>> (NARRATOR) ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THE ALFRED BERSTED FOUNDATION AND THE GRACE BERSTED FOUNDATION; AND PETER KELLIHER JR. AND DIANE KELLIHER.

♪♪ >> (GEOFFREY BAER) CONTINUING SOUTH ON RT.

31, THE OLD LINCOLN HIGHWAY, WE ENTER BATAVIA.

AND WE'RE GREETED BY A DRAMATIC EARLY MODERNIST BUILDING FROM 1937 THAT WAS ONCE A COSMETICS FACTORY.

THE COMPANY'S SIGNATURE PRODUCT WAS FIRST CALLED ITALIAN BALM HAND LOTION.

BUT DURING WORLD WAR II WHEN ITALY WAS THE ENEMY THE COMPANY CHANGED ITS NAME TO CAMPANA.

THE BUILDING'S TEN-STORY TOWER CONTAINED A 45,000 GALLON WATER TANK.

THE STREAMLINED STRUCTURE MADE EXTENSIVE USE OF GLASS BRICK TO BATHE THE INTERIOR IN LIGHT.

THE LOBBY FEATURED ART DECO RELIEF SCULPTURES OF BEAUTIFUL FEMALE FIGURES.

THE GLEAMING EQUIPMENT WAS VISIBLE BEHIND PLATE GLASS WINDOWS WITH CHROME FRAMES.

THE COMPANY WANTED TO CREATE A SANITARY IMAGE FOR ITS HEALTH-ORIENTED PRODUCTS.

THE COMPANY EVENTUALLY BECAME PART OF LARGER CORPORATIONS AND THE FACTORY WAS CLOSED IN THE EARLY 1980S.

THE CAMPANA BUILDING WAS PLACED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES IN 1979 AND IN 2003 BECAME THE FIRST BUILDING IN BATAVIA TO BE DESIGNATED A LOCAL LANDMARK.

AS OF 2006 THE OWNERS WERE STRUGGLING TO COME UP WITH A WORKABLE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE 130,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING.

♪♪ BACK IN GENEVA WE SAW A PRETTY GREAT WINDMILL.

BUT HERE IN BATAVIA THEY HAVE ENOUGH OF THEM TO GIVE GENEVA WINDMILL ENVY.

IN FACT, BATAVIA WAS ONCE NICKNAMED "THE WINDMILL CITY," AND LOOKING AROUND TOWN YOU CAN SEE WHY.

THERE WERE ONCE THREE WINDMILL FACTORIES IN TOWN: CHALLENGE, APPLE, AND U.S. WIND ENGINE AND PUMP COMPANY.

WINDMILLS MADE IN BATAVIA SPROUTED LIKE GIANT FLOWERS ALL ACROSS THE AMERICAN WEST AS PIONEER FARMERS CLAIMED THEIR 160 ACRES UNDER THE HOMESTEAD ACT.

THEY WERE MOST OFTEN USED TO POWER PUMPS.

IT'S BEEN SAID THAT WINDMILLS AND BARBED WIRE WERE THE TWO KEY INVENTIONS THAT MADE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMERICAN FRONTIER POSSIBLE.

BATAVIA'S CITY HALL IS IN AN OLD WINDMILL FACTORY.

AND THERE ARE SIX RESTORED WINDMILLS ALONG BATAVIA'S SCENIC RIVERWALK, WHICH WAS BUILT ENTIRELY BY VOLUNTEERS!

IT WAS OPENED IN 1998 AFTER SEVEN YEARS OF WORK.

BATAVIA ALSO HAS A WINDMILL CITY FESTIVAL EVERY YEAR.

I LIKE THEIR SLOGAN: "IT'LL BLOW YOU AWAY!"

[WHISTLE BLOWING] [CROWD CHEERING] IN ADDITION TO WIND ENERGY, BATAVIA IS ALSO ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF ATOMIC ENERGY.

IT'S THE HOME OF FERMILAB, THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL ATOMIC PARTICLE ACCELERATOR.

WHEN THE LABORATORY OPENED IN THE 1960S BATAVIA CHANGED ITS NICKNAME FROM WINDMILL CITY TO CITY OF ENERGY.

FERMILAB IS NAMED FOR ONE OF THE PREMIER PHYSICISTS OF THE ATOMIC AGE, ENRICO FERMI.

FERMI LEFT FASCIST ITALY IN 1938 TO ACCEPT THE NOBEL PRIZE IN SWEDEN.

HE NEVER RETURNED HOME.

HE TOOK A POSITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO WHERE HE OVERSAW THE PROJECT THAT CREATED THE FIRST CONTROLLED NUCLEAR REACTION ON DECEMBER 2, 1942.

