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John W. Gates - St. Charles's Accidental Benefactor

  • Baker Community Center 101 South 2nd Street St. Charles, IL, 60174 United States (map)

John W. Gates - St. Charles's Accidental Benefactor

He gambled a million dollars just to watch men sweat. He shut down twelve factories overnight to crash his own stock. And he never lived in St. Charles a single day — yet this town might not look the way it does without him.

Meet “Bet-A-Million” John W. Gates: barbed wire salesman, steel tycoon, high-stakes gambler, and the accidental benefactor behind so much of what makes St. Charles, St. Charles.

Join historian Steve Gibson for a free talk that traces Gates's wild rise from a failed hardware store owner to one of the richest men in America — and how his fortune, once it landed in the right hands, quietly rebuilt a town he never called home.

🎙️ “Bet-A-Million” John W. Gates: St. Charles's Accidental Benefactor

📍 Baker Community Center

🗓️ September 16, 2026 | 🕖 7–8 PM

Tickets are $10 — FREE to members

REGISTER HERE
Earlier Event: September 13
Where History Lives: Historic Home Tour - Pottawatomie Edition

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Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 4pm
Sunday 11am - 3pm

monday* closed 

*Special tours may be scheduled ahead of time for any day of the week, including Monday

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