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 (
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR 
 
 r>F.INr. AN ACCOUNT OF THE GROWTH OF ITS IN- 
 ^ STITUTIONS, CIVIC. SOCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL. 
 WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ITS MANUFACTURING 
 AND BUSINESS INTERESTS: TOGETHER WITH AN OUTLINE 
 OF ITS EARLY HISTORY AND LIFE SKETCHES OF SOME 
 OF ITS LEADING CITIZENS. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 E. WILLIAMS 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 M. MEEHAN 
 
 AND 
 . THE INDEPENDENT-TIMES 
 STREATOR. ILL. 
 
 1912
 
 FLASHLIGHTS OF STREATOR 
 
 TREATOR was platted in 1868; organized as a village in 1870; organ- 
 ized as a city in 1882. 
 
 
 
 In 1870 it had a population of 1486; in 1880 it numbered 5.157; 
 in 1912 it claims 18,000 in city and environs. 
 
 It was named after Dr. W. L. Streator, president of the Vermillion 
 Coal Company, which opened the first shipping coal mines in 1866. 
 
 It is situated 93 miles southwest of Chicago, on the Vermillion River, at the 
 southern extremity of La Salle County where it joins Livingston; in the heart of 
 the famous corn belt of North America, and in one of the healthiest and most pro- 
 ductive regions. 
 
 
 
 It is surrounded by the richest farms on the continent, whose value runs 
 from $200 to $300 per acre, and whose owners and cultivators are wealthy, progres- 
 sive and intelligent. 
 
 
 
 It is reached by gravel roads from every direction, and these will soon be su- 
 perseded by brick to accommodate the automobiles now owned by nearly every rich 
 farmer. 
 
 
 
 It stands on two producing seams of coal, and 40 feet of workable shale, than 
 which there is none better in America for the making of vitrified brick. 
 
 It reaches the markets through seven lines of railroad, which radiate in 
 twelve different directions, and which reach thirty-one different states and terri- 
 tories. Their combined mileage is 45,000 miles. 
 
 0- 
 
 Its freight rates are the same or better than Chicago; its car service is 
 prompt, speedy and sure; there are plenty of switch engines and crews and switch- 
 ing charges are absorbed. 
 
 
 
 It has fourteen 'coal mines operating in two seams of coal.
 
 It has 25,000 acres of unmined third vein coal, pronounced by the C. B. & Q. 
 fuel inspector the best engine coal in Northern Illinois. 
 
 It has four shale and clay working factories making brick, tile and sewer pipe 
 and employing 600 men. 
 
 
 
 It has thousands of acres of undeveloped shale, without a superior in 
 America. 
 
 o-= — 
 
 Its bottle factory runs 24 hours a day and makes 6,480,000 bottles per week, 
 being 45,000 per hour, or 740 per minute. It covers forty-five acres, employs 1800 
 men, and consumes 400 tons of coal per day. 
 
 It has 30 passenger and 40 freight trains daily. 
 
 -fl- 
 
 it handles an average of 8,000,000 pounds of freight daily. 
 
 o 
 
 It received and shipped in 1911 freight amounting to 2,470,000,000 pounds, 
 110,000,000 pounds being in less than carload lots. 
 
 It took 39,500 30-ton cars to handle this freight, which, if made up in trains 
 of 25 cars each, would extend over 300 miles of trackage. 
 
 It is an outer belt for Chicago, and the above figures do not include the vast 
 amounts of freight transferred or that passed through the city. 
 
 — fl- 
 
 its Santa Fe pay roll alone amounts to $10,000 per month, most of it in yard 
 and transfer service. 
 
 
 
 It shipped 375 automobiles in 1912 over one road alone, exclusive of those 
 
 sent by other roads. 
 
 o 
 
 It is only two hours by express from Chicago. 
 
 It has 30 miles of vitrified brick street paving, surpassing any city of its size 
 
 in the country. 
 
 
 
 It has 16 miles of sewers. 
 
 It built $250,000 of new buildings last year, one of the most prosperous build- 
 ing years in its history.
 
 It has 12 miles of concrete and 75 miles of brick sidewalks. 
 
 It has a fine public park of eleven acres in the heart of the city, and two 
 smaller parks. 
 
 It has a splendid wooded Chautauqua park of twenty acres with a comm.od- 
 ious steel pavillion seating 5,000 people. 
 
 It has an attractive nine-hole golf course of fifty-five acres, with a comfort- 
 able country club house. 
 
 It has a well patronized $50,000 public library, containing 16,000 volumes. 
 
 
 
 It has two fine club buildings, the Elks and th? Streator Club, the latter be- 
 ing thrown open hospitably to public uses when occasion justifies. 
 
 o 
 
 It has a fine Masonic Temple and an Odd Fellows' building. 
 
 It has the largest retail department store for a town of its size — or of three 
 times its size — in the world, it having 140,000 square feet of flooring under one roof. 
 
 It has seven splendid school buildings of modern construction, which cost 
 about $300,000. 
 
 It has twenty churches of all denominations. 
 
 o 
 
 It has a well equipped modern opera house, and four other picture and vaude- 
 ville theatres. 
 
 It has three excellent hotels. 
 
 It has three daily newspapers and a German weekly. 
 
 It has $15,000,000 invested in industries, inclusive of the AmerJoac Bottle 
 Company, whose parent plant and headquarters are here. 
 
 It has as good a climate and as low a mortality rate as any city ir, the upion. 
 
 It manufactures annually 7,000,000 milk jars, most of which .ire used in the 
 Chicago milk trade.
 
 It produces 3,000,000 square feet of rolled plate glass per year and furnishes 
 80 per cent of the wire and skylight glass used in the loop district, Chicago. 
 
 -o- 
 
 It makes 1,500,000 pounds of Illinois Valley Creamery butter per year. 
 
 — o- 
 
 It has a garter factory that turns out 3,000,000 pairs of garters annually. 
 
 It packed 2,500,000 cans of corn last year and will increase the amount this 
 
 year. 
 
 It has an abundant supply of artesian water which its factories tap on their 
 own grounds and use for boiler and other uses. 
 
 -o- 
 
 It turned out last year 2.000 carloads of sewer pipe. 
 
 cy 
 
 It manufactures 60,000,000 vitrified shale brick annually, which lead in the 
 building and paving brick trade of the central and northwest. 
 
 It has a mining capacity of three-quarters of a million tons of coal annually. 
 
 Its urban transportation is cared for by street cars of the Public Service Com- 
 pany, and it.s interurban travel by the Chicago, Ottawa and Peoria Railway Com- 
 pany, which connects with the McKinley interurban system of the state. 
 
 Its total bank transactions for the past year were in excess of $50,000,000. 
 
 Its four building and loan associations have 2,200 different shareholders, and 
 their total receipts last year aggregated 5300,000. 
 
 o 
 
 Its citizens are largely home-owners, as its building and loan figures show; 
 for the $300,000 received by these societies last year was loaned largely to home- 
 builders— and the same is true of former years. 
 
 In addition to the inducements the city and the Commercial Club may have 
 to offer factory owners, the railroads have secured some splendid tracts of real es- 
 tate, admirably located for shipping purposes, and on the promise of increased busi- 
 ness, are prepared to deal liberally with prospective investors. 
 
 o 
 
 It has a live Commercial Club which will be glad to give any further infor- 
 
 mation. 
 
 J
 
 FOREV/ORD BY THE CLUB 
 
 —^ HE Streator Commercial Club takes pleasure in presenting- to the 
 A public what is believed to be the first adequate review of Streator 's re- 
 
 sources, its business advantages, its history and its characteristics, that 
 has been published. 
 
 A perusal of the work will show that care has been taken to pdesent 
 the significant features of the city in a dignified and worthy way, and 
 that the triviality and exaggeration usually found disfiguring a work of this char- 
 acter has been avoided. 
 
 The fundamental facts about the town have been set forth with truth and 
 clearness; many points not hitherto noticed have been brought out with a new em- 
 phasis, and the whole has been treated in a readable and interesting manner. 
 
 We commend "The Story of Streator" to any prospective investor or home 
 maker or any citizen or friend of Streator desiring a true and interesting account of 
 the men and the forces that have made the town. 
 
 The Club will be pleased to correspond with interested parties and to give 
 
 such additional and detailed information as it may possess. 
 
 The variety and excellence of its illustrations, as well as the high quality of its 
 
 mechanical execution, will make it a fine souvenir of Streator; equally good to keep 
 
 or to send away to friends. 
 
 Streator Co.nmercial Club. 
 
 OFFICERS: 
 
 P. J. LUCEY 
 F. T. ROLPH 
 0. B. RYON 
 PHILIP SAUNDERS 
 
 President. 
 
 Vice-Pres. 
 
 Secretary 
 
 Treasurer. 
 
 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: 
 P. J. Lucey R. F. Purcell M. B. Haskell 
 
 F. T. Rolph C. H. Williams S. W. Plumb 
 
 H. W. Lukins Philip Sounders 0. B. Ryon
 
 THK STOUV (»r STIlKATOIt 
 
 PROGRESS OF STREATOR 
 
 PITHY AND POINTED RECITAL OF CAUSES THAT MADE IT GROW. 
 
 Here arc revealed tlie eauses of Streator's 
 progress and prosperity, past, present and fu- 
 ture. 
 
 1 — ('().\l.. It was l)oni imf nt' the coal heds. 
 Dm tills stroiig and substantial toumlation was 
 raised a vigorous and intelligent stock of min- 
 ers, who formed tlie first layer of its poinilation. 
 
 2— GLASS. On this solid su1)stnu'ture of 
 coal was reared the glass industry, which 
 liroughl in a large numlu'r of highly skilled 
 and highly i>aid operatives from the r)ld 
 Worlti. The stream from the jtay-roll of the 
 glass works never ceased to flow, whatever 
 drought or panic alTlicted the business world. 
 It nourisiied the town through didl and busy 
 years and kept it pjive and growing. 
 
 :J— SILVLK. Another gift of Mother Earth 
 were the shale l»eds — jierhaps the most pre- 
 i-ions of all. They gave jiroducts (pf paving 
 brick, bnildini;- lilocks, sewer pipe and tih'. and 
 called in a large force of men for their develop- 
 ment and manufacture. 
 
 4— KAILKOAl^S. The carrying of the vast 
 amount of freight originating here brought in 
 five great systems of railroads, with their 
 switch crews, their yard and office men run- 
 ning up into the hundreds. 
 
 o— FHKICIIT 1{ATES. lint the railroads 
 did more. With their enonnously extended 
 systems they jmt Streator in direct contact 
 with nearly every state in the union without 
 leaving tli<' original line; and their competition 
 brought Streator a freii;ht rate as o-ood or bet- 
 ter than Chicago. 
 
 G— PKinLWKXCK. The pennaneuce of 
 tlie three foundation industries is assured be- 
 ean.se: (1) The coal is here and must be mined; 
 (2) the |iroximity to fuel and the best silica 
 sand in the world make this the best point in 
 America to manufacture glass; and (3) there is 
 no better shale on the continent, and none 
 nearer to the best market. 
 
 7— MANUFACTURE. The motives that 
 induced the planting here of the Crawford Lo- 
 comotive ami Car Company, the \'ulc;in Detin- 
 ning Comi)any, the Automobile and Metal 
 Stamping Works will bring other wood and 
 metal working concerns to Streator. 
 
 8_L()CATI0X. Streator is situated at the 
 northern extremity of the coal and shale beds, 
 and has the advantage of distance to the mar- 
 kets of Chicago and the north. Seated at the 
 door of the great northwest, in the heart of the 
 Mississipjii ^'alley — a region destined to be the 
 granary of the world and its greatest consmner 
 of mannfactiired goods — Streator. with its rail- 
 roads gridironing this vast territory, is bound 
 to become a centre of manufacture and distri 
 but ion. 
 
 !» — l.AHDR. Trades in Streator are organ- 
 ized, intelligent, and conservative, and the 
 workmen largely own their own homes. This 
 is esjiecially true of the miners and glass work- 
 ers, who are the dominant influence in labor 
 matters. \'ery rarely has there been a strike 
 or lal)or trouble, usually only when there has 
 been a national suspension. Being only 93 
 miles from Chicago, with its vast supply, em- 
 jiloyers can readily get any additional help re- 
 (|uired, whether skilled or unskilled. The 
 lower cost of living makes it an attrai-tive place 
 for workmen to come to from the large cities. 
 
 10— PROCJRESS. Its progress is mainly 
 indigenous. T'nlike towns created by corjiora- 
 tions. such as Pullman or (Jary. or those which 
 have bought their growth by l)onuses, Strea- 
 tor's progress has been spontaneous, unforced 
 and un]3urehased. Its industries have been 
 started mainly by its own citizens. The money 
 to establish them was made here, and the pro- 
 fits re-invested in the extension of the business, 
 or in the starting of new entei-prises. 
 
 n — PEOPLE. Its business men are aggres- 
 sive, progressive, liberal. The first generation 
 — the men who made the town — are still in 
 command. There are no idle rich; there is no
 
 THR STOUY OF STREATOR. 
 
 idle capital. There are better fields for feeble 
 industries seeking bonuses than Streator, but 
 there is no place where a healthy business, 
 ho\Yever small, would have heartier encourage- 
 ment, or have a surer prosi)ect of a safe, strong 
 and vigorous growth. 
 
 12— OPPORTUNITY. Its opportunities are 
 unexhausted. The natural resources whicli 
 produced such splendid results without the aid 
 of outside capital are still here. They are a 
 standing invitation to men of means and enter- 
 
 prise to develop them. Thousands of acres of 
 shale, as good as any that have been worked, 
 are still untouched. The advantages which 
 made Streator one of the greatest glass pro- 
 ducers in the west are undiminished. The rail- 
 road facilities which have attracted manufac- 
 turers seeking locations, are better than ever. 
 And its citizens stand ready to share these op- 
 portuuities with whosoever wislies to come 
 here and co-operate with them m the making 
 of a bigger and better Streator. 
 
 ../^i%s^" 
 
 
 A View of the City Park.
 
 THK STOin <>!<' STISKATOlt. 
 
 THE INDUSTRIES i)FSTREATOR 
 
 Its Factories and Mines — Leading Workers in Glass, Coal, Clay, Metal 
 
 and Wood. 
 
 Streator is a rity of t'aiturics and niiin-s. It 
 is essentially an industrial town. It prospers 
 l)y tlie ]>rosp('iity ol" its produceis, i)y tlie en- 
 er;;y and enterprise of its mannfai'tnicrs. Were 
 tile busy hands to stop workimr in factory or 
 mine its pulsinj^ heart would stop l)eatinjj;. 
 Were the l)rains of its eai)tains of industry to 
 slop eneritizin.i; and directinir there would lie 
 no proiiui'tion, no wai-cs, no one to l)uy and 
 sell. For Streator has no arruniulated wealth, 
 no inlierited fortunes, no leisure elass to sup 
 jiort it tliroui^h a period of idleness. It is a 
 town of workers. I'^vcryliody must listen wlien 
 the wlii'^lif iilows for work. It is the u:oo(l for- 
 tune of the town that there have been very few 
 serious interru]itions of that cheerful souiul for 
 the past fortv years, and it is the hope of its 
 future tiial the morniiiii- chorus of wh'stles will 
 
 grow lari;cr and stronner, with more diversiiied 
 tones ami witli ever increasing: volume. 
 
 Streator's principal moiniments are her 
 mines and factories. On the itrospeiity of her 
 workers in coal and irlass, in shale and metal 
 and wood, her e.xistence absolutely di'pemls. It 
 is fitting therefore that in a work telling "The 
 Stoiy of Streator" the most prominent posi- 
 tion should be given to those interests on which 
 the town is fundamentallv based. 
 
 Accordingly the opening pages of this book 
 are devoted to a description of its leading in- 
 dustries. In the ]>receding i)aragra)dis they 
 have been treated briefly for the eye of tlie cas- 
 ual rea<ler. but in the pages that follow they 
 will l)e describe<l and illustrated at greater 
 length, and in a manner more befitting their 
 importance. 
 
 Assendjled \'iew of American Bottle Co.'s Works.
 
 10 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 STREATOR'S GLASS IND USTRIES 
 
 LEAD ALL OTHERS IN NUMBER OF WORKMEN AND VALUE OF 
 
 PRODUCTS. 
 
 Glass making has for some years been the 
 leading indnstry of Streator, whether measured 
 by the number of men employed, the value of 
 the product, or the size of the pay roll. It is 
 an indigenous industry, that is, it is not im- 
 ported, but native to the soil. It began here 
 some 30 years ago with the eiTorts of some 
 local capitalists to build factories to promote 
 the growth of the town. It started without ex- 
 perienced managers, and, with the vicissitudes 
 attending so highly technical an industry it is 
 a wonder that the industry ever survi^■ed its 
 early experiments. That it did survive argues 
 that Streator must have had great natural ad- 
 vantages for the glass business. 
 
 Today there ai'e three im]3ortant gL'iss plants 
 in Streator, making respectively, water, beer 
 and soda bottles, milk jars and rolled plate 
 glass. Between 2,000 and 3,000 men are em- 
 ployed when the factories are running at their 
 m-ximum capacity. The indications are that 
 this industry will continue to grow. Only re- 
 cently the milk jar factory was erected, and 
 since building they have found it necessary to 
 double their plant. The American Bottle Com- 
 pany has built a new factory, and the Western 
 Glass Company lias made additions to its plant. 
 All are pros]iering, and the growth of the busi- 
 ness to its ])resent magnitude is the best pos- 
 
 sible evidence of the superiority of Streator as 
 a glass manufacturing centre. 
 
 President Jack's Statement. 
 
 Were any further testimony needed it is 
 furnished by Mr. M. W. Jack, president of the 
 American Bottle Company, the greatest pro- 
 ducer of gla?s bottles in the world, and which 
 has half a dozen factories in different states. 
 Being asked his opinion of the advantages of 
 Streator as a glass making point Mr. Jack 
 replied: 
 
 "I should say the advantages of Streator 
 as a glass producing centre are three-fold, 
 namely : 
 
 "1 — Its local fuel sup]ily. Streator coal 
 has been one of our great advantages. 
 
 "2 — Its nearness to an inexhaustible su]iply 
 of the best sand in the world for glass makhig. 
 
 "3 — Its central location between east and 
 west, and its excellent railroad facilities, make 
 this an extremely desirable point for our 
 business. 
 
 "In my judgment Streatoi* has very few 
 equals and no superiors in the United States as 
 a location for glass makin-i. " 
 
 After this emphatic statement fi'nm one of 
 the best authorities in America on glass mak- 
 ing, nothing can be added to shed more liglit 
 on the glass situation. 
 
 THE AMERICAN BOTTLE COMPANY 
 
 The American Bottle Company is the lar- 
 gest producer of bottles in the world. Its par- 
 ent plant is situated in Streator. The Company 
 also has factories at Belleville, 111., Newark, 
 Ohio, Massillon, Ohio, and Wooster, Ohio. The 
 capacity of the Streator plant is five thousand 
 gross per day, or nearly 2,000,000 gross per 
 year. i]:'| 
 
 It gives employment to 1,800 men when run- 
 
 ning full time. The kind of ware made is prin- 
 cipally beer bottles, water and soda bottles. 
 The product is shipped to nearly every state in 
 the union, as far east as New York, west to 
 California, north to Canada, and south to New 
 Orleans. It is also ex])orted to Mexico, Cuba, 
 Vancou\or, and to the British posses.sions. In 
 quali^^y tlie product stands in a class by itself. 
 It has no equal in the world. The demand for
 
 THE STORY OF STKKATOK. 
 
 11 
 
 it has required a constant increase of output 
 from year to year, and the prospect is tliat it 
 will continue to ^row even ijreater. 
 
 Extent of Plant. 
 Tlif ))l<int is enornmus in extent, the vast 
 reciuireinciit for storage of bottles calling for a 
 great number of warehouses. It covers in all 
 about fifty acres of ground for factory build- 
 ings; wliicli ciichxe twelve large tank f'unuioes. 
 The last fjictory erected is of steel and iron witli 
 concrete Hoors, of tlie most modern fire-resist- 
 ing constniction. It is 425 feet long by 265 
 feet wiile, and coiifaiiis six tank furnaces which 
 supply twelve ( Iweiis Automatic Process bottle 
 blowing machines. 
 
 was venturesome and sagacious enough to line 
 up with the winning nuicliine would be the one 
 tliat would survive; and those who found out 
 too late, or who lacked the capital or courage 
 to adopt the new invention, would be down 
 and out. The American Bottle Company had 
 the foresight to see that the Owens' machine 
 was a success, and the result has proved the 
 soundness of its judgment. Had it failed to 
 rise to its ojiiKirtuiiity, the glass industry' in 
 Streator would in time have become a thing of 
 the past. As it is its jiemianence is assured for 
 many generations to come. While it is tnie that 
 the new process will displace skilled labor to a 
 considerable extent, vet there is assurance that 
 
 Its Future Is Assured. 
 
 During their .30 years of operation in Strea- 
 tor the bottle factories have been the sure re- 
 liance of the town. Panics came and went, but 
 the pay roll of the bottle works went on, giv- 
 ing a steady supi)ort to the business interests 
 of the city. When the revolution in the manu- 
 facture of bottles threatened to destroy tiie in- 
 dustry in its old form, it was fortunate for 
 Streator that its factories were in the hands of 
 a company strong enough and enteri>risinir 
 enough to jn-otect its plants. In the natural 
 course of events it was inevitable that machin- 
 ery should be introduced, and the concern that 
 
 hand-blown bottles will be made here for a long 
 time. 
 
 Executive Staff of the Company. 
 
 The American Buttle Company was formed 
 by the consolidation in 1906 of the Streator 
 P.ottle & Glass Companv with certain eastern 
 interests, and was capitalized at $10,000,000. 
 Mr. M. W. Jack, of the Streator Company, v\as 
 made president, and Mr. p]. II. Everett, who had 
 boen identified with the bottle industry for .'30 
 years, and who was the leading spirit in t'le 
 eastern factories, became General Manager and 
 Chainnan of the Executive Board. 
 
 :'lr. L. S. Stoehr, also a reprf seutativo of the
 
 12 
 
 THE STORY OK STREATOR. 
 
 eastern interests, became vice president and 
 assistant general manager. He was succeeded 
 as vice president later bj' Mr. H. CI. Phillips, 
 who was promoted from the position of audi- 
 tor. Mr. Stoelir retains tlie jiositiou of director. 
 
 Promotion Policy of Company. 
 
 The character of the Streator branch of the 
 company may be judged by the kind and qual- 
 ity of men it lias promoted to higli positions. 
 Not one of the men now holding its positions 
 of responsibility and authority but has been 
 with it for many years, and been advanced 
 from a subordinate place in the ranks. 
 
 A conspicuous example is ^Ir. W. J. Crane, 
 
 No review of tlie Streator staff would be 
 comi^lete that did not mention the name of the 
 late Joliu C. Evans, tiie aggressive and forceful 
 superintendent of the factories. Mr. Evans en- 
 tered the service of the comjiany at its begin- 
 ning as a carrier boy and worked liis way up 
 until in 1893 he was appointed superintendent, 
 whicli position he filled for eighteen years, un- 
 til liis recent deatJi. 
 
 He was succeeded as sui)erintendent by W. 
 H. Jennings, also a graduate of the comjiany's 
 own training. He entered its employ as a 
 clerk in 1889, and has been with tlie comiuiny 
 for 22 years, during the latter i)eriod having 
 full charge of the office. Mi'. p]vans' untimelv 
 
 Secretary of the company, with headquarters 
 at Chicago. Mr. Crane is a Streator boy, who 
 went into the local office many years ago as 
 bookkeeper. He made himself a master of the 
 financial side of the business, and by devoted 
 attention to the interests of the company be- 
 came so invaluable tlmt he was made its secre- 
 tary. His present high office was a natural 
 sequel when the consolidation took place. 
 
 Ml". Frank A. Waters is another Streator 
 boy who entered the local office as bookeeper. 
 He too "made good," and his cpialities were 
 recognized by making him Assistant Treasurer 
 of the American Bottle Company when the 
 change was made. 
 
 end left the operating force like an amiy 
 whose general had been shot down in battle, 
 ^fr. Jennings liecame superintendent, and 
 though the situation was made very critical by 
 new methods and processes, his command of the 
 situation was so complete that the great or- 
 ganization moved as smoothly and even more 
 efficiently than before. His long training with 
 the company and his own abilities gave him 
 thorough masteiy of a difficidt situation and 
 enabled him to gras]) the oi)portunity when it 
 arose. 
 
 Mt. Jennings is ably supported by his as- 
 sistant, Mr. Geo. E. Sopher, Assistant Superin- 
 tendent of tlie Companj". Mr. Sopher is an-
 
 Tin; sioia <ii si iii. \ roit. 
 
 13 
 
 otlier cxaiiipk' of tlie prevailiug system, hav- 
 ing!; risen throiifj:li years of service from a lower 
 to a liifjluM- jiositioii. 
 
 Personal Factors in Success. 
 
 Ill ('iiiiiiicratiMy tlu' iiiTsoiial factors wliicli 
 have contrilmlcil to the comjtany's success the 
 name of W. F. diodes calls for recoij-iiition. Mr. 
 Modes was su|icrint('iident from ISS."! to l<Si»."!, 
 and was an expert in the makiiii;- and manau- 
 inj? of continuous tank furnaces. The tank 
 funiace was a p^reat improvement on the pot 
 furnace that preceded it, and ^fr. Modes' 
 kiiowiedi^c was of u^reat service in keeping the 
 comj)any in the front line of progress in glass 
 
 making. 
 
 The success of an industry is tiie success of 
 its leading sjiirits. This is tnie in a special 
 and uuitpie way of the bottle company, and the 
 writer has felt that the stoiy of this corpora- 
 tion's .success could in no way be so interest- 
 ingly and adequately told as by a review of the 
 men who have made its success jwssible. 
 
 From President Jack, who is the oldest em- 
 ploye in point of service to tlic latest recruit, 
 every man feels that merit will win recogni- 
 tion, and the result is shown in the splendid 
 executive staff wlio.sc service the company 
 now enjoys. 
 
 THATCHER MANUFACTURING COMPANY 
 
 Ycningest among Streator's glass factories is 
 the j)lant of the Thatcher Manufacturing Com- 
 jiany. Fnlike its neighboring glass plants it 
 is not the jiroduct of Streator initiative and 
 enterprise. It i~ the Western branch of a com- 
 pany already established in the east. The 
 
 Jieing the most recent of the factories to l)e 
 erected it is also among the most modern in its 
 strueture and ei|uipiiieiit. Every principle of 
 the most up-to-date factory construction has 
 been taken advantage of and all waste hand 
 lalior and lost motion has been eliminated as 
 
 View of Thatchci Milk Bottle Plant. 
 
 Streator branch has had a vigorous growth, 
 liowevei", and now equals in size its parent 
 plant. It was l)nilt in l!tOO as a one-furnace 
 factory and the capacity was doubled in ]!M1, 
 when another furnace was added. 
 
 far as jiossible by tiie ai)i)lication of modern 
 scientific processes. From the time the raw 
 materials enter the factory until the finished 
 product is delivered in the warehouse it is car- 
 ried along its journey by automatic machinery
 
 14 
 
 THE STORY OP STBEATOR. 
 
 and scarct-ly toucliecl by haud at auy point. 
 The materials for the making of glass are re- 
 ceived on their entrance to the factory by a 
 power shovel. They are carried to their bins 
 by conveyors, the batch is mixed and the pro- 
 portion of sand, soda-ash, lime and uiti-ate of 
 soda is accurately weighed by automatic pro- 
 cess. It is conveyed to the furnace and melt- 
 ed by producer gas, and the liquid glass is 
 sucked up by the vacuum pumj? attached to the 
 Owens' machine, and that wonderful machine 
 converts the molten mass into a finished and 
 perfect glass p.r. Without l^eing touched by 
 hand the red hot jar is carried to the lehrs, 
 where it is annealed, and from there conveyed 
 by automatic carrier to the warehouse. Had 
 George Eliot seen this marvel of automatism 
 she would have realized that her dream of a 
 mechanical age in "Theophratus Sucli" had 
 arrived. 
 
 Superiority of Machine Product. 
 
 The Thatcher Manufacturing Company be- 
 gan its career in New York state as a manu- 
 facturer of butter color and cheese color and 
 later became interested in the making of the 
 milk jar caps known as the Common Sense 
 Cap. Tills led it in the direction of the milk 
 jar business, and it later became the greatest 
 jobber of jars in the country. Witli the in- 
 vention of the Owens' machine bottle blower it 
 became apparent that the making of glass jars 
 was about to be revolutionized, and that who- 
 ever obtained control of the invention would 
 command the business. Already in command 
 of a large proportion of the jobbing trade the 
 Thatcher ^Manufacturing Company now felt 
 impelled to engage in manufacturing, and in 
 1906 built their first furnace in Kane, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and equipped it with the Owens' ma- 
 chine. Soon it became necessary to add an- 
 other furnace, and now plans are being drawn 
 for a third. Meantime two furnaces have 
 been built in Streator, and the comi3any has a 
 capacity of 180,000 gross of jars per annum. 
 
 What is the reason for this remarkable 
 success? 
 
 In a word, it is due to the superiority of 
 the machine product over that j^rodueed by the 
 old methods. Under the old system it was 
 foimd impossible to make jars of uniform 
 strength, thickness and capacity. Always there 
 was some spot thinner than another, and hu- 
 man hand and eye found it difficult to make 
 two jars of exactly the same capacity'. These 
 difficulties are all overcome by the machine 
 jar, which makes each jar exactly alike and 
 equally perfect. This uniformity is growing 
 
 of more importance daily as cities are requir- 
 ing by ordinance that milk jars must confoi-m 
 to certain standards of size with a very small 
 margin of variation. 
 
 Captured the Market. 
 
 With these advantages it is natural that 
 the Thatcher milk bottle captux*ed the market. 
 The Streator product now supplies the greater 
 share of the Chicago trade, and its market 
 goes east as far as Ohio, west to the Pacific 
 coast, and north into Canada. The south is 
 just opening up for the milk jar trade and 
 when it develops it will cause another expan- 
 sion of tlie industrv. 
 
 E. J. Pittman, Asst. Supt. 
 
 The officers are F. E. Baldwin, president; 
 E. W. Niver, general superintendent; and E. 
 J. Pittman, assistant superintendent in charge 
 of the Streator factor)'. Mr. Pittman is an 
 example of the t.ypical American boy of today 
 who by thorough technological training fit- 
 ted himself early to take charge of an impor- 
 tant factory. At the age of twenty-seven he is 
 superintending with success the operations of 
 a complicated industry and the labors of a 
 hundred men. 
 
 Born in SjTacuse, N. Y., in 1885, he had the 
 usual common school training, finished in El- 
 mira High School and Cazanovia Seminary,
 
 Till-: STf>I5Y OP STREATOK. 
 
 in 
 
 then took a course in the Ij. C. Smith School 
 of Applied Sciences, Syracuse University, and 
 took degree of E. K. Was draftsman for an 
 organ factory, tiien joined tlie forces of the 
 Thatcher Manufacturing ('oiiipany, and cam(> 
 to Streator for that company in 1!H)9. In Au- 
 gust 1911 was married to Miss K. Louise Shep- 
 ard, Montour Falls, N. Y. 
 
 Asked why liis company had located in 
 Streator rather tlian some other town Mr. Pitt- 
 
 man replied: "The company had in fact chosen 
 another location, hut heiug waited on by a 
 committee of Streator citizens, who presented 
 the advantages of Streator, the change was 
 made. There was no bonus. The suiiei'ior rail- 
 road advantages, the local coal supply, and the 
 ])roximity to abundance of good sand were the 
 main considerations. It was a fortunate selec- 
 tion, and we are well satisfied here." 
 
 THE WESTERN GLASS COMPANY 
 
 The "Western (iiass Company was organized 
 in 1S1H> and is engaged in the manufacture of 
 wire and rolletl idate glass, largely used for 
 fire retarding purposes. 
 
 At tiie present time the factorj' has an out- 
 put of three million 'itiuare feet of rolled plate 
 glass annually. It covers four acres of ground 
 and employs about one hundred men. The 
 active heads of the ctimpany are C. K. liyon. 
 Secretary and Treasurer, and ClcMuent .lungers, 
 Suiierintendent. Mr. AV. J. Williams is 
 president. 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 1 "^ 
 
 
 
 ff 
 
 ,Y 
 
 
 
 s 
 
 
 1 
 
 V 
 
 s 
 
 I 
 
 
 V 
 
 i.' —^'- 
 
 .-'T, 
 
 ShK- 
 
 '>.^ 
 
 Section of Wire Glass. 
 
 The trade of the com]3any extends all over 
 the United States and some of it is exjiorted to 
 foreign ports. About eighty per cent of the 
 wire glass used in the "loop district," Chicago 
 last year was the product of The Western 
 (ilass Company. Tlie comiiany make-; all kinds 
 of skylight and figured glass, rougli and pol- 
 ished wire glass, in fact specializes in the mak- 
 ing of fire retarding- glass ))rodurfs. 
 
 Growth of Wire Glass Industry. 
 
 Among the most important measures urged 
 
 to reduce the tin- waste is the employment of 
 wire glass in construction. Wherever an out- 
 side window exposes a building to fire from an 
 adjoining risk the requirement of the under- 
 writers is that such a window, to be api>roved. 
 should be ]irotected liy wire glass set in a metal 
 shutter, it is a connnon exjiei-ience that the 
 heat from a burning building is intense enough 
 to break the ordinary window glass across the 
 street and set the stnicture on fire. Tlie pro- 
 tection from such a danger urged by insurance 
 men is that buildings be equipped with ap- 
 l)roved wired glass set in ap])roved metal shut- 
 ters. Kven if the glass cracks the wire holds it 
 in place and prevents the fire from entering. 
 
 Additional confirmation of the fire-retard- 
 ing value of wired glass has been given re- 
 cently l)y two great conflagrations in San 
 Francisco and I'altimore. The ftmner furnish- 
 ed the remarkable testimony of the California 
 Electrical Works sent liy wire after the earth- 
 (piake conflagration to tlie Western Electric 
 Coinpiiny, of Chicago, saying: 
 
 "Our building stands like a monnment in a 
 desert — saved by wire glass, watchman and 
 water tanks." 
 
