Illinois Sojourn Day Two

Every room on our floor of the hotel was named after a famous train. Ours was the General Pershing.

Here is a photo:

But we packed up and after a considerable delay because Enterprise Rent-A-Car was not prepared for the onslaught of renters, we headed into Illinois.

The first stop was the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Location. Well worth a stop. Cahokia was the second largest city in the Americas in the 10th or 11th centuries. What, something like 50,000 people! Isn't that crazy? All that is left is a few mounds:

some pottery:

 and some stone drawings:

They are something to see.

So close to St Louis you can see its skyline from the top of Monk's Mound:

On the way to Springfield, we stopped in Litchfield (not too far from Hillsboro, Coffeen, and Greenville. My neighborhood when I lived here) and ate at Jubelt's on Old Route 66.

Our first stop in Springfield was the Lincoln Museum:

It was something:

 Great giftshop:

We stayed in an old converted rooming house, the Inn at 835. (the street number was 835). It was very nice, and the staff was very friendly.

Just two blocks from the State Capitol!

And a short walk to Lincoln's House.

That night we ate at Maldaner's  a nice local place that has been open since the late 19th century. Also on Old Route 66. Thought it might have been on Historic Route 66. Always hard to tell.


There is a very well preserved 1904 Frank Lloyd Wright house in Springfield - the Dana Thomas House. Build for a rich widow (aren't they all?) who gave FLW an unlimited budget, it was finished for $60,000. (Using a CPI deflator, that would be about $1.7 million today. But that is honestly way too low). You can read about it on their site, but the short story is that it was bought by a publishing company in 1948 (for $12,000!), kept in great shape and then bought by the State of Illinois for $1,000,000 in 1981. Free tours, $10 donation suggested (which we were happy to pay). Well worth the time.

Doreen loved this little state building:

Then we were off to Bloomington, and the Knapp Family Reunion!

This was at the Chenoa Family Restaurant. Doreen will have to fill in the names. It is in Chenoa, IL.

We had great fun.

Then we went to her cousin Link Roth's farm:

 Which is fantastic.

Here is Doreen, her cousin Linc, and his wife Debra.

and here is a youtube of Linc's farm from last year's harvests:

Brings tears to your eyes. Some day I will write more about that story. It is a good story. This is the Heartland, baby.

The on a great cross country, no GPS (thank goodness for our Illinois State Map!) to visit her family that lives on Lake Bloomington:

A great time was had by all!