Henry Horner, Governor of Illinois-- Part 1: Road Beautification Proponent

Back in January, I wrote several posts about  the Henry Horner Road north of Springfield, Illinois, one of the nation's first road beautification efforts made back in the 1930s.  Henry Horner was governor of Illinois from 1933-1940, right in the teeth of the Great Depression.  And, it appears that he was not a typical Illinois governor.

From Wikipedia.

HENRY HORNER (Nov. 30, 1878-October 6, 1940)

Was the 28th governor of Illinois and died in office.  He was the first Jewish governor of the state.

He was born Henry Levy, but assumed his mother's surname after his parents divorced.  Attended the University of Chicago and got his ,law degree from the IIT Kent College of Law.  Served as a lawyer and probate judge from 1915-1931.

Becoming governor during the Great Depression, he had to ask the General Assembly for new tax revenue and the first sales tax of 2% was passed, later raised to 3%.

--RoadDog

Charles and Irene Custer's 1950 Trip Across America

From yesterday's blog entry.

The pictures were developed again after some 70 years after they were taken.  They took the pictures with an Agfa box camera which gave a whole lot of detail.  The pictures were taken on a working honeymoon trip in 1950.

Noted Route 66 personality Michael Wallis compares Custer's pictures with those of Great Depression photographers like Dorothea Lange.

There, unfortunately, are no captions or identifying information and it is hoped people looking at them can help identify.  It appears the batch shown in the Sun-Times was from Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Well Worth Checking These Pictures Out.  --RoadDog

Weedpatch Camp, Ca.-- Part 3: Three Original Buildings Remain

A great name for a camp such as this one if you ask me.

The camp originally had canvas tents on plywood platforms for  residents and permanent buildings for the community functions such as administration, community hall, post office, post office, library and barber shop.  The resident tents were later replaced by permanent single story wood frame shacks.

There are three original buildings remaining of the camp that make up the National Register of Historic Places property:  the community hall, the post office and library.    These last two buildings, however, were moved to be next to the community hall to make the beginnings of a historic park.

In 2007, the exteriors of the library and post office were renovated

The buildings and camp are significant to the history of California because of the migration of people to the state trying to escape the Dust Bowl.

--RoadDog

Along 66, Nov. 2019: Weedpatch Dust Bowl Festival and Camp

NOVEMBER 15--  End of an era?  Final Dust Bowl Festival held at Weedpatch Camp in California.

It was made famous in John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath.  It was the 30th and last festival as the survivors of it are getting too old to continue with it.  (Evidently they were guests of honor.)  It was held in Bakersfield, California and built in 1935by the WPA  to house Dust Bowl refugees.

From the Visit Bakersfield Site.

Officially known as the Arvin Federal Government Camp, the migrant worker center most notably featured in John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath."

The camp was a government rescue center for distressed migrant workers fleeing from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl during the Great Depression.  Various scenes from the 1940 movie adaptation of the novel were filmed here.

It still aids migrants today.

--RoadDog

News From Along Route 66, November 2016--: Route 66's 90th Birthday-- Part 1

I wrote about this back on November 14th, three days latest the time, now I write about it again.

This is from Ron Warnick's Route 66 News site.

Happy 90th Birthday to Route 66, came into being November 11, 1926.  This was the day when AASHO, the American Association of State Highway Officials adopted 66 as the number for our road.  It is also the birthday of all other U.S. Highways.

ROUTE 66 THROUGH THE DECADES:

1920s:  The Developmental Years.  Existing roads linked together, often through the center of towns.   Became known as Main Street of America. The 1928 Bunion Derby brought a lot of publicity.

1930s:  The Great Depression and Great Okie Migration "Grapes of Wrath" and name "The Mother Road."

--Road66

Lincoln Highway News from Rochelle, Illinois

1. The August 21st Rochelle News-Leader reported that the Rochelle Gardeners of America recently presented a $300 check to the city for landscaping improvements on three of the four entrance signs welcoming visitors to the city.

If you have seen these signs, they are impressive. Now, they will be landscaped as well.

2. In their Flashback section, there was a 1930 photo of a bunch of unemployed Rochelle people leveling off a dump south of the city. The caption said that these workers received small weekly paychecks from the federal government. They also participated in many other projects around Rochelle including the excavating and constructing of a basement under the 1884 City and Town (Township?) Hall and remodeling of the building. From a historical research article by Franklin Kruger.

This took place during the Great Depression so, more than likely, these men were employed by either the WPA, Works Progress Administration, or the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps. Most likely they were WPA.
I believe the old City Hall to be the present museum located downtown.

3. There was also an article about the Second Annual Chaplin Creek "Autumn in the Grove" celebration in Franklin Grove, Illinois,  on September 15th. There will be several displays of mid-1800s life. People will get the opportunity to do "laundry 1800s style, participate in period games...and tour Chaplin Creek Village."

Many old area structures have been moved to this site. This past April, a joint meeting of the Illinois and Iowa chapters of the Lincoln Highway Association was held here.

Cruising on Down the Lincoln. --RoadDog