Hinckley Elementary students take a walk into history

Second-graders from Hinckley Elementary School went for a walk downtown recently, stopping for story time at the Township Library, then lunch at Dairy Joy, followed by a visit to the Hinckley Historical Society museum.

Some 56 students took part in the field trip with three teachers and aides, the third year they have included the museum in their annual outing, according to museum curator Dolores Bastian. Arriving at the museum they were greeted by Bastian and assistant curator Julie Morsch, then seated on the floor to learn highlights from their town’s past.

Featured were four dioramas designed and built by Bastian and her husband Ron. The first showed the prehistoric period when mastodons roamed this region. A mastodon tooth found on the farm of Howard Larson on Bastian Road, dating back some 11,000 years, was shared with the group. The early elephant-like creatures stood 8 to 10 feet tall and weighed as much as 12,000 pounds, Morsch explained.

Moving to the next diorama she told about the Native American who lived in the area before white settlers came. The Pottawatomi tribe was mostly prominent in this county, and were farmers as well as hunters. They lived in wigwams, not teepees, she said, and also in long log houses that could hold as many as 60 people. One of their tribal leaders was Chief Shabbona who was a friend of the settlers and protected them from marauding parties of other natives. Shabbona lived from 1775 to 1859 when he died in Morris, Illinois. He had spent many years in DeKalb County, living near the present town of Shabbona, which is named after him.

The students learned that the first permanent white settler arriving here from back east was John Sebree, who came in 1834, building a cabin south of what is now Route 30 on the west side of Somonauk Road, just north of the railroad tracks. The historic marker at that site was moved several years ago to Pioneer Park in Hinckley.

Another diorama showed the railroad coming through Squaw Grove township, built by a man named Francis Hinckley. Beginning in 1872, he had tracks laid from Aurora west through this township, Waterman and Shabbona, then north through Rochelle and all the way to Forreston. The people of Squaw Grove were so thankful for his efforts they then named this village Hinckley in his honor.

The invention and patenting of barbed wire by men in this county was also discussed. Students had lots of questions and showed enthusiasm for what they saw and heard inside the museum. The curators invited them to return with parents and other family members any Saturday afternoon when the museum is open. A packet of materials relating to local history was also given to each teacher to share back at school.