Animals

Articles

7 items

illustration of a light skinned man with short wavy light colored hair and a long, thick mustache. A rifle is pictured along the bottom of the image along with the words

Adam Bogardus, world champion wing shot

In the fall of 1875, at a shooting tournament in Bloomington, champion marksman Adam H. Bogardu...

Article

a yellow paper and faded print shows a dog with his mouth open, tongue hanging out. He has dark fur that is wavy, thick all the way down to his furry paws. He has floppy ears. He has four legs in this image. Below the image of the dog it says

Beloved ‘Rags’ rode the rails to local fame

The story of “Rags” is proof that most everyone loves a shaggy dog story, especially those of t...

Article

Bloomington home to world champion singing mouse

“The voice that spanned continents and oceans to win international acclaim is forever stilled,”...

Article

Extinct passenger pigeon once visitor to Central Illinois

In 1810, 24-year-old attorney Henry Marie Brackenridge traveled down the Ohio River to Ste. Gen...

Article

Great Epizootic of 1872 ravaged the horse population

Bloomington’s streets were eerily quiet for several weeks in late November and early December 1...

Article

Lightning a menace, past and present

On May 20, 1897, a heavy afternoon shower accompanied by a “brilliant electrical display” passe...

Article

Silos sentinels of Corn Belt since late 19th century

Farm silos, an iconic symbol of the Corn Belt, have long flummoxed city and suburban folk. Frus...

Article

Biographies

6 items

Dillon, Martha Fisher

Ellis Dillon was born on March 25, 1816 in Clinton County, Ohio to Jesse and Hannah Pugh Dillon...

Biography

Huggins, Sophia

Sophia Huggins (1831-1903) or “Aunt Sophia” as she was known by her clientele, was a claimed cl...

Biography

King, Samuel Noble

Samuel Noble (1834-1913) and Mary (Reed) King (1842-1928) were a force in the advancement of ag...

Biography

Mayes, John Jackson

John Jackson Mayes, Jr., (1851 -1918) known as J.J., was engaged in the photography business, a...

Biography

Stearles, Willis

Much of what we know today about Willis Stearles comes from oral history, members of the commun...

Biography

Withers, Allen

Allen Withers was born on a farm in Jessamine County, Kentucky about seven miles from Nicholasv...

Biography

Blog

27 items

Bo Peep Has Found Her Sheep Halloween Parade, Bloomington 1938

A Depression-era tradition in Bloomington was the annual Halloween Mardi Gras parade and street...

Blog Post

Bull in Barbershop Hudson, June 19, 1947

We’ve all heard the expression “bull in a china shop,” but how about one in a barbershop? Herb ...

Blog Post

Freitag children, rural Stanford February 1959

Jane and Doug Freitag horse around with a canine friend at their family farm outside of Stanfor...

Blog Post

Glen Dotson and ‘Sparky’ Towanda, January 1941

Glen Dotson is seen here in late January 1941 with his new pet pigeon “Sparky.” Glen’s previous...

Blog Post

Grand Champion Poland China ISNU Farm, January 16, 1947

Thelma Thomas and her brother Glenn examine her grand champion gilt at the Illinois State Norma...

Blog Post

Lexington Dog Show July 31, 1940

Seen here are 5 of the 30 some entries for the children’s dog show, held July 31, 1940, in Lexi...

Blog Post

McHistory: Bloomington’s War on Dogs

Listen to the audio on WGLT's website hereMcHistory goes back in time to explore big momen...

Blog Post

Miller Park Fishing Season Underway June 1938

Fishing at Miller Park on Bloomington’s west side has been a time-honored local tradition since...

Blog Post

Miller Park Zoo’s newest arrival June 1964

Miller Park’s Ed Denniston welcomes the zoo’s new arrival in early June 1964. This little mule’...

