I grew up and have lived near Joliet, Illinois my entire life. So has my wife. My wife's family was one of the earliest settlers and farmers in the area. You'd think between us we'd know a little something about the area.
But over the weekend, we both learned something about the history of Joliet that neither of us had every hear
d before or knew.
The WORLD'S first Dairy Queen ice cream stand opened in Joliet over 70 years ago!
Now THIS ... is important information to know!
This historic first Dairy Queen location still stands at 501 N. Chicago Street in Joliet. The building that served up those first ice cream treats served by Jim and Grace Elliott (the managers of the original business) has had a varied and interesting past. It's also been a motorcycle shop, furniture store, plumber's business location, and more. Presently it is serving as a church.
I always said what Dairy Queen served is HEAVENLY!
Dairy Queen's first customers originally had pints, quarts, cones, and sundaes from which to choose. On the hottest summer days, the Elliotts sold a whopping $88.00 of these wonderful concoctions.
This past Tuesday, the City Council of Joliet approved and granted landmark status to this historic site. The new designation will provide this site some measure of protection against the possibility of being torn down or altered in the future.
The Dairy Queen company started out serving sweet treats for 5 cents a cone in Joliet, IL ... but the organization is now based out of Minneapolis, MN. International Dairy Queen Inc., was totally unaware that this original building still existed and had survived over 70 years. It will be interesting to see if this newly-found information becomes part of the company's marketing in the future.
Congratulations to the City of Joliet, IL for taking these measures to protect a little bit of history discovered within its borders!
Gene Mundt, Sr. Vice President
Personal NMLS #216987
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