SVM_Dixon Living - Summer 2021

It was the last stop for the Dixon-Sterling electric railway

Grade-schooler’s business is a real treat

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Publisher/Ad Director Jennifer Heintzelman Magazine editor & Page design Rusty Schrader Published by Sauk Valley Media 113 S. Peoria Ave. | Dixon, IL 61021 815-284-2222 Have a story idea for Dixon Living? Let us know ...

Call 815-632-2531 or e-mail news@saukvalley.com Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media. No portion of Dixon Living may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. The information in this magazine is believed to be accurate; however, Sauk Valley Media cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy. Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this magazine.

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Petunia City porcelain Did you know that Dixon is home to some rare and prefab-ulous pieces of Atomic Age architecture — houses that held the promise of revolutionizing homebuilding in America?

Last stop for electric railway

Sterling and Dixon used to have a pretty impressive track record, thanks to an interurban rail system, but progress and profit loss eventuallly derailed it.

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Barked from scratch

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A turn for the better

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Where Is It?

Grade-schooler has been on a roll, earning money making treats that put a smile on her customers’ faces — and a wag in their tails.

Tomorrow’s community leaders in Lee County will get a hand today, thanks to a Connecticut couple who embarked on a journey to discover the needs of their nation.

This Dixon arch was left high and dry.

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By Cody Cutter | Sauk Valley Media

Owning a home: It’s the Great American Dream, and after World War II, that dream came true for millions of families as the nation was riding high on the confidence of its victory and an economic boom the likes of which people had never seen.

As highways and byways were built and communities began to push past their city limits, the demand for housing grew.

Home building was at an all-time high, with returning GI’s and their growing families wanting a place of their own to call home.

LUSTRON cont’d to page 6

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LUSTRON cont’d from page 5

Carl Strandlund, a Swedish-born immigrant from Moline, came up with an a ide for a piece movement that he thought turn millions of Americans into homeowners: The Lustron house, a prefab home that could be shipped anywhere and assembled

Dixon was no different than the rest of nation, and today, that post-war pride can still be found in a handful of homes in the Petunia City that stand as a testament to American ingenuity, marketing and mass production. They’re called Lustron homes and they were introduced as houses that could be quickly and easily built and that would withstand the test of time and just about anything else — the porcelain promise of America’s future.

The war’s boom ends, the building boom begins

American pride was at an all-time high in the mid-to late1940s, and a Swedish-born immigrant from Moline had an idea to help make homeownership a reality for a new generation.

He came up with a plan that he thought would revolutionize the homebuilding industry: mass-producing ready-to-build homes on an assembly line — the Model T of housing, if you will.

His idea: Prefab homes built on a steel frame, and covered inside and out in porcelain-enameled, square steel panels. The pieces could be put on the back of a specially designed truck, shipped anywhere and pieced together in a fraction of the time it would take to build a conventional home, and they’d be affordable too: a square deal for the masses.

The Lustron home was conceived in 1947 by Carl Strandlund, general manager of the Chicago Vitreous Enamel Product Company in Cicero, to meet a growing demand for housing for a generation who wanted an affordable home that required little maintenance.

LUSTRON cont’d to page 7

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LUSTRON cont’d from page 6 Buyers were promised that they’d never have to wallpaper or paint again, and the steel construction was proof-positive that they’d live up to their promise of being “termiteproof, verminproof, ratproof … fireproof, decayproof, stainproof, salt-waterproof,” and, the company said, “almost maintenance-proof.”

The homes were pre-manufactured in pieces, designed to go up quickly — 360 man hours — by builders following a manual (think an IKEA house of the 1950s). Predesigned homes were nothing new; Sears, Roebuck and Company offered them in their famous catalogs, but their models were more traditional, both in appearance and construction.

Home delivery ... As Lustro n ramped up production, it also rolled out a fleet of del trucks to ship the homes. The ivery trucks were specially design ed to carry all the pieces of tron home, “down the last bol a Lust and screw.” The Lustron fac tory in Columbus, Ohio, wa lion-square-feet (about the s 1 milsize of 22 football fields) and housed about 8 miles of aut conveyors, 163 presses, 11 fur omated naces and the largest porcel ain enameling set-up in the world.

LUSTRON cont’d to pages 8-9

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LEFT: Another space-saving feature: the Thor Automagic sink, a combination sink, dishwasher and clothes washer. The washer/dishwasher was under the lid/ counter area next to the sink. The hybrid unit included removable drums: one for clothes and one for dishes. The all-in-one kitchen unit didn’t last long, as people were turned off by the idea of washing clothes and dishes in the same machine.

TOP: A vintage photo of a Lustron living room. ABOVE: The dining area was located just off the kitchen ; in between, a cabinet with a pass-through served as a wall between the two while also providing storage and shelving, as seen in this Ohio home. RIGHT: The bedroom wall featured a built-in vanity surrounded by closets and cabinets.

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LUSTRON cont’d from page 7 Lustron homes were different: a new kind of home for a new kind of America. The nation’s future was now and Lustron homes were in on the ground floor of the mid-century, modern-living movement. In fact the ground floor was one of their selling points. The slab homes didn’t even come with a basement. Sales brochures said “the old necessary evil” wasn’t needed. No more climbing stairs. The combination dishwasher/clothes washer/sink in the kitchen took care of cleaning, and the furnace was located in the utility room.

Ingenuity, marketing and mass production: They’re as American as the red, white and blue, or in the Lustron homes’ case: maize yellow, surf blue, dove gray and desert tan – buyers’ choices for colors.

