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In this issue of Illinois Heritage we meet several interesting people from our Prairie State past—Studs Terkel, Milton Kimbler, Eve Josephson Garrison, ––and we revisit Eldorado, Illinois, at the turn of the last century when rioters shut down a Tuskegee model school for African American children and created a “sundown town” in southern Illinois. We also look at the Potawatomi Trail of Death, which came through central Illinois in 1837.

The Heritage is published six times per year and is available as a benefit of membership in the Illinois State Historical Society. Individual editions can also be purchased by contacting our office directly. Visit our Membership section for membership options and information. Click on the “Read More” button to see this issue’s Editor's Comments, Table of Contents, and sample articles.

There is so much history in the November-December issue of Illinois Heritage, and our list of contributors continues to grow. Bucky Halker’s portrait of Woody Guthrie in Illinois is a fascinating look at a 20th century icon not generally associated with the Prairie State, and Dave Joens’ “Breaking up is Hard to Do,” a  discussion of Illinois’s contentious sectionalism, explores the many aborted paths to secession in our 204-year history. Chris Suerdieck’s “The First Burger King” tells us about a mom-and-pop hamburger joint in Mattoon that made headlines simply by sticking to a winning recipe, and we say goodbye to Dr. G. Cullom Davis, a friend and colleague who changed the way we do history.