Welcome to Forgotonia

Yesterday, I told you about the Chicago-centric publication Newcity publishing a “postcard” from the Forgottonia region, (including a stop in Plymouth, Ill.), which I raised a couple of questions about here. Interestingly, only three days after the Newcity story, the same Hancock County hamlet of Plymouth—AND a piece of my own family’s history—was featured in the New York Times‘ photography blog.

Lens Blog- NYT.com -”A Prairie Wanderer in Search of the Human Touch“

screen shot of Plymouth on NYT blog

I couldn’t believe my eyes when a friend sent me the link to this blog via a Facebook message. This was a friend who (like any good writer) has a deep abhorrence of exclamation points.”OMG!!” She wrote. “Check it out: Prairie Winds!!!!!!” But before I explain the Prairie Winds part, let me tell you about the other things I found when I went to the link above. The blog, Lens: Photography, Video, and Visual Journalism, which “present[s] the finest and most interesting visual and multimedia reporting,” was on that day highlighting the work of Chicago-based photographer Dave Jordano. The former adman returning to his early roots in documentary photography had traveled around rural Illinois in the fairly recent past, capturing scenes of rural Illinois for a series called Prairieland. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, in his journey through the tiny dots on the

photographer Dave Jordano's website

Illinois map (many of which I’ve never heard of), Jordano had cast his photojournalistic and artistic eye on several spots in our immediate region. (Although what he has documented is not, of course, entirely “pleasant”). If you’re at all interested in photography, photojournalism or documentaries, or how our region is seen through others’ eyes, you should check out the photographer’s web site, where you’ll see stirring shots that capture

• a young man in Bardolph, (in McDonough County, Ill.)
• a series documenting the destruction of Gulf Port during the Flood of 2008
• a set of trophies from a no-longer existing school in Plymouth (shown above)
• and many other sad, self-contained mini stories, like this one.

It turns out that one of the Prairieland shots, too, captures a piece of my own family history. Of all places in the world, this photographer had cast his photojournalistic and artistic eye on the Prairie Winds Motel, which just happens to be the little mom-and-pop business that was built by my grandpa—and co-operated by my grandma—back in the early 60s in Carthage, Ill. More on the motel—including one rather terrifying tale—to come.

NYT Lens blog

Maid Rite, Macomb, IL

Originally uploaded by Rural Rose

On a recent drive from Macomb to Peoria, I noticed signs in several Fulton County yards and fields that puzzled me: a mix of letters and numbers that didn’t appear to be advertising any kind of herbicide plot or local high school football team. It took me several moments and miles before it finally dawned on me what the combination was spelling out: “NIX336.”

At first, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. In the land once dubbed “The Republic of Forgottonia” because of lack of state funds for downstate development, could people in the area really be campaigning against better roads? I have to admit my first instinct was to imagine the sign-bearers to be butt-of-”Deliverance”-joke, “out of my cold, dead hands”-types.

A snippet of two-lane highway in Fulton County

So, why on earth would the people around here want to remain isolated? You can find the answers on the official web site for the anti-Interstate movement here. (Teaser: “The Peoria to Macomb Expressway: Billion Dollar Boondoggle”.)

The concerns raised by this group range from “urban sprawl” [um, don'tcha have to be "urban" in the first place for the "sprawl" part to happen? Just saying...] to “special interests making a grab for public assets.” But I think the coalition does have a point here:

“Illinois 336 (Peoria to Macomb) would convert two to three thousand acres of prime Illinois farmlands and forests into highway … Much of this destruction would impair the nationally admired scenic beauty surrounding the Spoon River. Erosion and siltation of streams and rivers would increase. More than a hundred homes would be destroyed…”

Furthermore, a kind of confusing story about road signage appeared this week on PJ.Star.com. Rather than providing an update on the progress, (or non-), of the Macomb-to-Peoria stretch of the 336 interchange, the story—because of the comments below it—served as more proof of dissenting voices.

I am a bit surprised at myself to say I guess I see where these people are coming from. One the one hand, I took the name for my blog from the historical lack of funding for “downstate”; I’m a progressive person who sees geographic isolation as a major drawback. But at the same time, I grew up on a farm, and part of what keeps me in this area is a deep appreciation for the authenticity, the lack of strip-mall-ization and homogenization, of the rural landscape.

What do you think? Are these Coalition-ers crazy? Should we stay isolated for the sake of farmland, environmental factors, and preservation? And/or do you buy the idea that the 4-lane wouldn’t really do all that much good for economic development anyway? Please post your thoughts below.