Lustron offered optional garage packages in varying shapes and sizes, also made of Lustron panels on traditional wood framing. Breezeways that connected the home to the garage were optional, but rarely built. Each roof was made with porcelain-enameled steel tiles. More steel made up the interior setup as well, such as walls, doors, counters and closet space. Oil burning furnaces heated the homes, directing hot air into an enclosed space above the metal ceilings.

These vintage ads tout the affordability, benefits and speed at which Lustron houses could be assembled — a “new standard for living.”

LUSTRON cont’d to page 10

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LUSTRON cont’d from page 9

and in some communities, the homes have become sought after by people seeking an authentic retro vibe. In 2018 in Strandlund’s vision grew bigger than his britches, however.

McHenry, Illinois, what was believed to be the last Lustron His plant in Columbus, Ohio, couldn’t keep up with home built went up for sale for $125,000. Considdemand, and only about 2,500 Lustrons were ering its original $14,000 price tag, not a built before the plant closed in 1950. bad investment.

Strandlund’s close proximity to ChiDocumentation of Lustron cago meant many Lustron homes homes became a mission of were scattered throughout a Thomas Fetters and Vincent growing Chicago metropolitan Kohler, who teamed to write area and northern Illinois.

“The Lustron Home: The HisSuburban Lombard has more tory of a Postwar Prefabricated than 40 Lustron homes, many Housing Experiment” in 2002. of which came to be as neighTheir work also led to an online bors delighted at the sight of one, Lustron home locator, where home and wanted one of their own.

According to a 1950 fact sheet sites are “pinned” on a map, Each Lustron home was provided with its own 5-digit serial distributed to the press, as of with a street view of each house number that corresponded to its order of production. The Dec. 31, 1949, more homes had number, along with the house’s model number, could be found for people to see. The locator been shipped to Illinois than any also documents sites of homes on a small metal plate affixed to a wall in the utility room. other state. Of the 1,970 shipped that are no longer standing. to 34 states, 307 went to Illinois. Ohio was second, with 275. At The Lustron Corporation declared bankruptcy in 1950, the the bottom of the list: South Carolina, with two. victim of production delays, lack of viable distribution strategy As the number of remaining homes have dwindled since and escalating costs. Strandlund, who used federal loans to their heyday — only about 1,500 of the homes are estimated help pay for his project, was out of the business world when to remain today — preserving their legacy has become a misLustron ceased operations. He died in 1974. sion for home historians and fans of ’50s culture. Websites and Facebook pages dedicated to Lustron living have popped up, LUSTRON cont’d to page 12

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LUSTRON cont’d from page 12

619 Spruce St.

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This maize yellow two-bedroom Winchester model with a 1 1/2-car garage is the only Lustron home on Dixon’s south side. The home, model No. 01991, was built by Ross I. and Helen T. Miller, who lived in the house next door to the west. Ross ran the Miller and Heid Garage in town and later was a service manager at Terminal Pontiac dealership in town. Helen was a nurse at KSB Hospital and for several local doctors. The couple has since passed away.

The Millers were featured in Fetters’ book, sharing memories of living in their home: “It’s too bad they had to quit constructing the Lustron home. We love our home and wouldn’t trade it for any other. If taken care of properly, it can stay the same as it was originally. There is very little upkeep needed, although we had to replace the furnace, but everything else is the same. The radiant heat from the ceiling panels is great — warm, even heat and also economical. If taken care of, it is a wonderful, comfortable home, especially for us now that we are elderly.

“Mr. Strandlund, the originator of the home, was gypped when he had to quit manufacturing Lustron.

We’ve enjoyed every moment in our home and can’t praise it enough.”

Dixon has seven Lustron homes, six of which retain their square paneling. Most of these homes were built on lots on the edges of town as the city grew.

North of Dixon, on the other end of Lowell Park Road in Mt. Morris, there are 16 Lustron homes of all four colors – the most in any one small town in Illinois.

All but three of the Mt. Morris homes are within a six-block area on the west side of town. Other Illinois Lustron homes within 50 miles of Dixon are in Belvidere, DeKalb, Freeport, La Salle, Leland, Mendota, Polo, Rockford, Sandwich, Savanna, Somonauk and Clinton, Iowa.

On the following pages, we’ll look at the seven Lustron homes in Dixon, along with a brief history on their original owners compiled from city directories and online research. Each home was built between 1949 and 1950. Author’s note: Each of the Lustron homes detailed in this story are privately owned. Please be respectful of people’s property and privacy.

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Returning home to Dixon from World War II service in the Navy in the Pacific Theater, John R. Loftus found a place of his own near the former Assembly Park area for his wife, Julia, and their three children. The three-bedroom, surf blue Winchester model, No. 02304, has a 1.5-car garage.

During his short stay back in his hometown, John, a Notre Dame University graduate, worked for the United Cigar Store. The family later moved to St. Charles and has six children in all.

The home stayed in the family for several years after John and Julia left town.

Two owners of Lustron homes in Dixon worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation, and Richard N. Lyons was one of them. He and his wife, Lorraine, and their three children, lived in their three-bedroom Winchester model, No. 02233, which had a two-car garage, and was one of the few Lustrons to have any type of basement – theirs was partially finished. The limestone chimney was added at a later date.

This home is one of two Lustrons in Dixon that sit on a corner. The Lyons moved to this house from just a couple of houses away on Jefferson Avenue. They were no longer living at the house by 1970. It was on the market for $74,900 in 2016, nearly seven times the amount of a new house in 1949.

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712 Washington Ave.

The Lustron with longest continual original ownership, this two-bedroom, maize yellow Winchester model, No. 02038, came with a one-car garage and a breezeway connecting the two.

Homeowners C. Lyle and Dagmar Ballard served the Dixon community in many functions. Lyle, a veteran of World War II, worked at the Rock Island Transfer Depot for 32 years, and served as a city commissioner, executive manager of the Chamber of Commerce and as acting mayor at one point.

