Illinois, 1947

[Music] in America's great Midwest carred from the Prairie's vast domain lies the storied land of Illinois a land embraced by Mighty Inland Waters the Mississippi the Ohio the W bash and the southwestern tip of Lake Michigan a land where the long highways follow the historic Trails of the pioneer wagon trains leading to a rich and fertile Empire of flowering Plains to Modern towns and cities rested from the Prairie's endless Earth such is Illinois a State since 1818 the quintessence of the Great American Dream Springfield the capital lies very close to the state's geographical heart a flourishing modern city its capital Dome proclaims its status to the outside world while its Progressive citizens reflect the Enterprise and Industry which have made Illinois a tremendous farming and Manufacturing State Springfield where Abraham Lincoln lived is in itself a dedication to the great emancipator on leaving it l Lincoln said my friends no one not in my situation can appreciate my feelings of sadness at this party to this place and the kindness of these people I owe everything Lincoln's tomb stands here today more truly than ever does he belong to the ages rubbing the sculptured nose of Honest Abe has become a tradition symbolic of good luck a circumstance which would have tickled Lincoln's own celebrated sense of humor Chicago Colossus of the Midwest flings its concrete Towers Into the Blue Illinois Skies a mighty Masterpiece of stone and steel Chicago's celebrated Michigan Avenue is noted as one of the world's most magnificent thoroughfares down this broad paved Boulevard engineered for modern traffic marches the mechanized parade of the Windy City his turbulent millions in 1830 Chicago was a village of some 50 people today she is the giant of the Midwest a mighty Metropolis of Finance transport and trade robed in its familiar glow of gleaming white the Wrigley building remains a Michigan Avenue landmark and a Chicago symbol [Music] another Chicago Landmark is the massive merchandise Mark world's largest commercial structure a 30 million project this Mammoth showcase offers an amazing variety of goods and manufactured products for manufacturing is to the thriving cities of Illinois what farming is to her rolling prairies both flourish mightily in their respective Realms heavy industry forges the tools of its trade INF furnace fires lighted by the torch of Illinois Ingenuity while thousands upon thousands of manufactured products emanate in an endless flow from the factories of the state's teeming towns and cities here indeed is industry on the March providing modern products to meet the demands of the nation and the world it's all a part of the Contemporary picture of today's Illinois all a part of her vast and variegated Industries from Rockford come the plow shares that turn her fertile soil from Calumet another of the state's humming industrial communities come the familiar Pullman cars that are an American tradition and yet another Illinois Enterprise from lrange come many of the power packed diesels that pull the country's Freight and passenger trains streamline Jugger nuts of the new century built by the industry of Illinois [Music] the University of Illinois situated between the cities of champagne and Urbana is one of the nation's great educational meccas this vast institution of learning dedicated to the Democratic way of life annually enrolls thousands of students from the state itself and many other parts of the country [Music] coal mining is another major Illinois industry the state possesses some of the country's richest mines from her Southern Fields comes coal in quantities great enough to make Illinois America's third largest producer of this vital fuel so necessary to the operation of modern Mills and factories as for the men who mine it The Human Side of the picture also has its interesting aspects coal is their life and their livelihood the black dust of the mindes their own familiar Mark of Distinction it's just another part of the great industrial Panorama that is modern Illinois where men like these help in no small part to maintain the nation's productive capacity and stabilize its economic welfare but Illinois is many things to many people in addition to her prominence in industry and commerce she ranks high as an agricultural State as a producer of much of the country's food from her thousands of fertile Farms mechanized in great part by her own modern factories come wheat and oats and Rye the cereal grains that help to feed and sustain America's Millions the Illinois Prairie that Garden Empire of the Bountiful Midwest annually produces countless bushels of these staple crops truly this Rich agricultural state deserves its place as an integral part of the Great American Bread Basket soybeans a crop in which Illinois pioneered provide another profitable source of farm income the oil of this Asiatic Bean has valuable industrial uses and the crop itself makes excellent farm feed Illinois grows more soybeans than any other state the principal Market being factories that extract the oil so much in demand by automobile plants and other Industries but of all the crops that Illinois produces corn is by far her most important here a mechanized picker does its job with the golden bushels piling high for their eventual transportation to Market or the Farmers Feed [Music] bins the Illinois State Fair at Springfield colorfully typifies the people and the products of this land of progress and plenty it's holiday on the Midway with the fun and Frolic in full swing and the play and pleasure the main part of the show this rubber neck bus does a Brisk business anyway it's a comfortable way to see the fair especially when your feet can't keep up with your curiosity 4 Club youngsters proudly parade their countes for livestock judging farmers of the future already expert in every rudiment of their chosen occupation a Bine Beauty receives the precious blue ribbon and fame comes to the farm little B peep may have lost out with her sheep but this modern Miss has won with hers now it's a spin on a miniature train as this annual Illinois get together really gets going from a train to a Trotter and the pulse pounding Thrill of the fast Wheeling sulkies as they fight it out for the purse and the glory auto racing also has its place among the fair's main events with the dirt track Daredevils burning up the pace and the course such then is modern Illinois Progressive and productive teeming heart of America's great Midwest where the ever lasting memory of Abraham Lincoln remains inseparably linked with the state that gave him growth and opportunity where in the spirit of Lincoln today's Illinois keeps Faith with her future in this land of ours