Our Rural Heritage
184 stories
The Indian Wars of Will County
By Sandy Vasko It’s at this season that the old myths about the origin of Thanksgiving pop up. And they…
WWI — December of 1917 at home and away
By Sandy Vasko One hundred and seven years ago, the world was at war. The United States was sending her…
Get your hands off of my horse or I’ll shoot!
By Sandy Vasko As a fan of John Wayne, Roy Rogers and Mr. Dillon (not necessarily in that order), the…
WWI — November 1917, somewhere ‘over there’
By Sandy Vasko We will soon celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a time when families get together…
Women in mining communities
By Sandy Vasko The subject of women has been much bandied about in recent weeks. Respect for women, equal pay…
The newest weapon of war, the knitting needle
By Sandy Vasko October of 1917 saw many Will County boys away from home. Some were in training camps; some…
WWI: A world turned upside down, the war effort
By Sandy Vasko A little over one hundred years ago, the whole world was in turmoil. Young men were being…
WWI: An army hospital somewhere on the front
By Sandy Vasko One hundred and seven years ago, the whole world was truly at war. The center of it…
When Will County Was Wild
By Sandy Vasko I do mean that in a literal way. Northern Illinois was a wilderness long after Illinois became…
Trick-or-Treat! You got a rock? I Got a Cabbage
By Sandy Vasko I know it’s early to be talking about this subject, but if the store shelves are any…
WWI: Ag’s importance during the Great War
By Sandy Vasko September of 1917 saw the rigors of war come to the home front. Price gouging was going…
Pioneer, gold miner, world traveler, N. N. Osburn
By Sandy Vasko We use the phrase “hardy pioneer” often without really thinking about exactly how “hardy” they really were.…