- We're traveling backwards to stories of yesteryear.

- "You Gotta See This" Time Machine edition.

(bright upbeat music) - You know, one of the things I love about Central Illinois is that you can take all sorts of day trips in all directions, and always find fascinating stories about local history.

- Well, that's exactly what we did.

We went to Fulton County, and talked to historians about a World War II effort in Central Illinois that really made a difference called Camp Ellis.

- [Julie] In Fulton County, you can drive through the rural area between Ipava, Table Grove, and Bernadotte, and see nothing but typical Illinois countryside.

What you don't see is the history.

Where the tall grass now grows, there used to be a bustling community called Camp Ellis - During World War II, as World War II was getting started, the United States didn't have a place to train people to be support people for the war.

- [Julie] For three years, from 1942, to the winter of 1945, this was a home to Camp Ellis, a United States training center, and POW camp.

Here are just a few of the things you could find here.

There were more than 70,000 soldiers and volunteers being trained, over 2000 buildings, including libraries, four gymnasiums, chapels, and an airport, but most impressive, was the large state-of-the-art hospital.

- It was a 1500 bed hospital.

It was probably the largest hospital at the time in the country.

And that could be arguable, I think, but probably was the largest.

It was probably larger than any one state downstate hospital in Illinois today.

- To make way for this modern camp, local farmers had to make sacrifices.

- 150 families, including the families of Bernadotte.

And they, the people from the government came around with a sheet of paper that had your name on it, and the number of, the amount of money at the bottom that you're gonna get for your land.

And the sheet of paper also says that you have to be gone in 30 days, you can take your house, your barn, your cows, your corn, anything that belongs to you, you can take with you, all we want is the dirt, but you have to be gone in 30 days.

That made a lot of people unhappy, but there were more people who were tickled to death because they had jobs.

- [Narrator] Julie Terstriep's family was one of the families that had to relocate very quickly.

- So they had been here over a hundred years at the time that they lost the land to the camp.

But they were never angry or bitter about it, my dad was seven, and my uncle would've been 10 at the time.

And my grandparents always said, well, our boys weren't old enough to serve, our nephews were, but it was our way to help the war effort.

- [Julie] Those families gave up their land so that people could be trained in many fields, including engineering, bridge building, nursing, and other support people for the soldiers that would help in our World War II efforts.

- Well, the pictures that I showed you of the quarter masters are, there are three guys in one foxhole, and they dig a little trench on the outside, line it with a pup tent, and they're mixing bread dough.

And then the other picture, these two pictures were actually taken out there that they were done during the training.

And three other guys have dug a hole in the side of the hill, and they put a fire in that hole and they're baking bread in the hole.

And that's kind of an amazing thing when you look at the pictures.

And what made it even more amazing to me was that shortly after I got the pictures that I was reading about it, I read that the quartermasters trained at Camp Ellis, they went both to the Pacific and to Europe, and it was estimated they baked 91 million loaves of bread after they left Camp Ellis.

These three over on this side, this is father, mother and son.

Son Clifford Butler was in World War II, and this uniform was actually in that picture, and it's at the hospital in the camp.

- [Julie] It also became an internment camp for prisoners of war.

- They put them on empty ships, and they came back to the United States.

Then after they got here, we didn't have any place to put them either.

So they did bring them a Camp Ellis.

(soft music) (soft music) All of the buildings were moved out, most of them sold.

Some of them were moved as a whole building, but a lot of them just torn down and used as material.

They dug up all the water system, all of the telephone communication system was taken down and used somewhere else.

- [Julie] Today, little is left to mark the place where 125,000 servicemen were trained, and 5,000 prisoners of war were held.

Just two water towers and a heavily graffitied rifle range.

But the lessons from history have not been forgotten.

- I think it's important for a community to understand where they came from, and to see what they did to contribute to the war effort.

- Don't you love the joys of home ownership?

- Well, I mean, owning a house can be great, but it also can be a big drain on your wallet.

- Oh, it can get so expensive.

But there's a Chillicothe designer who's made a model home that he says would drastically reduce the cost of construction and energy.

- Well, let's take a look.

- [Narrator] Timothy Tobin thinks he has a better way to build homes.

It's easier on the environment, and it's easier on the wallet.

His secret, steel.

- It's comfortable.

I'd live here.

Tobin owns Eagle companies in Chillicothe, where he designs and builds modular structures for customers across the country and beyond.

