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McHistory: Bloomington's War On Dogs

Workers with dog
McLean County Museum of History
An undated group portrait of employees with Meyer & Wochner, a German-American brewery in Bloomington.

At the tail end of the Civil War, there was another battle stirring in the City of Bloomington: the war on dogs.

With the threat of rabies creating panic, the city looked at ways of banning—or at least limiting—the dog population.

GLT's Mary Cullen produced this episode of McHistory in partnership with the McLean County Museum of History. You’ll hear the voices of Bill Kemp and Torii More with the museum.

In this episode, an 1865 Pantagraph editorial details the public distaste for canine pets as the city prepares to instate a tax on dogs.

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