Month: June 2026

A Large and Brilliant Meteor

Candace W Leave a comment

Last Saturday evening about 8 o’clock a large and brilliant meteor was seen by a few fortunate ones who chanced to be “‘neath the starry heavens.” It started nearly overhead and “struck a bee line” for the northeast, leaving a tail of fire after it resembling a comet. Just before it reached the horizon it exploded, throwing out particles in all directions. The sight was magnificent. By the Chicago Times of Monday, we notice it was seen in Chicago and in Battle Creek, Michigan. At the latter place the light from the meteor was so brilliant as to dim the gaslight.1

It was seen well beyond Dayton. Chicago papers called it a fireball of extraordinary brilliance. Some Michigan observers thought stones might have fallen, while others insisted the explosion was strong enough to shake buildings. No confirmed meteorites were ever found, but the speculation gives a sense of how powerful the detonation must have been.

In Dayton, the meteor left no physical trace, but it was remembered. It shows up in the same breath as the great floods and the deep snows — one of those moments when something unusual crossed the sky and the correspondent thought it worth noting.

  1. Ottawa Free Trader, January 8, 1881, p. 8, col. 3

June in Dayton – 1881

Candace W Leave a comment

Rural Happenings
Dayton

Dayton, June 7. – The heavy rains of the past few days have raised the water in the river at this place to a considerable extent. It will probably be unfordable for a few days.

Mr. O. W. Trumbo had the misfortune of losing one of his horses last Friday evening. It broke out of the pasture, and was found late at night on the trestle work of the railroad bridge with a broken leg. While the men were attempting to extricate him from his perilous position he plunged over the side of the trestle work and was killed.

Miss Mattie Brown of Newark, Ill., is visiting Miss Cora Green. A number of the young folks were invited in on Tuesday evening, and all spent a very pleasant evening.

At the meeting last Saturday evening to make a move toward building a new school house, a committee was appointed to find out the probable cost of a new location, a two story building, &c. The movement meets with general approval, and as we are greatly in need of a graded school it is to be hoped the project will succeed.

The Amateur Club gave their drama at the Bell school house last Saturday evening to a crowded house.

Prof. Boltwood delivered a very interesting sermon at the school house last Sunday.

Mr. Brown, a paper mill hand, shipped his wife last Wednesday on account of her immorality.

The young folks are getting up a social party at the hall for next Tuesday eve.

Mr. Wm. Ribbs returned from his trip to the mountains last Monday.

Occasional1

  1. Ottawa Free Trader, June 11, 1881, p. 8, col. 1

Ralph Green – Postal Clerk

Candace W Leave a comment

Ralph Green was a Railway Post Office clerk around the beginning of the 20th century. He worked on the train, sorting mail for delivery to all the small towns along the route. He made $75/month, $900/year.

Railway Post Office clerks were considered the elite of the postal service’s employees. Their jobs were exhausting and dangerous, their entrance tests demanding—a passing grade was considered 97%. They were required to sort 600 pieces of mail an hour. To ensure that the clerks’ skills didn’t rust, they were tested from time to time to ensure they could maintain that pace.

Ralph served the US in the Postal Service for only a short time. He was studying to be a lawyer and when he passed the bar exam, the Postal Service was left far behind.

His daughter said that when she was small, her father would amuse them by reciting all the stops on his route between Ottawa and Peoria. I can hear him chanting now: Ottawa… Naplate… La Salle… Peru… Oglesby… Tonica… Lostant… Troy Grove… Mendota… Bureau… Tiskilwa… Wyanet… Buda… Bradford… Princeville… Alta… Peoria.