The History of Illinois Agriculture Web Exhibit features the Illinois State Museum’s collections and research to explore the history of the land, people, plants, animals, and technology that began twelve thousand years ago and led to today’s agriculture in Illinois.
An important part of the site is the Oral History of Illinois Agriculture, a project of 50 video interviews of Illinois farmers from 2008, and audio interviews of farmers from the 1970s and 1980s. They talk about their lives, careers, families and ancestors, and farming methods and equipment that changed greatly over the last century.
Learn how the Ice Age glaciers left fertile soils that we use for agriculture. See Native American and pioneer tools, machinery by Illinois inventors, such as John Deere. View records, including early photographs of farms in different parts of the state. Hear interviews with farmers and their descendants. Read about the different ethnic and racial groups who have participated in Illinois agriculture.
Lesson plans featuring multi-media, wikis, and other interactive elements help viewers do family and community research, date artifacts, and test their knowledge of plants and animals. Learn the techniques for doing your own oral interviews and making multimedia presentations on your computer. Participate in this web site by creating new knowledge with our resources and your research and materials.