As commissioner, Lyle was in charge of public health and safety during his first 4-year term, then the head of accounts and finance during his second and fourth terms, and was in charge of public property during his third term. Lyle served as acting mayor of the city when longtime mayor William Slothower retired in the middle of a term in 1957. His term ended later that year when George Lindquist became mayor for the first of his two stints in charge. He died in 1968, during his fourth term as commissioner.

Dagmar also was active in the community, serving as a director at KSB Hospital. As a member of the Beta Sigma Phi Social Service Sorority, Dagmar came up with the idea of commemorative buttons for the Petunia Festival. Sales from these buttons, which ceased production in recent years, benefited local community functions and organizations. Two completed framed sets of buttons have been donated to the city: one to KSB Hospital to honor Dagmar, and another at the Loveland Community Building. She outlived her late husband for more than 30 years.

Washington Avenue was called Forrest Avenue at the time the house was built, and it was only a few blocks long. The street got its current name when the Washington Elementary School was built in the 1950s. Lyle also was chairman of the Lee County Housing Authority, and its headquarters now stands tall on the extended portion of Washington Avenue, just a few blocks away from the Ballards’ former home.

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C. Howard and Mae G. Hufford and their three children lived in this twobedroom, dove grey Winchester model in 1951. They had lived next door before the house was built. Howard worked for the Lawton Brothers Dairy and later was a janitor at Dixon High School.

The model number for this house is not recorded.

412 Ferris St.

Lewis L. Wilhelm also worked for IDOT, and moved to what was once the northern most part of Dixon from the neighborhood near KSB Hospital. Lewis and his wife, Dorothy, later moved to Flagstaff, Arizona.

This two-bedroom house has since been re-sided, and no longer has the typical exterior of a Lustron home, but the framework of its tripartite windows remain. The model number for this house also is not recorded.

715 E. McKenney St.

The other Lustron home located on a corner, this threebedroom surf blue Winchester model, No. 02278, served as home to New York state natives Harold F. and Bernice L. Stahl and their two children for a few years. Stahl’s family company, Columbus McKinnon, had a factory in Dixon. The Stahls later moved back to New York, where they both died in the 1980s.

The garage on the property was built at a later date.

This Lustron Home at left is one of the most unique nostalgia lodging options you’ll find along the first 100 miles of historic Route 66.

The two-bedroom all-steel house, located at 315 W. Main St. in Grand Ridge – about 70 miles southeast of Dixon – can be rented out for $145 plus fees

per night through the online lodging broker, Airbnb.

The surf blue Lustron home is a Westchester Deluxe model believed to have been built in 1950, said Karen Meagher, who bought the house with her sister, last year.

“We grew up five houses down from it and we always just loved it because it was so adorable,” she said.

When it went up for sale last year the sisters discussed buying it.

“We knew the previous two owners who had lived there until they passed away,” Meagher said. “We thought, ‘If we don’t get this now, we may never get a chance.’ So we put in a bid and got it.”

The sale price was just more than $62,000.

“On a whim we thought people might want to rent it, so we put it on Airbnb to see if we would get any nibbles and it’s been well received,” she said.

First they did some fixing up. There was a new electrical service installed and new carpeting throughout. The stainless steel sink was replaced with a more period-correct white enamel model.

“One room had been painted pink,” Meagher said. “We just couldn’t deal with that so we painted it a nice neutral color.”

The bathroom also was updated. The original tub remains but the toilet and sink are new, as well as the wood door. Lustron homes feature pocket doors, but the original bathroom door had become inoperable and was replaced with an accordion door which did not offer full privacy.

“Other than that everything else is pretty much original,” Meagher said.

The home has been decorated with mid-century furniture that matches the era the house was built.

Go to airbnb.com/rooms/25429578 to rent the Grand Ridge Lustron home.

— Charles Stanley, for Shaw Media Note: This article was featured in Shaw Media's new Route 66 tribute website, The First Hundred Miles, a look at history and places along or near the historic route from Chicago to Los Angeles. Go to thefirsthundredmiles.com to check it out.

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The trolley tracks enue on the Galena Av oking lo Bridge in Dixon, 1913. The rails south, as seen in so that two split into two lines on the bridge at trolleys could run the same time.

N STERLING, DIXO SOURCE : “THE IC TR ELEC AND EASTERN IP RAILWAY,” PHILL ) 63 (19 R KEISTE

Editor’s note: This article was written

by Dixon resident Tom Wadsworth, a writer, speaker, and a sixth-generation Dixonite. His background includes careers in ministry, broadcasting, corporate communications, and 20 years as the editor of a national trade magazine. He is currently completing a PhD in New Testament.

Virtually no one is alive today who remembers the famous interurban trolley line that ran between Dixon and Sterling from 1904 to 1925. Indeed, were it not for documentary evidence, you would be hard pressed to find any physical evidence of the line today.

When the seeds of the line were planted in 1903, public “electrification” was relatively new in the area, and automobiles were virtually nonexistent. So, the citizenry gladly welcomed the promise of fast and affordable transportation around town and to the neighboring city. Service was relatively reliable and safe; but in its 21 years, the trolley would also bring at least two grisly deaths.

LAST STOP cont’d to page 18

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LAST STOP cont’d from page 17 It was sometimes called “the interurban” or “the streetcar,” but its proper name was the Sterling, Dixon, and Eastern Electric Railway, which we will abbreviate as the SD&E. In May 1903, work began on the SD&E, a privately run enterprise that sought to serve the Dixon and Sterling population, which was about 7,000 to 8,000 in each city. Preparation work involved laying the tracks and stringing the electric trolley wires all the way from downtown Sterling to downtown Dixon, along with special spur lines to popular sites and entertainment venues.

