Thursday, June 28, 2018
A Special Publication of
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THE
Streator’s July 4th
2 Thursday, June 28, 2018
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Streator’s 150th birthday kicks into gear Streator will celebrate its 32nd year of going big for Independence Day, and at the same time, throw a fitting party for the city’s 150th birthday. As tradition, the city will host a booming fireworks show at Streator High School Athletic Fields, a parade downtown and a carnival at Northpoint Plaza to go along with the newer tradition of bringing in bands, food vendors and a beer tent to go along with festivities at Northpoint. To really commemorate the city’s sesquicentennial, a number of activities geared specifically toward celebrating the city’s history were scheduled, highlighted by the Walldogs Festival from Wednesday, June 27 to Sunday, July 1. This special Times edition will serve as a guide to not only the city’s Fourth of July Celebration, but also reflect back on the city’s history.
SESQUICENTENNIAL CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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will be available at the former Armory. Free for all veterans, friends, families. Donations accepted. u SESQUICENTENNIAL CLOSING CEREMONY: 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2., City Park. Closing of Streator’s Sesquicentennial Celebration Season. Includes short program and closing of the 2018 time capsule.
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u PLUTOFEST: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 7, City Park. Fourth annual festival features homebrew tastings hosted by ALES Club, crafters, vendors, children’s activities and food vendors. Music and entertainment begins at noon. For more information, visit streator.org. u CANCELLATION STAMP EVENT: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 7, Streator’s US Post Office. Cancellation stamp offering one day only. u AG IN THE PARK: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 28, City Park. Celebrate agriculture in Streator’s history. Farm displays, products and antique equipment on hand. Includes farmer’s market, flea market, log carvers, children rides, barnyard animals, blacksmith, music and refreshments. u LABOR DAY CELEBRATION: Friday Aug. 31 through Sunday, Sept. 2, City Park and downtown locations. Cruise Night and Car Show, one of
the state’s largest car events featuring over 500 cars. Includes annual cruise night and car show, carnival, music, food and beer garden, parade and family fun. u STREATOR CRUISE SOCK HOP: 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, Streator Incubator. Sponsored by Streator Stars and Stripes Club. Music, snacks, beverages, costume contest and more
Saturday by Appt.
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Robert Pode Gary Finkelstein, D.O. M.D. We wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe fourth of July.
Special Thanks to Everyone involved in Making Streator’s 150th so Amazing! Gary Finkelstein, M.D., Robert Pode, D.O. Board Certified Ophthalmologists Streator: 102 W. Elm • 815-672-4600 Peru: 1915 4th St • 815-223-1112
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Streator’s July 4th
Thursday, June 28, 2018 3
OSF HealthCare is proud to launch a nine-part series of articles honoring the Streator Sesquicentennial. Turn to page A4 to read today’s first edition.
Streator’s July 4th
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Joe Diffie, Jordan Davis headline 4 nights of music at Northpoint
Country, rock, dance bands set to take stage The Times Staff
The Streator Fourth of July celebration will again feature music at Northpoint Plaza, and this time it will be bringing in its biggest name yet. Country star Joe Diffie, who has had five No. 1 country hits with “Home,” “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets),” “Third Rock from the Sun,” “Pickup Man,” and “Bigger Than The Beatles,” will headline country music night Saturday, June 30. Diffie is set to perform 10 p.m. to midnight. All general admission tickets are free for the four nights. Purchased tickets are for a VIP section. Thursday’s entertainment, a woolly-bearded Jordan Davis, is a “Shreveport-born, Nashville-weathered creative soul with his feet firmly
Contributed
Joe Diffie, who has had five songs reach No. 1 on the country billboard charts, will perform Saturday, June 30, in Streator. planted in two different eras,” according to his webpage. His songs are lyrically-driven but feature highend production. His hit song “Singles You Up,” was selected as the 45th
Contributed
the stage. Tantric was founded in 1999 by former Days of the New members, who are no longer with the band. The Louisville, Kent.-based rock band is lead by the band’s only original member Huge Ferreira. Local favorites Chris Farrell, Alika Arlynn and Cody Calkins will go on stage before singer/songwriter Craig Gerdes on Saturday, leading up to Diffie. Sunday’s performers will not lack energy as Chicago dance band Libido Funk Circus will play from 3 to 6 p.m. before the hometown 80s Bush brings big hair and arena rock to the Northpoint stage.