IT WAS A KEY STEP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ATOMIC BOMB AND IN HARNESSING NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR PEACEFUL PURPOSES.

FREMI MADE TIME MAGAZINE'S LIST OF THE 100 MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF THE 20TH CENTURY.

FREMILAB'S TEVATRON ACCELERATOR WHIRLS SUB-ATOMIC PARTICLES AROUND AN UNDERGROUND RING AT NEARLY THE SPEED OF LIGHT USING 1,000 SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETS COOLED BY LIQUID HELIUM TO 450 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.

THE PARTICLES ARE INTENTIONALLY SMASHED TOGETHER BY SCIENTISTS LOOKING TO UNLOCK THE DEEPEST SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE.

THREE OF THE 18 KNOWN SUB-ATOMIC PARTICLES WERE DISCOVERED AT FERMILAB.

THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONLY NUCLEAR PHYSICS LAB THAT HAS ITS OWN HERD OF BISON.

THEY SYMBOLIZE FERMILAB'S WORK ON THE FRONTIER'S OF SCIENCE.

THEY ALSO REMIND US THAT FERMILAB'S 6,800 ACRE SITE WAS ONCE PRAIRIE AND LATER FARMLAND.

SOME ORIGINAL BARNS ARE STILL USED FOR SOCIAL EVENTS AND STORAGE.

AND THE PRAIRIE IS BEING LOVINGLY RESTORED.

YOU'VE PROBABLY NOTICED BY NOW THAT EVEN THOUGH BATAVIA IS HOME TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED RESEARCH CENTERS, IT STILL PLACES A LOT OF IMPORTANCE ON PRESERVING ITS HISTORIC SMALL-TOWN CHARACTER.

HALF A CENTURY AGO BATAVIA WAS SO QUAINT THAT IT MADE THE COVER OF THE SATURDAY EVENING POST.

NEBRASKA ILLUSTRATOR JOHN FALTER'S PAINTING DEPICTED ICE SKATING ON THE DOWNTOWN POND.

IT APPEARED ON THE COVER OF THE JANUARY 11, 1958 ISSUE.

PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THIS HISTORIC BATAVIA BUILDING CAN SAY THAT MARY TODD LINCOLN ONCE SLEPT HERE.

BUT NOT WILLINGLY.

THIS WAS ONCE THE BELLEVUE SANITARIUM.

MRS. LINCOLN WAS TREATED HERE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS IN 1875-- TEN YEARS AFTER HER HUSBAND WAS ASSASSINATED, AND 4 YEARS AFTER THE DEATH OF HER 18-YEAR OLD SON.

SHE REPORTEDLY SUFFERED FROM MIGRAINES, ACUTE ANXIETY, INSOMNIA AND DELUSIONS.

HER SON, ROBERT, HAD HER DECLARED MENTALLY INCOMPETENT.

ROBERT WROTE IN A LETTER: "I KNEW THAT THE NEXT DAY AFTER MY ACTION THE WHOLE COUNTRY WOULD BE FLOODED WITH CRITICISM...

YET I COULD NOT WAIT ANY LONGER."

BELLEVUE PLACE WAS RUN BY DR. RICHARD J. PATTERSON, AN EARLY ADVOCATE OF TREATING THE INSANE WITH PEACE AND QUIET IN A GENTLE SETTING.

APPARENTLY MRS. LINCOLN HAD A LOT OF FREEDOM AT BELLEVUE.

SHE ATE MEALS WITH DR. PATTERSON AND HIS WIFE, TOOK CARRIAGE RIDES AND VISITED THE HOMES OF FRIENDS.

MRS. LINCOLN HIRED LAWYERS AND GOT HERSELF RELEASED TO THE CUSTODY OF HER SISTER AFTER JUST FOUR MONTHS AT BELLEVUE.

THE STATE DECLARED HER LEGALLY SANE THE FOLLOWING YEAR.

BELLEVUE PLACE IS NOW AN APARTMENT BUILDING AND IT'S NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

BUT YOU CAN SEE A RE-CREATION OF MRS. LINCOLN'S BELLEVUE ROOM WITH HER ACTUAL BED AND DRESSER AT BATAVIA'S DEPOT MUSEUM.

EARLY SETTLERS CALLED THE TOWN "HEAD OF BIG WOODS."

NOT A VERY POETIC NAME, BUT IT DID ACCURATELY DESCRIBE THE TOWN'S LOCATION AT THE GATEWAY TO A LARGE AND DENSE FOREST THAT WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE PRAIRIE AND SCRUBBY WOODLAND IN THE REST OF THE REGION.