Conductor “Boody” Anderson poses by Car No. 28, circa 1910. On the car, the letters, “S. D. & E. E. Ry. Co.” stand for “Sterling Dixon and Eastern Electric Railway Company.”

“Undoubtedly the best” The Dixon-Sterling line was just one of hundreds sprouting up throughout America at the time. In the early 1900s, as many as 50 Illinois cities were launching or operating electric railways. Most of these cities were larger than Sterling or Dixon, but other, smaller towns had electric trolley service, including Amboy-Lee Center, Princeton, Ottawa, and Mount Vernon.

SOURCE: “THE STERLING, DIXON AND EASTERN ELECTRIC RAILWAY,” PHILLIP KEISTER (1963)

LAST STOP cont’d to pages 19-20

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LAST STOP cont’d from page 18 In its inaugural year of 1904, the local crowds using the interurban were reported as “very large,” and everyone was expecting a long and successful history. Sterling gave the SD&E a 50-year franchise, while Dixon’s franchise was eventually extended to 1960.

In 1904, the Telegraph gushed, “This service will undoubtedly be the best of any two cities in the country for their size.” The Sterling Gazette bragged that the SD&E cars were “undoubtedly the most magnificently and luxuriously equipped cars of any interurban railway with the exception of an Ohio line.”

In March 1906, a Telegraph story noted the rapid growth of interurbans nationwide, saying, “The interurban road has come to stay. There can be no doubt about this … (because they are) of incalculable value in bringing into closer touch sections which hitherto have been isolated.”

A fleet of street cars In 1903, the SD&E purchased nine cars, four for in-city use (two each in Sterling and Dixon) and five for interurban use between Sterling and Dixon. A typical interurban car cost $8,000, measured 60 feet x 9 feet, weighed 10 tons, and carried 60 passengers. Initially, the four in-city cars carried 30 passengers each. Later models varied in dimensions and capacity.

Some of the cars had oak interiors, and featured a toilet, and a smoking section. Cars were also equipped with a “St. Louis

life-saver” fender that made it “utterly impossible for an individual to fall under the wheels of the car at the front end.” (See “Double Fatality” below.)

One car was a baggage car that would also deliver milk to Dixon’s Borden Condensed Milk factory on Palmyra Avenue.

Each morning, local dairy farmers would bring their milk to the interurban, which then hauled it to the Borden factory northwest of Dixon.

Creating local jobs At first, the company expected to hire 12 conductors and 12 motormen, but the total was later increased to 36. SD&E wages started at 17 cents an hour but by the 1920s had increased to 35 to 40 cents an hour.

The SD&E initially ran with two men on each car (a motorman and a conductor), but that was later reduced to one person per car. Instead of a conductor picking up fares, passengers would drop their nickels in a box at the front of the car.

SD&E management instructed its conductors to look each passenger in the face when collecting fares and to “not easily be bluffed.” Conductors were required to be gentlemanly and to keep their uniforms and cars clean, “but freshness of the part of the conductors will not be tolerated.” SD&E employees were prohibited from entering any saloon at any time.

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Passengers board a rail car along the SD&E rail system near Prairieville, between Sterling and Dixon.

This photo is part of the Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society collection. Go to https://srfhs.com/ for more information on the group. The collection can be viewed at idaillinois.org/digital/collection/stpl/search.

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With the average rail car weighing 10 tons, and the biggest one clocking in at 24 tons, it took a lot of power to keep them moving.

The powerhouse in Sterling, seen here in a 1923 photo, sat on the 100 block of 15th Avenue.

In Dixon, power came from a station at the Dixon dam. This photo, taken by the Marfleet and Hart Photo Studio in Sterling, is part of the Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society collection. Go to https://srfhs. com/ for more information on the group. The collection can be viewed at idaillinois.org/ digital/collection/stpl/search.

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The infrastructure Electricity to the trolleys was conveyed via wire suspended 18 to 23 feet above the street. The Galena Avenue bridge required additional steel girders and replanking to handle the weight of the cars. Electric power came from the power station at the Dixon dam and from a Sterling power station.

The total length of the track was about 19 miles, which included about 14 miles of track from the Dixon post office to the Sterling post office. Between the city limits of the two cities, the interurban line maintained a 40-foot-wide right-of-way.

The in-city routes SD&E headquarters were originally in Sterling, but in 1907, the home office moved to Dixon. The main Sterling station was at Avenue B and West Third Street, where County Market’s fuel pumps are today. The main Dixon station, which had an office, a waiting room, and a car barn, was located at West First and Madison, next to where Kitzman’s Lumber stands today. That car barn building later became the home of Northern Illinois Gas.

LAST STOP cont’d to page 22

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LAST STOP cont’d from page 21 Inside Dixon, the route ran from West First Street to Galena, then across the bridge to Fellows Street. From that point, the track went both east and west. To the east, additional track ran from Galena Avenue down East Fellows to the popular dome at Assembly Park. To the west, the track ran down Lincoln Way to Palmyra Avenue, in front of the Borden factory, then on to Sterling.

On the south side, an additional stretch of track was laid from West First Street to College Avenue to Sixth Street to Depot Avenue and then to the Chicago and Northwestern railroad depot station. In 1915, when Dixon landed the “Epileptic Colony” (a state school), an additional line was added on the north side, running from Fellows Street up Crawford Avenue (Brinton Avenue) to the colony, two miles to the north.

In Sterling, the route ran down East Fourth Street to Broadway, where it curved slightly south onto East Third Street toward downtown. The route weaved back onto Fourth Street at Avenue B on Sterling’s west side and went west to its terminus just past Avenue L, passing the old Sterling hospital at Avenue I along the way.

