Did you know? Rockford's Camp Grant gave rise to city's thriving black community
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — What is now the Chicago Rockford Airport used to be the site of Camp Grant, one of the largest U.S. Army training camps, housing thousands of soldiers during World War I, including thousands of black soldiers.
The camp was opened in 1917.
Six thousand African American soldiers arrived at Camp Grant as part of the 92nd Buffalo Soldier Infantry Division, forever changing the demographics of the community.
'By spring it was up to almost 8,000 black troops. And by the following October of 1918, there were more than 13,000,' said Midway Village Museum curator Laura Furman.
The camp, like America at the time, was segregated and the black soldiers were relegated to one area of the facility.
'The southwest part of camp was set aside with barracks specifically for black troops. They also had their own post exchange where they could do their shopping,' Furman said.
After the war ended, the soldiers returned home as silent heroes and found themselves facing another struggle.
Many did not want to return to the South, and stayed in Rockford.
David Ruffin, curator of Rockford's Ethnic Heritage Museum, explained, 'With Rockford being a very factory-oriented town, they needed workers and unskilled laborers and they could get them a cheaper price.'
The influx gave rise to black neighborhoods on the city's southwest side. The Booker Washington Association from the prior 'Colored Soldier's Club' on S. Main Street.
'The black community … stepped forward and said we need to do more for the black soldiers at Camp Grant who … need support,' Ruffin said, catering to a population that created a community that still exists in Rockford today.
Midway Village Museum, at 6799 Guilford Road, has opened an exhibit on Camp Grant which features artifacts, interactive displays, and rare footage of the camp.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
National Donut Day: How Rochester offered free donuts to heroes
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Friday is one of the sweetest holidays of the year: National Donut Day! It was founded in 1938 by the Salvation Army in Chicago to honor the 'Donut Lassies' — volunteers who served donuts to soldiers during World War One. Donuts Delite and our local Salvation Army joined forces Friday to hand out hundreds of free donuts to some of our every day heroes. 'So, the tradition, again, goes back to the 1920s, World War I and so we have just always felt that it's an opportunity for us to give back to the community,' Salvation Army of Greater Rochester Director of Development Michael Gilbert said. 'A lot of people give to the Salvation Army to help us do our mission and so this is that one day that we can go and return the favor to those organizations that are serving throughout our city throughout our community and helping those who need it most.' Multiple major chains are also getting in on the fun, including Dunkin' and Tim Hortons, which have been giving out freebies with any drink purchase. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
National Donut Day 2025 deals: Get free food at Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' in Alabama
National Donut Day, which comes around annually on the first Friday of June, isn't just promotional permission to partake in pastries – the celebration has some historical heft. The Salvation Army established National Donut Day in 1938 to honor the organization's Donut Lassies and Donut Girls, women who traveled to France to serve donuts and other snacks to soldiers during World War I. "National Donut Day is a time to remember the lasting impact of a unique piece of history and to honor the heroic men and women who have served our country," said The Salvation Army's national commander, Merle Heatwole, in a press release. The Salvation Army will distribute donuts to veterans in several cities across the U.S. and have other events, including the National Donut Day World Donut Eating Championship, scheduled to be held at the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. Across the U.S., donut distributors – large and small – also participate in National Donut Day; big names Dunkin' and Krispy Kreme, which officially call them "doughnuts," will be giving away free donuts on June 6. Alabama has Krispy Kreme locations in Auburn, Birmingham, Decatur, Dothan, Florence, Foley, Gadsden, Hoover, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Prattville and Tuscaloosa. See details about your location here: has several locations in Alabama. Find a location near you here: Wegmans: Veterans across Alabama to rally June 6 against VA job cuts and service reductions. See where Yes, there's a free donut deal at Dunkin'. You can get a free classic donut with any beverage purchase at participating Dunkin' locations nationwide on June 6. But that's not all. You can accessorize your donut devotion with some limited-edition Dunkin' merchandise created with Stoney Clover Lane. Select Dunkin' locations will serve single donuts in mini donut bags created in partnership with the luxury lifestyle brand. Available online starting Friday, June 6 (10 a.m. ET on Stoney Clover Lane website): a double-sided pouch with a Strawberry Frosted with Sprinkles donut on one side and Chocolate Frosted with Sprinkles on the other ($78), two bag charms – an Iced Coffee Charm topped with a mini donut and a Donut Chain Charm ($48 each) – and a set of four Dunkin'-inspired patches ($18 each). Beginning in early June, participating locations will have Dunkin'/Stoney Clover Lane merch, including acrylic and stainless-steel tumblers ($16.99 and $24.99, respectively), straw toppers ($6.99) and cup sleeves ($6.99) at participating Dunkin' locations for a limited time beginning in early June, as supplies last. The doughnut chain is giving away one free donut to all customers, no purchase necessary, on June 6. And, because just one doughnut isn't enough, you can get a dozen Original Glazed Doughnuts for just $2 when you buy any other dozen at the regular price. The following day, Saturday, June 7, kicks off Krispy Kreme's "14 Days of Original Glazed' promotion, which includes these deals: June 7-20: during which members of the Krispy Kreme Rewards loyalty program can get a dozen Original Glazed doughnuts for $9.99 (limit one per guest per day). Other "14 Days of Original Glazed' specials: June 13: All customers can get a dozen Original Glazed doughnuts for 13 cents with the purchase of any dozen at the regular price. June 20: Get a dozen Original Glazed doughnuts for just $2 with the purchase of any dozen at the regular price. Also, multiple customers will be randomly selected at participating shops to win 12 months of free Original Glazed doughnuts – you get one dozen per month beginning July 2025 through June 2026. Members of Casey's Rewards loyalty program get a free donut on June 6. Also, June 6 to June 22, you can get a half-dozen donuts for $5. Get a free cinnamon sugar donut for free, no purchase necessary (in-store only). Also, you can get a half