Robert's+Local+History+Project

=Completed!=

**THE LIFE AND TIMES OF LYNN RICHARD: A MYSTERIOUS DEATH IN CRYSTAL LAKE**
//(This is a research paper assignment for college freshmen. The final product will be a research paper and homework assignments on the students' blogs.)//


 * Instructions:** We will write a 6-8 page research paper that attempts to solve the mystery of Lynn Richards' death on June 16, 1931. He was Head Cashier of the United States Bank of Crystal Lake. Two weeks before his death the bank had been shut down by the State Auditor after a run on the deposits by customers. It was found by the Auditor that there were large personal loans to Richards and to bank president Walter Hoy Wilbur. Richards was found dead on the side of the road, next to his car. There was no evidence of violence. An autopsy was not performed, but the coroner's report cause of death as "cerebral hemorrhage, caused by exhaustion while changing a tire." Was his death due to natural causes? Suicide? Murder? We will try and find out.

Richards' death occurred during one of the most difficult times in American history, the Great Depression. Banks were failing across the nation. People lost their jobs. Poverty soared. A drought at the time created the Dust Bowl and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their farms and head west to California. It was not uncommon for the formerly rich to find themselves poor. Suicides were more common. Richards was under a great deal of pressure after the bank was closed and his personal loans were revealed. A man like that could have had many enemies who didn't want him to talk.

In order to understand the circumstances of his death we must understand the times he lived in. We will prepare ourselves by researching the Great Depression as it unfolded nationally and here in Illinois. We will mostly use primary sources to build a picture of Crystal Lake, Illinois, and America in the Great Depression, and use this as a background to conduct our own examination of Richards' mysterious death.


 * Sequence of Events**

**The Mysterious Death**
First, read this document: The Case of Lynn Richard's death by Craig Pfannkuche and the Crystal Lake Historical Society: [|Lynn Richard's Case] ("The Case of"). This is the basic set of documents for the case: transcript of the coroner's inquest, two newspaper articles from the local paper at the time, a photograph of Richards, and an image of the death certificate. It also has a basic narrative of the events of the death. Then, post answers to the following question on your blog: 1. Summarize the problems the bank had before Richards' death. 2. Use the first June 18th newspaper article to write a one paragraph description of Richards. 3. Use the second June 118th article to briefly describe the scene of his death. 4. Compare the testimony of Gaulke and Ehlert in the Coroner's Inquest. How does the testimony of a regular citizen (Gaulke) compare with that of a police officer (Ehlert)? Cite specific examples. 5. Summarize Alford's testimony. What does he as a physician add to the inquest? Be specific. 6. Read page 12. Is there any evidence of actual wrongdoing by Richards? What is it. Who might have had a motive to kill Richards?

**Background to Richards' Death**
Before we can solve the mystery, we have to understand what led up to it. We will use a variety of primary sources for this part of the paper.

First we will write a short 1-2 page section that gives an overview of the Great Depression. Use at least two sources (no Wikipedia or other general encyclopedias!).
 * The Great Depression:**

Political cartoons were in all the major newspapers at this time. It was a way for people to add a little humor to what were grim times, and to satirize government's and society's attempts to do something about it. We will use these cartoons to understand the effects of the Great Depression on banks and American society in general. 1. We will use the NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) worksheet for cartoons to analyze 3 of the 5 political cartoons. The worksheet can be found here: [|NARA Worksheets] ("Document"). You will turn in three worksheets for any 3 of the 5 cartoons. [|cartoon 1] [|cartoon 2] [|cartoon 3] [|cartoon 4] [|cartoon 5] ("7 Cartoons").
 * Political Cartoons of the Great Depression:**

Posters were much more common in the past, in an age before television. They performed many vital functions, such as informing citizens about government projects, as well as providing information about health, sanitation, safety, and services available to people. We will use these posters to understand the effects of the Great Depression on banks and American society in general. 1. We will use the NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) worksheet for posters to analyze 3 of the 5 posters. The worksheet can be found here: [|NARA Worksheets]. You will turn in three worksheets for any 3 of the 5 posters.
 * Great Depression Posters:**

("Work Promotes") ("Globalization") ("NRA Member") ("When Cash") ("in Case")

**Local History**
The Great Depression had an impact here in Illinois. This video is an oral history of the Great Depression in Illinois by Maud Carroll: [|Maud Carroll and the Great Depression] ("Maud") Watch the video and complete the NARA worksheet for a motion picture, [|NARA worksheets] Also answer the following questions on your blog: 1. How did Maud Carroll describe the Great Depression? Give several details. 2. Read Maud Carroll's obituary [|here]("Obituaries"). Briefly describe her life.

