Thread:61Storm/@comment-29709319-20181110010804/@comment-29709319-20181207025537

December 7: National Illinois Day, National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, National Cotton Candy Day, and Faux Fur Friday.

🇺🇸"Illinois" is the modern spelling for the early French Catholic missionaries and explorers' name for the Illinois Native Americans, a name that was spelled in many different ways in the early records. Illinois is the 6th-most populous U.S. state and 25th-largest state in terms of land area. It's nickname(s): Land of Lincoln, Prairie State,vMotto(s): State Sovereignty, National Union, State song: "Illinois", Capital: Springfield, Largest city: Chicago. Living insignia; 🦎Amphibian: Eastern tiger salamander, 🕊Bird: Northern cardinal, 🦋Butterfly: Monarch butterfly, 🐠Fish: Bluegill, 🌸Flower: Violet, 🌾Grass: Big bluestem, 🦌Mammal: White-tailed deer,v🐢Reptile: Painted turtle, 🌳Tree: White oak. Inanimate insignia; 💃Dance: Square dance, 🍏Food: Gold Rush Apple, popcorn, Fossil: Tully monster. Tully Monster, is an extinct genus of soft-bodied bilaterian that lived in shallow tropical coastal waters of muddy estuaries during the Pennsylvanian geological period, about 300 million years ago. A single species, T. gregarium, is known. Examples of Tullimonstrum have been found only in the Mazon Creek fossil beds of Illinois, United States. Its classification has been the subject of controversy, and interpretations of the fossil likened it to molluscs, arthropods, conodonts, worms, and vertebrate. Three U.S. presidents have been elected while living in Illinois: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barack Obama. Additionally, Ronald Reagan, whose political career was based in California, was born and raised in Illinois. Illinois honors Lincoln with its official state slogan, Land of Lincoln, which has been displayed on its license plates since 1954. The history of Illinois may be defined by several broad historical periods, namely, the pre-Columbian period, the era of European exploration and colonization, its development as part of the American frontier, and finally, its growth into one of the most populous and economically powerful states of the United States. American Indians of successive cultures lived along the waterways of the Illinois area for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. The Koster Site has been excavated and demonstrates 7,000 years of continuous habitation. Cahokia, the largest regional chiefdom and urban center of the Pre-Columbian Mississippian culture, was located near present-day Collinsville, Illinois. The finely crafted ornaments and tools recovered by archaeologists at Cahokia include elaborate ceramics, finely sculptured stonework, carefully 🍁embossed and engraved copper and mica sheets, and one funeral blanket for an important chief fashioned from 20,000 shell beads. These artifacts indicate that Cahokia was truly an urban center, with clustered housing, markets, and specialists in toolmaking, hide dressing, potting, jewelry making, shell engraving, weaving and salt making. The civilization vanished in the 15th century for unknown reasons, but historians and archeologists have speculated that the people depleted the area of resources. The next major power in the region was the Illinois Confederation or Illini, a political alliance. As the Illini declined during the Beaver Wars era, members of the Algonquian-speaking Potawatomi, Miami, Sauk, and other tribes including the Fox (Mesquakie), Ioway, Kickapoo, Mascouten, Piankashaw, Shawnee, Wea, and Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) came into the area from the east and north around the Great Lakes. French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet explored the Illinois River in 1673. Marquette soon after founded a mission at the Grand Village of the Illinois in Illinois Country. In 1680, French explorers under René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Henri de Tonti constructed a fort at the site of present-day Peoria, and in 1682, a fort atop Starved Rock in today's Starved Rock State Park. French Empire Canadiens came south to settle particularly along the Mississippi River, and Illinois was part of the first New France, and then of La Louisiane until 1763, when it passed to the British with their defeat of France in the Seven Years' War. The small French settlements continued, although many French migrated west to Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis, Missouri, to evade British rule. The Illinois-Wabash Company was an early claimant to much of Illinois. The Illinois Territory was created on February 3, 1809, with its capital at Kaskaskia, an early French settlement. In 1818, Illinois became the 21st U.S. state. The capital remained at Kaskaskia, headquartered in a small building rented by the state. In 1819, Vandalia became the capital, and over the next 18 years, three separate buildings were built to serve successively as the capitol building. In 1837, the state legislators representing Sangamon County, under the leadership of state representative Abraham Lincoln, succeeded in having the capital moved to Springfield, where a fifth capitol building was constructed. A sixth capitol building was erected in 1867, which continues to serve as the Illinois capitol today. Though it was ostensibly a "free state", there was slavery in Illinois. The ethnic French had owned black slaves since the 1720s, and