 Approved By Insurance Experts. 
 
 Wired glass is now ajjproved and required 
 by insurance experts, engineei's and factory 
 a.ssociations. Albert Blanveldt, manager of the 
 Western Factory Insurance Association, has 
 gone so far as to say in a convention of fire 
 l)revention exjterts: "I think this subject of 
 wire glass is the very one in which the best 
 hopes of this association reside. It has im- 
 pressed me that wire glass is the best material 
 we have, because it has by far the best psycho- 
 logical position. * * * Wire glass is a solid and 
 visible piece of constniction that appeals to 
 the arehiteet and property owner, and they will
 
 16 
 
 THE STORV OF STREATOK. 
 
 spend their money on it, to my mind, with more 
 freedom than on anything else. Cities are 
 growing taller and bigger all over the country, 
 and they are going to burn to a standstill be- 
 fore tliey get thi-ough. Fires will compel 
 something to be done and something radical, 
 sooner or later — if not in our day, then in our 
 successors' day. I am becoming convinced 
 that wire glass is the most feasible thing to ];ire- 
 sent to the public, regardless of the expense — 
 and I am going to work for it." 
 
 It is seldom that we recognize the forces of 
 pi'ogress that come nearest us, and tlie forego- 
 ing facts are given to show how closely the 
 interests of this industry are allied with one of 
 the most important refonns now going on in 
 this country. Even in the veiy home of wired 
 glass it is doubtful if its values are as well 
 
 known as they should be by architects and 
 builders, for some of the best structures recent- 
 ly erected show an absence of elementary 
 knowledge of fire-retarding' construction — es- 
 pecially in the matter of wired glass. Happily, 
 however, the knowledge is spreading and the 
 success of the industry is assured by the awak- 
 ening conscience of builders all over the land. 
 For the product of the Western Glass ("ompauy 
 has found a. high place in the estimation of 
 conscientious architects and constnu-tors ev- 
 erywhere; it has passed siTCcessfnlly the most 
 rigorous underwriters' laboratory tests; and it 
 has stood the more practical demonstration 
 of actual trial by fire. In all it has emerged 
 victorious, and won a iilace for the Streator 
 product at the very head of the wired glass 
 trade of America. 
 
 Main street, west from Sterling street.
 
 THE STORY OF STRKATOH. 
 
 17 
 
 PRONOUNCED ABSOLUTELY UNEQUALED FOR THE MAKING OF 
 BRICK AND ALL SHALE PRODUCTS. 
 
 More than in any otlii-r one industry the 
 fnlnrc of Streator is lioiiiul n\t in tlie sinj^le 
 wold — shale. Sliale is to Streator what ^old 
 is to tlie Yukon, or silver is to Butte. It lies 
 piled up in unmea.sured millions of tons alouf^ 
 the streams and water-courses awaitinj? only 
 the cajiital and the enterprise to devehip it. 
 During the brief jjeriod of its develo]jnient 
 large profits have been made, and firreat for- 
 tunes lie looked in the sliale beds ready for 
 the hand that shall open them. More certain 
 than fjold fields, niore stalile than oil wells, 
 less precarious than coal mines, the .shale in- 
 dustry offers an investment as durable as the 
 use of lirick. and as certain of profit as the 
 fi;reat Xorth west is of exi>ansion. With the 
 increa.sed use of shale brick for paving cities, 
 villages and country roads, for building and 
 other u.ses, and with Streator's unusual advan- 
 tages, its position as a ]>roducer is destined to 
 be second to none in the west. 
 
 Its pre-eminence as a ]>roducer of clay pro- 
 ducts is duo to the advantages, namely: 
 
 1— Situation. Its situation as the extreme 
 northern outcropping of the shale beds, and its 
 con.setpient comiiiaiid of an Jinsupplied terri- 
 tory, which is tln' greatest market in the world 
 — C'hicatro and tlic northwest. 
 
 2- Raw Material. The cheapness, extent 
 and quality of its clay beds, together with su- 
 jieriorily of inodiirt jind economy of production. 
 
 3— Freight Rates. It costs two-tiiirds of a 
 cent per mile jier ton to move brick to one of 
 its greatest markets — Chicago. Its rate to that 
 point is (i5 cents j)er ton, which is 50 cents per 
 thousand cheaper than its nearest competitor. 
 
 Extent of Shale Beds. 
 
 Streator's shale ilcpnsits are superimposed 
 on the coal measures and cover several thous- 
 and acres of territoiy. They are from 25 to 
 40 feet in thickness and are cleft from the sur- 
 face of the ground to the coal seam by the Ver- 
 million river, and by half a dozen tributaiy 
 creeks, so that their faces are exposed and 
 
 made accessible for strii)ping for considerable 
 distances along these streams. It is estimated 
 that a factory making 100.000 brick daily will 
 consume about one acre of shale in a year. At 
 this rate it will be seen that these shale beds 
 will last hundreds of years, and are practically 
 inexhaustii)Ie. 
 
 The covering over tlie shale is of workable 
 thickness and is removed by hydraulic process, 
 by steam shovel, or by hand. The valleys 
 created by the streams, which out through the 
 shale beds, furnish a convenient place for 
 dumping the dirt at a minimum of cost. After 
 the covering is stripped the shale itself is eas- 
 ily dug and loaded into cars rea<ly for dum])ing 
 into the grinding i)aii. The average cost of 
 delivering the shale at the pan, including the 
 cost of land, is estimated to he about 30 cents 
 per ton. 
 
 During the early years of Streator's growth 
 brick were made of .surface clay, but in 18!»3 
 the first shale brick was made and since that 
 time the surface day is no longer used. The 
 shale industry has develojied rajndly until 
 there are now four important factories making 
 shale i)roducts, one of them employing 250 
 men. This growth is the best possible demon- 
 stration of the advantages of Streator as a 
 manufacturer of shale products. The surface 
 of this industry has been barely scratched as 
 yet, and oj)portunities as jiromising as any 
 that have been develojied may be had by the 
 score. 
 
 Quality of Shale Products. 
 
 The products made from Streator shale are 
 vitrified {laving and Iniilding brick, drain tile 
 and .sewer pipe, the mixture for the latter be- 
 ing strengthened by the addition of a low 
 grade fire clay, also found here. The charac- 
 teristics of the brick are their strength, tough- 
 ness, texture; their ability to stand wear, 
 to be highly vitrified, to be non-absorbent, and 
 to burn with a characteristic dark color. The 
 shale is not tender or brittle, and does not need 
 to be handled delicately in handling or bum-
 
 18 
 
 THE STORY OP STRKATOR. 
 
 iun'. It has withstood tlie most severe seieu- 
 tific tests, rattler, absorption and hreakinp: 
 strain, and its acceptance in cities lilve Chi- 
 cago, St. Lonis, Kansas City, attests its super- 
 ior quality. Streator brick have been shipped 
 to Winniitet;-, Toronto and Uuluth on the 
 north, to X'icksliurg, New Orleans and Panama 
 on the south, and to Kansas City and Omaha 
 on the west. 
 
 "Shale Absolutely Unequaled." 
 
 Supt. Whiting, of the Streator Paving 
 Brick Company, on being asked for an cpinion 
 said: "You can say Streator shale has got all 
 other shales in the world beat. There are no 
 better paving brick made on earth than ave 
 made here, and for number and variety of uses 
 to wi:)ich it can be put Streator shale is abso- 
 lutely une(]ualed. For building brick, you 
 can get any shade of color desired — rod, me- 
 dium, chocolate or black, and as fine a surface 
 as was ever jiut on a face brick." 
 
 Potter's Clay and Fire Clay. 
 One of the most promising of the undevel- 
 
 oped prospects is the potter's clay which has 
 been discovered in great (jiiantities three and 
 a half miles from the city. Elaborate tests 
 were made by the Streator Improvement As- 
 sociation and it was found superior in every 
 test. It burns naturally a bright cherry red, 
 and will take any kind of glaze. The exjiert 
 tester tried it with pink, blue, green and other 
 colors, and found every one to stand well. 
 
 It was tested by the Laclede Chi-isty Clay 
 Co., l)y the ceramic department at the state 
 university and at the i^ottery at Macomb, 111., 
 and was found of fine quality, rich in kaolin, 
 and fit for any of the uses to which potters' 
 clay is ])ut. At ]Momence it was tested as a 
 foundation for enameled brick and found sat- 
 isfactory. The clay is found in a bed ten 
 feet thick, covered by four feet of coal; it is 
 abundant in (piantity and easy of access. 
 
 A seam of low grade fire clay is found be- 
 neath the lower vein of coal, suitable for fire- 
 })roofiug, sewer pipe and the like. It is mixed 
 M'ith shale and used by the Streator Clay 
 ^Manufacturing Comjiany in the making of 
 sewer i^ipe. 
 
 THE BARR CLAY COMPANY 
 
 The most important representative of the 
 shale industry in Streator is the Barr Clay 
 Company. Its ])lant is situated on the Vermil- 
 lion Kiver about one mile south of the city. The 
 plant was established in 1893, and the first 
 brick were made in 189-1. It began with a ca- 
 pacity of 50,000 brick daily, which has increas- 
 ed until today it has a ca])acity of '200,000 
 brick daily. It owns 150 acres of good shale 
 land, and emplovs when running full capacitv, 
 300 to 325 men. " 
 
 The growth of its business is the best evi- 
 dence of the quality of its product. During the 
 eighteen years of its existence its brick has 
 won its way into the best markets in the west, 
 and have passed the most severe tests. Great 
 municipalities like Chicago and St. Louis have 
 set the seal of their approval on the Barr 
 brick. In the cnicial absoii^tion and rattler 
 tests they have emerged victorious, in the latter 
 sometimes passing as high as eleven per cent 
 when the standard was twenty per cent. 
 
 About two years ago the capacity of the 
 plant was doubled and the factory is now 
 among the most modern and up-to-date in its 
 
 equipment in the west. It uses the waste heat 
 system in drying, and burns its brick under re- 
 ducing conditions. It operates its machinery 
 by electric jjower, using a dynamo of 300 horse 
 power, with which it runs its pumps, hoists, 
 ]mg mill and its big brick machines, which are 
 among the biggest and strongest nuide. The 
 covering is stripi)ed off its shale beik by hy- 
 draulic process, and by steam shovel. The 
 shale itself is dug and loaded by a large 85-ton 
 Bucyrus shovel. 
 
 The company is capitalized at $000,000. Mr. 
 C. C. Barr is president and principal stock- 
 holder. 
 
 Brick Paving- for Country Roads. 
 
 The product of the comi)any is mainly used 
 for paving purposes and is marketed in the 
 west and northwest. The fact that Mr. Barr 
 recently doubled his plant is evidence that he 
 is an optimist on the future of brick paving. 
 He sees the cities and villages of the middle 
 Avest as inevitably bound to pave all of their 
 streets sooner or later with vitrified brick, the 
 most durable, the most practical, the most
 
 THI-: STORY OF STHKATOlt. 
 
 19 
 
 economical material tor tlie purpose. Not only 
 that, bnt he sees the einerf^ence of the eountrj- 
 road from its jonjj burial in the mud and the 
 awakeninj^ of the farmers from their Ion.;;' 
 Ietlu;rii:v. The eominu: "I' the aiitdiiinhilo onto 
 
 the farm is j^oin;;- to make a demand for vitri- 
 fied brick ])avin,ij:, which is Koing to grid-iron 
 this country from one end to the other and 
 make it as easy to travel and haul loads as it is 
 in Kurope. 
 
 A view of a Hrl(k-Paveil Road V. itii Dirt Road Along Side of It. 
 
 Three Hundred Miles of Brick Roads. 
 
 The world is awakening to a realization of 
 the necessity for better c(nintry ro.ids. The 
 average countrv road i<a reflection ujjon our 
 civilization. The condition is jiardonable in 
 districts wliere good paving material < aniiot be 
 liad, but where the linest irrade of ]»aving brick 
 can be had and where the hauling j/xpense is 
 minimized, it is inexcusable. 
 
 Cuyahoga County. Ohio, has three hundred 
 miles of brick-paved country roa<ls and the 
 jx'ople there are enthusiastic over the result. 
 
 At a meeting of the engineers of Cleveland. 
 Ohio, recently .\iidrew P). Lee, County Kngi 
 neer of Cuyahoga County, read a papi'r, and the 
 following are extracts therefrom: 
 
 "In Cuvahoga Countv, Ohio, where I have 
 
 had exjierience in the construction of several 
 hundred mile-; of ])avenient of dilTerent tyi>es, 
 1 found that the ideal pavement for country 
 roads was brick. 
 
 Brick is the chea])est antl best i)avement 
 that can be used, all things considered. 
 
 Some of the roads in that country were con- 
 structed twelve years airo, and !Mr. Lee says 
 that the upkeep since has cost ijracticallv 
 nothing. 
 
 .\ clay road is l)uilt for today, or at least, 
 until the next rainfall. A brick i)aved road 
 endures throuuh the years. 
 
 .\part from the increased value of adjoining 
 farm lands; ai)art from the cleanliness, the 
 beauty, the (piadruple utility and comfort, the 
 brick road, wlien the cost of repairs is taken 
 into account, is absolutely the cheapest." 
 
 THE STREATOR CLAY MANUFACTURING COMPANY 
 
 The work of this company illustrates the 
 variety as well as the extent of Streator's clay 
 resources. Its product is made of fire clay 
 
 mined 2:M\ feet below tlie surface. It special- 
 izes in double strength sewer pii)e for munici- 
 pal contracts; also makes fire clay flue lining,
 
 20 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 and a vitrified wall coping wliich has a dark, 
 rich color, which is largely used in Chicago. 
 The product finds a ready market in Illinois, 
 Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas, 
 so that the i;)lant has been run without intcr- 
 niption to its full capacity since the inception 
 of the laresent management. It has just obtain- 
 ed the contract to furnish the city of Minne- 
 apolis with sewer pipe for the current year. 
 
 The Streator sewer pipe is prized for its 
 great strength and high quality. In many com- 
 petitive tests it has scored heavily against its 
 rivals by showing the lowest percentage of ab- 
 sor|3tion of any of the pipe tested. The drain 
 
 superintendent. 
 
 The Streator Clay Manufacturing Company 
 was organized by James L. Daugherty and his 
 associates in 1892. Tliey came from Ohio, and 
 after thoroughly examining every other avail- 
 able location, decided to plant their factory in 
 Streator. They operated it with success for 
 sixteen years, when they sold the prn^ierty to 
 Mr. E. H. Green and his associates. The latter 
 were among the largest sewer conti'actors in 
 the west, having been awarded such contracts 
 as the reconstruction of the La Salle street tun- 
 nel under tlie Chicago river, wliieh they suc- 
 cessfully completed. Their attention was at- 
 
 The Streator Clay Co.'s Plant. 
 
 tile made by this company is made of the same 
 material as the sewer pipe, and therefore much 
 superior to the tile made of other materials. It 
 is made only in large sizes. The tiue lining is 
 also of fire clay, which gives it a value not to 
 be found in the more common sort. 
 
 The plant of the company is located about 
 a mile south of the city, and covers about fif- 
 teen acres. It employs about 165 men. and the 
 output for the last year was 2,000 cars of ware. 
 The value of the investment in Streator is 
 $300,000. The executive staff consists of E. H. 
 Green, president and general manager; G. E. 
 Connolly, assistant manager, and James Park, 
 
 traeted to the superior quality of the Streator 
 product, and so imjiressed were they by the 
 advantages possessed that they bought the 
 factory. 
 
 Just one year after they had become its 
 owners the factory burned down. ^A'ith char- 
 acteristic vigor they went at the work of re- 
 building, and within six months from the time 
 of the fire they had the factory relniilt and 
 running with double its former capacity. The 
 kiln capacity was also doubled and they now 
 have an output of 2,000 cars of ware per year, 
 and a demand for it all that keeps the factory 
 in continuous oi^eration.
 
 THK STOHV OF STHi: ATftR. 
 
 21 
 
 THE STREATOR PAVING BRICK COMPANY 
 
 Tilt' Strcator Pavinj.' Brick Company was 
 formed by tlie consolid.tion of the Streator 
 Tile Works, tlu' Kim^lc ( 'l;iy ("om])aii>" aiul tlie 
 Strcator l>rick Works. 'I'licse \vei>' the i)ioiieer 
 brick works of the town, the oldest of them be- 
 ing organized in 1881. Tlie men who were the 
 leading spirits in tliese jjioiieer factories re- 
 main with the jirosent organization, and give 
 to it a brick-making cxiicrirnfc of over thirty 
 years in Streator. 
 
 The present factory was rebuilt and en- 
 larged in liMl-liMJ, and is sjilendidly housed 
 and equijiijed, with the best known api)liances 
 for economic production. Althongh originally 
 designed for the nianulacture of paving l)rick, 
 the demand for its pnxhict for building jnir- 
 jtoses grew so great that the larger share of it.=; 
 output is now used as face brick for fire build- 
 ings in Chicago and the north-west. 
 
 Among the striking; structures in which the 
 lirick of this comiiany are used are the front of 
 the new Cort Theatre. Chicago; the wholesale 
 •grocery waiehouse buililiug of W. M. Iloyt 
 Company; the ollice l)uilding of (iinn & Co., 
 jirinters; the Koidsatt bakery building; on Wa- 
 bash Avenue; and llie l)uil(ling of the Rogers 
 ^: ll.ill. printers. These are of fine architec- 
 tural i)roporlions and ilhistrate the new u.se of 
 colored shale brick in the finer forms of build- 
 ing in Cliicago. The product of this company 
 is also in demand for the liner sort of residence 
 au<l apaitmi'Mt buildings. One of the most 
 uni(|Ue examples in "Tlu- i'l.ibli'-." one of tlx' 
 
 finest aiiartmeiit buildings in the city, with sun 
 ]iarlors, jirivate ball rooms, and many novel 
 features. The jjrivate residence of Mr. Joy 
 Morton on the Lake Shore Drive is built of 
 these brick, as are many other of the best 
 homes in Chicago. 
 
 The special features for which these brick 
 are noted are their fine colors and shades, 
 ranging from the lighter reds to the deep 
 browns, chocolates and even blacks; the artis- 
 tic use of whicli give warm and agreeable 
 blendings of color wiiich are much sought after 
 by modem architects and builders. These spe- 
 cial color effects have given a wide demand for 
 these brick, and they have been shijiped as far 
 east as Washinnton, I). ('.. and as far west as 
 Holdredge. Nebraska. On the north they have 
 been sold in Winni]>eg, Canada, and on the 
 south in \'icksburg, ^liss. Of course they have 
 been largely used at home, and such fine j>ub- 
 lic buildings as the (irant school, the New Elks' 
 building, the Postollice. St. Anthony's church, 
 the Christian church, the (ierman Evangelical 
 church iire faced with them. 
 
 Among the fine Streator residences using 
 the rare color effects of these brick for facing 
 are the new Dr. Dorsey home, the new subur- 
 ban residence of F. Plumb, the new A. Ander- 
 .son house, and many others. 
 
 The officers of the Streator Paving Brick 
 Comjiany are V. Phunb. i)resident; E. F. Plumb, 
 vice iiresident; (ieorge (ioulding. secretary' 
 and f ri'asuiiT; Frank Whiting, su})erinteudent.
 
 22 
 
 THK STORY OP STREATOR. 
 
 STREATOR'S COAL MINES 
 
 SECOND INDUSTRY OF CITY IN POINT OF MAGNITUDE. 
 
 Coal mining was for many years the domi- 
 nant industry of Streator, and only within the 
 past decade has it been obliged to take second 
 place by reason of the great extension of the 
 glass business. There are two workable seams 
 of coal in Streator, known popularly as the 
 to]i vein and the third vein, and geologically 
 designated as No. 7 and No. 2 respectively. The 
 top vein is from tive to six feet in thickness. 
 It is remarkably rich in carbon and greatly 
 .sought for as a steam coal. The mining of this 
 seam was the main industrial support of the 
 town for the tirst twenty years of its existence, 
 but the field is limited in area, and although 
 there is jtlenty to su]ii)ly local demands for 
 man}' years to come, its use as a ship]nng coal 
 will be less extensive in the future. There are 
 a number of locations for mines in this seam 
 remaining, and the C. W. & V. Coal Company 
 is just now pi-ospecting one of 320 acres. 
 
 The pre-eminence of the top vein hindered 
 the development of the lower vein for many 
 years, although it had been the main slapie in 
 coal production in the other mining district:; in 
 Northern Illinois. But now, with the dimin- 
 isliing ]iroduction in the upper vein, recorrse 
 is being had to the lower, and the leading coal 
 
 company is now operating its most important 
 mine in that seam. 
 
 The third vein lias the advantage of being 
 practically inexhaustible. It is estimated that 
 there is not less than 20,000 acres of workable 
 third vein coal in and about Streator. It is 
 worked on the "long wall" plan, and the pay 
 roll of the mine now operating indicates that 
 the earning power of the miners is greater than 
 in the thicker seam. The quality of the coal is 
 demonstrated by one of its chief users, the C, 
 B. & Q. R. R., whose fuel inspector has just 
 stated that it is "the best engine coal they have 
 ever had from Northern Illinois." 
 
 President T. A. Lennon, of the C. W. & V. 
 Coal Comjjany, which has been ojjerating the 
 lower vein mine for a number of years, says: 
 "We have 5,000 acres of that coal in and about 
 Streator, and we mean to take out every acre 
 of it." This guai-antees that Streator will be 
 an important coal producing point for many 
 decades. 
 
 At the present time there are fourteen 
 mines in operation, wliicli give emiiloyment to 
 about 1,000 men, the principal producers being 
 the Chicago, Wilmington & Vermillion and the 
 Acme Coal Comjianies. 
 
 CHICAGO, WILMINGTON & VERMILLION COAL COMPANY 
 
 The ^'ermillion Coal ('om])auy was the pio- 
 neer in the mining industry in Streator. It 
 o))eued here the tirst shipping mines, and was 
 instrumental in promoting the first lines of 
 railroad to carry its coal to the market. Col. 
 Hal|)h Plumb, revered as the founder and bene- 
 factor of the town, was the first general man- 
 ager, and its early development was conducted 
 under his direction. Its first opening was a 
 drift in the side of the bluff, near tlu; Vermil- 
 lion River, on a site now covered by the West 
 F'actory of the American Bottle Company, 
 
 which later came to be known as the "Old 
 Slope." 
 
 In 1872 the Vennillion Coal Company was 
 consolidated with other coal interests, and has 
 been known since as the Chicago, Wilmington 
 & Vermillion Coal Company. In those days 
 Streator was distinctively a mining camp, the 
 superintendent and foremen of the mines were 
 the leading citizens, and the coal company was 
 influential in shaping the destiny of the town. 
 It may be jmt down to its credit that it used its 
 influence wisely and justly, and that the city has
 
 THI-: STOHV Ol' STIJKATOi:, 
 
 23 
 
 little to rcsiTct and iinicli tt» he uratofiil for to 
 till' corporation wliicli wielded sncli a jirepon- 
 derant influence in its early days. 
 
 Fair Treatment of Employees. 
 
 Especially is it iiidei)tei| t the company for 
 its fair and considerate trci^tment of its em- 
 ployes at a time when such orjifanizations as the 
 Tnited Mine Workers were unformed, and 
 there was no weapon of defense for the miner 
 except the individnal strike. It maintained a 
 consistent policy of liiich jn-ices for Stii'ati>r coal 
 and fi;ood wajjes for its men, and it resulted in 
 .ii:ivinfj its collieries a reputation for <;:ood work, 
 jrood jiay, fr<»od treatment, that drew to Strea- 
 toi' the liest class of miners to l)e found in the 
 (•owntry. It attracted also intelli.i^eiit miners 
 from (treat Hritian, and these men and their 
 desceiidenls have iriven to Streator the steady, 
 intelliiicnt, con.servative workinirinan. which 
 has lieen the solid suh-tructure of its citizenr>'. 
 
 'IMiis policy of the "s(|uare deal" proved as 
 profital)le to the company as to tiie workmen 
 and the town. The coal liusiness prospered, foi- 
 twenty yeais the ('. W. iV: \'. Co. sent a monthly 
 pay roll of $.")(>.(tO(» circnlatini; throujjh the 
 iinancial arteries of the town, the miners built 
 their homes, figured on school hoards and town 
 cmincils and Itccame its respectetl citizens. For 
 a period of twelve years there was not a strike 
 or labor trouble. Two ea.sualties interrupted 
 ♦he even flow of events: (1^ Prairie Creek 
 broke through into Xo. 1 shaft and had to be 
 diverted into a new cliannel at a ureat expense; 
 and (J) the explosion of a powder nKi;::azine 
 shocked the town and destroyed a number of 
 iKUi.ses. The company settled the losses with 
 out litiiration. 
 
 Tlie presiding t^enius in the affairs of the C. 
 W. (Jc \'. Coal Company during these years was 
 Mr. A. L. Sweet, whcse years and experience 
 nuike him the nestor amony the coal nuMi of Il- 
 linois. His ri.nht hand man was Mr. T. A. 
 Lemmon, who has since been ))romoted to the 
 jiresidency, while Mr. Sweet has become ehair- 
 num of the board. Durinsj the same years the 
 man resjionsibJe for local conditions was Supt. 
 W. S. Cherry, and it was to his strong- char- 
 acter and fine ])ersonality that the success, of 
 the company in Streator is due. The present 
 superintendent is Mr. C. A. Herbert. 
 
 Present Output and Promise. 
 
 At the present time the C. W. & \'. Coal 
 Company is ojterating two mines in Streator, 
 one in the upjter and one in the lower vein. 
 They are miuiny; altout 1200 tons i)or day, 
 which they expect to increase as the lU'W mine 
 develops. They still own about ."),0(ll) acres of 
 upper vein coal in Streator. which President 
 Lemmon .says will all be mined. They are min- 
 ing it now at the rate of fifty acres jter year, 
 and if this rate is not increased it can be read- 
 ily seen its acreage will last a hundred years. 
 
 The company also operates a large mine at 
 Thayer, III., and is about to open one of the 
 lari^est mines in the state at Orient, in I-'rank- 
 liii County. There it has purchased (l.ddO acres 
 of coal eleven feet in thickness, on which it 
 has sunk a shaft 'A A feet deep. e(|ni))ped with 
 the most approved modern mining macliinery. 
 Its Streator superintendent, Mr. C. A. Herbert, 
 has been appointe<l to take charge of this im- 
 portant work, and will direct its development 
 and ojieration. 
 
 THE ACME COAL COMPANY 
 
 ( )ne of the important mining coriioratious 
 of Streator is The Acme ('oal Comjiany. It 
 has been o])erating extensively in the toji. or 
 No. 7 seam, for the past twenty years, and has 
 been a jjromineiit factor, especially in the local 
 f!'ade. Its mine is situated at flie edge of the 
 city limits, and it has been fa\(iial»ly situated 
 to sui)ply the demand of local factories and 
 residences. 
 
 The mine was ojiened originally in 1802 by 
 K'obert I-'airbaii'n, Si-, and l-Mward .\tkinson. 
 IJotii partners were re])resentative of the best 
 type of English miners who migrated to Strea- 
 
 toi- at an cai-l\' day. They worked in the mines 
 and with their own hands dug the foundations 
 of their future com))etencies. After years of 
 industry and thrift they wejit into business on 
 their own account, and after trying ditTerent 
 enteiprises united their fortunes in the mine 
 now known as the "Acme." 
 
 In 1808 the partnership was changed to a 
 cor])oration known as "The Acme Coal Com- 
 pany," with .lames ('ondi'cn as ]'resident. 
 Robert Fairbairn. vice pi-esident, and Fdward 
 Atkinson as suiierintendent. During tlie twenty 
 years that followed the company prospered, the
 
 24 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 mine outgrew the original idea of its founders, 
 railroad connections with the Santa Fe and 
 Chicago & Alton were established, and it be- 
 came an important shipping mine. In that 
 time about 400 acres, or approximately 2,800,- 
 000 tons of coal have been mined by the 
 company. 
 
 In the evolution of the coal trade the pre- 
 paration of the product for the market has 
 come to be a prime necessity. While in the 
 
 was sorted into three sizes, lump, nut and 
 washed screenings. Tlie washed coals found 
 a ready market and became favorites in the 
 trade. The market of the Acme product has 
 been the territorj- between Streator and Chi- 
 cago, and, largely, the local factories, which 
 consume a large amount of fuel. The Santa 
 Fe railroad, also, has been a large bnyor of 
 Acme coal. 
 
 AVhen the original founder, Eobei t Fair- 
 
 The Acme Coal Company Plant. 
 
 early days the trade would accejjt anything 
 tliat looked black, it has steadily grown more 
 critical and now demands the most careful 
 cleaning, sorting and sizing of the product. 
 The Acme Coal Company lias been one of the 
 pioneers in the special preparation of its pro- 
 duct. It early established a coal washing 
 plant, in which its product was subjected to a 
 thorough treatment by which the impurities 
 were washed away from the coal. The product 
 
 baiin, Sr., of the Acme, retired from active 
 business, the management passed into tlie com- 
 petent hands of his sons, Thomas and Robert 
 J. Fairbairn, the former being president, and 
 the latter being secretary and treasurer of the 
 company'. They have another mine at Fair- 
 view, 111., and have some other coal interests 
 of great magnitude in which they are about to 
 engage.
 
 THK STOin OK STHK.VTOH. 
 
 25 
 
 THE ILLINOIS SELLING COMPANY 
 
 Strealor is situated in tiic iiieat (urn Jk'lt, 
 ill the heart of one of the most fertile agricul- 
 tural regions in the world. It is to this fact 
 tliat it owes its selection by the Illinois Selling 
 ( 'oinjtany as the location for its canning factory. 
 Last year tlicy jjacked L',.")0(),0(l() cans of corn, 
 and exi)ect to increase the cajjacity of the plant 
 this year. The factory operates only in the 
 Slimmer time during the ripening of the crop, 
 lint it gives employment to between 400 and 
 500 people during this time, many of whom 
 would not otherwise be employed. 
 
 The factors- is of great benefit to the farm- 
 ers of the vicinity, to whom it I'nrnishes a wel- 
 come variation of crop at a good price. Last 
 year it contracted for the product of 1,500 
 acres of land, and <'X]iects to e.xtend its con- 
 
 tracts during the coming year. Tiie company 
 furnishes its own seed to the farmers an<l agrees 
 to take the product at a given jirice. Two 
 varieties of sweet corn are raised, and they pay 
 for the one at the rate of ^HW and the other at 
 the rate of $10.00 per ton. From four to live 
 tons have been rai.sed per acre. In addition to 
 the price for his corn the farmer retains the 
 fodder which is valuable for rough feed in the 
 winter. The land is benetited by a crop of 
 sweet corn because it is picked before it is ma- 
 tured, and is therefore not so exhaustive of the 
 soil; and probably it is for this reason that a 
 
 crop of oats will yield live to eight bushel to 
 the acre more after a crop of sweet corn than 
 after the ordinary variety. Farmers also find it 
 advantageous because the time of picking sweet 
 corn comes in the lull that usually comes be- 
 tween thrashing and corn husking. 
 
 The i)rocess used in the factory is the latest 
 and most approved. It is husked by hand, after 
 which the process is all mechanical. The silk 
 is removed and the corn is cut by machinery. 
 After this it goes to the mixer, where it is fla- 
 vored with .sugar iind salt, and heated to a tern 
 perature of 185 degrees. From here it goes into 
 the cans, which are automatically capjied and 
 soldered, the corn never ln-ing touched the 
 while by human hands. The solderim-- machine 
 has a capacity of over a can a second. From 
 here the corn goes to great retorts, each capable 
 of cooking one thousand cans at a time, and 
 
 P 
 
 
 J 
 
 tliei-e sterilized at 250 degrees of heat for 80 
 niimites. Then the c;ins are cooled and i-eady 
 lor storage or shijiment. 
 
 Their advertised brand is "Sweetheart," 
 which is lire-eminent for flavor and quality, and 
 I'egai-ded as the iinest sweet corn on the mar- 
 ket. It is of the "Country (ieiitleman" variety, 
 and it obtains its rare quality by being gather- 
 ed and packed at the exact time when its flavor 
 is fine.st. 
 
 It is universally jiopular and is sold all over 
 the LTnited States, being as niucli a favoi-ite in 
 Xew England as on the Pacific Slope, where 
 it is as largely sold as it is in its native state 
 of Illinois. 
 
 The president of the Illinois Selling Com- 
 pany is Mr. Charles S. Crary; the secretarj' is 
 Mr. John L. P>eeman, and the efficient local 
 superintendent is Mr. A. E. Newman.
 
 26 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 THE CRAWFORD LOCOMOTIVE AND CAR COMPANY 
 
 Streator's most important acqui^^ition in re- 
 cent years is tlie factory of the Crawford Loco- 
 motive and Car ComiJany. Tliis factory has 
 employed in "rush" times as liigh as 1,000 men; 
 and it has a magnificent modern plant nearly 
 covering its tract of thirty acres with build- 
 ings, tracks and material yards. It came to 
 Htreator in li)Ot), and the most remarkable thing 
 about its coming is that it came without one 
 lienny of bonus of any sort, either in cash or 
 land. 
 
 The story as told by Mr. Crawford, its foun- 
 der, is that he had been visiting Galesburg, 
 
 and rebuilt 5,000 cars. Its specialty is rebuild- 
 ing and re-enforcing freight cars, providing 
 steel uuderframes, and wooden bodies. It has 
 lately, however, constructed two experimental 
 steel passenger cars under plans and specifica- 
 tions fi'om tlae Santa Fe railroad, which are be- 
 ing operated successfully. 
 