Independently owned restaurant to offer wine, jazz, and Southwestern cuisine:

Shiloh Bistro to replace ‘The Spaz’

Things have not been going well for the historic Macomb Square. After losing Camera Land and another business on the west side, it was announced this week that the facade on the building destroyed by fire in March is going to be torn down. And it’s been several months since The Spaz packed up and left town.

picture of old Il Spazio I borrowed from Google Images or somewhere

So let’s cross our fingers for the future prosperity of the Shiloh Bistro, a new restaurant to be located in the empty space where Il Spazio, a.k.a. “The Spaz,” was located.

I recently got in touch with man behind the plan, and he filled me on on the details. Shiloh sounds like the very kind of venue that Macomb desperately needs. Plus, it’s got a love story at its heart.

(Huge thanks to Jason Miller for giving me all the deets. In the grand tradition of blogging, I copy-and-paste our conversation here, offering the sloppy journalistic tactic of letting him tell you all the details himself.)

Here’s the scoop:

What and when: Shiloh’s Bar & Bistro will open in Mid-August.

Is Shiloh’s part of a franchise, or is it independently owned?
This will be a family owned, operated and managed business. I, Jason Miller, am the executive chef, and my wife, Kymberly, will also be a front of the house manager and PR director.

What kind of food will the new restaurant offer?
The menu is still in the works but will feature steaks, chops, seafood, and pasta created with the southwestern flavor: all chef-made meals with an excellent wine list as well as infused liquors such as homemade lemoncello. The cuisine will have a Texas feel to it, with a touch of pecan smoke on some meats, to specialty rubs, and delicious products like hill-country farm-raised quail.

Is this your first restaurant? How did the idea to open a business in Macomb come about?
I have had other restaurants in Texas (Houston), and [we are opening this one because] my wife and [I are]  moving back home as my family is from Rushville. I remodel/build restaurants myself, and I am currently getting the building ready for opening.

What will be some highlights/features of the new restaurant?

The front of the the restaurant will have a specialty market where my signature rubs & spices, specialty hard-to-get items, and our dishes par-cooked for our guests to cook our food themselves at home. Anything I use in my cooking will also be available for sale, as it is tough for the average person to come up with some of those ingredients in this small town. We will have monthly wine dinners and weekly app tastings. There will be a lunch menu featuring lots of sandwiches and more pasta dishes. We will have live jazz 3 nights a week and we also have a private dining room. The service will be amazing, as I have grown up in this business and know what it takes to please guests.

Is there any story or meaning behind the name?
In 2001, I moved from Dallas to Houston to build a restaurant with my uncle. Opening a restaurant takes LONG hours, and we had a waitress who let my dog, Shiloh, out on her breaks because I couldn’t get home until late at night. She eventually fell in love with Shiloh and that led to she and I beginning to date. Shortly after that, we were married, and we always say that Kymberly fell in love with my dog before me.;) Shiloh is the reason I have such an awesome wife.

Just yesterday I posted a roundup of news and historical articles about the former Carthage College / Robert Morris campus, which has sat rotting and destructing in my hometown for at least 10 years, despite many local leaders’ attempts to save it.

Today, this news from KHQA in Quincy:

Congressman Phil Hare secures money for Carthage

To rennovate old Cartahge [sic] College campus

“Hare helped secure $2.43 million of stimulus money to rennovate [sic] the old Carthage College campus. [The money comes] out of American Reinvestment Act …”

[Full story here.]

Now, I feel obligated to warn that the story has some pretty bad errors, (including the name of the vet they interviewed). But they did at least cover the story, and they captured a shot of one of the empty buildings. And it’s great news for this area, especially in this era of budget cuts.

On an oddly related note: my next high school reunion (didn’t we just have one of these things?) is taking place in Carthage over the Fourth of July weekend, and one of the leaders of the restoration of the old Bryan Auditorium has planned a multi-year reunion mixer to take place in the refurbished building. Some of my friends are raising their eyebrows at me about this, but:  I’m definitely turning in my RSVP card. Oh, how my 18-year-old self (of “I’m never comin’ back to this town!” fame) would mock me! (Go ahead and laugh, you little punk!)

It’s time for a quick roundup of news about the restoration/re-vamping of the former Carthage College/ Robert Morris campus.

old Bryan Auditorium/ new Charger Center

I have received a couple of e-mails and/or comments on the blog from CC alumni and area residents who were interested in the old school in my hometown. (Thank you!) For those of you new to the blog, let me explain that I’ve done quite a bit of writing and blogging about the strange saga that surrounded the campus, a quick summary of which you can find here.

