Illinois Off the Beaten Path Tips by deecat

While in Chicago in August of 2007, I saw this advertisement on a billboard on Michicagn Avenue [1st photo]

Growing up in Robinson, Illinois, I always heard about the white squirrels in Olney, Illnois. I finally got to see one of the famous white squirrels. According to local legend, the white squirrel made its first appearance in 1902. They have pink eyes, pure white fur, & they seem quite friendly. These are true albinos, so they do not see or hear as well as other squirrels, which makes them easy prey for dogs & cats, especially the baby white squirrels.

Olney conducts an annual white squirrel count each year to keep track of the migration trends. At one time there were 1,000 of them; they have been holding steady at 200 white squirrels for many years now.

In addition, they have a law on the books that give the squirrels the right-of-way on every street! There is a stiff fine for anyone who tries to take one of the squirrels out of Olney.

The local police wear patches that bear an outline of a bushy-tailed albino.
Olney's flag has the squirrel logo as does the police cars, the daily newspaper, and the key to the city. 2007 marks the 106th year that the white squirrel has been Olney's mascot.

I was told by my mother that President Truman loved them and took a pair to Washington D.C., but they died.

White squirrels are active year-round, particularly in early morning & in the evening. You can easily find them in the City Park or northeast of town atBird Haven a small nature sanctuary. To find the City Park, you need to take Illinois Route 130 (South West Street) north about 12 blocks; you will see the park on the east side of the road.

The Bird Haven: From U.S. 50, take Illinois Route 130 (S. West St.) to Main St. Turn right (east) and go 14 blocks to N. East St. Go north about 4 miles & turn right on Miller Grove Lane (1275N). Turn right on N. East St. (1200E). Turn left on Doenges Rd.

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Phone: 618-395-7302

What I call my "hometown" while growing up is called Robinson, Illinois, in the southeastern part of the state near the Indiana border. Its claim to fame is:

Home of Heath Candy Bar

Home to Marathon OIl Company's Oil Refinery

Home of many gorgeous historic homes; some of them listed in the National Register of Historic Places. (As an "architectural buff", you will find an abundance of information on genealogy, preservation, architecture, and history.)

Home of James Jones, author of From Here To Eternity
.
Some interesting facts about this town of approximately 7,000 residents:

It is the County Seat of Crawford County, and is comprised of about( 95%) White Non-Hispanic citizens, (2%) Hispanic, (1%) African American, less than (1%) American Indian, and less than (2%) of Other races.
So, you see, Robinson can be termed a rather "LIly White" Community. When I was growing up in the 1950s, there were no Blacks in the town.

Robinson is about 40 miles from Terre Haute, Indiana; 123 miles from Indianapolis; and 196 miles from Chicago. When I drive there from Chicago, I take I57 to Rt. 33
which takes me right into town.

If you like to golf, you will like Robinson. For a town of only 7,000, it has3 courses: Quail Creek Country Club, Deer Run Golf Course, and Oak Glen Golf Course.
Baseball and softball are "big" in Robinson. There are twp city parks and between them, they offer many ball diamonds, basketball courts, tennis courts, and a swimming pool. (One of the golf courses is at a park.) Robinson also has a nice Bowling Alley

If you like the "slow paced" way of life, you will find Robinson is a great to visit as an Off the Beaten Path destination.

The photo is of my all-time favorite home in Robinson located at the corners of Howard and Main Streets.

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While in high school in Robinson, Illinois, I worked at the local radio station, WTAY as a DJ on Saturday mornings with my friend Bruce Gould. We had a teen program called, T Time With Teen Topics & Top Tunes.

People could call to the radio station and request songs to be played. Also, teens would come to the station, look through the window into the studio, and dance to the tunes requested.
WTAY still exists, but T Time does not.
You will find WTAY at 1570AM and is owned by Ann Broadcasting Corp.. They also have a FM radio station, WTYE at 101.7 FM for your listening pleasure.
The station is located west of Robinson on Rt. 33 on the North side of the road.

Those were great times in the late 1950's, and the photo of Bruce and I selecting tunes for our broadcast brings back bittersweet memories since Bruce died while in the Peace Corps when he was in his early 20's.