 The factory is supplied with the best mod- 
 ern up-to-date ecjui})ment in the way of ma- 
 chinery and tools. Its power plant is unsur- 
 passed". It uses power in four forms — steam, 
 electricity, air and hydraulic. A mas'^ive 1,000 
 horse power Ball compound engine furnishes 
 
 Panoramic View of the Crawtovd 
 
 where he was being offered a site and a bonus, 
 and on his return stopped off at Streator with 
 an acquaintance who had some business here. 
 While in tlie city he met Messrs. Keeves and 
 Ryon, President and Secretary of the Improve- 
 )nent Association, who drove him over the town 
 and explained to him its advantages. He was 
 so impressed with its location as a railroad cen- 
 tre that he decided to establish his factory here. 
 Building began at once. Mr. Crawford had 
 a contract from the Santa Fe for repairing a 
 large number of cars, and with this as a foun- 
 dation he was able to command the capital ne- 
 cessary to erect his plant. The factory was first 
 built with a capacity of handling ten cars a 
 day, then increased to sixteen cars per day, and 
 then to twenty-five per day, which is its pres- 
 ent capacity. During the past five years it has 
 built the steel underframes for 8,000 cars, 
 
 the driving force, which is converted into cur- 
 rent by a Western Electric generator, and into 
 compressed air by Bury Compressors. A water 
 purifier purifies the water before it enters the 
 great battery of boilers. 
 
 In the factory the various forms of power 
 are used to ran mechanical devices and labor- 
 saving tools of all kinds. Steam is carried in 
 pipes to ran the steam and trip hammers; com- 
 pressed air conducted to run the ]meumatic 
 tools; electricity to ran motors for driving ma- 
 chinery, and the great wheel press with a ca- 
 pacity of 300 tons pressure is ran by hydi'aulic 
 power. There are lathes, borers, riveters, 
 ])unches in profusion, one punch being power- 
 ful enough to punch a two and a half inch hole 
 through a plate of steel three-quarters of an 
 inch thick. The factory is the only one in 
 Streator that owns is own switch engine. It
 
 THi; STOItV OK STHKATOn. 
 
 also has its own locomotive crane, wliicli is a 
 locomotive witii a crane attached. 
 
 The main huikling is 800 feet long by 128 
 feet wifle. The i)ower plant is sei)arately 
 housed, and tliere are other huildinii's for stor- 
 age, sho])s. ollices, etc., so that tlicre are alxtiit 
 ten acres under roof. In the near future will be 
 built another big building esi)ecia]ly eiiuip])ed 
 for the mainifacture of steel cars. This build- 
 ing will lie fiiMi feet lonu: by 80 feet wide. One 
 of the sjiecial features of its e(|uipment will be 
 a steel traveling crane powerful enough to jtick 
 up a steel car and move it to any part of the 
 building. 
 
 The most of the business of the companv 
 has iiitherto come from the Santa Fe railroad, 
 but it is equijiped to <lo business on favorable 
 terms with anv railroads in the middle west. 
 
 cago. A yard system in Chicago is so compli- 
 cated and trallic so congested that it takes a 
 long time to get a 'bad order' car through, 
 while we have free and unobstnicted access to 
 i)ractically every road in the west and can get 
 i|uick action on the work. Then Strcator is a 
 lii-eat transfer point; also a mining centre, 
 which causes a great number of coal cars to be 
 >ent liere. I am well satisfied with our loca- 
 tion. We can do repair work here in competi- 
 tion with any factory between Buffalo and 
 Kansas City; and on new car work we can com- 
 l)ete successfullv with anv factory in the United 
 States." 
 
 President E. P. Kipley, of the Santa Fe sys- 
 tem, s))eaking to officials of the Streator Com- 
 mercial Club, said on one occasion: "We have 
 a iireat deal of work done bv the Crawford Lo- 
 
 Locoraotlve and l"ar Co. Plain. 
 
 At ])resent it is working on a laruc contract 
 from tlie Deti-oit, Toledo and Ironton ]\ailway 
 Co. Tins is the third <'ontrai-t from that com 
 l)any, although its head(|uarters are at Detroit, 
 where there are large car sliojis in ojieration; 
 al.so working on a large order of steel center 
 sills for the C. P.. & Q. P. P. 
 
 Being asked his opinion aiiout Streator as a 
 location for his business, Mr. Crawford replied: 
 "It is unsur]iassed. There is no better location 
 in the west. The large number of railroads 
 centering here makes it an easy ]ilaci> to reach 
 with 'bad order" cars. There is the C. I. i^: S.. 
 which operates as an outer belt for nearly all 
 the lines entering Chicago. Why, we can repair 
 a car here and get it back to its road before it 
 can as much as reach the repair shops in Chi- 
 
 comotive and Car Company, and it has been ab- 
 solutely satisfactory in every ])articular. The 
 iiicclianical work has been of tiie liighest grade, 
 the service has been prompt and satisfactoiy, 
 and the price — well, the price has been chea]>er 
 than we could <lo it ourselves." 
 
 The ])resident, treasurer and principal 
 stockholder of the com])any is ^fr. R. "NV. Craw- 
 ford, lie is also its active and actual head in 
 all departments. The vice-president and gen- 
 eral coun.sel is ]\lr. P. .1. Lucey. William J. liall 
 is assistant to the president and mechanical 
 engineer; A. M. Oliver, secretary; Z. Courtney, 
 assistant secretary and treasurer; M. L. Rey- 
 nolds, superintendent. The corporation is capi- 
 talized at $1,000,000.
 
 28 
 
 THE STORY OP STREATOR. 
 
 THE HOBAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY 
 
 The one institution in Streator devoted to 
 the work of women is the factory of the Hoban 
 ^Manufacturing Company. In many ways it 
 represents the spirit of the new age. It illus- 
 trates the world-wide movement of the passing 
 of women from domestic service into the fac- 
 
 young girls ; and he says he could get a hundred 
 more by raising his finger if he had the room 
 for them. Seldom does any one leave his em- 
 ployment except to get married. 
 
 There is a reason: He gives them a large, 
 airy, well-heated and well ventilated facton- to 
 
 The Hoban Factory. 
 
 tory, and brings home to Streator the "girl 
 question" in a real and practical form. For 
 most of the girls of Streator would rather work 
 in Mr. Hoban 's factory than in any kitchen in 
 the town. He now employs 125 women, most 
 of thtm bright, intelligent, cheerful and healthy 
 
 work in. The hours of labor are nine per day, 
 and the employes are paid better than in most 
 any other kind of factory labor for women. 
 The average earnings are about $6.50 a week. 
 The factory was recently inspected by 
 the state inspector, who reported it one of
 
 THK STOKV OK STRKATOH. 
 
 29 
 
 tlie hesl fiictorios lio had seen in the state. The 
 fjirls take a half hour for lunch at noon, and 
 hot coffee is sniiplied them by the company at 
 ten cents a week. 
 
 What do they make? Mr. Iloban manufac- 
 tnrcs an adjnnct of nude ajjparel known as the 
 "Paris (Jartcr," wiiich is the most iiuished and 
 poindar device of its kind on the market. The 
 factory has a cajiacity of 10,000 pairs of gar- 
 ters per day, and the entire ontjnit is taken by 
 
 .luhn iloban. 
 
 one Cliicago liouse — the h(nise of A. Stein & 
 Co.., wliicli owns tlic patent on tlie garter de 
 vice. Tlie plant ccinipincnt consisls of one hun- 
 dred Singer sewing ma<hines and a number of 
 specially designed i)resses to stamp and as- 
 semble the parts. All are operated bv electri- 
 city. 
 
 The building is of brick, one-story liigh, 
 1.30x30 feet, amply jjrovidcd with windows 
 from which conn- an abundant supi)ly of ligliT 
 and air, cooled by electric fans in summer and 
 wanned by steam heat in winter. Decached 
 and practically lire-proof, it is free from the 
 dangers that menace the factories employing 
 woman labor in tlie cities. 
 
 Asked why he preferred to operate in Strea- 
 tor rather than in Chicago, Mr. Hoban replied: 
 • ' We have a better class of employes, and they 
 are steadier. There is not the temptation to 
 wander from factory to factory, hence not so 
 much is lost in breaking in new girls. 
 
 Mr. John Hoban is a Streator product. He 
 was born here in 1878, grew up here, and after 
 
 FflRlS 
 
 No Metal Can Touch You 
 
 various enii)loyiiients, went into business for 
 himself in VMG, operating a shirt factory. In 
 1910 he erect-ed his present factoiy, in whicli lie 
 is confining him.self to the manufacture of the 
 Paris garter. He is operating to the full ca- 
 pacity of his factory, and is achieving a solid 
 and satisfactorv success.
 
 30 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 Among the latest of the domestic inchistries 
 to leave the household and enter the factory is 
 the working- of milk and cream. Until about a 
 year ago the liousewives on the farms about 
 Streator worked up the output of their cattle at 
 home, or had to ship it to creameries at a dis- 
 tance. Within the year a creamery has been 
 established in Streator. and at once demonstrat- 
 ed its usefulness by furnisliing the farmers a 
 market for their cream. Twelve hundred cream 
 
 cess. The cream is brought to the factory in 
 five-gallon cans, where it is weighed and tested. 
 It is then poured into a large \'at, where it is 
 heated to 180 degrees, a temjjerature liot 
 enough to kill all germs. It is then cooled 1o 
 60 degrees and churned in a large Perfection 
 churn, which has a capacity of 1,300 pounds at 
 each churning. It is a combined chum and 
 worker and is able to turn out six churnings 
 per day. Nearly all the ])roduct is put up in 
 
 Inside View of the Illinois Creamery Plant. 
 
 producers from the adjoining county have 
 brought their product to the creamery. -100.000 
 pounds of butter have been made, and $120,000 
 has been paid out to farmers. 
 
 The Illinois Valley Creamery Company has 
 established here a thoroughly e(iuipi)ed factory 
 with a capacity of 30,000 pounds of Imtter per 
 week. It is operated on the most up-to-date 
 methods, and special regard is had to cleanli- 
 ness and sanitation in every ])art of the pro- 
 
 one-ponnd Ijricks for the market. 
 
 The floors are all of cement, and all vessels 
 or things used in the process are thoroughly 
 cleaned and sterilized daily by washing, scald- 
 ing and steaming. 
 
 A large part of the product is consumed in 
 Streator and neig]d)oring towns. It is estimated 
 that $1,000 has been saved to the merch.ants of 
 Streator in express on butter alone since the 
 coming of tlie factory, while $2,000 has been
 
 THK STOItV OF STKi:.\TO|{. 
 
 31 
 
 saved to f;iniioi< from tlie same '^ouioe. A,a:en- 
 cii's fur tlu' sale of Strcator Imtter are also es- 
 talilislicd at N'ickslinrg, Miss., New Orleans, 
 
 A. Miller. 
 
 I. a., Newark, X. J., Mein|iliis, Teiiii., McKees- 
 |)ort, I'eiiu., H. liiveri>o()l, Oliio, as well as the 
 lari;-er towns in Illinois. Already a very stronij; 
 trade has been worked up in the>;e distant mar- 
 kets for this exeellent butter. 
 
 The jiroprietor of this new Streator enter- 
 prise is ^fr. A. Miller, an Illinois man, born in 
 Tazewell County in 187S, .-.nd connected with 
 the daily and creamery business for most of 
 his workini;- life. He was connected with the 
 lilue N'alley Creamery Co. for three years, jiart 
 of the time in charge of the corresjiondenee and 
 l>uying dejKirtments. In liMO he established a 
 plant in Walseka, III., wliich proved very suc- 
 cessful, and sold it in llHl to ^Fr. 11. ('. I'lnrne- 
 man of the town. 
 
 Asked why he located in Streator in liUl. he 
 said: "I had several locations in view, but 
 Streator looked l)etter to me than any of them 
 owiiii;- to its advantageous situation and I'ail- 
 road facilities. Further the merchants were of 
 <ucli a class that I thought they drew more 
 trade to Streator from a gn-ater distance than 
 any town I had been in. One "Dollar Day" in 
 Streator 1 found farmers that had come thirty 
 miles, and where a farmer does his trading he 
 usually sells his cream. 1 aiu iil.'d we came. We 
 have doubled cur plant since coming, and we 
 e.xpeet in the coming year to make 1,(100,000 
 pounds of butter and to pay the farmers half a 
 million dollars."
 
 32 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 THE ALLIANCE MANUFACTURING COMPANY 
 
 This company has been in business in Strea- 
 tor for twenty-one years. It has been mainly 
 engaged in the building, repairing and selling 
 of Vehicles and farm implements. About twelve 
 years ago there camea development which di- 
 rected its activities into a new specialty, and 
 which greatly increased its production.. 
 
 Singularly enough the entire business ac- 
 tivity of the company was switched by a single 
 customer. A man came in and wanted a wagon 
 built for vending ice cream on the streets. He 
 made a great success of it, and then other ambi- 
 tious ice ci'eam vendors came in and ordered 
 
 all the adjuncts of a mail-order business. 
 
 The business grew apace. The company 
 dropped its implement and jobbing business 
 and went more and more into the making of 
 vending wagons. Last year they sold one liun- 
 dred of these wagons, which went into nearly 
 every state in the union. An odd feature of the 
 business illustrating our curious national traits 
 was noticed. In the south all the trade demand 
 seemed to be for wagons constriicted to vend 
 Chili-con-came; in the west nothing but ice 
 cream wagons were wanted; while in the east 
 the demand was all for lunch wagons — and this 
 
 The Alliance Co. Ice Cream Vendor Wagon. 
 
 vehicles, until eight were built for Streator. 
 
 But the local market for ice cream wagons 
 was glutted and the astute manager, Mr. Win- 
 ninger, saw that he must look further afield, 
 for what could be done in Streator could be 
 done in other towns. 
 
 He inaugurated a national advertising cam- 
 paign, taking liberal spaces in the Saturday 
 Evening Post, the theatrical journals, the 
 magazines and other ex]iensive mediums. His 
 entei-prise was rewarded, and inquiries for 
 vending wagons began to pour in from all parts 
 of the country. He organized a regular adver- 
 tising department, with a follow-up system, and 
 
 was due largely to hungrj^ immigrants at the 
 different ports and stations who wanted cheap 
 food. 
 
 The wagons are splendidly "built and equip- 
 ped, and cost from $225 to $-100. The field is 
 apparently unlimited, and there is practically 
 no competition. The prospects for growth are 
 very promising. Last year the company made 
 1,000 wagon beds, in addition to their other ve- 
 hicles, and had a volume of business of 
 $100,000. 
 
 The officers are Charles F. Wiuninger, ]iresi- 
 dent; Geo. A. Doermann, vice-iiresident and 
 treasurer; Frank Doermann, secretary.
 
 THK STOKV OF STRKATOH. 
 
 33 
 
 THE FRANK J. SCHMITZ COMPANY 
 
 The most roceiit of Streator's factory acqui 
 sitions is tlio plant of Frank J. Scliniitz anfl 
 Company, wliicli was nioveil here from Cliioauo 
 six montlis ayo. Tlic fjictory is enijagod in a 
 lino of manufacture which is unique, namely, 
 the makinj; of crates for the packing and ship- 
 jiinir of bananas. This enterprise is an illustra- 
 tion of liow new demands for sanitation and 
 healthfulness call into existence new forms of 
 in<histi'y. A few years atro hanaiias were sliip- 
 
 lina; of bananas became manifest, and turned 
 the thouglits of Mr. Frank Schmitz, Sr., inven- 
 tor, toward tlic invention of a suitable device 
 to safeguard the banana duriiiij: shi])ineiit. The 
 Schmitz bauaua crate is the result. Tiie original 
 device was a success, but it has been improved 
 again and again until it has now over thirty 
 jiatents covering its various features, and is the 
 last word on the subject of crates. The writer 
 was sliown a carload nf crates pacU'dl for ship- 
 
 ])ed all over tlie <-oiintry loosely ])acked in ha\ . 
 straw, or any other cheap material thirt might 
 lu" available. The result was a lot of bruised 
 and damaged fruit, which was sold after arriv- 
 ing at its destination any way the dealer could 
 work it o(T, and the decayed refuse sold to 
 chea)! buyers who woidd carry it perhajis to 
 slum (piarters to spread genns and disease. 
 
 With the growth of sanitation and pure 
 food soutimeut the demaud for a better hand- 
 
 ment several hundred miles to the liome town 
 of its principal competitor, and the Streator 
 l»roduct was ]mt down in that town at a cost of 
 $r_'() more than tiie tigures of its rival, and yet 
 found a ready sale. 
 
 The Hchmitz banana crate is conceded by all 
 commission men and packers to be absolutely 
 iinei|ualled for its puriiose. Tt has no competi- 
 tor that pretends to rival it in quality. The only 
 competitive point is price, and when service
 
 34 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 and durability are considered tlie question is 
 eliminated, and the Streator erate is without a 
 rival. The anil)ition oi Mv. Schmitz is not to 
 find how cheap he can make his crate, but how 
 good. He has constantly added features im- 
 proving the quality of his outi)ut, ;intil he now 
 has a crate that can l)e jiuaranteed to shiji 
 ])ananas any distance without injury. 
 
 Some of these features are ^•ery ingenious. 
 Most im|)oi-tant is the inner cushion of sack 
 cloth which keeps the fruit absolutely free from 
 contact witli the outci- wooden framework of the 
 
 Bacana Crate. 
 
 crate at any point. The same device is also a 
 great labor saver, and enables a workman to 
 pack five of the Schmitz crates while he is ])ack- 
 ing one of the othei' sort. The cushion ]iermits 
 the goods to be shi]>i)ed any distance with ])er- 
 feet ]jrotection against bruise or jar. 
 
 The wooden portion of the crate is made of 
 a peculiar quality of lumber treated by a pro- 
 cess devised by Mr. Schmitz which makes it as 
 hard as a rock and almost as dura))le as steel. 
 Every crate made in the factory has the date of 
 mamifacture stamjjed on it so that users may 
 
 know how long it is lasting. The wood comes 
 to the factory in planks and is cut uji into slats 
 and hoops by sjjccial nuichinery on the i)rem- 
 ises. Tliesr are boiled and steamed, tied, nailed 
 and painted by an organized force in which the 
 division of labor is carried out in the most thor- 
 ough manner. 
 
 Last yeai- two hundred carhiads of crates 
 Avere shijijjed by tlie conqiany. The indications 
 are that this year double that amount will be 
 made. An idea of the business may be con- 
 veyed by citing the fact that this year the fac- 
 tory will consume enough string to go twice 
 around the world. 
 
 The ])roduct goes all ovci' the North Ameri- 
 can continent — to Calgai-y, Alberta, Winnijieg. 
 Canada; Los Angeles, California; Portland, 
 ]\Iaine; El Paso, Texas; La Crosse, Wis.; To- 
 ledo, St. Louis, Chicago, in fact wherever there 
 are commission men. 
 
 Mr. Frank J. Schmitz, -head of the conq)any, 
 is practically a Streator i)roduct. lie was born 
 in Cornell, a country town eight miles from 
 here, and came to Streator 25 years aii'o. From 
 Streator he went to Chicago, where he went 
 into the crate business when lb years of age, 
 and has remained in it ever since. Asked why 
 he removed his factory from Chicago to Strea- 
 tor, he re|)lied: 
 
 ■'Tlie main reason for choosing Streator a^ 
 my new location was its remarkalile railroad 
 facilities. Of course there are plenty of rail- 
 roads in Chicago, but the yards are congested 
 and a manufacturer cannot get the ])romi)t 
 service there he can in Streator. The lines run 
 from here to every point of the compass, and 
 since coming I have found it greatly to my ad- 
 vantage. I am sorrv I did not come before." 
 
 THE STREATOR MOTOR CAR COMPANY 
 
 Another of tlie large nuinufacturing con- 
 cerns initiated by Streator enterprise and 
 ]iromoted by Streator money and brains is the 
 Streator jMotor Car C*om])any. It was organ- 
 ized in 1905 by a small grou]) of Streator men 
 who saw in the expanding automobile industry 
 an op])ortunity to share in the benetits of that 
 growtli, and to ])romote the interests of Streator 
 in which they had a large stake. The enter- 
 prise was begun with a small capital — $30,000 
 — and the output of the first year's ojieration 
 
 was five cars. The business gri'w with anuiz- 
 ing rapidity, and the capital was increased a 
 nund)er of times until it is now ^(iOO.OOO. In 
 IJ'IO the aiitomobile business all over the coun- 
 try suffered a serious reaction, and the activity 
 of the Streator Motor Car Company, like the 
 others, received a temjiorary check; but it is 
 now in full swing again, and the year lUl'I will 
 see a in'oduction of 1500 motor cars. 
 
 The buildings of the cojniiany are built ac- 
 cording to the best fire-resisting methods of
 
 THK STOIIV or STKKATOK. 
 
 35 
 
 c'onstnictioii, iiiid i-over seven ami one half 
 acres of space. Xearly two miles of switch 
 tracks accommodate the iii-,u;oiii.t; and oiit-,i::oini;- 
 Irallic. While the llalladay ear, wliicli they 
 manufactnre, i> made of assend)led parts, yet 
 tliey do their own iipholsteiiiii;. l)ody paintin.ii: 
 and top Imildini^. and they ha\e a tlioro\iy:hl\' 
 ecpiipped machine shop where the >niall part- 
 are piocnred fioin old and well estahlished 
 mannfaetnreiN whose .u:reat c.ipital ei|nipmenl 
 
 Los Aiiirejes. .Minneapolis, St. I>o\iis. ("hieas"(\ 
 Winnipeu:, Atlanta, .lai-ksonville. New York. 
 The company lias ]'2'> a.irents and disti-ihntors. 
 'I'he splendid reputation of the llalladay has 
 won for it reconnition in the hisrliest autoino 
 iiile circles. It was .selected as press car in the 
 last (iliihU-n toiir. It was chosen pathfinder 
 and pilot for the run of the ( 'iiiea^io Motor ( "lab, 
 ;,lso for the little (iliilden tour of the north-west 
 from .Minneapolis to Montana, and for tlie tii"st 
 
 Birds ICyi- Vitw ol .Motor Car I'liiiil. 
 
 enahles them to specialize in their parts and 
 tnrn tliem out more economically ami ellicient- 
 ly than can he done by those who attempt to 
 jiroducc ever>' pai't in one factory. 
 
 In the se\en years it has l)ien on the mar 
 ket the llalladay car has developed a sellini,' 
 power ecpialed by few in its class. It has l)een 
 sold all over the I'nited States and in Canada, 
 and this yeai" a lari^e contract has been -iniied 
 for e.xport. Tlu' iarifei' di>trib\itin,y: point.- are 
 
 iiP'at tour of .Vorlhwestern Canada. .\11 these 
 honors came to tiie llalladay dnrinf*- the year 
 1!>11. and sulliciently attest its standin^j: in the 
 car world. 
 
 When working at full capacity the Streator 
 .Motor Car Company employs from IIO to 250 
 employes. The ofTicials of the company are: 
 J. C. Barlow, jiresident: Paul Cliul)buck. vice- 
 proident; C. .\rtliur Unice. secretary and 
 treasun-r.
 
 36 
 
 THE STORY OK STRKATOR. 
 
 THE G. & D. MANUFACTURING COMPANY 
 
 Nowliere lias progress been more wonderful 
 during the past century than on the Ameriean 
 farm. Not only have the methods been revo- 
 lutionized but the calling itself has been trans- 
 formed so that the American farmer of today 
 is not the peasant drudge of past centuries 
 Init skilled in the mechanics and science of 
 farming. The last ))lace to yield to the spirit 
 of improvement has been the farmer's barn. 
 Long after the reapcn- replaced the scythe, and 
 the thresher the flail, the scoop shovel still 
 reigned in the barn and made the farmer's 
 back ache with the weary drudgery of shovel- 
 ing grain. 
 
 The main business of the (i. & 1). Conniany is 
 to make the shovel as mucli of a back number as 
 
 ad\'antage of the Cup FJcxator is that it is in- 
 side in the diy, and always ready for use. It 
 runs with a chain. No belts to rot, or for rats 
 and mice to eat. Its cups are so arranged that 
 the grains fall into them from above and tiiere 
 is no shelling of the grain, as is the case where 
 the cup has to dip up the grain. When build- 
 ing new cribs it should be done with reference 
 to using the Farmers' Friend Cup Flovator. for 
 which ])lans will be sent free. 
 
 They manufacture also the G. & D. self-oil- 
 ing windmill, made with fewer parts than any 
 other mill, and will run indefinitely without re- 
 oiling. They make the Phunb Motor Tile 
 Ditcher and many kinds of water tanks, water 
 heaters, litter carriers, marker-lifters, etc. 
 
 Last year they made and shipped to all 
 
 G. & D. Wind Mill. 
 
 G. & D. Gialii Elevator. 
 
 the scythe and flail, and to save lab(ri' in thi' 
 barn the same as in the field. To this end they 
 are making elevators to run with horse oi- motor 
 power. Their patents ran back to 1898, and 
 they were the first in the field with a i)ortable 
 elevator. Time has tested every point in the 
 structure and every weakness has been elimi- 
 nated until the "Farmer's Friend" Flevator 
 is the most durable and efficient on the market. 
 More recently they have been s])ecializing 
 in the Farmer's Friend Cu}) Flevator, whose 
 cut appears herewith. It is ada])ted not only 
 to the handling of grain, but can be arranged 
 to handle hard or soft coal, slack, fertilizer, etc. 
 All these materials can he handled for about 
 75 ])er cent less than with the scoop. The great 
 
 ]iarN (il tile Fnitcd States and Caiia(hi (iDO ele- 
 ^■ators and loi) wind mills. When nniiiing at 
 full capacity they give emiiloyment to (iO men. 
 The president of the company is Mr. F. II. 
 Schroeder, and the manager is Mr. Frank 
 (falim. Mr. Gahm was born on a farm not far 
 from Streator, and worked on it until eigliteen. 
 It was there he found the need of the labor- 
 saving devices he aften\'ards invented. He is 
 the inventor of the elevators and wind mill 
 made l)y the G. & D. Company, and many other 
 devices are the product of his inventive genius 
 — notably the metal hame coupler ami bugg\' 
 top attachment first made by the Streator 
 ?\letal Stamping Com])any, ami now in general 
 use.
 
 THi: STOIJV OF STRKATOK. 
 
 37 
 
 RAILROADS OF STREATOR 
 
 FIVE GREAT SYSTEMS WITH 45.000 MILES OF 
 
 COVERING ENTIRE UNION. 
 
 TRACKS, AND 
 
 "Uiisuri)assetl" is tlic wonl tliat ilescribes 
 tilt' railroail siliiatimi in Strcatnr. In jxiint of 
 rate ad.justnu'nt, in rapiility and cniivcniciioc of 
 service, in its ability to reach any market with 
 economy ami speed, it is e(|iialed by few and 
 excelh'd l)y no interior city in the west. 
 
 VKKKiilT KATKS— Its freijfht rates arc llic 
 same or l»etter than Cliicago. 
 
 Si']i\'\l('K— Five ijreat railroad systems with 
 a combined mileaf,'e of 4.'),0()0 miles compete for 
 its business, and their eai^er rivalry makes 
 service prompt, sure and ellicient. 
 
 SWITCIIIXC! -Four of the railroads kc-p 
 switcli cnnines and crews in Streator. Fsnally 
 the lar supply is jileutifid. Reciprocal switch 
 a.rranucincnts exist itetween all lines, and 
 switchint;- charf-cs are absoihed on (Uittroinii; 
 shiimieiits, except when very snudl in amount. 
 FACILITIFS— Hoads can make .leliyery 
 from Canada to the (inif. from Atlantic to I'a- 
 ritic Coast, and to nearly all inti'rm<'diatt' 
 states ami territories, witluuit u:oinn- olT thcirj 
 own rails. 'I'his reduces delays l)y transfers 
 and siilctracks. 
 
 . From Vice President Ross. 
 
 .\moni; tlmsc eminent in the lailroad world 
 Streator is fortunate in havinji; a friend who is 
 able to s])eak with authority on all matters re- 
 lalini-- to trans|iorlatioii. l-'eelinii: the need of 
 expert opinion on this subject tiie editor wrote 
 to .Mr. \V. li. Ross, \'ice President of the Ciii 
 ca;i;o & Alton, and Toledo, St. Louis & West- 
 ern Railroads, askiiii;- a statement from him as 
 to what mitrht be truthfully said about the 
 railroad situation in Streator. Mr. Koss lived 
 here for twenty years and knows the local as 
 well as the lar.ner national situation. His state- 
 ment is niven herewith. 
 
 "I attach hereto a statement wiiich will 
 give you the actual facts with reference to rate 
 adjustment between Streator and all territor- 
 ies. To one experienced in the rsite adjust- 
 ment, this statement clearly indicates the ad- 
 vantages of Streator as a point of industrial 
 
 development. In addition to the rate adjust- 
 ment being favorable, 1 would like to call your 
 especial attention to the I'ailroad systems serv- 
 ing this city. 
 
 First, tfie A. 'J\ cV: S. F. with its Trans-Con- 
 tinental Line, reaching to the (iulf of Mexico 
 and the Pacific Coast. 
 
 ••The C. H. iK: (^. with tiie Hill Liues, reach- 
 ing the Xortlieni Pacific and Colorado terri- 
 tory; also the (iulf through tiie medium of the 
 Coloi'ailo i^' Southern. 
 
 "The C. I. tV: S., owned and directly man- 
 aged by the New York Central Liues, covering 
 the entire Fastern and New P^nglaud territory, 
 as well as the connections via Cairo for the 
 (iulf, giving .\tlantic Coast outlet, and a con- 
 nection with the (ireat Lakes as well. 
 
 "The Wal)ash, through its connection with 
 the (lould Lines, reaches through the Missouri 
 Pacific and Iron Mountain the entire South- 
 west. Through the meilium of tlie Missouri Pa- 
 cilic. 1). c^- R. (',. and Western Pacilic the Pacific 
 ( 'oast. 
 
 "The C. tV A. with its affiliated lines, known 
 as the Ilawley (Ironp. furnish over their own 
 rails, a direct outlet via Newport News, con- 
 necting with the Chesapeake tSc Ohio for exjjort 
 and import trathc, via St. L(mis and Kansas 
 City in connection with the M. K & T. an out 
 let to the S(nitl]west and (iulf port for im))ort 
 and <'xport traffic: an outlet to the Northwest 
 through the medium of the M. iV: St. L., cover- 
 ing all Northwesfeni teri-itory. 
 
 Transportation Speaks for Itself. 
 "All these lines reacii ovei- tlieir own rails 
 the large conunercial centres, consuming and 
 producing territories, enabling them to fix the 
 rates and protect industries in this community 
 as against improper adjustments by other ter- 
 ritories at all times. 
 
 "My personal view based on an intinuite 
 knowledge of the situation from a standpoint 
 locally, as well as from a broader view of 
 knowledge of the entire situation, and from a 
 railroad standjioint, is that the transportation 
 facilities of the comumnity are equal to that of
 
 38 
 
 THE STOrSV OF STUKATOK. 
 
 any territory tliat has come to my observa- 
 tion. 
 
 "What you need to do is interest outside 
 capital in yonr local advantages. The trans- 
 ))ortation speaks for itself to my mind." 
 
 Yours verv trulv. 
 
 W! L. llOSS. 
 
 How Streator Got Its Railroads. 
 
 The expert opinion of ^'ice-Pre.sident Ross 
 on tlie advantages of Streator as a railroad 
 point is corroborated by every manufacturer 
 doing business here, as will be seen from their 
 statements quoted freely in the various articles 
 herein. For several of tliem the superior rail- 
 road facilities have been the chief inducement 
 for their moving here, and every one who 
 came from this motive is glad lie nuide the 
 
 change. One says: "I wish I had moved to 
 Streator before." 
 
 It is an interesting fact that four of the 
 railroads which now connect Streator with the 
 great systems of the country were largely initi- 
 ated by Streator brains and carried through by 
 Streator enterjjrise. They were originally 
 built by Col. Rali)h Plumb and his associates 
 as an outlet to the coal output of the town, 
 and afterwards bought in l)y great corpora- 
 tions which now own them. Thus what is now 
 the Wabash was built as the Chicago & Padu- 
 cah ; the Burlington was the Ottawa, Oswego & 
 f^ox River, the Chicago & Alton was the Strea- 
 tor & Wenona, and the great Santa Fe system 
 goes into Chicago on tracks which were origi- 
 nally owned by the Cliicago, Pekin and Soutlt- 
 western. 
 
 THE SANTA FE RAILWAY SYSTEM 
 
 The Santa Fe is the great trunk railway 
 that connects Streator with Chicago on tlie east 
 and California on the west. It owns and oper- 
 
 under one manaiiement lietween Chicago and 
 California, and I'caches i)oints as distant as Los 
 Angeles, and San Francisco on the west, and 
 
 View of Santa Fe Yards and Station. 
 
 ates 10,000 miles of track in twelve southwest 
 states and tci-ritories. It is the onlv railwav 
 
 Galveston on the south, dii'cctly over its own 
 rails.
 
 THK ST<)I{\ OK STKK.ATOH. 
 
 S9 
 
 KviMy tweiity-rour hours there are twenty- 
 six freiiijlit ami iiiiiet<'eii |tassen,i>er trains jiass- 
 inu tlironifh Stivatur on tiie Santa Fe. All the 
 freii-ht ti-ains take frei;;iit here, and a shii)iier 
 ran yet a car ahnost any liour out of the twenty 
 four to carry his jroods east or west. Tliree 
 fjist frei«:ht trains daily run direct lo ("aliftu-- 
 nia. For ('liica;;o the treij,Hit sei-vice is as ijood 
 as expre-s. h'reiaiit loaded here at four o'clock 
 )>. ni. will leai-h Chicairo at three o'clock next 
 aiorninir. 
 
 'I'll 
 
 e iiassensjer sc-rvicc is ei|ually convenient. 
 
 H \l IMNCAN. 
 
 A person nuiy take a train for Cliicaiio in the 
 niornin.ii at .'ctHt. .")::!(». (kIKI. (;::{(). 7:.'l(t. H-MO or 
 !•:.")('. lie can leave ('liicav:«> for Streatcu- in 'ho 
 
 aftern i at U:.")!). L':47. (i:(l(l. oi' 1(1:0(1 p. ni.; 
 
 an-1 in the niorninn- at lM."). 7:4o or U-MO. 
 
 l-'or Texas, ('i'lifornia and all western points 
 the service is une(|ualed. and Streator i- a fa 
 voraltle startiny; jioint for tourists and land 
 seekers f|-oni tlie numerous nearliy vilhiiics and 
 towns. 
 
 How It Helps Local Trade. 
 
