200 years of Illinois transportation connections are the topic of a special history lecture Tuesday, July 24 at the Rock Island Public Library's Downtown location.
Historical geographer Norman Moline provides a broad survey of the development of Illinois’ transportation connections since 1818, just in time for the 200th anniversary of statehood. Canals, railroads, postal delivery, and roads are the subject of his free lecture, "Binding Our State Together," at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, July 24 the Downtown Library. Moline will discuss how the state was shaped, and how major transportation movements and innovations helped connect its towns and citizens, including the development of navigable waterways, the rapid expansion of railroad connections, evolution of postal services, and of the growth of roads and automobile traffic.
Norman Moline earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, focusing on the impacts of the automobile and good roads movements from 1900 to 1930. He taught for 45 years at Augustana College in Rock Island. His teaching and research interests included cultural geography, historic preservation, natural resource management, and East Asia.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.