The evening was warm and muggy, a July night in northern Illinois. The events that unfolded on a back road at the border of Winnebago and Ogle Counties were anything but typical, however.
Ernest Mellquist had only been on the job as a fireman for two weeks when a fire erupted at Rockford Paper Box Board Company on March 8, 1909. Later, people would call it destiny or fate.
Thomas Chick was worried. He owned the Chick Hotel for over 14 years by 1902 and knew trouble when he saw it. It was just a feeling he had about the couple that checked into the hotel in the middle of June. They had been staying at the hotel for over three weeks and the only oddness Thomas had witnessed was that Mrs. Holt always carried a small metal box with her.
When the word spread that William Moore and Terrence Donnerie were involved in another scuffle, no one in Rockford was surprised. The men had several altercations in the past that had been witnessed by many of their acquaintances. William and Terrence knew each other from working at the American House, a local inn that included a tavern.
Originally published in The Rock River Times. Sledding has been a past time for children for many generations. During the late 1800s one of the areas that offered this activity …
The lighting of the Christmas tree during ‘Stroll on State’ is the official start to Rockford’s Holiday Season. This event brings the holidays to life for thousands through displays of lights, good food, and markets to shop. Entire families brave all kinds of weather to see the lighting of the tree and share in the celebration.
The events that took place on November 7, 1948 happened so quickly that witnesses would find it difficult to remember the exact sequence. There were other details that were abundantly clear, however. When it was all over and the smoke had cleared, two men lay dead and a young woman was missing.
John Travis served in the Rockford Rifles as a part of the Illinois 45th Regiment. It was Travis’s job as the Commissary Sergeant to make sure the soldiers had enough rations and supplies. But Travis took his job further and would run food and coffee to the men on the front lines. He also assisted in the dangerous job of pulling the injured from the battlefield.
The evening was warm and muggy, a July night in northern Illinois. The events that unfolded on a back road at the border of Winnebago and Ogle Counties were anything but typical, however.
Ernest Mellquist had only been on the job as a fireman for two weeks when a fire erupted at Rockford Paper Box Board Company on March 8, 1909. Later, people would call it destiny or fate.
Thomas Chick was worried. He owned the Chick Hotel for over 14 years by 1902 and knew trouble when he saw it. It was just a feeling he had about the couple that checked into the hotel in the middle of June. They had been staying at the hotel for over three weeks and the only oddness Thomas had witnessed was that Mrs. Holt always carried a small metal box with her.
When the word spread that William Moore and Terrence Donnerie were involved in another scuffle, no one in Rockford was surprised. The men had several altercations in the past that had been witnessed by many of their acquaintances. William and Terrence knew each other from working at the American House, a local inn that included a tavern.
Originally published in The Rock River Times. Sledding has been a past time for children for many generations. During the late 1800s one of the areas that offered this activity …
The lighting of the Christmas tree during ‘Stroll on State’ is the official start to Rockford’s Holiday Season. This event brings the holidays to life for thousands through displays of lights, good food, and markets to shop. Entire families brave all kinds of weather to see the lighting of the tree and share in the celebration.
The events that took place on November 7, 1948 happened so quickly that witnesses would find it difficult to remember the exact sequence. There were other details that were abundantly clear, however. When it was all over and the smoke had cleared, two men lay dead and a young woman was missing.
John Travis served in the Rockford Rifles as a part of the Illinois 45th Regiment. It was Travis’s job as the Commissary Sergeant to make sure the soldiers had enough rations and supplies. But Travis took his job further and would run food and coffee to the men on the front lines. He also assisted in the dangerous job of pulling the injured from the battlefield.
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