American settlers had already brought slaves into the area from Kentucky. The Illinois Constitution of 1848 was written with a provision for exclusionary laws to be passed. In 1853, John A. Logan helped pass a law to prohibit all African Americans, including freedmen, from settling in the state. The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crossed the Mississippi River, into Illinois, from Iowa Indian Territory in April 1832. Black Hawk's motives were ambiguous, but he was apparently hoping to avoid bloodshed while resettling on tribal land that had been ceded to the United States in the disputed 1804 Treaty of St. Louis. U.S. officials, convinced that the British Band was hostile, mobilized a frontier militia and opened fire on a delegation from the Native Americans on May 14, 1832. Black Hawk responded by successfully attacking the militia at the Battle of Stillman's Run. He led his band to a secure location in what is now southern Wisconsin and was pursued by U.S. forces. Militia under Colonel Henry Dodge caught up with the British Band on July 21 and defeated them at the Battle of Wisconsin Height. The Black Hawk War gave the young captain Abraham Lincoln his brief military service, although he never participated in a battle. Other participants who later became famous included Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor, and Jefferson Davis. The war gave impetus to the U.S. policy of Indian removal, in which Native American tribes were pressured to sell their lands and move west of the Mississippi River and stay there. During the American Civil War, Illinois ranked fourth in men who served (more than 250,000) in the Union Army. The town of Cairo, at the southern tip of the state at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, served as a strategically important supply base and training center for the Union army. For several months, both General Grant and Admiral Foote had headquarters in Cairo. Chicago gained prominence as a Great Lakes port, and then as an Illinois and Michigan Canal port after 1848, and as a rail hub soon afterward. By 1857, Chicago was Illinois's largest city. With the tremendous growth of mines and factories in the state in the 19th century, Illinois was the ground for the formation of labor unions in the United States. During the Civil War, and more so afterwards, Chicago's population skyrocketed, which increased its prominence. From Sunday, October 8, 1871, until Tuesday, October 10, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire burned in downtown Chicago, destroying four square miles (10 km2). City officials never determined the exact cause of the blaze, but the rapid spread of the fire due to a long drought in the prior summer, strong winds from the southwest, and the rapid destruction of the water pumping system explain the extensive damage of the mainly wooden city structures. Only two buildings survived the great fire, the Chicago Water Tower and Pumping Station. At the turn of the 20th century, Illinois had a population of nearly 5 million. Many people from other parts of the country were attracted to the state by employment caused by the then-expanding industrial base. By the end of the century, the population had reached 12.4 million. Illinois has a climate that varies widely throughout the year. Because of its nearly 400-mile distance between its northernmost and southernmost extremes, as well as its mid-continental situation, most of Illinois has a humid continental climate, with hot, humid summers and cold winters. Average yearly precipitation for Illinois varies from just over 48 inches (1,219 mm) at the southern tip to around 35 inches (889 mm) in the northern portion of the state. Normal annual snowfall exceeds 38 inches (965 mm) in the Chicago area, while the southern portion of the state normally receives less than 14 inches (356 mm). The all-time high temperature was 117°F (47°C), recorded on July 14, 1954, at East St. Louis, while the all-time two lowest temperatures were -36°F (-38°C), recorded on January 5, 1999, at Congerville. The second lowest temperature of -37°F (-39 °C), was recorded on January 15, 2009, at Rochelle. Illinois averages approximately 51 days of thunderstorm activity a year, which ranks somewhat above average in the number of thunderstorm days for the United States. Illinois is vulnerable to tornadoes with an average of 35 occurring annually. While tornadoes are no more powerful in Illinois than other states, some of Tornado Alley's deadliest tornadoes on record have occurred in the state. More modern developments in storm forecasting and tracking have caused death tolls from tornadoes to decline dramatically. The Tri-State Tornado of 1925 killed 695 people in three states; 613 of the victims died in Illinois. The 1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado, 111 people in East St. Louis lost their lives. May 1917, 101 people in Charleston and Mattoon. 1967 Belvidere–Oak Lawn tornado outbreak 58 fatalities. 1990 Plainfield tornado 29 fatalities. On November 17, 2013, an EF4 tornado touched down and ripped through Washington, Illinois. There were three fatalities. And still three is to many. