Solon Mills Train Depot (Illinois) Must Move for Second Time in 120 Years

From the April 25, 2022, Northwest Herald (McHenry County, Illinois)  "For second time in its 120-year life, Solon Mills Train Depot must find new home, purpose" by James T. Norman.

The old train station was converted into a restaurant fifty years ago in Richmond.  Right now it is on U.S. Route 12 near East Kuhn Road.  The Depot Restaurant closed a year ago.  (I have eaten breakfast there in the past.)

Several organizations are attempting ty save it.

It was built around 1902 in Solon Mills, Illinois, an unincorporated small town (pop. 2020  133) in between Spring Grove and Richmond and served as a train depot for around 50 years before being closed and slated for destruction.  Instead, it was moved to Richmond and reopened as a restaurant.

Either the historical village of Richmond should take it, where it already has Doyle's Pub & Eatery, a former mill, or maybe move it to the McHenry County Historical Society Museum in Union.

--RoadDog

Firebird Cruise on McHenry County's Pioneer Road (Scenic Road)

Yesterday, Wednesday, August 12, I took the '85 Firebird out for a cruise in between the storms.  We have certainly been having rain storms the last week, every day in fact.  But, we sure needed the rain after a three week drought.  It's been weird weather this summer.  

This is the second time we have had an extended drought followed by a week+ of lots and lots of rain.  The poor lawns have gone from brown (except over the septic field) to green to brown and now is back to green.  The weeds have done well the whole time, though.

Anyway, I went out to US-12 and took it north to Solon.  I took the wrong Solon Road and ended up on S. Solon Road when I wanted to take W. Solon Road and ended up back at W. Ringwood Road and took that over to Pioneer Road and headed north.

Pioneer Road is one of McHenry County's ten Scenic Drives and is described as 4 miles long in Richmond and McHenry townships.  It well deserves the name with farms and lots of open areas.  

However, going north, twice I had to slow down for work crews cutting up fallen trees and limbs as well as one mile long stretch with so many little branches and twigs all over it that I decided not to go back over it to the southern terminus of Pioneer Road.

The storms that came through Monday and Tuesday had high winds.  Other nearby places had tornadoes.

I took Illinois Highway 31 past Glacial Park into McHenry and, believe me, this stretch of road could also be called a McHenry County Scenic Road.

--RoadDog

Along 66, May 2021: Skyview Drive-In Theater for Sale and a Gas Pump Stolen

I get these from the Route 66 News blog site.  I, however, just pick the stories I am most interested in.  For more news, go to the site which has at least one story from 66 everyday.

MAY 2

The Skyview Drive-In Theater in Litchfield, Illinois has been put up for sale at $420,000.  It can serve up to 700 vehicles.

Drive-Ins across the country saw their business go up rapidly because of the pandemic.

They reopened already for their 71st season.

We are fortunate here in McHenry County, Illinois, to have an old drive-in theater in the City of McHenry (and this one has a concrete screen, not like the billboard screens that the Skyview has.  I like to go to our local Dog 'N Suds in Ingleside, Illinois, get a coney dog or charcoburger and wash it down with that great root beer and then go see a move.  That's my real retro thing.

MAY 3

A vintage gas pump was stolen from the Owl Court property in Oklahoma City.  The Owl Court motel dates back to 1931.  The pump to 1930.

Brew Brother Coffee is located in the long-closed motel's office.

--RoadDog

It's Been A Bit of a Strange Summer for Us So Far (Or, the 20.4-Mile Road Trip)

Usually by this time of the summer, we would have been on several drives along Route 66 in Illinois and even out as far as the Munger-Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, and not mention at least once out to the Mississippi River.

But, not so this year and you know why.  We're sticking close to home.  I don't care to go anywhere when I can't just do what I want to do.  Might as well just stay home and that is what we're doing.  We haven't been away overnight since early March and don't plan on doing that for the remainder of this year (and who knows how long in the future).

This was brought to mind with a jolt this past Saturday, when I drove from Spring Grove to Algonquin, Illinois, for the McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group meeting (our first one since February).  It came to me that this was the farthest I had been away from home since early March.

I looked it up, and it was a whopping 20.4 miles.

Well, at least gasoline expenses have been negligible since March.

Gas, What Gas?

Little Old Homebody Me.  --RoadHouse

One Really Good Weekend-- Part 2: The Civil War, CDs, Sliders and a Bar Crawl on a Hay Wagon

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

Drove to Crystal Lake, Illinois, for the McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group meeting at Panera Bread, this month's topic "The Union Navy at Vicksburg."   This Navy is my favorite aspect of the war.  I talked about Porter's run past  Vicksburg with his fleet and his attack on Port Gibson.

Afterwards, I went to two of my favorite places:  Half-Price Books and White Castle in Algonquin and took care of my book and CD needs as well as got my Slider fix.

