Booze raids and milk strikes: Our look at the history of January 3

While the first two days of the year are often marked by celebration and recovery, the Jan. 3 editions in our vault reveal a long history of getting down to the serious business of the world – and the heart of the community.

1913: High Stakes in Joliet

Joliet Evening Herald cover: Jan. 3, 1913 Jan 3, 1913 Joliet Evening Herald (Joliet, Illinois) Newspapers.com

The January 3, 1913, Joliet Evening Herald captures a day of massive national headlines. From U.S. Steel’s labor leaders being freed on bail to the defiance of John D. Rockefeller and the death of “Aladdin of Finance” James R. Keene, the paper connected Joliet readers to the titans of the Gilded Age. Yet, the paper never lost its local focus, reporting on the city’s financial deficit and a warning to neighbors not to be “bothered with a poor stove”.

1924: Prohibition and Protests in Woodstock

In 1924, The Woodstock Sentinel highlighted a community grappling with the law and labor. The front page was dominated by news of “Booze Joints” being raided by the Sheriff on New Year’s Day and the ongoing Milk Farmers strike, where local producers were at odds with Chicago dealers over pricing.

1940: A Nation on the Brink in Dixon

Dixon Evening Telegraph cover: Jan. 3, 1940 Jan 3, 1940 Dixon Evening Telegraph (Dixon, Illinois) Newspapers.com

By January 3, 1940, the Dixon Evening Telegraph reflected a world shadowed by World War II. The “Theme of Message” from the nation’s leaders was National Unity and Defense. While tracking the vital Soviet-Finnish conflict, the paper also maintained its local record, noting that the Dixon Fire Department had its busiest year in history in 1939.

1991 and 2003: Modern Milestones in DeKalb and Streator

As we moved toward the turn of the century, our papers continued to track the local impact of broader trends:

DeKalb (1991): The Daily Chronicle examined how “Sin Taxes” were impacting local businesses and detailed the county’s waste management plans.

Daily Chronicle cover January 3 1991 Jan 3, 1991 The Daily Chronicle (De Kalb, Illinois) Newspapers.com

Streator (2003): The Times-Press focused on the future of local education, with state agencies urging alternatives for the Streator High School construction project. It also captured the local economy, noting that holiday sales had finally “matched expectations” for area retailers.