STOCKTON — Stockton Heritage Museum will host a presentation by Mike Matejka on the importance of the railroad to the growth of Illinois’ communities, economy, and industry.
The presentation, “What’s Coming Down the Line? The Railroad in the American Mind,” will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 9 at the Stockton Heritage Museum, 107 West Front Street, Stockton.
Railroads not only accelerated Illinois’ economic development and population growth, but also became icons that influenced American culture. The national land-based transportation network radically changed the economy, how people traveled, and how corporate structure evolved. Rail workers were seen as heroic as they faced an extremely dangerous occupation. The railroad became a cultural symbol, reflected in advertising, cinema, and children’s toys.
Illinois is the nation’s railroad crossroads. The speeding locomotive was a real-life representation of progress, and people gathered trackside to marvel at the big city opulence represented by an Illinois-built Pullman car.
The event will be co-produced by the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, which invites Illinois authors, artists and educators to share their expertise and enthusiasm with people throughout the state, enabling local nonprofit organizations to present free-admission cultural programs to their communities.
Mike Matejka is an author, historian, community activist and retired union representative. He served as the Governmental Affairs Director for the Great Plains Laborers District Council, edited the Grand Prairie Union News for 40 years and was also elected for 18 years to the Bloomington City Council. He is a past-president and current board member of the McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington, where he was guest curator for five different exhibits, including two on railroad topics.
Matejka has written for multiple publications and is currently completing an overview book on Illinois labor history.
“The event is free and open to all audiences. For more information, visit: www.stocktonheritagemuseum.org, find them on Facebook: Stockton-Heritage-Museum-309324911534, or email info@stocktonheritagemuseum.org, or leave a message at 815-947-2220.