BATAVIA MADE MORE THAN WINDMILLS IN ITS EARLY DAYS.

MANY OF THE COVERED WAGONS THAT CARRIED PIONEERS ACROSS THE AMERICAN FRONTIER WERE MADE AT THE NEWTON WAGON COMPANY.

LUMBER TO BUILD THE WAGONS CAME FROM THOSE BIG WOODS NEARBY.

REMARKABLY, THE COMPANY STAYED IN BUSINESS UNTIL 1973 AS BATAVIA BODY COMPANY MAKING TRUCK BODIES FOR DAIRIES AND OTHER COMPANIES.

YET ANOTHER EARLY BATAVIA INDUSTRY NOW SERVES AS A ONE-OF-A-KIND AQUATIC FACILITY.

THIS WAS A LIMESTONE QUARRY FROM THE MID 1800S TO THE EARLY 1900S.

AFTER IT CLOSED AND FILLED WITH WATER IT BECAME A LOCAL SWIMMING HOLE.

THE WPA ADDED THE DIVING TOWER IN THE 1930S.

IT WAS TOTALLY RENOVATED IN 1993 AND NOW FEATURES A SAND BEACH, TWO LARGE ISLANDS AND WATER SLIDES.

IT HAS A CAPACITY OF 1,500 BATHERS.

HEADING SOUTH FROM BATAVIA ON ROUTE 31, WE COME TO A CITY OF CHILDREN, CALLED MOOSEHEART.

THIS THOUSAND-ACRE PROPERTY IS A HOME AND SCHOOL FOR NEEDY CHILDREN FROM INFANCY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL.

IT'S THE EMBODIMENT OF THE HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD MISSION OF THE LOYAL ORDER OF MOOSE.

LONG BEFORE THE DAYS OF SOCIAL SECURITY, MOOSE MEMBERSHIP WAS DEVELOPED AS A WAY FOR WORKING CLASS PEOPLE TO BUY AFFORDABLE PROTECTION FOR THEIR FAMILIES IF THE BREADWINNER BECAME DISABLED OR DIED.

MOOSEHEART WAS BUILT IN 1913 TO HOUSE AND EDUCATE CHILDREN OF DECEASED MEMBERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

>> SO... A VERB?

>> (GEOFFREY BAER) TODAY ITS MISSION HAS EXPANDED TO SERVE ANY QUALIFYING FAMILIES THAT ARE UNABLE TO CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN.

SMALL SINGLE-FAMILY STYLE HOMES HOUSE SIX TO TWELVE CHILDREN EACH.

IN ADDITION TO HOMES AND SCHOOLS THE PROPERTY HAS A CHURCH, A FARM, AND EVEN A POST OFFICE.

AS MANY AS 300 CHILDREN AT A TIME LIVE HERE AT MOOSEHEART, AND ANY STUDENT WHO GETS A 3.0 GRADE POINT AVERAGE OR BETTER AT MOOSEHEART'S HIGH SCHOOL GETS A FULL COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP.

♪♪ FURTHER SOUTH ON ROUTE 31 WE COME TO NORTH AURORA, HOME OF A DAIRY THAT'S STILL DELIVERING MILK THE OLD FASHIONED WAY IN GLASS BOTTLES DIRECTLY TO PEOPLE'S HOMES.

OBERWEIS DAIRY MOVED TO THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY IN NORTH AURORA IN 1996.

PETER OBERWEIS GOT INTO THE BUSINESS BECAUSE HE HAD A SURPLUS OF MILK ON HIS DAIRY FARM.

HE AND HIS SON JOE USED A HORSE AND WAGON AND LATER A MODEL T FORD TO MAKE DELIVERIES BACK THEN.

THESE DAYS OBERWEIS DELIVERS MILK ALL OVER THE CHICAGO AREA.

BUT THE COMPANY IS PERHAPS BETTER KNOWN BECAUSE OF THEIR RETAIL STORES SELLING DECADENT ICE CREAM TREATS.

AND FOR CHAIRMAN JIM OBERWEIS, GRANDSON OF THE FOUNDER, HE RAN UNSUCCESSFULLY IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES FOR U.S. SENATE IN 2002 AND 2004 AND FOR ILLINOIS GOVERNOR IN 2006.

♪♪ >> IT'S BEEN GREAT.

>> OKAY.

SEE YOU.

THE LAST TOWN ON OUR TOUR IS AURORA.

IT'S ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING CITIES IN THE COUNTRY AND IT'S FILLED WITH RICH HISTORY.

WE'LL LEARN ABOUT ALL THAT IN A MOMENT.

