10 / OutdoorIllinois January 2006

Hobbyists collecting these potent visualand literal messages get glimpses of thepast, from wonderful vignettes, tragicmessages, and if organized into a col-lection, a visual time line of our world.William Smith, a remarkable man and

passionate postcard collector fromSavoy, is an associate professor ofRecreation Administration at Eastern Illi-nois University. He has amassed a col-lection of more than 10,000 postcards,

William Smith’s love of parks and recreation blossomed intoa collection of historical postcards, then a pictorial book.

Unbeknownst to a large segment ofthe population, there is an inex-pensive and quick communicationstyle that does not involve a com-puter or cell phone. A delivery

system that was once popular, despitethe fact anybody could intercept andread the message.Postcards—a colorful picture on the

front that drew each viewer into an exot-ic, interesting place visited by a friend orloved one, and a brief message on thereverse side—remain hypnotic today.

and shares his favorites in a book,“Greetings from Illinois Parks: A PostcardHistory of Parks and Forest Preserves.”Smith’s love of parks and recreation

started when he was a newspaper carri-er and won a trip to Indiana’s TurkeyRun State Park. Like most 10-year-oldboys, Smith had never been out of Illi-nois. A new world opened to him as hehiked the trails and walked across the“Swinging Bridge” over Sugar Creek.As you browse through the 100

pages of postcards, the past seems to

Story By Rich WagonerPostcards Courtesy of William Smith

PostcardsFromthePast

The chance to escape

summertime heat drew

visitors to water parks at

Wauconda and Antioch.

Water seems to be a central theme inmany postcards. Great efforts were madein creating forest preserves and parks toenhance the effects of rippling streamsand glassy lakes to drift on with a friend,or to sit beside and enjoy the best naturehad to offer.come alive, and you may discover a

park you frequent. Consider how muchthings have changed over the past cen-tury. Gone are hot summer-day diver-sions—water slides, high-diving plat-forms, boat houses, mineral springs andwading pools—and sheep grazing inpublic meadows. But theyremain on the brightly col-

ored postcards, mementos of dayswhen the pace of life was slower.

When you have a little time on yourhands, take the book and visit one ofthe parks to compare the postcardimage with the present-day facility. Iwas surprised when I looked at thepostcard depicting the annual fishfry in Beardstown (circa 1909).

The park looks much the same today,with many of the sycamore trees stillstanding and pagodas, boathouses,cupolas and band shells recountingquainter days. But too often, structures inthe postcards are gone, like thewater toboggan on Bangs Lake atVillage Park in Wauconda thatfeatured a 30-foot drop intothe lake.

January 2006 OutdoorIllinois / 11

William Smith’s passion for

parks and recreation has

resulted in a collection of

postcards that chronicle the

history of Illinois’ parks.

(PhotobyAdeleHodde.)

Old postcards

document changes in

landscapes (The Field

Museum at Chicago)

and historic events

(Chautauquas held each

summer from 1901 to

1921 at what is now Wel-

don Springs State Park).

Many Illinois parks often weredesigned around pure drinking waterresources. Springfield’s WashingtonPark is one such site and once drewpeople from miles around to drink fromits renowned “mineral springs.” TheModel T was fired up and the family setoff through a wonderland of tailored florato a favorite spot—a hidden spring in acool vale where a few hours were idledaway and the problems of life forgottenwhile the “miracle waters” reinvigoratedthe body. It was a simpler time.Historic postcards are an invitation to

visit an Illinois park. Turn off the televi-sion and shut the computer down. Loadthe family, a picnic lunch and the fishingpoles into the mini-van and retrace aroute families have taken for a century.

Bring along the postcard book so youcan compare past and present. But becareful. If you hook a big fish or lingertoo long on a swinging bridge you mightbe caught up in one of the newestcrazes—collecting pictures from the pastrelived by visiting one of Illinois’ wonder-ful parks or forest preserves.

Parks were designed as a place toescape burgeoning city life and earlypark designers certainly realized thetranquil effect water has on a park visi-tor. Lyceums and religious meetingstook place in stage-like settings withwaterfalls and lakes in the background.Children waded in shallow streams andlovers paddled across romantic waterssafe from waves and obstacles to inter-rupt their idylls.

Rich Wagoner, an avid outdoorsman whoenjoys backpacking and other outdoorsports, resides at Ghost Hollow Ranchadjacent to Jim Edgar Panther Creek StateFish and Wildlife Area near Chandlerville.

William Smith is the author of Greetingsfrom Illinois Parks: A Postcard History ofParks and Forest Preserves, published bythe Illinois Association of Park Districts. Thebook features 98 postcard views. Creditcard purchases can be made at www.ilparks.org/secure/iapd_store.asp. Creditcard or invoice orders can be made bydownloading the order information from thewebsite or requesting an order form by call-ing (217) 523-4554.

Starved Rock State Park has

been a popular tourist destination

for many years.

12 / OutdoorIllinois January 2006