Recently the United States lifted travel restrictions to Cuba. For the first time in 52 years, Americans will be able to tour the historic and exotic sites of Cuba. The month of February is particularly significant to Cuba and Naperville.
On February 15, 1898, while steaming toward Cuba to help Americans and their economic interests on the island of Cuba, the nearly brand new USS Maine exploded killing 261 of her 355 sailors.
The sinking of the Maine prompted America to declare war against Spain.
A wave of patriotism swept Naperville. J.T. Saylor, the newsstand proprietor made a Cuban flag from scratch and hung it on his newsstand.
But David Givler, the editor of the Naperville Clarion and a Civil War veteran warned, “Don’t enlist unless you want to. Keep your head on your shoulders and don’t fly off the handle … Our young men should remain cool and collected.” Eight Napervillains served during the short war, April thru August 1898: Noel Alspaugh; Charles Lasanska; Albert & William Prignitz; Frank Prescott; Lester Marvin; and Charles Daniels. All returned home safely.
Two books in the collection at Naper Settlement showcase the Spanish-American War. One is a large scrapbook 18” x 24” x 1” with newspaper clippings and illustrations about the war. The other book was sold door-to-door by salesmen of the Naperville publisher, J. L. Nichols & Co. Our New Possessions describes the history, geography, and culture of the Philippine Islands, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Hawaiian Islands acquired by the US at the end of the Spanish-American War.
[shareprints gallery_id=”54468″ gallery_type=”squares” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”small” image_padding=”2″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”false” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”false” sharing=”true”]Flash forward 65 years to what the Cubans call “el bloqueo” or the blockade. On February 8, 1963, as a result of strained relations with Cuba, revolutionaries and the Soviet Union, specifically the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy imposed strict restrictions on Cuba including a travel ban. These restrictions essentially placed the island in a bubble where time stood still. Napervillians visiting Cuba today will probably note the unchanged beauty of the island and the glamor of the 1960s.
Oh, and by-the-way, on February 14, 1842, Joel B. Kimball, DuPage County Surveyor re-surveyed and certified that Joseph Naper’s plat of Naperville was true and accurate, thus putting our town on the map.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Naperville!