BUT FIRST TO COMEDY FANS ALL OVER AMERICA, AURORA'S GREATEST CLAIM TO FAME IS... ♪ WAYNE'S WORLD, ♪ ♪ PARTY TIME, EXCELLENT!

♪ >> (GEOFFREY BAER) IT STARTED AS A SKIT ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.

>> PARTY ON, WAYNE.

>> PARTY ON, GARTH.

>> (GEOFFREY BAER) MIKE MEYERS AND DANA CARVEY PLAYED SLACKERS WAYNE AND GARTH WHO STARRED IN THEIR OWN PUBLIC ACCESS TV SHOW BROADCAST LIVE FROM THE BASEMENT OF WAYNE'S AURORA HOME.

>> (ANNOUNCER) AURORA, ILLINOIS COMMUNITY ACCESS CHANNEL.

>> (GEOFFREY BAER) WHEN MEYERS WAS DREAMING UP WAYNE'S WORLD, HE'D NEVER VISITED OR EVEN HEARD OF AURORA.

BUT HE WANTED TO SET THE SKIT IN AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY SIMILAR TO HIS OWN HOMETOWN IN ONTARIO, CANADA.

HE DESCRIBED IT AS A SMALL CITY WITH DONUT SHOPS AND FACTORY CARPET OUTLETS.

ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE WRITER SUGGESTED AURORA.

MEYERS SAID IT SOUNDED JUST RIGHT TO HIM.

>> I LIVE IN AURORA, ILLINOIS.

>> (GEOFFREY BAER) THE FILM VERSION GOT THE DUO OUT OF THE BASEMENT AND ONTO THE STREETS OF AURORA.

OR AT LEAST IT LOOKED LIKE AURORA.

MOST OF THE FILM WAS ACTUALLY SHOT IN CALIFORNIA.

THE ONLY PARTS OF THE MOVIE THAT WERE SHOT IN AURORA WERE THE "WELCOME TO AURORA" SIGNS.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WAYNE AND GARTH ARE NOT THE ONLY CLAIM TO FAME OF SMALL-TIME AURORA TV.

JEFFREY SKILLING, THE EX-CEO OF ENRON SERVED AS A CAMERAMAN AND WORKED IN THE CONTROL ROOM AS A TEENAGER AT A SMALL UHF STATION THERE.

JEFFREY'S BROTHER TOM SKILLING WORKED IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA AT THAT STATION.

HE WENT ON TO BECOME A CHICAGO TV LEGEND.

>> THERE ISN'T A CLOUD IN THE SKY, WEST OF US TONIGHT.

>> (GEOFFREY BAER) FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS HE HAS BEEN WGN CHANNEL 9'S POPULAR WEATHERMAN.

OTHER CHICAGO BROADCAST GREATS FROM AURORA INCLUDE FORMER CHANNEL 7 ANCHORMAN JOHN DRURY, MORNING RADIO FAVORITE SPIKE O'DELL OF WGN.

AND GARFIELD GOOSE!

>> RIGHT.

>> (GEOFFREY BAER) THE FAMOUS CHILDREN'S TV PUPPET WAS DESIGNED BY BRUCE AND CLAIRE NEWTON OF AURORA.

THEY WORKED AS GRAPHIC ARTISTS AT FLEDGLING CHICAGO TV STATION WBKB, THE PRECURSOR TO TODAY'S CHANNEL 7.

THE SHOW DEBUTED THERE, BUT SOON MOVED TO WGN CHANNEL 9 WHERE IT STAYED FOR 26 YEARS.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE AURORA ENTERTAINERS CAME FROM AN AGE LONG BEFORE TELEVISION.

VIOLINIST MAUD POWELL WAS AN EARLY RECORDING STAR.

IN 1904 SHE MADE THE FIRST SOLO INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING FOR THE VICTOR TALKING MACHINE COMPANY'S CELEBRITY ARTIST LABEL.

♪♪ POWELL WAS A CHILD PRODIGY WHO OFTEN PERFORMED AT AURORA'S OPERA HOUSE.

IN 1881, AT THE AGE OF 14, SHE LEFT TO STUDY WITH THE GREAT VIOLIN TEACHERS OF EUROPE.

SHE WENT ON TO INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM AND BLAZED A TRAIL FOR PROFESSIONAL WOMEN MUSICIANS EVERYWHERE.

THE AURORA ZOUAVES WERE A CLOSE-ORDER DRILL TEAM FORMED IN 1887.

AFTER WINNING A NATIONAL COMPETITION IN 1896 THE ZOUAVES TOURED WITH BUFFALO BILL'S WILD WEST SHOW AND WITH PROFESSIONAL CIRCUSES.

