The episode examines the disappearance of sisters Nancy, Teresa and Ruthie Guernsey, who were 10, 8 and 7 years old when they vanished on Aug. 21, 1957, near the cement plant north of Dixon. The family had moved temporarily from Boscobel, Wisconsin, while their father completed a short-term construction project filling abandoned quarries. After the girls failed to return home for dinner, an extensive search began that quickly grew into one of the largest volunteer efforts the area had ever witnessed.
Over the next several days, hundreds of volunteers joined local law enforcement in searching the area surrounding the cement plant. Illinois State Police conducted aerial searches, crews dragged the nearby Rock River, and residents from throughout Lee County and neighboring communities combed the countryside looking for any sign of the missing children. As word spread beyond the Sauk Valley, volunteers even traveled from Wisconsin to assist in the search, and national media began covering the story. At one point, nearly 1,000 people were searching simultaneously.
The search came to a tragic end late Friday night after investigators focused their attention on one of the quarries where the children’s father had been working. Following heavy rainfall, searchers discovered the girls’ shoes before eventually uncovering the bodies of all three sisters beneath tons of dirt and debris that had been pushed over the quarry’s edge by heavy equipment. Authorities later determined the children had been killed by the collapse of the material, suffering fatal injuries and suffocation.
Wadsworth shared details gathered through years of research, including interviews with surviving members of the Guernsey family. One of the family’s daughters, who was 12 years old at the time of the tragedy, recalled learning of her sisters’ deaths when her father returned to their trailer in the early morning hours after the bodies had been found. Wadsworth said hearing firsthand accounts from surviving family members made the story even more emotional to document and present.
Following the discovery, the Guernsey family returned to Boscobel, where more than 500 people attended a funeral for the three sisters. Donations arrived from across the country to help the family with funeral expenses, and Wadsworth discussed a longstanding family belief that one anonymous contribution may have come from Dixon native Ronald Reagan, although no documentation has ever confirmed the identity of the donor.
The episode also explores the lasting impact the tragedy had on the Guernsey family. Although the family later experienced another devastating loss with the death of an older daughter following a motorcycle accident, they remained together and continued raising their children in Wisconsin. Wadsworth reflected on the remarkable resilience shown by the family despite enduring unimaginable hardship.
While researching the story, Wadsworth visited the Guernsey girls’ gravesite in Boscobel, where a memorial dedicated specifically to the three sisters serves as a lasting reminder of the tragedy that touched so many lives. The experience, he said, reinforced the emotional weight of a story that continues to resonate nearly seven decades later.
Despite its heartbreaking ending, Wadsworth said the story also stands as a testament to the compassion of the Sauk Valley. Thousands of volunteer hours were devoted to the search by people who had never met the Guernsey family, illustrating how the Dixon community came together during one of its darkest moments.
In addition to discussing the Guernsey girls, Wadsworth highlighted his ongoing work sharing local history presentations throughout the region. He offers programs covering numerous historical topics across northwestern Illinois and invites community organizations to contact him through his website to schedule a presentation.
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