Our Rural Heritage
184 stories
Our Rural Heritage: The 39th’s first bitter taste of defeat, January 1862
By Sandy Vasko When we left the 39th, it was New Year’s Eve 1861. Battle came to them on the…
Law and order in Florence Township
By Sandy Vasko I suppose that when you think of excitement and crime, Florence Township does not spring to your…
Our Rural Heritage: Civil War: Winter in the field, the 20th and the 39th
By Sandy Vasko The 20th, returned to Bird’s Point after the battle of Fredericktown on Oct. 31st, where they constructed…
Our Rural Heritage: So where were the women? A partial answer … busy!
By Sandy Vasko I was recently asked to give a talk about the important women in Will County history. It…
Our Rural Heritage: Cream of the crop, or really milking it
By Sandy Vasko Being a dairy farmer is no romp in the woods; it’s a 24/7 job. Being a lover…
Our Rural Heritage: Geese and more geese, a lake becomes a prairie
By Sandy Vasko I do not have the pleasure of living on the river, but that does not mean that…
New Year’s in the old years, Will County celebrates
Editor’s note: Sandy Vasko is on vacation. We are reprinting this holiday column from December 2021. By Sandy Vasko Well,…
Our Rural Heritage: The war begins in earnest, more volunteers step up
We can safely say that by October of 1861 the War Between the States was really starting to get serious. …
Separate but not equal: women prisoners at Joliet
By Sandy Vasko One of the things that I notice about all the hoopla surrounding the old State Penitentiary on…
When will we see ‘the elephant’?
By Sandy Vasko “Seeing the elephant” … it’s what every soldier and soldier “wanna-be” wanted to do during the Civil…
Our Rural Heritage: Holiday shopping — 1876 style
By Sandy Vasko This week, we continue walking through downtown Joliet during the holiday season of 1876. The next establishment…
The Christmas lights of long ago
By Sandy Vasko Well, Thanksgiving is behind us, and that magical time of year is only a few weeks away.…