 Bill Kemp, librarian and archivist at the McLean County Museum of
History, will begin the evening with a talk on "Pioneer Cattle and
Hog Driving." Before the coming of the railroads, farmers marched
livestock to markets as far away as Chicago and Cincinnati from
McLean County. Can you imagine driving 2,000 hogs 120 miles to
Chicago in the wind, ice and snow of November? Kemp has gathered
tales to share from Isaac Funk and other influential livestock
farmers.
Kemp has a master's degree in history from Illinois State
and a master's in public affairs from the University of Illinois
Springfield. He has published articles in the Journal of Illinois
History and Illinois Heritage and writes a weekly column on local
history in The Pantagraph, Bloomington's daily newspaper.
"John Dean Gillett -- Cattle King of the World" will be the topic
of the second talk of the evening. For many years in the late 1800s,
the town of Elkhart was one of the largest shipping points on the
Chicago & Alton Railroad, due to the large stock farms of John Dean
Gillett. Noted for importing Durham cattle from Scotland and
developing the shorthorn cattle breed, Gillett shipped over 2,000
head of cattle and 1,000 head of hogs to Europe annually. The London
Gazette dubbed him "The Cattle King of the World." The speaker,
Gillette Ransom, is a direct descendent of Gillett and a resident of
Elkhart.
Currently John Dean Gillett is featured in the exhibit "Illinois
Stories -- How Vast and How Varied a Field ... The Agricultural
Vision of Abraham Lincoln" at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Museum in Springfield. The exhibit continues until Aug. 31 and
includes a brief biography, as well as several artifacts such as
ledgers, a branding iron and a cattle registry.
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The dinner lecture series will be at the Wild Hare Cafe in historic
downtown Elkhart. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. and the talks are from
7 to 8 p.m. Reservations and prepayment are required, and space is
limited. Cost is $17.99, or $13.99 for a meatless entree. The dinner
package price includes the meal, dessert, drink, tax and gratuity.
The reservation deadline is March 4. For information and the online,
printable reservation form, see
www.elkharthistoricalsociety.org, or call 217-947-2046.
Future talks in the Friday evening dinner lecture series have
been scheduled. Bill McClain will give presentations April 16 and 23
on "Elkhart Hill: The Biological and Cultural History of a Prairie
Grove." To complement his talks, McClain will lead the Wildflower
Nature Walks on Elkhart Hill on April 17 and 24. On July 16, Bob and
Chuck McCue will speak about "Lincoln's Life on the 8th Judicial
Circuit" and the "DAR 8th Judicial Circuit Markers." The next day,
July 17, there will be historical tours of Elkhart Hill.
[Text from file received from the
Abraham Lincoln Tourism
Bureau of Logan County]
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