History blog from Pat Camalliere Books- Staying Alive Is a Lot of Work: Me and My Cancer now available from Eckhartz Press October 24, 2024I’m so happy to be able to tell you that you can now order Staying Alive Is a Lot of Work: Me and My Cancer, through Eckhartz Press! The QR code at the bottom of the page will take you … Continue reading →Pat Camalliere
- New Memoir Will Be Available Soon September 10, 2024You are receiving this notice for one of two reasons: You are one of my blog subscribers, or you have met me at a recent event and asked to be notified when my memoir is available. That day is fast … Continue reading →Pat Camalliere
- For Halloween: The Ghosts of the Quarries! October 26, 2023Halloween is almost here! A good time to rell you about the Ghosts of the Quarries! Ghost hunters sometimes describe a phenomenon called the “stone tape theory.” The theory proposes that certain rocks have the ability to imprint—or “record” —energy … Continue reading →Pat Camalliere
- Submarines on the Chicago Sanitary Canal – No kidding! September 18, 2023My last post revealed some amazing information about the building of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. If you missed that post, you can read it here: The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal | Pat Camalliere – The Cora Tozzi … Continue reading →Pat Camalliere
- The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal August 6, 2023In last month’s blog, I spoke about the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal and its tremendous importance to not only the Chicago area and Illinois, but to the opening to settlement of the entire United States west of … Continue reading →Pat Camalliere
- Illinois and Michigan Canal Celebrates 175th Anniversary. July 6, 2023In April of 1848, the I & M Canal officially opened. From April of 2023 through March of 2024, the I & M Canal Corridor Association is having a year-long celebration of this event. Continue reading →Pat Camalliere
- The Des Plaines River June 6, 2023I get excited when I talk about Lemont’s waterways, because they are so important not only to the growth of Chicago, but to westward expansion across the entire continent. The only place all these important waterways come together is Lemont. … Continue reading →Pat Camalliere
- Train Wreck in Lemont, July 1905 May 9, 2023Last month’s post was about a train wreck in Lemont on the Alton-Chicago Railroad in 1873. Today we continue the subject of train wrecks with the Santa Fe derailment that also occurred in Lemont in 1905. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa … Continue reading →Pat Camalliere
- Lemont Train Wreck: August 16, 1873 April 17, 2023Is history repeating itself? Continue reading →Pat Camalliere
- Admiral Dewey and the Battle of the Sanitary Canal March 1, 2023The I & M Canal had been a tremendous success in opening up shipping and transportation between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. However, during dry periods the level wasn’t sufficient to float the barges and boats, and during heavy … Continue reading →Pat Camalliere
- Staying Alive Is a Lot of Work: Me and My Cancer now available from Eckhartz Press October 24, 2024
Author Archives: Pat Camalliere
Early Days, Potawatomi, and Archer Avenue
Did you ever wonder what it was like here before Lemont was settled, before Illinois was a state? Start by imagining you are walking one of the trails in our beautiful forest preserves, but look at what surrounds the trail … Continue reading
Posted in Lemont History
Tagged Archer Avenue, Chicago, History, Illinois, Lemont, local history, Potawatomi, Sag Bridge, St. James at Sag Bridge, Trails, Waterfall Glen
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Maine Coon Cats and Marie Antoinette
The Maine Coon Cat is the only show cat breed that originated in the United States. What does that have to do with Marie Antoinette? The origin of the breed is speculative, but one legend has it that prior to … Continue reading
Exciting Announcements
Blog Posts will resume shortly, but I’ve been busy! Below are three exciting announcements to explain why the March post is delayed! Announcing: The Mystery at Black Partridge Woods The Lost Town of Sag Bridge lecture The History & Anecdotes of … Continue reading
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Banking in the early days of Northern Illinois
Contrary to what one might expect, early settlers of Northern Illinois, beginning in the 1830s, were not all poor. Some left eastern states for expected greater opportunity in Illinois and arrived with sufficient means to purchase land. They brought food, … Continue reading
Posted in Lemont History
Tagged bank failure, bank heist, bank robbery, banking, banks, History, Illinois, Lemont, local history, Northern Illinois, Tom Huston
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Cops and Robbers – Lemont Style
Bank robberies are a serious business, but the robbery of the Clearing State Bank that took place on July 9, 1921, definitely had comic aspects ala Keystone Cops, although in this case Lemont cops got the upper hand in the … Continue reading
Posted in Lemont History
Tagged 1921, bank heist, bank robbery, History, Lemont, Martin Sicks, Michael Geary
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Happy Holidays – The Best Christmas Gift
The best Christmas present I ever received was a painting set. I was twelve years old that Christmas. Perhaps you remember how intensely a twelve-year-old can focus on a wanted item. It was all I could think of, yet I … Continue reading
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History for Halloween – The Ghosts of Sag Bridge
The late 1890s seems to be when ghost activity peaked in the area of Sag Bridge, Illinois, now the northeast corner of Lemont. Many ghostly tales, some well documented, began here. In late December, 1897, a rash of new sightings … Continue reading
Posted in Lemont History
Tagged Ghosts, Halloween, History, Lemont, local history, Sag Bridge, St. James at Sag Bridge
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Prohibition Days In Lemont, Illinois – An Amusing Anecdote
Previous posts have told of both Lemont’s Smokey Row and relations to the Chicago mob. You might say today’s story embellishes on that theme. The story is part of Lemont lore, and likely is essentially true, as the original versions … Continue reading
Posted in Lemont History
Tagged Chicago, History, Lemont, local history, prohibition, raids
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Railways Promote Recreation
When I walked through Dellwood Park in Lockport for the first time, I came across a crumbling staircase and the remnants of an old dam. Only after I checked on-line did I realize what I had stumbled across, a unique … Continue reading
Posted in Lemont History
Tagged Chicago and Joliet Electric Train, Dellwood Park, electric trains, History, Lemont, local history, Romeo Beach, Trains
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