Harvesting the River starting photograph
Harvesting Transportation History
blue dot Rediscover a way of life that has almost disappeared. See how fishermen harvested fish with nets and traps. Hear how pearl buttons were made from mussel shells. Watch townspeople harvest natural ice from lakes. Get a glimpse of duck hunts and fishing trips in vintage photographs from the days when there was no limit on the catch.

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blue dot Hear Illinois River residents describe their early boating adventures on steamboats, packet boats, and duck-hunting boats. Examine artifacts of the first railroads in Illinois. Trace the routes of three plank roads from the mid-nineteenth century. Learn through archival photographs, survey reports, objects, and artworks how transportation developed in central Illinois.

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blue dot Learn how river towns from Liverpool to Meredosia were settled and developed. Listen to the residents describe their lives, and how they relied on the river and its bounty. See how the river and the towns changed through time, as industries rose and fell like the flood waters.

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