**Songs of the Great Depression**
Music is more than entertainment. Songs can give clues about the life and times of a society. Listen to three of the five recordings and complete [|NARA worksheets] for sound recordings. [|Brother Can You Spare a Dime?] ("Brother") [|Pretty Boy Floyd -- Woody Guthrie] ("Pretty") [|Come Alll Ye Coal Miners] ("Come") [|Do Re Mi -- Woody Guthrie]("Do Re Mi") In your blog, answer the following questions: 1. For each song you chose describe how it reflects the times. 2. for the song about Pretty Boy Floyd, do little research and write a short one paragraph description of his life. 3. Two of the songs are by Woody Guthrie. Do a little research and write a short one paragraph description of his life.

Local Video
Nothing preserves the past like video. We are lucky that the time period included sound and video (since 1929 only!). Choose three of the five videos and complete for each one the NARA worksheet for a motion picture, [|NARA worksheets]

[|Life in DuQoin (1940)] ("LIfe") [|Oak Park and Chicago 1930] ("Oak Park") [|Chicago, 1930s] ("Chicago, 1930s") [|Grandma Describes Dillinger Bank Robbery] ("Grandma Describes") [|Bonnell Family Video Part 1/6] ("Bonnell")

After viewing the videos answer these questions in your blog: 1. Who is John Dillinger? Briefly describe his life. 2. Describe some of the differences between then and now in the videos. Give specific details. 3. Briefly describe the Wrigley building and the Palmolive building in Chicago.

**Putting It All Together**
Now that you have accumulated numerous primary documents, it's time to integrate them with your paper on Lynn Richard's death. Here is the format we will use for this paper:

Part One: The Great Depression Here you will use two cartoons, two posters, two audio recordings, and two videos to illustrate the Great Depression in Illinois. The focus is on Illinois, northern Illinois, Chicago, McHenry county, and Crystal Lake. Make sure that some of your primary sources deal with the local area. Also make sure that you provide an overview of the Great Depression. Finally, make sure that the focus of this section is to explain the world of Lynn Richards, a banker in a small town in northern Illinois. The point is that the events of the Great Depression perhaps led, unexpectly, to Richards' death.

Part Two: Lynn Richards Here you will lay out the case for your version of events: suicide, murder, or natural causes. Remember to use the evidence from the handout.


 * Final Blog Entry:** Reflect on how learning about the Great Depression gave you a better understanding of the social and economic forces in the life of Lynn Richards.

The paper will be graded (25% of the course grade) according to the rubric for the course used in the previous papers. The blog homeworks are worth 100 points of homework credit.

“Bonnell Family Video Part 1/6. //YouTube.// You Tube LLC. 3 Dec. 2009. Web. 24 July 2010. “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?” //You Tube.// You Tube LLC. 1 Nov. 2007. Web. 24 July 2010. “The Case of Lynn Richards’ Death.” //The Crystal Times.// Crystal Lake Historical Society. April – June 2010. Web. 24 July 2010. “Chicago, 1930s.” //YouTube.// You Tube LLC. 24 June 2010. Web. 24 July 2010. “Come All Ye Coal Miners.” //You Tube.// You Tube LLC. 16 Feb. 2008. Web. 24 July 2010. “Do Re Mi – Woody Guthrie.” //You Tube.// You Tube LLC. 3 Aug. 2009. Web. 24 1940 2010. “Document Analysis Worksheets.” //The National Archives.// National Archives and Records Administration. Web. 24 July 2010. “Globalization – Giving Away the Store?” //NY Cop Online Magazine.// Edward D. Reuss. 2006. Web. 24 July 2010. “Grandma Describes Dillinger Bank Robbery. //YouTube.// You Tube LLC. 8 April 2008. Web. 24 July 2010. “In Case You Need Confirmation That Times Are Hard.” //CTW Connect.// Change to Win. 5 Dec. 2008. Web. 24 July 2010. “Life in DuQuoin (1940) Part 1.” //You Tube.// You Tube LLC. 11 March 2009. Web. 24 July 2010. “Maud Carroll – the Great Depression Pittsfield, IL (Part 5 of 9)”. //You Tube.// YouTube LLC. 11 April 2009. Web. 24 July 2010. “NRA Member – We Do Our Part.” //Picture History.// 2010. Web. 24 July 2010. “Oak Park and Chicago.” //YouTube.// You Tube LLC. 11 Dec. 2009. Web. 24 July 2010. “Obituaries – Pike County, IL – C.” //Genealogy Trails.// Genealogy Trails. 2010. Web. 24 July 2010. “Pretty Boy Floyd – Woody Guthrie.” //You Tube.// You Tube LLC. 12 Aug. 2009. Web. 24 July 2010. “7 Cartoons from the Great Depression.” //Bearish News.// Sharp Enterprises, Inc. 25 June 2009. Web. 24 July 2010. “When Cash is an Investment Strategy.” //Capital Flow Watch.// John Schroy. 10 April 2010. Web. 24 July 2010. “Work Promotes Confidence.” //Artwork.// The Cleveland Foundation. 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 24 July 2010.
 * Works Cited**