A Spanish Conquistador in Kansas
In 1881, a college professor near Lindsborg, Kansas, discovered a Spanish Coin. Later, pieces of chain mail, used for soldiers...
Devin Walk
Devin Walk is a freelance writer from Illinois with over a decade's worth of history-related writing. He is also the founder of Memories of the Prairie, a website dedicated to the history of the Midwestern United States.
The story behind St. Louis’ cancelled Disney Park
The story behind St. Louis' canceled Disney Park is a long one. In 1962, Walt Disney had plans to make...
The Canal That Built Chicago
In 1848, the 96-mile, Illinois and Michigan Canal opened, linking Lake Michigan to the Illinois River. Like the Erie Canal,...
The tragedy of the Iroquois Theater fire
On December 30th, 1903, the Iroquois Theater, located in Chicago, IL, lit up in flames. It was the deadliest theater...
How Anheuser-Busch Survived Prohibition
On April 6th, 1933, around 25,000 people stood outside the Anheuser-Busch factory waiting for midnight. At midnight, the President of...
Human Sacrifices at Cahokia Mounds
Near the Mississippi River, mounds built by the Mississippian people, tower over the floodplains. The mounds are the remnants of...
The beauty standards of the 1940’s
Think today’s beauty standards are extreme? Check out the 1940’s! Courtesy of history.com
Mark Twain’s Dream
Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, was known to be eccentric. He predicted his death to coincide with the appearance of...
The Doomsday Town of Stelle, Illinois
In the 1970’s, a group of apocalypse-fearing people led by Richard Kieninger created the town of Stelle, Illinois. In the...
Antique postcards from Eastern Illinois University.
Eastern Illinois Normal School was established by the Illinois State Legislature in 1895 "to train teachers for the schools of...