Inside a massive shed at Eagle, he has been creating model homes made of steel.

It's taken more than three decades to develop his vision.

- This is the 30 year assembly of going out to projects and coming back and say, hey, we can do better, we got, we gotta move this, and we gotta change this.

And that's what's, that's how you got here.

I couldn't have, you couldn't have just done this from scratch.

- [Narrator] His one bedroom model covers about 1000 square feet.

A conventional home that big would cost upwards of $200,000.

Tobin Steel home would cost $150,000, plus it's energy saving.

The house is pressurized.

That means the air does not have to be circulated to be cooled or heated, nearly as frequently as in a conventional home.

- You open that door and you can, you can slowly open it, and you can feel the pressure.

- Yeah, it pushes out.

- I'm gonna turn on the bathroom fan, exhaust fan, which is about 60 CFM.

Okay?

Watch what happens there.

And all I'm gonna do here is take some, a little bit of exhaust from my exhaust fan.

(fan blowing) That's how sensitive this building is.

- [Narrator] The pressurization helps reduce energy costs with a steel home that could be 70% less than in a conventional dwelling.

- This is a fraction of the energy.

- [Narrator] Tobin says he could build this sort of home in Chillicothe and transport it any place in the continental US - Because I can move this in two sections, like just 12 foot wide, 44 foot long, that's one truckload, that's the maximum length I can put on a truck.

Widthwise, height wise, all things included, we've learned to maximize our trucking and our freight costs.

- [Narrator] Still, the house is strong enough to withstand the world's most challenging climates.

- I can put this thing on the North Pole, four foot snow loads.

- [Narrator] And it could hold up to tornadoes and other natural disasters.

- Absolutely, you stand up to seismic earthquake at level 4.

It has to.

- [Narrator] The outside need not be only steel.

Traditional looks are possible too.

- You can put anything on the exterior.

You can go back to a brick facade, you can go back to a stucco facade.

- [Narrator] And he's working on a second model that uses less steel for the interior to create a more traditional look.

- But this is our conventional interior.

So we're now moving back to conventional drywall, mud tape, latex paint, flooring.

Here we're gonna have shiplap, pine shiplap.

- [Narrator] Why hasn't steel caught on with residential housing?

In part, Tobin blames fear of change.

Building steel homes requires new skill sets and knowledge.

- Steel is a, is not easily assembled.

It takes skill.

It's not a carpenter, it's not, it's not the simplicity of going to Home Depot or, you can't go there.

This is a piece of equipment.

- [Narrator] But he says construction methods have to change to save the environment, an issue that turns him emotional.

- And I want you to learn how to save your energy.

I wanna teach you that, this is a platform I wanna show to the colleges, and to that generation.

Don't be scared of this, don't be scared, we can get here.

- [Narrator] Not only does this design save energy, but the steel is carbon free, and the other building materials also are friendly to the environment.

- And we gotta use countertops that aren't granite, and they're not a cold sink.

We gotta use pine, instead of particle board.

There's no pine or particle board here, that's taboo.

We've gotta use vinyl cider from Italy that's virgin.

This has no chemicals in it whatsoever.

Just slow down, we gotta start respecting what God's given us here on this earth.

You know, we all gotta live here to the end of our natural life.

I don't wanna live in a- I wanna live with 120 degree weather, I don't wanna live with minus 20.

I've been in both environments, I don't wanna go, I don't wanna live there.

(upbeat music) - Well, that's an interesting approach.

But it's not the first time steel houses were a thing in Central Illinois.

- Let's crank up that time machine and go back decades and decades ago, when those steel houses started popping up all over central Illinois.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] With steel, R. G. LeTourneau helped revolutionize the world with earth moving machines.

Then he tried the same with housing.

Just after the Great Depression, LeTourneau created newfangled steel homes in and around Peoria.

The mini boom here might've exploded far beyond Central Illinois, but a war got in the way.

Still, the steel homes give a glimpse into LeTourneau, the working man's innovator.

- R.G.

LeTourneau was a fascinating man, very little education.

- [Narrator] A Vermont native, he bounced around in his teen years to take jobs as a machinist, and otherwise work with his hands.

He eventually made his way to California, home to the Holt and Best tractor companies.

He learned how to work on those tractors.

- He took odd jobs, used a scraper to clean out an area for somebody in California, became fascinated with the machinery.

