History

Warden’s Wife Killed in 1915 Local Mystery

The History of Joliet – Chapter 30 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The man who killed my wife must die, but I must be sure that I have the right man.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News They called her “the little mother at the big stir.” Odette Maizee Bordeaux ALLEN was also known as the angel of Joliet because of her beautiful singing voice. The talented singer had been a star on the stage in New Orleans before she married Warden Edmund “Ned” ALLEN. As a widower with small … Read more

Buffalo Bill Not Tall in the Saddle

The History of Joliet – Chapter 31 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The life he is leading will kill him if he keeps it up much longer.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News On the Saturday morning of March 31, 1915, a big man with long hair, mustache and goatee rode a white horse through the streets of downtown Joliet leading a circus parade. He was wearing fancy fringed buckskins decorated with a pair of bone-handled Colt revolvers. Buffalo Bill had come to Joliet. But William Frederick CODY, the famed … Read more

World War I Regiment Earns Praise

The History of Joliet – Chapter 32 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The screaming convicts had set fire to five buildings and were attempting to ram a railroad freight car through the front gate.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News A patriotic fever swept across Joliet on April 6, 1917, when the United States declared war on Germany and joined World War I. The local recruiting office was swamped with volunteers. By the end of the month, more than 400 local men had enlisted. The following month, a national draft … Read more

Dangerous Celebration at War’s End

The History of Joliet – Chapter 33 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “When the guns started going off at 3 a.m., one man rushed outside because he thought a neighbor had finally caught that chicken thief. ‘The chicken thief turned out to be the Kaiser,’ the man told the Joliet Evening Herald-News.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News When the guns started going off at 3 a.m., one man rushed outside because he thought a neighbor had finally caught that chicken thief. But he found that guns were being fired … Read more

Joliet Helped Tame West

The History of Joliet – Chapter 23 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “He was forseeing enough to understand that there would be an immense industry built on barbwire fencing.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News Barbed wire helped to settle the American frontier. And much of the barbed wire that stretched across the nation was produced by Hiram SCUTT in Joliet. Early settlers used thorns and sticky shrubs along with rail and rock fences to keep in their livestock. But that all changed in 1873 when Joseph GLIDDEN invented barbed … Read more

Joliet Chief Pegged It: Inside Job

The History of Joliet – Chapter 24 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The bandits had killed the express manager and gotten away with $22,000 cash and a bag full of jewelry.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News From the very beginning, Joliet Police Chief Frank MURRAY told the Pinkerton detectives that the train robbery was an inside job. That’s what the clues and facts added up to, he said. MURRAY, appointed police chief by Mayor Thomas KELLY in the spring of 1884, had been brought in to reform the city. … Read more

Joliet Boasted in 1887: Business was Booming!

The History of Joliet – Chapter 25 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “Business was booming in Joliet. People were working. And growth was happening rapidly.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News In the summer of 1887, 35 years after the city was incorporated, The Joliet News bragged about the city in a special Business Men’s Edition of the newspaper. Business was booming in Joliet. People were working. And growth was happening rapidly. “The city has no debt,” the newspaper said. “The licenses pay all the expenses of the city government, … Read more

‘Bennitt’s Boys’ Helped Carve A Piece of History

The History of Joliet – Chapter 26 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “BENNITT’s regiment lost about two dozen men. More soldiers died from exposure and illness than combat.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News Like others who came to Joliet as young men, Fred BENNITT arrived in Joliet as a young man full of dreams for the future. He was just 21 years old when he got here from New York in 1875, arriving with a lawyer’s education and two special interests. He dreamed of playing a role in the … Read more

Temperance vs. Whiskey Row in Joliet

The History of Joliet – Chapter 27 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “Joliet has seldom if ever known such an anti-saloon movement.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News In the final months of the 19th century, the residents of Joliet were screaming that they were angry. Their anger centered around the saloons along Whiskey Row. And at the same time, the city was visited by a president. The saloons in Joliet were out of control. Drinking and brawls, muggings and robberies were disrupting too many lives in Joliet. Minors were … Read more

Steel Baron Welcomed Roosevelt, but W.J. Bryan was Another Story

The History of Joliet – Chapter 28 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “Each man lifts his head higher when the nation does its duty.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News On a chilly Monday morning in October 1900, a large crowd started gathering in front of the courthouse in Joliet by 7:30 a.m. A train arrived less than an hour later and hundreds of people greeted it. They all knew the famous face of Theodore ROOSEVELT, better known as just Teddy. Teddy was a national hero. Two years earlier, he … Read more