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French Gold is a tale of murder and its solving, of life in the
colonial village of Ste. Anne in the Illinois country, of buried
treasure and its eventual unearthing. It is of a keelboat voyage
from St. Louis to New Orleans and of the tender star-crossed love
shared by the French woman Julie Coussat and young Auguste Chouteau
along the way. Their journey is full of action - first an encounter
with river pirates, then savage Indians, and finally a brutal
attack upon Julie by supposed friends. This story tells of the
present-day rebuilding of a wall at historic Fort de Chartres and
how it came about. Fast paced, its action shifts back and forth and
back again between Springfield, Illinois in the 1980s, the French
Illinois country of 1764 and life on the river, and Paris in the
bloody days of the French Revolution. Local historians demanded
historical accuracy in the rebuilding of the wall at Fort de
Chartres. It seemed necessary for research to be done in France and
Spain. A professor of French language and literature was employed
to conduct that inquiry while he was in Europe on a sabbatical
leave. His findings in Seville and Paris led to the solution of an
ancient murder, to the recovery of a long buried treasure in gold
and silver from the bluffs along the Mississippi, and to the
account written long ago by the French woman, Julie Coussat, of her
time upon the river. Essentially, this a romantic tale of how a
strong-willed woman was caused to become the binding link between
past and present, and the means of our recreating a bit of the past
for our time and the future.
French Gold is a tale of murder and its solving, of life in the
colonial village of Ste. Anne in the Illinois country, of buried
treasure and its eventual unearthing. It is of a keelboat voyage
from St. Louis to New Orleans and of the tender star-crossed love
shared by the French woman Julie Coussat and young Auguste Chouteau
along the way. Their journey is full of action - first an encounter
with river pirates, then savage Indians, and finally a brutal
attack upon Julie by supposed friends. This story tells of the
present-day rebuilding of a wall at historic Fort de Chartres and
how it came about. Fast paced, its action shifts back and forth and
back again between Springfield, Illinois in the 1980s, the French
Illinois country of 1764 and life on the river, and Paris in the
bloody days of the French Revolution. Local historians demanded
historical accuracy in the rebuilding of the wall at Fort de
Chartres. It seemed necessary for research to be done in France and
Spain. A professor of French language and literature was employed
to conduct that inquiry while he was in Europe on a sabbatical
leave. His findings in Seville and Paris led to the solution of an
ancient murder, to the recovery of a long buried treasure in gold
and silver from the bluffs along the Mississippi, and to the
account written long ago by the French woman, Julie Coussat, of her
time upon the river. Essentially, this a romantic tale of how a
strong-willed woman was caused to become the binding link between
past and present, and the means of our recreating a bit of the past
for our time and the future.
This sweeping survey constitutes the first comprehensive treatment
of the forty-seven individuals--forty-six white males and one
African American female--who have been chosen to represent Illinois
in the United States Senate from 1818 to 2003. David Kenney and
Robert E. Hartley underscore nearly two centuries of Illinois
history with these biographical and political portraits, compiling
an incomparably rich resource for students, scholars, teachers,
journalists, historians, politicians, and any Illinoisan interested
in the state's heritage. "An Uncertain Tradition: " "U. S. Senators
from Illinois, 1818-2003 "is a fresh and careful study of the
shifting set of political issues occurring over time and
illuminated by the lives of participants in the politics of choice
and service in the Senate. Kenney and Hartley plot the course of
the state's varied senatorial leadership, from the state's founding
and the appearance of political parties, through the Civil War and
its aftermath, and into the diverse political climate of the
twenty-first century. From the notorious to the heroic, the popular
to the pioneering, the senatorial roster includes such luminaries
as "The Little Giant" Stephen A. Douglas; Lyman Trumbull, who
served three terms in the Civil War era; "Uncle Dick" and "Black
Jack," also known as Richard Oglesby and John A. Logan; the "Wizard
of Ooze" Everett Dirksen; and modern leaders such as Adlai
Stevenson III, Paul Simon, and Carol Moseley-Braun. Kenney and
Hartley offer incisive commentary on the quality of senate service
in each case, as well as timeline graphs relating to the succession
of individuals in each of the two sequences of service, the
geographical distribution ofsenators within the state, and the
variations in party voting for senate candidates. Rigorously
documented and supremely readable, this convenient reference volume
is enhanced by portraits of many of the senators.
This sweeping survey constitutes the first comprehensive treatment
of the men and women who have been chosen to represent Illinois in
the United States Senate from 1818 to the present day. David Kenney
and Robert E. Hartley underscore nearly two centuries of Illinois
history with these biographical and political portraits, compiling
an incomparably rich resource for students, scholars, teachers,
journalists, historians, politicians, and any Illinoisan interested
in the state's senatorial heritage. Originally published as An
Uncertain Tradition: U.S. Senators From Illinois 1818-2003, this
second edition brings readers up to date with new material on Paul
Simon, Richard Durbin, and Peter Fitzgerald, as well as completely
new sections on Roland Burris, Barack Obama, and Illinois's newest
senator, Mark Kirk. This fresh and careful study of the shifting
set of political issues Illinois's senators encountered over time
is illuminated by the lives of participants in the politics of
choice and service in the Senate. Kenney and Hartley offer incisive
commentary on the quality of Senate service in each case, as well
as timeline graphs relating to the succession of individuals in
each of the two sequences of service, the geographical distribution
of senators within the state, and the variations in party voting
for Senate candidates. Rigorously documented and supremely
readable, this convenient reference volume is enhanced by portraits
of many of the senators.
"Death Underground: ""The Centralia and West Frankfort Mine
Disasters" examines two of the most devastating coal mine disasters
in United States history since 1928. In two southern Illinois towns
only forty miles apart, explosions killed 111 men at the Centralia
No. 5 mine in 1947 and 119 men at the New Orient No. 2 mine in West
Frankfort in 1951. Robert E. Hartley and David Kenney explain the
causes of the accidents, identify who was to blame, and detail the
emotional impact the disasters had on the survivors, their
families, and their communities.Politics at the highest level of
Illinois government played a critical role in the conditions that
led to the accidents. Hartley and Kenney address how safety was
compromised when inspection reports were widely ignored by state
mining officials and mine company supervisors. Highlighted is the
role of Driscoll Scanlan, a state inspector at Centralia, who
warned of an impending disaster but whose political enemies shifted
the blame to him, ruining his career. Hartley and Kenney also
detail the New Orient No. 2 mine explosion, the attempts at rescue,
and the resulting political spin circulated by labor, management,
and the state bureaucracy. They outline the investigation, the
subsequent hearings, and the efforts in Congress to legislate
greater mine safety. Hartley and Kenney include interviews with the
survivors, a summary of the investigative records, and an analysis
of the causes of both mine accidents. They place responsibility for
the disasters on individual mine owners, labor unions, and state
officials, providing new interpretations not previously presented
in the literature. Augmented by twenty-nine illustrations, the
volume alsocovers the history, culture, and ethnic pluralism of
coal mining in Illinois and the United States. ""
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