Trails of history: Meet the volunteer with a passion for stagecoach lines

In the late 1970s, an older gentleman in the newspaper office mentioned that, as a teen, he was involved in the last cattle drive out of Sycamore into St. Charles to herd the animals on the rails toward Chicago.

You read that correctly. A cattle drive.

Based on this semiretired fellow's age at the time, I was estimating this bit of history took place maybe around 1915 or earlier.

It's not hard to envision a cattle drive coming across the prairies around here years ago, or stagecoaches carrying people from point A to point B.

Just ask Georgiana Vitti, a volunteer at the Depot Museum in Batavia and at Peck Farm in Geneva.

Interested in early American history, geology and anthropology most of her life, Vitti has spent the past three years feeding a passion to learn about the stagecoach lines that went through this area.

The spark was lit when Vitti was attending something all of us have been to at one time or another - a funeral service. She was at Dieterlie's Funeral Home in Montgomery when she spotted a historic marker declaring the site as the first stop on the stage route from Chicago to Galena.

"I could not believe how many routes went through Kane County and northern Illinois," Vitti said. "There were so many, I decided to include all of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin in my research."

This is not an easy task, considering Vitti had to track down information about hotels, taverns, horse-changing stations, which stagecoaches were used, the stage line operators, and the postal routes.

"This is a lifelong project now," Vitti said. "My intent is to present this information to the historical museums so that they could develop displays."

History tells us that the connection between Galena and Chicago was critical during the early to mid-1800s, and Vitti says the stagecoach lines followed trails that were already somewhat in place.

"All of the routes followed ancient Ice Age mammal and buffalo migration trails, which in turn were followed by Native American tribes," Vitti said. "Early settlers also followed these trails and improved them to accommodate wagon and stagecoach traffic."

All of the stagecoach routes from yesteryear would eventually become the major thoroughfares that currently pass through the Tri-Cities region, Vitti added.

The "Old State Road" came into Kane County in St. Charles and passed through the Garfield Farm area, Elburn and Maple Park before traveling to Oregon on the Rock River and northwest to Galena.

Another, called "State Road" went through St. Charles, past Garfield Farm, into Richardson, Sycamore, Rockford and Galena.

Sounds like the route of that old cattle drive.

When railroads came along, Vitti said, the stage lines continued, but as smaller routes to provide service to the train depots until the late 1890s.

It's fascinating stuff, the sort that history buffs love to sink their teeth into. Good luck to Georgiana as she continues to learn more about what went on around here so many years ago.

Not attractive

Just when you thought the vacant La Petite preschool building and property on Fargo Boulevard in Geneva couldn't look any worse, it has.

There's only one way left for us to describe it: Yikes.

Not sure what it is going to take for someone to acquire that property or for it to be leveled. It's not likely to suddenly look better or function as a preschool.

Sandwich addiction

Call me a creature of habit, but it seems I am not alone. Surely, many people tend to order the same menu item at a specific restaurant with regularity.

Such is the case the last several times we have gone to Colonial Café on Randall Road in St. Charles.

The menu item I can't pass up? The Pot Roast French Dip sandwich. It is so tasty, just writing about it makes me want another one.

Give us more

Everyone enjoys getting a raise at work. It just doesn't happen with the same type of regularity as in the past it seems. At least for us working stiffs.

Kane County government officials surely consider themselves in that working-stiff class, so like everyone else, they wouldn't mind more money. Thankfully, the county board has used some good judgment in voting down any raises at this time for some elected officials, citing the request as being too close to a time when residents are gasping for air after seeing their real estate tax bills and plotting strategies for paying them.

Giving board Chairman Chris Lauzen a 33 percent raise was going to go over with taxpayers like the proverbial lead balloon.

It doesn't matter to most whether Lauzen is doing a great job or if he is asleep at the wheel. Most taxpayers don't watch that sort of thing closely enough to weigh in intelligently. But they know when their pockets have less money.

Maybe if by some miracle Lauzen could convince the lost souls he left behind in Springfield after he left the General Assembly to actually do something to make this state better, he would get all sorts of praise. We'd maybe get some property tax relief and he'd get his raise.

dheun@sbcglobal.net