Arlington Heights Historical Museum

Journey to the Prairie
Slide Show

Would you be willing to move off to faraway, unknown lands?  That’s just what many American pioneers did over 100 years ago.  Making the decision to leave their homes in the Eastern U.S. was often difficult.  Moving away meant leaving their family, friends, and the lives that they knew behind.  So why did they go?  Many moved west to start new lives.  Some of the people were farmers looking for cheap or free farm land.  Others were blacksmiths, carpenters, or storekeepers who wanted to open new businesses.  A few were even teachers who went to teach all the pioneer children. And some just moved west because they were looking for adventure, or heard stories that made the new frontier sound like a magical place.

This slide show briefly explores what life was like for many of those who made the journey to Northern Illinois, specifically Arlington Heights and the surrounding area.  In order for the slide show to load faster, the images on each page are shown smaller than actual size.  To view the full size picture, just click on the image.

 

1 - Moving West 6 - Life On The Farm
2 - What To Bring? 7 - Pioneer School
3 - The Prairie 8 - Blacksmiths
4 - A Place To Live 9 - The General Store
5 - The Potawatomi 10 - The Bee

 

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