Illinois

This book is one volume from the American Guide Series of books produced by the Federal Writers Project between 1935 and 1943. The Federal Writers Project was one of the many programs under the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a Depression-era government program that assisted millions of the unemployed. The series employed over 6,000 writers and researchers. Despite its age, it is considered a major source of information on the state. From the perspective of 1938, it details Illinois’ history, geography and culture. The first fourth of the book has thoughtful chapters on Illinois history (including labor history), industry, agriculture and government, literature and the arts. The heart of the book for most people is the remaining three-fourths, with 17 profiles of major or interesting cities around the state (Chicago alone has over 100 pages devoted to it) and to 27 tours through the state. The tours are organized following major U.S. and state highways, with each town of any size or interest getting from a paragraph to a page or two describing its history, industry and geography. These vignettes on interesting episodes in local history and on local points of interest are still useful. Descriptions of locations around the state are also a priceless time capsule for the late 1930’s for those interested in seeing what has remained the same and what has changed in the intervening years.