Now on YOUTUBE starting
Sunday September 8, 2024
These retirees share their railroad stories
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Geneva area Railroad Conductors and Engineer
share their stories and experiences from their combined 135 years of working on the railroad.
Rusty's
All American Stories
1830 -1930
Characters A. Lincoln Family Railroads Frontier Arizona Favorites
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The Story Guy
History, Train Buff
Recently
Requested
For those who wish to know more about local railroads today and yesterday
Popular Stories
Bertha Palmer, Queen of Chicago Society and wife of a famous hotel owner Potter Palmer, asked the hotel chef to create a special treat for her society friends
to take to World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago World's Fair) of 1893.. This treat is still being served at the hotel.
How St. Charles
Got It's Money
 Source of wealth in 1920’s
John Gates made his fortune in barbed wire, steel, and oil. His brother-in-law Edward Baker and Gate's wife niece Dellora Angell were the beneficiaries. Dellora married her childhood sweetheart Lester Norris. All three became philanthropists giving St. Charles millions of dollars including Hotel Baker, Arcada Theatre, Baker Center, St Charles Municipal Center just to name a few.
The following section
is a work in progress.
Completed are underlined.
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Return from time to time
to view more
GENEVA
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ST CHARLES
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BATAVIA
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About Batavia
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MOOSEHEART SCHOOL
​ (south of Batavia on Rt 31)
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Connection to Walt Disney
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School for needy children
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AREA RAILS
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Geneva/St Charles
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Geneva to Chicago
on the
Electric Train​​
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Three local rr retires tell their stories
Oh, What a Ride on the Rails
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FOX RIVER DAMS
INTERESTING
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Harvey Girls civilized the West
Scroll down
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Disney’s major passion: railroads
Hershey fails 3x in candy business
CHICAGO
1st chocolate brownie - scroll up
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“Give lady what she wants” M. Field
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LINCOLN FAMILY
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Why Pres. Lincoln grew a beard
Lincoln’s Son - Robert Changed HIstory
Also Saved by a Booth!
and became a railroad baron
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EARLY RAILROADS
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Lake Tahoe - Saved by RR
RR $$ leads to museum & university
ARIZONA​
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Tucson & So AZ - scroll to top
The following section is for
those who like history...
Favorites
Postcast
Print Version
OK, who among us didn’t think that our high school was a prison? In Yuma Arizona, high school students actually tooktheir classes in a prison! Yes. The former Yuma Territorial Prison that had openedin 1876 and closed in 1909. Prisoners were moved to Florence AZ. High school students were now 'criminals'.
Podcast
Print Version
It was love at first sight. General William Jackson Palmer, the dashing owner of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, while riding a train outside of St. Louis, met the beautiful Queen Mellon. By the time the train reached Cincinnati, they were making marriage plans. Queen was 19; Palmer was 34 yrs old.
Railroads
Podcast
Print Version
Rock Island, Illinois was the site of a stand off between the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad and St. Louis’s steam boat interests. The steam boat interests said we were here first and any type of bridge should not impede our barges. The railroad responded: “Your argument doesn’t hold water”. What happened next involved Abraham Lincoln both as a railroad lawyer and U.S. President
Categories
Frontier Arizona
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The West generated many
interesting and little known stories. Even today, the West still brings interest.
Stories when America Grew Up
Featuring stories of characters and events, including Lincoln's family,
from before, during, and after
the Gilded Age (1830 - 1930).
Little known characters and many
amazing women are also included.
1830's to 1930's
Arguably, the most fascinating 100 years in America's history.
Choo Choo Stories
Those Railroad Barons, those
who made them rich, those
who loved them & more
provide some entertaining stories.
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History Lite
chocolate, Disney, animals, sports, and more
Places & Events
Who Really Cares, Except Mom
Personal stories
STORIES by REQUEST
FUNNY
UNION PACIFIC'S PARTY ON PRAIRIE
RR MAKES PRIEST PRESIDENT FOR A DAY
HOW HARVE, MT ACQUIRED ITS NAME
MOFFAT TUNNEL CELEBRATION
COYOTE SCOTTY’S TRAIN RIDE
INDIAN “SINGING WIRE” JEWELRY
RAILROAD PRESIDENT - KIDNAPPED IN UTAH
HOBO FARES IN CALIFORNIA
GOULD/VANDERBILT -$1 CATTLEGIRLS
FAMOUS DOCTOR: SURPRISING CAUSE OF STRESS
HAPPY
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LINCOLN'S FIRST DANCE WITH MARY TODD
WHY LINCOLN’S HAS A BEARD
LINCOLN'S SON WITH A. LINCOLN II AT DEDICATION
RTL SAVED BY A BOOTH
GEORGE BOLDT'S LOVE STORY CREATES SALAD DRESSING
US ARMY SONS VS INDIAN SONS
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SURPRISING
LINCOLN'S SON CHANGES HISTORY
WHAT IF MARY TODD CHOOSE WASHINGTON DC OVER IL
BOAT RAMS RR BRIDGE, THEN SUES RAILROAD
ROBERT LINCOLN'S FRIENDSHIP WITH GEORGE PULLMAN
LELAND STANFORD & MOTION PHOTO
WHY HARVARD'S SNUB LED TO STANFORD UNIVERSITY
MARY TODD: LINCOLN OR DOUGLAS FOR HER HUSBAND
LAKE TAHOE - SAVED IRRIGATION LAKE
TEDDY ROOSEVELT - OFFER VP TO LEAVE NY; LEADS TO PRESIDENCY ARABELLA MARRIED TWO RR BARONS - LEADS TO FAMOUS MUSUEM
A. PHILLIP RANDOLPH PULLMAN PORTER LEADER'S LEGACY
SAD
TEDDY ROOSEVELT'S WIFE
LELAND STANFORD JR & ABRAHAM LINCOLN II.
JANE STANFORD’S DEATH
ARIZONA'S LACRENA PENNINGTON
COLORADO'S QUEEN PALMER
NEW YORK JAMES FISK RELATIONSHIP WITH JOSIE MANSFIELD
IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR, YOU ARE PROBABLY A DIE HARD HISTORY BUFF.
RUSTY WILL BE HAPPY TO SHARE THE ABOVE STORIES.
Rusty, the multi-faced history buff
Know a good story that happened between
1830 & 1930?
Call Rusty
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(224) 449 - 1420