Peoria Stories


Book Description

From Ken Zurski, author of "The Wreck of the Columbia, " comes a collection of stories about people and events which helped shape a city and region. Included are profiles of Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Lindbergh and many other famous and not so famous figures who played a part in the rich history of Peoria and Central Illinois. Incorporating important historical milestones like the first flights, the rise of the automobile, and radio's early days, Zurski skillfully intertwines local and national perspectives into each story for a captivating trip back to the past. "Peoria Stories" will both enlighten and entertain.




Peoria of To-Day


Book Description

Excerpt from Peoria of to-Day: With Peoria Blue Book Directory, 1915 Why publish this book? There should be many and strong reasons to warrant such an undertaking. T 0 know one's city, its opportunities, advantages, resources and the people that make it, is to know one's self. The wondrous and rapid growth of Peoria, one of the richest and most beautiful cities in the world, is beyond com prehension. The supreme mission of this book is to record fairly and truthfully existing conditions and facts of interest to the great body of our people, as well as to schools, officials and other special classes; a book for reference in the school, the office and the home, and a medium for introduction and acquaintance. Its material has been gathered from every available source, and most carefully examined and sifted before acceptance. Considerable space is also devoted to bio graphical sketches of persons deemed worthy of mention for their close relation to the city in some of its varied interests. It is believed that the extensive recognition of such individuals will not be disapproved or regretted by the public; that personal biography has an honored, useful and legitimate place in such a publication as this volume aims to be; and that the omission of such a department would seriously detract from the value of the book. Perhaps no more delicate and difficult task has confronted the editor and publishers than the selection of names for this part of the work. While it is believed that no unworthy name has a place in the list, it is freely admitted that there may be others, equally or possibly more worthy, Whose names do not appear because of lack of definite and adequate information. Simplicity, perspicuity, conciseness and accuracy have been the dominant aims and rules of its editor and writers. As a rule, the method pursued is the separate and topical, rather than chronological, as being more satisfactory and convenient for reference: that is, each subject is considered separately. To pass from subject to subject in the mere arbitrary order of time, is to sacrifice simplicity and, order to complexity and confusion. Hence no attempt at fine writing, no labored, irrelevant and long drawn accounts of matters, persons or things, which really need but a few plain words for their adequate elucidation, will be found in its pages. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.







Punks in Peoria


Book Description

Punk rock culture in a preeminently average town Synonymous with American mediocrity, Peoria was fertile ground for the boredom- and anger-fueled fury of punk rock. Jonathan Wright and Dawson Barrett explore the do-it-yourself scene built by Peoria punks, performers, and scenesters in the 1980s and 1990s. From fanzines to indie record shops to renting the VFW hall for an all-ages show, Peoria's punk culture reflected the movement elsewhere, but the city's conservatism and industrial decline offered a richer-than-usual target environment for rebellion. Eyewitness accounts take readers into hangouts and long-lost venues, while interviews with the people who were there trace the ever-changing scene and varied fortunes of local legends like Caustic Defiance, Dollface, and Planes Mistaken for Stars. What emerges is a sympathetic portrait of a youth culture in search of entertainment but just as hungry for community—the shared sense of otherness that, even for one night only, could unite outsiders and discontents under the banner of music. A raucous look at a small-city underground, Punks in Peoria takes readers off the beaten track to reveal the punk rock life as lived in Anytown, U.S.A.




Peoria of To-Day with Peoria Blue Book Directory, 1915


Book Description

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.




Peoria of To-Day with Peoria Blue Book Directory, 1915: Yr. 1915


Book Description

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.




Peoria, Illinois


Book Description

Covers the city of Peoria, Illinois, history from 1680 through 1965.




An Appetite For Wonder: The Making of a Scientist


Book Description

Born to parents who were enthusiastic naturalists, and linked through his wider family to a clutch of accomplished scientists, Richard Dawkins was bound to have biology in his genes. But what were the influences that shaped his life? And who inspired him to become the pioneering scientist and public thinker now famous (and infamous to some) around the world? In An Appetite for Wonder we join him on a personal journey from an enchanting childhood in colonial Africa, through the eccentricities of boarding school in England, to his studies at the University of Oxford’s dynamic Zoology Department, which sparked his radical new vision of Darwinism, The Selfish Gene. Through Dawkins’s honest self-reflection, touching reminiscences and witty anecdotes, we are finally able to understand the private influences that shaped the public man who, more than anyone else in his generation, explained our own origins.




It Didn't Play in Peoria


Book Description

It Didn't Play in Peoria explores the interesting history of this small Middle American town which is often looked over. "Will it play in Peoria?" was an old Vaudeville phrase meaning, "Will it appeal to the average person?" But it had greatness in its grasp, and more than once. The Illinois city has gained fame through the years, but more often as the butt of jokes or as an example of the typical Middle American town than through any recognition of its many accomplishments. Peoria boasts a string of close brushes with prosperity, any one of which could have made it a Chicago or a St. Louis. Charles Lindbergh, for example, first approached Peoria for backing for his historic flight, but the town's moneymen refused him and his Spirit of Peoria, perhaps losing a chance at the airline industry as well.