Pullman Palace Dining Car, the Isabella, built 1893, Sandwich, Illinois.

The Pullman Palace Car Co. built the 75-foot rail car, number 4438, in 1893 for $25,000 ($843,000 today). It was a unique new design for rail dining cars and thus was featured at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.

At the time it was built, the car was affectionately named Isabella by the Pullman Company. When visiting the rail car, you are taken back to a simpler time of railroad travel, when the journey was more important than the destination. With its original leaded glass windows and mahogany woodwork, this palace car was one of only 4 cars on the "Pride of the Burlington's Flyer" train.

The Flyer train was so successful that it was commissioned by the United States to serve our 26th president, Teddy Roosevelt. The Isabella escorted President Roosevelt from coast to coast from about 1903 through 1913. Upon campaigning for the 1912 presidential election, Teddy Roosevelt defected from the republican party and started the progressive party. While on the campaign trail, one day, while giving a speech from the train, Teddy was the victim of an assassination attempt and was severely wounded. Despite a bullet in his chest, he stood his ground and finished his speech. When taken to the hospital, he said: "I'm tough as a bull moose, and I will continue this campaign." This statement is the origin of the current name for the Bull Moose Bar and Grille.

As time passed, the Isabella was retired and sold to Henry Tattersol at a government auction in California in 1931 for $75. Tattersol had a vision of opening a diner using the train car. In 1934 the Isabella was moved to the southwest corner of Main and Church Streets in Sandwich, Illinois and opened as a small diner with its entrance on Route 34.

A year later, it was moved east across the street to its present location. It was known to the locals as "The Diner" for many years. Many famous people have hung their hats on the original brass hooks that once served the president of the United States.

Tattersall opened a small ice cream stand on the east end of The Diner in 1937 and held a naming contest. Charlotte Fields' name was chosen, and it was called The Humpty Dumpty.

The Bull Moose Bar & Grille, 202 South Main Street, Sandwich, Illinois.

In 1977 a full-service restaurant and bar were added, increasing the ability to serve more guests. Over the years, the train car's appearance changed, and the structure began to fall into disrepair. 

In 2010 a year-long major renovation was undertaken to restore the Isabella to its original glory and modernize the bar and dining room into the incredible structure you can enjoy today.

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Pullman Palace Car Company named the dining car the "Isabella." Restautant names were The Diner, Wright's Diner, Paul's Diner, Cucina Plata, Kelly's Pub, American Grill, and today, the Bull Moose Bar & Grille, 202 South Main Street, Sandwich, Illinois.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

John Kinzie and Potawatomi Chief Black Partridge Bravery During the Fort Dearborn Massacre, Chicago, August 15, 1812.

Sculpture of the Fort Dearborn Massacre. The sculpture portrays the rescue of Margaret Helm by Potawatomi Chief Black Partridge. Monument by Carl Rohl-Smith (1893).

During the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain, American settlers and Indian tribes tensions were high in the region.

In August 1812, the U.S. military ordered the evacuation of Fort Dearborn due to the imminent threat of an attack by Indians. As the evacuation took place, a group of Potawatomi warriors attacked the evacuating troops and settlers, resulting in the Fort Dearborn Massacre, occurring on August 15, 1812. 

Amidst the chaos, John Kinzie and his family were residing near the fort. When Kinzie realized that Nau-non-gee (aka Catherine), Potawatomi Chief Black Partridge's daughter, was being held captive by the attackers, he risked his own life to rescue her. 

Kinzie's positive relationships with Chief Black Partridge and other tribal leaders came into play. Kinzie approached the attackers and pleaded for the young girl's release. Due to his reputation and the respect he garnered, Kinzie was able to convince them to let her go unharmed. He escorted Catherine to safety. Returning her to her father, he earned the gratitude of Black Partridge, demonstrating his influence and diplomacy during that tumultuous time.

Margaret Helm, the wife of Fort Dearborn’s second-in-command and stepdaughter of John Kinzie. Black Partridge is reported to have stayed the hand of a warrior about to strike Mrs. Helm, saying he himself would dispatch her. Instead, he took her to the lake and pretended to drown her for appearance’s sake, ultimately escorting her to a waiting boat where the Kinzie household took her to safety at St. Joseph, Michigan.

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Margaret Helm's lurid story of her salvation by Chief Black Partridge was pure fabrication, if Kinzie is to be believed. Certainly, he would have given his explorer (hearers) if this tidbit had it actually occurred. All she did was run into the lake in fright and walk out again. She hardly left her father's side.

His intervention did not end there. Prisoners had been taken to various Indian villages, and Black Partridge was able to locate and negotiate the release of some. One of these was Lieutenant Linai Taliaferro Helm, the wounded husband of Margaret Helm. Having obtained ransom from the U.S. Indian Agent, Thomas Forsyth, Black Partridge added to it personal gifts: a pony, rifle, and a gold ring. He then escorted Lieutenant Helm to St. Louis and released him to Governor William Clark (of Lewis and Clark Expedition fame).

This lesser-known episode highlights John Kinzie's bravery and ability to navigate intercultural relations' complexities during a violent period in Chicago's history.

ADDITIONAL READING:

John Kinzie's Narrative of the Fort Dearborn Massacre.

The History of Fort Dearborn #1 and #2.

Fort Dearborn Massacre of 1812; a Historical Account & In-Depth Analysis.

Fort Dearborn Massacre by Lieutenant Helm, One of the Survivors. pub:1814

Copyright © 2023 Neil Gale