 'i'he Santa Fe lias observed a jwlicy of con- 
 ^iderateness for tlie needs of ])atrons alon<j- its 
 local lines tliat coinuiends it to i)ul)lic favoi-. 
 Thus its local time tal)les are arran.ned with 
 special reference to the needs of shoi)pers visit- 
 inn- Streator, and the merchants who serve 
 them. \'isitors cominf>- in on local trains, either 
 on the main line or Pekin l)rancli. will lie able 
 to spend four hours in town and return to their 
 homes in ,<j;ood .season. This considerate policy 
 lias built up the local traffic so that there are 
 not less than one hundred visitors to Streator 
 ilaily from local points on the Santa Fe, and on 
 Saturdays the number is swelled to two 
 hundred. 
 
 The Santa Fe as an emi)l()yer of labor in 
 Streator i> <'<\\u\\ to a yood sized fa<'tory. Tt is 
 an important transfer point. an<l twenty to 
 thirty cars of freight are transferred daily. An 
 electi-ic derrick e(|uipnient is inst.dled here for 
 this pur])o.se. Larue trains are broken uji and 
 remade, iind three switch eiiijines and crews are 
 employed. Wound house men, car repairers, 
 tlii-ee section crews, clerks, signal and tower 
 men make u\> a lai^e force. Tliere are over 
 one hnialred men on the Santa Fe pay roll in 
 Streator and not less than ^Id.diM) a iiioiith is 
 paid out. 
 
 A Railroader By Birth. 
 
 Th.' Streator a.yent of the Santa Fe. Mr. II. 
 .M. Duncan, was litei'ally born to the railroad 
 business, lie lirst saw the li^lit in a railway 
 station (»f which his father was au;ent, tlie up- 
 stairs of the depot Iteinj? used as livinji: rooms 
 !:s was not unusual in the early days. ITe joined 
 the forces of the Santa Fe in' March. 1S88, as 
 an'cnt at Knox, worked foi- it at eif'liteeu dif- 
 ferent stations, and was promoted to Streator 
 on .\i>ril 1. liMI!). Mi-. Duncan is a thoroui>h 
 railroad aucnf. one of the most capable and ex- 
 perienced in the enm|)any's sei'vice. 
 
 THE CHICAGO. BURLINGTON & QUINCY RAILROAD 
 
 The l>urlin,iiton. connected as it i- with the 
 Xorthern Pacilic and the (ireat Northern sys- 
 tems, known as the Hill i^nuip of lines, is by far 
 the nreatesi system of railroads entering; Strea- 
 tor. its own liiileau-e is !l,(M»ll miles, that of the 
 Xorthern I'acilic is (i. •_'(!(). the (ireat N'oithei-ii is 
 7,S44, makinif a total of over 22,(t(tO miles for 
 the entire svstem. Tliis enornunis svstem trav- 
 
 erses the west and northwest, and furnishes di- 
 rect aoeess to that f;;reat empire now develojung' 
 across the Canadian border, which is destined 
 to be one of our bii-- markets. It is a sio-niticant 
 fact that two-thirds of the land buyers l)uyinfi' 
 tourist tickets at the Streator station are liead- 
 ed for these northwestern i)rovinces, and to 
 this great granary the Burlington furnishes the
 
 40 
 
 THK STORY OP STRKATOR. 
 
 most direct service, freight and passenger. 
 
 A glance at a railroad map shows that the 
 Burlington fairly gridirons tlie Central West. 
 Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska 
 look like a checker board marked off in squares 
 by the lines of the Burlington, while long arms 
 reach out and join with its comjjanion lines 
 stretching to the northern and western limits 
 of the union. Southward they go direct to St. 
 Louis, and south-eastward to Paducah, 
 Kentucky. 
 
 Can Ship Direct to About 42,000 Stations. 
 
 The giant magnitudes might only interest 
 the student of social phenomena from their na- 
 tional economic bearing, but to the practical 
 
 table delay caused by transferring from one 
 line to another, and tlie danger of his shipment 
 being Jield uj* or lost at some transfer point. 
 
 The widely ramifying connections of the 
 Burlington give the shipper another advan- 
 tage. In enables the agent at Streator to accept 
 shipments and quote routes and rates to any 
 part of the United States. If the shipment is 
 less than carload lots it gives the advantage of 
 its fast freight system. Instead of being ship- 
 l)ed on the painfully slow way-freight it is 
 transfeired at Galesburg or Chicago to the 
 through freight and sent direct to its destina- 
 tion in a special car, wliether it be Xebraska or 
 California. 
 
 View of C. B. & Q. Yards and Station. 
 
 business man shipping gciods in and out of 
 Streator they have a totally diffei'ent siyniti- 
 cauce. 
 
 They mean to him that he can shij) over 
 22,000 miles of track without transfer. 
 
 They mean that he can reach about 4,200 
 stations in the United States without going olf 
 the rails of one system. 
 
 They mean speed, promptness, accuracy, 
 dispatch, avoidance of woriy and loss. 
 
 So it is that to be situated on the Burling- 
 ton is a great asset to any town. To be able to 
 ship to so many different destinations without 
 change, in a territory that affords the best mar- 
 ket in the world, is an important advantage to 
 the producer. It insures him against the inevi- 
 
 Business Touched With Sentiment. 
 
 The Burlington is connected with the early 
 history of Streator in a manner that touches 
 closely on sentiment. The writer was talking 
 to President Lemmon of the C. W. & V. Coal Co. 
 a1)0ut this book, and he said: 
 
 "Why don't you put in an article about tiie 
 'Q'? It was intimately connected with the 
 coal early developments of the town, and its 
 officers were friendly to the local interests of 
 Streator, and gave them substantial assistance 
 in many ways." 
 
 President Lemmon 's remark is entirely true. 
 While it may have been a policy of enlightened 
 self-interest, it is none the less a fact that our 
 interests were mutual, and the "Q." pulled for
 
 THi: STOISV OF .STI{i:.\T(>R. 
 
 41 
 
 Streator. Not only did tliey help in the way of 
 rate jirotcction, hut for a iirreat many years the 
 I'lii'lini^ton lias taken half the output of the C. 
 W. & v. ('(tai Company. It is the chief \mv- 
 chaser of the new Third \'ein Coal, and the first 
 hif? ooneern to put the seal of its approval on it 
 liy (h'clarin;;- it to l»e the best eniifine coal yet 
 runiislicd hy the miiu-s of Northern Illinois. 
 
 The Strcator agent of the Burlington is Mr. 
 .\. r>. ('oh'. Mi-. Cole has been connected with 
 this system for 28 years, lie was nine years 
 agent at Fulton, III., thirteen years at Ottawa, 
 and has been six years at Strcator. Not only 
 is ^Ir. Cole known as an ellicieut and popular 
 railroad ollicial, hut he is highly respected as a 
 citizen, actively interested in every good word 
 and woi'k, wliether cixic cdncatiouid or 
 reliifious. 
 
 A. B. COl.K. 
 
 BJ 
 
 'TRADE FOLLOWS THE FL/IG" 
 
 LOCATE ON THE WABASH 
 
 The above is the motto ol' the Waliash b'ail 
 road, which occupies a uiii<|ue jiositii-n among 
 the I'ailroads of Strcator in that it owns a l)elt 
 line, wliicli. iieginning at Main street runs out 
 into tjie heart of the shale fields south of the 
 city. Some years ago the Wabash management 
 with far seeing e>e. foi-esaw tlie indiistiial de- 
 velopment of Streator, and bought in the rail- 
 road of. the Coal Hun Coal Company. The le 
 suit prove<l the wisdom of the pur'^'hase. A 
 number of important faetoi'ies are sitinited 
 along this track, sucli as the W'estciii (!lass 
 ( 'ompanx'. Tile I liinois Selling Company, tiic 
 Streator I'axiiiii liiiek ('(unjiany, A. ( ). Fan- 
 ning and tile Xational Drain Tile Company. A 
 switch engine and ci'cw is maintained and ex- 
 cellent facilities for the expeditious handling of 
 Irallic obtain. In addition to the large factories 
 alrea<ly planteil on the Walnish Helt Line, there 
 are a mimbei- of ideal industrial sites adjacent 
 thereto whicii iire still available. The Wabash, 
 therefore, enjoys exceptional advantages for 
 furthering the industrial development of the 
 city, and stands ready at all times to assist in 
 promotini-- its interest. It nmintains an Indus- 
 trial |)epartnu-nt. which will gladly assist in- 
 terested parties in determining on a locatiim 
 that is entirely suitalde to their special rcMjuire- 
 ments. It devotes special attention to the de- 
 
 velojiment of industries along its lines, hence 
 its motto: "Ti;iile l'"oli(nvs the IIah: Ijx-ntc ( )ii 
 the Wabash. •• 
 
 Foi- geru'ral trallic pni'poses llie Wabash 
 adds to the other I'aili'oad ad\antages of Strea- 
 tor liy furnishing it direct connections to the 
 east and south, as well as gi\ing it another 
 splendid outlet to the Central West. It has its 
 own dii-ect lines to Chicago, Detroit, P>ul'l'alo 
 and DesMoines, and ojierating in conjunction 
 with connecting systems at these gate- ways, 
 opens to Streatoi' practically all the gi'eat pro 
 ducing and consinning markets of the conntrx'. 
 
 The Wabash takes special interest in jjro- 
 moting the mercantile business of the town, and 
 its passenger train service is arranged with spe- 
 cial I'cference to the accommodation of traders 
 visiting Streator for sh()|)ping jmrposes. They 
 have incoming passenger service at 8:35 and 
 10 a. vn. and 4:15 p. m.; outgoing sen'iee at 10 
 a. m. and r2:.">0 and 5 p. m. This service is 
 greatly appreciated l)y country people and vil- 
 lagers, who come in large numbers daily to 
 Streator to do their trading. 
 
 It may be said of the Waba.sh that it is re- 
 cognized as one of the old. tried ami solid I'ail- 
 roads of Anu'rica. It is i)art of what has long 
 been known as the (Jould .system, and is lirmly 
 grounded in the best railroad traditions. It has
 
 42 
 
 THE STORY OF STRKATOR. 
 
 over :^.")()0 miles of railroad, i.- asuressive, pro- 
 STessive and up-to-date. 
 
 As tliis is being" written word comos that or- 
 ders lia\e ])en i)laced for $:i,()l>0,000 worth of 
 steel rails, and recently re]iorts were received 
 of millions of dollars of orders being jdaced for 
 freight, passenger ears and engines, all of the 
 
 cipal, labor and residence facilities offered by 
 the city of Streator merit the careful considera- 
 tion of manufacturers, business and profes- 
 sional men desiring to locate where conditions 
 are sucli as to insure the successful conduct of 
 their business. 
 
 For information reyardinii' sites, freight 
 
 Map of Wabash Lines. The Width of Page Necessitated Cutting Off That Part Showing the Connections 
 
 With Principal Atlantic Seaports. 
 
 most modern models. 
 
 '{"lie c()iid)ined advantages of geogra]>]iical 
 location with relation to pi'lncijial inai-kcts of 
 the country, proximity to the great bitumin- 
 ous coal fields of Illinois, large clay and shale 
 beds, excellent transjiortation, liankiiig, muiii- 
 
 lates. transportation service, etc., call on or ad- 
 dress W. L. Bowhis, Division Freight Agent, 
 S]n-ing<ield. 111.; II. K. Watts. Ass't. General 
 Freight Agent, St. Louis, Mo.; F. W. Cannon, 
 Agent, Streator, III. 
 
 "Vf^i ~:y-fCi<< 
 
 
 ■Sfci"'-' V*'- • 1.- 
 
 starved Rock.
 
 THK STOKV <»F STUKATOI!. 
 
 •13 
 
 THE MAKERS OF T HE CITY 
 
 LIFE SKETCHES OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GREAT INTER- 
 ESTS WHICH HAVE HELPED TO BUILD UP STREATOR. 
 
 DR. W. L STREATOR 
 
 AFTER WHOM CITY WAS NAMED. 
 
 Till' (Icsliiiy (if ii town is prcliiiiircd in tlio 
 i-liaractfi- of its i^rcat men. \o N-ss in tin- social 
 than in tlic industrial and (•■•otioniir life of tlic 
 town arc the IVaturi's of its Iradcis i-rcscivcd. 
 and tlu'ir iiiflucnui' por 
 sists in a tliou.-and in 
 tannililt' ways, even af 
 tcr tlu'ir iianu's arc for 
 gotten. Tims it is that 
 the linihicrs of a city, 
 tliosc who shape its 
 plastic and formative 
 days, have i\ heavy re 
 sponsiiiiiity, for they 
 hnild for the lonii 
 ami unending- years; 
 and into their work is 
 linilded their lives ami 
 chaiacters as intu a 
 monnnient. and as ilie> 
 Imihl well or ill. they 
 hnrt or help llu' future 
 and add to or lake from 
 the stream of life that 
 Hows down throuiih the 
 •enturies. 
 
 S(i it is that any 
 stoi'y of a town thiit 
 chronicles merely its 
 material elements, its 
 coal, its clay, its ylass, 
 is Icavinu: out the most 
 
 important factors in its uiowth. (Mlicr towns 
 in Illinois have had coal .It'iiosits and rlcmrishcd 
 wliile it lasted, hut where arc they today .' 
 With the exhaustion of their coal they have he- 
 come deserted villaiifs, and a lot of tumble- 
 down shanties mark the spot where once they 
 ])rospere(l. It takes men as well as materials to 
 nuike a town, ami so it has been tliouKlit ad 
 
 brief sketches of a few of the men win*, in var 
 i(ms ways, have coidributcd most to its up- 
 luiildinji'. 'I'he list is lu'cessarily limited and 
 the luunes selecteil for presentation arc from 
 anicni; the leaders of tlie vai'ious industries 
 and interests represented in the city. Only 
 one reprcsentatix'c has been taken from each 
 interest, and it is believed the names .selected 
 will bv common con>ent be apjiroved as the 
 
 fittest that could he 
 chosen. 
 
 It is apjiidpriatc that 
 the first portrait anioni;- 
 "The .\Jakcrs of the 
 City" should lie that 
 of the man al'lei- w Imm 
 the cit V is named, I )r. 
 W. L. Streator. of Clevc 
 land. Ohio. Dr. Strea 
 tor was the leadiui*' 
 spirit amonn' the cajii- 
 talists who came here 
 >lioitly after flic war to 
 de\('lo)i the coal lields. 
 1 le was the first lucsi 
 ilcut of the \'ei'mil!ion 
 ('oal Co., which later 
 iiecame the ('hicayo, 
 W'ilniiuii'ton ;k: N'ermil 
 lien ( 'oal ( 'ompanx'. lie 
 never I'csidcd in Strea- 
 tor himself, but he 
 broui^ht liere the num 
 who was the real foun- 
 iler of the town, and 
 who became afterward 
 its most honored name, 
 and is now its most i-evered memory — Cohuicl 
 Ralph i'hunb. It is very fittiii,-;' that the city 
 should bear tlie name of him who discovered it; 
 of him who oryauized the business on which its 
 earlier development almost cntirelx depended, 
 and who iutroduce<l and made possible the 
 residency of the uu'.n who shaped its stalwart 
 after growth, and who is resi)onsil)le for the 
 
 visablc in this storv of Streator to include character and status of tlie Streator of today.
 
 44 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 COLONEL RALPH PLUMB 
 
 FOUNDER OF THE CITY. 
 
 For no gift of nature, or no advantage of 
 location is Streator so much indebted as for its 
 great men. Its founder, Col. Rali)h Plumb, was 
 one of the products of a mighty epoch — the 
 epoch tliat iirodueed Lincoln, and Grant, Sum- 
 ner and Logan and the other giants of the Civil 
 War ])eriod. He was of the same heroic stat- 
 ure, and was east in the same mould as those 
 great Titans. He thrilled to the same issues, 
 vibrated to the same 
 passions and was a com- 
 manding figure in the 
 anti-slavery battles of 
 those turbulent times. 
 He was a participant 
 in the famous Oberlin- 
 Wellington Rescue, and 
 with thirty-six others 
 was imprisoned for 8-1 
 days in an Ohio jail for 
 the rescue of a fugitive 
 slave. When they came 
 out they were met by a 
 band of music, a salute 
 of 100 guns, and greet- 
 ed as popular idols. Li 
 1854 he was elected to 
 the Ohio legislature, in 
 which he served three 
 'terms, was a friend of 
 Chase, Wade, Giddings, 
 the correspondent of 
 John Brown, and was 
 an active and powerful 
 champion of the radical 
 reform measures of 
 those days. 
 
 AVlien tiie war came he gave his services to 
 his country and was assigned to the staff of 
 Gen. (jarfield, with whom he held friendly and 
 confidential relations until the latter's untimely 
 end. He continued in service till the close of 
 the war, and came out with the rank of Colonel. 
 
 At the close of the war, in the maturity of 
 his powers, he came to Streator to open up the 
 then undevelojied coal fields. As the head of 
 the de\elopment company he opened mines, 
 ])latted the town and developed a great in- 
 dustry. Later he built several hundred miles 
 of railroad to connect the new village with the 
 outside world. Streator is indebted to his 
 
 initiative and influence for the fine park of 
 eleven acres in the centre of tlie town, which 
 it now enjoys. 
 
 He laid the foundations of tJie town on a 
 broad industrial basis, and all his life gave 
 every encouragement to factories, railroads 
 and every enterprise calculated to upbuild the 
 town. After many years of active service he 
 decided to retire from business and give his at- 
 tention to the higher interests of life. He sold 
 out his railway and other interests, and be- 
 came a soldier of the common good. He built 
 a high school at a cost of $35,000 and donated 
 it to the town, erected an opera hous,? and es- 
 tablished the Streator 
 National Bank. When 
 the town became incor- 
 porated as a city he was 
 unanimously elected its 
 first mayor, and when 
 in 1884 the republicans 
 of his district called 
 liim to be their repre- 
 sentative in Congress, 
 he was triumphantly 
 elected, and again re- 
 elected in 188(1. He was 
 born in Busti, New 
 York, on ^March 20, 
 181(5, and died full of 
 years and honors at liis 
 home in Streator April 
 8, 1903. 
 
 His last public ap- 
 pearance was at the 
 dedication of the Car- 
 negie Library, Jan. 30, 
 1903, which tlie famous 
 ironmaster had given 
 the town at the i>ev- 
 sonal solicitation of 
 Col. Plumb. H was 
 during the correspondence over the building of 
 tliis library that Mr. Carnegie acknowledged 
 Col. Plumb as his insi^iration and example in 
 his philanthropies, and in the devotion of the 
 latter part of his life to the public good. 
 
 Col. Plumb's influence lives on in the broad 
 democratic spirit of the town; in the absence of 
 caste or social snobbery; in the fine enthusi- 
 asms for causes calculated to advance the city 
 or the nation; in the liberality and oi<en-heart- 
 ed hospitality with which it receives all relig- 
 ions, creeds and opinions, and welcomes all 
 men of all classes, races and ijeojjles.
 
 Tin: STOKV OK STI{i:\Tf»H. 
 
 45 
 
 FAWCETT PLUMB 
 
 FIRST IN REAL ESTATE. 
 
 Xo iiiMii lias written liis iuiiik' more deejily 
 on the map of Streator than .Mr. Fawcett 
 Phnnl). For to liini more tlian any otlier is dne 
 its physical appearance, its additions, its sub- 
 divisions, its streets, and its ifeneral confonua- 
 tion as a town, lie it was who oruinally owned 
 most ol" the land that Streator stands on, and 
 who laid it out into additions, blocks and lots. 
 It was his wise and liberal policy that made 
 Streator a ttnvn of worlxinjrmen's homes, for at 
 an early day he institute(l tlie jiractice of low 
 ]>rices and easy montidy jiayments on lots to 
 encourajre liome-owniiif; by 
 workers. Xo doubt this con- 
 trii)uted larjjely to Strea- 
 tor's i)rosi)erity by inducing!; 
 settlement by steady and 
 thrifty wmUers. whose stake 
 in the town made them con 
 si'rvaf ive, and not easily 
 persuaded to join in the 
 strikes and turl)u!eTit labor 
 disputes of tiiosc earl\ day~ 
 in till' coal fields. 
 
 Hut it is not on the sur 
 face of the town alone that 
 Mr. I'lundi's nnirk is observ- 
 ed. 'I'he imjirint of his 
 hand is .seen in the be;i;in- 
 ninfj;s «)F every important in- 
 dustry in the town. In the 
 early days iie was interested 
 in coal minin.i;, and when 
 he with )ire.scieiit eye fore- 
 saw the ]iossible exhaustion of thai intlnstry, 
 he was one of the pioneer experiiiienlei-s with 
 the clays of the town, and then with the mak- 
 inif of i^lass in Streator — the two industries 
 wliich later came to be the town's nniin indus- 
 trial reliance. Later he invented the Plumb 
 Steain Tile Ditcher, one of the lirst power 
 ditchers on the market. 
 
 lli^ interests have been wonderfully varied, 
 ami no movement or enterprise for the good of 
 Streator but has felt the push of his strone; and 
 stimulatinii: hand. Liberal to a fault, lie has 
 i;iveii largely of land and money to help the 
 new industries wliicli it was sought to plant in 
 Streator; and in all movements for the ad- 
 vancement of tlie town, whether economic, civic 
 or social, he has lieen among the lirst to be call- 
 
 ed on for assistance and one of the most gen- 
 erous in response. 
 
 Mr. Plumb has been an independent repub- 
 lican in politics, and conse(|uently not in the 
 line of political promotion. But in 1872 he was 
 elected to the state senate as an indepemlent 
 by a coalition of democrats and greenbackers 
 and served for four years. He held the olTice of 
 jiresident jiro teni of the senate, and was one of 
 a group of three who held the balance of ]iower, 
 which th(\\' used to elect Judge David Davis 
 instead of (Jen. John A. Logan to tlie Fnited 
 States Senate. 
 
 He served as ]irivafe secretary to his uncle. 
 Col. Halph Plumb, during the civil war, later 
 studied law and was admitted to the bar in 
 Albany. X. Y. in 18()7. Came to Pontine and 
 began the practice of law 
 the same year. Tii 18(58 he 
 joined his uncle, the founder 
 of the town, in Streator, 
 where he has renuiined ever 
 since. Mr. Plumii is presi- 
 dent of the Stivator Xa- 
 tional Lank, is owner ol' the 
 ujicra house, president nf 
 the Streator Paving lirick 
 Comi)any. and is actively 
 engaged in real estate and 
 other important enteri)ri.ses. 
 He was born in Andover, 
 ( )liio, in is;!4, and at tin- 
 writing ( IIMJ) is regarded 
 as the most reniarkaiile 
 youth of 77 for energy, ac- 
 tivity and zest of life that 
 can be found in these parts. 
 He has not retired from 
 business, and as long as he 
 lives he will work. His interest in Streator is 
 as keen and his faith as unbounded as it was 
 forty-tive years ago, when he left the practice 
 of law to lay out the real estate foundations 
 of the city. 
 
 Outwardly a man of bricks, of real estate, of 
 business; inwardly a dreamer, a mystic, an ar- 
 dent student of the (x-cnlt. Li atfairs, slirewd, 
 practical, money-making; in his heart, gener 
 ous, lavish of time, money and intluence to 
 every fine cause that reaches him with its ap- 
 peal. Unostentatiously liberal; retiringly boun 
 tiful; self-elVacingly public-spirited. Such is 
 Fawcett Plumb as he ajjjjears to one who has 
 known him for thirty years. Were fortune to 
 bring him inillions, no one would sjiend them 
 more liberallv or more for the good of Streator.
 
 46 
 
 THE STORY OF STRRATOR. 
 
 WALTER REEVES 
 
 LAWYER, CONGRESSMAN, PUBLICIST. 
 
 Till' next striking public figure iu the his- 
 tory of Streatoi' belongs to a later generation. 
 Born .')2 years after Col. Pluinl), the meridian 
 of his life coincided with the declining years of 
 his venerated jiredecessor. AYliile rising to 
 even greater heights in the political world, the 
 lines of his activity fell in more peaceful jier- 
 iods and the tur))ulent issues of the Civil war 
 were not within the scope of his career. Tliat 
 career found its zenith 
 in the last decade of the 
 ninotenth ccnlnry. and 
 it is not beyond the 
 modesty of tnitli to say 
 that during that i)eriod 
 Walter Reeves was one 
 of the dozen men in the 
 Congress of tlie United 
 States wlio diiected the 
 legislative destinies of 
 the nation. He wi.s 
 elected to Congress in 
 1S!I4 by a republican 
 niiijority of ."),()()(), and 
 was re-elected throi 
 times after by increa.sed 
 majorities. He served 
 in Congress on imi^or- 
 taiit committees, nota- 
 bly the Patent and 
 liiver and Harbor com- 
 mittees. He introduced 
 important measures in 
 both, and was Jiead of 
 tlie I'ornier and next to 
 
 the titular head in 
 
 tlie 
 in- 
 
 lattei-. I)ut a man" 
 llncuce in Cojigress is not mea.->ured by his i)0- 
 -ition in that body. There is always a small 
 grou]j who are the directors of legislative ])ol- 
 icy, and in this group Mr. Reeves stood in the 
 forefr-ont as one of the most valued leaders 
 and advisers. 
 
 In the councils of his party in the state his 
 voice was listened to with profound resi)ect. 
 He was for many years a member of the State 
 Central Committee, and there were none mo'e 
 able oi- infiuential in devising and directing 
 jiarty jioiicies along high and honorable Hues. 
 For the petty arts and tricks of politics he liad 
 little talent, and no respect, and to this no 
 
 doubt is due the fact that this article is not 
 headed Governor Walter Reeves, of Illinois. 
 For it is generally conceded that he was ac- 
 tually or ])otentially nominated for governor 
 by the dominant republican i)arty at the Pe- 
 oria convention, and was cheated out of it by a 
 trick. He was a man of intense loyalties, and 
 this disa])pointment did not swerve him one 
 iota from his allegiance. It is illusti'ative of 
 tliis nuirked trait of his character that be ac- 
 tually went on the platform and camj^aigued 
 for the very man who had played the trick that 
 defeated his nomination for governor. 
 
 After retii'ing from ))ublic ofitice hi' returned 
 to the practice of the 
 law, iu which he 
 achieved rai'c tlistinc- 
 tion and success, and 
 became again an active 
 member of the firm of 
 Reeves & Boys. 
 
 He was a leader of 
 the La Halle County 
 bar, and frequently ai>- 
 peared before the Su- 
 preme Court, where his 
 arguments were receiv- 
 ed with great respect. 
 At the time of his 
 death he was attorney 
 for the state of Illinois 
 in the famous Economy 
 Light and Power case, 
 which involved the re- 
 claiming of the streams 
 and water ]iower of the 
 state from the corjiora- 
 tions and i-est(U'ing 
 them to the peo])le. 
 Ihiring the busiest days 
 of his law ])ractiee he 
 always found time to 
 v.ork for Streatoi-, and was for years the active 
 president of its Imi)rcivement Associatiori. 
 
 But eminent as he was in law and ])olitics, 
 his distinction as a man transcended both. His 
 was a personality that made an instant imju-es- 
 sion in any and every presence. Im|)erious in 
 person and manner, his distinguished bearing- 
 bespoke him as one born to command, and his 
 courtesy and manifold fairness made it easy to 
 accept his le.ulership. IJeiiig asked what (lual- 
 ity of his friend most impressed him, Mr. W. 
 Boys, the seventeen years' law partner of Mr. 
 Reeves, said: "He was the fairest man I ever 
 knew in all m\- life."
 
 I hi: sTom OK sTi{i:.\Tf>R. 
 
 47 
 
 And III) I'licoiiiiuiii could \w liiii.T. Larue 
 iiiiiidcd, hroad, ift'iicroiis, public spirited, a lea- 
 der of leaders. \\'altei' Hi'cves leaves a le,uacy 
 to tlie youth of Streator iuspirinj'' and ounol)- 
 linv:; a typical American hoy, born of working 
 parents, raised on a farm, educated in the com- 
 mon schools; then teaching school and studying 
 law; then admitted to the bar and l)uilding the 
 foundation of his caieer by his own unaided ef- 
 forts; he is the stuff of wliieh tlie governors and 
 great men of our nation hnxc been. an<l will 
 continui' to be ma<le. 
 
 Even after he had retired persistent rejiorts 
 appeared in the public prints of his iini>ending 
 appointment to a position in the cabinet of the 
 president. So vital was his influence in higli 
 places, so potent his grasp on national politio, 
 that it was scarcely believable tiiat AVaiter 
 Hee\es could retii'e; and 
 there is little donl)t that if 
 untimely Death iia<l not 
 clainu'<l him he would have 
 been called to eminent ser- 
 vice in the senate or highest 
 couni'ils of the nation. 
 
 lie was nuirried in ]S7<> 
 to Marietta Cogswell, who 
 sni'vives him. It was an 
 idyllic uni(Mi. Knightly in 
 his ideal of womanhood, 
 he accepted the same stau 
 dard for liimsclf and lived 
 a Chexalier Uayard — with- 
 out fear an<l without re- 
 proach. 
 
 If ever Streator tnrn> 
 (Hit a statesnnin of national 
 ranU. the lives of its two 
 great publii-ist.s, ('(>l. Ralph 
 rhiiid) and Walter Ifeeves 
 will speak again through him; for no 
 aspiring youth can escape their all per- 
 vasive example and influence in Strc.dor. 
 
 .MATTIIKW 
 
 MATTHEW W. JACK 
 
 MANUFACTURER OF BOTTLES 
 
 Among "'Phe Maki-r- of the City" there is 
 one name that stands out witli_ a i>rominence 
 all its own. It is the name of M. W- •Ta(d<, 
 President of the Amerii-an Bottle Comjiany. 
 "Whatever el.se may entei- into tlie making of a 
 city, there is one indispensable pre-requisite. 
 anil that is productive indu>tr\ ; for without 
 
 industry there can be no population, and with- 
 out population no city. .Mr. .lack rejiresents in 
 a pre-eminent way the dominant industry of 
 the town. Not only is he its re))resentative. 
 but in a large degree its pioneer, its develojier, 
 its creator. 
 
 Away back in ISSl a group of enterprising 
 citizens, bent on ])romoting the business wel- 
 fare of the town, started what was then known 
 as the Streator Bottle and (ilass ('onip:\ny. 
 'Pheii- nu'ans were small, but their courage was 
 strong, and they put all the capital !liey could 
 rai.se into a small eight-pot bottle factcuy. This 
 was the beginning of what is now the magnifi- 
 cent j)lant of the American Bottle Company, 
 and it well illustrates what may be dt)ne for a 
 town by men ol' limited means, if they have the 
 iiiitiati\e, the courage and the enterprise. The 
 leading sjjirits among- those 
 adventurers in a uew in- 
 dustry certainly deserve 
 lo bi' chronicled lieri'. for 
 to them in laryi' in('a-.iire 
 Streatoi' owes its prosperous 
 existence. Among liiosc who 
 coojierated with Mr. .lack 
 in initiating the Streator 
 liuttlc >.^- (ilass Company 
 were II. X. Rvon. F. M. 
 \iynu. W. .1. \Viili..ni>, .1. (;. 
 Wilson. John Funk and W. 
 W. Haskell, the InC-r being 
 also its first president. 
 
 Xot one of these jiioneers 
 had any experience in the 
 ylass business, nor was there, 
 as in these days, a promoter 
 Id direct the new scheme. 
 With singular foresight, 
 howe\'er, they took a uuin 
 from behind a grocery countei' and made him su- 
 intendent of the factory. That man was M. \V. 
 .Jack, lie too. was ignorant of the glas- busi- 
 ness, hut he had indomital)le perseverance, re- 
 sourcefulness, adajitability and courage, lie 
 bent himself to his task autl for two ye;irs the 
 >trnggle was a hard one. The limited means 
 of the company nmde the situation dillicult, 
 and Mi-. .Jack saw early that if the business 
 was to succeed more cajiital was needed. With 
 characteristic energy he set about to remedy 
 the defect. The local resources having been 
 exhausted, he sought assistance among tliose 
 with whom trade i-elations had brought him in 
 contact, and was foitunate in interesting .Mr. 
 Adoli)lius Busch, of St. Louis. With the advent 
 
 .I.\IK.
 
 48 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 of Mr. Hiiscli into tlie ooiiipaiiy the question of 
 cjipita] was solved, and tlie business moved for- 
 ward by leaps and bounds.. 
 
 Fi'om being superintendent Mr. Jack was 
 ])romoted to be Secretary and Treasurer, and 
 a.i-ain to l)e President and Treasurer of tlie 
 Sti-eator Bottle and Glass Company. jMean- 
 lime great changes had taken place. The small 
 pot furnaces had given way to the continuous 
 tank, the number of furnaces had increased 
 from one to six, the company purchased the 
 Streator Flint Works, and enlarged and con- 
 verted them into bottle factories. Its trade 
 had enonnously expended till it covei-ed nearly 
 eveiy state in tlie union and overflowed into 
 Canada and ^Mexico. In IDOG the American 
 Bottle Company was organized and the Strea- 
 tor Bottle & Glass Company became one of the 
 important factors in the eousolidation. It was 
 capitalized at $10,000,000, and Mr. Jack was 
 elected president of the new corporation, which 
 position he still retains. 
 
 P"'rom grocery clerk to head of a ten-million 
 dollar c(u-poration in twenty-five years would 
 in any other age or country be held as an as- 
 tounding achievement .But in modern America 
 it is accepted as belonging to the usual and ex- 
 ]K'cted ccmrse of events. j\Iost of the heads of 
 giant corporations have traveled a similar 
 cour.se, and it is rare to find a great captain of 
 industiy who has not risen from the ranks by 
 his own efforts. Mr. Jack's career is ty])ical. 
 B(u-n of farmer jiarents in Old Cliestei', Pa., in 
 1855, he remained tliere till seven years of age, 
 then moved with the family to a farm in Lan- 
 caster County, Pa., Here he remained until 
 nine years old, when he was sent to Phila 
 delpliia to learn the car building trade. 
 Here he served four years with tlie firm 
 of Muri)hy & Allison. He then worked at 
 the carpenter trade in I'liilailelphia for about 
 a year, and then tra\eled as a journevnum 
 through Pennsylvania, Illinois and Iowa. When 
 (ifteen years old, in 1S70, he arrived in 
 Streator, where after working at his trade a 
 short time, he entei'ed the employ of Overliolt 
 & Holmes as a clerk, where he remained about 
 three years. He then remained in merchandis- 
 ing on his own account as a niembei- of the firm 
 of Jack, Dagan & Overliolt, and continued for 
 about three years, when the business was sold, 
 and he became manager of the dry goods depart- 
 ment for Arthur Bros. He remained here until 
 called to what was to be his life work — the 
 management and direction of great glass 
 interests. 
 
