will.illinois.edu/prairiefire/episode/pf2007-03-22 WILL, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Series Episode WILL travels to Taylorville to see a museum dedicated to the history of coal mining; we travel to the Cahokia Mounds and learn about the ancient Native American city that once thrived there; we walk through Allerton Park in central Illinois Abstract Segment Arts/Culture, Champaign County, Historical Landmarks, Horticulture, Illinois Culture/History, Parks/Outdoor Recreation, University of Illinois, University of Illinois, WILL Custom Prairie Fire Subject Headings Allerton Park is truly an oasis on the prairie. When you walk through the shaded canopy on a hot summer day, it is incredible to think that Robert Allerton built the entire park out of nothing.  The place was the vision of one man and we are lucky that he chose to let us all enjoy it. Eleanore Stasheff’s story does a wonderful job of explaining the history of the park and lets people in on the behind the scenes stories of its creation. My favorite is that the Sun Singer Statue was to originally sit on the patio. But when it arrived from the sculptor, it was quite a bit larger than expected. If placed on the patio, guests would gaze out the parlor windows to be greeted by the Sun Singer’s private parts! I hope this story looking back at the history of the park helps people appreciate this wonderful gift to central Illinois and that all will help to keep the park around for future generation. Abstract Alison Davis Wood Producer Segment Ethnicity/Culture, Historical Landmarks, History, Landscape, Illinois Culture/History, Libraries/Museums/Cultural Centers, Native Americana, Parks/Outdoor Recreation, WILL Custom Prairie Fire Subject Headings The Cahokia Mounds story grabbed my interest immediately because I had never heard that there was once a prosperous Native American city in the Americas.  Growing up, the TV shows and movies I had seen always portrayed Native Americans as loose collections of people who were constantly on the move.  I had never considered that the ancient residents of America had built long-standing, sedentary communities with complex social structures, sprawling community squares, and ceremonial earthen mounds. Once we arrived in Cahokia for the video shoot, I was shocked to see that the highway ran right through the middle of this historic site.  I was also saddened to learn that many of the mounds in the area have been leveled because of farming, construction, or landscaping efforts over the decades.  I’m glad that the site is now recognized for its cultural importance and hope that continued research at the site helps increase the general public’s understanding and appreciation for this unique bit of America’s past.  The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site has a great Web site (http://www.cahokiamounds.com) detailing the history of this ancient city in the middle of Illinois. Abstract Alison Davis Wood Producer Segment Historical Landmarks, History, Illinois Culture/History, Parks/Outdoor Recreation, Taylorville, WILL Custom Prairie Fire Subject Headings In the summer of 2006 I got a call from Will Stone. He was asking when we could come down to do a story on his museum in Taylorville. I was a bit confused since I had just returned from maternity leave and could not remember talking to him. But over the conversation I learned that he was a former miner that was dedicated to preserving the history of mining in Illinois. He told me he used to work in the Peabody number 10 mine. My father had friends that worked in that mine and he even had the chance to go visit them underground. My Dad had said it was an incredible experience since the place was so huge, It was an underground city. Then that same week I was in the car with my family and my husband turned on a CD. The first same was “Dark as a Dungeon” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The powerful words reminded me of Will and I knew I had to do the story on the Christian County Coal Mining Museum. When Julius, Virginia and I showed up to tape the story, Will had invited some of his friends to the museum. The stories they shared with us about working in the mines were incredible. Will was a very gracious host. I brought with me some mining artifacts that belonged to my husband’s grandfather who had worked in the mines in southern Illinois. Will explained what they were small lanterns that used to hang on the miners hats. He even gave me an extra “soft hat” that he had at the museum so that I could display them properly at home. I encourage anyone who is interested in Illinois history to visit this unique museum in Taylorville. And tell Will that I said hello. Abstract Alison Davis Wood Producer WILL-TV, University of Illinois Copyright Holder Publisher ¬© 2009 University of Illinois 2007-03-22T08:53:00-06:00 2007-03-22T08:53:00-06:00 video/mp4 http://willmedia.atlas.uiuc.edu/mpeg4/pf2007-03-22.mp4 Moving Image MPEG video MPEG-4 00:28 eng pf2007-03-22.mp4 WILL Public Media, University of Illinois 2007-03-22T08:53:00-06:00 2007-03-22T08:53:00-06:00 video/x-flv http://willmedia.atlas.uiuc.edu/flash/pf2007-03-22.flv Moving Image Flash Video Flash Media 8 00:28 eng pf2007-03-22.flv WILL Public Media, University of Illinois 2007-03-22T08:53:00-06:00 2007-03-22T08:53:00-06:00 video/vnd.rn-realvideo http://willmedia.will.uiuc.edu/ramgen/pf2007-03-22.rv Moving Image 00:28:00