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VOLUME 77, NUMBER 33
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August 19, 2015
Old video sparks memory of the Blackhawk Trail saga By Larry Nelson
It is sometimes strange how just a few words can jolt a memory. Recently a friend said a tourist had stopped and asked her about the Stephenson Blackhawk Trail. Stephenson Blackhawk Trail—it took a few seconds, but my memory soon kicked in. In the summer of 1989, Jerilyn Strohecker, a high school student, and I produced a video about the trail. We visited all of the stops and shot some video of each one. Then we ran the old VHS tape through a recorder and dubbed narration over our video. And when we were finished, we had produced one of the earliest videos for the then fledgling LWTV, which first went on the local cable June 5 of that year. So I did a little checking and found almost all of the red and white arrowhead markers for each site are still intact, a little faded, but still there. In fact, the local park district office provided me with brochures about the trail and the entire script which we used back in 1989. That script was researched and written by Dr. Eugene L. Vickery. If memory serves me, his sons Douglas and Jack helped with the trail
ern side of the river, the Sioux engaged Blackhawk. Remaining members of the Sac Fox tribe went to central Iowa and to Oklahoma. The Stephenson Blackhawk Trail is a string of historic sites in and west of Lena. A vivid imagination may add to the reader’s enjoyment for a few of the stops. This week we feature the first of our sites: Dodds Inn. The inn was built of native stone by Samuel F. Dodds in 1848. The village then was called Alida. It became Terra Haute and then Lena in 1854, when the Illinois Central Railroad was built through the region. The building stands square with the world, in contrast to Lena, Railroad, and Main Streets, which are aligned with the railroad. During its time as a hotel, it sheltered several famous guests: Stephen A. Douglas, Generals Larry Nelson photo John A. Logan and George B. Samuel F. Dodds built this stone house in 1848. It is stop: number one on the trail and is at McClellan. Horace Greeley 210 W. Lena Street, Lena. and Abraham Lincoln perhaps project, perhaps crafting and the War of 1812. In 1832, he or skirmishes were fought in also stayed at the inn. installing the signs at each of brought his tribe to the Rock Western Stephenson County, Mr. Dodd, through whose the 10 sites on the 13-mile trail. River Valley, including North- with the whole Blackhawk War farm the railroad went, platted In a typewritten essay of two western Illinois. White settlers lasting 15 months. Approxi- and established the town and pages, Dr. Vickery explained felt threatened, and soon skir- mately 70 settlers and Indians served as its postmaster, justice that Chief Blackhawk was mishes between Blackhawk’s were killed on the east side of the peace and railroad agent the leader of the British band men and the settlers and militia of the Mississippi. Many of Next week: stops two and of Sac Fox Indians and had broke out. About 3,000 troops Blackhawk’s men died at the three on the Stephenson Blackfought for the British during were involved. Three battles battle at Bad Axe. On the west- hawk Trail.
The first annual Shakedown brought huge crowds to Lena Tony Carton Scoop Today/Shopper’s Guide Editor
LENA — The festival grounds surrounding The Rafters/Mill Furnishings and Design/Lena Brewing Company complex were busy early Saturday morning and stayed that way well into the night as the first annual Lena Shakedown surpassed even its organizer’s expectations by bringing as many as three
thousand visitors to the event. “We are blessed with beautiful weather, a great turnout and the community is getting behind us a hundred percent,” said Shakedown Media/Public Relations contact Susan Schafer. “We have over 150 beautiful cars in our car show and great entertainers. All our volunteers are working hard and sweating a bit to bring out the cold beer and great food. Everything is going
wonderfully.” She said there was no way the event would have gone forward without a veritable army of volunteers. “We have more than 40 volunteers working the Vintage and
Antique car show, the beer tent, the gates and the BBQ contest; the vendors are bringing in their own volunteers and they’re all working together to make the Shakedown a success,” she said. “Volunteers are what make an
event like this happen.” She said there was no mistaking the love and dedication their team has for Lena. “Everybody’s pulling their
See SHAKEDOWN, Page 2
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