Lodge, “and she said we need bottom round beef, a meat grinder and all of these ingredients,” he said. “Grandpa asked her for what, and she said that we’re going to make beef jerky now. We don’t know who she talked to, or how this came to be.”
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You don’t find a lot of old-style dry jerky anymore, Wasilewski said. He’s had customers come in to buy some who haven’t had it in decades, but still recall how much they enjoyed it.
He uses meat from Headon’s in Creston to make the thinly-sliced jerky, which comes in eight flavors from mild to hot.
“Back in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, it used to be big, long, thin strips of beef jerky, and for whatever reason the industry got away from that,” Wasilewski said. “Nobody’s really doing what we do. It’s tender, it’s easier to eat, it’s easier to dehydrate because it’s thinner, and it holds more of the flavor in because it gets marinated for 48-plus hours. It’s a completely different kind of jerky all together.”
Like Royal Blue’s resurrection, Wasilewski brought back an old favorite and found new fans. And like Wasilewski, Cruickshank has enjoyed keeping a tradition alive.
“It was the only grocery store,” Cruickshank said. “It was the social gathering place besides the bars. The penny candies and the stories that came out of this building, there are just too many stories to tell. It’s got a hallowed history, and it was a landmark here. Why not give some ode to the past by naming it the Royal Blue, and put the original sign back up? I thought it was something that was needed.” n
Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
Have a bite
Royal Blue General Store, 130 N. Walnut St. in Stillman Valley is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Find Royal Blue General Store on Facebook or call 815-645-7036 for more information.
Gram’s Jerky
Beef jerky products from Gram’s Jerky, sold at Royal Blue, are available during restaurant hours. Call 630-631-1922 for more information.
A Celebration Space Especially For
Royal Blue General Store offers patio seating when the weather’s nice, and a walk-up window.
Mount Morris Jiu Jitsu Club owner Chris Nixon works with student Sidney Barber on March 5 at the club.
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Jiu jitsu is about more than just learning how to take people down, it’s about building them up, teaching lessons not only about the martial art but about themselves, and students are learning to do both at a Mount Morris club
hen most people think of life lessons, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to stay that the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t jiu jitsu.
But life and jiu jitsu have more in common than you might think.
Both have twists and turns that people have to grapple with, and both can be undermined by egos — it takes a deft determination to know when to submit and when to fight back. And at some point, whether it’s in life or jiu jitsu, you’ll find yourself asking: Is this worth going to the mat for?
Chris Nixon thinks they both are.
He’s the club owner and trainer at Mount Morris Jiu Jitsu Club, where he helps students learn lessons on the mat, both in life and in the martial art he teaches.
Just don’t expect easy answers.
“Just like in life, you’re going to realize you can’t get it turned around in one move, you’re going to have to make four of five moves to get out of a bad position,” Nixon said. “You’re not going to be able to win the lottery and save your financial situation, sometimes you’re going to have to go four, five or six steps. I think for a lot of guys here, it teaches them patience and it strips you of your ego.”
Nixon emphasizes the mental benefits that jiu jitsu can bring to the students who come to his classes at the Mount Morris Coliseum on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings; and at the end of March, he also expanded his class offerings to Monday night classes at Kinetic Grit CrossFit in Byron.
Nixon works one-on-one with students during the one-hour training sessions to help them improve their technique and mental balance, bringing his own talents to the martial art that blends ancient skills with modern techniques.
Jiu jitsu’s roots originated with Japanese judo, which has a history stretching back to the 1500s and incorporates technique from American catch-style wrestling of the late 1800s. It consists of grappling, ground fighting and the application of submission holds, all using principles of leverage, angles, pressure and timing. Jiu jitsu styles of today were perfected in Brazil in the early 20th century, and it became popular in the United States starting in the 1980s.
PHOTOS: ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SAUKVALLEYMEDIA.COM
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Jiu jitsu’s techniques favor smaller fighters, who can use leverage and weight distribution to their advantage against larger opponents; and it can be for anyone, man or woman, large or small, young or old, experienced or not — but there’s more to it than just learning techniques.
What’s important is the commitment to becoming a better person.
“There are two types of people who really benefit from jiu jitsu: there’s really aggressive guys, because they can learn to control their aggression, and under-aggressive or passive guys who learn that it is okay to be aggressive,” Nixon said. “They’ll go out and tangle with a guy and really exert themselves, but
everyone’s going to high-five in the end and be all smiles, and we’re all going to be better off for it.”
