Rollie Krauses’s story of the 1942 fire that destroyed much of downtown Kewanee was interesting and accurate. It is a major event in the history of Kewanee.
The debris from the fire was deposited in an old coal mine
shaft just west of Neponset. For what it’s worth, one of the mine shafts also contains the remains of an elephant that died when a traveling show was visiting Neponset.
None of this would probably conform to EPA regulations today, but I believe that it made a lot of sense at the time.
Bill Studley
Mahomet, Ill.