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Illinois was 12,802,023 in 2017, moving from the fifth-largest state to the sixth-largest state. Illinois's population declined by 33,700 people from July 2016 to July 2017, making it the worst decline of any state in the U.S. Chicago, the third-most populous city in the United States, is the center of the Chicago metropolitan area or Chicagoland, (as this area is nicknamed), comprises only 9% of the land area of the state, but contains 65% of the state's residents. Using the criterion established by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, there are eleven "National Universities" in the state. As of August 19, 2010, six of these rank in the "first tier" among the top 500 National Universities in the United States, as determined by the U.S. News & World Report rankings: 1️⃣University of Chicago (ranks 4), 2️⃣Northwestern University (12), 3️⃣University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (41), 4️⃣Loyola University Chicago (89),5️⃣Illinois Institute of Technology (108), 6️⃣DePaul University (123), 7️⃣University of Illinois at Chicago (129), 8️⃣Illinois State University (149), 9️⃣Southern Illinois University Carbondale (153), and 🔟Northern Illinois University (194). Illinois's major agricultural outputs are corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy products, and wheat. In most years, Illinois is either the first or second state for the highest production of soybeans, with Iowa being the other state. Illinois ranks second in U.S. corn production. Illinois is a top producer of ethanol, ranking third in the United States in 2011. Although Chicago may no longer be "Hog Butcher for the World", the Chicago area remains a global leader for food manufacture and meat processing. Illinois also produces wine, and the state is home to two American viticultural areas. (An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), United States Department of the Treasury.) In the area of The Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Byway, peaches and apples are grown. (The Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route extends for 33.0 miles (53.1 km) in southwestern Illinois, travelling through the floodplain of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The route has been officially designated as a National Scenic Byway by the Federal Highway Administration. The route coincides with a portion of the Great River Road.) The German immigrants from agricultural backgrounds who settled in Illinois in the mid- to late 19th century are in part responsible for the profusion of fruit orchards in that area of Illinois. Illinois's universities are actively researching alternative agricultural products as alternative crops. Illinois is a net importer of fuels for energy, despite large coal resources and some minor oil production. Illinois exports electricity, ranking fifth among states in electricity production and seventh in electricity consumption. Illinois had a prominent role in the emergence of the nuclear age. With eleven plants currently operating, Illinois generates more nuclear power than any other state. (I usually don't do politics but I didn't want anyone to think I was trying to hide my states dirt while glamorizing the rest. I would come nearer hiding other states dirt and probably have.) Politics in Illinois have been infamous for highly visible corruption cases, as well as for crusading reformers, such as governors Adlai Stevenson and James R. Thompson. In 1921, 1️⃣Governor Len Small was found to have embezzling over a million dollars in a money-laundering scheme in which he misplaced state funds into a fake bank while he was state treasurer. He paroled over 1000 convicted felons including one felon convicted of kidnapping young girls and forcing them into lives of white slavery. He also pardoned 20 members of the Communist Labor Party of America, and he released bootlegger Edward "Spike" O'Donnell of Southside Chicago, who returned to Chicago as the leader of one of the most powerful bootlegging gangs in the city. Len Small was acquitted of the embezzling charges, but eight jurors later got state jobs, raising suspicions of jury tampering. 2️⃣Orville Hodge was the Auditor of Public Accounts of the state of Illinois from 1952 to 1956. During his term in office, he embezzled $6.15 million of state funds, mainly by altering and forging checks that were paid on the state's account. He pleaded guilty to 54 charges of bank fraud, embezzlement and forgery, and was sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison. 3️⃣Otto Kerner Jr. was an American jurist and politician who served as the 33rd Governor of Illinois from 1961 to 1968 and a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. In 1973 Kerner was convicted on 17 counts of mail fraud, conspiracy, perjury, and related charges. On appeal, all counts were overturned with the exception of four counts of mail fraud. He was sentenced to three years in federal prison in Chicago and fined $50,000. He was released early due to terminal cancer. Secretary of State 4️⃣Paul Powell was investigated and found to have gained great wealth through bribes, and State Auditor of Public Accounts. Although his salary was never more than $30,000 a year, upon his death, shoeboxes, briefcases and strongboxes with more than $800,000 in cash were found in his hotel suite residence at the St. Nicholas Hotel in Springfield, Illinois. In his hotel room he also had 49 cases of whiskey, 14 transistor radios, and two cases of creamed corn. When settled in 1978 his estate was worth $4.6 million, of which $1 million was racetrack stock. A federal investigation determined that Powell had acquired much of his wealth through illegal cash bribes, which he received for giving noncompetitive state contracts to political associates. The State of Illinois received a $222,999 settlement from his estate; in addition, several state contractors were imprisoned for their roles in the affair. 