Radium Dial Girl Dinner Lecture

Unveiling of the Radium Dial Girls Memorial in Ottawa, Labor Day 2011

Our final dinner lecture in “The Way We Worked” series was held last Thursday, May 17th at Lock 16 Center in LaSalle.  Madeline Piller, a sophomore at the University of Illinois, shared about her journey to have the Radium Dial Girl Memorial created and erected in Ottawa, IL.

Madeline first learned about the Radium Dial Girls during her 7th grade history fair project.  After winning state and placing at the National History Fair Madeline’s interest in the Radium Dial Girls continued and she began her quest for a memorial.  After years of fundraising, the memorial was erected last year on Labor Day Weekend as seen in the photo above.  During her presentation Madeline related her excitement, passion, frustrations, and her final triumph as the memorial was erected.

 

Joe Bair and Pete Dolk of Tri-Valley Middle School receive I&M Canal Award

Last Wednesday, May 3, 2012 was the Illinois History Expo in Springfield, IL at the the Prairie Capital Convention Center.  Each year the Canal Corridor Association selects one or more participants to receive the I&M Canal Award.    Established in 1998 to celebrate the canal’s sesquicentennial, the I&M Canal Awards offer cash prizes of up to $300 to outstanding history fair projects in each of the Junior and Senior Divisions at the Illinois History Expo.

This year Joe Bair and Pete Dolk of Tri-Valley Middle School received the I&M Canal Award for their project entitled the Illinois & Michigan Canal.  More than 1,400 junior and senior high school students from across the state participated in the May 3 Expo.  The students were winners selected during regional history fairs held earlier this year.

Seneca the “Boom Time”

Last Thursday evening sixty people gathered at the Village Hall in Seneca to discuss life in Seneca during the operation of the Prairie Shipyard from 1942-1945 during World War II.  The discussion was led by Sandy Timmons, a native of Seneca, who was a young girl during the days of the shipyard.  Several members of the community shared stories about the effect the shipyard had on the community of Seneca.  Several display tables showcased items from Seneca during the shipyard including: rationing stamps, pictures from the christening of the LST’s, and items from the Prairie Shipyard.

During the “boom time” the village of Seneca municipality was stretched to capacity.  A few of their challenges included: housing shortages, schools at max capacity, and overtaxed sewer systems.  The discussion centered on life in Seneca and the challenges the residents faced during World War II.

National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis to attend Boat Captain’s Luncheon

Please join us at our 17th Boat Captain’s Luncheon on June 13, 2012.  If you received an invitation last year, then an invitation is forthcoming. If not and you would like an invitation, please email reservations@canalcor.org with your name and address. Call 815-220-1848.

“The Way We Worked” opens in LaSalle County!

On Thursday, April 12, 2012, fifty people attended the grand opening of The Way We Worked, a Smithsonian exhibition, at the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum in Ottawa from 5:30-7PM.  The exhibition examines how work became such a central element in American culture by exploring: Who Works, Where We Work, How We Work, and Why We Work.

 The Way We Worked will be open to the public Thursday-Monday, from 10-4PM until Thursday, May 24, 2012.  For more information about The Way We Worked visit http://www.iandmcanal.org/twww/

 

Laborers Local 393 brings “The Way We Worked” exhibition to LaSalle County

The Way We Worked, a Smithsonian exhibition, has finally arrived in LaSalle County after months of anticipation.  This past Tuesday, April 10th  Heather Wickens, Project Coordinator for the Canal Corridor Association, and three representatives from the Laborers Local Union 393 drove to Savanna, IL to pick up the Smithsonian exhibition from the Savannah Historical Society and transport it to Ottawa.  

The Way We Worked exhibition has been traveling around Illinois since September 2011 and Ottawa is the 5th of six stops in the state.  The exhibition has been made possible in LaSalle County by the Illinois Humanities Council, the Canal Corridor Association and the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum.  The Way We Worked will be on display from April 13th-May 24th at the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum located at 11oo Canal Street in Ottawa.

The Way We Worked is the center-piece in a county wide series of exhibits and programs related to local work history in LaSalle County.  For more information visit The Way We Worked website  http://www.iandmcanal.org/twww

 

 

Thank You to the Kohl’s Volunteers

On Saturday, March 31, 2012 from 1-4 PM thirteen volunteers from the Kohl’s Distribution Center in Ottawa volunteered their time to clean the path between Lock 16 Visitor Center and the canal, plant flowers and paint the boat dock at the Lock 14 Access.  They worked with CCA staff and volunteers to improve the path, the outside appearance of Lock 16 Visitor Center and the boat dock in preparation of the LaSalle Canal Boat opening on Saturday, April 28th.  The Canal Corridor Association would like to thank the Kohl’s Distribution Center for their enthusiastic labor and the $500 contribution to underwrite school visits to the LaSalle Canal Boat.