Born in DeKalb, IL and grew up in the rural area of southern Boone County, IL but went to school in Kirkland, IL. Our family spent alot of time in Belvidere during the 60s & 70s. Once out on my own I've lived in Kirkland, Genoa, Sycamore, Kingson, DeKalb and back to Kirkland. These days the family genealogy and local history of northern Illinois fills much of my spare time.
Interesting story and great pics. I wonder how long ago that stretch of road was used last?
This is an opinion on my part about the Pearl St Route from Kirkland to Belvidere and the importance of the bridges that allow travel north to Belvidere.
Their are 3 major grocery stores and 2 major discount dept stores on the south edge of Belvidere along with 3 major pharmacies. At 11 miles, this allows Kirkland residents their shortest distance for affordable necessities via a low traffic route.
From Kirkland, major shopping stores in Sycamore and DeKalb are further at 15-17 miles and Rockford 15-25 depending on which stores you choose. These are heavily urbanized areas and the traffic is much worse.