5️⃣Daniel David Rostenkowski was a United States Representative from Chicago, serving from 1959 to 1995. He became one of the most powerful legislators in Washington, especially in matters of taxation. Charges against Rostenkowski included: keeping "ghost" employees on his payroll (paying salaries at taxpayer expense for no-show "jobs"); using Congressional funds to buy gifts such as chairs and ashtrays for friends; diverting taxpayer funds to pay for vehicles used for personal transportation; tampering with a Grand Jury witness; and trading-in officially purchased stamps for cash at the House Post Office. While the stamps-for-cash allegation received the most media coverage, those charges were dismissed on the recommendation of the prosecutor. In 1996, he pleaded guilty to reduced charges of mail fraud. He was fined and sentenced to 17 months in prison, of which he served 15 at the Oxford Federal Correctional Institution in Wisconsin, and the remaining two months at a halfway house in Chicago. Rostenkowski was pardoned in December 2000 by President Clinton, who said, "Rostenkowski had done a lot for his country and had more than paid for his mistakes." (Comment, that's not a mistake, Clinton.😛). 6️⃣George Homer Ryan Sr. was the 39th Governor of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. Ryan received national attention for his 1999 moratorium on executions in Illinois and for commuting more than 160 death sentences to life sentences in 2003. He was later convicted of racketeering and bribery and spent six-and-a-half-years in federal prison (released from federal prison on July 3, 2013) and then seven months of home confinement. Many observers have noted in recent years that Ryan was one of the primary politicians responsible for creating the current pension crisis in Illinois, which is the state with the most underfunded pension system in the United States. In 2008, then-Governor 7️⃣Rod Blagojevich was served with a criminal complaint on corruption charges, stemming from allegations that he conspired to sell the vacated Senate seat left by President Barack Obama to the highest bidder. Subsequently, on December 7, 2011, Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison for those charges, as well as perjury while testifying during the case, totaling 18 convictions. (Comment: the state is broke🤔). Illinois has numerous museums; the greatest concentration of these are in Chicago. Several museums in Chicago are ranked as some of the best in the world. These include: 1️⃣The Shedd Aquarium (formally the John G. Shedd Aquarium) is an indoor public aquarium that opened on May 30, 1930. The aquarium contains 32,000 animals, and was for some time the largest indoor aquarium in the world with 5,000,000 US gallons (19,000,000 l; 4,200,000 imp gal) of water. Shedd Aquarium was the first inland aquarium with a permanent saltwater fish collection. 2️⃣The Field Museum of Natural History, also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum maintains its status as a premier natural history museum through the size and quality of its educational and scientific programs, as well as due to its extensive scientific specimen and artifact collections. The diverse, high quality permanent exhibitions range from the earliest fossils to past and current cultures from around the world to interactive programming demonstrating today's urgent conservation need. 3️⃣The 🍁Art Institute founded in 1879 and located in Chicago's Grant Park, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. Its collection, includes iconic works such as Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Pablo Picasso's The Old Guitarist, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, and Grant Wood's 🍁American Gothic. It has a permanent collection of nearly 300,000 works of art divided into 30 special exhibitions. As a research institution, the Art Institute also has a conservation and conservation science department, five conservation laboratories, and one of the largest art history and architecture libraries in the country. 4️⃣The 🍁Adler Planetarium is a public museum dedicated to the study of astronomy and astrophysics. It is also the first planetarium in the United States. It was founded in 1930 by Chicago business leader Max Adler. The Adler's mission is to inspire exploration and understanding of the universe. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. The Adler is home to three full size theaters, extensive space science exhibitions, and a significant collection of antique scientific instruments and print materials. In addition, the Adler boasts the Doane Observatory, one of the only research-active, public urban observatories. 5️⃣The 🍁Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) is housed in the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Among the museum's exhibits are a full-size replica coal mine, German submarine U-505 captured during World War II, a 3,500-square-foot (330 m2) model railroad, the command module of Apollo 8, and the first diesel-powered streamlined stainless-steel passenger train (Pioneer Zephyr). 