More Riverfront Flagpole Clues but Mystery Remains

Leads are flowing in about the that Midwest Brewers Fest volunteer cleanup workers found along the riverfront near what once was the Electric Park grandstand.

Plainfield Police Cmdr. Commander Kevin Greco said he thinks the old pole dates to the 1960s and early '70s, when the west bank of the DuPage River near downtown Plainfield was a training ground for police dogs.

“There was a police dog obstacle course set up and the remains of two Plainfield police dogs are buried in the park,” Greco said in an e-mail.

Michelle and Tim Smith, authors of the Plainfield: Postcard History Series book, were going through their images for their next Plainfield book when they read about the pole. They discovered a photo showing a free-standing flag and pole within a few feet of the 1900s vacation resort's auditorium.

The Smiths speculate that the photo shows several people lingering near the grandstand after an event or ball game. In the near background is the auditorium and in the far background, the Plainfield water tower, meaning the image looks east toward town. The flag appears to be on the south side of the auditorium, about where the brew crew found the pole.

In a close-up of the same photo, you can see the free-standing flagpole just to the right of the auditorium.

“This may not be the pole, but it does appear to be in that area and it is free standing next to the auditorium,” the Smiths write. “It would be awesome if this flag pole has survived and dates back to the Electric Park era.”

The clues are mounting up, but the mystery isn’t cracked.

If you know about the pole, let us know.