Did you know CPL's Digital Collections include 10,000 photos from Chicago's parks? Not all the photos from Wicker Park include a date, but I estimated that they range from about 1900 to perhaps the 1990s based on when certain changes were made to the park and the style of clothes people wore. On a sunny…
Quiz: Famous Chicago Women
How much do you know about famous women in Chicago history? Test your knowledge with this quiz, brought to you by bloggers Allyson, Betsy, Chloe, Felicia, Johanna, Michelle, Sarah and Sarah D…
Learn More about Illinois Ecology with State Resources
If the 2019-2020 One Book, One Chicago selection The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert has sparked your interest in the environment, climate change and endangered species/extinctions, you may be surprised to learn that there are many resources in Illinois government documents that can further your exploration of these topics. Illinois has several state departments and…
Historical Recipes and Nutrition Advice from the State of Illinois
One of the missions of the Illinois Department of Public Health is to educate people about health issues, including nutrition. For over a hundred years, the department has published booklets and pamphlets about what to eat, what not to eat and how to plan meals on a budget. Many include recipes. It's fun to look…
Finding Poetry in Illinois State Documents
It may seem funny to us now, but in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was not uncommon to see poems used as introductions to state government reports, or interspersed throughout departmental publications. Some featured writings by famous poets, while others used anonymous or little-known authors. As April is National Poetry Month, it’s…
Illinois history through state documents
Our state’s past is recorded not just in history books but also in documents created by the General Assembly, state agencies and more. These documents provide insights into what was happening in the state at the time, and what our government was doing. So as part of our celebration of the Illinois Bicentennial this year…
Chicago Fought to Limit Flu’s Spread During 1918 Epidemic
A hundred years ago, the Spanish flu spread throughout the world, killing an estimated 50 million to 100 million people. It arrived in Chicago by September 1918 and killed 8,510 people in the city in just two months. According to health reports, from September 21, 1918, to November 16, 1918, 37,921 cases of influenza and…
Books to Celebrate the Illinois Bicentennial
Illinois became a state nearly 200 years ago, on December 3, 1818. The state's celebrating the Illinois Bicentennial all year long with events throughout Illinois. Here at CPL, we'll celebrate by recommending resources on our state's history and culture each month. To get us started, here are some suggestions for learning more about the history…
The Great Outdoors: Illinois Conservation Magazine
Many state agencies and departments publish, or published, their own newsletters, bulletins and other periodicals. These can be fun to browse because they include information and pictures that aren’t often available elsewhere. The Illinois Department of Conservation’s Illinois Conservation magazine focused on hunting, fishing and the great outdoors. The early issues in particular were more…
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