THE ZOUAVES DISBANDED WHEN WORLD WAR I BROKE OUT.

BUT YOU CAN STILL SEE A CHAMPION DRILL TEAM IN AURORA.

FLANNIGAN RIFLES IS AN ELITE CORPS OF STUDENTS IN THE MILITARY PROGRAM AT MARMION ACADEMY, A LOCAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

THEY WON 22 OF 25 REGIONAL DRILL COMPETITIONS BETWEEN 2001 AND 2006 AND WERE FOURTH BEST IN THE NATION IN 2006.

THE TEAM PRACTICES SEVEN TO NINE TIMES A WEEK DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR AND THE INDIVIDUALS PRACTICE COUNTLESS MORE HOURS AT HOME.

[DRILL CALL] EVEN WITH THAT RIGOROUS SCHEDULE, 85% OF THE TEAM MEMBERS ARE ON THE SCHOOL'S ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL.

♪♪ MODERN-DAY AURORA WAS CREATED IN 1857 BY COMBINING TWO RIVAL MILL TOWNS, MCCARTY MILLS, LATER CALLED AURORA ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE RIVER AND HARTFORD, LATER CALLED WEST AURORA ON THE WEST SIDE.

BUT A FEELING OF RIVALRY PERSISTED EVEN AFTER THE TOWNS MERGED SO CITY GOVERNMENT OFFICES WERE BUILT ON NEUTRAL TERRITORY, AN ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RIVER.

THERE WAS A GENTLEMEN'S AGREEMENT THAT MAYORS WOULD BE ELECTED FROM ALTERNATING SIDES OF THE TOWN IN THE CITY'S ANNUAL ELECTIONS.

TODAY THE TWO SIDES OF TOWN STILL HAVE THE OLDEST SPORTS RIVALRY IN THE STATE.

EAST AND WEST AURORA HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE PLAYED ANNUAL FOOTBALL GAMES SINCE 1893 AND BASKETBALL SINCE 1912.

THERE'S A STORY THAT AURORA WAS NAMED FOR THE GREAT POTAWATOMI INDIAN CHIEF WABAUNSEE.

WAUBANSEE'S NAME ROUGHLY TRANSLATES TO "MORNING LIGHT", AND AURORA WAS THE NAME OF THE ROMAN GODDESS OF THE DAWN.

THE CITY OF AURORA STANDS ON THE SITE OF WAUBANSEE'S VILLAGE.

AFTER WABAUNSEE WAS FORCED TO ABANDON THE VILLAGE FOLLOWING THE BLACK HAWK WAR, JOSEPH AND SAMUEL MCCARTY CAME FROM UPSTATE NEW YORK AND ESTABLISHED A MILL TOWN HERE CALLED MCCARTY'S MILL.

MCCARTY THOUGHT THE FOX RIVER WAS A BETTER PLACE TO SETTLE THAN SWAMPY CHICAGO, WHICH HE SAID WAS "MORE PROMISING FOR RAISING BULLFROGS THAN HUMANS."

AURORA WAS A VERY PROGRESSIVE TOWN IN ITS EARLIEST DAYS.

IT WAS A HOTBED OF ABOLITIONISM IN THE CIVIL WAR.

AURORA ESTABLISHED THE FIRST FREE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE IN 1851.

AND AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN STUDIED IN THOSE SCHOOLS SIDE BY SIDE WITH WHITE CHILDREN.

AURORA WAS ALSO PROGRESSIVE IN PROVIDING PUBLIC SERVICES.

IT WAS THE FIRST CITY IN THE MIDWEST TO INSTALL ELECTRIC STREET LIGHTS.

THEY WERE TURNED ON FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1881.

LATER AURORA NICKNAMED ITSELF "CITY OF LIGHTS."

THE AURORA HISTORICAL SOCIETY CLAIMS THE CITY WAS THE FIRST MUNICIPALITY IN THE WORLD TO OWN AND OPERATE ITS OWN ELECTRICAL PLANT.

THAT OPENED IN 1886.

WHEN YOU STOP IN AT WALTER PAYTON'S ROUNDHOUSE RESTAURANT IN AURORA FOR A BURGER AND A BEER, YOU'RE VISITING ONE OF ONLY TWO BUILDINGS THAT ARE STILL STANDING FROM WHAT WAS ONCE THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN A BOOMING INDUSTRIAL TOWN.

IT WAS PART OF A 70-ACRE COMPLEX CALLED THE SHOPS WHERE THE CHICAGO, BURLINGTON AND QUINCY RAILROAD BUILT AND REPAIRED STEAM ENGINES, PASSENGER COACHES AND FREIGHT CARS.

