Summer '22 Cross Country - Day 13
Summer '22 Cross Country - Day 13
Utica, Illinois
Friday, 17 June 2022
Today we ventured over to Ottawa, a town about 12 miles from Utica, for lunch and grocery shopping.
On the way to Ottawa via I-80, we noticed one of those brown highway signs that indicate a point of interest: Begin AASHO Road Test and the dates. Having no idea what this meant, we searched for it and found this:
The AASHO Road Test was one of the most ambitious [concrete highway] test sections ever built and analyzed. Six test loops were built in Ottawa, Illinois between 1956 and 1958 and the test was performed from 1958 to 1960. The test was designed to analyze the various structural responses of different pavement designs exposed to highway loadings in a typical northern climate. At the conclusion of the test, over 70% of the 368 concrete test sections were not considered to be in a state of failure. The results and observations of this road test were used to develop the AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures. After the road test many of the concrete sections were incorporated into I-80.
Once in Ottawa, we had lunch at a place called Burger and Sushi House or B.A.S.H. which came highly recommended by our friends Jim and Debbie Tome of Kleen Tank. While this sounds to me an odd culinary combination, Frieda and I were blown away by how delicious the food was. If you find yourself in Ottawa, Illinois, this is a must visit restaurant.
After lunch, we walked across the street to the square where there were numerous monuments and statues. Again, to my surprise as a history buff, we discovered this was the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas Debate on August 21, 1858.
The square also features the LaSalle County Civil War Soldiers Memorial with the following dedication:
During the years of 1861 - 1866, LaSalle County sent 5,942 men to serve the Union cause in the Civil War. From Shiloh to Bentonville they fought and many were buried where they fell, often in mass graves which were soon forgotten. The names of the 810 of these men who made the supreme sacrifice are engraved in these stones. For most, this is their only memorial.
As a veteran, what made me so proud is that while the original monument was so weathered that barely a name could be read, the above inscription was on a granite slab along with several other slabs (not pictured), with all 810 names re-engraved and re-dedicated in 2006, so that truly, these men will not be forgotten. What a beautiful tribute.
Finally, we found numerous murals all around the city, including many dedicated to the Civil War and even one that gives head scratches!
