Jeff Rankin – Medium

Jeff Rankin

The Great Eclipse of 1869, through the eyes of a Monmouth College professor

As anticipation grows over the upcoming solar eclipse, I thought it would be interesting to look back on a similar astronomical event…

11 min readApr 6, 2024

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The Great Eclipse of 1869, through the eyes of a Monmouth College professor

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Jeff Rankin

Northwestern University founder called Monmouth home

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth’s historic Quinby House was the home of a founder of Monmouth College. What is perhaps less well known is that…

5 min readJul 14, 2023

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Northwestern University founder called Monmouth home

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Jeff Rankin

Monmouth physician dynasty began in 1837

MONMOUTH, Ill. — “This is a pleasant location and bids fair to be a thriving town.”

5 min readJul 13, 2023

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Monmouth physician dynasty began in 1837

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Jeff Rankin

Might Edgar Allan Poe have made Oquawka a literary hub?

In the middle of the Bronx in New York City is a bustling neighborhood known as Fordham. In 1848, it was a sleepy rural village without…

5 min readJan 12, 2023

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Might Edgar Allan Poe have made Oquawka a literary hub?

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Jeff Rankin

Tombstones tell interesting tales

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Walk up the 10 concrete steps to Monmouth’s Pioneer Cemetery at East Archer and 6th Street, and suddenly you find…

5 min readDec 6, 2022

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Tombstones tell interesting tales

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Jeff Rankin

Monmouth’s industrial building boom of 1953

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Our future economic prosperity may lie in the tech and service industries, but 70 years ago manufacturing was still king…

4 min readDec 1, 2022

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Monmouth’s industrial building boom of 1953

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Jeff Rankin

Monmouth pastor provided humanitarian relief during Civil War

MONMOUTH, Ill. — In recent months, we have become all too familiar with the collateral damage that war inflicts on innocent civilians. The…

6 min readNov 30, 2022

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Monmouth pastor provided humanitarian relief during Civil War

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Jeff Rankin

Remnants of a bygone era

Several of Monmouth’s quirky voting houses still stand

3 min readSep 16, 2022

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Remnants of a bygone era

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Jeff Rankin

Beloved veterinarian played Santa for decades

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Dr. Vird Odell Cudd had as many vocations as Forrest Gump, working as a circus performer, professor, veterinarian…

5 min readAug 3, 2022

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Beloved veterinarian played Santa for decades

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Jeff Rankin

Frederick Douglass spoke in Monmouth in 1866

MONMOUTH, Ill. — In his 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Frederick Douglass, David W. Blight says of the renowned abolitionist who…

4 min readJun 3, 2022

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Frederick Douglass spoke in Monmouth in 1866

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Jeff Rankin

Jeff Rankin

Retired editor and historian for Monmouth College. Avid researcher of western Illinois history for 40 years. FB and Twitter. jrankin@monmouthcollege.edu

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