The powerhouse in Sterling sat on the 100 block of 15th Avenue, a three-block spur ran there from the main line; this is now the site of Redfield Park. Another spur route went to Mineral Springs just off of Woodlawn Road; once the site of the resort and fair, but now is a quiet, wooded subdivision.

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TOP: The Interurban’s Dixon schedule, as published in the Dixon Evening Telegraph, April 7, 1911. BOTTOM: An employee’s trip ticket for the Sterling, Dixon & Eastern Electric Railway Co.

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Car No. 23 makes its way down West First Street in Dixon, heading to/from the Chicago and Northwestern railway depot station in Dement Town, as seen here in this circa 1910 postcard.

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a nickel but was increased to 8 cents in 1920. Children under 10 paid half fare, while “children in arms” could ride free, unless occupying their own seat.

The between-city route Between Sterling and Dixon, the track ran mostly along the south side of Palmyra Road, not along Route 2. The Palmyra route was one mile longer than a route that would have paralleled the river, but the northern route had the advantage of serving customers at Gap Grove (Palmyra) and Prairieville. The process of laying the rails between Dixon and Sterling took only three months, as the last spike was driven near Prairieville on Nov. 4, 1903.

The grand opening in May 1904 featured a band concert between the two cities at Oak Park at Gap Grove (probably near the intersection of Lenox and Palmyra roads). The gravel pit by Gap Grove (now known as Palmyra Quarry) supplied much of the needed gravel for the ballast foundation beneath the ties and rails.

Delayed by dresses?

To keep the cars running on time, passengers were asked to get on and off quickly. If a man was traveling with a woman, the man was urged to get off the car first so that he could assist the woman to the street.

“If the women get off first,” reported the Telegraph in 1904, “there is always some confusion, and the cars are invariably delayed.”

Imbibing and the Interurban

Keeping on schedule The interurban cars could reach speeds of 50 MPH on rural straightaways. Initially, the interurban cars were to leave Sterling for Dixon every hour on the hour. At one time, pay stations were located at downtown Dixon, Swissville (at the Borden milk factory), Gap Grove, Prairieville, Mineral Springs, and downtown Sterling. The in-city cars were expected to run every 15 minutes, while the Dixon-Sterling trip generally took 45 minutes to an hour.

Cars generally operated on a specific schedule from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The fare from Dixon to Sterling was initially 25 cents but increased to 30 cents in 1910. For in-city rides, the fare was

In the early 1900s, when the (anti-alcohol) temperance movement was raging, the voters of Sterling and Dixon vacillated between making their cities “wet” or “dry.” But when Dixon was dry and Sterling was wet, the interurban became even more popular. Dixonites could hop on the SD&E to Sterling for an evening of imbibing and then return safely to Dixon as the streetcar did the driving.

First accident In December 1904, the SD&E’s first major accident took place when a city car and an interurban car smashed into each other at the north end of the Galena Avenue bridge. As was required, the city car was supposed to yield to the interurban car, but the city car’s brake was not working.

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As cars became more commonplace during the 1920s, they competed for space on city streets with SD&E’s rail cars, and accidents like this one – at the corner of Locust and Third streets in Sterling – would become inevitable. Other, more serious, accidents would also occur, including a double fatality in Sterling in 1923. This photo is part of the Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society collection. Go to https://srfhs.com/ for more information on the group. The collection can be viewed at idaillinois. org/digital/collection/stpl/search.

LAST STOP cont’d from page 23 Both cars were damaged in the crash, with glass flying in every direction, but the only injury was to the motorman, Ned Stroup, whose shoulder was badly bruised. The other motorman was thrown into overturned cans of buttermilk on board. Both motormen were expected to be suspended for carelessness.

A double fatality In May of 1923, a Sterling man and wife were killed in a horrific collision with the interurban. Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Thompson, ages 47 and 45, were in the process of moving their belongings to a residence two miles east of Sterling, near the interurban tracks. It was there where they had both just entered their

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“Dodge machine” to return to Sterling for another load.

With their view of the tracks partially obscured by a tree, and their hearing probably dampened by the noise of their own car, they pulled out directly in the path of the interurban car, which was going about 25 MPH. The 24-ton rail car, the largest interurban in the fleet, smashed into the couples’ car, crushing the Thompsons and their vehicle.

The newspaper bluntly reported that Mrs. Thompson’s head was “cruelly crushed and mangled and one foot severed.” Mr. Thompson, also crushed under the rail car, suffered “terrible internal injuries and with his back broken.” Within two hours, he was also dead.

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Another fatality More bad news hit the interurban in February 1925, when two interurban cars on the Rockford-Freeport line collided and burst into flames at 45 MPH in foggy conditions. Two died and 11 were seriously injured. The motorman of one car was found crushed and it was reported that his “charred bits of flesh and clothing (were) frantically dragged from the burning car.”

Weather delays The cars continued to run in winter, but heavy snow sometimes delayed service. After one heavy snowstorm in January 1910, it was reported that “a gang of twenty men” worked all day to shovel snow off the tracks nearly all the way from Dixon to Sterling. In January 1918, “monster snow drifts” were said to be as high as the cars. In 1923, blizzards paralyzed service for three full days, as blowing snow covered the tracks as quickly as shovelers could remove it.

In March 1919, heavy rains also affected interurban service.

The water-soaked ties and spongy ground allowed the rails to spread easily, causing two cars to run off the tracks.

