Chester Gould (1900-1985)
Merry Xmas, Ink Drawing on Postcard. Woodstock, Illinois, 1943.
McHenry County Historical Society, Union, Illinois.
In 1943 Chester Gould, creator of the Dick Tracy comics, designed a postcard for the Woodstock Women’s Club. The postcard was sent out to members of the armed forces. This particular card was sent to a navel air base in Florida. He also created cartoons for the local paper, The Daily Sentinel, to promote pride and safety in Woodstock.
Gould lived for fifty years in Woodstock, Illinois, and owned a small dairy farm in the nearby town of Bull Valley. Gould and his wife loved Woodstock and involved themselves with local organizations like the Women’s Club. Gould’s farm, and the rural community he came to love, led him to write a comic about crime in farming communities in 1941. He placed a former villain, The Mole, on a farm, and had Tracy help prevent the theft of his equipment.
Read more on the character of The Mole.
Woodstock returned the love Gould showed. They held a special red carpet celebration at the local movie theater when the film, Dick Tracy, first came out in theaters. They also created an annual event to honor Gould known as Dick Tracy Days. The city worked along with Gould’s family to open the Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Museum. The Woodstock Opera House housed the museum for several years. Though it is no longer located there, you can still take a small visual tour online.
Gould also started the group Crime Stoppers for the children of Woodstock, to teach them about safety, and proper behavior to prevent crime. The idea for the group came from Gould’s comics. The group inspired an officer who went on to create Crimestoppers, which later became an International organization.
Read more about Gould and Crime Stoppers.
Visit the Crime Stoppers International website.
Biography (2013)
Image Courtesy of the McHenry County Historical Society
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Stories, Structures, and Songs 