day....Dixon....181

I took  a road trip today 

    I will be honest.  Dixon IL has never impressed me.  Until today.

    I made a trip  to visit the Northwest Territory Historic Center in Dixon.  The museum is housed in an old school building, built in 1898 if I remember correctly.

    There are 3 floors of displays.  Admission is free, but donations are accepted.

    Since it is Dixon, Ronald Reagan is highlighted.  There is also a room for the Walgreen family and a neat display on the Blackhawk Indian War as well as other neat schtuff.  I didn't see anything on Rita C, however.

    My favorite display was the Chautauqua Room.  Chautauquas were gatherings in small towns in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  They were designed to bring culture and knowledge to the rural uninformed.

    According to the info at the museum, the Dixon Chautauqua was the second largest in the United States.  It featured a central pavilion, which sadly burned in 1941, and streets with cabins and tents for the people attending.  There was a model of the pavilion, which was amazing, and a model of the Chautauqua grounds, which was also amazing.  My pictures don't justify it.

    And the Blackhawk War I always thought was pretty limited  to a battle here and there.  The initial battle was at Stillman's Run, in Stillman Valley, but that was just one of dozens of battles that took place between Blackhawk's band and Illinois militia members.

    Sadly, the final battle was the Battle at Bad Axe River in Wisconsin, where many Native Americans were killed by the militia and other settlers.  Many of those killed, and scalped, were children and women.  Not really a proud moment.

    A final tidbit I picked up, according the museum displays: young Ronnie Reagan was working for a radio station in Des Moines broadcasting Cubs games..  When the team went on a road trip out west, he went with and did a screen test.  The rest is history.  I am not sure who the Cubs would have played out west in the 30s or 40s......and the museum didn't elaborate.

    The bonus was the bakery and coffee shop, where I bought incredibly good looking and great tasting muffins for breakfast, along with a coffee.  I had planned to go to Books on First, but I already bought my coffee.

    Lots of places to eat or grab a beverage.  And plenty of free parking.

    I will go back because I want to visit the book store get some more delicious baked goods!

    That's it for me on a rainy, cold Friday.

    Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Mask it or casket.

Peace and Love

I even got up front and personal with a bison!

Ok, I did tell a staff member that young Blackhawk might be underdressed.

Angry settlers telling Native Americans to leave their land...ironic, huh.

This is a model of the Chautauqua village in Dixon.

Model of the central pavilion.

Over 14,000  Jelly Belly beans made up Dixon's most famous resident's portrait.  You could say it was a sweet piece of art.  Linda....ever work with jelly beans?

Book shop on the left corner, but plent of free parking downtown

Nice little bakery and an art gallery next door.....and a not crowded shopping experience.