Cuba High School’s History Club visits Our Front Porch, Sunday, March 19, 2023, 2:00 to 3:30 pm

*Western Illinois Museum Press Release The Western Illinois Museum is pleased to welcome the Cuba High School’s History Club to its indoor, Our Front Porch. Members of the club will share their insights on the history of Forgottonia that they learned through conducting oral histories with members of their community. Students and Joe Brewer, Cuba …

Oral History of Forgottonia – How Fulton County Was Divided During the Civil War: Jayson Stead’s Interview with Tim Roberts, WIU History Professor & author of “This Infernal War”

ON THIS EPISODE Continuing our Oral History in Forgottonia series, Cuba High School junior Jayson Stead once again takes the microphone to explore Fulton County during the Civil War. In this episode, Jayson shares his conversation with Dr. Tim Roberts about his Civil War book This Infernal War: The Civil War Letters of William & …

Oral History of Forgottonia – Getting to Know Forgottonia’s Governor: Cadie & Courtney Churchill Interview with John Marshall

"They needed a spokesperson. Neal was ideal because he was a great speaker, he was highly intelligent...and he was kind of a ham actually. He loved to talk in front of people." -John Marshall (friend of Neal Gam, Forgottonia's Governor) ON THIS EPISODE As part of our Oral History in Forgottonia series, Cuba High School …

Oral History of Forgottonia – Railroads in Western Illinois: Gavin Johnson’s Interview with Local Railroad Enthusiast Bill Leitze

ON THIS EPISODE "The railroads depended on population and product. The population and product depended on shipping. The railroads became the most valuable method of shipping, particularly for landlocked areas like Illinois." -Bill Leitze As part of our Oral History in Forgottonia series, Cuba High School senior Gavin Johnson sits down with local Railroad enthusiast, …

DND MINI-POD – Chapter 3: Hollywood Westerns & Primary Sources

ON THIS EPISODE This Dime Novel Desperados MINI-POD profiles a Hollywood Western & primary sources that Dr. Hallwas used to write the book. We recommend first listening to the episode this MINI-POD accompanies: Chapter 3: The Maxwells in McDonough County HOLLYWOOD WESTERN “Rio Bravo” (1959) starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, &  Ricky Nelson QUESTIONS TO …

Dime Novel Desperados – Chapter 2: The Maxwells in Troubled Fulton County

ON THIS EPISODE We continue our examination of the book “Dime Novel Desperados: The Notorious Maxwell Brothers” by Dr. John Hallwas. This episode provides an overview of Chapter 2 – “The Maxwells in Troubled Fulton County.” Shout out to CHS student Andrew Christian for helping with this episode. The MINI-POD for this episode (which is …

DND MINI-POD – Chapter 1: Hollywood Westerns & Primary Sources, with musician & local historian Chris Vallillo

ON THIS EPISODE This Dime Novel Desperados MINI-POD profiles a Hollywood Western & primary source that Dr. Hallwas used to write the book. We recommend first listening to the episode this MINI-POD accompanies: Chapter 1: The Maxwell Family Moves West  CHS student Andrew Christian interviews musician & local historian Chris Vallillo HOLLYWOOD WESTERN “Open Range” (2003) …

Dime Novel Desperados – Chapter 1: The Maxwell Family Moves West

ON THIS EPISODE We continue our examination of the book “Dime Novel Desperados: The Notorious Maxwell Brothers” by Dr. John Hallwas. This episode provides an overview of Chapter 1 - "The Maxwell Family Moves West." Shout out to CHS students Garret Fawcett & Andrew Christian for helping with this episode. Be sure to check out …

DND MINI-POD – Introduction: Hollywood Westerns & Primary Sources

DND MINI-POD - Introduction: Hollywood Westerns & Primary Sources ON THIS EPISODE This Dime Novel Desperados MINI-POD profiles a Hollywood Western & primary source that Dr. Hallwas used to write the book. We recommend first listening to the episode this MINI-POD accompanies: Ep 0 – Welcome to the World of the Maxwell Brothers: An Introduction to …