Jiu jitsu competition is done in gi and no-gi styles. The gi (rhymes with “gee,” but with a hard g) is a more traditional martial arts uniform consisting of a heavy cotton jacket with a thick neckline, drawstring pants, and cotton belt. The loose-fitting garment can be used to opponents’ advantage, as it can be grabbed hold of and used to help execute moves. No-gi matches are done wearing tighter fitting uniforms, like shorts and a shirt, that opponents can’t use in the same way, making them rely more on body mechanics, balance and positioning to take down their opponents. Mount Morris Jiu Jitsu is a no-gi club, but larger clubs do offer gi style.
Nixon, who grew up in Mount Morris, first learned about jiu jitsu in 2013 while living in Japan. He opened his hometown club in September 2021, inspired in part by people he met who were interested in jiu jitsu but couldn’t afford the costs or travel to larger cities to take classes. He decided to offer his expertise at a more affordable rate — $35 per month.
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JIU
“This is something you only see in bigger cities like Rockford and Sterling, but to have something like this here is great,” Nixon said. “With jiu jitsu, you can go 100 percent as hard as you want and no one will get hurt. Imagine Muy Thai kickboxing or karate, you can go 100 percent hard and someone’s going to get knocked out. Here, you go 100 percent and no one will get hurt.”
Students come from many different backgrounds: former high school wrestlers getting back in shape, kids who want to boost their confidence, those who want to learn self-defense techniques, and undercover law enforcement who can use the skills in their job. Around 10 to 15 students gather on any training day, and new students are encouraged to join and learn about the sport.
Be warned, though: The first time you try it, be prepared for some humility. Several of the club’s students have experienced the bitter taste of defeat, but learned what it took to rebound from it in a positive way.
Sid Barber of Byron is a student and coaches classes when Nixon is unavailable. Barber also grew up in Mount Morris and wrestled for Oregon High School as a teenager; he then moved to LaCrosse, Wisconsin, where he learned about jiu jitsu seven years ago on a mission to improve himself.
Now back closer to home, he trains up to five days a week, having come a long way from submitting to people he initially thought he could beat.
“I was getting super out of shape, not comfortable and was smoking cigarettes a lot, but I decided I wanted to do some workout,” Barber said. “I started lifting weights and running, but I found that to be boring. I met someone at the gym who told me about coming in to try a [jiu jitsu] class. I went there, and a 14-year-old boy beat the crap out of me, and a bunch of old guys and a girl all submitted me in the same day. I was like, ‘I could either quit right now, or I’m going to learn how to do it.’ So I came once or twice a week for a couple of years, and I’ve been doing it since.”
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Sidney Barber (below) and Damien Campbell spar March 6 during a Mount Morris Jiu Jitsu class, at Mount Morris Coliseum.
PHOTOS: ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SAUKVALLEYMEDIA.COM
Dan Coutts of Dixon found out early on in his training that being humbled leads to being less hot-headed.
“When I first came here a couple of years ago, every single one in the room, no matter their size or skill level or whether they had only been in a couple of classes or more, whooped me,” Coutts said. “They weren’t non-friendly beatings, but they were enough to show me that I didn’t know anything, and I needed to learn some of this stuff.”
Nixon remembers moments like that when he was first learning jiu jitsu in Japan. He found that the sport reinforces an important lesson: that ultimately, you are responsible for
what happens to you. Sometimes the lessons weren’t easy, and sometimes they were filled with introspection, but he persevered and a martial art he took up to pass the time became a passion that carried him up through the ranks, to a purple belt, three belts below the highest belt, red.
“One of the guys that lived by me asked me if I wanted to come try this jiu jitsu thing, and there was a gym right down the street from me,” Nixon said. “I started training there with a really good jiu jitsu practitioner who had just set me on the path. I was getting choked out by 140-pound 17-year-olds, which is a real wake-up call, because you’ll be walking in and thinking, ‘How bad can this be, right?’”
Julian Trainor, 13, of Byron is one of the youngest students at the club. He became interested in the sport in October and is learning how to apply its lessons in life. It’s also helping keep him in shape for when plays soccer for his local park district this spring.