6️⃣The modern Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield is the largest and most attended presidential library in the country. The Illinois State Museum boasts a collection of 13.5 million objects that tell the story of Illinois life, land, people, and art. 7️⃣The Polish Museum of America is located in West Town, in what had been the historical Polish Downtown neighborhood of Chicago. It is home to a plethora of Polish artifacts, artwork, and embroidered folk costumes among its growing collection. Founded in 1935, it is one of the oldest ethnic museums in the United States and Core Member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance, a consortium of 25 ethnic. 8️⃣🍁Magnolia Manor is a postbellum manor located in Cairo. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since December 17, 1969. The house is operated as a Victorian period historic house museum. The manor was built by the Cairo businessman Charles A. Galigher in 1869. It is a 14-room red brick house which features double walls intended to keep out the city's famous dampness with their ten-inch airspaces. Inside the home are many original, 19th-century furnishings. 9️⃣Easley Pioneer Museum is located in Ipava. The museum is privately owned by a descendant of the original Easley family. The Easley family founded the town of Ipava, Illinois and many descendants of the original family still live in the area. The museum houses a large collection of Easley family genealogical information as well as a very large collection of artifacts related to the World War II Army camp, Camp Ellis. One building of the museum complex is the restored former Freeman School #179 - a one-room schoolhouse in Fulton County. The museum houses what is believed to be the original log cabin school of John Easley, the founding father of Ipav. 🔟🍁Elihu Benjamin Washburne, also known as the Washburne-Sheehan House, is a ​1 1⁄2-story Greek Revival house located in Galena. Constructed in 1844–45, the building was built for and owned by Elihu Benjamin Washburne, a prominent Galena lawyer who served in Congress during the American Civil War, and as Secretary of State and Minister to France under President Ulysses S. Grant. The Washburne House was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The house was enlarged to its present size in 1859, while Washburne was serving in Congress. Washburne and his wife, Adele, owned the house until 1882, when they moved to Chicago. At some point after the Washburnes moved to Chicago, the house was purchased by the Sheehan family, which owned the house until 1968, when it was sold to the State of Illinois. The house was built in the style of Greek temples and features a 2-story porch with four fluted Doric columns. 1️⃣1️⃣The Ulysses S. Grant Home in Galena, Illinois is the former home of Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War general and later 18th President of the United States. The house was designed in the Italianate style by William Dennison and constructed in 1859-1860. It was given to Grant by residents of Galena in 1865 as thanks for his war service, and has been maintained as a memorial to Grant since 1904. Typical of buildings done in that style, the home featured well defined rectangular shapes, a roof with a low pitch, balustraded balconies extending out over covered porches, and projecting eaves. The Chicago metropolitan area also hosts two zoos: 1️⃣Brookfield Zoo, also known as the Chicago Zoological Park. It opened on July 1, 1934, and quickly gained international recognition for using moats and ditches instead of cages to separate animals from visitors and from other animals. It houses around 2,300 (450 species) of animals in an area of 216 acres (87 ha). The zoo was also the first in America to exhibit giant panda🐼. In 1960, Brookfield Zoo built the nation's first fully indoor dolphin exhibit, and in the 1980s, the zoo introduced Tropic World, the first fully indoor rain forest simulation and the then-largest indoor zoo exhibit in the world. 2️⃣Lincoln Park Zoo is a 35-acre (14 ha) zoo located in Lincoln Park in Chicago. The zoo was founded in 1868, making it among the oldest zoos in North America. It is also one of three major free admission zoos in the United States. The zoo Lincoln Park Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is home to a wide variety of animals. The zoo's exhibits include big cats, polar bears, penguins, gorillas, reptiles, monkeys, and other species totalling about 1,100 animals from some 200 species. Also located in Lincoln Park Zoo is a burr oak tree which dates to 1830, three years before the city was founded. As one of the United States' major metropolises, all major sports leagues have teams headquartered in Chicago. Two Major League Baseball teams are located in the state. 1️⃣The Chicago Cubs of the National League play in the second-oldest major league stadium (Wrigley Field) and are widely known for having the longest championship drought in all of major American sport: not winning the World Series since 1908. That drought finally came to an end when the Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in seven games to win the 2016 World Series. 2️⃣The Chicago White Sox of the American League won the World Series in 2005, their first since 1917. They play on the city's south side at Guaranteed Rate Field. 3️⃣The Chicago Bears football team has won nine NFL Championships, the last occurring in Super Bowl XX on January 26, 1986. 