I don't think it will come as much of a surprise to anyone that Braidwood, Godley, Braceville, Diamond and all the other 19th century coal towns were originally prairie.
The tallest things in the landscape excluding buildings are the man made slag heaps. It was a special kind of prairie, one that had originally been at the bottom of an ocean, and water was never far from the surface.
Today we look at the problems water made to the people who lived on the land.
I guess if you have lived around here long enough you have heard fish tales, usually about the one that got away.
Then there are other stories about fishing trips gone good or bad, or the weird blue frog you saw, or the time your friend jumped into the river up to the armpits to catch the giant catfish. It's all good and fun.
Here are a few from over 100 years ago; just as much fun as today's tales.
Nicaragua has been home to some of the finest rum producers in the world for more than a century, but the country was without an official cocktail until 2006.
The folks at the Nicaragua-based Flor de Cana rum distillery recognized that among the international spirits community Nicaragua was not as highly regarded as other rum producing nations.
The thin-skinned, strong-arm Statehouse partisanship of the past two and a half years reached out and infected the Illinois Conference of Women Legislators' annual fundraising gala last week.
Parlez vous Francais? That means do you speak French.
Why should you speak French? Because gentle readers, you are standing on soil that once belonged to France. It is hard to imagine that time in our local history, but let's give it a try.
Horses, celebrities and over-sized hats are coming soon to a television near you as we approach 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby.
The Mint Julep is without a doubt the darling of the Derby, and this year an estimated 127,000 Mint Juleps will be made from over 1,000 pounds of mint.
If you make it to the Derby, by all means grab a Mint Julep. If you're watching at home, take the opportunity to meet the Julep's lesser known cousin, the Whiskey Smash.
We have talked about the diverse nationalities that came to Braidwood to mine coal and start a new life. While the first wave of immigrants was mainly from the British Isles, the second wave, in the mid 1870's, was from countries all over Europe.
They were separated by custom, dress and language, but they had two things in common - willingness to take a chance on a new country and life, and the Catholic religion. Today we look at the early history of the Catholic Church in Braidwood.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, though we can't be sure that an Apple Martini will do the same.
The Apple Martini, or Appletini, came on to the scene in 1996 and has managed to win over scores of cocktail enthusiasts in all corners of the globe.
The Appletini is a delicious drink that is as easy to prepare as it is to drink. Three ingredients and a shaker are all that we are going to need this week to turn out this modern classic cocktail.
The Appletini debuted over 20 years ago at Lola's West Hollywood and was an instant smash.
Haunted places have a fascination for us. From reality shows to local lore, ghosts have not lost their popularity with the living
I was asked recently where I thought the most haunted place in Will County might be. I am not sure, as I have not taken a survey of ghosts at various places, but I do know the place that I believe should be haunted even if it isn't.
It would be at the north end of County Line Road, where it meets the Des Plaines. In my mind Harborside Marina and Big Fish should just be crawling with ghosts.