Tuesday Travels to Suburbia: Olney Illinois
I suppose that saying that Olney, Illinois is a suburb of Chicago is a bit of a stretch, as it is approximately 250 miles southeast of the city. However, Olney is worth mentioning for what I imagine is their number one tourist attraction: White Squirrels!
Albino squirrels are unheard of here in the city, but Olney apparently has quite the population of the cute critters, dating back to 1899. The city prides themselves in the squirrels so much that they even changed the leash law to include cats so that the squirrels would not be harmed by free-roaming felines.

Every year volunteers from the town spend several Saturdays counting the white creatures to determine whether or not the population is thriving or decreasing. This year’s count will take place October 13th, 20th, and 27th. If you are interesting in participating, you can call the Olney city hall at 618-395-7302.
For more information on the town of Olney, visit their official website.
Olney, White Squirrels, Illinois, Chicagoland


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