4️⃣The Chicago Bulls of the NBA is one of the most recognized basketball teams in the world, largely as a result of the efforts of Michael Jordan, who led the team to six NBA championships in eight seasons in the 1990's. 5️⃣The Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL began playing in 1926, and became a member of the Original Six once the NHL dropped to that number of teams during World War II. The Blackhawks have won six Stanley Cups, most recently in 2015. 6️⃣The Chicago Fire is a member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and has been one of the league's most successful and best-supported clubs since its founding on October 8, 1997 and started playing in 1998 as one of the league's first expansion teams. The Fire won the MLS Cup as well as the U.S. Open Cup (the "double") on their first season. They also won U.S. Open Cups in 2000, 2003, and 2006, in addition to the 2003 MLS Supporters' Shield. In 2015, the club won the first ever MLS Wooden Spoon, and repeated the feat in 2016. The team plays in Bridgeview, at the Toyota Park. 7️⃣The Chicago Red Stars have played at the top level of U.S. women's soccer since their formation in 2009, except in the 2011 season. The team currently plays in the National Women's Soccer League, sharing a stadium with the Fire. 8️⃣The Chicago Sky have played in the Women's National Basketball Association, the sister league of the NBA, since 2006. The Illinois state parks system began in 1908. The system encompasses over 60 parks and about the same number of recreational and wildlife areas. Areas under the protection and control of the National Park Service include: 1️⃣🍁Fort Massac is a colonial and early National-era fort on the Ohio River in Illinois. The Fort Massac site became the first Illinois state park in 1908. Built by the French in 1757, during the French and Indian War. When the War ended in 1763, the French abandoned the fort and a band of Chickasaw burned it to the ground. In 1794, during the Northwest Indian War, President Washington ordered the fort rebuilt. The Fort was damaged by the New Madrid earthquake in 1812. It was again rebuilt playing a minor role in the War of 1812, then abandoned again in 1814. Local citizens dismantled the fort for its timber, and by 1828, little remained. In 2002 a smaller but more detailed version of the fort was reconstructed. Each fall, reenactors gather and interprets life in the 18th century. The nearly 1,500-acre park is perfect for picnics, camping, hiking, fishing, boating, and seasonal hunting programs. The park also has an 18-hole disc golf course, a museum with Indian artifacts, mannequins in period clothing, and other exhibits that explain the history of the fort. 2️⃣Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, is a route across the United States commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806. It is part of the National Trails System of the United States. It extends for some 3,700 miles (6,000 km) from Wood River, Illinois, to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. The trail is not a hiking trail, but provides opportunities for hiking, boating and horseback riding at many locations along the route. The trail is the second longest of the 23 National Scenic and National Historic Trails. 3️⃣Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield is the historic-site house, purchased by Lincoln and his wife in 1844, it was the only home that Lincoln ever owned. Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln donated the family home to the State of Illinois in 1887 under the condition that it would forever be well maintained and open for tours to the public at no charge. 4️⃣Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, is the 1,300-mile (2,092 km) route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868. Today, the Mormon Trail extends from Nauvoo, Illinois, which was the principal settlement of the Latter Day Saints from 1839 to 1846, to Salt Lake City, Utah, which was settled by Brigham Young and his followers beginning in 1847. 5️⃣American Discovery Trail, is a system of recreational trails and roads which collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. It starts on the Delmarva Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and ends on the northern California coast on the Pacific Ocean. The trail has northern and southern alternates for part of its distance, passing through Chicago and St Louis respectively. The total length of the trail including both the north and south routes is 6,800 miles (10,900 km). The northern route covers 4,834 miles (7,780 km) with the southern route covering 5,057 miles (8,138 km). It is the only non-motorized coast-to-coast trail. The trail passes through the District of Columbia and the following 15 states: Delaware (45 miles (72 km)), Maryland (270 miles (430 km)), West Virginia (288 miles (463 km)), Ohio (524 miles (843 km)), Indiana (250 miles (400 km)), Illinois (219 miles (352 km)), Kentucky (8.7 miles (14.0 km)), Iowa (512 miles (824 km)), Missouri (343 miles (552 km)), Nebraska (523 miles (842 km)), Kansas (570 miles (920 km)), Colorado (1,153 miles (1,856 km)), Utah (593 miles (954 km)), Nevada (496 miles (798 km)), California (276 miles (444 km)). 