A Bygone Pleasure Palace

 Near Rockford, Illinois (home of Jane, the world's most complete juvenile Tyrannosaurus skeleton!) stands this weatherbeaten sign, advertising what must once have been a splendid place to wine and dine and––I'm guessing––gamble.

Was gambling legal in Illinois back then, and was the name of the club a nod and a wink to the discriminating seeker of frolicsome entertainment? I don't know, but I wish it was still there. 

Tornado Damage

June 1st, 1917....the fellow in the midst of the wreckage has a rather sanguine expression. Maybe it's not his house. Picked this up in a Wichita flea market a few years ago.