Whiteside

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

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 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

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

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

Civil War Veteran John Lambert Became City’s Steel King

The History of Joliet – Chapter 19 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo But he was built in a greater mold than that of the skilled workman. By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News After the Civil War, John LAMBERT looked to the west for a new home. And he came to Joliet, where he founded a fortune in the steel business. At the age of 15, LAMBERT had enlisted in a cavalry regiment during the Civil War. He fought under the command of Gens. George Armstrong CUSTER and Philip SHERIDAN. In … Read more

Steel King Woodruff Stood Tall Among Barons

The History of Joliet – Chapter 20 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The fatal result sent a shock wave to almost every household in the community. By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News Among the business barons who built Joliet, none walked taller than George WOODRUFF, the banker. He was just 24 years old when he arrived here in 1836. Leaving his native New York to make a fortune in the west, he arrived in Chicago by boat. Since that boat went on to the small settlement here to deliver mail, … Read more

Fire Protection Became Priority

The History of Joliet – Chapter 21 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The city had a volunteer fire department, which formed bucket brigades that often arrived too late to save a structure.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News With the rapid growth in Joliet after the Civil War, new homes and businesses were being constructed all over the city. But there was an old enemy to face: Fire. John Dean PAIGE was appointed to battle the fires in Joliet. Wood burning stoves and fireplaces, which often created emergency situations, were … Read more

Queen Knighted Railroad Tycoon from Joliet

The History of Joliet – Chapter 22 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “William Cornelius VAN HORNE once told a friend that the only religion he practiced was the golden rule. He said he was about the only man in business who did practice it.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News One night in 1864, William Cornelius VAN HORNE was working the telegraph station at the railroad station in Joliet when a young woman stepped off the late train from Chicago. She was a beauty, and there was no one there … Read more

Bartleson Lost Arm, then His Life, for Nation

The History of Joliet – Chapter 14 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo I have still an arm left for my country, and she shall have that too, if necessary.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News Of all the warriors from Joliet who fought in the Civil War, the best remembered and most noble among them was Col. Frederick BARTLESON. The memory of this soldier is a city treasure. Described by George H. WOODRUFF, the local historian, BARTLESON was “a Christian in his convictions and always a man of pure morals.” … Read more