Racing a hit in Elgin in November 1907

"Did you see the car race that passed through Elgin?" "I heard that the divorce rate in Elgin hit a record high." "I can't believe how beautiful those flowers are at the state hospital greenhouse."

These are just some of the comments people might have made after reading the local newspapers of a century ago. Here's a look at those stories and others that made Elgin headlines in November 1907.

• Racing enthusiasts had their chance to witness 30 speeding vehicles as they zipped through Elgin on a round-trip race from Chicago to Rockford. The speeding pack was led by Elginite Frank Wood. He was driving an Apperson Jack Rabbit and made the distance from Chicago to Elgin in one hour and 20 minutes. Others competing drove Ramblers, Pierce-Arrows, Maxwells, Oldsmobiles, and Dragons. This contest would be one of many to whet the racing appetite of Wood, who would organize the world famous Elgin National Road Races several years later.

• Plans were announced for another type of competition -- hoses races. Local equestrians hoped to race some of the fastest horses at a new course laid out at Wing Park on the west side. If the weather didn't cooperate, the races would be moved to a frozen section of the Fox River as in past years.

• She was called the "mathematical dog" and for good reason. A collie named Pearl could add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers up to 12, proclaimed her owner. To prove the clever canine -- who gave answers by barking -- had not been prompted, curious people were told they could ask the dog the questions in any order. The owner and his family were living in a tent on the city's northeast side, but had plans to move to a house by the spring.

• Elgin people who wanted to see beautiful and exotic flowers no longer needed to travel to Chicago or take trips to the southern climes. More than four dozen varieties of roses, carnations and chrysanthemums were among the many plants being grown by patients at the Northern Illinois Hospital for the Insane, now the Elgin Mental Health Center. There were also banana trees, rubber trees and other tropical plants included in the hospital's greenhouses. Exposing patients to such plantings was believed to be a progressive method of treatment at the time.

• In city hall news, anyone planning on calling the city ambulance had better find alternate transportation, city officials said. The horse-drawn wagon, which was sent to a paint shop more than three months ago, still wasn't back in service. A similar delay occurred when the police department's patrol wagon took six weeks to get back from the painter. In other city news, six new employees were hired to go out and begin shutting off the water of those with delinquent bills. More than $2,500 was owed in delinquent accounts to the city, officials said.

• It's time to add an aquatics team for Elgin High School students to participate in, said supporters. Many Elgin boys spend their summers along the Fox River and have become quite adept at swimming and oaring, they added. The erection of a boat house and other amenities could be accomplished for a small sum. Once established, other river towns would also form teams, they said. School officials were said to be in support of the idea.

• It would be beneficial to have a club made up of former city councilmen and mayors who could provide advice to current elected officials, Elgin Mayor Arwin Price thought. Though some felt the idea had merit, dismal attendance at an organizational meeting left some to believe the plan would "fizzle ingloriously." Saying the first gathering faced too many competing events; Mayor Price said he would make additional attempts to bring potential members together.

• The day before Thanksgiving was hopefully a little happier for eight Kane County couples, including five from Elgin, who were granted divorces the day before the holiday. Believed to be a record number for one day, one couple was allowed to separate because of "cruelty" by the husband, while another was granted because the groom "skipped town" after the wedding. Still another was granted on grounds of "desertion," while one Elgin man -- a local cigar maker -- was granted a divorce because his wife refused to move west with him when he relocated from New York City to Elgin.

• Finally, the Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated with a community service that included representatives from almost every denomination in the city. The pastor giving the sermon reflected on the meaning of the holiday, but also used the opportunity to voice his support of President Roosevelt's call for a cease fire between Japan and Russia. The clergyman was also highly critical of liquor consumption in the city, saying, "Some 25 barrels of beer were emptied in a local club from Saturday night until Monday morning." He said he delighted in knowing that forces were to uniting to fight this type of evil.