Category Archives: Illinois

My plan for Sunday morning was brilliant. We’d leave the the hotel in Collinsville at 7:00 and drive north along the Mississippi River on the Illinois side for about 20 miles. When we got to the town of Grafton, we’d … Continue reading →

After supper at St. Louis Bread Company and a blizzard at Dairy Queen, I dropped my wife off at our hotel and went forth in search of Collinsville’s chief claim to fame. In a weird way, this water tower is … Continue reading →

When I decided earlier this year that I’d like to visit the sites of all seven of Lincoln’s debates with Stephen A. Douglas, I never thought I’d have opportunities to visit four of them within the next three months. The … Continue reading →

Robert Wadlow was born in Alton, Illinois in 1918. By the time he was five, he was five-and-a-half feet tall. At 13, he became the world’s tallest Boy Scout — 7’4″. His shoes, which were size 37, were provided free … Continue reading →

Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery spent the winter of 1803-1804 near where the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi. They built a fort near the River Dubois (Wood River) where they trained and gathered supplies. No evidence … Continue reading →