February 26 On this day, two national parks were established in the United States 10 years apart: The Grand Canyon in 1919 and the Grand Tetons in 1929. – 1919 and 1929. A coal slag heap doubling as a dam in West Virginia’s Buffalo Creek Valley collapses, and floods the
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week I’m going to finish up with the history of the buildings at Sacred Heart Parish. When I was in grade school, there was a white house on State Street, just south of the original church, that was on the southeast corner of Fulton
February 19 The first rescuers reach surviving members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound emigrants stranded by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. – 1847. U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066 to initiate a controversial World War II policy with lasting consequences for Japanese Americans.
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week, during Black History month, I am writing about Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK). He advanced civil rights for Black individuals in the United States through the use of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination,
Long before Troy became a forgotten name on old maps, it was a busy industrial suburb of the growing Village of Oswego, shaped by water, business, and railroads. Its story began in the 1830s, when early entrepreneurs followed settlers into the Oswego area and built one of the earliest dams
Aurora Area Retired Teachers Association members and guests learned about an Underground Railroad conductor, spy and nurse during a presentation Tuesday, Feb. 3, in Batavia. Celebrating Black History Month, Civil War reenactor Pamela Welcome of Aurora spotlighted Harriet Tubman’s life through stories and songs. An independent professional roleplayer and storyteller,
February 12 Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic goes on trial at The Hague, Netherlands, on charges of genocide and war crimes in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo. Milosevic served as his own attorney for much of the prolonged trial, which ended without a verdict when the so-called “Butcher of the Balkans”
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week, I am continuing with Sacred Heart Parish in Aurora, and my teenage years. At age 17, and an East Aurora High School graduate, I began working a full-time job in Aurora. I was a parishioner at Sacred Heart and became involved with the
Oswego’s Little White School Museum will host a special presentation, “The History of Fermilab,” starting at noon at the museum Saturday, Feb. 7. The museum is at 72 Polk Street, just two blocks from Oswego’s historic downtown business district. Batavia’s Fermilab is the United States’ premier high-energy particle physics laboratory.
February 5 President Bill Clinton signs the Family and Medical Leave Act. The law requires most employers of 50 or more workers to grant up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for a family for medical emergency. – 1993. In what turns out to be a bad business decision, Circuit
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week, I’ll continue with Aurora’s churches and influential persons, with Sacred Heart Parish on Fulton Street, on the East Side. Sacred Heart of Jesus was the very first Catholic Church in Aurora, dedicated in 1848. The Parish began with German, Irish, and French immigrant
The St. Charles History Museum has announced that the Joseph P. Bartlett Farm in Campton Township has been officially accepted as the first verified Underground Railroad safehouse in Kane County. This designation is part of a broader effort to identify and nominate additional historic Underground Railroad sites across Northern Illinois.
January 29 Kansas is admitted to the Union as the 19th free state of the 34. – 1861. The U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame elects its first members in Cooperstown, New York: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson, and Walter Johnson. – 1936. January 30 During a funeral
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week, I’m writing about some of the mentors I’ve had in life. I have always had an ear for the old timers (older guys), when I grew up. Through these mentors I learned about the history of Aurora, running functions, and just getting involved
Did you know that you—yes, you—are not only essential to making history, but have the opportunity to be a part of it? This winter, Oswego’s Little White School Museum invites you to share your stories with us. Whether your family has lived in Oswego for generations or you just moved
January 22 The U.S. Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion by handing down its decision in the case of Roe v. Wade. Despite opponents’ characterization of the decision, it was not the first time that abortion became a legal procedure in the United States. For most of the country’s first 100 years,
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week, I want to start out by saying, a warm welcome to the New Year, 2026. What has Father Time done? It seems like the years just fly by, as we get older. This year, marks the 250th year of our great country of
January 15 The Pentagon, the second largest office building in the world, is dedicated just 16 months after groundbreaking. At times of peak employment 13,000 workers labored on the project – 1943. Ilse Koch, wife of the commandant of the Buchenwald concentration camp, is sentenced to life imprisonment in a
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, Hopefully everyone enjoyed the holidays with family while staying warm. In my last article about John F. Kennedy’s (JFK) visit to Aurora in 1960, I wanted to add something of importance. A fellow The Voice subscriber and lifelong friend of mine, Jim “Coach” Reiland, a
January 8 Crazy Horse and his warriors, outnumbered, low on ammunition, and forced to use outdated weapons to defend themselves, fight their final losing battle against the U.S. Cavalry in Montana. – 1877. The AFL Iron and Steel Organizing Committee ends the “Great Steel Strike.” Some 350,000 to 400,000 steelworkers
