Beth,

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Thank you for taking time to listen to a few of my stories.

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I hope the next time you visit the Geneva station it will be open.  I am trying to convince Metra and the 3rd Street merchants this is in their best interest.

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You certainly are living in a most beautiful area. 

 

Colorado's history has this Illinois connection.

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Pres. Lincoln appointed Dr. John Evans to be Colorado's Territorial Governor. The town of Evanston, Illinois is named for him for his efforts in starting Northwestern University.

 

After the Sand Creek massacre, he resigned. 

 

In the 1990's, his role in the massacre was reexamined with the possibility that Northwestern would renounce any recornigtion awards, etc.

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The committee determined Evans was not personally involved in the massacre.

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​Also, in the 1990's, Mrs. O'Leary's cow was exonerated by the Chicago City Council.

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Dick Bales, who I recently met, did the research and determined the there was no substantive evidence that Mrs. O'Leary's cow although there was plenty of resentment toward the Irish.

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The City Council agreed.

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I think I remembered you just finished the 'Devil and the White City'.  

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The World Columbian Exhibition, best know as the Chicago's World Fair of 1893, was the coming out party.   

 

When the Chicago delegation was making their pitch for the Fair in Washington DC the New New York and St Louis representatives were present.  The New Yorkers said the Chicago folks were a 'bunch of windbags'. Thus, Chicago was referred to as the 'Windy City'.​

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San Diego has to be must one of the best places to live if weather is the criteria.

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In the late 1880's San Diego wanted a railroad to connect with the rest of the country.  However, the Southern Pacific after reaching Los Angeles was had planned to build to San Diego.  

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When the Texas and Pacific RR had threatened to build to San Diego, the Southern Pacific built tracks directly from Los Angeles to Yuma.

 

This effectively blocked the Texas and Pacific from entering California.

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The Southern Pacific defied the U.S. Government by laying tracks into Yuma.  Here's the story.

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It wasn't until the California Southern RR (a Santa Fe subsidiary) and John Spreckles built the 'Impossible Railway' did San Diego have connections to the rest of the country.​

Here's the story

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Although I don't think I mentioned the Lincoln family, you can can read several stories here if interested.

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