“I like learning and knowing that if you do get surprise attacked, you’re not completely just done for,” Trainor said. “You can defend yourself. I’ve learned a bunch of moves, but I can apply it to my outside life, and I’ve been able to help my confidence improve but not get too confident.”
JIU JITSU cont’d to page 31
Mount Morris Jiu Jitsu meets for classes at 5 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Saturday at the Mount Morris Coliseum, 26 S. Wesley Ave.; and at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Kinetic Grit CrossFit, 703 N. Walnut St. in Byron. Classes are $35 per month. Find it on Facebook, email chriskylenixon@hotmail.com or call 815-440-3383 for more information.
Some students, such as Barber, will participate in regional and national jiu jitsu competitions representing the club. Barber has even taken first place in some tournaments, and enjoys the challenge of competing; it also helps keep him engaged in the sport, he said.
“I enjoy doing a physical activity with a goal, and I feel like I have something to look forward to with competitions,” Barber said. “If I don’t sign up for them, it’s hard for me to stick around. If I always have something coming up, I have motivation to train and it keeps me healthy and in shape.”
There are many lessons to be learned from jiu jitsu, not the least of which is building the confidence students need to handle themselves in a tight situation. Just like Irish band Chumbawamba once said in their hit ’90s song “Tumbthumping”: “I get knocked down. But I get up again. You’re never gonna keep me down.”
“If you’ve never cried after a jiu jitsu class, you’re probably not that into it,” Nixon said. “I remember getting smoked a couple of times in Japan after I thought I had some stuff going on, but then I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ Think about how many times that happens. The whole point is to get humbled, and then realize that you need to work harder. That happens everywhere, in any aspect of life.” n
Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
JIU JITSU cont’d from page 30
gle County’s past is full of stories — the people, places, facts and figures that have played a part in putting it on the map and telling its tales. Some are well-known, while others can only be found when you dust off the history books and flip through the pages — but big or small, all those stories deserve to be preserved.
When it comes to celebrating the past, most of the historical hoopla is usually reserved for benchmark anniversaries — 100 years, 150 years, and the like. People don’t tend to get as nostalgic when the 93rd or 147th anniversaries come around.
Milestone markers come with some linguistic tongue-twisters, though they don’t tend to get as much attention as centennials and bicentennials. There’s the quasquicentennial for 125 years and sesquicentennials for 150 years; and when it’s time to mark 175 years, you’ve got several different words you can wrap your tongue around — seven by some counts, including dosquicentennial and septaquintaquinquecentennial (though some who’ve done the math contend some of the terms don’t quite add up, but we’ll leave that to the linguists).
Some Ogle County tales from the past have been featured in this magazine in recent years, such as the stories of how communities such as Black Walnut, Carthage and Kilbuck were wiped from maps; how Chicago artists came to Oregon and made a new home along the Rock River; and why there’s a unique monument along Kishwaukee Road north of Stillman Valley.
HISTORY cont’d to page 34
In this issue of Ogle County Living, we’ll tell you a few more stories that have reached a milestone this year, tales mostly forgotten, but ones that deserve to be remembered: When state Route 2 cut through Castle Rock, when Daysville’s soldiers were recognized in stone, when a pair of railroads created towns, and the birth of a baseball legend.
It’s not just centennial celebrations that bring the past to the present. Double the milestone and double the memories — there are 200 reasons to celebrate bicentennials, just ask anyone old enough to remember being around for America’s year-long love affair with liberty during its red, white and blue birthday bash in 1976. (Which reminds us, our nation’s 250th birthday is coming next year.)
As far as what happened in Ogle County 200 years ago, in 1825, not much is known. The county looked much different then than it does now. Native Americans, led by Chief Black Hawk, lived throughout the county even as Illinois achieved statehood seven years prior. Also, present-day Grand Detour had been the site of a trading post along the Rock River operated by Pierre La Sallier and Stephen Mack since 1822.
Northwest Illinois was one of the last areas of the state to be settled, largely due to the presence of the Natives, and at that time Ogle County had yet to exist — it was part of a much larger Putnam County. It would just be a couple of years later when the first stagecoach trails came through the western part of the county.
You might not be able to say “septaquintaquinquecentennial,” but once you’re done reading, you shouldn’t have any trouble saying, “Hmm, now that was interesting.” n
Shaw Media reporter Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
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The popularity of modern-day motoring reached a milestone in the mid-1920s in Illinois, when the number of automobile licenses issued surpassed the 1 million mark.