See MUSIC, page 5
best single thus far of 2018 by Billboard. It topped the country charts in April. “The chorus to ‘Singles You Up’ is an absolute rush, clever and rousing enough to get you singing along to it
Wild Hearts Boutique Jordan Davis’ single “Singles You Up” topped the country charts in April, and Billboard named it the 45th-best single so far this year. He will kick off Northpoint’s musical lineup on Thursday night.
like the first time you fully grasped what ‘Friends in Low Places’ was supposed to mean,” according to the Billboard staff. A familiar favorite Brushville will open for Davis on Thursday night from 7 to 8:30 p.m., before Davis takes the stage at 9 p.m. Some harder rock sounds take over Friday headlined by Saving Abel, a Southern rock group from Mississippi, that describes its sound as “Tennessippi.” Despite losing lead singer Jared Weeks, the band performs with Scott Austin, formerly of Trash the Band. Saving Abel is scheduled to perform 10 p.m. to midnight after Metallica-tribute band Unforgiven and Tantric take
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Streator’s July 4th
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Music: Schedule From page 4
Thursday, June 28 u 7 to 8:30 p.m.: Brushville u 9 to 11 p.m.: Jordan Davis
Friday, June 29 u 7 to 8 p.m.: Unforgiven (Metallica cover band) u 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.: Tantric u 10 p.m. to midnight: Saving Abel
Saturday, June 30 u 2 to 5 p.m.: Chris Farrell u 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Cody Calkins u 7 to 8 p.m.: Craig Gerdes u 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.: Alika Arlynn u 10 p.m. to midnight: Joe Diffie
Sunday, July 1 u 3 to 6 p.m.: Libido Funk Circus u 7 to 10 p.m.: 80s Bush
Thursday, June 28, 2018 5
150 years of city’s history in murals Walldogs to transform city June 27-July 1 Soon, you won’t have to look far to get a taste of Streator’s history. It’s going to cover over 16 walls. The city will host the Walldogs, Wednesday, June 27, through Sunday, July 1, which is a gathering of artists from all over the world who visit a specific city once a year and paint a number of murals. The group visited Pontiac in 2009. Murals that uniquely represent Streator were chosen. “We tried to find as many topics and different items as we could based on our history and the kids mural will be agriculture-themed,” said organizer Tara Bedei. “So we’ll have farming, industry, famous people. We tried to incorporate as much (history) as we could.” The five-day event is part of the city’s sesquicentennial celebration with a number of
events marking the city’s 150th anniversary. “We’ll have both events happening so during the day you’ll see murals being painted and during the night a lot of acts will be up at Northpoint (Plaza),” Bedei said. “It’ll be a lot of people, a lot of buzz and a lot of excitement.” For more information, visit streatorwalldogs.com.
STREATOR WALLDOGS EVENTS u WALLDOGS CELEBRATION: 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, PNA Hall. Walldog artist welcome dinner. u STREATOR WALLDOGS CELEBRATION: 7 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, June 27, City Park. Live music event by Breaking Storm. u STREATOR WALLDOGS CELEBRATION: 9 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, citywide event. Walldog mural projection show at mural sites. u STREATOR STILL STRUTS: The Story of Streator through Murals & Milestones, Streator City Park, 3 p.m, Wednesday, July 4. A reader’s theater presentation. A second presentation will be held at 6 p.m.
Decades of history in these murals:
u SESQUICENTENNIAL/COAL MINING: Anderson Financial, 302 East Main St. u CIVIL WAR/HOWE: Streator Home’s Carriage House, 131 S. Monroe St. u DEW LINE: Kuntz Insurance, 134 S. Bloomington St. Edward Plumb: Majestic Theatre, Hickory Street side. u GEORGE “HONEY BOY” EVANS: Elks Lodge, 202 N. Park St. u GLASS CAPITAL OF THE WORLD: Ramza Insurance, 125 S. Bloomington St. u HOPALONG CASSIDY: Standalone sign on 200 block of West Main Street. u PLUTO: K’s Secret Garden, 215 E. Main St. u RAILROADS: 125 S. Park St., North side. u THE ROAMER: Dick’s Floor Covering, 101 E. Main St. u STREATOR BASEBALL: Chad Lucas State Farm, Hickory Street side. u TATTERSALL RACING: Hombakers, 501 E. Main St. u VIN FIZ FLIGHT: Dick’s Flooring Warehouse, 101 E. Main St. u WILLIAMS HARDWARE: Former Williams Storage, 128 S. Sterling St. u WORLD WAR II CANTEEN: Park Place, 406 E. Hickory St. u ZOUAVES: Christoff ’s, 116 S. Monroe St., Southwest side.
Happy 150th to Our Hometown!
o Serve Strea t d e s tor s e l ! B
Patriotic Concert
A Tribute Concert for the Whole Family
Featuring:
JOLIET AMERICAN LEGION BAND Service Times: 8:15, 9:30, & 11:00am
2001 E. Main St., Streator, IL 61364 www.centrallive.net 815-673-1581
Contributed
A mural commemorating the Sesquicentennial and the city’s coal mining history will be put up at Anderson Financial, 302 East Main St.
Recognizing Veterans from All Branches And The Elks “History of Our American Flag” Ceremony
Sunday, July 15, 2018 • 3:00 PM
at Plumb Pavillion in the Streator City Park
Streator’s July 4th
6 Thursday, June 28, 2018
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Streator’s 4th celebration has something for everyone The Times Staff Streator residents will want to take note of a couple of changes regarding the fireworks. Traditionally, the fireworks show is conducted on a Saturday near Independence Day.