6️⃣Pullman National Monument also known as The Pullman District and Pullman Historic District, is located in Chicago and was the first model, planned industrial community in the United States. The district is significant for its historical origins in the Pullman Company, one of the most famous company towns in the United States, and scene of the violent 1894 Pullman strike. Pullman designed a method to raise buildings, which allowed better drainage. This innovation led Pullman to great financial success. With this new-found wealth, Pullman founded the Pullman Palace Car Company to manufacture sleeping cars in 1867. 7️⃣Shawnee National Forest! (Not to be confused with Shawnee State Forest in Ohio.) You can camp, paddle, hike, horseback ride, photograph, swim, run, hunt, fish and picnic at Shawnee National Forest. There are 280,000 acres of glades, barrens, prairies, streams, lakes, ponds, waterfalls, woodlands, rocky outcrops — and more. 8️⃣Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. The first national tallgrass prairie ever designated in the U.S. and the largest conservation site in the Chicago Wilderness region, it is located on the site of the former Joliet Army Ammunition Plant in northeastern Illinois. Midewin is undergoing a transformation as the U.S. Forest Service and several partners work to restore a native tallgrass prairie ecosystem. On December 9, 2016 a webcam was installed in areas where the bison have been known to graze. The webcam operates from 6am until 6pm Central Time. The grazing pattern of the herd is unpredictable and there are no specific times when the herd is visible. 🍁Other destinations. 1️⃣Monk's Mound at Cahokia is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in the Americas and the largest pyramid north of Mesoamerica. The beginning of its construction dates from 900-955 CE. Located at the Cahokia Mounds UNESCO World Heritage Site near Collinsville. 5he mound size was calculated in 1988 as about 100 feet (30 m) high, 955 feet (291 m) long including the access ramp at the southern end, and 775 feet (236 m) wide. This makes Monks Mound roughly the same size at its base as the Great Pyramid of Giza. The perimeter of its base is larger than the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan. As a platform mound, the earthwork supported a wooden structure on the summit. Cahokia Mounds are a surprising find in Illinois and the Mounds covers 2,200 acres. 2️⃣Casino Queen and the 3 🍁Gateway Geyser – Both are located on the Mississippi River in East St. Louis, IL. The Gateway Geyser was designed and constructed by St. Louis–based Hydro Dramatics. Three 800-horsepower (600 kW) pumps power the fountain, discharging 7,500 U.S. gallons of water per minute (50 L/s) at a speed of 250 feet (76 m) per second. The fountain has an axial thrust of 103,000 pounds-force (460 kN); water is jetted out of the 6-foot (1.8 m)-tall aerated nozzle at a pressure of 550 pounds per square inch (3.8 MPa). The four smaller fountains use 125-horsepower pumps, and each is fed by water from an 8-acre (3.2 ha), million-gallon (3.8m l) lake in which they sit. The Geyser has an electronic system that shuts it down when winds exceed 13 miles per hour (20.9 km/hr). If it's not windy, the Gateway Geyser can reach 600 feet. 3️⃣Starved Rock State Park is a wilderness area of 2,630 acres on the Illinois River. It’s known for its steep sandstone canyons formed by glacial meltwater. Several, including the St. Louis, French and Wildcat canyons, have waterfalls. A wooded trail leads to Lover’s Leap Overlook, with views of the river and Starved Rock Dam. Park wildlife includes white-tailed deer, bald eagles and migratory birds. 4️⃣Ferne Clyffe's 2,430 acreage holds a number of notable geographic features, including limestone bluffs, naturally forested woodlands, cliff caves, and several small seasonal waterfalls fed by runoff from the upper bluffs in the area. 5️⃣Kickapoo State Park was the first park in the United States to be located on strip-mined land. Today, Kickapoo State Park has 221 acres (89 ha) of ponds and lakes with nearly 35 miles (56 km) of hiking trails for many types of recreational activities including camping, canoeing, hunting, mountain biking, fishing and scuba diving is also allowed within the park. In the winter season, ice fishing and cross-country skiing are offered. 6️⃣Pere Marquette State Park is an 8,050-acre (3,260 ha) protected area in southwestern Jersey County, Illinois. The park contains approximately 12 miles (19 km) of marked trails. Approximately 230 species of bird have been logged in the park, and a horseback riding stable operates during the warmer months. There is also a 2,000-acre (810 ha) public hunting area for deer, squirrel, wild turkey, and other target species. There are also several launching ramps for private boats to enter the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. In the Loop, Chicago's commercial district with bustling elevated train tracks and great architecture: 1️⃣.Sears Tower (Willis Tower) - one of the tallest buildings in the world, it has an observation deck on the 103rd floor. 2️⃣.Grant Park for musical performances. 3️⃣.Millennium Park for summer fun. 🍁In the Near North: 1️⃣John Hancock Center A bit shorter, but with a better observation deck. 3️⃣The Magnificent Mile Put simply, shoppers' paradise. 4️⃣Navy Pier Entertainment center with many attractions including the Chicago Children's Museum, mini golf, ferris wheel, botanic gardens, and boat cruises. 🍁In the Near South, including the Museum Campus: 1️⃣The Nuclear Energy Sculpture over the site of the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago. 2️⃣The Field Museum The premier natural history museum in the Midwest, with one of the best preserved T-Rex skeletons on display. 