As more cars and trucks traveled through Ogle County in the Roaring ’20s, the gravel and dirt roads that were good enough for horse and carriages just weren’t cutting it for horseless carriages.
Riders were getting in a rut on roads worn by weather and wear and tear, making for a bumpy ride wherever they went. Paved highways were the answer to a growing problem, but they took time and money.
When state Route 2 was planned to run from South Beloit to Cairo, it called for the path to run on a pre-existing dirt road parallel to the Rock River in a stretch from Rockford to Dixon. One of the largest obstacles along that path was getting through a hilly area between Oregon and Grand Detour that would later be known as Castle Rock State Park.
The new route along The Blackhawk Trail was still being called “The Big Cut” when this postcard was printed a few years after workers rerouted the road in 1925 to cut through the area near what is now Castle Rock State Park, along state Route 2. Inset at left: The trail was still a dirt road when this hand-colored photo was taken for a picture postcard. Below: This 1912 map shows the hairpin curve that was removed when the trail was rerouted.
hairpin were cut out for a straighter path.
This area is now one of Route 2’s most scenic features, one where St. Peter sandstone cliffs meet both sides of the road to make for a narrow passage with a tight curve to navigate. According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, there are only a few places in Illinois where St. Peter sandstone comes to the surface, even though it underlies practically the entire state.
The spot is well-shaded under trees and other vegetation in the summer, awash in the stunning colors of fall when the leaves change, and a study in contrast when autumn’s colors are replaced by a black and white picture of snowdappled trees against a winter backdrop. The curve has a street light that helps travelers navigate it successfully at night.
At that time, the pre-existing road curved around a hill in a hairpin shape, but this wasn’t feasible for a state highway: In 1925, parts of the hill along the
Today, Route 2’s path is much shorter than its original route, no longer ending in Cairo but now terminating in Sterling. Castle Rock was dedicated as a state park in 1978. The old hairpin curve has since been overgrown on one end and converted into a private driveway on the other. n
The year was 1900: The Spanish-American War was still fresh in the minds of the American public, a war that started with the explosion and sinking of the U.S.S. Maine battleship at a harbor in Havana, Cuba, in 1898 — an incident that may or may not have been an attack by Spain, but one that the public was led to believe was so by sensationalistic American journalists at the time.
Only 35 years prior had the nation’s bloodiest war between the Union and Confederacy concluded, and memories of the Civil War still lingered in many people’s minds. In both wars, men from all over the country, including Ogle County, heeded to call to serve their nation and fight for its interests.
Those who served from Daysville and the surrounding area were honored at its cemetery 125 years ago, when a soldiers monument was erected and their names were etched in stone.
The 22-foot-tall monument (at right) came to be through the work of Civil War veterans H.A. Mix and Virgil E. Reed, both of Oregon. It’s made from Bedford granite and cost $1,600 at the time, was paid for by contributions from the old soldiers and their friends.
The names of 379 soldiers are inscribed, including those from Nashua and Oregon Townships who had served in any of the country’s wars at that point, as well as those who were living in the townships when the monument was erected, but had only moved there after serving in their respective wars. Soldiers who had been buried throughout the cemetery were moved closer to the monument when it was built.
One notable name is that of Daniel Day (1763-1838), who made the trek out west from the original 13 colonies well after his service in the Revolutionary War. Day’s surname lends itself to the community of Daysville, though it was Daniel’s son, and War of 1812 veteran, Jehiel Day, who came to the area a few years before his father. The Day Family was originally from New Hampshire, and Jehiel took advantage of a prime opportunity at that time to own land in the early days of Illinois, and came to a place not too far from the Rock River and Kyte Creek. When the elder Day died, he was buried on top of a small hill to the side of a wagon trail to Franklin Grove (now Daysville Road). Other burials would follow and it would become the Daysville Cemetery. Ogle County’s other veterans from the American Revolution are Rufus Perkins (1763-1848) of Buffalo Grove and Rufus Phelps (1767-1839) of Lindenwood. n
The northeastern part of Ogle County was a quiet, rural area rich in farmland and home to a few stagecoach stops in the early 1870s. Much of its population was concentrated in areas along the Rock River and its then-three railroad lines at the time, which crossed through the other three-quarters of the county.