With the recent grand (re-)opening of one of the buildings, and an unveiling of the restored/refurbished auditorium coming up on June 2, the Hancock County Journal-Pilot has been running a weekly series about the history of the former campus.

So, for those readers and for the sake of convenience, I offer a compilation of the links:

Articles on the history of Carthage College

• “Rebirth of the Campus“
• “Evergreen battles, kissing rocks, and other tales of Carthage College“
• “Carthage College students form nation’s first Circle K chapter“

Letters to the Editor from Carthage College alumni:

• “Carthage alumnus remembers“
• “Does anyone remember this?”

If you’re from Carthage, attended Carthage College or Robert Morris (or one of the strange “international” incarnations of the college in the 90s), or have any memories whatsoever to share about the campus, I would love to hear from you.

The latest installation of the Ten Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois was released last month, and once again there are a bulk of Chicago area sites but at least one local landmark, too. (See my previous post about local endangered sites, including the Bernadotte Bridge.)

You can see the full 2010 list here.

The most local site is something in Moline, IL called Red Cliff, a dramatic, Italianate-style house built in 1874, which you can see a picture of and read about here. The property was once owned by John Deere—as in thee John Deere, after whom the company would be named—but it’s now in foreclosure. It seems like another example of something we take for granted every day that might seem insignificant, but would be a minor tragedy if it were destroyed. At least that’s how I feel—each loss of this kind just chips away at authenticity and character, and adds to strip-mall-y-ness, of our communities. (Which, I mean, I like my Borders and TJ Maxx as much as the next gal, so call me a hypocrite. But …can’t we have it both ways?)

While the rest of the sites fall outside Forgotonia, another item on the list is the entire Main Street Program, which affects the whole state because it is one of the many victims of the state budget crisis. (Thanks again, Blago’ and all y’all.)

Have you been to Red Cliff? Do you live in any of the communities mentioned on the list? Got any ideas of what else should be listed (locally)?

So did anyone out there go the Vishnu Springs tour this weekend?

(I couldn’t go because I was in the Quad Cities.)

Did you take pictures?

Was there a good crowd?

Who led the tour?

Did you see any ghosts?

Tell me tell me tell me!

This Sunday, Oct. 18, will be

“…the first time the public has been invited to visit Vishnu Springs since it was acquired by Western Illinois University“

according to this calendar item from Tri State’s Public Radio’s web site.

In other words, your first chance to go scope it out but to do so legally, without the threat of getting busted for trespassing.

(Which, I admit, takes away a bit o’ the thrill. But …don’t tell my employer I said so!)

Check out my previous post *about how I wink wink have not been there) here, and this official Vishnu page here.

So, this is pretty huge:

Macomb Journal to become ‘McDonough County Voice’

Okay, but also not huge.

Because it seems like a long time coming, and not only because of the way the industry’s been going. (BTW does it seem a little sad that the announcement wasn’t even the paper’s top story on its own web site?)

All the way back in 1999, I was convinced that the Journal was on the absolute brink of going under. I mean, like, any time.

Confession/ Full Disclosure: I speak as a former (suffering) newsroom staffer.

When I was fresh out of college, I put in all of 9 months at the Journal before heading up to a larger, more stable, and less-bashed-by-the-public paper. But those 9 months were some of the most memorable months of my life*.)

So I guess I was off by a mere decade or so. about the Journal folding.  And thankfully it’s not “going under,” but, if you look at it one way, expanding.

I’m actually hopeful for the staffers and for the general public. I think this has potential to be a really good thing. We need a strong, dependable daily that truly covers Macomb and the county.

But it can’t be strong and dependable if the people holding the purse strings continue to expect the minimal staff to do two and three peoples’ jobs.

(I can’t claim to know whether Gatehouse Media is guilty of this, but I do know the former company, Liberty, was.)

I feel sympathy for, and immediate empathy with, anyone who has ever worked one single day for the Macomb Journal.

I learned, from my time as a news reporter (in more than one town), that when it comes to What Everybody Gets Around to Bashing Mercilessly After They’ve Covered About Two Minutes of Smalltalk,

your local newspaper is second only to

1. the weather
and
2. the people who are supposed to fix potholes.

So I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the reporters’, editors’, and photographers’ (if they even hire those anymore) sakes, this merger will bring about more and better resources, employee retention, and a stronger and better paper.

*I could start with the first assignment on my first day, in which I got attacked by a leg-humping dog at Pinhook Days in Industry. But I’ll save that for another time.
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