Between February and April, 1873, Mark Twain and his neighbor, Charles Dudley Warner, wrote a novel together. They called it The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. They had been challenged by their wives to write a more entertaining novel than those currently on the market. Twain wrote the first eleven chapters and Warner wrote the next twelve. The concluding chapters were written in collaboration. The title came from Shakespeare's King John, “...to paint the lily...is wasteful and ridiculous excess.” It was a satire of materialism, graft and corruption. The title of the book soon came to identify the last thirty years of the nineteenth century in this country.

 

Carl Sandburg was born and grew up during those years in Galesburg. His parents were among the millions of immigrants who came to America for a better life. What they found here was a country which was rapidly changing, not always for the better.

 

After the end of the Civil War, railroads expanded across the whole country. Galesburg was one of the towns which benefited. It became a division point on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. A large proportion of the city's population worked for the railroad and many of them had been born in Europe. One of them was August Sandburg, Carl's father. Facilities were added to serve the work of the railroad. These included repair shops and a stock yard. In due course, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad built a line through Galesburg as well.

 

A variety of manufacturing businesses were established by local residents because the railroads provided the transportation needed to ship their products. For miles around Galesburg, farmers could ship their products to Chicago and elsewhere.

 

Main Street and the Public Square were thriving centers of retail stores, banks, physician's offices, opera houses, hotels, etc. Many of those merchants made fortunes and erected large homes  which are still being lived in today.

 

Being on the railroad lines brought new ideas and inventions to Galesburg. Top talent from Chicago and New York appeared in the theaters. The city and local investors improved the streets, provided lighting, established telephone service, laid pipes for the water supply, created parks and planted trees among other things.

 

Political activity was frequently intense and many citizens participated in rallies and parades for the various candidates. The voting rates were much higher than today, even though women have been granted the suffrage in the meantime.

 

Religion was important to most of the people. They supported their churches generously. Galesburg is still a city of churches, many of classical architecture including beautiful stained glass windows. The citizens expected their children to be educated for a productive life and took an interest in the accomplishments of the school system.

 

There was a significant difference in the income levels of the people who lived in Galesburg during those decades. Those who performed manual labor were paid far less than it took to support a family. For example, August Sandburg worked twelve hours a day for the railroad for a small wage. They made do with what they had and hoped for improvement when their children were able to work and bring in a little more money.

 

All of these things, and many more, Carl Sandburg, observed during the Gilded Age. He was curious, had a good memory, and took advantage of the opportunities which came along. He was a hard worker and learned to get along with other people. He married an intelligent and supportive woman who helped him along the path to world-wide fame through enduring written works.