SPRINGFIELD - Tuesday marks the final leg of a journey that began on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield. Barack Obama, the nation's next president, was poised to steam into nation's capital city on Saturday, ready to put an exclamation point on his historic win in November.

For a candidate who utilized technology to bring millions of supporters together - he announced his running mate via text message - Obama decided on a decidedly old-fashioned means of travel this weekend: He headed to Washington D.C. by rail.

Although it is a short train ride from Philadelphia, the voyage was designed to recall the trips of his predecessors, many of whom arrived at the threshold of history by train.

Obama has been long on imagery throughout his run to the White House.

He announced his presidential campaign outside the Old State Capitol in Springfield, where Abraham Lincoln delivered his "House Divided" speech. He returned to the same Central Illinois backdrop on a steamy day last summer to unveil his pick for vice president, Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden.

In Washington, Obama will be the center of attention for millions of people descending on the city to witness his inauguration on Tuesday morning.

Scores of Illinoisans are making the trek this weekend. Some are already there.

Jenny Cheek moved from Bloomington to Washington, D.C. two weeks ago. Already, she's taking a native's approach to the events, heeding the warnings that the crowds will make travel within the city all but impossible.

"I live on Capitol Hill. I'm going to try and walk down to see how close I can get. If it's too crazy, I'll just head back home," Cheek said.

Quieter times

The world-wide attention wasn't always the case for the community organizer and little-known state senator from Chicago.

When Obama first began his bid for the U.S. Senate, he endured long drives through Illinois farm country - often encountering just a few people waiting for him at the end of his day.

In his book, "The Audacity of Hope,"

Obama recalled those quieter times.

"Sometimes, after several hours of driving, I would find just two or three people waiting for me around a kitchen table," he wrote.

On Tuesday, in Washington, D.C., Obama's long drive will officially be over.

Standing before the nation, Obama will utter the same 35 words that his presidential predecessors have said when they were sworn into office.

Among the 44 who have been called chief executive, Obama becomes the fourth president with strong Illinois ties, following Ronald Reagan, Ulysses Grant and Lincoln as occupants of the nation's highest office.

It was Lincoln whom Obama tried to channel when he formally announced his presidency during that first stop in Springfield. The event foreshadowed what was to come: Officials were told to expect about 5,000 people.

An estimated 15,000 showed up.

There, in the cold, they heard Obama call for "change," which became the theme of his campaign.

"This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change," Obama said. "By ourselves, this change will not happen. Divided, we are bound to fail."

His political godfather, retired Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, downplayed concerns about Obama's lack of experience as a freshman senator.

"There is no particular position that can prepare you to be president," said Jones. "Eisenhower was elected president and he was just a general in the war. Abraham Lincoln served only one term in Congress, served four or five terms in Springfield, at a time when the nation was in crisis. He turned out to be one of our best presidents. That should not be an issue."

Endless campaign

For many, it seems like the campaign season has been going on for years.

But it was just over a year ago that Obama burst onto the scene with a Jan. 3, 2008 victory in the Iowa caucuses - the all-important first contest of the primary season.

The Iowa win showed that an African-American candidate could win in the nation's heartland. It sent a loud message to other Democrats: Biden and Chris Dodd dropped out of the race.

Hillary Clinton, the longtime front runner among a crowded field of Democrats, was stunned, but won the New Hampshire primary the next day, putting a lid on Obama's momentum until Jan. 26 when voters in South Carolina gave Obama another big victory.

Throughout the campaign season, the issue of race and gender were issues. Would America elect a black president? Is the next president going to be a woman?

Illinois state Sen. Gary Forby, a Democrat who hails from the coal fields of Southern Illinois, addressed the issue head-on, saying many Democrats are asking the same thing.

"Do we vote for a black or do we vote for a lady?" Forby said in the early days of the race.

By the time Illinois voters headed to the polls John Edwards was out of the running, leaving Clinton and Obama to battle it out for delegates in the remaining 24 states.

In early March, Republican Mike Huckabee withdrew from the GOP primary, leaving John McCain as the presumptive Republican nominee. With the GOP race locked up, all eyes turned toward the Democrats.

Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, became a lightning rod for his remarks on race. Obama answered his critics with a major speech on race, lauded as "historic," "inspiring" and "a turning point."

'He is the real deal'

Despite winning in delegate-rich Pennsylvania, Clinton couldn't pull closer. On June 5, Clinton conceded and the Obama-McCain race began.

Hoping to answer concerns about his foreign relations experience, Obama went to the Middle East in July and then delivered a speech to hundreds of thousands in Germany.

August and September were dominated by the conventions. Obama accepted the nomination at a football stadium in Denver. McCain reinvigorated his campaign with the surprise selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

But by mid-September, the conventions seemed a distant memory. Signs of the economic stress to come began emerging with news that Lehman Brothers had gone bankrupt, Merrill Lynch had dissolved and AIG was seized by the federal government.

It was the worst case scenario for McCain, who had hoped the Iraq war and foreign policy would be the focus on the stretch run to the general election.

Obama's rise to the top was not lost on Republicans. One state senator made a TV ad for him. Others could say little negative about the man.

"I like him. You can't help but like him," said former U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, a Peoria Republican, in February 2007. "On a personal level I really like Barack. He is the real deal, and I think he has an opportunity."

After the election, LaHood was chosen to be Obama's transportation secretary, overseeing what could be a massive national construction program aimed at rejuvenating the slumping economy.

As Nov. 4 neared, resistance that may have been felt among voters about sending a black man to the White House appeared to be fading.

His message of change was resonating amidst the economic news and the fatigue of eight years of President Bush.

On Tuesday, Obama's call for change becomes reality.

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Obama watch

Monday: Hudson man collects presidential pins.

- Capitol visitors prepare for inaugural weather.

Tuesday: Lincoln man readies for his 10th inauguration.

- Why Gov. Blagojevich becomes a footnote.

- Odds and ends from the Illinois Ball.

Wednesday: Special section on the Inauguration, including coverage from Lee Bureau Chief Kurt Erickson, Pantagraph staff and the Associated Press.

- Central Illinois watches history-in-the-making at venues throughout the area.

- Towanda company makes its mark on presidential history.

- A look at Barack and Michelle Obama's visits to Central Illinois.

Thursday: Q&A with Illinois' other Democratic senator, Dick Durbin.

Online: Visit www.pantagraph.com for continuing and updated coverage.

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The Obama file

Name: Barack Hussein Obama Jr.

Age: 47

Birthdate: Aug., 4, 1961 in Honolulu

Experience: U.S. Senate, 2005-2008; Illinois state Senate, 1997-2004; constitutional law instructor, University of Chicago, 1993-2004; director, Project VOTE in Illinois, 1992; former practicing attorney.

Education: Attended Occidental College, 1979-1981; bachelor's degree in political science, Columbia University, 1983; law degree, Harvard University, 1991.

Family: Wife, Michelle Robinson; two daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.

Quote: "There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand."

- Obama, speaking in Chicago after winning the presidential election on Nov. 4, 2008.