The inevitable emise In 1903, when the massive SD&E project was under construction, little note was made of a man named Henry Ford, who started the Ford Motor Company in Detroit that year — but

within a few years, he was producing hundreds of thousands of his Model T automobiles. Annual production hit one million cars in 1921, and production continued to soar through the Roaring Twenties. By 1924, Ford’s mass production efficiencies brought the price of a Model T down to $290, well within reach for the average American.

All this spelled defeat for the electric railway. By 1917, cars started to jam the streets, crowding out trolleys. After a paved highway (Alt. U.S. 30, the Lincoln Highway) was completed in 1920 along the same Palmyra Road route between Sterling and Dixon, interurban revenues began to plummet as more people bought cars.

Financial failure At its peak of popularity, the SD&E carried 891,000 passengers in 1911. By 1924, that number plummeted to 239,000. Over its 21 years of service, the SD&E operated at a deficit in 12 of those years, and the deficits only got worse after 1917. In 1924, for example, the SD&E took in $47,000, but expenses were $91,000.

In addition to the loss of revenue, maintenance expenses continued to mount. About 6,500 ties had to be replaced in 1921, with 24,000 more in the next 2 to 3 years. Because of the struggles, the SD&E considered abandoning the service in 1921 and was urging Dixonites to “patronize the lines a little more liberally.” But the fate of the streetcar had already been sealed by the automobile.

LAST STOP cont’d to pages 26

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The end of the line In July 1925, the SD&E filed an application with the Illinois Commerce Commission to discontinue service. The application was quickly approved, and the glorious era of the Dixon-Sterling electric railway came to an end in October.

In memoriam, the Ashton Gazette aptly said that, when the service started, it “was hailed as the beginning of a new era, but the automobile has produced another new era.”

Lost memories Memories of riding the SD&E now reside only with our deceased ancestors. If you were five years old and rode the interurban during its last year of operation, you would be 101 years old in 2021.

If you want to see where the SD&E route ran, drive out Palmyra Road through Gap Grove and Prairieville. Look for the electric power lines. For the most part, the interurban ran where those power lines now run.

To my knowledge, the only other physical evidence of the line is in the main hangar at Walgreen Field. When you walk in the hangar, look up. In 1934, the hangar’s roof rafters were built with discarded steel rails from the SD&E. Author’s note: The sources for this story are dozens of articles in local newspapers from 1903 to 1935 as well as Phillip L. Keister’s 28-page booklet, “The Sterling, Dixon, and Eastern Electric Railway” (seen at right) published by the Electric Railway Historical Society in 1963. For more info, see the files at the Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society at 113 S. Hennepin in Dixon.

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By Cody Cutter | Sauk Valley Media

hen most of us think about a grade-schooler earning some extra money, a picture of lemonade pops into our head, sitting on a homemade stand in the front yard, where its young owner picks up a profit from passersby who want to support a budding young entrepreneur.

Alaina Van Fleet’s recipe for success is different. While her business’ home base is still at home, it’s in the kitchen instead; and while there’s still a front yard involved, it’s the ones her customers run around in when they fetch a stick or chase a ball.

The Dixon 10-year-old is the Van Fleet behind the treats at La Barkery, which sells homemade goodies for man’s best friend.

The Van Fleet residence is like any other home full of family and pets: bustling with activity as kids and dogs buzz around on any given day. In Alaina’s house, a trio of tykes and a pair of pets – chocolate labs Kane and Lady — call it home, along with mom and dad, Jen and Jon. And like any home, there are rules to be followed. One of the most important: No jumping on the kitchen counter when Alaina’s working. Follow that rule and you’ll get one of Alaina’s treats — well, if you’re Kane or Lady you will.

LA BARKERY cont’d to page 30

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LA BARKERY cont’d from page 29

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

Jen VanFleet helps her daughter, Alaina, put on her apron before getting to work on another batch of treats. Jen said “it’s been nice to see her grow and just take ownership of” her budding business, La Barkery.

Alaina started making dog treats in February, and celebrated her 10th birthday in June. While it’s not unusual for someone her age to want to earn some extra money, it’s not every kid who starts their own business to do it — and we’re not just talking about a lemonade stand here. La Barkery’s got a phone number, Facebook page, supply budget, and Alaina is a savvy enough sales person to get her doggie treats out there in the world and attract repeat customers.

Word of mouth also helps — and a few barks do, too.

“They’ll say, ‘My dog loves them so much; may I please have more?’” Alaina said. “I’ll have so many people because so many other people want them as well.”

LA BARKERY cont’d to page 31

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LA BARKERY cont’d from page 30 After a few months of making and baking her treats while balancing her business with schoolwork, Alaina said she truly enjoys what she’s doing. It’s not just the money she’s making that brings a smile to her face – it’s the smiles she brings to her customers, both the dogs and their owners, that thrills her the most.

“I get to sometimes go around to other places than just Dixon to go to deliver, and see the dogs get so happy with their treats,” Alaina said.

Being around dogs at home, along with the sense of teamwork and camaraderie she felt working with others in softball, cheerleading, Girl Scouts and 4-H, helped get Alaina thinking about starting her own venture. Being in those clubs is fun, and they have a “giving back” feel that Alaina took to heart.

“I just wanted to make some money for myself, help out with the community, and kind of be involved with the community,” she said. “Just something I completely thought of in my head.”

Alaina rolls out the dough to an even thickness before taking cookie cutters in hand to turn her dough into dog treats, which come in the shapes of dog bones, dog houses, paw prints, and sitting dogs, the latter being both Alaina’s and her younger sister Olivia’s favorites. After the ingredients are mixed, rolled and cut, the dough is baked, the treats are bagged, and sent on their way to a waiting pooch.