Later in the afternoon, I went on the Sunnyside Tavern's bar crawl hay ride to places in Johnsburg.  Going bar to bar in a hay wagon is something I don't think I've ever done before.  We started with food at Sunnyside and then rode the hay wagon over to Stucky's and Raymond Bowl.  Then to Half-Times and then to Oak Park Lounge and Cabana's on Pistakee Lake.

Oak Park Lounge has been open since the 1890s and still looks about the same.  They had a fundraiser for the Johnsburg 4th of July fireworks which will be taking place there and had a pig roast and band.  We returned to Sunnyside and enjoyed a great soul band, Peter & the Versatiles.

Now, This Is How To Spend a Day.  --  RoadDog

To Honor the Blue: Funeral Procession of Illinois State Policeman Gerald Ellis

Illinois is reeling right now after the deaths of three state troopers, a McHenry County Sheriff's Police officer and a Chicago police officer in the last just over a month's time.

It is a dangerous job.  One that certain people don't seem to appreciate.

I am leaving to meet some former Magee Middle School (Round Lake, Illinois) teachers in Bristol, Wisconsin, in a few minutes and afterwards will try to find a place along the funeral procession route of State Trooper Gerald Ellis, who sacrificed his life to keep innocents alive from a wrong-way driver on an interstate last week.

I hope to view the procession, which I understand to be two hours long somewhere along Illinois Highway 173 east of Antioch.  I'll have my Blue Lives matter U.S. flag with me.

A Real Hero.  Thank You for Being There

Groundhog Day 2019-- Part 5: The Groundhog Day House

I also found a 1900 newspaper with a story about Uriah Cottle who was the second permanent settler in McHenry County who was born in present-day West Virginia in 1800, moved to LaPorte County, Indiana, and came from there to McHenry County in 1834.  I will write about him in my Cooter's History Thing blog next week.

Also, in another book, I found a picture of Fred Hatch from Spring Grove in McHenry County who is given credit as having invented the first silo to be used in agriculture back in the 1880s.  The present owner of Fred's farm is a good friend of mine.

But, the most interesting thing I found was from the July 14, 1900, Woodstock newspaper about a new house which had been built in town in an article titles "An Ideal Residence:  The House of Attorney C.P. Barnes In This City."  A line drawing of the home accompanied it and this is the place that served as the B&B that Bill Murray stayed in for the movie "Groundhog Day."   I had to think this was very appropriate.  This home is now open as a real B&B and that sure would be a fun place to spend the night.

The interior scenes of the movie were filmed on a sound stage in nearby Crystal Lake,  but exterior and Bill looking out the window down the street were from the house.

I will write about the house next week in this blog.

An Interesting Trip To the Library.  --RoadDog

Always A Good Time On the Chain of Lakes-- Part 2: Big Party Thursdays

Thursdays are the real big day as far as weekly festivals around here.  The two closest towns, McHenry and Antioch, to us both have great times going on.

MCHENRY SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

This one is held at Veterans Park at the huge gazebo every Thursday from June to the end of September.  It starts with the City band during June then has a lot of great local and regional bands after that, including New Odyssey, (3 Guys, 30 Instruments in August).

IT'S THURSDAY  ANTIOCH

It started last weekend and goes to the middle of August and is held at the bandshell behind Main Street.

This one is probably our favorite one of all, but unfortunately it only goes to the middle of August instead of September.

It is too bad that these two festivals take place on the same night as we often have to make a choice.

Plus, this weekend, a nearby town of Wauconda is having there Waucondafest.  Most every town in the area has a festival during the course of the summer.

Good Times In The Area.  --RoadDog

Looking Back to 1942: Increased Bus Service Because of the War

From the January 11, 2017, MidWeek "looking Back."

1942, 75 Years Ago.

"The Charter Coach Company today was issued a temporary certificate by the Illinois Commerce Commission to operate motor bus service until May 20, 1942, between DeKalb, Sycamore, Genoa, Marengo, Woodstock, McHenry, Volo, Round Lake,  Grays Lake and Waukegan."

Bus service will become even more important because of wartime shortages and gasoline rationing.

These towns were in DeKalb, McHenry and Lake counties in northeastern Illinois.

--RoadDog

Historic Alden Road in Illinois

Located in my county, McHenry. A two-lane rural road in the west part of the county. At the turn of the last century, 1900, it was all homes, barns and fields. It starts at the Wisconsin border and intersects Il-173 in Alden and ends northwest of Woodstock near Il-47.

Some 5,000 vehicles a day use the southbound lane and the McHenry County Department of Transportation has proposed a seven mile road widening project which will impact several historical properties.

Currently the road is 60-feet wide, including the right-of-way and they want to increase it to 120 feet.

