This article orginally appeared in the Joliet Herald News

MORRIS — Notorious outlaws from Illinois’ early days — or “desperadoes” — will be the subject of a discussion at the Morris Area Public Library at 6 p.m. July 9, according to a news release.

From the early frontier lawbreakers at Cave-in-Rock, to such figures as the Maxwell brothers and Frank Rande, who died in the 1880s, Illinois prior to the 20th century was a dangerous place fraught with crime, the release said.

Library-goes can dive into Illinois’ notorious past and learn about early law enforcement, vigilantes, lynching and more through dozens of images featuring outlaws, jails, “Wanted” posters and more.

The event is being produced in part by the Illinois Humanities Council’s Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, a program that provides organizations statewide with affordable, entertaining and thought-provoking humanities events for their communities, the release said.

A roster of speakers, hailing from 16 different towns and cities across Illinois, present topics in history, culture, literature, music, politics, law, science and many more subjects, according to the release.

“The contagious passion our speakers have for their topics is what makes this program so dynamic and appealing,” Mallory Laurel, the IHC’s coordinator for the program, said in the release. “We don’t need to change lives; we just want audiences to feel curious again.”