He built his own scraper simply by welding it.

- [Narrator] In 1925, the Holt Invest Companies merged into the Caterpillar Tractor Company, setting up shop in East Peoria.

In 1935, LeTourneau followed.

- He set up his factory in the area where the Avery Tractor Company had been in North Peoria.

And things went well from then on.

- [Narrator] Well, for the company, but not all of the hundreds of employees.

LeTourneau noticed that many workers did not have a decent place to live.

- Post Depression, housing was critical.

There just was no housing.

He and his wife had five children, but they had a large home.

And he opened his home to 19 of his factory workers who had nowhere to live.

And said in his autobiography that it wasn't really too bad during the week when everybody was going to work, but it got pretty crazy on the weekends.

He decided that if he could build all of this construction equipment that he was building, he could build a house.

And so he developed this home that he made with four by eight steel panels, they were double walled, had vermiculite insulation in them, and they were welded together.

There were two main models that he offered.

One was 24 by 24, one was 27 by 27.

We are in a 24 by 24 today.

- LeTourneau built about 150 steel houses.

Glowing brochures touted their efficiency and amenities, including a rudimentary air cooling system.

- You didn't have to repair wood.

They were very airtight, they were waterproof, there was just nothing that you had to do once the house was put together.

- [Interviewer] Steel just held up.

- Steel just held up.

- [Narrator] Near the Averyville factory, he built a cluster of homes like this one as rentals.

Others were sold outright in Peoria, Peoria Heights, Crieve Core, and elsewhere.

Home buyers provided the lot, and LeTourneau provided the house, all of it cheaper than a traditional wood frame dwelling.

- You're in this lovely home that's very livable, probably much better designed than many, and it's bathroom, it's quite large.

Kitchen is nicer than many alley kitchens, and a very comfortable home.

- LeTourneau sold his plant in 1953, and went on to other ventures elsewhere.

The Averyville site changed hands multiple times over the years, and now is home to Komatsu America Corporation, which makes mining trucks there.

Meantime, over the years outside the factory, an original steel house languished.

In 2016, Komatsu turned it over to the Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation.

Now renovated, the steel house is a jewel at the Wheels O' Time Museum near Dunlap.

- When they come in, it feels like they've gone into their grandmother's home.

And of course, they're amazed at the fact that it is steel.

I think the fact that it's comfortable and warm is what most people are impressed with.

- [Narrator] Three words you don't typically hear together are alpaca, beach, and party.

(bright upbeat music) That is, unless you've stumbled upon the Little Creek alpaca farm in Plymouth, Illinois.

They've taken a few simple ingredients, like a white sand beach loaded with toys, a two acre pond, and added 46 alpacas to create a fun family activity that the people of McDonough County were not expecting.

♪ In alpacas ♪ ♪ Little Creek alpacas.

♪ - I think what I like most about it, or what's surprising is just how people-like alpacas are.

They're kind of like an introverted human, mixed with a cat.

So, they're just, I don't know, there's just something so peaceful about it, and that, I guess that just really surprised me how easy it would to, they're really easy to take care of.

As long as you give them proper nutrition, and keep their stress levels down by giving them a good environment to live in, then they're very healthy, hearty animals.

That's as long as they have everything they need.

(happy chatting with music in the background) - [Narrator] Families from all around are eating up this fun and wholesome activity.

- Pretty much everybody, I would say the younger people, the elderly probably appreciate them the most.

Like I'm really excited to have Good Shepherd Nursing home come out, because I think they'll be really excited to get to experience them and feed them.

But yeah, the kids especially.

And the nice thing is, is even if there's someone in the family that maybe isn't real into animals, there's so many other things they can do here.

You know, dad can go fishing if he doesn't wanna see the alpacas or, or go listen to the music.

- Oh my goodness, look at that.

You just scarf that right down, didn't you?

You want some more?

- [Narrator] It looks more like a festival than a farm on the days when Lindsay Moore hosts her free alpaca beach parties.

You can participate in arts, crafts, music, or buy alpaca products.

But most importantly, people of all ages are having fun everywhere you look.

- Usually they're just like, whoa, I can't believe there's an alpaca.

You know, most of them are pretty excited and think it's really neat.

There's a few that are kind of scared.

- [Narrator] These fluffy friends are typically raised for their fiber that is woven into lots of clothing and products, but more, she does it for the love of the animals, and as a tribute to her best friend, Sonny.

