After several years of effort, one of the final celebrations of Prairie du Rocher’s 300th anniversary has finally been completed.

“300 Years 300 Stories: Prairie du Rocher, Illinois” is a collection of photos, illustrations and tales recounting the village’s history from its founding to today.

Subjects of these stories range from locations like Fort de Chartres to the Creole House, major events like the Flood of 1993 and a number of unique characters from throughout the village’s history.

The book was edited by brothers Dan and Gerry Franklin – both raised in Prairie du Rocher – after Gerry volunteered for the task during a planning meeting for the anniversary about five years ago.

While Dan had long since moved from the village, his years of experience as a publisher helped tremendously with the project.

As the brothers tell it, what they expected to be a rather small pamphlet has since turned into roughly 330 pages after years of poring through books and newspapers, collecting all the maps and pictures they could and speaking to everyone in the village who offered to share a story.

Gerry spoke quite fondly about the village where he grew up and has since spent most of his life in working as a carpenter.

Quite a few of the stories in the book were written by him and Dan sharing their own perspectives on Rocher’s more recent years.

“Prairie du Rocher is a unique town. It really is an example of the definition of the word village, I think,” Gerry said. “We’re all together here and like one big happy dysfunctional family.”

While there are too many stories for him to pick a favorite – and those 300 had to be whittled down from even more – Gerry did recount a recording from the 1970s they found and how listening to it made him feel like he was sitting across the table from these two women who grew up just after the turn of the century.

Gerry also spoke about a friend who once worked as a standup comic in New York that submitted several stories for the collection.

Dan similarly said there were too many stories for him to pick a singular favorite.

He recalled one story about a man who would hitch his rocking chair to his wagon and bring it to church each Sunday – setting it up in the back to avoid paying for a pew rental.

Dan also explained the reason for the book’s unique approach to the town’s history, suggesting that a “show, don’t tell” style to describe how people lived would help individuals make their own perspective.

“That’s the beauty of a storytelling book, because you’re actually showing people without just giving your own opinion about something,” Dan said. “Tell the story. We think it says one thing, others will interpret it slightly differently, but hopefully everybody comes away with a giddy feeling about it.”

Dan too spoke fondly about Rocher, saying he fell in love with the village when he was younger and has since gotten to fall in love with it all over again.

“To be a little sentimental about it, in a sense, your hometown – especially when it’s a small town like Rocher, is a second mother to you,” Dan said. “Where you feel the whole town’s got your back, that’s what it felt like growing up there.”

Both brothers expressed satisfaction that came not just from getting to hear so many stories about the village but from putting together such a unique history of the town.

“It’s a deep honor,” Gerry said. “It just really is. I’m proud of it, I’m proud of Prairie du Rocher. I got away and went to college, and I couldn’t wait to get back, and I’ve been here ever since.”

Gerry further added that, while the book certainly caters primarily to those with families there, he hopes those outside the village will be able to appreciate the stories and snapshots they provide into Prairie du Rocher’s people throughout its history.

Copies of the book are currently available at locations in and around Prairie du Rocher or online at villagepublishers.com.