LA BARKERY cont’d to page 32

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ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

When Alaina was looking to hire someone to head up La Barkery’s Quality Control Dept., she didn’t have to look far. Alaina has a pair of taste tasters on hand — the family’s dogs, Kane (shown here with Alaina) and Lady — who are more than happy to do their part to help with La Barkery’s success. It’s a pretty good job, too. They get to work from home and the pay is good: all the treats they can eat.

LA BARKERY cont’d from page 31 Alaina found some cookie cutters on Amazon, thought about some flavors – pumpkin and peanut butter being her first two – researched recipes online, and worked her magic. Her treats come in the shapes of dog bones, dog houses, paw prints, and sitting dogs, the latter being both Alaina’s and her younger sister Olivia’s favorites.

“It’s really cute,” Alaina said. And it’s her sister’s favorite, “because we have two doggies,” Olivia said.

Like any good cook, Alaina has refined her recipes since making her first batch. The treats turned out to be a bit too tough. How did she know? Well, she had some expert advice: Kane, 5, and Lady, 8 months, tried them out. Alaina learned from that first batch and now her treats are a little more fluffier

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and softer.

“First I’ll start with a bowl and put some flour, about 5 cups of flour, four eggs, a whole can of pumpkins, 4 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and some water, and then mix it all together until we have some dough consistency,” she said. “Then you roll it out and cut it out with the cookie cutters, put them on a tray and put them in the oven at 350 degrees.”

One benefit of Alaina’s dog treats: They’re organic. It’s healthier for the dogs, she said, something she learned from her mom, Jen. “It leaves it open to more animals, and you don’t have to worry about if something’s a health risk,” Jen said. “It’s more natural. It’s healthier, but you’re not worried about what’s in it; no chemicals or different things like that.”

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... You don’t have to worry about if something’s a health risk.

It’s more natural. It’s healthier, but you’re not worried about what’s in it; no chemicals or different things like that.

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LA BARKERY cont’d from page 32

Treat your dog to some of Van Fleet’s treats

Pumpkin and peanut butter became such a hit with customers, it led to the idea of finding out what other kinds of dog treats taste good. Applesauce and banana flavors have become recent additions to La Barkery’s menu.

Raspberry and blueberry flavors have been on Alaina’s mind for a little while, but she hasn’t made any of those yet.

“We’ve been mostly making pumpkin and peanut butter,” Alaina said.

“We found stuff in the store, and then we find the recipes on the internet.”

In the few months that La Barkery has been around, she’s picked up business from nearly 100 different customers and has sent orders as far away as Aurora, not too far from the Van Fleet’s former home in Naperville. The family has been in Dixon since 2017, and Alaina said she’s enjoyed her time growing up and having fun in the community. The soon-to-be Madison Elementary fifth-grader has made plenty of friends, and they have fun playing games such as Minecraft and Roblox.

With what profit Alaina has left, after expenses, she wants to have her own gaming computer one day.

“There’s some games that I have but I can’t play it on the Xbox that I have, but I can play them on a gaming computer,” she said.

Learning about how businesses works — interacting with customers, brainstorming, building, operating and sustaining an operation — has helped Alaina grow in many ways, Jen said.

“It’s been interesting,” Jen said. “I was surprised at how it took off and how quickly it took people in town to support her, want to help her out and spread the word. It’s been nice to see her grow and just take ownership of it, really.”

Want to get your furry friend some of La Barkery’s tasty treats? Find La Barkery on Facebook or call 708-296-2324 to place an order or for more information.

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Connecticut couple who embarked on a journey to discover the needs of their nation found a friend in Lee County, where a simple gesture of appreciation helped make it possible to shape future community leaders

By Cody Cutter | Sauk Valley Media

“Thank you.”

Those two words can go a long way in strengthening a relationship.

They can also be worth several thousand dollars.

Just ask United Way of Lee County Executive Director Amanda Wike, whose seemingly simple gesture of appreciation opened the door for a sizable donation that will help the next generation of Lee County leaders make a positive difference in their community.

And it all started with a $100 donation from an unexpected source — a Connecticut rabbi and his wife — and an e-mail.

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TURN cont’d from page 35 Earlier this year, Rabbi Jeffrey Glickman and his wife, Mindy, embarked on their Tour to the Wonderful, an RV trip across a large chunk of the U.S. that was fueled by the couple’s desire to, according to their website, “better understand and support the distinct needs of local communities, while meeting heroes of everyday life.” Their quest took them from their Connecticut home through the heart of the Midwest, as far west as Phoenix, along the southern coast, and back up the East Coast.

They also put their money where the mission was, donating $100 to United Way chapters across the nation through their Turn to the Wonderful Foundation. One of those donations was to the United Way of Lee County.

That’s where the start of something wonderful happened.

Each donation included a cover letter from the Glickmans, so Wike let her fingers do the talking and sent an e-mail to the couple telling them how much she appreciated the donation. It’s something she’s done many times before; organizations such as the United Way get a lot of donations through the year, so saying “thank you” is just part of Wike’s job.

The Glickmans, however, thought it was something more than that.

When they saw just how appreciative Wike and the United Way were for their contribution, Jeffrey picked up the phone and called Wike to say “thanks for the thanks.” After about an hour of chatting about the importance of helping others in need, Jeffrey ended the conversation with a surprise: a second donation to the United Way. This time, though, it wasn’t for a $100.

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a several thousand dollar donation in her honor. We can’t think of a better investment of funds.”

The Glickmans sent The United Way of Lee County $5,000.

The Glickmans’ donations will help start up United Way of What a difference a simple “thank you” can make.