 It was during these earlv vears in Streator 
 
 that .Mr. .Jack gave himself the education that 
 enabled him to cope successfully with the large 
 (piestions that came to him in after life. De- 
 nied the advantages of academic training, he 
 set to work to acquire a good business educa- 
 tion, and at home and night school he succeed- 
 ed in fitting himself for his work. He also 
 studied law with Chubbuck & Wall, and was 
 admitted to the bar, but never jaractieed. 
 
 During his -12 years residence in Streator 
 IMr. Jack has been warmly interested in every- 
 thing pertaining to its welfare and has loyally 
 furthered every movement for its advancement. 
 His home is here, his friends are here, and to 
 everybody he is the same genial, affable, cour- 
 teous friend and neighbor that he was in his 
 store-keeiiing days in the long ago. His eleva- 
 tion to high positions has given liim oi)portuni- 
 ties to push the interests of his home town, 
 which he has been quick to avail himself of, 
 but in no other way has it operated to change 
 the frank and unaffected simplicity of his char- 
 acter and manner. 
 
 CAPT. T. A. LEMMON 
 
 MINER OF COAL. 
 
 To write the story of Streator and leave out 
 the Chicago, Wilmington & \'erniillion Coal 
 Company would be like playing the tragedy of 
 Hamlet and leaving out the Prince of Den- 
 mark. For in the early history of the town the 
 ])art of the C. W. & V. was as important as 
 that of the jn'ince in the ]ilay. It not only rep- 
 resented the dominant industry of the town, 
 but was itself the commanding and controlling 
 factor in that industiy. The writer is not a 
 believer in the current ])latitude that corjiora- 
 tions have no souls; he believes, on the con- 
 trary that their souls are the souls of the men 
 who dominate them, and partake of their vices 
 and virtues. The man who is today the soul of 
 this corporation is Captain Thomas A. Lem- 
 mon, president of the com]>any. Cajit. Leni- 
 mon has been with the C. W. & V. for forty 
 years and with the fonner president, A. ]j. 
 Sweet, and Su])t. W. S. Cherry, was active in 
 directing the policies of the company during 
 the formative and creative days of the town. 
 What the influence of the company was, and 
 what it might have been may be inferred from 
 a contenijilation of the ruined and deserted 
 mining cam^is scattex-ed over the state. That 
 Streator is not such a camp is due largely to the 
 policy of the company. What was that policy?
 
 THK STORY OF STREATOH. 
 
 49 
 
 As an finjiloye in the mines of (he company 
 in (iiose early days, the writer can speak witli 
 the voice of personal intimacy and knowled,si:e. 
 Its policy was in tlie main broad, intelli'rent, 
 humane, remarkably so when it is consi(lered 
 tliat this was before the days of national labor 
 unions wliich have since l)ecome so important a 
 factor in tlie dealinsjs between miners and o])er- 
 ators. It was probably the first coal corpora- 
 tion to f:;ive its workmen a yearly wasre aj^ree- 
 ment which the miners had an iinimrtant part 
 in framing:, and which contained liberal provis- 
 ions fur the health, convenience and safety of 
 the men. It always was on the affirmative side 
 of tlie coal market, and stnod for the mainten- 
 ance of prices, and thus marie 
 jiossible the payinji; of fair 
 wafjes. It is an evidence of its 
 dis])osifion that at one time it 
 I'stablislicd a slidin;; -;i'ale. ^iv- 
 iiin tlie miners a share of the 
 jirofits without demand or 
 solicitation. 
 
 This liberal policy attract 
 ed to the town a fine body of 
 men, mainly from the mine- of 
 fJreat IJritain. 'i'iieii i|ualit> 
 may l)e inferred from the f-ict 
 that Streator miners furnished 
 most of the mine inspectors for 
 the state duriu": the earl\ 
 years of the mining law; ami 
 have contributed a larjje nuni 
 ber of mine manairei's and sii 
 perintcndcnt-i since mining has 
 been i)ut t)n a scientific basis in 
 the state. These men receixcd 
 their incentive and traininir 
 largely from the officers of tlu' 
 coiripany, especially from its 
 sujierintendent, AV. S. Cherry. 
 
 It is worthy of note that for a period of 
 twelve years there was not a strike or labor 
 trouble in the mines of this cominmy in Strea- 
 tor. The men larirely owned their own homes, 
 and were an intelli,<;ent. conservative body; 
 not by any means crinirini;: and subservient, 
 but men who knew somethini; of the laws of 
 trade, and were able to .judsje when they were 
 fairly dealt with. It was t-lie Iii.i,di quality of 
 its working men that ditTerentiated Streator 
 from other mining villajres and kept it on the 
 ma]) after others had been wii)ed out. It ijave 
 Streator a reputation for stability and sound- 
 
 T. A. 
 
 ness that made it attractive to investors; and 
 many of these early miners or their sons have 
 become leadinji,' business men and supporters 
 of its business enterprises. 
 
 The present i)resident, Capt. T. A. Lemmon, 
 has been associated with the company since 
 187l2, the year the present com])any consolidat- 
 ed with the old A'emiillion Coal Company, 
 which opened the first mine in Streator. He is 
 also treasurer of the Eureka Coal & Dock Com- 
 pany. He was bom in New Albany. Ind., and 
 educated in the i)ublic and hiiih schools of that 
 city. l)urin>f the Civil War he served from 
 18()1 to 18(;5 as a member of the 5th Ohio Cav- 
 alry, in the Army of the Tennessee. After the 
 war for a time, he was en- 
 ,a:aged in the clothing busi- 
 ness in Louisville, Kentucky. 
 He came to Chicago in 1860 
 and entei-ed the employ of 
 E. i). Taylor & Son, coal deal- 
 ers, as bookkee])er. hater he 
 was with Taylor & Thomas for 
 one year, and then launched 
 into the coal business for him- 
 self, organizing the finn of 
 Lemmon & Cornish. This 
 business was burned out in the 
 fire of '7L find in the following 
 year Capt. Lemmon began his 
 .services with the company of 
 wliich he is now president. 
 
 The companj' is still the 
 leading factor in the coal busi- 
 ness in Streator. and Presi- 
 <lent Lemmon has recently said 
 that at the present rate of min- 
 ing its third veiji product it 
 Lemmon. has acreage enough to last for 
 
 a hundred years, even if the 
 l)opulation of Streator should be midtiplied 
 many times and many large fuel consuming in- 
 dustries should !)(' added to tiiose we now have. 
 
 C. C. BARR 
 
 MAKER OF BRICK. 
 
 Reticent in words, eloquent in deeds, Mr. C. 
 C. Barr prefers that the unvarj'ing nde of his 
 life .shall not be broken, and accordingly no 
 portrait of him appears on this page. In
 
 50 
 
 THK STORY OF STRKATOR. 
 
 deference to the same spirit of reticence tlie ap- 
 preciati^'e words that plead for utterance must 
 also be suppressed. But the real portrait of C. 
 C. Barr appears on another page, where the 
 storv of his factory appears. For it is into 
 his f acton- that he has poured the best of his 
 life; in its well-contrived structure will be 
 found the imprint of his hand and lu-ain; and 
 in its efficiency and economy of operation will 
 be seen the traces of his energizing spirit. In 
 still greater degree, perhaps, is the mark of 
 his genius, felt in the organizing of the human 
 factors in production, in the smooth and frip- 
 tionless disposition of his labor forces, and in 
 the willing spirit, good cheer and contentment 
 that animate his workers. 
 
 Mr. Ban- built his first factory- here in the 
 years of 1892 and 189.3. It was not his inten- 
 tion at first to remain in personal charge of the 
 plant. But the first years were years of experi- 
 ment, and the experiments were not always 
 successful. It took some time to find out just 
 what kind of treatment Streator shale required 
 to make it turn out a marketable product; and 
 Mr. Barr finally decided that tlie enterprise re- 
 quired his personal attention, and so settled 
 down in Streator to donate all of his energies 
 to the management of his plant. It was a for- 
 tunate thing for the town, for in the ycnrs tliat 
 have ensued Mr. Barr has built up one of the 
 biggest and most substantial clay industries in 
 the west, and given to the city one of its most 
 valued and respected institutions. His success 
 lias demonstrated that the sliale beds of Strea- 
 tor are its most important assets, and that the 
 future fortunes of the town are in large meas- 
 ure bound up with this industry. Mr. Barr is 
 a believer in the future of paving brick; that 
 tlie time is coming when all the country roads 
 will be paved with vitrified shale products, and 
 that Chicago and the great north-west will cre- 
 ate a great demand which can be best supplied 
 from the points most advantageously situated 
 to produce and ship the brick. Perhaps it was 
 this faith that led Mr. Barr in 1911 to reor- 
 ganize and extend his jolant to the extent of 
 doubling his capacity. Starting with a ca]3acity 
 of 50,000 brick a day, he is now ca])able of pro- 
 ducing 200,000 a day, a four-fold growth in 
 twenty years. He has also increased his hold- 
 ings of shale land, having now a supply of 115 
 acres. When iimning at full capacity he em- 
 ploys from 300 to 325 men. 
 
 C. C. Barr was bom in White County, Indiana, 
 on Dec. 1.3, 1851. After a common school edu- 
 
 cation he became attracted to the work of engi- 
 neering. He was a member of the engineer 
 corps employed in the construction of the Texas 
 & Louisiana railroad. He later became a part- 
 ner in the firm of Anderson & Barr, whose spe- 
 cialty was pneumatic work, deep foundations 
 and soft ground tunneling. They became a 
 successful firm and were entrusted with many 
 important enterprises. Among the liig jobs 
 done by Anderson & Barr was the building of 
 the substructure of the Merchants' bridge at 
 St. Louis, and of the bridge at Cairo, 111. Their 
 most conspicuous piece of work was the sub- 
 structure of the Hawksl)ury Eiver bridge at 
 Sydney, Australia, at that time the deepest 
 foundation in the world. 
 
 Mr. Barr's interest in Streator begun with 
 his building and ownership of the street rail- 
 way, which has since been sold to other inter- 
 ests. Being attracted by the shale prospects he 
 retired from the firm of Anderson & Barr to 
 give his full time to their development. He 
 built a fine residence in the town, and settled 
 down to become, it is hoped, a permanent 
 resident. 
 
 WALTER L ROSS 
 
 RAILROAD MAN. 
 
 No reckoning of the forces that entered into 
 the making of Streator vrould be complete that 
 omitted the railroads; and no man is so fitted 
 to represent their contribution to the u]>build- 
 ing of the town as Walter L. Ross, Vice Presi- 
 dent of the Chicago & Alton and associated 
 railways. For Mr. Ross laid the foundations 
 of his "reputation as a railroad manager during 
 his twenty years service in Streator; and in 
 doing so was able to be of great value to the 
 transportation and industrial interests of the 
 city. During his years in Streator important 
 developments were being made in the railway 
 situation, new combinations were formed, new 
 rates were being established and new direc- 
 tions were being given to traffic. Mr. Ross was 
 in charge of the interests of the Indiana, Illi- 
 nois and Iowa R. R. when that line was estab- 
 lishing its position as the outlet belt line which 
 enabled east bound traffic to avoid Chicago 
 with its heavy charges, and made Streator the 
 gateway between the east and the west. He 
 formed" advantageous connections for his belt 
 line with the C. B. & Q. and the Santa Fe rail- 
 
 '^f\1F*».Jt
 
 TIIK STORY f)F STISKXTOH. 
 
 51 
 
 roads that stand today, and wliicli pend the 
 ilrcsscd moats of Oniaiia and Kansas City, and 
 otlier liigh class freight thi-ongli Streator to 
 tlie cast. Tn fact it i)laced Strcator on the inap 
 for eastern hiisincs< for tlic Hrsi time. Favor- 
 ahlc rates were estalilished for bottles and 
 other Streator products, and in a general way 
 it may be .stated that during Mr. Koss' regime 
 more was done in tlic way of rate adjustment 
 than at any otiier time in the liistory of tlie 
 town, and on tlie freij^iit basis then eVtablishert 
 Streator's future will depend more than on any 
 other single factor. 
 
 While ])rinuirily a railroad man. Mr. Ross 
 was active in every movement for the benefit 
 of the town. He was the first secretary of the 
 Strcator Club and coIIccte(l tiie funds to estab- 
 lish its first clul) rooms; and he was its jiresi- 
 dent when the building was erected which it 
 now occupies. While agent for the Wabasli he 
 made the contract for the purchase of the 
 i'lumb switfh. along which are ojterated im- 
 portant shale and irlass industries. He was in- 
 strumental in locatintr the Barr Clay AVorks 
 and the Streafor Clay ^raimfacturinir Com- 
 pany's factories along the line of the Wabash; 
 also in the extension of tlie I. 1. & I. Railroad 
 to Zearim;. and the locution of the factory of 
 tile \'ulcan Detinning Company on that line, 
 lie solicited the fumls that erected the Locke 
 factory building. sin<'e the home of the Metal 
 Stamping Company. 
 
 If was durinn' these active years that tin' 
 abilities of Mr. Ross attracti'd the attention of 
 Mr. Paul Morton. .Mr. T. P. Shouts and Mr. 
 (ieo. II. Ross, who were then intorested.^in the 
 1. I. i^' 1. R. R., and who have since become cou- 
 s|)icuous liyures in the iailrn;id world. ^Wlien 
 tliey ac(|uired the Clover Leaf System Mr. Koss 
 was invited to accompany them. He went to 
 Toledo and was made Assistant Oener'il 
 Freight aiitl Passenger Ageiit, and tlien was 
 promoted to be Oeneral Freiiiht and Passen- 
 ger Agent, and later was advanced to Ceneral 
 Trailic Manager. 
 
 It was while filling these jiositions that Mr. 
 Ross came in contact with Mr. Edwin Ha.wley. 
 Thomas IT. Hubbard. Mr. AV. C. Brown and 
 other members of that group which has since 
 come to be known as the "Hawley group." 
 This has come to be one of. the most powerful 
 and aggressive bodies of railroad financier., in 
 .Xmcrica. and Mr. Ross is one of the most val- 
 ued tratlic men. He now holds the following 
 positions: A'ice President of the Chicago & 
 
 Alton, of the Toledo, St. Louis & Western, and 
 the Iowa Central M. St. L. He is also a di- 
 rector of the Detroit & Toledo Short Line. 
 
 There i.; nothing uimsual in the rise of Wal- 
 ter L. Ross. It is the case of the typical Ameri- 
 can boy, illustrated in the ascent of most of 
 America's ca]>tains of industry and kings of 
 finance. 
 
 He was born in Bloomington, 111., Jan, 1. 
 18(i5, had a common school education, became 
 a messenger boy, then a clerk in the Western 
 Fnion Telegrapli olTices. He advanced rapidly, 
 came to Streafor in 1S85, where he served as 
 .joint agent of the I. I. & I. and Wabash rail- 
 roads. On the division of these interests he 
 became Division Freight & Passenger Auent of 
 the I. I. iV: I., an<l in lOO.') he left Streafor to en- 
 ter the greater career which his abilities 
 opened up to him. He still thinks of Streutor 
 as home. Here is where he married his wife, 
 where his ciiildren were born, and where his 
 father anil mother. Mr. and Mrs. A. S. Ross, 
 still live. A man of loyal friendsliip and af- 
 fections, he still maintains a lively interest in 
 the industrial pros|)erity of his old home, and 
 Streafor has no stauncher friend in the railroad 
 world, or one more able ov more willing to 
 help. 
 
 R. W. CRAWFORD 
 
 BUILDER OF CARS. 
 
 The representatives hitherto discussed as 
 "The Makei-s of llie City" have been men who 
 have been associated with tlie jiast and ])resent 
 of the city. Looking around among the newer 
 men, those who represent its pre.senf and fu- 
 ture, the name of R. W. Crawford, car builder, 
 comes to mind as ])re-eminently tlio most fit 
 and striking example. 
 
 A maker of maxims says, "Some are born 
 great, some achieve greatness and some have 
 greatness thrust upon tliem." It is a catchy 
 line, but it is not true. There is and there can 
 be no greatness as there is and can be no suc- 
 cess for one save that which he strives for and 
 wins. 
 
 One may be born rich or have riches thrust 
 upon him; but the mere possession of wealth is 
 not even an approach to the temple of gi-eatness 
 or .success. Success means continued efToit and 
 sacrifice; it means the overcoming of diHiculty, 
 the traveling of roads of one's own building, the 
 
 |,riLUK
 
 52 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 scaling of ladders of one's own making, and in 
 the main it means that eacli mnst Iniild and 
 climb alone. 
 
 In substance what is here said api^lies to 
 R. W. Crawford, of this city, who began with 
 little, practically nothing, but has won success. 
 Those who view things superficially look upon 
 his rise as meteoric, but others, who know 
 that for every result there is cause, realize that 
 the place Mr. Crawford holds is neither acci- 
 dental or providential, but on the contrary, is 
 the logical outcome of years of struggle, of 
 endless planning, well 
 directed ambition, of 
 cleanliness of life, of 
 courage, fortitude and 
 farsightedness — the 
 characteristics that all 
 successful men possess, 
 tlie personal endow- 
 ments that make cir- 
 cumstances their crea- 
 tures instead of their 
 being creatures of cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 R. W. Crawford has 
 been in Streator five 
 years. He came here 
 with less ready casli 
 than fifty acres of land 
 in the vicinity of the 
 city would sell ior to- 
 day, and yet, within 
 that short time and 
 with that limited capi- 
 tal, backed by a h'vj, 
 purpose and disciplined 
 capability, he has de- 
 veloped a business and 
 erected a plant which a 
 half million dollars 
 would not tempt liim to part with. 
 
 Mr. Crawford was born in Scotland in 
 1865, where he remained until twenty years of 
 age, when he came to America and located in 
 Western Texas. At twenty, he caught the fe- 
 ver of western migration and for the next three 
 years made his home in National City, and San 
 Diego, California. Here he became the assist- 
 ant of the noted engineer, J. C. Schuyler, whose 
 work lay in building dams across rivers, laying 
 pipe lines and in locating and erecting irriga- 
 tion plants. 
 
 R. W. Crawford 
 
 returned to his old home in Scotland and en- 
 gaged his old master as an instnictor in civil 
 and mechanical engineering and the higher 
 mathematics, and upon returning to Amer- 
 ica he associated himself with the American 
 Locomotive Comiiany, a big manufacturing 
 concern at Richmond, Virginia, where he gain- 
 ed a ])ractical and closer acquaintance witli his 
 chosen calling, and in addition acquired a 
 knowledge of executive work. After a length- 
 ened service with this company he went to 
 [Montreal, Canada, where he pursued afresh his 
 
 academic studies, after 
 whicli he went to north- 
 west Canada in an 
 executive position with 
 a big railroad com- 
 jiany. 
 
 It was while in the 
 Northwest that he con- 
 ceived the idea of car- 
 building and car I'epair- 
 ing, and he came to Chi- 
 cago with the view 
 to inducing some man 
 with capital to become 
 his associate. He failed 
 in this, but while in 
 Chicago he made the 
 acquaintance of a 
 manufacturer who was 
 seeking a location in Il- 
 linois. In company with 
 this gentleman he trav- 
 eled through Southern 
 Illinois and on the re- 
 turn trip, botli stopped 
 oft" for a short visit. 
 
 While here Mr. 
 Crawford met Mr. O. 
 B. Ryon, Mr. Walter 
 Reeves and three or four other members of 
 the Streator Improvement Association, now 
 known as the Streator Commercial Club, and 
 the result of this meeting is the presence of 
 the Crawford Locomotive Sc Car Works in 
 the city of Streator today. Mr. Crawford finds a 
 place in this memorial to Streator because he 
 is a city builder in a big way and because his 
 success in the world is in hannony with the 
 spirit of the west and because it is an inspira- 
 tion to every young man with brain and a pur- 
 pose. He is a typical Scotchman, of fcrv 
 words and much earnestness, with a mind sin- 
 
 At the close of this service Mr. Crawford gle to his business and its further development 
 
 I
 
 THK ST«»I{V OF STRKATOI5. 
 
 53 
 
 DANIEL HEENAN 
 
 RETAIL MERCHANT PLUS. 
 
 It is not alone to tlie producer that a town 
 owes its fi^reatness. Tlie clistril)ufor, tlie mer- 
 chant wiio jtasses out tlie necessities and the 
 luxuries of lite to the people with efficiency, 
 economy and iionesty, is not less serviceable to 
 the connnunity than the builder of a factoiy. 
 He it is who makes up the solid middle class of 
 the town; who j^ives steadiness and pennan- 
 eiK-e to its social institutions; who -iives sup- 
 port to its charities, its 
 churches and educa- 
 tional movements; who 
 fDrnis the consen'ative 
 l)asis of opinion on ]iub- 
 lic ()uestions and who 
 looks ahead and plans 
 for the future of the 
 city. 
 
 As the chief repre- 
 sentative of this im- 
 j)ortan( class in the u])- 
 buildinj; of the town 
 the name of Daniel 
 llcenan is presented. 
 'Plicic will be no (uie to 
 tjuestion the pre-emi- 
 nence of Mr. Ileenan as 
 a merchant or doubt 
 the correctness of his 
 selection as the rej)re- 
 sentative of his class. 
 Mr. Ifeenan is not alone 
 the ui!<|uestioned head 
 of tile mercantile guild 
 in Streator, but it is 
 doubtful if there is a 
 merchant in the State 
 of Illinois, outside of 
 Chicago, to equal him in the grasp and daring 
 of his imagination or the breadth and bigness 
 of his enterprise. 
 
 Mr. Ileenan has built in Streator a monu- 
 ment to his mercantile irenins that will long 
 survive him; one that will be pointed to as one 
 of the institutions of the city after he has 
 passed away. It is one of the show places of 
 the town, a sjilendid structure of brick and 
 stone, the largest and most comjilete appoint- 
 ed emiiorium of trade to be found in the State 
 outside the metropolis. Xot only does it sui*]5ass 
 all ti>wns of the size of Streator, but it eclipses 
 all similar establishments in towns of three 
 
 I). Heenaii. 
 
 times its size; the largeness of the builder's vis- 
 ion and the daring of his ambition are shown 
 in his undertaking to build such a structure in 
 such a town; and his mercantile genius is dem- 
 onstrated by his .success in its operation. 
 
 The department store is the product of a 
 new age, like the incorjiorateil company; it 
 lirings with it its iirobleins, its economie.s, its 
 efficiencies. Mr. Ileenan is one of the jiioneers 
 in the establishment of this modern institution 
 in the jn-ovincial town. He has brought Big 
 Business down to little uses, and given the 
 small consumer the economies and convenien- 
 ces of big transactions. As Klbert Hubbard 
 
 says: "The American 
 J)ei)artment Store has 
 taken uji lost motion 
 and given the people 
 better goods at a lower 
 price. It has been the 
 inevitable, because it 
 jk does the greatest good 
 
 ^_ '"' the greatest number. 
 
 IJlf^ It has worked for econ- 
 
 omy and length of 
 fdays. It means mutu- 
 ality, reciprocity, bro- 
 therhood. 
 
 " Hut to give the peo- 
 ple tlie things they 
 want is not enough. 
 You must show them , 
 wliat they want. The 
 great modei-n store is a 
 leader in taste. It is an 
 etiucator. It stands for 
 economy, color, pro- 
 portion, lianiiony and 
 increased happiness. It 
 insjiires the imagina- 
 tion by bringing from 
 the far corners of the 
 earth the products of 
 the loom, workshop, farm, mine and studio. It 
 displays the.se goods so that the public maj' 
 come and examine them, weigh, analyze, sift, 
 decide and make them their own if they wish. 
 
 According to this gospel we find that D. 
 Heenan has been an unconscious preacher and 
 teacher of ethics, and that his store has been 
 a jilace where his jiatrons received jiractical in- 
 stnictions in the laws of beauty, economy and 
 honesty in trade relations. 
 
 Who then is Daniel Ileenan? 
 The outward facts can be briefly stated. 
 Born in the town of Indiana, Canada, on the 
 IGth day of December, 1839, he attended the
 
 54 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 common schools during boyhood, and finished 
 his school education in the Toronto High Seliool 
 at the age of 17. He started his business career 
 as a clerk in Cayuga, Canada, and later opened 
 up a store in his native town. Coming to Ot- 
 tawa in 1866 he formed a mercantile partner- 
 ship under the style of Burke & Heeuan, which 
 continued until April, 1872, when Mr. Heenan 
 moved to Streator and opened up business as D. 
 Heenan & Co., with John Flannagan and M. J. 
 Finleu as associates. The business prospered 
 until the store was destroyed by fire, and Mr. 
 Heenan erected the present splendid stmcture, 
 which covers a block of land in the business 
 centre of the city. 
 
 These bare facts give only the skeleton of a 
 life filled with pulsing and throbbing interest. 
 Mr. Heenan is a merchant plus. He has been 
 the recognized head of his party in the city for 
 over a quarter of a century, most of the time a 
 member of the democratic state central com- 
 mittee. His al)ility was recognized by the only 
 democratic governor in recent years, John P. 
 Altgeld, who appointed him a member of the 
 state prison commission, on which he served for 
 four years. A leader in all movements looking 
 to the good of the city, he has been prominently 
 identified with its leading institutions. With 
 Colonel Ralph Pluml) he was one of the incor- 
 porators of tlie Streator National Bank, and in 
 1882 was one of the organizers of the Streator 
 Hotel Comj^any, which erected the Plumb 
 House, of which property he is now the sole 
 owner, having bought up all other stock 
 Interests. 
 
 Altliough he lias passed tiie allotted tliree 
 score and ten, Mr. Heenan is still one of the ac- 
 tive and commanding figures in the business 
 life of Streator, and his influence and power 
 are to be reckoned with iu all matters touching 
 the progress and prosperity of the city. And 
 his interest is still keen and his power potent 
 in any movement affecting Streator's business 
 welfare. 
 
 JOHN E. WILLIAMS 
 
 MEDIATOR, ARBITRATOR, PEACEMAKER 
 
 (By M. Meehan.) 
 
 There are men who are not captains of in- 
 dustiy nor of business, nor yet leaders in state- 
 craft or politics, who leave their impress on the 
 thought "currents of their community and are 
 entitled to recognition as among "The Makers 
 of the City." Such a man is John E. Williams, 
 
 the editor of this publication, who for over a 
 rpiarter of a century has been the manager of 
 public amusements, lecti;re courses, chautauqua 
 and the like; and who as writer, speaker, di- 
 rector and composer of music, arbitrator and 
 general iDublic spirited citizen has stamped his 
 personality on the city in a manner that will 
 not be easily effaced. 
 
 It would have been a pleasant task to the 
 writer to have attempted a characterization of 
 liis colleague, Mr. Williams, but as he has been 
 forestalled in this by one who is considered the 
 most brilliant writer in America, he will give 
 way and present the sketch of EJbert Huljbard, 
 pul)lished in tlie Fra of December, li'lO. Says 
 the Fra: 
 
 "Williams is a business man by accident, a 
 laborer by prenatal tendency, a Fabian by na- 
 ture and a Roycrofter 1)y the Grace of God. He 
 takes an earnest, active interest in all economic 
 and social betterments. He knows history, 
 literature, philosophy better tlmn any college 
 ])rofessor I e\'er saw. He is a workingman who 
 has improved hi^, time. He is the friend of the 
 working men and women, and he is a business 
 man. For many years he was a coal miner, a 
 day laborer, and he knows the heart of the 
 toiler — those who go forth to their labors until 
 the evening — better than any other man I ever 
 met, and I've known quite some few — for my 
 name is not Simeon Stylites. 
 
 Has Charity, Too. 
 
 Williams has knowledge plus, and charity 
 that suffers long and is kind. He is so big that 
 he fully realizes that any man who devotes him- 
 self to aiding the proletariat will get gi'oss .in- 
 gratitude and stupid misunderstanding for pay. 
 
 And yet he sides always and forever with 
 this man that he knows will rend him if he 
 ever gets close enough to clutch his throat. 
 Blind, blundering humanity that fails to be a 
 friend to even itself, needs a friend — and Wil- 
 liams is that man! 
 
 He is as tender as Clara Barton, as gifted 
 as John Euskin, as practical as William Mor- 
 ris, as hopefiil as Whitman and as brave as Jim 
 Bludsoe, who "held her nose to the bank until 
 every galoot was ashore,' and then perished iu 
 the wreck." 
 
 Undoubtedly the great work of Mr. Wil- 
 liams' career, the work which his forty years of 
 uneventful life in Streator prepared him for, 
 was the mediation of the claims growing out of 
 the Cherry disaster. That horror left 530 wo- 
 men and children unprovided for, with no re- 
 sources but doulitful lawsuits. Of this Secre- 
 tary of Labor, in a state report says:
 
 THi: STOHV OF STRF.ATOR. 
 
 55 
 
 "With a vision rare among men. through 
 tlie tears and griof of a stricken people, he saw 
 the line of a new duty, the open doorway of a 
 great oppDrtunity, and sueeeeded in transmit- 
 ting the materials of a great tragedy into an in- 
 strumentality of a great service to mankind. 
 Tns])ired hy no other i)urpose exeept the weal 
 of his fellow mortals, tliis man for months dis- 
 regarded the demands of home and business in 
 the ardor of a si)lendid eonseeration. gave the 
 wealth of his mental and spiritual endowments 
 to a cause th;it absorbed all the energies of his 
 active sold." 
 
 Ilis labors were .successful, ami Mr. Wil- 
 liams had the satisfac- 
 tion of seeing the mon- 
 ey that would otlier- 
 wise have been waited 
 in court costs, lawyers' 
 fees, ]>aiil over to the 
 women and children. It 
 cost the St. Paul Coal 
 Company nearly half a 
 million dollars. 
 
 Tlie big man on the 
 other side of the tnedia- 
 tion was Albert .1. Kirl- 
 ing, presi;ient of the 
 Chicago, .Milwaukee i\: 
 St. i'aul H. K.. which 
 was the real ownei- of 
 the Cherry mine. In a 
 beautiful letter to Mr. 
 Williams, reviewing the 
 .settlemeT.t Mr. lOarlint; 
 says: 
 
 "It was dillioult at 
 the (Uitset to under 
 stand such un-ellish de- 
 votion to humanity. 
 There are nuuiy mo- 
 tives that lead men to 
 champion one side or 
 
 the other in any controversy. There are many 
 ardent advocates of one side or the other, but 
 no other instance has come under my observa- 
 tion of a man with the ca|)acity to helji, coming 
 voluntarily to the aid of contendiuii- parties 
 with an ecjual eye for fair dealing for both and 
 justice for all. I think I am justified in saying 
 that without your skillful and intelligent me- 
 diation the settlement at Cherry would have 
 been as far olT now as at any stage of the ne- 
 gotiation. If out of the wreckage of property 
 and tombs of men at Cherry shall come forth a 
 permanent bettering of the relations of em- 
 ployer and employed in the hours of the com- 
 
 mon disaster, it may be counted as some small 
 salvage from so awful a calamity, it shall 
 stand as a monument to your unfaltering effort 
 to establish among men a lasting principle of 
 e(|uity and justice." 
 
 Theodore Roosevelt in an editorial in the 
 Outlook commended the work of Mr. Williams 
 \erv higldy, and it has been widely commented 
 upon in jjapers and magazines. 
 
 For the past two years Mr. W^illiams has 
 been the official arbitrator of the United Mine 
 AVorkers and the Illinois Coal Operators' As- 
 sociations. At the last arliitration session the 
 commission pas.sed a unanimous vote of thanks 
 
 to Mr. Williams "for 
 the fair and impartial 
 manner in which he 
 presided over our meet- 
 ings; for the unfailing 
 (act, good feeling and 
 jii-actical wisdom wliich 
 have characterized his 
 conduct of the proceed- 
 ings, and wliich have 
 been of invaluable as- 
 sistance in bringing our 
 deliberations to a har- 
 monious and successful 
 conclusion." 
 
 The outer facts of 
 Mj-. Williams" life are 
 brieflv told. Born near 
 Merthyr Tydvil, Wales, 
 in IS.").'}, he came to 
 .\nierica in 18(j4. Soon 
 after he entered the 
 coal mines and contin- 
 ued as a miner for 
 al)out tifteen years, the 
 •greater i)art of the time 
 in Streator, after which 
 J. K. wuiiaiiis. I't" became a newspaper 
 
 man. then a fire insur- 
 ance agent and theatre manager. lie has never 
 held political office, but has been recognized in 
 many positions of worth. He was secretary.of 
 the first labor union in Streator, and later, the 
 first check weighman at its mines. He organ- 
 ized the Business Men's Auxiliary League in 
 1897, which helped the miners cany on that 
 memorable strike. 
 
 Mr. Williams was arbitrator for the Coal Run 
 strike; has been official arbitrator for the Illi- 
 nois coal operators, is vice-chainnan of the Cher- 
 ry Relief Commission; president of the trustees 
 of the Church of Good Will and ehainnan of 
 the Sunday Evening Lecture Course.
 
 66 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR 
 
 ITS CHARACTERISTICS; ITS HISTORY; ITS 
 
 INSTITUTIONS. 
 
 GOVERNMENT; ITS 
 
 Streator is not yet a beautiful city. It is a 
 town in the making; not yet a finished product. 
 Tts wealth and energies are devoted to deepen- 
 ing and broadening the foundations of its in- 
 dustrial life, rather than to smoothing out the 
 wrinkles of toil from its face or adorning itself 
 with the fruits of its labor. It is still in its iron 
 age; its golden age is yet to come. The nide 
 framework tliat supports the social fabric 
 stands out bare and grim, as yet uncovered by 
 the accretions whicli in older cities soften and 
 mellow, if they do not conceal, the rougli beams 
 which knit the structure together; and the play 
 of those elemental energies which propel the in- 
 dustrial mechanism, and thereby vivify and vi- 
 talize the social life, are still plainly visible. 
 