- She was peacefully passing away at age 87, I met her on top of the mountains when I was 15, and we wrote letters ever since.

And it was Covid, so I couldn't go see her.

And so I called her and told her I had this idea.

I said, her name's Sonny.

And I said, Sonny, I, you know, I'd love to come see you, but with Covid and everything, it's just gonna be hard, and so what I'd like to do is, the money I'd spend on a ticket, I'm gonna build this beach in your name for all the kids.

And she just thought that was wonderful.

- [Narrator] That's why she keeps the admission free, and the smiles coming.

- I guess what I really want them to leave here with is just a sense of joy.

Sonny always had a sign that said "Celebrate Kindness."

And I just, and that's one thing about these beach parties, we get so many kids, and all the years we've done them, not once have I heard an argument on the beach, have I heard a kid yell at another kid, and I just think it's a place of peace, and I just hope that like just, they continue to be kind to their peers and to other kids, and act like it's a beach party every day, I guess.

(bright upbeat music) (energetic drum music) - My name is Natasha Greene, and I started this Drum Circle in 2020 with the help of friends, many friends, because we, you know, we had to be outside, and we needed activities, and this was something that we could continue to do when everything was locked down.

Originally I worked across the road as a music teacher at the Montessori that was at the time called Anu.

And I started collecting a lot of drums for the classroom.

And we would go up for recess, and I would look across at this park and think, I should share these drums with the community too.

So, I mean, it was just something that I fell in love with and wanted to have the community join in on.

- Natasha had seen a video of me and my friends playing on another event that I worked with, and she contacted me, and said she had this Drum Circle going on, and this was years ago.

It was relatively small at that time, and I saw her doing this and I just, I had to be here to help.

Like I, anything that I could do, anytime that I could give to breathing this into Peoria, like I was gonna give everything I possibly could.

(calm flute music) - It obviously brings in a lot of people, there are people here from Chicago tonight, there's been people here from Iowa, there's been people here from all over the place.

So I think that it's important to our community, but beyond as well, because there aren't things like this in most cities, so.

I think the other thing that's really important is I see how important it is to little kids.

They come into this and they're just free, and you just see them invigorated and alive, and they're just, the energy is just amazing.

I mean, in all ages, but especially with kid and they dance, and they're free, and.

(energetic drum music) - I've not seen a single human not hear or play the thing, and not be completely fascinated by it.

And so it's about getting everybody to realize that joining in makes a big difference.

And when a bunch of people join in and, you know, lots of good things can happen.

You can stand in one place and watch every walk of life, in a very literal sense.

I mean, you have people from their nineties, all the way down to nine months, nine weeks even.

You know what I mean?

And like that is, there's so many things dividing this world right now, and this is definitely not one of them.

If you let yourself loose and enjoy yourself, you're gonna, you're gonna have fun.

- I love drumming and I also just love this event, so yeah.

I think what I usually say is, if you've never played an instrument before, you should definitely give it a try.

(energetic drum music) (crowd cheering) - Boy, with all those great time machine type stories we just did, it's too bad this episode also didn't have an eight track time machine.

- Ooh, that would've been good.

But you were still gonna do a few more eight track time machines for us, but you do have an announcement for our viewers.

- Ah yes.

This is the last episode I'll be on for "You Gotta See This."

It's been a great time, thank you all for joining me and Julie.

But the good news is, - We're still gonna be on, we're still gonna see "You Gotta See This," but, - But the we is not me.

- The we is not him, do we really need him?

- Make sure next time you tune in for - "You Gotta See This."

(upbeat music) (soft music) You gotta see this.

(roaring) (soft music) The elephant.

Hey, these guys are going to eat us this.

I think we're gonna go down there, Big Mike.

I'm right here.

Now my head stuck.

Someone get my head outta here, I feel like poop.

Oh, that's right, we need that long cat.

♪ Everybody wants a three.

♪ (Phil grunting) ♪ The Adams family ♪ (humming) Taste like, I imagine this is what a shoe might taste like.

We ain't blowing no bubbles with this gun.

♪ Smell your ladder, smell your ladder.

♪ Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas, holy crap.

You gotta see this.

(soft music) - You're fine, you're fine.

- Ah, ho, ho, ho, it's Mrs. Claus.

Three, two, one.

One of the great things about Central Illinois, you can take short date... - It was Mrs. Claus, was in the back.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music)