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Dutch Reagan (about 1922) poses in front of his home on South Hennepin Avenue in Dixon. It was one of five places the Reagans occupied in Dixon. Always trying to find a better job, Jack moved the family from town to town: Tampico, Monmouth, Galesburg, to Dixon.

Dutch would later recall his childhood as "the best life possible," and "a rare Huck Finn-Tom Sawyer idyll." Reagan also realized through growing up in a small town that everyone wants the same things, even though everyone is different.

Not always a house of happiness, though, Dutch had some hard times to face in this house, as well.[anecdote] Photo credit: Bill Thompson

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[]One night when he was 11, Dutch came home to find his father drunk and lying on the front porch. His first reaction was to run and hide, but quickly Dutch saw the futility of that response. Feeling the need to do something, Dutch grabbed his father by the overcoat and pulled him inside the house, to take him to bed. Later, Nelle told the boys about alcoholism, but Dutch struggled with wanting to ignore the knowledge and "hide" the truth.








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