March 24 Illinois History Minute

It’s March 24th, the day explorer John Wesley Powell was born in 1834. Powell taught geology at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. But he’s most famous for his field work, including his groundbreaking 1869 expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers – including the Grand Canyon.

Photographer Edward Weston was born on this day in 1886 in Highland Park, and grew up in Chicago. His fame as a photographer would come in California, where he was known for his photos of nudes, landscapes and natural forms. 

An 1867 Illinois Supreme Court ruling said it was impossible for married women to own earnings and property, separate from their husbands. But on this day in 1869, state lawmakers approved a Married Women’s Property Act that did just that, joining a national trend. 
I’m Jim Meadows, Illinois Public Media.