AT ITS HEIGHT, 2,400 PEOPLE WORKED HERE.

THE SHOPS CLOSED IN 1974 AND MOST OF THE BUILDINGS WERE TORN DOWN.

BUT THE ROUNDHOUSE BUILT TO STORE STEAM ENGINES IN 1856, REMAINED STANDING, ABANDONED AND DECAYING FOR 20 YEARS.

IN 1995 CHICAGO BEARS LEGEND WALTER PAYTON AND HIS PARTNERS RESTORED IT AS A RESTAURANT, MICROBREWERY AND BANQUET CENTER.

IT EVEN HAS A WALTER PAYTON MUSEUM.

TODAY IT'S THE OLDEST LIMESTONE ROUNDHOUSE IN THE COUNTRY.

THE SITE OF THE OLD TURNTABLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROUNDHOUSE IS NOW AN OPEN-AIR COURTYARD.

THE ONLY OTHER SURVIVING SHOPS BUILDING IS THE OLD MACHINE SHOP ADJACENT TO THE ROUNDHOUSE.

TODAY IT'S THE AURORA TRANSPORTATION CENTER.

THE END OF THE LINE FOR METRA'S BURLINGTON COMMUTER LINE-- THE MODERN DAY SUCCESSOR TO THE CHICAGO, BURLINGTON AND QUINCY.

ANOTHER BIG INDUSTRY IN AURORA WAS MANUFACTURING LADIES CORSETS.

IN THE LATE 1800S AND EARLY 1900S THERE WERE THREE CORSET FACTORIES IN AURORA, INCLUDING THE LARGEST IN THE COUNTRY, CHICAGO CORSET COMPANY.

IT EMPLOYED 700 PEOPLE.

THE AURORA SILVER PLATE COMPANY MADE ORNATE DECORATIVE PIECES FOR THE HOME FROM 1869 TO 1919.

MANY OF THOSE ARE COLLECTIBLE TODAY.

AURORA'S BOOMING INDUSTRIES ATTRACTED IMMIGRANT WORKERS AND JOB SEEKERS FROM THE AMERICAN SOUTH AND OTHER STATES.

THIS GAVE AURORA A PARTICULARLY DIVERSE POPULATION INCLUDING GERMANS, LUXEMBOURGERS, ROMANIANS, AND AFRICAN-AMERICANS.

AS IN THE PAST, MANY OF AURORA'S FACTORY WORKERS ARE IMMIGRANTS.

LOOKING AROUND TOWN YOU SEE SIGNS OF A VIBRANT MEXICAN COMMUNITY HERE.

IN 2006 LATINOS WERE ESTIMATED TO MAKE UP 38% OF THE CITY'S POPULATION.

HISTORICALLY, THE FACTORY WORKERS TENDED TO LIVE ON THE EAST SIDE OF TOWN.

THE MANAGERS, WHO GENERALLY WERE NOT IMMIGRANTS OR MINORITIES, LIVED IN THE WEALTHIER AREAS ON THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN.

ONE NEIGHBORHOOD OF LARGE HOMES THERE BECAME KNOWN AS QUALITY HILL.

MANY OLD HOMES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER ARE IN HISTORIC DISTRICTS TODAY.

THERE ARE A TOTAL OF NINE HISTORIC DISTRICTS IN AURORA, INCLUDING STOLP ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RIVER.

THAT'S WHERE YOU'LL FIND AURORA'S MOST FAMOUS HISTORIC BUILDING, THE OLD PARAMOUNT THEATER.

IT'S NOW CALLED PARAMOUNT ARTS CENTER.

THE VENETIAN-THEMED ART DECO MOVIE PALACE WAS DESIGNED BY THE FAMOUS THEATRE ARCHITECTS RAPP AND RAPP AND COMPLETED IN 1931.

IT BECAME A PROTOTYPE FOR OTHER THEATRES BUILT BY THE PARAMOUNT CHAIN.

THE 1900 SEAT THEATER WAS THE REGION'S FIRST AIR CONDITIONED BUILDING OUTSIDE OF CHICAGO.

THE INTERIOR FEATURES ILLUMINATED GLASS ART DECO DETAILS AND MASSIVE VENETIAN MURALS.

IT WAS RESTORED IN 1978 AND NOW HOSTS LIVE CONCERTS AND THEATER EVENTS.

AURORA WAS ONCE THE HOME OF ANOTHER IMPORTANT RETRO MOVIE THEATRE.

THE HI-LITE WAS ILLINOIS' FIRST DRIVE-IN WHEN IT OPENED IN 1947.