This year, the fireworks will occur at dusk Tuesday, July 3, again at the STHS Athletic Fields. Additionally, the show wil be choreographed to music broadcasted on a different radio station: 95.3 Jack-FM. The show is scheduled
to begin at about 9:15 p.m., following the Red, White, Blue and You Talent Competition, which awards a $100 prize to the winner. Setting the same standard for one of the best fireworks shows in the area, Melrose Pyrotechnics will again handle the show.
THE CARNIVAL SCHEDULE: u Thursday, June 28: 5 to 10 p.m. u Friday, June 29: 3 to 11 p.m. u Saturday, June 30: 1 to 11 p.m. u Sunday, July 1: 1 to 9 p.m.
Carnival
The parade will begin at noon Sunday, July 1 in downtown Streator. Lineup starts at 10:30 a.m. at the Santa Fe depot on Illinois Street. The route begins at Illinois and Main streets, continues west down Main Street, to Park Street, then north to Kent Street. Following the parade, the third annual Emergency Vehicle show is set between noon and 3 p.m. at Northpoint Plaza.
D&J Amusements will return to Northpoint Plaza with its carnival, featuring a Ferris Wheel. Other rides include the Freak Out, Pharaoh’s Fury, Screamer, Cliff Hanger, Super Slide and Crazy Submarine, among others. A Megapass will be $40 presale and allows visitors to use it each of the four days the carnival is open. Mega pass tickets are being sold at Lori’s Mailbox and Parcel Depot, Ace Hardware, SOCU, Shaw Appliance, Streator Home Savings Bank, B&R East, B&R South, and Streator Community Credit Union. Lori’s and Ace will accept credit cards. All other locations require cash. Once the carnival is open, a Megapass will be $50. A Pay one Price wristband is available for any day of the event for $25 per day, otherwise it is $1.25 per ticket, or 20 tickets for $20.
Parade
The show features antique police and fire vehicles, as well as current emergency personnel vehicles from around the area.
Run for Glory 5k The run is scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday, June 30. Checkin begins at 6:30 a.m. at the downtown park. Entry fee is $20 on race day and $18 before hand. Participants do not have to be competitive runners. Race features water on course at one- and two-mile points, refreshments, and T-shirts. Walkers are welcome. Runners of all ages can participate. There are multiple divisions starting from ages 13 and younger to 70 and older.
See CELEBRATION, page 8
Wishing Everyone A Safe & Happy 4th of July!
LEFT: A Ferris wheel will be new to Streator’s carnival this year.
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Contributed
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Streator’s July 4th
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Thursday, June 28, 2018 7
15 vendors add flavor to Streator’s celebration The Times Staff As Streator’s 2018 Independence Day celebration takes shape, organizers are excited about the wide variety of food vendors that will be available during the four-day celebration. Vendors will again complement the musical entertainment Thursday, June 28 to Sunday, July 1 at Northpoint Plaza. An expanded beer tent also will be available. Vendors are scheduled to open at 5 p.m. both Thursday and Friday nights, and stay open until entertainment is complete. They will open at about noon Saturday and Sunday, and close around the time entertainment concludes.
Here is the roundup of food available: u CRUISIN’ CONCESSIONS: Hometown vendor, corn dogs, lemon shakeups, curly fries. u UNCLE LES’ KETTLE CORN: kettle corn, cinnamon sugar popcorn u T’S FOOD SHACK: Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, brats, BBQ pork chop, steak sandwiches.
u GARY’S CONCESSIONS: Blooming onions, veggies, tat chips, fried sweet potato, Bubba’s Old Fashioned Soda. u DEEP FRIED DELIGHTS: Deep-fried oreos, candy bars and more. uT IKI ISLAND CONCESSIONS: Smoothies, iced coffees. u SKIPPERS ISLAND OASIS: Skewers of chicken, pork, lobster and sirloin. u AA CONCESSIONS: Hot dogs, corn dogs, funnel cakes, and chimney cake (baked Hungarian pastry). u LEMONADE FACTORY: 10 flavors of lemonade, 30 flavors of funnel cakes, chicken and waffles. u NUTHATCH HILL BBQ CO.: Pulled pork, brisket, nuthatch nachos, fresh pork rinds. u MICKEY’S MASSIVE BURRITOS: Burritos, carnitas. uH EARTLAND FOOD SERVICE: Alligator on a stick, blooming onions, kabobs, crab cakes and more. uT ROPICAL SNO: Hawaiian shaved ice. u GRANDMA ROSIE’S SWEET TREATS: Ice cream. u TONY’S BUTT SHACK: BBQ
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Skippers Island Oasis will be serving up its patented grilled skewers during Streator’s four-day celebration at Northpoint Plaza.
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The Times | file
ABOVE: The children’s parade will again take place July 4 in City Park, with children getting the chance to decorate their bicycles, wagons or pull shoeboxes in patriotic decor. RIGHT: The fireworks are scheduled for Tuesday, July 3, at STHS Athletic Fields.
