Eldorado Illinois Post Office

ADDRESS: 900 4th Street, Eldorado, Illinois, 62930
ARTIST: William Schwartz
TITLE: Mining in Illinois
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The Eldorado post office is still an active, operating facility and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1937

Today’s feature post office is Eldorado, Illinois. I had no idea there was mining activity in Illinois until I viewed the mural inside the lobby of Eldorado post office.

When I think of Illinois, mining is not an industry that comes to mind. When I describe Illinois to people from out-of-state, I often find myself talking about flat land with lots of corn fields. So needless to say I was a bit shocked to see mining as the subject of this mural.

The piece itself is on the darker side, and the subject is from a different time in our nation’s history. I’m unsure what to make of it. I’m drawn to the color and window to past of Eldorado, but I’m also at a loss for words to adequately describe it. What are your thoughts? Please comment below.

David W. Gates Jr.