🍁In Hyde Park: 1️⃣Museum of Science and Industry The best science museum in the Midwest, with hundreds of exhibits including a German submarine, high speed 1930s train, Boeing 727 jet, and an immense train set. Little tidbits on Illinois: 1️⃣Ronald Reagan’s famous childhood home is in Dixon, IL, but his birthplace is Tampico. 2️⃣The Ice Cream Sundae originated in Evanston, IL. 3️⃣The Chicago Post Office at 433 West Van Buren is the only postal facility in the world you can drive a car through. 4️⃣The Nabisco factory in Chicago is the world’s largest bakery in the world at 1,800,000 square feet! 5️⃣Elzie Crisler Segar, the creator of Popeye the Sailorman cartoon, was born in Chester, Illinois. 6️⃣Illinois is home to the world’s largest bottle of catsup. 7️⃣Illinois’ is home to the world’s only river that flows backward. 8️⃣Aurora is known as the City of Lights because it was the first U.S. city to use electric street lighting throughout the entire city. 9️⃣There is a fire-breathing dragon in Vandalia known as the 🍁Kaskaskia Dragon. Elegant in its combustible simplicity, the Kaskaskia Dragon is a tourist attraction. You pull off the highway, drop a dragon coin into a slot labeled "Insert Token Dragon Breathes Fire," then Phoooosh! The 35-foot-long metal monster shoots flame from its sooty snout with a propane roar while its light bulb eyes glow red. 🔟The term “jazz” was coined in Chicago in 1914 by Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa. 1️⃣1️⃣Twinkies were invented on April 6, 1930 in River Forest, Illinois. 1️⃣2️⃣Morton, IL is the “pumpkin capital of the world.” More than 85% of packaged pumpkin comes from here. 1️⃣3️⃣The world’s tallest man was born in Alton, IL. Robert Pershing Wadlow was 8’11”, weight 491 lbs and wore a size 37 shoe. 1️⃣4️⃣The first public office that Abraham Lincoln took was as postmaster in New Salem. 1️⃣5️⃣The first farming Tower Silo was created in Spring Grove. 1️⃣6️⃣The first all-color TV station debuted in Chicago. 1️⃣7️⃣Nearly 80% of the state’s land area is farm land. 1️⃣8️⃣April 1st was officially named “Cheap Trick Day“ in Illinois. In 1847, after lobbying by Dorothea L. Dix, Illinois became one of the first states to establish a system of state-supported treatment of mental illness and disabilities, replacing local almshouses. The first Farm Aid concert was held in Champaign to benefit American farmers, in 1985. The worst upper Mississippi River flood of the century, the Great Flood of 1993, inundated many towns and thousands of acres of farmland. In 1993 Illinois became the first Midwestern state to elect a black person to the US senate before the term of Carol Moseley Braun. John Hughes, who moved from Grosse Pointe to Northbrook, based many films of his in Chicago, and its suburbs. Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Home Alone, The Breakfast Club, and all of his films take place in the fictional Shermer, Illinois (the original name of Northbrook was Shermerville, and Hughes's High School, Glenbrook North High School, is on Shermer Road). Most locations in his films include Glenbrook North, the former Maine North High School, the Ben Rose House in Highland Park, and the famous Home Alone house in Winnetka, Illinois.

🍁National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day! In 2017, we recognized the 76th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is observed across the nation this day in honor of all those who lost their lives serving this nation at Pearl Harbor. There were more than 3,500 Americans who lost their lives or were wounded on that solemn day. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is also sometimes referred to as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day or Pearl Harbor Day. It was on August 23, 1994 that the United States Congress by Pub L 103-308, designated December 7, of each year, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

🍁National Cotton Candy Day! Cotton candy is also called candy floss or fairy floss. Dating all the way back to the 1400’s when it was first called spun sugar, cotton candy has been a favorite treat for young and old alike at carnivals, fairs and the circus. Now December 7th celebrates this sweet delight as it is National Cotton Candy Day. Dentist William Morrison and confectioner John C. Wharton are credited for the invention of machine-spun cotton candy in 1897. During the 18th century when cotton candy (spun sugar) was first recorded in Europe, it was very expensive and labor-intensive and generally was not available to the average person. It was after the invention of machine-spun cotton candy that it was introduced to a wide audience at the 1904 World’s Fair as Fairy Floss. People loved it and bought over 68,000 boxes for 25 cents a box and they are still buying it today.

🍁Faux Fur Friday! The innovations in the faux fur world have come far making the faux versions looking and feeling both like the real thing. You can pick from a various assortment of textures, colors, and patterns. Most fashion trends come and go, but faux fur is here to stay. Elegant and luxurious, faux fur is perfect for vests, stoles, jackets, cuffs, costumes, and accessories.

Ef, More like whole body freeze! This cold is miserable! And the weather isn't helping helping. Today we had everything from rain to snow, but no sun shine.😛

Sending staying warm hugs!🐶💕🍁💕🎄