dozen cinnamon sugar donuts for just $6, available in-store and online. The Chicago area chicken shop chain is bringing back its Croissant Donut Hot Chicken Sandwich on Friday, June 6, for $6.60. With any coffee purchase on June 6, get a free donut – choices include the new lemon donut with black raspberry icing (offer good in store only while supplies last). Get a free donut with the purchase of any medium beverage on June 6. Get a free glazed donut with any purchase on June 6 (get the deal in the supermarket chain's MyLidl app with the code FREEDONUT). and : The convenience stores are giving members of Maverik's Adventure Club and Kum & Go's &Rewards 50% off donuts all day on June 6 7 (no limits per transaction and no cap on redemptions, aside from standard item exclusions). Maverik's upgraded Nitro cardholders can get a free donut – choices include the new orange cream-filled donut – and all customers get 25 bonus Trail Points with the purchase of any donut through June 6. From June 6-8, get 50% off all coffee and K-Cup Pod products on using the code DONUT50 Members of the PB Rewards loyalty program can get a free sugar mochi donut or small twisted donut with any purchase on June 6. Not a member yet? You can sign up online and in the app. From June 6 to June 10, get one free donut with the purchase of any Sheetz fountain drink, Sheetz Bros Coffee or bottled beverage (get the deal by adding it under the OFFERZ tab on the Sheetz app; offer good while donuts are available, one per customer). Get a free glazed do-nut with any purchase on Friday, June 6, in person or order online with code DonutDay25. Through June 8, members of the Tims Rewards loyalty program can get a free donut with the purchase of any size beverage (except for excluded products). Get the offer in the Tim Hortons app. (Offer redeemable once per account per 30 minutes; valid on Tim Hortons delivery, but prices are higher on delivery fees and delivery terms apply.) Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National Donut Day deals: Free food at Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' in AL
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Donna Vickroy: We'll never know our family history if we don't ask questions
It was during a break in the interview with his 108-year-old aunt that the man whispered, 'Wow, I didn't know any of this. I'm learning so much.' I've written a lot of stories about a lot of people over the years. So often, family members have been shocked to learn of the hardships and accomplishments of their own elders. In most cases, the younger people knew facts about the older person's life — they'd been in the service or grew up an orphan — but not details, like they went hungry or embraced kindness even when in distress. When it comes to recounting how the ordinary folks in our own families endured extraordinary circumstances, so much seems to go unsaid. In any given episode of the PBS documentary, 'Finding Your Roots,' you'll watch the featured celebrity express shock at the events of an ancestor's life. Years ago, I interviewed the family of a Chicago Heights man who served in the Italian army during World War I. The father had passed away and his adult children uncovered his war journal, which was written in an obscure Italian dialect. With the help of a professor in Italy, they were able to translate the book to English, revealing a heartbreaking story of suffering. Though he had immigrated to America, the man had been drafted to fight in the Italian army back home. During a brutal battle, in which he recalled most of the soldiers in his trench were killed, he was captured. As a prisoner of war, he nearly starved to death. Upon learning her father's history, his daughter was moved to tears. She finally understood why he always ate so slowly, savoring every bite of food, including a common apple. 'I never knew any of this,' she said. More than not, history gaps are a common occurrence in families, including my own. It was on the eve of a serious surgery that my father-in-law finally agreed to be interviewed. I knew he had served during World War II, and that he had been back to the same parts of France and Germany several times. But, until that night, I didn't know why. He was a stoic man not given easily to emotion. I'd asked on many occasions about his war experience and he simply supplied cursory facts about time served. But on this night, a simple question opened the floodgates: 'You've been all over the world. But why did you travel to the same parts of Europe again and again?' 'To visit the grave of my friend,' he said. I grabbed a notebook. He had been a soldier in the 290th Engineering Combat Unit of the U.S. Army during World War II. Deep in the winter of 1944, he was on the frontlines in northern Germany, battling both the Nazis and a bad case of frostbite. When he couldn't get his boots on one morning, his commanding officer sent him to the field hospital. That night while he was recovering in the safety of the medical facility, the Germans attacked, killing almost everyone in his unit, including his best Army buddy. Many of the slain were subsequently buried at an American cemetery in France. Over the years, my father-in-law felt compelled to pay his respects to his friend and fallen comrades again and again. Upon hearing the story, my then-50-something-year-old husband became emotional. 'How come I never knew any of this?' he asked. His father shrugged and said, 'You never asked.' I think that simple explanation is why so many of us know so little about the family members who came before us. We can search ancestry files for facts and records, but the stories attached to that data often go unsaid. I recently learned that my maternal grandmother, who died in 2003, was a family heroine whose sacrifice and resilience went unnoticed or at least uncelebrated by most of her descendants. She found a way to divorce her abusive husband and retain custody of her four children during the 1940s, at a time when women had little say in the court system. I was very close to my grandmother and I am sorry she never confided in me, that I had to learn of her gallantry third-hand. I am even sorrier I never asked the right questions. I can't imagine how frightening it had to be for her to press charges against an abusive man, knowing the best outcome would be to become a single mother during wartime. As the story goes, the Army actually provided her the opportunity. When her husband was called up, he immediately went into hiding. Seizing the moment, she apparently ratted out his location and, with him shuffled off to boot camp, quickly filed for divorce. My nana endured a difficult life. But because of her quiet disposition, her grandchildren never would have guessed it. Even though America is a relatively young country, it has generational stories to tell. Tales of struggle, resilience, personal successes, heartbreaking losses, hilarious antics and big dreams offer a spotlight on the past and insight into who we are. Unless we find a way to prime the pump, too many these personal accounts will die with the protagonist.
