Twenty-fourth Annual Lincoln Colloquium
In celebration of the Lincoln Bicentennial

The Nature of Lincoln

How the environment shaped Lincoln and
how Lincoln's generation shaped the Environment

From the time Abraham Lincoln's colonial ancestors first set foot in Massachusetts, they continually pushed west in search of something better for themselves and their families. But nature often pushed back. As a boy, Lincoln's family huddled in a southern Indiana cabin as, Lincoln wrote years later, "the panther's scream filled the night with year. And bears preyed on the swine." In Illinois, the Lincolns suffered through the 1830-31 "winter of the deep snow" where some unfortunate settlers simply disappeared or were not found until spring. But the migration west by the Lincolns and countless others was not deterred. From the taming of the vast prairies, to control of the waterways with the railroads, Lincoln's generation, with few exceptions, looked at nature as something to overcome. In 1859, Lincoln commented on man's desire to control the land. "The iron horse is panting, and impatient, to carry him everywhere, in no time. He owns a large part of the world, by right of possessing it; and in all the rest by right of wanting it, and intending to have it."

We hope you will join us in Springfield for a series of programs at a variety of locations that will feature historians, archeologists, naturalists and others in an exploration of how Lincoln and his generation influenced, or were influenced by, their environment and how their actions over 150 years ago still shape our lives today.

The programs are presented and co-sponsored by:

Illinois State Historical Society * P.O. Box 1800, Springfield, IL 62705-1800 * 217-525-2781*Webmaster: Terri Cameron tcameron@historyillinois.org