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If you find yourself in the southern part of the state of Illinois,(clear at the bottom near Paducah, Ky.) be sure to stop in Metropolis. Why? You ask. Metropolis has claimed Superman as its favorite son. The bronze state in the downtown square is relatively new. In 1993 they put the bronze statue as a replacement of the old "primary colors" statue. Citizens still talk about which one they like better. Just think, a town of less than 5,000 people raised $125,000 to pay for this new statue (15 foot tall).
Visit the Super Museum at 611 Market Street, (618) 524-5518.
At this museum, you will see things like the original costume worn by George Reeves in the 1950s television show. In addition, there are movie props, comic books, and toys, all worth a good deal of money. There are over 20,000 items relating to the legend of Superman. Jim Hambrick who runs the museum has been collecting since 1959 and owns over 100,000 items.
Open daily from 9:00 AM until 6:00 PM.
Ages 5 and under=Free
Others=$3.00 per person.

You may wish to visit the Player's Riverboat Casino (800/524-5518) at Merv Griffin's Landing. It has four decks of slot machines, video poker, and other gaming. It also has the Merv Griffin's Theater on the landing. It has 350 seats in this state-of-the-theater that brings to Las Vegas entertainment to this small Southern Illinois town. (618/524-2628) I've seen the shows, and I thought they were excellent.

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Phone: See text

The first Capital of Illinois was Kaskaskia, which is located in the southwestern part of the state. This Capitol was very plain and simple. It was a two-story brick building that rented for $4.00 per day! Lawmakers decided that Kaskaskia was not in a good location because it was not central enough.
Therefore, in 1820, Vandalia, became the second capital of Illinois. Vandalia was the site of three capitol buildings. The first one was another simple, two-story structure, but it was destroyed by fire. Vandalia's second capitol that was built in 1824 to replace the burnt building cost $15,000. About 1830 or so, the third capitol building was built. Shortly thereafter, many Illinoisans began to lobby to move the capital to even a more central location in the state. Then the General Assembly in 1833 passed an act that allowed Illinoisans to choose their capital city. Poor Vandalia; they did not want to lose their status so in 1836 (without authorization), the city tore down the third capitol building a & replaced it with a brick state house that cost $16,000! How sad because despite the effort of the people of Vandalia, the voters of Illinois selected Springfield as the new state capital city in 1839.
Now Springfield is, indeed, in the center of the state. So, the fifth capitol building was erected in 1853 and cost $260,000! It looked so much more like what we today think of as a Capitol with columns and a "rotunda-looking" roof. Still not satisfied, construction began on the sixth & present capitol about 1868. It took twenty years to complete this sixth capitol at a cost of $4.5 million!
This sixth capitol is one of the most visited sites in Illinois. Just a few days ago (September, 2004) a man came to the capitol & shot & killed an unarmed security guard. New, stricter laws & new equipment have been installed to prevent future tragic incidents.
If you have the opportunity, you should visit the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois.

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The Trail of Tears State Forest is certainly a negative mark on the Time Line of the History of Illinois! The US Government forced the Indians to leave their homes & trek to a Reservation in Oklahoma. They went through Vienna & Jonesboro.Today the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail auto route enters Southern Illinois on the ferry at Cave-in-Rock, turns west onto Route 146 north of the city & continues westward until it crosses the Mississippi at Cape Girardeau.

This Forest lies within the southern section of the Ozark Hills & offers landscape scenes that are some of the most "rugged" in Illinois. Dry, rocky, & narrow ridgetops along with gravel bottomed crystal clear streams within narrow valleys & thick forests describe this steep terrain that makes up this Forest. There are over 600 different species of flowering plants & ferns as a result of the drastic terrain.
The park is open year-round for hiking. Designated horse trails are available for horseback riding.
A great park for tent camping but not for motor-home camping! It is a place for the 'nonsqueamish'!
This area was built by The Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. One of the purposes of this park was to set aside lands to grow timber for forest products, watershed protection, & to provide outdoor recreation. Trail of Tears State Forest does all three.

In about 1803, European settlers entered this area where Native Americans lived; thus, the Indians were pushed south & west. The Cherokee, Creek,& Chickasaw nations were FORCED by the U.S. Army to move to reservations in Oklahoma. But, ice floats on the Mississippi River prevented the travellers from crossing & forced them to spend that winter at makeshift camps. It was bitter cold, & sanitation was poor so disease & starvation claimed more than 4,000 lives! This cruel journey became known as the Trail of Tears. This state forest's name memorializes that scandalous, tragic event. I must say that it is part of Illinois history that shames me.

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Phone: (618)833-4910