When a pair of railroads expanded their reach in the late 1800s, laying more track, it connected residents of northeast Ogle County to larger cities throughout the region. When the Chicago and Pacific Railroad was built west from Chicago, and when the Chicago, Rockford and Northern Railroad connected Flagg Center and Rockford, they quickly led to the establishment of four communities: Davis Junction, Kings, Monroe Center and Stillman Valley — all of which can claim 1875 as their year of establishment.
Davis Junction, as its name states, is the crossing of the two rail lines. When the rails were built, the new community took over the Post Office that previously had been a couple of miles to its southeast in Beacon. Davis Junction was named for Jeremiah Davis, who came to area in 1859 and served in the Illinois Legislature in 1870 and 1871. He donated land toward the right-of-ways of both rail lines and platted a town around the intersection, with streets named for family members and trees.
Monroe Center, a few miles east of Davis Junction, was founded by Silas D. Tyler who platted the community on his farmland when the Chicago and Pacific came through.
Stillman Valley, a few miles west of Davis Junction, also was developed in 1875 by Joshua White as the Chicago and Pacific extended further west. Stillman Valley wound up siphoning off residents and businesses that had been about a mile north at Hales Corners because of the railroad. For a few years, Stillman Valley was the railroad’s last stop as the construction of a bridge over the Rock River encountered delays; it eventually crossed and reached Byron in 1880.
The Chicago, Rockford and Northern Railroad led to the establishment of Kings, which was laid out by W.H. King. Its establishment caused the nearby community of White Rock Center to disappear. White Rock Center formerly was home to a Presbyterian church founded in 1864, which was later moved to Kings and is now the Sweet Revival Antique store and coffeehouse.
In 2026, Holcomb will celebrate its sesquicentennial; it was established by Joseph Sheaff and named for W.H. Holcomb, an administrator for the Chicago and Iowa Railroad (now the BNSF, which runs east-west through the county), who was instrumental in the development of the Chicago, Rockford and Northern.
Holcomb and Stillman Valley would later have a second railroad cross through with the establishment of the Chicago Great Western in 1886. The line was abandoned in the 1970s. Both the Chicago and Pacific and the Chicago, Rockford and Northern Railroad would be acquired by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul (the Milwaukee Road) by the turn of the 20th century. The northsouth line through the county served as the Milwaukee Road’s access to the coal mine in Cherry in Bureau County, which was the site of a deadly fire in 1909; the line was later acquired by the Burlington Northern and is now owned by Illinois Railway, which rarely uses the track, now overgrown with vegetation in many parts. The east-west line is still used daily: It was acquired by Soo Line upon the Milwaukee Road’s bankruptcy in 1985, and is now operated by Canadian Pacific. n
The Chicago and Pacific Railroad was still just a “pro posed R.R.” cutting through Jeremiah Davis’ land on the 1872 map at left, 3 years before the community named in his honor would be established. By the time the map on the right came out in 1930, Davis Junction was well established and home to a train station (below) where the Chicago and Pacific Railroad and the Chicago, Rockford and Northern Railroad intersected. At right, the intersection today.
Through the years, many budding young baseball players from high schools across Ogle County have dreamt of one day making it to the major leagues. One of them made that dream come true when the game was still in its infancy, and he would go on to find even more fame in the sports equipment industry.
Albert G. Spalding, whose professional career as a player, manager and administrator would one day land him in baseball’s hall of fame, was born 175 years ago this year, on Oct. 2, 1850, in Byron, the son of James and Harriet Spalding. It was while growing up in Byron that Spalding learned the three R’s of reading, ’riting and ’rithmetic that would help him become the success that he was in baseball and business. The Spaldings lived on the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Chestnut Street, and the house still stands as a private residence. Other than that, little is known today about Spalding’s time in Byron, but that’s because he only lived there until he was 13.
The Spaldings moved to Rockford in 1863, and a few years later Albert joined the Rockford Forest Citys baseball club. His success with the Forest Citys led him to the nationally renowned Boston Red Stockings franchise, where, as its ace pitcher, he led his team to four straight National Association of Professional Base Ball Players championships from 1872-75. He later led the Chicago White Stockings (now the Cubs) to a National League pennant as pitcher and manager in 1876.