 "The gilded youtli of the second generation, 
 who wastes in idle elegance the earnings of his 
 father's toil, has hardly made liis a])pearance 
 here as yet. The men wlio made the man he 
 employs. There is no leisure class, and Irat few 
 retired men of business. Such affinity has not 
 crystalized into social caste. Society is demo- 
 cratic; it permits the free flow of social feeling 
 along the channels of natural sympathy regard- 
 
 less of class distinctions. Work is the great 
 unifier; wlien master and man touch elbows in 
 a common task there is born a spirit of fellow- 
 ship which no disparity in wealth or station 
 can neutralize. The absentee employer, like 
 the absentee landlord, is tlie true creator of 
 class divisions, the begetter of class pride, the 
 fomenter of class hatred. In Streator he is 
 practically unknown. ' ' 
 
 The foregoing words, written by the editor 
 of this volume in 1898, may still stand as an 
 ajipropriate introduction to an article on Strea- 
 tor. For Streator is still a town of workers 
 and working-men. It is still in the making; and 
 although its sense of beauty is growing, and 
 evidences of it may be seen in its parks, streets, 
 tine homes and well kept lawns, it may be ad- 
 mitted that it does not comj^are in this respect 
 with the towns of the old and finished East. It 
 is unfinished, therefore not dead. It has not a 
 long i)ast, but has an immense future: and that 
 future belongs to men of action, men of energy, 
 the men who have made and will continue to 
 make the industries and the institutions of 
 Streator. 
 
 THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE TOWN 
 
 It cannot pretend to a history of hoaiy an- 
 tiquity. The oldest date the writer has been 
 able to find in the chronicles of the past is 1831, 
 at which time one Geoi-ge Basore, a native of 
 Virginia, settled on a fann about (uie mile 
 north-east of where Streator now stands. It is 
 recorded that the family supplied their simple 
 wants from materials of their own raising. They 
 made clothing of flax and wool, leather for foot- 
 wear and harness from hides tanned l)y them- 
 selves, sugar and molasses from the maples on 
 their farm, meat from their own stock ; they ate 
 the corn and grain from their own fields, and in 
 their own blacksmith shop made their own 
 
 tools with whicli to repair their own farm im- 
 plements. 
 
 Pioneer Names Still Survive. 
 
 From 1833 to 1837 there was an influx of set- 
 tlers, many of them from Fayette County, Penn- 
 sylvania. Ai_ong them were some whose names 
 still sui-vive in the directory of modern Strea- 
 tor. There are the Raineys, the ]\Iackeys, the 
 Downells, the Eeddicks, the Bronsons, the Ful- 
 wilers, the Dinsmores, the Painters. ( )ne of the 
 descendents of the latter, Mr. Lloyd Painter, is 
 the present city attorney of Streator. 
 
 These were all farmers, and it was not until
 
 THE STORY OF STRKATOR. 
 
 57 
 
 the early sixties that there were signs of a nu- 
 cleus tiiat would foreshadow the future city. 
 
 About tiii'^ time a number of miners began 
 burrowing in tiie banks of the Veniiillion River 
 and diifting into the ricli seam of coal tliat 
 croijjit'd out along tlie stream. To satisfy their 
 wants a small grocery was started in 1861 by 
 .John D'Xeil on the river bank. The next build- 
 ing was erected by James Iluggaiis, the front 
 ])art of which was used as a store. Tlien came 
 Hoiiert Duinan's store, and in 18()4 came 
 Springer ^: Tainter. Shortly after was built 
 what became the Streator House, and Overholt 
 & Iloinies built what was hrnix the leading 
 
 tion soon began to l)e counted by the thousands. 
 On the tentii of February, 1868, the new town 
 was platted, the signers of the i)lat being Ralph 
 I'liunl) secretary, and James Iluggans, Albert 
 Mc('ormi<-k and Win. Rainey. Streator was in- 
 coi-porated as a village not long before ISTO, and 
 in that year were elected as its officers the fol- 
 lowing: 
 
 Frank Holmes, jiresident; and J. O'Neil, Kd. 
 Woolzen, Robt. Duncan and (r. W. t'umniings, 
 couiicihiien, tile latter also sei'\ing as clerk. 
 
 First City Officers. 
 The village organization was (>ontinued un- 
 
 Louis .Nater, City Treasurer. 
 
 Fred H. Renz, City Engineer. 
 
 store, on the site of the i)resent I'lumb |[ouse. 
 The village was scattered along the blulT of the 
 river and was called "Hard Scrabble" from tlie 
 difficulty of clind)ing the hill from the river 
 ford. .\ little later the village was called 
 Unionville; but in 1866 came Col. Ralph Plumb 
 and with him came the Vennillion Coal Com- 
 pany with its president. Hr. W. L. Streator, 
 from whom the town got the name it now bears. 
 
 The Coming: of Col. Plumb. 
 
 With the coming of Col. Plumb a new era 
 was begun. The coal industry was rapidly de- 
 veloped, railroads were built, and the popula- 
 
 til July ;>, 1882, when Streator became a city 
 under the general laws of the state. Its popu- 
 lation was about 6,0t)(). The first officers of the 
 I'ity under the general laws of the state 
 were: Colonel Ralph Plumb, president, John 
 E. "Williams, clerk; John T. Kuhns, treasurer; 
 J. T. Murdock. attorney; Joseph Mosher, su- 
 perintendent of sti-eets; Henry Smith, marshal; 
 B. A. llattenhauer, park connnissioner. The al- 
 dermen were: Jo.seph O'Xeil, Hugh Hall, J. C. 
 Camjjbell, L. C. Mills, George Bronson, B. A. 
 Hattenhauer, W. W. Haskell, J. M. Hess, John 
 Arthur, Thomas Hudson.
 
 58 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 THIRTY YEARS OF MUNICIPAL PROGRESS 
 
 Although not originally a propossessing 
 town, Streator since its organization as a city 
 has made rapid strides and will now compare 
 favorably with its sister cities of the west. 
 Streets have been lifted from the mnd and pav- 
 ed with vitrified brick; miles of straight stone 
 curb with curved intersections give long sym- 
 metrical lines which are jjleasing to the eye; 
 and these are flanked by broad, grast-y berms 
 planted with well-grown shade trees. Joining 
 these are the well-kept lawns of many fine resi- 
 dences, broadly set Ijaek from the street, giv- 
 ing an air of spaciousness absent from many 
 older towns. The open park of eleven acres in 
 the centre of the town and the two smaller out- 
 side parks add to the air of breadth and large- 
 ness in the out-door aspect of the city. 
 
 Fine Public Buildings. 
 
 During its thirty years as a city, many fine 
 public buildings have been erected which dig- 
 nify and ennoble the civic landscajie. Notably 
 is tliis true of the school buildings and ])nblic 
 library, which ai'e really splendid specimens of 
 architecture, and present an attractive and dis- 
 tinguished appearance. Tlie churches, too, lend 
 distinction to the town, some of them being 
 quite iin]30sing in appearance; and the Masonic 
 Temiile, Post Office, Streator ( "lub. and especial- 
 ly the new Elks' Club add to the attractiveness 
 
 of the city. To the stranger entering Streator 
 today it would present the api^earance of a well 
 built, solid, substantial industrial town, now 
 passing into its second stage, and taking on the 
 
 Harry Young, City Electrical Inspector. 
 
 graces and refinements of an awakened civic 
 and aesthetic consciousness. Already the lines 
 are emerging which in the years to come are to 
 transform it into the city Beautiful. 
 
 CLEAN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT 
 
 The government of the city since its or- 
 ganization has been conducted along broad 
 democratic lines. Although its governors have 
 been chosen nominally on a i^artisan basis, in 
 the main the popularity of the men rather than 
 of the party has determined the elections. 
 Republicans and democrats have succeeded 
 each other in office with little regard to poli- 
 tics, and in the main a good representative 
 class of men have been elected to the mayoral- 
 ty and council. A great deal of public work 
 has been done in these years, especially in 
 street paving, sewers and bridge building, and 
 it is worthy of remark that there has been no 
 taint of suspicion or graft except in one in- 
 stance. In that case it was suspected that brib- 
 
 ery was used in the erection of a bridge, and 
 public conscience was so strong that it prose- 
 cuted and convicted the bribers and caused the 
 removal of the bridge after it had been built 
 across the river — a fact that speaks volumes 
 for the sound civic spirit of the citizens. 
 
 The city had been especially progressive 
 along the line of permanent improvements, no- 
 tably in the matter of the paving of streets. It 
 has constructed nearly thirty miles of brick 
 paving at an approximate cost of $780,000.00, 
 which is probably more than any city of its 
 size in the world. 
 
 The broad are:' of the town may be inferred 
 by the fact that it has required the construction 
 of 37 miles of walk to accommodate the homes,
 
 THE STOHV OF STRKATOK. 
 
 59 
 
 of which 12 miles are concreted and 75 are of 
 hi'ick. Anproxiina'cly IG miles of sewers iun e 
 been built .ind the town is well drained, and it 
 is worthy of note that these sewers have all 
 been built and paid for out of the jreneral fund, 
 and no s])ecial assessment has yet been levied 
 for tliis coristnii'tinri. 
 
 Present City Administration. 
 The fomiiiissidn form of government, al- 
 thouirli favdialily diseussed, has not yet taken 
 liiijd liere. The eity is still governed l)y a 
 
 The council consists of Messrs. W. Atkin- 
 son, W. Cool, J. Deiderirh, J. Gotcii, ('. H. 
 Haldeman, J. M. Hunter, II. Johnson, J. H. 
 Jackson, L. F. Morgan, F. Marx, T. McNamara, 
 I), r. Swain, D. Stobs, A. White. 
 
 (Since the foregoing was written Messrs. E. 
 D. Roberts and G. C. Daniels have replaced 
 Messrs. W. Cool and J. Deiderich as aldermen. 
 
 The police force numbers fourteen, and the 
 fire department ten men, and these are under 
 civil service couniiission, consisting of Messrs. 
 
 City HaU. 
 
 mayor and fourteen aldemien, representing the 
 seven wards of the city. 
 
 The present mayor is W. "W. Bean, publisher 
 of the Streator Monitor. Mr. Bean is now serv- 
 ing his third tenn as mayor, which sjjeaks well 
 for his popularity with the voters. The other 
 officers are: Charles L. McNamara, clerk; 
 Lloyd Painter, attorney; Louis Nater, treas- 
 urer; F. II. Henz, city engineer; Frank Owens, 
 chief of the fire department; John Hopkins, 
 chief of police; James Price, superintendent of 
 sti-eets. 
 
 Richard F. Purcell, E. M. Davis and I. C. 
 Ames. 
 
 The three parks of the city are under the 
 direction of a commission consisting of Edw. 
 Reinel, Matt Bilger, W. L. Griffith, Mrs. Ozilla 
 Richardson and Mrs. Louise Black. A regular 
 appro])riation is made yearly for this board 
 and the city park of 11 acres is being improved 
 and beautified under the plan and the direc- 
 tions of a iirofessional landscape gardener. 
 
 An Efficient Fire Department. 
 The city supports an efficient fire depart-
 
 60 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOK. 
 
 MAYOR AXD ALDEUMEX, reading right to left — C. H. Haldeman, J. M. Hunter, D. D. Stobs, Henry 
 Johnson, W. H. Atkinson, Mayor W. W. Bean, T. F.McNamara, John Gotch, L. F. Morgan J. H. Jackson, 
 John Dlederich, Frank Marx, D. C. Swain, Wm. Cool. Alfred White is not in the group.
 
 THi: STOKV OF STKKATOi; 
 
 61 
 
 ment consisting of ten full paid men, including? 
 chief and assistant chief, two captains and six 
 firemen. It is -;iipplied witli an am))le e<|nii)ment 
 of hose and ladiler wa.ii:nns, fire hose, chemical 
 tanks, etc. Available for fire use are 2'J8 iiy- 
 drants, always in good condition and ready for 
 use. The chief states that there is ami)le water 
 sujii)ly and tlie jtressure is ^oiid, no niatt<'r how 
 many streams are used. There are 41 miles of 
 water mains in the city, ranging from 4 to Ki 
 
 del)t. On the new river bridge just built there 
 are unpaid bonds of $34,000. On the district 
 and high scliools tliere are outstanding bonds 
 of $05,000, of which Streator must i>ay its 
 siiare as ])art of the school district. 
 
 The total assessment in the town of Bruce, 
 in which Streator is situated, for the cun'ent 
 vear is $l.")l.',(;01.0S, of which only $40,4G8 is for 
 the city. The district schools receive $57,080 
 and the high school $L'3,388; the l)alance goes to 
 
 Fire Station No. 2. 
 
 inches in diaiuctcr. At tlie walcrworUs are two 
 pumi)s, one of 5,000,000 gallons and one of 
 ."'.OOO.OOO gallons capacity, so the water sujijily 
 is always ample whatever may l)e the demand 
 for (ires. Tlie department is supplieil with a 
 Gamewell and tJaynor fire alarm system, with 
 connections covering the city on the streets and 
 at central i)oints. 
 
 Light Taxes— Small Bonded Debt. 
 
 Taxation is liiilit and tliere i-; little bonded 
 
 town, county and state. The ollicial rate of tax- 
 ation is $(i.80 i)er $100 on i)ersonal projjcrty. 
 and $5.45 per $100 on real estate, ))ased on a 
 valuation of one-third the cash value of the 
 ]iroperty asse><sed. 
 
 The clearest statement of tlie rat" of taxa- 
 tion is to say that i)roperty in Streator pays 
 a yearly tax of about one and one-third ])cr 
 cent of its real value; that is, for each $1,000 
 of i>roperty the owner pays approximately 
 $13..33 in taxes.
 
 62 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 FIRE DEPARTMENT, reading from lelt to right — John Stringer, Asst. Chief Frank Butterly, Wm. Hawks- 
 ley, Chas. Marx, Chief Prank Owen, Clyde Conner, Jo hn Long, Samuel Conner, Andrew Palascak, Geo. Pinkney
 
 THK STOItV OF STHKATOR. 
 
 63 
 
 EDUCATION AND R ELIGION 
 
 SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, CHAUTAUQUA; STREATOR'S SUPERIOR 
 
 CULTURAL FACILITIES. 
 
 Xotliiiii!: so bespeaks the diarafter of a 
 eonmiuiiity as its scliools. No stian^ier could 
 eoine to Streator and fail to be struck by tlie 
 distiiiicuisbed a|>|iearaiice of its school build- 
 ings. They arc sjilcndid structures of brick 
 and stone, nearly all of modern construction, 
 and e{|uii)|ied with the latest improvements for 
 heatinir, ventilation, health and comfort. They 
 present the most imposiuij architectural ap 
 pearanrc of any of the stnn-tures in the city, 
 and l)ear witness to the liberality and i)rogres- 
 sivoness of tlie peojile in <lealin,u; with educa- 
 tion. 
 
 persistence with which they have grappled 
 witli the real problem of pedai^ogy, and no ef- 
 fort has been too great to obtain for Streator 
 the l)est its means would afford, even when 
 taxed to the limit of the law. Iler standards 
 have been higli, and her demands on teachers 
 rigorous. As a result some of the best teachers 
 in the country have been attracted to Sti'eator, 
 and the course of study here is the ])roduct of 
 some of the best brains in the profession. The 
 noted jjcdagogical authority, J. N. Patrick, the 
 scarcely less noted J. A. Long, and more lately 
 the accomplished school executive, M. (!. ("lark 
 
 The Greeley School. 
 
 Probably no city its size and age can show 
 a bctlci' material e<|uii)inent for school work. 
 During the ))ast sixteen years Streator has built 
 six new grade bui Mings at a cost as follows: 
 r.arfield. $;».n()l>; Plumb, $.30,000, Greeley, 
 $:{.'),000; Grant $4r).000; .Tefl'erson. $8,000; :\[c- 
 Kinley $8,000, aggregating $164,000. 
 
 Some Noted Schoolmasters. 
 
 P>ut Strt'ator ha- not been satisti*'d to rest 
 content with her externals of education. Her 
 school boards have been remarkable for the 
 
 liave all been superintendents here. The pres- 
 ent incumbent is Prof. J. G. Moore, who is re- 
 taining all the old values and applying them to 
 new conditions. 
 
 High Qualification of Teachers. 
 
 The course of study jjursued combines all 
 the wisdom of these school experts. The course 
 is worked out by subjects by a committee of 
 teachers in co-operation with the superintend- 
 ent, and the work i)rinted in a manual. It is a 
 most thorough going system, and not commonly
 
 64 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 used except in cities of large size. 
 
 There are sixty-five teacliers employed, and 
 the requirements are high. No teacher can be 
 engaged "who has not two years training, in ad- 
 
 training school for teachers. As a result of ail 
 these activities the schools of Streator are re- 
 cognized in the school world as among the most 
 advanced, and ambitious teachers are anxious 
 
 The Garfield School. 
 
 dition to the high school course. In addition to 
 the regular force, supervisors are also em]iloyed 
 in manual training, in music, art and the do- 
 mestic arts. There is also maintained a citv 
 
 to come here for the value of the experience in 
 its schools. The total enrollment of pupils for 
 I he current year is 2,300. 
 
 STREATOR'S SPLENDID HIGH SCHOOL 
 
 The High School has a record that is even 
 more distinguished. First, it has the memory 
 of the revered iiliilanthropist, Col. Rali)h Plumb 
 who gave the building to the city. Then it has 
 a proud line of educators to look back on whose 
 names are an honorable tradition. First is the 
 name of Prof. Rinaldo Williams, which shines 
 with a gentle and benignant lustre, o\er the dis- 
 tance of years and throws a melloAv radiance 
 over the early days of the school. Pie was for 
 five years principal of Farm Ridge Seminary 
 and ten years county sui^erintendent of schools 
 before coming to Streator to take charge of one 
 of the first township high schools in tiie state. 
 To his gentle and wise guidance the school owes 
 its early direction and its fine distinction. Fol- 
 lowing him came an educator of even wider 
 rejjutation, Prof. Alfred Bayliss, who remained 
 principal until elected State Superintendent of 
 Schools for Illinois. He was succeeded by an- 
 other noted teacher, Prof. S. B. Hursh, now oc- 
 
 cupying a chair in the State Normal at 
 Macomb. 
 
 A Fine School Equipment. 
 
 The school has been growing with the years 
 and in 1902 an annex was added which doubled 
 its capacity. It is now amply supplied with 
 the best modem equipment for educational 
 work. It has a good nuuiual training depart- 
 ment fully equipped with lathes, planes, work 
 benches and tools for working in wood and soft 
 metal. In its domestic science department it 
 teaches cooking, sewing, dressmaking, milli- 
 nery, etc. The commercial department teaches 
 short hand, typewriting, bookkeeping, business, 
 law and all requirements of a thorough busi- 
 ness education. And there has recently been 
 added a teachers' course, designed to give such 
 as desire it two years i)reparation for tlie work 
 of teaching. 
 
 Vocational Work. 
 
 While the usual branches ^ireparatory to
 
 1HF-; STf)in OK STRKATOR. 
 
 65 
 
 (■(.llo^n' work are tauylit, increasinu,- oinpliasis is 
 hi'iiii; laid on vocational work. Tlio aim is to 
 iielp tlic inii)il lill his niclie in the industrial and 
 social life of the community, and to fit him for 
 the work he will be called on to do wlien 1ie 
 leaves school. Accordingly his studies arc tinn- 
 ed in the direction of liis future vocation, and 
 consultations are held lietween teachers and 
 
 enrolled 291 pupils who are taufrht by a force nf 
 fourteen tc;'cheis. all under the direction of 
 Prof. 0. A. K'awlins, principal. 
 Private Schools. 
 In addition to the jmlilic scjiools there are 
 i! number of i)rivate and i)arochial schools. The 
 latter are three in mimber and are provided 
 with jyood buildinfjs and c(|uiiiment, and give 
 
 High School. 
 
 parents to decide the line of study. At present 
 there is a class in the handlinii; of concrete work 
 and other crafts will be tau^Hit as needed. 
 
 Kecenlly the Streator lliffli School was made 
 one of four schools pi-rmittcd to ijive one year 
 of college work after ^rraduation and have the 
 jnipil receive credit for it in the examinations 
 of the Universitv of Illinois. There are now 
 
 training in religion and instruction in the coin- 
 iiion branches. The American, German and 
 Slavish schools have an enrollment of about 
 800 pupils. The Kvangelical Lutheran church 
 also conducts a school; lirown's Business Col- 
 lege has 8l' students. It furnishes opportunity 
 for students to get an education in the evening, 
 and is a growing and useful institution. 
 
 RELIGIOUS AND CULTURE OPPOF^TUNITIES 
 
 The religimis life in Streator is remarkable 
 for its breadth and variety, as migh> be e.vpect- 
 ed from so varied a population. Here are rep- 
 resentatives of the oldest and the newest relig- 
 ious bodies. From Homan Catholic to ("uis- 
 tian Science, each creed tinds here equal hospi- 
 tality and welcome. The English speaking 
 Protestant people are represented by the usual 
 Evangelical and Episcopal bodies, while the 
 foreign born are ministered to by the Catholic, 
 Russian (ireek and Slavish, Swedisli and Ger- 
 man Evangelical churches. The stronger con- 
 
 gregations have built for themselves splendid 
 church homes, and have an able, loyal and crTT- 
 cient ministry. Among the more imposing 
 structures are the Methodist and Catholic 
 churches, while tiie most uniciue is the Russian 
 (ireek church, which was brought from Russia 
 as part of its exhibit at the Chicago "World's 
 Fair and afterwards transplanted to Streator. 
 The Salvation Army has been the last to add to 
 the number of church buildings, having just 
 completed a very creditable brick edifice. Alto- 
 gether there are about twenty church edifices in
 
 6G 
 
 THF STORY OF STRKATOR. 
 
 the city. 
 
 Eev. W. C. Miles writes as follows about the 
 religious attitude of the people: "A religious 
 census was taken recently and reveals some in- 
 teresting facts. It appears that practically all 
 of the foreign element from whom information 
 was obtainable are identitied with some church, 
 usually Catholic, Lutheran, Gennan Evangeli- 
 cal or Eussian Greek. The loyalty of these 
 people to their faith is commendable. * * 
 Of the whole population, American and foreign 
 not identitied with any church, nearly all ex- 
 press preference for some denomination of the 
 Protestant faith. Com])aratively few refuse to 
 give information, and there were no confessed 
 infidels. ' ' 
 
 Kupsian Greek Church. 
 
 Streator Chautauqua Assembly. 
 
 For a city so thoroughly industrial in its 
 character as Streator its cultured interests are 
 maintained in a really remarkal)le manner. It 
 supports a Summer Chautauqua assembly 
 which draws attendance from many miles 
 around. Its programs are of the very highest 
 class, and the most eminent men in the nation 
 appear on its platform from year to year. Here 
 too, are heard great artists, splendid musical 
 organizations, and siiperb presentations of 
 classical plays. The Chautauciua association 
 owns a beautiful park of eighteen acres, right 
 on the edge of the city, where it has erected a 
 
 magnificent steel auditorivun capable of seating 
 from four to five thousand people, with an amj^le 
 stage, raised seats and covered standing room 
 for a couple of thousand more people. On the 
 grounds scores of white tents are erected each 
 year and families from city and country enjoy 
 the pleasure of out-door life amid pleasant so- 
 cial and cultural surroundings. The Chautau- 
 qua, too, brings the summer vacation to the 
 thousands of industrial workers who cannot af- 
 ford a trip to the lakes or mountains, and alto- 
 gether it is a great boon to the city. The work 
 of managing and operating it is perfoi'med by a 
 group of public-spirited business men, who give 
 their time and energy without stint and with- 
 out cost, being animated by a desire only of 
 serving the community. 
 
 Park Presbyterian Church. 
 
 The Sunday Evening Course. 
 
 The same social spirit is exemplified in the 
 Streator Sunday Evening Course, an institution 
 designed to minister to the educational and 
 ethical needs of the citj' during the winter 
 months. This feature is altogether unique, and 
 suj)plies a free j^latform on which is heard the 
 very finest talent in the lecture field on Sunday 
 evenings. Eminent scientists and educators 
 from near by universities are frequently heard, 
 great readers like Bertha Kiuiz Baker, S. H. 
 Clark, and Frederick Wards, distinguished 
 singers and musical artists, illustrated lectures 
 and noted public teachers like Edward Howard 
 Griggs, William Norman Guthrie, Earl Barnes,
 
 THi: STOR'^- OF STRKATOR. 
 
 67 
 
 Charles Zueblin and othors. This ooui-se is of- 
 fored I'roe to the ])t'ople of tlie city, the cost 
 being defrayed by the liberal citizens, some of 
 whom cnntrihTito jartre sums for its support. 
 
 not less than loO.OOO. It has a well assorted 
 collection of 16,000 volumes, embracing not 
 only works of current literature, but also 
 standard works on art, science, poetry, phil- 
 
 Public Library. 
 
 The course is largely iiatrnnized, and well illus- 
 trates the liberal and enterprising sjiirit (if tlie 
 people of Streatnr. 
 
 Streator Public Library. 
 The Streatnr I'ultlie l.ilirarv is an institu- 
 
 o.sopliy and the like, for wliieli there is a good 
 demand. 'J'he city approjiriates $3,500 per year 
 for its sujiport. An ever increasing demand on 
 the library is from the pu|iils of the public 
 schools, and every helit and assistance is given 
 by the purchase of reference and other needed 
 
 tion of which the town is justly proud. The 
 building is one of the benefactions of Andrew 
 Cai-nogie. With the lot and accessories it cost 
 
 books. It is also much used by young men pre- 
 paring for mechanical occupations. There is a 
 good reading room containing a plentiful sup-
 
 68 
 
 THE STORY OP STREATOR. 
 
 ply of magazines, journals and daily papers, 
 which is well patronized. The librarian is Mrs. 
 A. P. Wright; the president Mrs. A. S. Ross; 
 and the secretaiy Mr. A. C. Reed. 
 
 Women's Study and Social Clubs. 
 
 Strangers moving to Streator will find no 
 lack of oiiportnnity" for sociability or culture. 
 It is remarkable for the number of its societies, 
 its social and study clubs. Among the latter 
 are a great variety of progrannnes suited to 
 nearly" ever taste. The AVoman's Club is the 
 largest and it has several departments, and one 
 mav work at philanthropy, civics, domestic 
 arts, or other lines of study. Then there are 
 the smaller groups, which include the Callere, 
 the E Re Xata, the Philonuitheon, the Klio, the 
 Legensia, and the Twentieth Century Clubs. 
 Tlie Woman's Christian Temperance Fnion is 
 strong and vigorous here, and carries on an im- 
 ]K)rtant line of work. The churches and fra- 
 ternal bodies all have auxiliaiy societies, and 
 no woman coming here would find difficulty in 
 finding contact and outlet for her social and 
 intellectual energies. 
 
 Streator Opera Club. 
 
 Streator supports a choral society of about 
 
 one hundred members, and lovers of the art of 
 song have no lack of musical or social oppor- 
 tunity. They aim to put on a light opera and a 
 choral concert each year, also to assist in 
 bringing symphonic orchestras and other fine 
 music to town. The present year it brought 
 here the state meeting of the State Music 
 Teachers' Association, and gave Streator a fes- 
 tival week of music with great success. 
 
 St. Mary's Hospital. 
 
 The Sisterhood of St. Francis has taken on 
 itself the care of the sick and injured of the 
 town. Tlie sisters have borne the burden of 
 this Avork of cliarity for twenty-five years. 
 From time to time their hospital has been ex- 
 tended and improved, keeping pace with the 
 needs of tlie town and the advance of modern 
 medicine and surgery. Today they ai'e eqnip- 
 ])ed for the care of seventy patients. The sis- 
 terhood in Streator numbers twenty — all of 
 them laboring in this humane work, without 
 ctlier compensation than tlie rewards of relig- 
 ion and the gratitude of the community. The 
 hosi)ital charges are moderate, and provision is 
 made for the care of a certain number without 
 charge. 
 
 Ralph Plumb School.
 
 THE STOnV OP STREATOH. 
 
 69 
 
 OUR PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS 
 
 THEATRES, SOCIAL CLUBS, CHAUTAUQUAS, FAIRS AND NUMER- 
 OUS OTHER AMUSEMENTS. 
 
 Streatcir is kiiowii as a lively town. All the 
 ycai' roiiiiil tlnTc is soiiictliiiiu: "loiiiii- for tlip en- 
 IcrtaiiuiR'iit cil' tlic imlilic. lii tho wiiitiT four 
 theatres open their dtxirs, otTerinf;: all varietie.^^ 
 Ill" staire aimiseiiifiit. In the siiininer tliere are 
 
 weekly baseball inatelies, tliere are races, tliere 
 is tlie bia: district fair, and tlie ("haiitau(|ua for 
 the less hilariously inclined. The largest of the 
 theatres is that devoted to the regular drama. 
 
 PLUMB OPERA HOUSE 
 
 I'liiiul) opera Ilou.se was erected i)y Colonel seiiibly. where tliey could liear tlie liest things 
 riunil) in 1SS;{. lie l)uilt it in the same si>irit in music, drama and oratory under favorable 
 tliat he did the lliiih School bi-cause lie coiulitions. I''or a number of vears the auditor- 
 
 Plumb Opera House. 
 
 tliouirlit tlie town needed it. lie exjjeoted no ium was occupied on Sundays for lectures and 
 l.rolit from it. and was not disapiniinted. He church sen'ices, and during the week for the- 
 wanted to give the people a place of public as- atrical purposes; at uo time have the ideals of
 
 70 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 its builders been lost sight of, or the good of 
 the communit}- ceased to be a prime considera- 
 tion in its conduct. 
 
 When the property passed into the hands of 
 its present owner, Mr. Fawcett Plumb, the 
 same motives prevailed. He rebuilt it in 1903 
 at a cost of about $15,000 to adapt it to the 
 needs of big scenic productions, and again re- 
 decorated and improved at a cost of several 
 thousand dollars. 
 
 This money has never been returned in the 
 way of profits, so from a financial view, at 
 least, the theatre has been as much a donation 
 as the High School. 
 
 The theatre has been under the management 
 of one man for twenty-six years, Mr. J. E. Wil- 
 liams, elsewhere referred to as the editor of 
 this book. During all this time there have 
 been associated with him Mr. George N. Tav- 
 
 lor, head usher. The stage manager is Mr. 
 Edw. Scheibel. Mr. Williams is well known as 
 the Nestor among the managers of the Central 
 West and as a speaker and writer on dramatic 
 subjects. He is a national director of the Drama 
 League of America. 
 
 The theatre is thoroughly equipped for stag- 
 ing and presenting any production that travels, 
 and has a seating capacity of about 1,100. 
 Streator is regarded by the profession as a 
 first-class "show town." The best touring at- 
 tractions on the road play Streator, and some- 
 times the reputation of the town and its man- 
 ager brings companies that do not usually visit 
 towns of this size. The season of I9li-1912, 
 just closed, has been unusually brilliant, and 
 Streator has been privileged to see a number of 
 metro])olitan casts and ])roducti(ins that seldom 
 visit the night stands. 
 
 THE MAJESTIC THEATRE 
 
 In addition to the opera house there are 
 four theatres devoted to vaudeville and pic- 
 tures, and of these "The Majestic" is the lar- 
 gest. It was built at a time when the popular 
 taste was turning from the regular drama 
 
 trading a large clientele to his house, and it has 
 become very popular. He has given them not 
 only vaudeville, but has played long seasons of 
 "stock" drama, all at popular prices. These, 
 alternated witli motion picture entertainment 
 
 Tile Majestic Theatre. 
 
 to the lower priced form of entertainment, 
 and has proved veiy successful. It was erected 
 in 1907 by its present owner and manager, Mr. 
 C. A. Day. Mr. Day has been fortunate in at- 
 
 form the staple attractions at the Majestic. It 
 is an unusually large theatre for a house devot- 
 ed to popular priced entertainment in a town of 
 this size, having a capacity of nearly one thous-
 
 THK STfUn (»F STUKATOR. 
 
 71 
 
 aud. This lariro caijacity, which is frequently 
 tested, enables Mr. Day to put on quite expen- 
 sive bills and '/ive his jiatrons a great deal for 
 their money. Tlie Majestic is open every night 
 
 in the week and gives frequent matinees. Mrs. 
 Day is associated with her Inisband in the con- 
 duct of the house. 
 
 THE DAWN THEATRE 
 
 To the lovers of motion pictures, li<;:lit vau- 
 deville and song the Dawn Theatre commends 
 itself; here each afternoon and evening 
 throughout the year is ))resonted one of the best 
 (ive-ceiit entertainments to be fouiul anywhere. 
 
 The theatre is located in the heart of the 
 business district of the city, and its attractive 
 entrance, as shown in the accompanying illus- 
 tration is a seasonable inti-oduction to a com- 
 niiMliiPus and well appointed inside. 
 
 when tired iVet anuoiuicc the close of the siiop- 
 ping day and the wisdom of a half hour of rest, 
 these people find in the semi-darkened Dawn 
 Theatre, where the air is good, where the seats 
 are comfortable and where a first class five- 
 cent show is always in progress, just such a 
 place as they are seeking, and it is a compli- 
 ment to their sense and taste to know that they 
 take advantage of it. 
 
 While the Dawn Theatre is the latest addi- 
 
 The Dawn Theatre. 
 
 The stage is ample, the iionse is softly but 
 well lighted, exceedingly well ventilated and 
 the exits are sullicient to clear the hall in less 
 than a minute should exigency demand. In 
 winter the place is comfortably heated and the 
 well arranged fans along the walls keep the 
 tenjperature right during the hottest days of 
 summer. 
 
 The people of Streator realize the advan- 
 tages of tlie Dawn Theatre, aud of an afternoon 
 
 liuii to the amusement houses of Streator, it is 
 conceded to possess advantages al)ove the oth- 
 ers, and in no way is tliis suiJcriority more 
 marked than in the personality of him who 
 conducts it. 
 
 The jiroprietor and manager of the "Dawn" 
 is Mr. Charles \'ance, wlio knows the business 
 from end to end and who by training and a.s- 
 soeiatiou, knows the wants and wisiies of the 
 people whom he serves. Mr. Vance was a pic-
 
 72 
 
 THE STORV OF STRKATOR. 
 
 neer in the motion picture show business, has 
 studied it in all its phases, has seen it from all 
 its angles; he was the iirst man to open a five- 
 cent play house in Streator — that was back in 
 the years when he who attempted it took a 
 chance. 
 