Lee County’s new Emerging Leaders program, which is aimed “Having given to every United Way in the United States, I at future community leaders who are looking for a meaningful assumed my e-mail would be lost in the shuffle,” Wike said. way to make a real difference in their community. The group, “I was thoroughly surprised by the phone call I received from open to high school students in the county, will learn about the Rabbi Jeff that same afternoon. We had such an easy conversaneeds of county residents, the workings of a human services tion. Rabbi Jeff was very interested in what we are doing within network, and connections involving the local economy. At the United Way of Lee County.” end of the school year, each student will have the opportunity Wike shared the United Way’s current programming to fund an organization or project of their choice, an and ideas for future programs that the organization hopes exercise based on the model of how the United Way to start up in Lee County. During their conversation, Wike operates. was “simply thrilled” to get to know someone with vast The application process will open in August. experience in philanthropy.

“We would like to use the Turn to the Wonderful “At the end of our phone call, Rabbi Jeff told me that funds to inspire others in the same way that I and the he had just donated an additional $5,000 to United Way United Way of Lee County board have been inspired,” Amanda Wike of Lee County, and I was stunned,” Wike said. “To have said Wike, who became the United Way chapter’s execusomeone in the state of Connecticut, who has never tive director in January. “The goal is to empower our youth to been to Lee County, Illinois, care about and contribute to our be strong local leaders and to continually improve Lee County. efforts was so touching.”

We want them to know that they have the power to make a difEach donation included a cover letter from the Glickmans ference in their communities. seeking more information about each communities’ needs. As Investing in communities it turned out, they heard back from only a few of the recipients Jeffrey heard a story on a National Public Radio station one of their donations, Jeffrey said, so when Wike took notice of day about a restaurant owner who, while dealing with the ecothe initial donation and followed through on the Glickmans’ nomic struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic, said that it wasn’t a request, it strengthened their partnership.

“We wanted to partner with her and Lee County United Way, government subsidy they were seeking, but rather customers. even though we have never been there,” Jeffrey said. “We made

An occasional feature of Dixon Living highlighting local landmarks and locations off the beaten path. We’ll feature a photo and it’s up to you to guess where it was taken.

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Left high and dry

Birds used to take to this spot like a duck to water, but not anymore. Activity under this arch has dried up. Where is it?

Answer on page 39 CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SAUKVALLEY.COM

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More about the Glickmans

TURN cont’d from page 37 “During the pandemic, I was hit with the idea that things that happen far away affect us locally,” Rabbi Glickman said. “That was the seed that grew into our January trip and our subsequent reaching out.”

He thought: “Well, if you care about the needy in your community, you give to the local United Way. If you care about truth, you become a member of your local NPR station and your local library. But, if you combine this with the ‘things that happen far away affect us locally’ approach, then everywhere is the new local.”

So the Glickmans sold off some of their investments and used that money to “invest in people,” Jeffrey said, instead of stocks.

They gave to each of the 800 United Way chapters in the United States, every American Civil Liberties Union affiliate, several libraries, and became members of numerous synagogues.

“The returns are much greater,” he said.

Jeff came to a realization in recent years that it is better to go through life with your eyes open and see the big picture, rather than focus only on what’s close at hand – a greater understanding of community responsibility to care for others (called “tzedaka” in Hebrew).

“If we become more worldly, we bring many more people, and their needs, into our circle of awareness,” he said. “At its core, this Tour To The Wonderful is about expanding our circle of awareness, going to new communities and asking to be included as a member. Now that we are more aware, we bear responsibility to not stand idly by.”

TURN cont’d to page 39

Jeffrey Glickman has been the Rabbi of Temple Beth Hillel in South Windsor, Connecticut, for nearly 20 years. He also is a town councilor and chaplain of South Windsor’s police and fire departments. His wife, Mindy, also is involved with several Jewish organizations in their community. The Glickmans also have developed board games involving skill and thought development, and Jeffrey is author of a children’s book, “Have You Heard? A Child’s introduction to the Ten Commandments​,” which helps parents introduce children to religious ethics. Go to turntothewonderful.com for more information.

Our story can be your story, too

In response to a question from Dixon Living’s Cody Cutter — “Is there anything else you’d like to share with the community about what you do?” — Rabbi Glickman offered this advice on how to continue the giving cycle.

We have given two things to your community: a donation and a story. It started as our story, but now you are a part of it. It is your story too. The story is more powerful than the donation.

You can get others to realize how awesome your local United Way is, and be more enthusiastic donors.

We had this novel idea. It will make anyone’s day a better day, regardless of how it started.

1. Pick a place in the United States that you have never been. Perhaps high in Appalachia or on the Mexico-Texas border.

2. Call that United Way and tell them that you have never been to where they are at, but you want to help them do the good work they are doing. You want to hear about it and make a donation.

3. It might cost you $10 or $50, but the person on the other end of the phone will be ecstatic — “Someone from Lee County, Illinois, noticed what we are doing!” I can’t think of an easier way to bridge the horrible divides in our country. Can you?

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TURN cont’d from page 38

150TH

The Glickmans hit the road on their motorhome, which they named Seymour, and after a month on the road and 12,000 miles, they returned home with better understanding of what communities need.

Was it foolish to seek out needs in remote places? Absolutely not, Rabbi Jeff said.

“Looking back, I think this is one of our greatest findings.

We grow as persons when we grow in awareness and then act responsibly on that awareness. We have discovered that spiritual growth comes from both awareness and acting on it. Perhaps that is why we were put here.”

Whyever they were put here, Wike and others who were touched by their generosity are glad they’re here. As Wike learned more about Turn to the Wonderful and the story of Rabbi Jeff and Mindy’s mission, she saw how meaningful their journey — both in their RV and in life — was. She was captivated and inspired, she said, reading their stories and listening to their podcast.

“Rabbi Jeff and Mindy are the epitome of ‘Living United’,’ and we want that spirit to continue for many generations to come,” Wike said.

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