From train wrecks to first babies: A century of January 2 headlines

While New Year’s Day is for celebration, January 2 has historically been the day our publications get back to the business of recording the milestones, challenges, and shifting landscapes of our communities. To mark our 175th anniversary, we looked back at how the “day after” was covered across four different decades.

1910: Dramas in Joliet

Joliet Herald cover: January 2, 1910 Jan 2, 1910 Joliet Evening Herald (Joliet, Illinois) Newspapers.com

The January 2, 1910, Joliet Sunday Herald greeted readers with a packed front page reflecting a city in motion. The lead story was a harrowing account of a “Train Crash” at the junction of the Alton, Santa Fe, and Rock Island lines, complete with a detailed diagram of the wreck scene. Beyond the tragedy, the paper also celebrated local joy, reporting that 778 “Happy Couples” were joined in wedlock in Joliet during the previous year.

1930: New Year Outlooks in Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake Herald cover January 2 1930 Jan 2, 1930 The Herald (Crystal Lake, Illinois) Newspapers.com

By 1930, the Crystal Lake Herald used the second day of the year to provide deep community analysis. Headlines focused on the local economy, with “Business Experts” discussing what the new year would bring for local merchants. The edition also looked back at 1929’s civic progress, noting that building permits for the year had exceeded $285,000 and that contagious diseases like measles and chicken pox were on the wane in the area.

1962: National and Local Transitions in Streator

Streator Daily Times cover January 2 1962 Jan 2, 1962 The Times (Streator, Illinois) Newspapers.com

The January 2, 1962, Streator Daily Times-Press showed a community balanced between local life and global events. While the front page tracked President Kennedy’s military reorganization plans, it also celebrated the first local birth of the year: Michael Alan, born to Mrs. Myron Hoffmeyer. In a lighter community note, the paper reported on the “Weger Case Pictures” taken during a theft at a deputy’s home.

1975 & 1976: DeKalb and Dixon in the Bicentennial Era

The mid-70s archives show Shaw Media papers grappling with post-Watergate politics and civic growth:

• DeKalb (1975): The Daily Chronicle reported on a massive Watergate verdict, noting that jurors had convicted four “Nixon men”. Locally, the paper focused on a panel formed to rewrite city water rates and welcomed “Jeremy,” the first DeKalb baby born in 1975.

• Dixon (1976): Celebrating its own 125th anniversary at the time, the Dixon Evening Telegraph featured a “Bicentennial flavor” to its New Year’s coverage. Amidst the national celebration, the paper kept its eye on the local pocketbook, reporting on recommended college tuition hikes for Illinois students.