Celebration: Auto Lotto funds annual festivities Happy 150th Streator From page 6
Remember to buy your Auto Lotto ticket Want to support Streator’s fireworks? Buy an auto lotto ticket. The raffle is the primary fundraiser for Streator’s 4th of July Celebration. A $20 ticket comes with the chance to win a choice of $14,000 cash or one of the following vehicles: a 2018 Ford Fiesta S from Jerry Centoni Star Ford Lincoln, a 2018 Chevy Spark LS from Bill Walsh Automotive Group, a Harley Davidson 2016 Sportster XL1200C from Starved Rock Harley Davidson, a 2018 Polaris Ranger XP900 EPS LE from Talty Polaris, or a 2018 Kubota RTV-X900 G-H Utility Vehicle from Streator Farm Mart. Second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth prizes win $500. The drawing is scheduled 6 p.m. Wednesday July 4, at the Streator City Park’s Plumb Pavilion. Winner doesn’t have to be present.
Additionally, progressive 50/50 tickets will be for sale $2 each or three for $5. The drawing will be held at the same time as the Auto Lotto.
For the kids There will be many activities for children during the Fourth of July celebration. Miss Sparkler and Mr. Firecracker will be crowned at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, June 28, during the opening ceremony of the festival at Northpoint Plaza. Kids Corner is a free event geared toward children scheduled noon to 3 p.m. Friday, June
29, at Northpoint Plaza. Activities available are bounce houses, a fire truck, a train, airbrush tattoos, sand art key chains, among others. Activities are provided by Streator Onized Credit Union, Streator YMCA, OSF, Streator Community Center, Illinois Valley Community Hospital, Streator Fire Department, Joe Richard, Streator Substance Abuse Coalition, Girl Scouts, Central Church of Christ, AMT, Holy Trinity Pre-School, Red Cross and Results Physical Therapy.
See CELEBRATION, page 9
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Streator’s July 4th
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When coal was king City grew on the fortunes of the mines The Times-Press File Editor’s Note: This story originally ran in The TimesPress on Thursday, April 8, 1993 to commemorate Streator’s Quasqui-Centennial. 150 years ago a group of men gathered at Overholt and Holmes Hall (located on the site now occupied by Dick’s Warehouse) to decide whether to incorporate the town of Streator, Illinois. The measure passed on a vote of 56-5. That meeting — April 9, 1868 — marks the official “birthday” of this city; more importantly, perhaps, it marks the transition from a loosely organized settlement of farmers and miners into a solid industrial community that has survived and prospered for years since the last coal mine closed. The first known settler in the Streator area was George Bazore, who established a farm in 1831 near Otter Creek and the entrance to Marilla Park. The Streator area remained rural through the 1850s, while many nearby communities were springing up around railroad routes: Wenona (1853), Rutland (1855), Minonk (1856) and Lostant (1861) along the Illinois Central route between Mendota and Bloomington, while Dwight and Odell began by 1854 on the Chicago and Alton Line.
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A photo of downtown Streator early in its history shared on the Streator Sesquicentennial Facebook page. vast majority of coal being loaded onto wagons and sold to area farmers. In the 1860s, miners from England, Wales and Scotland began to settle in the area. Several people opened businesses to cater to their needs, among them Josiah O’Neal, a blacksmith, and his brother John, who opened a general store. According to Paul Angle’s “Biography in Black” it was John O’Neal who, after watching a horsedrawn wagon laboring up the hill from the banks of the Vermilion commented that “it was a hard scrabble and promptly lettered the term on the front of his store.” True or not, Hardscrabble was the community’s first name.
See COAL, page 12
We’re All About The Red White & Blue and Celebrating 150 Years With You!
Alternative fuel Around this time, the area timber supply became depleted and area settlers, in need of an alternative source of fuel, began to mine several pockets of coal along the banks of the Vermilion River. Soon several small mines were in operation, with the
Hardscrabble was officially renamed Unionville when the community was platted on April 27, 1865, but many residents ignored the new name. The official boundaries of Unionville were quite small: east from Bloomington Street to the Vermilion River and north from Kent Street to Main Street. Around this time John Nattinger, an Ottawa businessman, sent a sample of Unionville coal to his friend Dr. Worthy L. Streator, a wealthy Cleveland, Ohio physician. Streator then gathered a group of investors and formed the Vermilion Coal Company.
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Thursday, June 28, 2018 9
Story of Streator starts with Ralph Plumb City’s founder an impressive man The Times Staff Col. Ralph Plumb’s mark can be found in many places around Streator. The city’s founder and first mayor started the high school with his own money. He was instrumental in the building of many churches, Plumb influential in construction of the hospital, and at one time, had a hotel and opera house in his name. The Streator Library, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, also was made possible by Plumb and his regular correspondence with steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie. As the founder of the city, Plumb’s life story is where the history of Streator begins. Plumb was an abolitionist from northern Ohio. It was during an attempt to free a slave Plumb was badly beaten. De-
Celebration From page 8 On July 4, families can head to City Park and get a chicken and waffles lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A kids parade will take place on the sidewalks of the park at 1 p.m. Children 12 and younger will parade with
spite the near-death experience, Plumb referred to it as one of the greatest highs of his life. The experience also inspired Plumb to be a giving person. Streator Historian David Reed said there is a memorial for Plumb in the park with one of the colonel’s quotes on it: “There is no joy in life like the joy of giving.” Plumb found his way to Streator from a chance meeting with industrialist Dr. Worthy Streator at a railroad station. Plumb, coincidentally, was on his way to see Carnegie for a job prospect. Instead, Dr. Streator persuaded Plumb to take a trip to Illinois and investigate coal being found at the site of the modern-day city of Streator. The venture was profitable, allowing Plumb to become wealthy and the city to blossom. He built a mansion on the corner of Wasson and Broadway streets, where the St. Paul Lutheran Church is now located.