 In his experience covering many years in 
 tlie north and the south, in cities lai\ge and 
 small, Mr. Vance has had opportunity to learn 
 the detail of the art and here in Streator now 
 he is putting into practical effect the knowledge 
 thus gained. 
 
 Charles Vance was boi-n in tliis I'ity, spent 
 
 his youth and grew to manhood here, and as a 
 result knows everyljody and everybody knows 
 him. He is familiar with the habits and tastes 
 of the people and secures for his house the 
 things that please and appeal to them. 
 
 Apart from all this "Charley" is a good 
 mixer and greets all with a cheerful gracious- 
 ness that brings them back again. He is al- 
 ways there, looking after the wants of his pat- 
 rons, extending to tliem those little acts of 
 courtesy and thoughtfulness that never fails of 
 big reward. 
 
 The "Dawn" has a seating capacity of 450, 
 all of it on the ground floor on the ^fain street. 
 Under such favorable conditions and with such 
 a man at its head, it is no surprise tliat to the 
 querj^ "How is business?" one often gets the 
 answer "Had to turn 'em away," when refer- 
 ence is had to The Dawn. 
 
 THE STREATOR CLUB 
 
 The oldest of the city's social' organiza- 
 tions is the Streator Club. In its membership 
 
 are the leading citizens of the town, the solid, 
 .-Substantial men, on whom rest the burdens of 
 
 The Slrealor Club House.
 
 THK STORY OF STI{i:\Tf)K. 
 
 73 
 
 its business and industrial enterprises. It lias 
 been said tbat if the men on tlie roster of the 
 Streator Club were suddenly wiped out there 
 wouhl be scarcely anyone left at the head of its 
 most important concerns. 
 
 Although composed of business men, the 
 function of the club is primarily social. Here 
 after business hours they meet for relaxation 
 and friendly converse. The admirable club 
 buildiii.i,' is ('((uipped with all kinds of games, 
 liipwiiiii;-, billiards, pool, cards and the like, and 
 access to these is free to all members. During 
 the winter season a number of club entertain- 
 ments are given, such as lectures, concerts, card 
 l>arties, social dances and the like, at which the 
 families of meml)ers and invited guests meet 
 for social enjoyment as guests of the club, with- 
 out cost. 
 
 The spacious rooms of the club are often 
 hosj>itably loaned to tlie iniblic for jirojier pur- 
 
 poses for the promotion of matters relating to 
 the good of the community. The club is broad 
 and democratic in its spirit, is not an institu- 
 tion to create a narrow and exclusive coterie, 
 but its doors swing hospitably open to worth 
 and character in whomsoever found. Its rules 
 forbid the sale or use of liquor on the premises, 
 also gambling in any forai. 
 
 The club was organized in l.SiH, and its first 
 oHicers were: J. C. Ames, i)resident; W. H. 
 Boys, vice president; M. J. Finlen, treasurer; 
 W. L. Koss, secretary. In addition to the fore- 
 going the foUowing were diiectors: F. Plumb, 
 Walter Keeves, :M.' W. .lack. K. II. P.ailey, I. C. 
 Cope. 
 
 At present the club has a membershi]) of 
 189. The odicers are: AV. },\. nrilliths. i)resi- 
 dent; ('. A. Miller, vice i)resi(lent; II. L. Man- 
 le\', secret a rv-treasurer. 
 
 NORTHERN ILLINOIS DISTRICT FAIR 
 
 Streator otTers many outdoor features for 
 the delecfatiun of visitors and its own peojile 
 dui-ing the sunnner months, but by far overtop 
 
 i?ig them iiil is tlic Xoi-tJiern Illinois District 
 Fair, which is the largest institution of its kind 
 in the state, outside tlie state fair at Sjiring
 
 74 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 field. It will be held this year for six days, 
 from Sept. 7 to 13, and it will be the Mecca for 
 all lovers of i-ecreation for hundreds of miles. 
 It is expected that fully 100.000 people will at- 
 tend, and the greatest aggregation of features 
 has been brought together for their entertain- 
 ment ever assembled at a District I^'air. 
 
 It has an appeal for every taste. First, is 
 the great agricultural exhibit, which will show 
 the products of the richest farming district in 
 the world — right at our own doors. Prizes will 
 
 The horse Show is always a fashionable 
 sensation wherever it appears. It will be held 
 at night in front of the grand stand, and tlie 
 track will be brilliantly illuminated. A spec- 
 taciilar showing of the equine aristocracy of 
 America is assured. A number of the classiest, 
 high bred horses in the land are jDledged to be 
 here, including many noted prize-winners and 
 fashionable favorites. 
 
 This is a great district for horse, cattle and 
 sheep and hog breeders, and they are all coming 
 
 XORTHERN ILLINOIS DISTRICT FAIR — Officers and Directors (Reading from left to right) — Charles 
 Holl, treas.; M. A. Bronson, Geo. Holcombe, mgr. ; William H. Savage, John R. Knox, sec; Arthur Wolfe, 
 P. J. Lucey, Charles F. Wenninger, president; Guy C. Lakin, John W. Fornof. 
 
 be awarded for the best exhibits of fann pro- 
 ducts, all varieties, including fruits and flow- 
 ers. The contest will be open to the ten coun- 
 ties of the district, which includes La Salle, 
 Bureau, Lee, De Kalb, Kendall, Grundy, Liv- 
 ingston, Marshall, Woodford and Putnam. 
 
 The Educational Exhibit will bring out the 
 best work of the schools of the district, and will 
 give an immense stimulus to the thousands of 
 children in countrj^ and city schools. This de- 
 partment is in charge of Prof. J. G. Moore, of 
 the citv schools. 
 
 to the Streator Fair to display their stock. 
 Some of the most celebrated specimens of ani- 
 mal perfection in the world will be on exhibi- 
 tion. $10,000 in cash premiums will draw them. 
 
 The Sliced Programme will be a sensatioii, 
 offering six $1,000 stakes, as well as purses 
 which aggregate to $10,500. This will draw 
 the swiftest of the steppers. 
 
 The Glad Way will give a festive air to the 
 scene. On it will be the Great Patterson Shows 
 with 25 different attractions, which include 
 Ferris Wheel, Steeple Chase, performing ele-
 
 THF STOnV OF STKi: \T(»K. 
 
 pliaiits, (lens of linns, circus, acrobats and a 
 host of stril<iu<f and aniusiug features. lu iront 
 of the graud stand will be a platfonu on which 
 many diverting and exciting perfonnances will 
 he given free at intervals. 
 
 The Streator Trotting & Fair Association 
 has spent about $2(1.1100 in i)erinanent improve- 
 ments in preparation for the Fair, such as 
 
 I-'loral Hall, Agricultural Hall, barns, etc., and 
 a graud stand to seat 10,000 people. Every- 
 thing will be conducted on the highest lines, no 
 hitoxicating li(|Uors being allowed, or ai'ything 
 of objectionable character permitted. Space 
 will not permit mention of the multitudinous 
 features, Ijut enough has been said to suggest 
 the immensity of the enterprise. 
 
 THE STREATOR POSTOFFICE 
 
 '{"lie governmriil building in Siicalur is a 
 monument to the local patriotism of lion. Wal- 
 ter Heeves, tliroui,^!) whose iiiHuence ihe struc- 
 ture was erected in IIMIO, wiiile he was congress- 
 man from this district. It faces the park and 
 is a solid, substantial structure, built of Strea- 
 tor vitrilied brick, and conveys the impression 
 of utility and massive dignity. 
 
 livbh^d, and tlic iiiiirilx-r ni <-riticiMii> and com- 
 plaints reduced to the minimum. The disci- 
 |)line of the force has been strengtiicned, but 
 so jH'nneated by the spirit of co-operation and 
 mutual helpfulness, that it has been felt as a 
 help rather than a hin<lrance. The federal gov- 
 ernment maintains a rigid and tliorougli going 
 supervision of its postofHces. and its inspectors 
 
 Government Building. 
 
 The chief rei)resentative of the federal gov- 
 ermnent in Streator is Mr. J. W. Fornof. post- 
 nmster. ^Ir. I'ornof was appointed by Presi- 
 dent McKinley in 1898. twice reappointed by 
 President Roosevelt, and again by President 
 Taft, making a period of fourteen years of con- 
 tinuous service. During this period the work 
 of the postoffice has reached a high degree of 
 efficiency. The business of the office has been 
 
 make searching examinations, but they have 
 rarely found occasion for comment at Streator. 
 Its money order department, especially, has a 
 perfect record. 
 
 ]\h'. Fornof came to Streator in 1873 and 
 found work at his trade as a printer on the 
 Streator Free Press. Soon after he became part 
 owner of the paper and has maintained his pro- 
 prietary interest until the present time. Under
 
 76 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 STREATOR POSTOPPICE STAFF— (Reading from left to right) — James S. Robb, Alex Suttie, John B. 
 Mllburn, asst. postmaster; William Arrandale, John F. Shoop, Herbert R. Sweetser, George Brunskill, Benja- 
 min R. Hall, Alex Mclntyre, Miss Myrtle Fornot, in charge of money order dept.; John W. Fornof, postmaster; 
 Guy C. Lakin, supt. of carriers; William R. Broadfield, William Price, John Creber, Charles Hall. (Rural car- 
 riers not included in group.)
 
 iHi: sToin (»K STi{i:\i(>i{. 
 
 liis iiiaiiaffomont tlip Free Press prospcretl finan- 
 cially, ami iiccanic one of tlio most [xiworfiil or 
 .i,'ans of the rcpnhlican party in the interior of 
 tlie state. ^Ir. Fornof wields a trenchant, incis- 
 ive and fearless pen, and his editorials have 
 heen widely cojiicd in the party press, especial- 
 ly on matters of ccoiioinic and financial policy, 
 on wiiii'li he writes with conviction an<l author- 
 it v. lie has heen president of the Hei»u))licaH 
 p:ditoriaI Association of tlie Twelftli District 
 since its oruani/.ation. and it is not too nnich to 
 say tliat .Mr. l-'ornof has fnrni<lied many, if not 
 most of t!ie controlling "key-note" articles and 
 ideas which have found acceptance amonsj liis 
 ci.llcairues of the country press, and which have 
 helped to <hape ]iarty policy in the state. 
 
 The power of .Mr. l-'ornof 's pen has heen re 
 cojfiiizeil hy party leaders in the state. He had 
 charfie of the literary work in Gov. Yates' 
 j,'ul)ernatorial campaiirn, and was a valued 
 friend and lieutenant of Hon. ^\^•llter Kee'.es in 
 his pulilic life, lie was assistant Serveani-at- 
 arms at the luitional convention that nominated 
 President McKinley, ami represented, hy ap 
 |)ointment of (iov. Tanner, the state of Illinois 
 in the national congress on trusts in litOO. lie 
 
 has heen active in tlie local affairs of the city, 
 especially in fraternal matters and out-door 
 sport.s. lie has been vice-president of the Strea- 
 tor Trottinf>- and Fair Association, and is one of 
 the promoters of the Nortliern Illinois District 
 Fair. lie has heen president of the Streator 
 ("luh. tlie Golf Clnl) aiul the Illinois N'alley (lolf 
 Association. 
 
 The next in command to Mr. l-'ornof in the 
 Streator oflice is Mr. dolin Pi. .Milhuni, assist- 
 ant postmaster. .Mr. Milliurn is an ex-coal 
 miner, one of the many Kn.nlisii miners of Strea- 
 tor who have found tiieir way out of the mines 
 by self-education and throu.nh tlieir own inher- 
 ent force of character and ability. Mr. .\lex 
 Suttie. register clerk, is another ex coal miner, 
 ami leader of labor foices. In the ol1i<-e too, are 
 Messrs. Guy Lakin, sui»erintendent of carriers; 
 K. .lordan. distributing- clerk; dolin ilaney, 
 niirht clerk; Miss Myrtle Fornof. money order 
 clerk; and Miss Ma\ 1 lai'rinirton, li-eneral de 
 livery clerk. In addition tliei-e are eleven city 
 carriers and eijjht rural delivery carriers, niak- 
 ins;: a total of twenty-seven em])loyes of the nov- 
 eimient in the Streator postotlice. 
 
 THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS 
 
 The Public Service Comjiany of Xorthern Il- 
 linois is Streator's latest ac(piisitioi.. As its 
 name implies its business is to serve the public. 
 It is a jturveyor of ])ower. It jrathers enerc:y 
 from its natural sources, coal and water, con- 
 verts it into electricity, tran-^mntes it a^ain 
 into liirht. heat or mechanical ))ower. and de- 
 livers it to the factory, tlie lm-;ine-<s Iionse. the 
 •lome. or wherever needed. 
 
 It is a public servant. Unless it can serve the 
 people it cannot succeed. It Ins made im- 
 mense investments in Streator. Its scale of ex- 
 penditure contemplates the develo])ment of the 
 cit\' to much lai'.uer propoi-tions than at prest'nt, 
 and nidess Streator iirows the investments will 
 not yield adeiiuate returns. The fortunes of 
 the Public Service Company are linked with 
 those of Streator. and it is committed by its 
 investments to work for the proj;ress of tlie 
 city. It comes, therefore, as a jiowerful rein- 
 forcer of the forces that are workiny- for its np- 
 buildini;-. and it is able as well as willinuc to give 
 valmdile assistance in promotinu' its perman- 
 ent prosperity. 
 
 What It Can Do for Streator, 
 What can the Public Service Comi>any do 
 tor Streator.' 
 
 1. It can place it with ri'sjiect to its ]iower 
 supi)ly in as fa\'orable position as Cliicago or 
 any city in the west. 
 
 2. It can give it a power supply for manu- 
 facturing oi- otluM- purposes, that is absolutely 
 dependable — guaranteed against interruptions 
 or failure of supply. 
 
 3. It can, indeed it must, furnisii this ser- 
 vice at a cost that will be advantageous to the 
 user. Otherwise it cannot get a volume of busi- 
 ness that will yield returns on the investment. 
 
 The Public Service t'om])any is able to do 
 these things because it is itself a great and 
 I)owerful institution, perhaps the greatest in 
 the west in its line. It has at its connnand 
 practically unlimited capital, and the .services 
 of one of the finest corjis of supervisors and 
 workers in the world. In the development of 
 modern electrical business it has been found 
 tliat sco])e of operations and magnitude of out- 
 put are most important factoi-s in economy of
 
 78 
 
 THK STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 prodnctioii. The grouping of a large number 
 of towns and cities in one system make for 
 economies and efficiencies that would not be 
 possible to a single unit of ]n'o<luction, and the 
 wide scope of operations of the Public Service 
 Company enables it to give this advantage to 
 its patrons. 
 
 Discovery of Improved Transfers. 
 
 Only within recent years has this economy 
 of service by the grouping of consumers been 
 possible. So long as there was no efficient me- 
 dium of transmission, the individual unit of 
 ]U"oilnction had to get along as best it could. 
 But with the discovery of the improved trans- 
 former, a new" era opened up — the era of com- 
 bination and consolidation. Towns and villages 
 that had hitherto been isolated and detached, 
 struggling along with primitive and wasteful 
 methods, now became connected into groups 
 and systems, and it became possible for the 
 smallest hamlets to enjoy the economies of the 
 collective output and <'onsumption — be as well 
 off, in fact, as the city. 
 
 What did the improved transformei' do? 
 
 It enabled the j^roducer to use a mucli 
 higher voltage than before h;ul lieeu possible. 
 Wliei-eas a few years ago it liad been limited 
 to tl:e use of a direct current of 500 volts, and 
 tiiat only for short distances, it was now en- 
 ai>!ed to use a 100,000 volt alternating cnrrent 
 which could be sent witli little loss for practi- 
 cally -.inlimited distances. The gain in effici- 
 ency was almost in the ratio of the voltnge, .-.r-d 
 it became possible to utilize high tension CMr- 
 rent lA great distances from the point of ven- 
 eration. T])us has the improved trjiusformer 
 hel])ed to solve the problem of the transmission 
 of ))ower, nnd with it the problem of the unifi- 
 cation and consolidation of the interests of 
 widely sexci'cd communities. 
 
 The Modern Central Power Plant. 
 
 Growing out of this were other economies, 
 notably the utilization of the advantages of the 
 modern central power ])lant. Formerly the lo- 
 cal plant contented itself with a coal wasting, 
 man-killing, tul)ular boiler; now the big plant 
 has a water tube boiler witli its large area of 
 fire contact, its patent stoker, uniform fuel 
 feed, etc. Again the little plant had an old 
 fashioned slide valve engine which leaked 
 about a (luarter of the steam; while the modern 
 plant has a compound condensing Corliss, or a 
 steam turbine. (The Commonwealth-Edison 
 Company recently imported a 40,000 Parson's 
 steam tui-bine from England.) The old gen- 
 
 erators used to be handicapped by a long drive 
 belt; in the modern plant it is driven directly 
 off the engine shaft. 
 
 In these and many other ways the big cen- 
 tral power plant, generating a large output 
 and serving a wide territory, is able to effect 
 enormous savings over the old methods. Add 
 to these the immense advantage of the employ- 
 ment of the best talent the country affords in 
 all the departments of electrical service, tal- 
 ent which no individixal concern could pay for, 
 and no one can doubt the benefit of the co- 
 ojieration brought about by modern institu- 
 tions such as tlie Public Service Company. 
 
 The Load Dispatcher. 
 
 But the most im])ortant service, indeed the 
 one indispensable service, the Co-operative 
 system has given to Streator is the relieving it 
 of the fear of interruptions and break-downs. A 
 service that is at the mercy of one generating 
 plant, with its recurring accidents and stop- 
 pages is simi)ly impossible in these modern 
 days. Since the introduction of the loop system 
 by the Public Service Com])any Streator has be- 
 come a station on a circuit tliat has many cen- 
 tres of generation, and its supply is as certain 
 as that of Chicago with which it is connected. 
 
 Presiding over this co-operative circuit, 
 with its many centres of generation and dis- 
 tribution is an officer called tlie load disjiatcher, 
 who corresponds in a way to a railroad train 
 dispatcher. Shut out from the world, in a lit- 
 tle room by himself, the load dispatcher guides 
 the electrical cui'rent on its circuit. In front of 
 him is a switch board, on which every town is 
 marked with a lamp, and the widely ramifying 
 lines connecting towns are under the control of 
 his switch. An accident or break on any line is 
 immediately noticed by him, and the current is 
 shunted at once to some other route. Thus it is 
 impossible for any town to be cut off from the 
 source of sujiply for more than a few moments, 
 and the several different sources are always on 
 tap and ready to respond. 
 
 The Need of Uniform Use. 
 
 To seciu'e tlie maximum benefit of the econ- 
 omies suggested herein, it is necessary there 
 should be an adequate and well distributed vol- 
 ume of business. This cannot be secured by the 
 use of the plant for lighting alone, for then the 
 operative period is concentrated into a period 
 of three hours, and the system with its heavy 
 charges of investment and service is non-pro- 
 ductive for the balance of the time. Thus it is 
 that the company is striving to induce the use
 
 THK STfmV OF STRKATOR. 
 
 79 
 
 id" t'lc'L-trii'ity in factories aud work shops. It 
 feels that it can more than equal the value of 
 any other form of ])o\ver to its users, and so 
 aims ultimately to be the uuuu power producer 
 of the town. When this is done the full benefit 
 of the l'ul)li(' Service Company to Streator will 
 be realized, and it will be recofjnized as one of 
 tiie <,n-eatest factors in promoting the welfare 
 of the city. 
 
 Solves the Servant Girl Problem. 
 
 The use of electricity is as yet in its infancy. 
 Tile time is not far distant wJien most of the la- 
 bor of tlie farm or home will be done by it. 
 Kven now it has ceased to be a luxury and has 
 become a household necessity. A fan can be 
 run for less than a cent an hour, and the family 
 washini; can be done for 2.') cents per month. 
 Toasters, iiercolators, vacuum cleaners, ironers 
 are in common use, and the servant girl prob- 
 lem is in a fair way of beim; solved by the elec- 
 tric current. 
 
 A Reconstructed Gas Plant. 
 
 The I'nblic Service Company deals also in 
 jias for li^ht and heating', and already $40,00(1 
 has been sjient in reconstructiufj; the plant and 
 convert injr il from a coal to water gas system. 
 .More must be spent in renewing thi' distriltut- 
 iug system, which when completed will l)e thor- 
 oughly modern and up to <late. it will be able 
 
 to demonstrate that gas is more economical 
 for many ]iurposes than coal, and will be ready 
 to furnish glass and other furnaces with gas for 
 melting purjioses. 
 
 Traction System Rebuilt. 
 
 Tlie traction system is also in i)rocess of re- 
 constniction and will re(]nire the exi»enditure 
 of a large sum of money. When comiileted new 
 street cars will be added, and Streator will 
 have as fine an urban traction system as any 
 city of its class in the west. As the city gi'ows 
 this system will spread out to reach new dis- 
 tricts and make connections with new factory 
 areas that will spring up outside the city. 
 
 Inducement to New Factories. 
 
 In conclusion, the Public Service Company 
 can be of immense value to Streator in offering 
 as an inducement to new factories a thoi'ough- 
 ly dependable supply of absolutely unlimited 
 power. The advantage to a new industry of 
 being relie\'ed of the necessity of erecting a 
 costly power i)hint. with its expensive labor and 
 fuel ex])enditure, its liability to acciiloits and 
 stoii))age of business, its dirt, waste and dis- 
 comfort, is an ad\anfage hardly to be com- 
 p\ite<l. And the com]iany olTcrs this service to 
 Streator in a degree e(|ualling any. and surpass- 
 ing manv, cities of the west. 
 
 STREATOR INDEPENDENT TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH COMPANY 
 
 Few public service corporations enjoy more 
 cordial I'elations with patrons and jmblic than 
 does The Streator Independent Telephone & 
 Telegraph ( 'ompany. 
 
 If there was any fear that pooi'cr service 
 would follow when the " Inde))endent " consoli- 
 dated witli the "P.ell." that fear has long ago 
 been dispelled. 
 
 The •■ Irxicpei'dent "' lias the good sense to 
 I'ealize that no concern has to be more consid- 
 erate in dealing with \t.< customers than one 
 which enjoys a partial or complete monopoly. 
 Conse(|nently its ])olicy has been to do every- 
 Ihins:- liunianly jHissible to keep its service at 
 the highest point of elliciency; to meet every 
 complaint promptly; to be on the alei-t to meet 
 and even anticii)ate the wants of every patron. 
 That it has been successful in this ambition is 
 evidenced by its long and increasing list of 
 patrons. 
 
 The "Independent" was established here 
 in 1!>01. It started with 800 subscribers. The 
 ■'Hell" was already on the ground and was 
 solidly entrenched in the business section. In 
 four years the Independent's i)atrons had in- 
 creased to 144.S, while its rival showed no jiro- 
 gress. In 1911 it was found expedient and 
 economical to merge the two telephone systems 
 and when the Inde)iendent took over the Bell 
 it added oidy KJ city telephones to its list, 
 showing conclusively that the Bell 'phone was 
 only kept as a duplicate, or for long distance 
 convenience. The merger j)roved a great econ- 
 omy to subscribers, as it enabled many of thejn 
 to do away with the exi)ense and annoyance of 
 tAvo 'phones. It also avoided the duplication of 
 expense caused by the maintenance of two 
 systems. 
 
 In 190,") the "Independent" moved from its 
 quarters in the Opera House Block to its own
 
 so 
 
 THK STORY OF STREATOK. 
 
 building', a substantial brick structure, design- 
 ed especially for telephone ]iurposes. The best 
 equipment that money could l»uy wa- installed 
 
 been increased year by year until it now has 
 readied tlie grand total of 2,500 subscribers, 
 about 2.000 of them being the city and about 
 
 Home of Telephone Company. 
 
 in tlie new Imilding, while outside many valu- 
 able and costly improvements were made; wires 
 were placed under ground in the business sec- 
 
 500 in the country. 
 
 This policy of maximum efficiency has not 
 been limited to the mechanical department. 
 
 Switchboard and Operators. 
 
 tion. wliiie elsewhere cables were substituted for 
 o])en wires wherever practical. 
 
 This constant striving for efficiency has 
 been appreciated and the list of patrons has 
 
 but has been cmpliasized in tlie organization 
 of the office force. The human element, the li- 
 ability to carelessness and iudiffei'ence, has 
 been safeguarded in the most ingenious man-
 
 THi: STOKV OK STItKXTOH. 
 
 81 
 
 ner. S'liporvision lias hccii reduced to a fine art, 
 and tliere is no oppnrtunity for sliirking or ne- 
 glect on tlip part of tlie employes to pass un- 
 noticed. So ol)vious is tills that if an irate 
 customer comes in with a complaint ai^ainst the 
 "Hello <Iirls," the readiest reply is to take hiiii 
 into the operating room and .slntw him the girls 
 at work. What he sees is this: 
 
 A I'ow of girls before the switchltc^ard. eacli 
 of them seriously intent on handling tli(» midti- 
 ludinous calls that come in. Hehind them walks 
 the su|»ervisor, jiacing continuously back and 
 forth on a cork walk, watching with alert eye 
 the movements of e\-ery girl, more vigilant than 
 :i policenum on his heat. At a desk sits a moni- 
 tor anri l)efore her is an aiijiaratus that enables 
 her to cut in and listen to every word the 
 operator is saying, whetliei" polite or impolite, 
 or whethei' she is merely neirlectful. .\nd o\'er 
 all is tlie chief operator with watchful eye on 
 the whole force and exercising a discipline llpit 
 cannot l)e evaded. 
 
 When the complaining cu.-tomer sees all 
 these arrangements for the jirotection of i>at 
 rons he usually throws up liis liands mkI lias no 
 more kick coming. 
 
 'i\) he sure there are causes for coinpiaint, 
 for iiuman service is not infallible but it is not 
 where the impetu<Mis customer is nu)st apt to 
 place it on tlie •-honidcr^ of the "lldlo (lirl." 
 
 i)ut M'lierever it is, the management is always 
 anxious to remedy it, and spares no labor or ex- 
 pense to give the most perfect service possible 
 and keep its customers satisfied and friendly. 
 
 The amount of Inisiness done is enormous, 
 surpassing the concejition of even tluise famil- 
 iar with the 'phone. Each day of the year 
 these girls have to listen to and transmit 20,000 
 calls, and to each of these, whether gruff or 
 kind, has to jireserve a smooth, even voice and 
 resjiectful demeanor, whatever her personal 
 condition or feeling may be. That this immense 
 volume of business is handled daily with so 
 slight a jiercentage of error is a marvel, and 
 arouses admiration foi' the oi-ganization and 
 iliscipline that makes it i>ossible. 
 
 To handle this mass of business ie(|uires a 
 foi-ce of 5.") peojile. of whom ."}.") are switchboard 
 operators. .") ai'e in tlie office department, and 
 1.") in the maintenance and construction force. 
 
 The owners of the comiiany are a number of 
 business men of Aurora, Illinois. ^Fr. L. R. 
 I'arker is the secretai> and genei'al manager, 
 and Mr. A. H. Tatterson is local nu\nager. ^Ir. 
 I'.-ittersOn is a Streator jiroduct, is a popular 
 tiKMuber of the Klks and other soeieiies, takes 
 an active ]iart in the social and public life of 
 the city, and no doubt the good feeling with 
 which the compr.ny is regarded is duo measur- 
 ably to the popularity of its local representative. 
 
 r 
 
 • --1 
 
 % 
 
 V 
 
 
 
 '■rri, 
 
 mk g^ y^ 
 
 
 '1/ 
 
 Streator lends liberal support to the nationa: game, and is a member of tUe liiiuuis auJ .Missouri i>cague. The 
 
 above Is a picture of the Streator League team for 1912.
 
 82 
 
 THK STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 RULERS OF THE CITY 
 
 A GROUP OF NOTABLE EX-MAYORS OF STREATOR AND A BRIEF 
 
 HISTORY OF THEIR LIVES. 
 
 HON. J. C. AMES. 
 
 One of tlie most prominent figures in the 
 political life of Illinois is Hon. J. C. Ames, and 
 one of the most valued counsellors and leaders 
 of his party. His tirst important ])olitical office 
 was mayor of the city of Streator, to which he 
 was elected by the republican ]iarty iu 188.) at 
 the close of the admin- 
 istration of Col. Eali>li 
 Plumb. He had been al- 
 derman in the council 
 of his distinguished 
 predecessor, and gave 
 him able snjijmrt iu 
 shaping the jwlicies of 
 the new city. He was 
 re-elected in 1887. His 
 administrations were 
 concerned with foun- 
 dational measures of 
 municii)al development, 
 the starting of a scien- 
 tific sewer system, the 
 settling of the (luestion 
 of water works, the 
 planning of grades for 
 streets and sidewalks, 
 etc. 
 
 At the end of his sec- 
 ond term Mr. Ames re- 
 tired from public life to 
 devote himself to his 
 growing business, but 
 his genius for politics 
 was such that his party 
 friends were constantly 
 calling for his help and his amiability was such 
 that he could not say no. Besides, he liked it; 
 the congenial companionship, the opportunity 
 for giving service, the excitement of party con- 
 tests all apjiealed to him. And so J. C. Ames 
 became a familiar figure at conventions; his af- 
 
 Hon. J. C. Ames 
 
 fability and friendliness, his tact and his in- 
 sight into chai'acter, brought his talents into 
 freciuent demand by party leaders, and he be- 
 came known as one of the most influential re- 
 imblicans in the state. 
 
 Never obtnisive, his name figured rarely in 
 Itublie prints, nor was he ever found in the 
 lime light, which seems so alluring to public 
 men. His jiower lay in his wide ac.|uai>itance 
 
 with the sti'ong men of 
 the state, in the towns 
 and villages as well as 
 in the cities and in their 
 personal good will to- 
 wai'd him. Few men in 
 tln' jiublic 'ife of the 
 state have been so genu- 
 inely liked or had so 
 many warm friends. His 
 jiosition made it pos- 
 sible for him to confer 
 many benefits, and he 
 ne\er l)egrudged the 
 time or labor to do a 
 man a good turn, and 
 tiever let an oiijiortunity 
 to do a service pass 
 uiiiiiipi-oved. And it all 
 sprang from a heart 
 naturally dis))osed to 
 geniality and kindness, 
 and whatever benefits 
 were conferred were 
 given and accepted as 
 from a friend, and they 
 made friends wherever 
 John Ames' kindly 
 smile and hearty hand 
 clasp went with them. It was impossiiile that 
 l)olitical talents such as his should remain con- 
 fined to the lumber business, and so his time 
 came to be claimed more and more by his 
 ])arty. In due time came substantial public 
 recognition. He was ai)i)ointed president of
 
 THK STOI5V OF STRK.XTOH. 
 
 S3 
 
 passes thnaigh the 
 
 the Illinois and Michi<i:an Canal Comniission 
 by Gov. FitVr. Later lie was ajjijoiiited Mai- 
 slia! for the (li>ti-ict of Xortlieni Illinois by 
 President .MeKinley, and re-ajipointed by I'resi- 
 dent Koo.sevelt. He now oceupies the position of 
 Collector of the I'ort of Chieago, to which he 
 was appointed by President Roosevelt and re- 
 appointed by ['resident Taft. In this iinpor 
 tant ollico he has made an exceptional record 
 for efficiency and tlioronj;h-fi;oinf; bnsiness 
 methods. Some idea of the nia.irnitude of its 
 transactions mav be had from the fact that 
 ;{:.")(l,00( ),()()( I in currency 
 collector's hands annu- 
 ally. Mr. .\!iies also 
 holds the office of cus 
 todian of the (im-crn- 
 meiil Fiuildini;- in Chi- 
 ca;jo with its nearly five 
 hnndicil eniploye>, and 
 its manifold re.-ponsi- 
 bilities. 'Phonuli the 
 stress of many labors 
 have impaired his for 
 mer ru<ru:ed health. .Mr. 
 Ames may lie foniul 
 at his desk everx morii- 
 iiiir, and yives as scrn 
 piilon~ attention to the 
 l)usiness as would aii\ 
 younir depjirtnient man- 
 ager starting to make 
 a record. lint he i> 
 never too Inisy to gi\'e 
 the glad hand lo an old 
 fellow-townsman, or to 
 do him a favor, as the 
 writer can testify. 
 
 .1. ('. Ames was born 
 in Freedom Township, 
 La Salle ( 'oiintx . .hil\ 
 17. IS.')!'. His fatiier was 
 
 a pioneer settler, coming in 184S. Young Ames 
 worked on the farm in summer and went to 
 scliool i?i winter. He had two years at State 
 Xormal to linivji Ids education. He came to 
 Streator in ISTl* and entered the drug bnsiness 
 with the hrm of Dickerman (.<: Ames. Next 
 he went into the hardware business with liis fa- 
 ther as I. Ames i.*v: Son. They were burned out 
 in IS?."), and he continued the business alone 
 until 188.'). In 1878 he founded the lumber 
 business which is now known as the .). ('. Ames 
 I..uml)er rom))any. and of which he is still the 
 president and ]>rin('ipal owner. Xotwithstand 
 
 ing his important jiolitical activity he has al- 
 ways retained his interest in his home town, 
 has been president of one of its banks and has 
 had an active jiart in all movements looking to 
 its upbuilding. 
 
 HON. W. H. BOYS. 
 
 Hon. W. H. Boys. 
 
 The fifth mayor of Sti-eator was William 
 II. Hoys, a man who has since rendei'ed the 
 most distinguished services to the state of Illi- 
 nois that it has been 
 within the power of 
 any member rf the bar 
 to jierform in our gen- 
 eration. 
 
