Banner Year for Hemp in DeKalb County in 1943

From the December 26, 2018, MidWeek   "Looking Back."

1943, 75 Years Ago.

"E.E. Houghtby, manager of the War Hemp Industries, Inc., at Shabbona, announced that a total of6,237 tons of hemp was shocked at the mill property at this time, with a value of approximately  $282,555.

"This total tonnage of almost 9,000 tons is this year's hemp crop in the area controlled by the Shabbona mill, and was harvested from about 3,800 acres.  Next year, the War Hemp Industries, Inc, hopes to have 5,500 acres planted to hemp for the Shabbona mill."

Of course, I can't help but chuckle thinking back when I was a student at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb from 1969 to 1973, when we often heard there was marijuana growing along the roads and railroads in DeKalb County.  Wonder where that rumor got started?

--GreGen