History of Oswego Township on Tap Nov. 15 at Little White School Museum

The CB&Q’s gas-electric passenger car—nicknamed the Dinky—pulls out of the Oswego Depot in 1942. Find out how the Dinky fits in to area history when Little White School Museum Director Roger Matile presents “A Brief History of Oswego Township, From 1865 to the 21st Century.” Submitted by the Little White School Museum.

A brief overview of Oswego Township’s long and rich history since the Civil War will be the topic when Roger Matile speaks at 1:30 p.m. this coming Saturday afternoon, Nov. 15, at the historic Little White School Museum, 72 Polk Street (Jackson at Polk Street), Oswego.

Matile is the volunteer director of the museum and is also an award-winning columnist with the Kendall County Record, Inc. newspapers, where his local history “Reflections” column has appeared weekly since 1980.

The Oswego area’s population hit its high point in 1860 before undergoing a steady decline until it finally rose above the 1860 census figures in 1950, spurred by the post World War II “baby boom.” But even though the community’s population was stable during much off the 19th and early 20th centuries, that era’s history was rich and varied. Advancements in agriculture spurred the formation of farm organizations and drastically increased productivity. Completion of a rail link through Oswego in 1870 and an interurban trolley line in 1900 opened the community to the wider world, while advancement in education produced professionals in many fields.

Matile will use vintage photographs, maps, and other materials from the museum’s collections to chronicle township history, from the sleepy years of the late 19th Century, to the interurban trolley era to the Age of the Automobile. From the disastrous Feb. 9, 1867 fire that destroyed much of the Main Street business district to the development of the area’s largest subdivision, Boulder Hill, Matile will guide participants on a journey through the history of the dynamic years of the community’s growth starting in the mid-1950s.

Admission donation is $5; pre-registration is not required.

The Little White School Museum is a cooperative venture of the not for profit Oswegoland Heritage Association and the Oswegoland Park District. Regular hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Museum admission is free, but donations are always gratefully accepted.

For more information on the Oswego history program or on the Little White School Museum, call 630-554-2999 or send an email to info@littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org.