Even more nifty at 150

Nestled at the intersection of three national highways and three major railroads, Tuscola sits at the crossroads of Mid-America.

Located barely 22 miles south of Champaign-Urbana, this community of 4,583 people features both the charms of small-town living and a surprising diversity of conveniences.

For motorists traveling down Interstate 57, Tuscola provides a variety of tourist activities.

Shoppers hunt for bargains at the Tanger Outlet Center.

"The outlet mall helped to put us on the map," Tuscola Mayor Dan Kleiss said.

History buffs pay a visit to the Douglas County Museum or the Grand Army of the Republic museum in the courthouse. Or they pay their respects at the Douglas County Veterans Memorial.

Train fans from around the world make pilgrimages to one of the few triple railroad crossings east of the Rio Grande.

Visitors with sweet tooths head for Tuscola's vintage downtown to sample candy at Flesor's Candy Kitchen, recently featured on the "CBS Evening News." Hungry travellers can make their choice among a variety of eateries along U.S. 36, ranging from an Italian restaurant known as Tuscany on the west end to the Amishland Red Barn Buffet to the east.

Tuscola historian Judy Landeck said some of the first settlers in the area came in the early 1800s seeking shelter between the two great rivers of the region – the Embarras and the Kaskaskia, which was then known as the Okaw.

"The Indians who lived here burned the prairie grasses every fall," Landeck said. "They burned off the top coat of the grasses, and then it seeded and was better the next year. Consequently, there were no trees.

"When the first European settlers arrived, they looked here and found no trees to build homes and no trees for firewood. It was all swampland, and the drainage was terrible. But it was also good, flat farmland."

One hundred fifty years ago this week, pioneer Henry Clay Niles completed the first survey of Douglas County and helped to lay out the town of Tuscola.

Many of the community's first settlers arrived via the recently completed Illinois Central Railroad, seeking a new life on the fertile prairie soil.

The town grew rapidly through the Civil War era, as pioneers moved to Tuscola from the East.

"A lot of the people who settled in Tuscola came here from the Smoky Mountains and the Allegeny Mountains," Landeck said. "Some came from South and North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York.

"They just loved this flat land because it was so conducive for farming. It was just gold to them."

One of those early pioneers was a young attorney named Joe Cannon, who later became Speaker of the U.S. House and participated in the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The community grew even faster after the Civil War, when a second and third railroad linked Tuscola with the rest of North America.

"If you were living in Tuscola in the year 1920, you could board trains to New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, New York and Springfield," said Mark Reutter, editor of Railroad History magazine.

In the 20th century, Tuscola became a center for agriculture and industry.

Corn is processed at Cargill, and Syngenta processes soybeans. A major stone quarry, Tuscola Stone, operates on the east side of town. To the west, two major manufacturing plants, Cabot and Equistar-Lyondell, provide jobs for hundreds of local families.

"Tuscola is the kind of town where you can walk into a bank and everybody knows you," Kleiss said.

Tuscola has been visited by three U.S. Presidents. Theodore Roosevelt made a whistle-stop speech in town in 1912. On Oct. 28, 1960, future President Richard Nixon made a campaign stop in Tuscola. Then in 1980, future President George W. Bush visited Tuscola to campaign for his father, George H. W. Bush.

For much of the 20th century, Tuscola was the home of Jarman Hospital.

While the hospital closed many years ago, Jarman has been converted into a complex that includes an assisted-living facility, an eye-care center, a hearing center and offices for doctors from Provena. In addition, both Carle and Christie operate clinics in Tuscola.

One source of pride for Tuscola residents are the schools: North Ward Elementary School recently was recognized as a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School.

"Our schools have always been academically very sound," Kleiss said.

East Prairie School was recognized this spring for having the best history program in Illinois, and Tuscola High is the home of the defending state football champion Warriors, coached by Stan Wienke.

Overall, Tuscola has a tradition of athletic excellence.

Gymnast Linda Metheny competed for the USA in three Olympics.

The Warriors' boys' basketball team made it all the way to the Elite Eight at the Assembly Hall in 1989.

And Tuscola High graduate Fred Wakefield will don his NFL shoulder pads each Sunday for the Oakland Raiders.

Tuscola is also the home of 1975 Miss Illinois Jean Waters.

The Douglas County seat boasts an amazing array of recreational choices.

Families often spent their free time catching films like "Gone With the Wind" at the Strand Theater until it burned down in 1967.

Radio station WDZ in Tuscola was among the pioneering first radio stations in the Midwest. On clear nights, the signal from Tuscola could be heard as far away as Denver or Boston.

After WDZ moved to Decatur, Tuscola served as the home of WITT-FM. These days Tuscola serves as a live theater hub, with the Actor's Rural Theatre Company producing shows like Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" on the stage at the Tuscola Community Building.

Golf enthusiasts can play 18 holes at Ironhorse Golf Course, built about 10 years ago, and swimming is available at the 50-year-old Ervin Park Pool.

Tuscola is also a community that looks to the future. Emerald Renewable Energy has purchased land in Tuscola for one of four ethanol plants it is building. The company hopes the plant will help reduce America's reliance on foreign oil while providing a market for local farmers.

The FutureGen Alliance has made Tuscola one of four finalists for its proposed $1 billion near-no-emissions clean coal plant. The Alliance is considering Tuscola for its lack of seismic activity, lack of endangered species, proximity to railroads and highways and stable underground geological features.

Kleiss said that he believes Tuscola is poised for even more growth in the coming years.

"What's exciting about FutureGen is that it has made us a legitimate candidate for other developers looking for a place to build," he said.

"We're a community that isn't afraid to try something new."

But all this takes a back seat as Tuscola takes time out to celebrate its sesquicentennial July 4-8. Tuscola residents will march in parades, enjoy concerts, circuses and cars shows, taste small-town food and shoot off fireworks.

Most of all, the people of Tuscola will remember the city's first 150 years and dream of the 150 years yet to come.