The early pioneers prized the rocky bluffs along the Rock River, not only for their spectacular views but also for their quarries of building stone. But Stephen Fuller and his son found another rich resource in their quarry: limestone.

In 1926, when the Dixon park board advertised a job opening for a lifeguard and swimming instructor at Lowell Park, 15-year-old Ronald Reagan jumped at the chance, having taken a lifesaving course at Dixon’s YMCA.

The one-hour program starts at 10 a.m. and includes over 100 rare photos and PowerPoint slides.

Dixon's Lowell Park has a remarkable history. In his column this week, historian Tom Wadsworth shares unique stories about who designed the park and the land's importance in northern Illinois as far back as the early 1800s.

Today's column showcases the story behind Charles Russell Lowell's 1859 purchase of the land that would someday become Dixon's Lowell Park.

Tom Wadsworth’s one-hour PowerPoint presentation about the kidnapping of Della Stackhouse starts at 2 p.m. at the Lincoln Learning Center, 611 E. Third St. in Sterling, and includes free refreshments.

This is the final part of a five-part series about Dixon’s remarkable role in the Civil War. Today's column focuses on the battle at Chickasaw Bayou on Dec. 28-29, 1862, complete with a list of 44 soldiers from the Illinois 13th who died as a result of the battle.

Wadsworth, 72, first became the pronouncer for the Lee County Spelling Bee in 1983. Over the years, he has declared 43 local champions and sent them to Washington to represent the local bee, which is now the Lee Ogle Whiteside Spelling Bee.  

On the very first day the eager soldiers of the 13th Illinois Infantry were given guns with bayonets, the regiment incurred its first injury of the war.

On May 9, 1861, hundreds of eager Civil War recruits streamed into Dixon for training as they formed the 13th Regiment of the Illinois Infantry. Their initial training grounds were at Camp Dement, which was located on the east side of Oakwood Cemetery.  

During the Civil War, Dixon boys were trained right here in Dixon along with recruits from throughout northern Illinois. This is the story of Dixon’s Civil War camp. 

From 1861 to 1865, Camp Dement at Dixon was a major training center, which then sent thousands of Dixon-trained soldiers to clash with Confederate soldiers in nearly every southern state, from Missouri to the Atlantic.

Editor’s Note: This is the third of three installments about the history of The Dixon: Historic Theatre.

When the glorious new Dixon Theater opened with great fanfare on March 15, 1922, Ronald Reagan could be found sitting in the balcony.

With the March 2 grand opening of the newly renovated Dixon Historic Theatre, our historian, Tom Wadsworth, turns his attention to the rich history of this 100-year-old Dixon institution.

Who managed Ronald Reagan's media campaign? Armed with 30 years of radio, television, and advertising experience, 58-year-old Moon Reagan became the media mastermind behind Ron’s 1966 campaign.  

In 1939, Ronald Reagan, now a movie star, urged his brother Neil to visit him in Hollywood and tour Warner Brothers studios. At the same time, Ronald arranged for Neil to take a screen test. The audition was so successful, Neil left his radio job and moved to California in 1940.

This column will reveal some of the surprising details about Neil "Moon" Reagan, Ronald Reagan’s older brother by two years.

After the legendary Charles R. Walgreen died at 66 in 1939, you might think that the connection between Dixon and the Walgreens would begin to fade. But the Walgreen connection to Dixon actually increased.

What kind of man was Charles R. Walgreen? What kind of personality could build an empire from nothing to almost 500 stores throughout the country?

Most Dixonites know about the connection between the Walgreen family and Hazelwood, also known as the Walgreen Estate. Another prominent Dixon landmark connected with the Walgreens is Charles R. Walgreen Field at the Dixon Municipal Airport.