See PLUMB, page their decorated bikes, strollers and box floats. Parade leaders will be Miss Sparkler and Mr. Firecracker. A reader’s theater presentation Streator Still Struts: The Story of Streator Through Murals & Milestones is scheduled for 3 p.m. July 4, at City Park. A second presentation is set for 6 p.m.
Come Celebrate the 4th With Us!
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“Streator on a Saturday Night” Reuben Soderstrom Reuben Soderstrom, union organizer immortalized on City Park’s northwest corner, wrote “Streator on Saturday Night” on one of his visits back home. He said it took him 45 minutes to write six stanzas. This poem captures the excitement of Streator’s glory days. “We’ve been used right royally elsewhere, In visits to towns of more fame — And enjoyed the sights and many bright lights While playing the visiting game But however joyful and rosy The appeal of a foreign sight We’ve oft found ourselves a-longing for Streator on Saturday night. Streator boasts no world attractions Has no seashore, nor mountain peaks high — But while roaming afar, where those things are Our people admit (on the sly) That New York is all right on Sunday And ‘Frisco on Wednesday is bright — But no place in our splendid nation is Like Streator on a Saturday night.
All things unite in an effort On this famous eve of the week In a manner of caressing, with nothing distressing To of hospitality and good fellowship speak; There’s a smile on each face congenial, There’s the handshake that you feel is right The place of which I am speaking Is Streator on a Saturday night. For a pleasanter and happier Saturday, With crowds more generous and kind, It’s our proud boast — from coast to coast — Would be mighty hard to find; For Main Street its kings and its barons, With toilers join hands in delight, And surely make all things alluring, In Streator on Saturday night. Any city may have a feature That brings to it fortune The Times-Press | file and renown, But to my notion there’s no Downtown Streator on a Saturday in the 1950s. Crowds lined the sidewalks and typically made Saturday mountain or ocean nights a social event. Looms up like this night in our town. Friends — Let’s give a toast In Streator on Saturday It’s one safe bet that they And in memories allowed to our people — night. haven’t yet to delight, Whose sorrows and trouPoets who rave of the Witnessed the feature that’s They’d find but one topic to bles take flight, Rockies ours; write on — To the love and cheer that’s Of oceans, of cities, of Because when their minds That’s Streator on Saturday displayed — no discomfort flowers are a-pondering night.
Enjoy Streators’ Sesquicintennial Festivities Stop in to see all our lastest Fashions.
Bromley & Brown BOUTIQUE 308 E. MAIN ST., STREATOR
Have a Safe & Happy 4th!
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Streator’s July 4th
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Coal: By 1885, Streator was producing more coal than any town in the Midwest; by 1900 most coal was mined From page 9 In 1866 one of the investors was waiting for a train when he ran into an old friend, a former lawyer and Ohio state senator who had recently served as quartermaster on Gen. James Garfield’s staff in the Civil War. This old friend was Col. Ralph Plumb, who agreed to travel to Unionville, purchase 4,000 acres of land, and direct mining operations as the resident manager of the Vermilion Coal Company. The increased mining activity, along with the construction of a railroad from Streator to a junction of the Illinois Central Railroad near Wenona, brought a new influx of settlers and businessmen, and the town began to rapidly outgrow the original borders of Unionville. Plumb arranged to have the town replatted and also renamed it after Streator. The town was still bordered by the Vermilion River on the west, but it was extended south to Wilson Street, east to Wasson Street and north to Morrell Street. The post office was designated to Streator on Nov. 26, 1867, and the new plat was signed Feb. 10, 1868.
