A new documentary highlights the history of McLean County, from prehistoric times through 1900, covering key moments in agriculture, rail transportation and education.
McLean County: The Early Days premieres at 8:30 p.m. Thursday on Peoria-based PBS station WTVP, with repeat airings through Jan. 18. WTVP members may screen the documentary on demand.
“The county benefited greatly from the foresight of its early leaders,” said H. Wayne Wilson, a former WTVP host who wrote, produced and narrated the film. “The history of early McLean County is the story of its people. I feel it is important to reflect back on these decision-makers who shaped the county's future.”
In a statement, McLean County Museum of History Executive Director Julie Emig said the documentary does not “shy away from the complexities and complications of our shared past,” illuminating the impact of European settlers on Native American tribes indigenous to the area and racial tension pre- and post-Civil War.
Also included: three prominent McLean County residents who went on to become President (Abraham Lincoln), Vice President (Adlai Stevenson) and Governor of Illinois (Joseph Fifer).
“It is a wonderful melding of history, images and music,” Emig said, “and in doing so exemplifies the power of Public Television to partner with other cultural institutions such as our history museum to tell stories worth telling."
The dawn of the 20th century was intentionally selected as a stopping point, aligned with a fire which destroyed much of downtown Bloomington in 1900—greatly influencing the city’s skyline today.