BUT AFTER YEARS OF SLUMPING SALES AND CRUMBLING FACILITIES IT CLOSED IN 2005, AND WAS DEMOLISHED THE NEXT YEAR.

THE HISTORIC LELAND HOTEL LOOMS LARGE FOR TWO REASONS.

FIRST OF ALL IT WAS THE TALLEST BUILDING IN ILLINOIS OUTSIDE OF CHICAGO WHEN IT WAS BUILT IN 1928.

SECONDLY, MANY EARLY BLUES RECORDINGS WERE MADE IN THIS TOP FLOOR BALLROOM, INCLUDING THE FIRST RECORDINGS OF JOHN LEE "SONNY BOY" WILLIAMSON.

♪♪ THE RCA/BLUEBIRD LABEL CHOSE AURORA OVER CHICAGO TO AVOID PAYING MUSICIAN'S UNION SCALE ACCORDING TO ONE SOURCE.

THE FORMER HOTEL IS NOW AN APARTMENT BUILDING.

AMONG OTHER HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN AURORA ARE FIVE COMMERCIAL STRUCTURES BY GEORGE GRANT ELMSLIE.

HIS HIGHLY DECORATIVE ORNAMENT REVEALS HIS ROOTS IN THE OFFICE OF THE GREAT CHICAGO ARCHITECT LOUIS SULLIVAN.

ONE OF HIS CO-WORKERS THERE WAS A YOUNG FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT.

THIS HOUSE FROM 1949 IS TYPICAL OF THE ODD AND ECLECTIC WORK OF ARCHITECT BRUCE GOFF.

GOFF, WHO WAS SELF-TAUGHT FOR THE MOST PART, CREATED HIS DESIGNS THROUGH AN UNINHIBITED FREE-ASSOCIATION TECHNIQUE.

THIS HOUSE, DESIGNED FOR ARTIST RUTH VAN SICKLE FORD IS MADE OF COAL, GLASS, WOOD AND HEMP.

IN AN ERA WHEN MIDWESTERN INDUSTRY IS ON THE DECLINE, THE AREA AROUND AURORA STILL HAS SOME MAJOR FACTORIES, LIKE THIS LARGE CATERPILLAR PLANT IN NEIGHBORING MONTGOMERY IT BUILDS HEAVY EARTH-MOVING EQUIPMENT LIKE HIGHWAY GRADERS, WHEEL LOADERS AND HYDRAULIC EXCAVATORS.

BUT LIKE OTHER FACTORY TOWNS, AURORA SUFFERED DURING THE DECLINE OF THE INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY IN THE 20TH CENTURY.

THE DOWNTOWN ALL BUT DIED IN THE LATE 1970S AND EARLY 1980S.

THE HOLLYWOOD CASINO OPENED IN 1993 BRINGING MUCH-NEEDED TAX REVENUE FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS.

BUT THE REALLY DRAMATIC COMEBACK IN AURORA HAS TAKEN PLACE ON THE EDGES OF THE CITY.

BY 2003 AURORA HAD SURPASSED ROCKFORD TO BECOME THE SECOND-LARGEST CITY IN ILLINOIS.

FORMER FARMLAND HAS BEEN GOBBLED UP BY NEW AFFORDABLY PRICED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT.

AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, NEARLY TWO CENTURIES OF BOOMING DEVELOPMENT HAVE TAKEN THEIR TOLL ON THE FOX RIVER.

>> THIS IS THE LEGACY THAT OUR ANCESTORS HAVE LEFT TO US.

>> (GEOFFREY BAER) IN THE LATE 1960S A HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHER TURNED TO DESPERATE MEASURES TO CLEAN IT UP.

HE WAS KNOWN SIMPLY AS "THE FOX."

HIS REAL NAME WAS JIM PHILLIPS, BUT HE KEPT HIS TRUE IDENTITY A SECRET, LAUNCHING A CLANDESTINE CAMPAIGN TO PUNISH POLLUTERS.

HE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO PLUG A SEWER PIPE THAT DUMPED WASTE FROM A SOAP FACTORY INTO THE RIVER.

HE ATTACKED THE OFFICES OF POLLUTERS WITH DEAD SKUNKS, STINK BOMBS AND POLLUTED WATER.

PHILLIPS ALWAYS LEFT HIS CALLING CARD AT THE SCENES OF HIS ATTACKS.

A MESSAGE TO THE POLLUTER SIGNED "THE FOX," WITH THE LETTER "O" IN THE SHAPE OF A FOX'S HEAD, ACCORDING TO WATERWAY HISTORIAN RALPH FREESE.

JIM PHILLIPS DIED IN 2001 AT AGE 70.