--RoadDog

The World's 18 Strangest Roadways-- Part 4

15. CANTON AVENUE-- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Small cobblestone street in Beechview neighborhood. 37% grade. That's 37 feet up for every 100 feet horizontal. Has an ongoing feud with New Zealand's Baldwin Street which has a 35-38% grade as the world's steepest drivable street.

16. THE HIGH FIVE INTERCHANGE-- Dallas, Texas. Where I-635 connects to U.S.-75. Tremendous verticle mode here with lanes as high as a 12-story building in places.

17. LOMBARD STREET-- San Francisco. A curvy icon. Originally had a 27% grade but was too steep for early autos. In 1922, 8 curves added and reduced to 16% grade. It was two-way until 1939.

18. TIBBITT TO CONTWOYTO WINTER ROAD-- Northwest Territory, Canada. Made famous by the History Channel's "Ice Road Truckers." 370 mile ice road from diamond mines over interconnected lakes.

How Steep Is Too Steep? Wonder How Steep the Turn Off US-12 at Sunset Road in McHenry County Is? --RoadDog

NIU Homecoming 2013-- Part 2: Pumpkins to the left, Pumpkins to the Right

I should mention tha while bypassing some of the traffic on Il-47 in Woodstock, we had quite a delay while we waited for traffic pulling into the McHenry County Fairgrounds for the big annual Hot Rod and Cycle Show.

Just south of US-14 on Il-47, we saw a big crowd at the Red Barn Pumpkin Festival.

Fall festivals have become big business in these parts. There is a huge one just a mile from our house at Stade Farm and another one a few miles west of Il-47 on Il-176 going to Marengo. These last two places have parking for hundreds of cars and usually are quite full when we drive by. There is another huge one on Il-47 just past the tollway in Huntley called Goebel's. We always like the giant pumpkin on top of the silo.

It also seems like most farms, and this is big-time farm country, have at least pumpkins for sale. They don't call Illinois the Pumpkin State for nothing, regardless of what our politicians do.

It Was a Real Orange Experience Driving to Dekalb. --RoadDog

Chain Crawl 2013 Ends Today

As the 2013 Chain of Lakes boating season rapidly draws to a close, the Chain Crawl is having their final party this afternoon at Captain's Quarters on Fox Lake in Antioch. We will be there for the many prizes, fully expecting to win what we usually do...nothing.

But, it's fun and, after all, a whole bunch of boat nuts. Some of them are even going to flotilla it to several places before arriving, despite the forecast calling for 90% chance of rain and storms.

After the prizes are awarded (to other folks) the Average Joe band takes the stage from 7 to 11.

Great Times on the Chain. --SeaDog

Time For McHenry and Antioch to Get Their Calendars Straight

Well, I am going to have to do a little bit of complaining because the two very close towns to us here in Illinois like to have their summer festivals on the the same days.

FIESTA DAYS IN McHENRY AND TASTE OF SUMMER IN ANTIOCH:

Fiesta Days run for ten days and Taste runs for four. But the biggest days of Fiesta Days are on the biggest days of of the Taste of Sumer.

As if that isn't bad enough, they tun two other weekly events on the same day during the summer.

CONCERTS IN THE PARK IN McHENRY AND IT'S THURSDAY IN ANTIOCH:

Both weekly events occur on Thursdays.

Time to change somebody's days. I can't be in two places at the same time.

Come On, Give a Guy a Break!! --RoadDog

OK, So We Weren't By Boat: The McHenry Dam

Yesterday, I had to go into McHenry, Illinois, for my annual physical.  Since we were already in the area, afterwards, we drove over to the McHenry Dam State Park to kill some time until Joey B's opened by Burton's Bridge.

This is a great little park with a great view of the dam which always has white water cascading over it every time we've seen it, even during the last several weeks on our downriver boating expeditions.  But, we are in the midst of quite a sustained drought, and there is no water going over the dam, not even a trickle.  Water is about eight inches below the top of the dam upriver.

Lots of fishermen frequent the park, and one told me that there was still water coming over the dam Monday.  Even so, we sat out by a picnic table and enjoyed the view of the dry dam.

Next, the Homewrecket at Joey B's.  --RoadDog

Welcome to the Garden of Weedin

I just had to put that in the blog. I came across an article in the Holiday 2010 issue of McHenry County (Il.) Living, the county where I live. This is a sign in The Woodshop, located in the town of McHenry right by the Fox River.

I've driven by the place many times, but never stopped, but the next time in town, I sure will, if for no other reason than to buy that sign if it is not too expensive. Even better, it is made of old, recycled barn wood.

And appropriate as well, as that is one of my major chores all growing season long. It's my Garden of Eden, but I sure do a lot of Weedin. Just yesterday, I'm sure one of those weeds I was digging up must have stolen my protective glasses. I looked everywhere, but couldn't find them. It had to be a case of payback.