Trustees elected Less than a week after the April 9 vote on incorporation, the town elected a board of five trustees to run the new community. The winners were H.R. Stout, R.P. Smith, Robert Hall, A.J. Baker and George Temple. Smith was chosen as president. Among the board’s activities in Streator’s early days were improvements to the town’s primative roads and sidewalks, licensing saloons, building a jail and appointing a police constable and tax assessor. Serving on the village board was an apparently thankless task; when Dennis Fogarty retired from the board in 1875 he told the FreePress “Show me the man who can serve two consecutive years on that board without incurring the displeasure and hostility of some and I will show you a man without the capacity or independence to fit him for that office.” Meanwhile, Streator’s coal
mining activities were rapidly expanding. The Vermilion Coal Company became the Chicago, Wilmington and Vermillion Coal Company in 1871 when it merged with the Chicago and Wilmington Coal Company. Although its first mine, known as the “old slope,” was never particularly productive, the “No. 1 mine,” located near Vermillion and Grant streets was the largest in the Streator area. The C, V & W also opened the No. 2 mine in 1875 near Bridge and Illinois streets. Equally important was the construction of railroad lines to transport the coal from Streator. Various companies, including the Illinois Valley and Northern Railroad, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, the Wabash Line, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, and the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa (or Three I) all built railroads in order to deliver Streator coal to the rest or the country. The coal boom brought another wave of immigration in the 1880s, this time Poles and Slovaks. The original inhabitants of Streator, by and large, disliked the newcomers. They were all referred to as “Hungarians,” regardless of their country of origin, and most settled on the southeast edges of the town. This influx helped Streator’s population more than double — from 5,157 to 11,414 — in the decade between the 1880
Contributed
Ralph Plumb was the city’s first mayor. and 1890 censuses. By 1885, Streator was producing more coal than any town in the Midwest. Miners were not paid an hourly wage; they were paid a certain amount for each ton of coal they brought to the surface.
mayor. The council attempted to bring order to the expanding community by mandating the numbering of houses, paving Main and Hickory streets, ordering store owners to build sidewalks, constructing a City Hall, building a series of sewers, and annexing more land, mostly in the City status southeast into the city limits. The rapid industrial develStreator kept this form of opment necessitated political government until 1921, when change. The town was too big it adopted the commission to be run by a village board form of government. of trustees. Streator officially The Streator coal indusbecame a city on July 3, 1882, try began a gradual decline and elected Plumb as its first in the 1880s but the city
had by then developed new industries — glass and brick production — and many manufacturing plants located here due to the presence of the railroads. Among these were the Streator Foundry and Machine Shop, the Streator Plow, Wagon and Carriage works, The Lukins Lime Kiln, The Streator Boiler Works, the Mulford Heater Company, the Frech Machine Factory, and the Adolf Stauber Pants Factory.
See COAL, page 14
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Streator’s July 4th
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ach year on July 4, Americans
Ecelebrate the birth of their
nation and independence from Great Britain. This day marks the anniversary of the presentation and acceptance of the Declaration of Independence, signed 242 years ago on July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence began as a letter to Britain’s King George to explain why the Continental Congress was interested in declaring independence from Great Britain. The writing of the declaration began on July 2 and the final wording was established on July 4. Independence Day is full of opportunities to celebrate and enjoy oneself. Parades, fireworks, parties, barbecues, and much more are part of the festivities. Another way to commemorate Independence Day is to educate oneself about the many historical and entertaining facts that surround the day. The following are some interesting details about the origins of Independence Day and the celebrations that surround it.
O Although 56 people eventually
Independence, only John Hancock signed the document on July 4, 1776. The rest added their names later on. John Hancock’s signature is ornate and widely recognized. Putting your “John Hancock” on a document has become synonymous with the process of signing something.
O The Declaration of
Independence was adopted while the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Statehouse. That building is now known as Independence Hall.
OThe average age of the signers
of the Declaration of Independence was 45. The youngest person to sign was Thomas Lynch, Jr.,
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who was 27 when he signed the document. Benjamin Franklin, at age 70, was the oldest signee.
OJohn Adams and Thomas
Jefferson were the only signees who went on to serve as presidents. Coincidentally, Jefferson and Adams both died on July 4, 1826, within hours of each other.
O Philadelphia is the birth place
of much American history and is home to the Liberty Bell. Each Independence Day, the Liberty Bell is tapped (not rung, as the vibration would further damage the cracked bell) 13 times in honor of the original 13 American colonies.
O The original 13 American
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Thursday, June 28, 2018 13
colonies were located all along the eastern seaboard. They include Virgina, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
O The only copy of the engrossed and signed Declaration of Independence is in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
O The stars on the original
American flag were placed in a circle. This was so all of the colonies would be equally represented.
O Independence was gained in
1776, and the first celebration took place in Philadelphia four days later. The White House held its first Independence Day festivities in 1801.
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Streator’s July 4th
14 Thursday, June 28, 2018
Plumb From page 9 Prior to coming to Illinois, Plumb served on the Ohio legislature, where he developed a friendship with President James Garfield. He fought in the Civil War with Garfield. He was so regarded by the president, Plumb was invited to his inauguration dinner in Washington. At that dinner, budding capitalist Plumb began a conversation that turned into regular letters with Carnegie. That correspondence paid dividends for the library later, as Plumb’s wife Marilla was active in the Ladies Library Association. Plumb also was the founder of Streator High School.
