Even before Illinois was officially a state, farms and fields were set up all across our land. Our relationship with planting the soil and harvesting it is documented in these 10 rare photos you have to see. To truly understand this state, you have to go back and take a look at our farming history.
Scroll on to uncover images from the past that will show scenes from the state’s farming industry over time. Check them out:
- This image was taken in 1900 in Mount Morris after a huge storm tore through the area and destroyed many farms and homes.
Flickr/Internet Archive Book Images
- A farmer stops by an old general store in the town of Pana in this vintage shot taken in 1913.
Flickr/Internet Archive Book Images
- This protest sign on a farm near Rock Island was taken in 1940. Just like now, not everyone used to be on board with government assistance.
Wikimedia Commons/Arthur Rothstein
- This aerial photo of Tiskilwa in 1946 shows just how tiny this farm town is. It’s just barns and fields as far as the eye can see.
Wikimedia Commons/Mennonite Church USA Archives
- A different type of farming, the meat packing industry in Chicago feeds the nation just like our crops do. This is a photograph of the Union Stock Yards taken in 1947.
Wikipedia/John Vachon
- Nothing is more vital to Illinois’ farming history than livestock. These are brown Swiss calves photographed in 1948 in Roanoke.
Wikimedia Commons/Mennonite Church USA Archives
- Also taken in 1948 in Roanoke, you can see a farmer taking care of his property in this shot. He has a couple barns, a silo, and more land than one person alone could possibly need.
Wikimedia Commons/Mennonite Church USA Archives
For more state history, check out 10 of the oldest photos taken in Illinois.
Flickr/Internet Archive Book Images
Wikimedia Commons/Arthur Rothstein
Wikimedia Commons/Mennonite Church USA Archives
Wikipedia/John Vachon
Do you have any old photos of Illinois’ farming history? Share your finds with us in the comments below!
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