NANCY'S NOTES
Visiting in the land of Blackhawk
Well, if you are keeping up with me in our travels to all of the Stocktons in the U.S., you know that last week we took a trip to Stockton, Iowa, a drive of more than nine hours from home to a “don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-it” dot on the map that took less than 15 minutes to explore. So we continued east and soon hooked up with I-80, then found a place to eat and a place to stay in Davenport, Iowa. There certainly weren’t any accommodations available in Stockton, Iowa!
Leaving Davenport, we crossed the Mississippi River on a long 4-lane steel girder bridge, the Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge, that carries I-80 into Illinois, and then headed north on 84, following the big river as it meanders lazily through fertile riverbottom farmground. The drive between the two Stocktons is only about two hours — 94 miles, and looks to be a beautiful drive. The interesting thing about this route is that, for many miles, the Iowa/Illinois state line runs right down the center of the river. Try as we might to find that crazy dotted line, we never could see it. It was certainly plain to see on the map! At Thomsen, Ill., we left IL-84 and went off to the east on the Argo Fay Route, a little connecting highway between IL-84 and IL-78, which will take us up to Stockton, Ill.
The Village of Stockton was incorporated in April of 1890. It was created in part due to the Chicago Great Western Railroad Company, which established a line through the northern portion of the Stockton Township. The name Stockton was chosen by the village’s first citizens. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time trying to understand why it is called a village. What I did learn is that it really all depends on which statute under state law the municipality incorporated under. I knew I would sleep just fine without understanding it, so I moved on to something more interesting, like Stockton’s “cheesy” claim to fame.
In 1914, J. L. Kraft, the founder of the Kraft Cheese Company, arrived in Stockton looking for a place to establish a cheese factory and creamery. Kraft chose to settle in Stockton, thanks in part to the abundance of dairy cows, but also because of the railroad which offered easy transportation for his exceptional goods. Kraft, Inc. owned the plant until 1998, when they sold to Brewster Cheese. Swiss Cheese is still produced in Stockton.
The Village is home to a thriving downtown, an expansive public park, a museum, a multitude of service-oriented businesses, and more. The population of Stockton is around 1,700, having been on a steady decline over the past few years.
Just a few miles out of Stockton, we drive past a beautiful 18-hole golf course, the Blackhawk Run Golf Course. It boasts a Clubhouse, Restaurant and Bar and serves nightly specials every Friday and Saturday throughout the golfing season. There are quite a few beautiful homes near the golf course.
Stockton High School, home of the Blackhawks, has a little less than 200 students in grades 9 through 12. The school colors are maroon and gold, and their mascot boasts an Indian Chief in full headdress. I asked around everywhere and couldn’t find anyone with SHS Blackhawk shirts for sale! So disappointing! Due to their small enrollment, the school coops with neighboring high schools for several sports, and when they do, there is a different mascot. For instance, Warren High School joins Stockton for boys baseball, girls softball and girls track and field, and the combined team mascot is the “Warhawks.” The Lena-Winslow High School combines with Stockton for boys wrestling, and their combined team mascot is the “Pantherhawks.” That sounds confusing, and I can’t see it flying around here.
I tried to find out the significance of Blackhawk for the town of Stockton, because there seem to be numerous references, but I couldn’t immediately find any information.
The next Stockton on the itinerary is almost four hours away, a 188-mile drive to Stockton, Minnesota. Continue to follow the story — that’s where we will explore next week! organs to bio tech companies and to university hospitals and labs and also to those who make beauty skin products etc. Beyond any doubt, that is indescribable brutality and horror and a defilement of anyone’s soul.
Last July there was a new rule applied to Title X government funding. Any clinic receiving federal funds was banned from performing abortions or from abortion referrals. That was a step in the right direction. Thanks again, President Trump.
I hear of prayer vigils about abortion all of the time, and have joined some, but prayer must be followed up by action.
That action can take many forms, from setting up pro life pregnancy centers to rallies and counseling for those thinking about abortion. Giving financially to pro life organizations and Christian legal organizations like the American Center for Law and Justice is a good and necessary way to help.
One Christian friend of mine asked me a few years after Roe Vs. Wade was decided, “Where was the Church?” Where indeed? For that matter, where has the Church been in many areas of life other than abortion?
Here is a list of many areas but not by any means complete....
Public schools; political elections on every level of government; the scurge of cancer and the way it is treated; air and water safety; and having toxic vaccines thrust upon us, plus many more. All of these plus many more areas the church in the past 50 years plus has failed to address. Even discussing these topics is absent from most of our Sunday morning meetings or whenever we gather. Ignoring something or pretending it isn’t so bad, definitely doesn’t make it go away or our having to deal with the evil of it.
Focusing on just the positive aspects of Faith while almost ignoring the negatives in society, is not the way to live the Christian life. We are supposed to be Salt and Light. We need to be the ones to invigorate goodness, peace and joy, but we are also to enlighten and inform those around us of evil and the ways to defeat it.
Blessings,
Beth Jones