IN 2006, A MONUMENT WAS DEDICATED TO HIM A LITTLE DOWNSTREAM FROM AURORA IN OSWEGO.

OVER THE DECADES THE FOX RIVER HAS BECOME MUCH CLEANER THAN IT WAS WHEN PHILLIPS STARTED HIS ATTACKS.

BUT POLLUTION LEVELS IN MANY PARTS OF THE RIVER STILL EXCEED STATE STANDARDS AND ENVIRONMENTALISTS WARN THAT RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOX RIVER VALLEY THREATENS TO ERASE MANY OF THOSE GAINS.

TO END OUR TOUR, WE TRAVEL A FEW MORE MILES SOUTH ON THE FOX RIVER WHERE WE FIND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MODERN HOUSES IN AMERICA.

FARNSWORTH HOUSE FROM 1951 BY PIONEERING MODERN ARCHITECT MIES VAN DER ROHE.

MIES LIKED TO SAY THAT HIS GOAL WAS TO CREATE "ALMOST NOTHING."

IT'S A FEATHER-LIGHT SPACE THAT NEARLY ELIMINATES THE SEPARATION BETWEEN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE.

THE BUILDING MIGHT BE BEAUTIFUL, BUT IT RUINED THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN ITS OWNER AND ITS ARCHITECT.

THE OWNER WAS EDITH FARNSWORTH A BRILLIANT MEDICAL RESEARCHER SPECIALIZING IN KIDNEY DISEASE.

SHE WAS 42 YEARS OLD WHEN SHE HIRED MIES VAN DER ROHE TO DESIGN THE HOUSE AND ACCORDING TO HISTORIAN FRANZ SCHULZE SHE WAS A LITTLE BORED AND LONELY.

SHE SEEMED TO HOPE FOR AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE 59-YEAR-OLD WORLD-FAMOUS ARCHITECT WHO HAD LEFT HIS FAMILY IN EUROPE YEARS EARLIER.

THEY HAD A WARM FRIENDSHIP AT FIRST, BUT LITTLE BY LITTLE IT BECAME APPARENT TO EDITH THAT MIES WAS MORE INTERESTED IN THE HOUSE THAN HE WAS IN HER, AND THE FRIENDSHIP SOURED.

THEY FOUGHT BITTERLY OVER THE DESIGN.

SHE THOUGHT PARTS OF IT WERE JUST IMPRACTICAL, LIKE NO CLOSETS.

HE GAVE HER ONE, BUT ONLY GRUDGINGLY.

THEY ALSO FOUGHT OVER HIS FEE.

LETTERS BETWEEN THEM STARTED OUT HANDWRITTEN AND AFFECTIONATE AND ENDED UP TYPED, FORMAL AND CHILLY.

SHE DESCRIBED MIES AS "SIMPLY COLDER AND MORE CRUEL THAN ANYBODY I HAVE EVER KNOWN."

SHE SAID "PERHAPS IT WAS NEVER A FRIEND AND COLLABORATOR, THAT HE WANTED, BUT A DUPE AND A VICTIM."

THE DISPUTE ENDED UP IN THE COURTS.

MIES WON, BUT BOTH LOST THE FRIENDSHIP.

DESPITE HER FRUSTRATIONS, EDITH KEPT THE HOUSE FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS.

TODAY, MIES VAN DER ROHE'S MASTERPIECE IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS A MUSEUM.

IT'S OWNED BY THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND OPERATED BY LANDMARKS ILLINOIS.

AS WE'VE SEEN THROUGHOUT THIS TOUR, THE FOX RIVER HAS MEANT MANY THINGS TO MANY PEOPLE.

TO EDITH FARNSWORTH IT WAS A PEACEFUL ESCAPE, TO THE FOLKS IN THE CHAIN O' LAKES WHERE WE STARTED THIS TOUR, IT'S A FUN-FILLED PLAYGROUND.

THE RIVER PROVIDED FOOD AND FRESH WATER FOR NATIVE AMERICANS AND POWERED WATERWHEELS THAT TURNED SOME EARLY SETTLERS INTO RICH MEN.

IN THE NAME OF PROGRESS IT'S BEEN ABUSED, AND IN THE HOPES OF A BETTER FUTURE, IT'S BEING CLEANED UP AND IN PLACES PROTECTED.

ABOVE ALL IT'S THE THREAD THAT CONNECTS A SERIES OF COMMUNITIES THAT ARE UNIQUE IN THE CHICAGO REGION.

COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE THEIR ORIGINS NOT AS SUBURBS DEPENDENT ON THE BIG CITY TO THE EAST, BUT AS CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES WITH SPECIAL HISTORIES ALL THEIR OWN.