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The Plight of American Indigenous People
The act of changing an athletic team's Native American name in order to avoid offending indigenous people is ethical and the correct...
Sue Devick
Apr 13, 20223 min read
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The Desperate Need for a Mill in Fullersburg
The pioneers in this area desperately needed a water-powered or mechanical mill to help provide both food and shelter. A grist mill was...
Sue Devick
Feb 2, 20223 min read
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Here We Come A-wassailing
The English carol Here We Come A-Wassailing describes an old Yuletide custom of neighborhood revelers asking manor owners for a drink of...
Sue Devick
Dec 31, 20211 min read
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The "Winter of the Deep Snow"
The extremely brutal weather in much of Illinois during the winter of 1830-31 had a significant widespread effect on many aspects of life...
Sue Devick
Dec 16, 20213 min read
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Native American Appreciation of Nature
Potawatomi Chief Simon Pokagon (1830-1899) was well educated and comfortable speaking before a large audience, as he did at the 1893...
Sue Devick
Nov 19, 20212 min read
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Mapping the Native American Village of Sauganakka (Fullersburg)
(ALSO SEE PART 2 OF THIS BLOG POST DATED 12/12/22 ON THIS WEBSITE.) A well known map of over twenty Native American villages around...
Sue Devick
Sep 29, 20214 min read
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Recognizing Chicago's Native American Heritage
Chicago historian Ann Durkin Keating, author of Rising Up From Indian Country: The Battle of Fort Dearborn and the Birth of Chicago has...
Sue Devick
Aug 31, 20212 min read
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How the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Ottawa Became One People
Potawatomi oral tradition about the union of the tribes of the Three Fires, or Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Ottawa, states that at one time...
Sue Devick
Jul 18, 20212 min read
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Historic Timetable of Graue Mill Dam
Early settlers expressed a need for a dam on Salt Creek shortly after they arrived in this area, as shown in the Torode family letters...
Sue Devick
Apr 7, 20214 min read
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The Historic Fellowship of Old Fullersburg
The pioneers of Brush Hill (which became Fullersburg) demonstrated good will toward their neighbors as well as their fellow man, creating...
Sue Devick
Mar 30, 20213 min read
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The Courageous Women of Old Fullersburg
Can you imagine making an overland journey in a covered wagon for over a month? Walking through heavily wooded areas with only two large...
Sue Devick
Feb 25, 20213 min read
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What four essential things did George Washington seek for the Country?
On June 8, 1783, George Washington wrote a "circular" letter to the independent states advising government officials of what he felt was...
Sue Devick
Feb 21, 20211 min read
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The Wisdom of Sauk Chief Keokuk
Sauk Chief Keokuk, whose name means "Watchful Fox," showed his wisdom when Sauk war chief Black Hawk and his warriors attempted to...
Sue Devick
Jan 24, 20213 min read
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Auld Lang Syne (Lyrics and History)
The lyrics to this traditional Scottish song were sent to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788 by Robert Burns, who noted that it was an...
Sue Devick
Jan 1, 20212 min read
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Hunger and Bitter Cold in Settlement Era Fullersburg
The early settlers of Brush Hill (which became Fullersburg) faced hunger and bitter cold while attempting to survive and thrive in this...
Sue Devick
Dec 12, 20202 min read
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Can you pass a Thanksgiving historical quiz?
1. How many surviving Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving? 2. What year was the first Thanksgiving? 3. What was the name of the...
Sue Devick
Nov 21, 20201 min read
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Black Hawk's Meeting with Shabbona
On the evening of May 17, 1832, Sauk Chief Black Hawk and his band of braves and warriors arrived at the village of Potawatomi Chief...
Sue Devick
Oct 16, 20204 min read
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A Late Thank You Note to Potawatomi Chief Shabbona
Among the heroic individuals in Chicago's historical past is a Potawatomi chief named Shabbona ("built like a bear") who in 1832 saved...
Sue Devick
Sep 28, 20203 min read
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The Humanitarian Legacy of Fullersburg's Founders
A journal documenting the mid-nineteenth century meetings of the Brush Hill Debate Club was recently acquired by the Fullersburg Historic...
Sue Devick
Aug 12, 20203 min read
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The Unique History of Fullersburg and the Graue Mill Dam
The dam at Graue Mill is more than a structure in the Historic Fullersburg District; it is a link to the essence of the area's past. The...
Sue Devick
Jul 17, 20203 min read
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