Did you know? ... 5 Plumb facts u The village of Garfield, just west of Streator, is named after President James Garfield. When coal operations were just beginning in Streator, Plumb used Garfield’s money to build a railroad line from Streator to Wenona, in order to distribute Streator’s coal across the country. Trains needed a place to stop along the way, and that village became Garfield. u Plumb helped rebuild a baptist church destroyed by a cyclone, just before his death. He invited the pastor to his mansion to discuss details. When it became clear the church was in need, the pair took a carriage ride to the lumber yards in town asking for whatever they could donate. Plumb told the lumber yards he would donate the difference for reconstruction. A new church was built in two weeks. u Streator’s first coal mine was located a few hundred yards south of Broadway Tap. u The library’s current location was the original spot of Streator’s first church. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was built in the late 1860s and used until 1901, when the land was offered to the library for a sum of $5,000. u Plumb wanted to give coal miners a raise, after learning many of them ran debts at local stores. Bookkeepers convinced him against the raises. Instead, Plumb went to every store in Streator and personally paid off the debts of the miners.
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Where did Streator get its name? Coal The story of the man behind its moniker
John Streator, a grandfather who served during the Revolutionary War as a private in the Berkshire County Massachusetts Militia, changed the spelling of his last name from Streeter, making it easy for genealogists to The Times Staff trace the family line. He also became a doctor, The city of Streator’s a profession his grandson namesake, Dr. Worthy took up. Streator, doesn’t have much After completing his initial stature in La Salle County. medical training in 1839, Even at the Streatorland Worthy SteHistorical Society Musevens Streator um, little is known of his married Sarah past except he was an Ohio W. Sterling, of businessman who developed Lyman, N.Y., the coal industry in La Salle and moved to County. Aurora, PorBut in his longtime home tage County, of Cleveland, his reputation Ohio, where is well-established. he set up his Streator is remembered as practice. doctor turned savvy busiStreator He stayed in nessman, one of the longAurora for five time residents of a mansion years, moved to Louisville, along Cleveland’s Euclid Avenue, then called “Million- Ky., for a year of medical college and then returned to aires’ Row.” Portage County, resuming A nearby neighbor was John D. Rockerfeller, founder his practice in Ravenna. In 1850, Streator moved of Standard Oil and Amerito Cleveland. There, after ca’s first billionaire. “He didn’t have the visibili- two years, he gave up medicine and went into the ty of anybody like Rockerailroad-building business. feller or the big names who Railroads were sprouting up were the titans of industry, all over, and fortunes were to but he was definitely an be made. active player,” William C. Streator was involved Barrow, a reference librarwith the construction of ian at the Cleveland State the Greenville and Medina University Library, told The Railroad, then sections of the Times. Atlantic and Great Western Streator was born in MadiRailway. In 1862, he develson County, N.Y., Oct. 16, 1816.
oped the Oil Creek Railroad, which ran to the heart of the burgeoning Pennsylvania oil region. The Oil Creek Railroad was a phenomenal success and enormously profitable. The crowds that flocked to “oildorado,” according to one account, “struggled at the stations for the privilege of a standing place on the car platforms after the seats and aisles were filled.” In 1866, Streator sold his interest to the New York Central Railroad. He’d started in the spring of 1864 to enlarge his old farm house on Euclid Avenue, but instead built a magnificent new residence that stood 40 feet from its foundation to the peak of its mansard roof. Streator’s next venture was to organize a company financed mostly by Cleveland citizens to develop coal fields in La Salle County near the Vermilion River. The initial purchase was 3,000 acres, which included a five and one-half foot splint vein of coal. Under Streator’s direction, a railroad system to export the coal from the region was built. To oversee his interests in La Salle County, Streator hired Col. Ralph Plumb, who in time became the man most associated with the development of Streator and a mayor of Streator.
See STREATOR, page 15
Have a safe and happy 4th of July
From page 12
By 1900 most of the coal in Streator’s upper coal vein, known as No. 7, had been mined and companies were forced to rely on the lower vein (No. 2) for their operations. Since this vein was located farther underground, mining became a less profitable venture, although existing companies such as the C,V & W continued to open new shafts. The mining industry in Streator came to an end soon after the beginning of World War I. The C, V & W went into bankruptcy in 1914 and when it was reorganized two years later, its operations were concentrated in Franklin County in Southern Illinois. There were some attempts to rework closed mines up through the 1920s and some people speculated about a “third vein” located underneath the lower vein, but Streator’s coal mining days were over. The mining of coal was responsible for Streator’s success for three reasons. First, the exploration for coal veins revealed the existence of shale, clay and silica sand which led to successful brick and glass industries. Second, the mining activity brought the railroads to the area, making the town a transportation center. And third, Plumb, who directed the early mining operations, was a man whose work in establishing a town government and involvement in banking, transportation, education and even entertainment ensured that Streator would survive the fate of many other mining towns that can no longer be found on the map.