Blog Post

Ms. Stanberry and Queenie July 21, 1938

Gretchen Stanberry, a senior in the school of music at MacMurray Women’s College in Jacksonvill...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 108: Beekeeping During Wartime Sugar Shortage

In late February / early March 1942, Cropsey area farmer Edward Adams discussed the benefits of...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 120: Carl Loeseke’s Homing Pigeons, 1938

Seen here is Bloomington restaurateur Carl J. Loeseke tending to many of his homing pigeons at ...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 129: Reserve Champions Illinois State Fair, August 17, 1949

The Illinois State Fair gets underway today in Springfield and runs through Sunday, August 23. ...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 130: Dogs of War, 1946 Bella and Her Two Surprises

U.S. Army veteran Dwight Pierceall of Normal received quite a shock on June 6, 1946, when he op...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 22: A Little Off the Top

Not much is known of this curious scene other than the fact that the chimpanzee is from the Mil...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 2: Don Munson & LaJean, 1968

I stumbled across this photograph while perusing a collection of recently donated photographs. ...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 52: Feeding Time at Miller Park Zoo … Brought To You By Stern’s Furniture!

As a non-profit institution, the McLean County Museum of History relies to a considerable exten...

Blog Post

Photo of the Week, 70: A Real Animal House

Although both Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan universities have their share of fraternitie...

Blog Post

Photo of the week, 121: Miller Park Fishing Season Underway -- June 1938

Did you know today, June 18, is National Go Fishing Day? Fishing at Miller Park on Bloomington...

Blog Post

Pointer and Setter Club Field Trials, April 1946

That’s “Jake,” a pointer puppy owned by “bird dog man” G.S. Bryant of Springfield and handled h...

Blog Post

Rudolph the Red-Nosed … Llama? McLean County Christmas, 1958

In the week before Christmas 1958, Santa Claus paid a visit to Bloomington’s Forest Park to ins...

Blog Post

Shirley by Horseback March 5, 1942

Earlier this week, we ran a photograph illustrating the severe WWII rubber shortage and its imp...

Blog Post

Slitherin’ no more Mystery Pic, 1958

This fascinating photograph is a mystery to Museum staff. The only thing we’re sure about is th...

Blog Post

Society Horse Show Fans Field, Bloomington, 1953

Fans Field, an old minor league ballpark once located on Bloomington’s south side, off Main Str...

Blog Post

Top hog gets pie January 1947

A.V. Ritchie of Colfax received $225 (or about $2,500 in today’s dollars) for this gilt at a Ja...

Blog Post

Why did the Turkey Cross the Road?

To escape the Thanksgiving Day dinner table, of course! Seen here are a wild turkey hen and her...

Blog Post

‘Fancy Pants’ Gets a Trim April 1946

This April 13, 1946, scene shows Bloomington veterinarian Dr. Fred H. Conover giving a warm wea...

Blog Post

Farming in the Great Corn Belt

3 items

Farm Bureau

One organization, the McLean County Farm Bureau, did more for McLean County farmers than any ot...

Digital Exhibit

Nature's Forces

The McLean County farmers’ ability to make good choices drove their success or failure. But wit...

Digital Exhibit

Tractors Replace Animal Labor

As tractors became more affordable, McLean County farmers began to replace their animal labor....

Digital Exhibit

Finding Aids

4 items

Corn Belt Charity Horse Show

The Corn Belt Horsemen’s Association’s horse charity show dates to 1942, with the first event h...

Finding Aid

Dairies Collection

Bloomington-Normal has been home to family dairies that delivered milk to customers since the m...

Finding Aid

Draft Horses Collection

The history of Norman horses in Normal is closely linked to the Dillon family, first known as E...

Finding Aid

Grand Prairie Bird Alliance Collection

The first Audubon Society in McLean County was called the Cardinal Audubon Club, organized in 1...

Finding Aid

Making a Home

2 items

Frontier Settlement

John L. Hendryx and John W. Dawson arrived in 1822. They were the first to stake claims for fed...

Digital Exhibit

Mississippian Artifacts and Pottery

The artifacts displayed here were excavated from the only known Mississippian village in McLean...

Digital Exhibit

Videos

3 items

Lunch & Learn: A Fair to Remember - The History of McLean County Fairs

Video

Lunch & Learn: What's New at the Zoo with Jay Pratte

Video

What Does Fido Know? Inside the Mind of the Dog

Video