Cairo....

....Illinois, at the southern most tip it lies,
once a very busy place, now it dies,
hustle and bustle are no longer here,
three thousand souls still wait, to get out of here.

A once busy port is emptying out,
soon no one is left but some who shout...
...it's the city that racism killed, let it be known,
when you live that way, this is what's shown.

Top:  "The Gate", closed when a flood is near.
Middle: "Boarded Up" White business owners closed and left town because black people boycotted all of them in the 1960's it was, until then, a very segregated place, very sad.
Bottom: The city is shown in color.

McLeansboro...

....Illinois, where buildings have a well built style,
it's typical for this part of the country, mile by mile,
another small farm town that supports the needs,
of the farmers who feed us, and make animal feeds.

This is mid-west America at it's very core,
football on Friday nights, hear them roar;
things are done right by women with aprons of white,
so we just stopped to join in for the night.

Top:  The Library
Middle: The Funeral Home
Bottom: The Bank
Note: The buildings don't lean, the photographer did.

Olney....

...Illinois, where the squirrels are white,
and that's not all, but, the squirrels are white,
about 200 of them live in this town,
and that makes Olney - world renown.

There are probably gray and red one too,
but these are white, oh, there is no blue;
the whole thing started with just two,
but they did whatever it is that squirrels do.

Top: The Olney Welcome Sign
Middle: A white squirrel
Bottom: Ah spring!

Vandalia....

....Illinois, the first Capitol of the state,
in the heart of Lincolns land, but had a different fate;
also was the terminus of The National Road,
stretched from Baltimore, opened up the mother lode.

Also first home of the 'Madonna of the Trail';
shows a hearty woman who is far from frail,
holding a baby, her son tugs her skirt,
rode the covered wagon, her husband looking for pay dirt.

Top:  The Capitol Building, now a Historic Site.
Middle: The Madonna of the Trail, there are twelve throughout the USA.
Bottom:  On the outskirts of town.

Taylorville...

....Illinois,  The Last Stop, as it's known,
where pigs no longer are allowed to roam,
Abe Lincoln asked for a writ of quietus,
to stop the swines squeal, and got a hush.

It was the last stop for the eighth circuit court,
when Mr. Lincoln was a lawyer, and not short,
the town has a statue of him and the pig,
rub the pigs nose for luck, is now the in jig.

Top:  The Christian County Courthouse.
Middle: Mr. Lincoln and the pig, the only statue with Lincoln smiling.
Bottom: Jump!  A local business.

Bloomington....

....Illinois, home of the Kickapoo Pow Wow,
and a center of business, that's what it is now;
from insurance to Beer Nuts, that all started here,
and Beer Nuts are still made here, if you have a beer.

Abe Lincoln practiced law here in the courts,
and Adlai Stevenson 2nd is still here in sorts,
this is a larger town than most we go to,
maybe we'll hike the Constitution Trail, before we are through.

Top: Dancer at the Kickapoo Pow Wow
Middle: Abe Lincoln takes a break from court
Bottom: State Farm Insurance building, the cities largest employer.

Mendota....

....Illinois, where corn is a cash crop,
in this state where corn is over the top,
but most corn grown is not the sweet kind,
we need to eat it, or be in a bind.

Also home here for a railroad museum too,
a nice collection to benefit me and you,
from the old engine forty-nine seventy-eight,
for a small town this one rates: Great!

Top:  Welcome sign
Middle: 4978, retired steam locomotive
Bottom: The Railway Museum

Rockford....

....Illinois, the is the place that was in first many times,
among them electric garage door openers, and change machines,
now these things are common, but the first ones were here,
at one time they even had their own brand of beer.

The movie A League of Their Own in a way,
based on the Rockford Peaches, once used to play,
right here in town, but none of the real players were depicted,
but they were real, and real good as was predicted.

Top: One view of the City
Middle: The Rockford Peaches in 1952
Bottom: A different view.

Fox Lake....

...Illinois, what a find this village is, a vacation spot,
located in a 'chain of lakes', noted for what it's not;
in the 1920's the old Mineola Hotel had a frequent guest,
someone who'd be looked upon by us, as a kind of pest.

The summer location of gangster Al Capone,
and you can bet he didn't stay alone,
sure there were the standard guns then,
what a learning experience this visit has been.

Top:  As seen from the air.
Middle:  Three guesses, yep, the one and only Al Capone
Bottom:  Sunset at Fox Lake