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Fun at the 4th Festival
Streator: Still memorialized in Cleveland From page 14 Plumb likely was a relative of Streator’s — Streator’s mother’s maiden name was Clarina Plumb. Her father, Charles Plumb, served during the Revolutionary War as a Marine aboard the man-of-war ship “Oliver Cromwell.” Streator occasionally visited La Salle County, but never lived here. With Plumb in charge of the coal interests, Streator devoted his time to his real estate holdings and more than 300-acre stock farm in East Cleveland. He also was engaged in many philanthropic endeavors. After President James Garfield of Ohio was assassinated in 1881, Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland near Streator’s farm property was designated as the place Garfield would be buried. When the Garfield National Monument Association was incorporated the following year, Streator was a member along with Rockefeller, former President Rutherford B. Hayes and John Hay, who had been Abraham Lincoln’s secretary and later was U.S. secretary of state. The resulting Garfield Monument was a 180-foot tall, cylindrical building, dedicated in 1890. It remains a tourist attraction. Streator’s home on Euclid Avenue, meantime, became part of a string of mansions known as “Millionaires’ Row.” The concentration of wealth there was staggering: in the late 19th century the tax valuation of the mansions far exceeded even those of New York’s Fifth Avenue. By the turn of the century, the elm-lined avenue also was known as “The Showplace of America,” and a common destination for European travelers. Streator died March 3, 1902. He was buried March 25, 1902, at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, the final resting place of not only Garfield but also later of Rockefeller, Hay and noted “Untouchable” law enforcement agent Eliot Ness. Streator’s lavish mansion was torn down and replaced in 1920 with the Crystal Slipper ballroom, and another 20 years later the site was being used for a bowling alley parking lot. By the Great Depression many of the “Millionaires’ Row” mansions were demolished or abandoned. Although some remain, much of Euclid Avenue became the home of less prestigious commercial properties during the second half of the 20th century. But even today in Cleveland, there is a Streator Court, just as in Streator there is a Cleveland Street.
The Times | file
ABOVE: Festivalgoers take a ride during the opening night of the 2017 Streator Fourth of July Celebration carnival at Northpoint Plaza.
LEFT: There was no shortage of sirens, lights and fire trucks in the 2017 4th of July Celebration parade down Streator’s Main Street. The line of fire trucks new and old — many from neighboring towns — took part in the second annual Streator Emergency Vehicle show immediately following the parade at Northpoint Plaza.
Congratulations on Your sesquiCentennial streator!
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Streator’s July 4th
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A look back at Streator history ...
Contributed
The Times-Press | file
Charlotte Popielarczyk and her daughter, Lynn (Popielarczyk) Wallace, are shown during Streator’s centennial celebration in 1968.
The Barr bricks of Main Street were grouted and smoothed in a refurbishing nearly 70 years ago.
The Times-Press | file
RIGHT: This is how Streator’s Main Street looked in the 1920s and 1930s, when the electric trolleys shared the street with coupes and sedans.
The Times-Press | file
When Main Street was resurfaced, it was with locally made Barr brick. The brick street was paved in the late 1980s to early 1990s as part of a major downtown renovation project. Evidence of the street’s brick heritage can be found in the recent Main Street beautification project, which includes brick crosswalks and bumpouts on some blocks.
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Streator’s July 4th
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Thursday, June 28, 2018 17
A look back at Streator history ...
The Times-Press | file
ABOVE: The Hickory Creek Stand, which sold fruits and vegetables, is shown in 1926. RIGHT: Snow is cleared from the parking lot of the Santa Fe Depot in Streator in the 1930s.
Honoring 150 Years of Streator’s Existence:
Happy 150th Birthday
Streator!
A Readers’ Theatre Production:
Proud to be a part of Family Fun & Entertainment for over 57 years!
You’ve seen the murals...
Contributed
Streator native Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto, is shown at age 22 with his homemade 9-inch telescope on the family farm near Burdett, Kan. This photo was taken in the summer of 1928, only 18 months before the discovery of Pluto.
Now watch as actors bring the story of Streator to life! JULY 4 -- 2 FREE PERFORMANCES: 3pm at the City Park Pavilion or 6pm: Performance & Mural Tour (After the Drawing for Auto Lotto & 50-50)
Audience will walk/ride to various mural locations as they hear the Story of Streator
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18 Thursday, June 28, 2018
Streator’s July 4th
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A look back at Streator history ...
The Times-Press | file
Streatorite Bob Norris rides in Streator’s 125th anniversary parade in his antique 1910 Marmon built in Indianapolis. The quasquicentennial was celebrated in April 1993.
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Streator’s July 4th
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Thursday, June 28, 2018 19
A look back at Streator history ...
Contributed
Attendees of an Engle Lane Theater show in Streator wait outside the building during a 1960s show.
The Times-Press | file
ABOVE: Chrislette Giacinto won a new car as a prize for being named Miss Streatorland during the 1968 Streator Centennial celebration. She later sold the car to raise money for college. LEFT: The July 14, 1958, fire at Williams Hardware ended a business that started in 1855.
The Times-Press | file
ABOVE: Bobby Lee and The Techniques were a top Streator garage band of the 1960s. Band members and their instruments were (from row from left) Danny Tutko, guitar; Dave Irving, guitar; and (back row, from left) Gene Davis, bass; Bob Norris, drums.
Celebrating Streator’s 150th, th Illinois 200th & nd nd America’s 242 Birthday
Happy 4th of July!
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Streator’s July 4th
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