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by Doug Gelbert (Author)
America turns 250.
Let's go find the candles.
Looking for a history lesson that doesn't feel like homework? You've found it. At 250history.com, the Semiquincentennial Series brings each state's distinctive landmarks to center stage to tell their fast and fun story.
We've wandered through big cities, tiny towns, muddy trails, and neon-lit highways-uncovering 5,000 historic gems along the way.
The Semiquincentennial isn't just a mouthful-it's a reminder that history is alive, sometimes weird, and always waiting to be rediscovered.
Whether you're traveling by road, by printed page, or by imagination; whether you are a lifelong native or visiting for a week, we invite you to explore 100 Illinois landmarks that illuminate the one-of-a-kind story of the Land of Lincoln.
Prehistoric mounds... the angry Mississippi... the "plow that broke the prairie"... iron horses... kissing bridges... round barns... skyscrapers... fire towers... the CCC... Lincoln... horse racing... kit houses... the golden age of motoring... canals... more Lincoln... the rise of suburbia... octagons... Nicolson pavement... landmark roads... windmills... Frank Lloyd Wright... "theaters of nature"... bascule bridges... women's baseball... This book will have you telling stories like a native in no time.
The photos and stories collected here are a fast and fun way to learn the explanations behind the quirks, the traditions and the secrets that make Illinois uniquely Illinois. Where can you find the oldest experimental field in America? Solved. Where was the last public hanging in Illinois? A mystery no more. What is the largest federal residence not named the White House? Identified. What was the first 18-hole golf course in America? Revealed. How did the Great Fire of 1871 start? No one knows.
It is a story only Illinois can call its own. A story told in 100 landmarks. Almost all the selections within are open to the public, or a t least visible from public spaces. So, fire up the GPS and see the story of the Prairie State standing in plain sight on Illinois streets!