BOB NOVAK

He was retired, but came out of it to save old barn wood from the fire after the barn was torn down. McHenry County at one time was a major agricultural area. It still is, but on a much lesser scale. There were lots of old barns, but the ones that have been abandoned are fast deteriorating and we lose many every year.

Novak and his two partners, Lou Merceiri, a retired cabinet maker and Joe Handel, who scouts out the barns and wood, get excited whenever they come across weathered wood.

Not only do they make signs, but all sorts of furniture as well.

The Woodshop is located at 3301 Elm Street (Ill. Route 120) in McHenry, Illinois.

A Place to Visit. --RoadDog

Lake and McHenry County Through Roads in the 1920s

Using state road maps from back then.

The 1917 map did not show roads in any but one way, so it would not be possible to tell if they were hard, oiled or dirt roads.

However, the next map I came across, 1921, did delineate between hard or oiled roads and dirt roads.

The Blazing Trail, along the Lake Michigan shore was all hard/oiled.

The east-west road from Waukegan to Volo was all hard/oiled.

From Volo to Woodstock, it was mostly dirt.

From just west of Woodstock to Garden Prairie it was mostly dirt.

From Garden Prairie to Rockford it was hard/oiled.

1922 MAP

All roads were shown the same way. Perhaps all were hard/oiled by then.

Until 1922, there were no new roads shown in Lake and McHenry counties.

The Growth of Roads. --RoadDog

Lake and McHenry Counties Through Roads 1917

Looking at the 1917 Illinois State Highway Map, there was just one through route shown in Lake County going east west and into McHenry County where it was joined by another road coming northwest from Chicago.

The east-west road in both counties had no name at the time, but started at Lake Michigan in Waukegan and went through Warrenton, Hainesville, Volo, McHenry, Woodstock and Marengo (where it joined the other road) and on to Belvidere and Rockford.

Today, this road is Il-120 to Woodstock. Then, I'm guessing it to be Il-47 to Il-176 to Il-23. Today, Il-120 from Waukegan west to Grayslake is also called Belvidere Road because of where this original road went although I'm surprised it is not Rockford Road because that town was definitely bigger. I had always wondered how it got the name Belvidere. There was even a Belvidere Mall in Waukegan.

There was also a north-south road running along the Lake Michigan shore from Highland Park in the south to Winthrop Harbor on the Wisconsin border. It was called the Blazing Trail and continued into Chicago where it ended.

In Marengo, it joined a road called the Grant Highway (shown on the map as a rectangle with yellow/black/yellow stripes). The Grant Highway came out of Chicago, Lombard, Addison, Bloomington, Addison, Elgin and Pingree Grove. I found out that the Grant Highway went from Chicago all the way out to Portland, Oregon.

Today, this route is US-20. And, US-20 also has the name U.S. Grant Memorial Highway clear through to Galena in the western part of the state.

So, That's How They Got Their Names. --RoadDog

Finding Rollins Road-- Part 3

Using the Illinois historic road map collection.

Continued from October 4th.

1924

The first time I saw Rollins Road on a map. There were still lts of unpaved trails north of Long Lake (which it still goes by, although not in sight of it. I have heard from old-timers in the area that at one time Rollins Road actually ran beside the lake.

And, looking at a map of Round Lake Beach, lake Shore Drive does leave Rollins east of Long Lake and does a beeline straight into the stretch by the lake shore.

Today's Illinois Highway 120 was called Illinois Highway 20 and completely paved from Waukegan to Woodstock.


1925

The town of Rollins shown on the map. Rollins Road shown as dirt. Well, actually, a road is shown. I don't know whether or not if the road is called Rollins Road. Illinois Highway 21 going through Lake Villa and Antioch. It was also called Illinois Highway 31.

More to Come. --RoadDog

Linn-Hebron Cemetery, Illinois

Major Watson, a Revolutionary War veteran, is buried here.

It is located about two miles northwest of the town of Hebron in McHenry County, Illinois and just a few miles from the Wisconsin state line as well.

To get to it, take Illinois Highway 173 west of town, to Johnson Road, go north, and then to Hillside. Actually, I have kept my boat in a barn at a farm very close to the cemetery for the past four years.

Another interesting person buried here is Hebron resident Elmer Bigelow, who won a Medal of Honor in World War II, who died saving his ship. I will also have an entry in my history blog about him.

There is a 2002 website entry devoted to the cemetery with pictures taken just a short time after the place was seriously vandalized with much destruction done to the graves.

In 2007, a referendum was held by the township to cover expenses of the cemetery, estimated at $12,000 a year. The township took over after the cemetery association found itself unable to continue the upkeep. I didn't find out if it passed, but hopefully it did.

How I Get Waylaid. --RoadDog