Carbon Hill School Museum

07/31/2026

07/30/2026

Braceville Field Trip Rules for August 2026 The ESCONI field trips to Braceville for Mazon Creek fossils are set for August 29th and 30th, 2026 from 9 AM to 3 PM. You can attend one or the other, b…

07/22/2026

Is this history's greatest shortcut?

On their return from the 1673 expedition that confirmed the Mississippi River flowed to the Gulf of Mexico, French explorers Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette were guided by members of the Kaskaskia people through what is now known as the Chicago Portage. There, they left the Illinois River and carried their canoe across a short stretch of marsh to the Chicago River, creating a much easier path back to Lake Michigan and Canada (see the map for their route).

Jolliet recognized an extraordinary possibility. If a canal could be cut through this land, boats could travel from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

It would take another 175 years before that vision became reality with the opening of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. But when it did, it transformed transportation, fueled the explosive growth of Chicago and reshaped the nation's economy.

Discover this story—and many more—in our NEW History of the I&M Canal exhibit at the I&M Canal Visitor Center.

Featuring 18 beautifully illustrated panels (one of which includes this map) by acclaimed artist and author Tom Willcockson, the exhibit brings to life the people, places and events that shaped one of America's most influential waterways.

📍 I&M Canal Visitor Center
754 First Street, La Salle, Illinois

🎟️ Admission is FREE. Visitor Center hours are Wednesday-Sunday, 8 am-3 pm

07/22/2026

Sorry, this is a bit of a repeat… But, Tom Testa has been on our minds lately and we’ve all been enduring a stretch of hot weather, so here’s a post that will cool you off!

07/19/2026

Soccer has been around a long long time ! Don't miss a presentation by Chuck Carlson next month in Utica (LaSalle County Historical Society) about our many soccer teams, including Coal City Maroons. Saturday, August 29th at 1pm in the Heritage Center in Utica IL. This presentation is free for members, and only $5 for non-members.

USA takes on Belgium tonight at 7 in World Cup Action. Don't miss a presentation by Chuck Carlson next month about soccer right here in LaSalle County. Have you heard of the Spring Valley Celts...or the Coal City Maroons...or Dalzell American Nickeloid soccer teams??? Learn all about them Saturday, August 29th at 1pm in the Heritage Center. This presentation is free for members, and only $5 for non-members.

07/13/2026

USA takes on Belgium tonight at 7 in World Cup Action. Don't miss a presentation by Chuck Carlson next month about soccer right here in LaSalle County. Have you heard of the Spring Valley Celts...or the Coal City Maroons...or Dalzell American Nickeloid soccer teams??? Learn all about them Saturday, August 29th at 1pm in the Heritage Center. This presentation is free for members, and only $5 for non-members.

07/08/2026

While you were getting ready to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, a new fossil polychaete from Mazon Creek was being introduced to the world! It’s the first in annelid from Mazon C…