Find out what made Elgin headlines back in 1909

Ethnic pride abounded in the Fox Valley a century ago as both German-Americans and Italian-Americans celebrated their heritage.

A baseball player from Elgin showed he had the ability to make it at a higher level, while a local newspaper series reminded readers that northern Illinois had its share of outlaws in the early days.

Here's a look at those and other stories that made Elgin area headlines in October 1909.

Ethnic pride: Members of two German-American societies from Elgin joined those from other communities in a massive ethnic celebration and parade in Chicago.

The event, which marked the Oct. 1683 landing of Dr. Franz Daniel Pastorius at German, PA, attracted over 20,000 people including various, bands, choruses. At one area of the festivities, flags from 300 German societies hung over a stage where numerous German folk songs were sung.

Columbus' landing: Columbus Day has been a school holiday as long as many can remember, but that wasn't always the case.

Debuting for the first time in 1909 in Illinois, the day was originally called "Landing Day." The Elgin Knights of Columbus held a Landing Day Ball and a number of Elgin area people attended a celebration in Chicago organized by Italians of that city.

School teachers were asked to teach about the noteworthy explorer while local merchants decided they would benefit more by keeping their stores open.

Prairie Bandits: They were called the "Banditti of the Prairie" or "Prairie Bandits" and the story of how these early outlaws roamed though northern Illinois was told to readers in an ongoing newspaper series.

A loose knit band of lawbreakers, the men were involved in various horse thievery, murders, and robberies which began with the arrival of the first settlers in the 1830s and continued until the early 1840s.

Among those who helped bring the crime spree to an end was Elgin resident George Renwick who said he was involved in breaking up the gang and the hanging of one of its members.

Hold the wire: Anyone expecting to send or receive telegrams had to put their plans on hold after a local dentist decided to cut the service's wires.

"The telegraph company put up the pole when I was on vacation," noted the practitioner who said he had previously told the business that he did not want a pole and wire attached to his building.

"I twice noted to them to remove it and gave a time limit. They did not comply, so I cut the wire. That is all there is to it." No charges were filed in the matter.

Blind time: The list of local inventors continued to grow as a former Elgin National Watch Company employee announced that he had perfected a watch for blind people.

Containing a face with raised numbers and hands, the design allowed users to tell the time by feeling the location of the hands. The watch, which the man said he developed in his west side home, was being manufactured by a Swiss company.

A home run: Finally, a bit of baseball fame came to former Elgin resident Thomas Tennat, who became a member of the San Francisco Seals - a minor league team that just won the Pacific Coast pennant.

Tennat, who grew up on a chicken farm in Elgin, said he credited his throwing ability to skills he developed while feeding chickens. After getting his start with a Freeport, Illinois team, he moved on to one from Decatur, Illinois.

Several Elgin families were so impressed by his playing ability that they contacted Charles Comiskey of the White Sox to ask him to sign Tennant. It was reportedly through Comiskey's influence that he was signed with manager Daniel Long of the Seals.