 .Mr. Hoys was mayor 
 of Streator from 1891 
 to 1S!».'?. after a term of 
 service as city attor 
 ney. During his term of 
 office he demonstrated 
 ;' fact the truth of 
 which is often denied. 
 iKimely. that it is in 
 tile i)ower of tlie execu- 
 tive to enforce the laws 
 if he lias the will and 
 dispositicui. He l)roke 
 up public gainliling ini- 
 ine(Iiatelv, and caused 
 the sjiorts to hide their 
 uanibling devices and 
 keep them under cover 
 duriiii;- his administra- 
 tion. Xext he turned 
 liis attention io the sa- 
 loons, and found the 
 task more diflicnit. Fin- 
 ally he got an ordi- 
 iiani'e through tlie couniMl clothing the mayor 
 with the i)ower to revoke licenses. Promptly 
 on being vested with this power Mr. lioys re- 
 voked the licenses of a couple of saloon-keep- 
 ers, and for the balance of his administration 
 they obeyed the laws. He was no extremist on 
 the liquor (piestion, but was simply determined 
 to keeji his oath of office and enforc<' the stat- 
 utes and ordiimnces. 
 
 This gave the )iublic its first glimjjse of the 
 man who was later to carry to a triumphant 
 conclusion the greatest legal battle to which 
 the State of Illinois h;is been a jiarty. The
 
 S4 
 
 thp: story op streator. 
 
 same resolute perseverance, the same i;nwaver- 
 ing determination that brouolit the lawbreak- 
 ers of Streator to time, were displayed in the 
 case of the Illinois Central railroad, a case 
 characterized by the Su})reme Court as the 
 most im]iortaut in its legal issues, and in mag- 
 nitude of financial interests that had ever been 
 tried in Illinois. 
 
 The Illinois Central Case. 
 
 Undei- its charter witli the state the Illinois 
 Central Railroad was required to pay in lieu of 
 other taxes seven ]ier cent of its "gross pro- 
 ceeds, receipts and income." The state admin- 
 istration charged that the I'ailroad was not 
 ]iaying in the required amount, and Mr. Boys 
 wa^ ajipointed special counsel for the state. 
 Then followed years of exhaustive and brain- 
 racking investigation. The tremendously in- 
 volved system of railroad accounting and fi- 
 nancing had to be studied, and the multitudin- 
 ous details of a great system had to be gath- 
 ered, co-ordinated and interpreted. The law 
 applicable to the facts had to be discovered, 
 and the legal theoiy of the case thoroughly 
 worked out. The enormous labor of this gigan- 
 tic task fell upon the shoulders of W. H. Boys, 
 and that he was able to thread his way through 
 the labyrinth maze of railroad figures, pur- 
 ))osely covered and comiilicated, and emerge 
 with a clear, definite concejition of the law in 
 the case, is a greater tribute to his intellectual 
 capacity and legal acumen than any verbal 
 eulog.w however elo(|uent. 
 
 Sustained By Supreme Court. 
 
 He found twenty-one different items which 
 the ]-ailroad had failed to include in its re- 
 port to the state. They consisted of such earn- 
 ings as revenue from switching charges, ex- 
 ])ress carriage, dining cars, rent of terminal fa- 
 cilities, income from the Cairo and Dubuque 
 bridges, unfair division of mileage between 
 chartered and unchartered lines, and many 
 other sources. Beaten in the Circuit C'ourt, the 
 case was taken to the Supreme Court, and Mr. 
 Boys had the immense satisfaction of having 
 the highest court in the state si;stain him in 
 eighteen out of the twenty-one points he had 
 raised. 
 
 Uncounted millions Avere involved in this 
 suit, for it affected not only seven per cent on 
 the earnings of the road in the past years, but 
 also its earnings in the centuries that are yet 
 to come. And it marked also one of the great- 
 est upreachings of civic conscience in its deal- 
 ings with large corporations, and a victorious 
 
 assertion of the power of the people of the 
 state through the courts. 
 
 This is an epic as yet unsung. Even the 
 ])eople of his own town scarcely recognize the 
 magnitude of this achievement, and it is one of 
 the pleasant uses of this chronicle to set forth 
 v^'ith fitting emj)hasis the great achievements 
 of men so near to ns in their daily walks that 
 we scarce sense their heroic quality. Tliei'e has 
 not been a bigger thing done than this in our 
 generation in the strife between law and ]n-ivi- 
 lege, and it will not be seen in its duo per.spec- 
 tive until the battle between state and corpora- 
 tion is set down by the future historian. 
 
 Eulogized By Supreme Court. 
 
 But sweeter than praise of history to the 
 l)articipants is the judgment of the Supreme 
 Court, which laid aside its dry, judicial manner 
 to warmly jiraise the s])lendid (piality of the 
 work done by the lawyers, of which a large 
 ])art was done by ]\Ir. Boys. Says the court in 
 its decision: 
 
 "The ease has been fully and ably present- 
 ed by distinguished counsel. The briefs and 
 arguments in many respects might well serve 
 as models. They have been of great assistance 
 in the investigation of the complicated matters 
 involved in this litigation. Every subject ha?; 
 been so exhaustively ])resented that practically 
 nothing could be added, and yet so well arrang- 
 ed, indexed and condensed that no unnecessary 
 labor was re(|uired to understand fully the 
 fjuestions in dispute." 
 
 The counsel for the Illinois Central was J. 
 M. Dickinson, aftei'u'ards called into the presi- 
 dent's cabinet as Secretary of Wai*. Associa- 
 ted with Mr. Boys was Attorney General Stead 
 and later Major John H. "Widmer and Judge B. 
 B. Lincoln, of Ottawa, who equally shared with 
 him the honors of tln^ victory. 
 
 The ap])lication of the iirinciples laid down 
 in the Supreme Court decision is still in pro- 
 gress. ]\Ir. Boys is still special counsel for the 
 state, and ])robably will continue until the ])rin- 
 ciples of the decision are translated into dol- 
 lars which the railroad must ]iay. 
 
 Partnership With Mr. Reeves. 
 
 In 1891 Mr. Boys formed a partnershij) with 
 Hon. Walter Reeves under the name of Reeves 
 & Boys, and ])lied the laboring oar of that firm 
 during Mr. Reeves' public career, and until his 
 death. In 1905 he was appointed first assistant 
 attorney general of the state, and later \av;s 
 made chairman of the Railroad and "WarehoTi-^e 
 Cojnniission. While in this office important
 
 THK STOm OK STKi: AlOi; 
 
 S5 
 
 work was done in eiiiializiiiii; and reducing 
 switcliiiifj; lalf.-; in tlie state, and in the eiiforfe- 
 ment of separate jifrade crossings wherever 
 l)rafticahle. After two years of service tlie 
 illness of liis jiaitiicr. Mr. Hoys, caused liiin to 
 resign, and lie returned to take up the active 
 work of tlie (inn, Avliicli after the passing of 
 the senior i)artiier was cliangi'd to Boys, Os- 
 lioi-iie aiKJ (ii-iiii;>. 
 
 An "Ordinary" Life. 
 Asked liy tin writer for >-niiie significant 
 facts ahout liis life, .Mr. lioys replied laconi- 
 cally, "It's heen hianieil ordi?iary." and that 
 speaks not only for his 
 ahseiice of pretense, 
 hut for the alisencc of 
 the ronuintic or the ex 
 traordinary in his ca 
 reer. Horn on a faiiii 
 in Marshall ( 'ouiity in 
 ISfill, he moved with 
 his folks to Streator in 
 1S71. attended high 
 school here, and alsn 
 studied at IlcddiiiL; < 'nl 
 lege at Ahingdon. I Ic 
 worked at telegraphy, 
 read law with .ludge T. 
 M. Shaw, of hacuii. 
 was admitted to the 
 har, |)rac(iced law foi 
 a year in l\aii>as, canic 
 hack to Strejitor and 
 has heen here ever 
 >ince. lie has shirked 
 no duty as a citizen, has 
 home the hrunt of 
 many a hard political 
 hattle as a leader of the 
 repuhlican workers of 
 the county, was foi- ncn. i 
 
 many years president 
 
 of the high school hoaid and whether in law, 
 p(ditics or citizenship, has always heen found 
 where the hardest working or lighting was to 
 he done. 
 
 HON. P. J. LUCEY. 
 
 ^fost popular among the democrats who 
 liave heen elected niayor of Streator is Mr. J*. 
 J. Lucey. Not only is this indicated hy the fact 
 that he is the only member of his party who 
 
 has been elected to the othce of mayor three 
 times; but it is further attested by the fact 
 that he has recently heen elected at the pri- 
 mary election to he his jjarty's candidate for 
 attorney general of the state of Illinois. 
 
 Popularity is nowliere suh.jected to so se- 
 vere a test as at a pi-inuiry election. In a gen- 
 eral election the momentum of party may 
 carry an indifferent candidate through, but in 
 a i)rimary election whei'e a man is one among 
 many to submit himself to the judgment of his 
 party, he must stand on the strength of his 
 own bare and naked personality. That a 
 
 young man, still on the 
 sunny side of forty, 
 should have so deeply 
 impressed his fellow 
 ilemocrats all over the 
 state of Illinois, shows 
 a (|uality that is cer 
 taiiily iiiai-ked and un- 
 usual. In the midst of 
 a hot struggle, wherein 
 the party was torn with 
 lierce inward <trife. ,Mi-. 
 Lucey went quietly 
 about tlie business of 
 liis candidacy, identify- 
 \Uix himself with none 
 III the warring faction.s, 
 i'ut offering himself 
 -imply on his merits as 
 a man and a lawyer; 
 and so, without the 
 hacking of boss or 
 ili(|ue. to bear off the 
 coveted prize with ease 
 is the nuuk i.f no ordi- 
 nary political strength. 
 Whether he will oc- 
 cupy the office of attor- 
 ley genei"al or not de- 
 pends on the strength of his party — and in Illi- 
 nois it will need another land.slide to carry it 
 to succes.s. But lie has already received a 
 higher endorsement than would be the acci- 
 dent of an election — the endorsement of his 
 party as its standard bearer in one of the most 
 promising, yet most difficult, campaigns it has 
 made in the state of Illinois. 
 
 How did so young a man get so far to the 
 front in Illinois politics? 
 
 First, it may be said, he started liiiht. That 
 is, he started poor. He started without friends 
 and without rich relatives to "pull" or 
 
 ,1. Lucey.
 
 86 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 "boost" for liim, and so liis native strength 
 got a chance to deveki]) in liis struggle to 
 make a pLace for liiniself. 
 
 Next, he chose the right ]ihicc to start. He 
 came to Streator as soon as he was admitted 
 to the bar in 1895, and has been here ever 
 since. He did his tirst few years of starving 
 with phick and dignity, gradually worked u]) a 
 law business, and now, as senior meml)er of 
 the firm of Lucey & Larkin, has one of tlie 
 finest law practices in the count}^ 
 
 Early in his struggling days he was lucky 
 enough to find two members of the dominant 
 party fighting over the city attorneyshi]). IjU- 
 cey, with alert eye, sized up the situation, hop- 
 ped nimbly into the ring, and took it away 
 from them. The people liked him so well, they 
 re-elected him. Then they got the Lucey habit, 
 and in 1903 they elected him mayor. In 1905 
 they elected him again, and yet again in 1909. 
 
 The important features of the Lucey admin- 
 istration were those connected with public im- 
 provements. Great imjietus was given to 
 street paving, and the splendid system of brick 
 roadways, which marks Streator above other 
 cities, received its greatest stimuhis during his 
 terms of office. The fire department was re- 
 organized and ijut on a salaried basis, the city 
 hall was rebuilt, and a new bridge erected 
 across the A^ermillion ri\'er — the latter not only 
 a much-needed improvement, but one that set- 
 tled forever an old controversy that had rent 
 the town for many years. 
 
 By this time Mr. Lucey was one of the tow- 
 ering figures on the local horizon. When his 
 ])arty wanted some one to run for the state sen- 
 ate in o])position to Corbus P. Gardner, long 
 recognized head of the rei)ublican organization 
 in that body, they chose P. J. Lucey of Strea- 
 tor. Though Mr. Gardner had the power of 
 federal patronage behind him, it is claimed by 
 Mr. Lucey 's friends that he fairly won the 
 election. The face of the returns gave the 
 election to Gardner. A contest was instituted 
 and carried to the senate, which, being tlie 
 .judge of its own members, voted to seat its 
 leader, ('. P. Gardner. The senatorial contest 
 was lost, biit the admirable manner in which 
 Mr. Lucey com])orted liimself no doubt went 
 far to commend him to his |)arty in Illinois, and 
 to earn for him the proud eminence he now 
 enjoys. 
 
 Always a worker for the city's devek)])ment, 
 Mr. Lucey has ever been identified with every 
 movement for its upbuilding. He has been a 
 
 member of the Executive Committee of the 
 Commercial Club since its organization, and 
 has been its president for the past three years, 
 an office he still holds. 
 
 Like most American boys, his biographical 
 data can be given in a paragraph. Born of 
 plain working people in Ottawa, 111., in 1873, in 
 a house which is still occupied by his sister. 
 Went through the common schools and was 
 graduated from the Ottawa high school in 
 1890. Worked in a dry goods store in La Salle 
 for a year, then went to Chicago and studied 
 law with Duncan & Gill)ert. Came to Streator 
 in 1895; city attorney 1897 and 1901; mayor 
 1903, 1905, 1909; prospective attornev-general 
 of Illinois 1912. He is now 39, witii 30 good 
 working years ahead of him. With his start, 
 where ought he not land? 
 
 HON. E. M. DAVIS. 
 
 S])ecial interest attaches to the adminis- 
 tration of E. M. Davis from the fact that he is 
 the only candidate of the distinctly labor ele- 
 ment of the city who has held the office of 
 mayor. He was the regidar nominee of the re- 
 publican ]iarty, it is true, but tliere is little 
 doubt that Mr. Davis owed his nomination to 
 his prominence in the labor wing of the party. 
 He was president of the Trades and Labor 
 Council of the city for five terms, anil was so 
 thoroughly identified with labor that at a time 
 when it was thought that its interests required 
 independent political action, no one but Mr. 
 Davis was thought of as its leader. In view of 
 these facts it is interesting to note the char- 
 acter of administration given by a recognized 
 labor advocate and chieftain. 
 
 The first surprise is that it was distinctly 
 a business administration. 
 
 How is this shown! 
 
 First, by its economy. 
 
 Second, by its efficient financial manage- 
 ment. 
 
 When Mr. Davis entered the mayor's office 
 he found a cash balance on hand of about 
 $4,000. When he went out at the end of two 
 years he left a l)alance of about $1(),000. It is 
 to be noted that there was no skimping of the 
 regular approjiriations. Streets, sidewalks, 
 sewers, etc., received the same as under any 
 previous administration, and in addition a 
 handsome brick band stand and public comfort
 
 THK STCIISV Ol' STKKXTOR. 
 
 station was erected in tlio park. What was 
 tlie secret of financial success? Mr. Davis at- 
 tril)utes it to a r\^'u\ enforcement of collec- 
 tions of all sources of revenue, and the stop- 
 ])age of every discoverable leak. He s^ave to 
 the affairs of the city more of his enersv and 
 attention than he did to his own contracting 
 business, and applied to it the economies of a 
 thorough-u-oinjr industrial inanasi'enient. The 
 political leache.- and iiangcrs-on coniiilained of 
 the policy of money savinii as somethino; \in- 
 heard of in city affairs, hut 'Manley,"' as he 
 is familiarly called, went on quietlv and left 
 iplC.OIKI in the treasury. 
 
 lie now confesses to 
 the writer for the first 
 time the seci'et motive 
 of his parsimony. He 
 says it was liis pi'ixate 
 and)ition tt) heal the 
 feud between the par- 
 ti ;ans of Main and 
 Hridire Nfreet- by build- 
 ing ii bridge at both 
 points. The latter he 
 would build out of oir- 
 rent i-evenues. the for 
 mer he would l)niid tiie 
 I'ity for, and he had 
 jtositive expeit figures 
 that a gooil bridge 
 could ha\(' iieen erect- 
 ed for .'fL'4.0t)(l. And so 
 he was bent on saving 
 the city's money to 
 carry nut his idea. 
 Looking back on it to 
 day, he is conlident 
 that it could have been 
 successfully cairied out. 
 
 During his term pub- 
 lic gambling was rigid- 
 ly sni)pressed, and the saloons were I)ronght 
 into a degree of orderliness far above the com- 
 mon. Tiu' Sunday closing jiractice at iiresent 
 in vogue was first inaugurated tluring this per- 
 iod, and the mayor had a signed agreement, 
 voluntarily executed by the saloonkeepers, 
 l)ledging thcmst-lves to each other and to the 
 city to co-opei'ate in cci'tain mutually agree- 
 able restrictions and restraints. 
 
 K. M. Davis was born in Birmingliam, Eng- 
 land in IS*;;!, and was brought up to the trade 
 of gas tube worker. He came to America in 
 1882, and worked at his trade for a year in 
 
 Hon. E. .M. Davis. 
 
 Chicago, and then came to Streator. Here he 
 cut loose from his old trade, and taking his 
 fortune in his hands, started in to learn a new 
 one. He learned the trade of general mason, 
 and in 1S!)() went into partnership with 1). L. 
 Till Unas. With the leaving of his i)artner the 
 bui-den of the business fell on him ])er.soually, 
 and he has carried it ever since. He is now 
 the j)rincipal nuison contractor in the city, and 
 has erected many of the i)rincipal buildings, 
 sm-h as the Public Service gas jjlant, the Craw- 
 ford power house, has superintended the Ralph 
 Plumb .school, and now is doing the mason 
 
 work on the new Slav 
 isli school l)uikling, 
 which is to cost about 
 $50,000. 
 
 In addition to being 
 for five tenus president 
 of the Trades Council, 
 he has been delegate to 
 two national conven- 
 tions of the A. F. of L., 
 and in nothing is his 
 character so well rep- 
 resented as in the fact 
 that as an emjiloye of 
 laboi', he has so well 
 retained the contidence 
 of union labor as to be 
 chosen its representa- 
 tive. He sened several 
 years as alderman, 
 three tenus as member 
 of the Board of Educa- 
 tion, is member of the 
 Police and Fire Com 
 mission, and member of 
 the Senatorial Com- 
 mittee. Tie has been 
 ilirectoi' of the (icrman 
 Building & Loan As- 
 sociation for seventeen years and in every posi- 
 tion held has measured uj) to the expectations 
 of his associates. 
 
 HON. W. W. BEAN. 
 
 W. W. Bean has the distinction of being 
 the oidy i-epublican mayor of Streator elected 
 for the third term. He is the present incum- 
 bent, and was elected as the candidate of the 
 republican party by the largest majority ever
 
 88 
 
 THK STORY OP STRKATOR. 
 
 given for tlie office since the time of Col. Plumb. 
 
 His first tenn was dnriug the World's Fair 
 year, 1893. The chief events of that adminis- 
 tration were foundational. Street paving, 
 which had been begun the ])revious year under 
 Mayor Boys, was cleveloped and carried out to 
 the' outskirts. The plank sidewalks which had 
 disfigured Main street, were discarded; a uni- 
 form grade was established, and cement walks 
 laid in the business centre. The policy encoun- 
 tered oi)position, but experience has demon- 
 strated its economy and utility. 
 
 It was in 1897 that Mayor Bean stood like 
 a rock against the first 
 concerted effort to es- 
 tablish organized graft 
 in Streator, and igno- 
 miniously defeated it. 
 The Lafayette Bridge 
 Company sought to ob- 
 tain a contract for 
 building a bridge across 
 the river at the foot of 
 Main street. The pro- 
 ject was hotly contest- 
 ed, the mayor and sev- 
 eral members of the 
 council being opposed. 
 The bridge company 
 bribed a munber of al- 
 dermen and secured a 
 two-thirds majority of 
 the council. The con- 
 tract was awarded 
 against the mayor 's 
 protest, and the com- 
 pany built the bridge. 
 When the bridge bonds 
 were presented to the 
 mayor for his approval 
 he refused to affix his 
 signature and the bonds 
 
 could not be sold. They threatened to man- 
 damiis him, but he was inflexible. The matter 
 was carried into the Circuit C'ourt, and the 
 jury disagreed. It was tried again in the Uni- 
 ted States District Court, and it was decided 
 in favor of the city. Some of the purchased al- 
 dermen turned states evidence and Beeker. 
 agent of the bridge company, confessed to 
 bribery. The court held the company could 
 not recover and gave them six months to re- 
 move the bridge, and failing tiiat it should 
 revert to the city. The bridge was removed, 
 but the Lafayette Bridge Company could not 
 
 Hon. W. W. Bean 
 
 siirvive the shock, and ultimately went into 
 bankru]jtcy. 
 
 At the conclusion of the litigation, in recog- 
 nition of the mayor's sturdy defense of the city, 
 a large number of citizens jn-esented him with 
 a costly gold watch, on wliich was inscribed 
 the following: 
 
 "Presented to W. W. Bean, Nov. 6, 1901, in 
 appreciation of his courage and honesty dis- 
 played W'liile mayor of the city." 
 
 Mr. Bean usually offends some interest 
 while in office, so that his terms of office are 
 never consecutive. But the years usually vindi- 
 cate him, and he is re- 
 called to office after an 
 intei'val of rest. His 
 present term began in 
 1911, and he has an- 
 other year to serve. 
 The important ques- 
 tions of this year are 
 the renewal of the con- 
 tract for street lighting 
 and the readjustment 
 of the water rates. The 
 former has been settled 
 to the satisfoction of 
 the mayor, and the lat- 
 ter is the subject of 
 fierce contention, which 
 mav have to be settled 
 in the courts. Mr. Bean 
 takes pride in the fi- 
 ^^^^^ nancial showing of his 
 
 jflH^H administrations. It has 
 
 / 1 1 ii^n^a - i^^gj^ j^jg policy to keep 
 
 ^^^ . tJie expenses below tlie 
 
 revenues, and he has al- 
 ways been able to turn 
 over to his successor a 
 balance on the right 
 side of the ledger. 
 W. W. Bean was born in Lisbon, New York 
 in 1845. He served through the war, was mus- 
 tered out at its close, returned home and went 
 to school. He worked as a printer on several 
 papers and came to Sti'eator in 1870. After 
 working at his trade for three or four years, 
 he bought the Streator Monitor, and has been 
 its editor and ju'()])i'ietor ever since. A con- 
 sistent republican in politics, he was elected 
 town clerk for fourteen years, was supervisor 
 for seven years, and a member of the County 
 Boai'd of Review for two terms, and has also 
 been honored by state positions in the G. A. R.
 
 THK STOKV «»|- STI{i:.\T(»IJ. 
 
 89 
 
 MARTS OF MERCHANDISE 
 
 STORES, BANKS AND WIDE AWAKE BUSINESS 
 
 OF STREATOR. 
 
 OF THE CITY 
 
 Iiiuiniiic Stri'iitor witlmiit .M;iiii Street. 
 
 How would you liUi' to li\"f iu a town witli- 
 out a l)usin<>ss ^cctiou ? 
 
 Ask the crowd tliat tliroiii;s tlic street on 
 Saturday iiiyid. It is a rude, jostliuii;. uu-rry 
 crowd. How it C'u.joys the a;lai'e of tlie electric 
 lifi:lil. Ilic ^ilitteriuf; sliop windows, the tenipt- 
 iuff displays spi'ead alluriuiiiy under the lijjht. 
 The f^ii'l meets her lieau on .Main sti('»'t. iuid to- 
 {letlier they juirade up and down the thonuiii;!!- 
 fare, slie coyly i^lancinir at the luakinj^s of a 
 trosseau, he inoic l>oldl_\ lookiiif;: at the price 
 marks on the Ikuisc furnisliinir noods. The 
 housewife, intent (Ui har.i^ains, passes in and (Uit 
 of the .stores, keenly alert on nuikin^ the "old 
 man's' pay sjo as far as possihle; and the "old 
 num" himself strolls leisurely alioul, meeting; 
 hi-; cliiuns, shakini:: liamN with old friends, and 
 niakini,^ the street his cluli, his fair, his place <if 
 relaxation. .\iul there is the harein-scareni 
 youth who is out for a time Sjiturday ni.ulit: 
 how he wi'iuf.iiles and twists throuirh the 
 thron;; from Pdoominntiui to Sterlinn' >tivet. up 
 one side and ihiwu the other, havinu: the time 
 of liis life; now into Jodie's, then into the 
 Dawn or Dreandand. then slippinn in for an 
 ice cream soda — or somethinii- stroiiuci'. Ah! 
 Main street is a dream of delii^ht for younij 
 America of both sexes on Saturday ni.ijht. 
 
 A stranfj:er niii^dit inuiijine himself in Cos- 
 inoiiolis. Stand on the corner aiul see them 
 }tass: (ireeks, Syrians, .\rmenians, Italians, all 
 the dark skins of Southern Kuroj)e. Then the 
 Slavs, Bohemians, Lithuanians. I'oles, the nv^- 
 i^fd peoples of Kastei'u Isurope; and the fair- 
 skiniu'd Norse and Dane, the (ierman. French, 
 Bel^e; the ruddy Saxon, the liery Celt, Irish, 
 Welsh, Seotch — all passing the corner on Sat- 
 
 urday ni.nht. And sprinkled anion.y them the 
 black and yellow faces of the negro, with an 
 occasional Mexican, .lap or Chinaman. 
 
 .Main street on Saturday nii>]itl It is a 
 World's Fair of races and faces. 
 
 But we should hear in mind that tiiere 
 would he no Main street if there were no mer- 
 chants. Not oidy would we lose tlc^ biggest 
 show of the town, but we woulil lose the festal 
 events of the year, the Fourth of ,Tuly, the 
 Chautau(pui, the Races, the Fair, the Base Ball 
 Dark — for which .Main street furnishes a large 
 share of tlie sujipoil. And tliat is not all, for 
 without .Main >ti-eet the town would lose tlie 
 nuiin support of the movements that pu-li the 
 town forward ami hold it up, the Impro\-ement 
 Associations, Connnercial Clubs, its charities, 
 subscriptions and the like. 
 
 11' tlu' reign of the mail older liouses were 
 complete, there would be no .M;iin >-treet. and 
 all Streator would be like Hiverside. 
 
 The merchants of Streator bring goods 
 from the four (piai-ters of the earth, and de- 
 liver them at the doors of the consumer. The 
 commodities nuiy be inspected and returned if 
 not satisfactory. They ransack the world for 
 goods that will exactly lit the hscnl demand; vf 
 ihey miss their guess they lose their money. 
 They do this foi- an average of less ihan live 
 cents on the dollar. .Many have failed, and the 
 rich ones may l)e counted on the lingci's of one 
 liand. 
 
 But their greatest service is that they main- 
 tain the greatest social centre the town pos- 
 ses.ses, and are the main support of the forces 
 and movements that make for the uj-building 
 of the town. Is not the service of Main sti'eet 
 worth preserving? 
 
 D. HEENAN MERCANTILE COMPANY 
 
 Streator, as a city of less than twciit\ tlious- 
 and peojile, stands separate from all others iu 
 
 its great department store, owned liud con- 
 structed liy the D. Ileeuan Afercantile Company.
 
 90 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 Here are twentj'-two departments in four stor- 
 ies, sheltered under one roof, the foundation 
 being two luindred and fifty by one hundred 
 and forty feet, and the total floor space aggre- 
 gating more than one hundred and twenty 
 thousand feet. A neigliboring city of sometliing 
 like double the jiopulation of Streator. ])ro- 
 claims it has a department store larger than 
 any other city in the state of Ilinois, outside of 
 Chicago, and gives the floor space in that store 
 as sixty-five thousand scpiare feet, which is a 
 
 more in the mind of the builder tlian the Strea- 
 tor of today when the enterprise was under- 
 taken. 
 
 It was realized theu that a city .-^ituated in 
 the heart of a wonderfully rich agricultural 
 district, with railroad facilities second to no 
 innnici])ality of its size in the whole country, 
 Mith its central location, with its multiplying 
 manufcvcturing advantages in the manufacture 
 of glass, it was realized then, as it is now, that 
 such a citv nuist eventuallv become one of the 
 
 Heenan Department Store. 
 
 trifle over half the size of tlie Streator estab- 
 lishment. Some idea of the magnitude of this 
 institution may be had when one realizes that 
 it would take more than forty stores twenty- 
 five feet wide by one hundred feet deep to 
 equal it in capacity. 
 
 This establishment stands as a monument to 
 the enterprise, genius and courage of D. Hee- 
 nan. who planned it, as well as to his wonderful 
 faith in the future of his city, for thei-e is no 
 denying that the Streator of tomorrow was 
 
 great commercial centers of the country. 
 
 The D. Heenan department store draws 
 trade to Streator from a circle ninety miles in 
 diameter, and its annual catalogues, because of 
 the bargains and oiii)nrtunities therein offered, 
 find wholesome welcome in the homes of this 
 wide expanse of territory and with each suc- 
 ceeding year as its literature reaches farther 
 abroad, its trade increases, and it is safe to say 
 that one-half of the story is not yet told. 
 
 What is sold! Of what does this immense
 
 THK ST«)I{> OK STIM; ATOi;. 
 
 91 
 
 Stock, rpjtresfiitiii^' an investment in tiie neigh- 
 borhood of tliree imndred thousand (Inllais. 
 consist, and wliat do tlie clerical force, sales- 
 men and salesladies of well niirli one hundred 
 and Hf t\- lind to do .' To particularize would 
 take paeres in this hook, just for the names of 
 tliiniirs — the store is a city unto itself. Just 
 imagine tweny-two cDnijilete estahlislitneiits all 
 engai^ed in and carrying different lines, and 
 you will liave some idea of the things liehl for 
 sale under this one roof. 
 
 Irniii (he [president of the corporation in his 
 glass enclosure in tiie executive department, 
 down to the messenger hoys. The motto in this 
 great store is "Ptease the Customer," and no 
 effort is sj)ared to accomplish this end. p]very- 
 one who enters the store is given close personal 
 attention; her wants are aiitici))ated; her 
 wishes are intelligently interpreted; countless, 
 almost unohserval)le little arts of salesnuinship 
 are practiced for his or her henefit. Finally, 
 there is truthful representation, and this man- 
 
 Intf-rior ot Hetiian l)(-i)artiiiciu store, Streot Floor. 
 
 The sliow windows of the 1). lleenan ^fer- 
 cantile Co., heing of good height and exteiuling 
 nearl\- four hundred feet on two streets, ])re.sent 
 a dis]ilay of goods in (piality, character, variety. 
 ari'aMgement and good taste (piite equal to an>- 
 tliing to he found in the largest cities of 
 .\nu'rica. 
 
 The service in the P. Ileeiiiui store is of the 
 kind that is known as ]iar excellence. Kvery 
 tiling is done in a good way. Thi'ic is kindness, 
 courtesy and discernment, iJiimiptness, neat- 
 ness and orderliness evervwhere and hv all. 
 
 datory re(iuirement on the part of an eflicient 
 management is in no small degree resjjonsible 
 for the vast space and great need the D. Hee- 
 nan deiiartment store fills in Central Illinois. 
 
 Putting it in a (piick, compreheiKiiiig way, 
 in a wav that will stick in the individual con- 
 .sciousne.ss, let it be said that the 1). Heenan 
 Store is the biggest and best thing of its kind 
 in the world in a city the size of Streator, and 
 tliat the writer knows of no city of even three 
 or four times the size of Streator with so large, 
 varied and modernized a retail establishment.
 
 &2 
 
 THK STOKY OP STRKATOR. 
 
 STREATOR'S INTERURBAN RAILWAY COMPANY 
 
 A valuable asset to the industrial growth of 
 Streator is the Chicago. Ottawa & Peoria Rail- 
 waj', which is jjart of the great system of iuter- 
 urbaus built and controlled by Congressman 
 Wm. B. McKinley. It now connects Streator 
 wth the beautiful Illinois Valley, with its rich 
 agricultural and mining developments, and 
 whicli will ultimately be joined to the Illinois 
 Traction System. This railroad is a valuable 
 asset to the transportation facilities of Strea- 
 tor and vicinity. The system of interurbans of 
 which it is- a ])art is the greatest system of this 
 kind now in operation. The line from Streator 
 runs straight to Ottawa, wliere it connects for 
 
 opportunities of suburban residents. 
 
 The freight service given by the ('. 0. & P. 
 is rapid and })rompt. It is express service at 
 freight rates. Goods shi])i)ed to any part of 
 the line one day being delivered the next 
 morning. 
 
 Like all the McKinley propei-ties the C. O. 
 & P. is modern in every respect. Its roadbed 
 compares favorably with that of any steam 
 road. Autonuitic electric block signals guard 
 train movements, and the heavy modern equip- 
 ment has all been designed with a view to 
 speed, safety and comfort. 
 
 This road is a valuable asset to Streator and 
 
 .The new Steel -Model luteiurban Passenger Car. 
 
 Joliet, Seneca, Morris, Marseilles, Peru, La 
 Salle, Spring Valley, Ladd, Bureau and Prince- 
 ton, forming a system of 110 miles, which ulti- 
 mately will be connected with Chicago. This 
 road furnishes advantages for travel far su- 
 perior to the steam lines. It gives a vast and 
 frequent convenient service for business pur- 
 poses. For pleasure trips the road is unexcel- 
 led. It has been given the name of "Illini 
 Trail" and runs the length of the historic val- 
 ley of the Illinois. The scenic grandeur com- 
 jjares favorably with any place in tl\e country. 
 By means of the interurban, rural districts are 
 brought directly in touch with the merchants 
 of the cities, giving them the advantages and 
 
 its further development will be watched with 
 great interest by the community, because with 
 its advantages of fast, clean jtassenger service 
 and quick, efficient freight deliveries it opens 
 a field of transportation not approached by 
 any steam road entering the city. The follow- 
 ing are the officers of the railway: 
 
 W. B. McKinlev, jiresident, Cham]>aign, 111.; 
 H. E. Chubbuck, V. P. Executive, Peoria, 111.; 
 F. E. Fisher, General Superintendent, Joliet, 
 111.- A. E. Blackburn, Traffic Mana.ger, Joliet, 
 111.; B. W. Arnold, Supt. of Transportation, 
 Ottawa, 111.; W. F. Carr, Engineer, Maint. of 
 Wav, Ottawa, 111.; J. O. Tucker, Opei-ating En- 
 gineer, Ottawa, 111.; R. C. Taylor, Supt. of Mo- 
 tive Power, Ottawa, III.
 
 THK STOKV «»K STUDATOi: 
 
 93 
 
 THE STREATOR DECORATING COMPANY 
 
 Ai'/aiii Strcatni- immv cijiiin the lariic.-l Inisi- 
 ness hduse iii the state outside of Cliieago— at 
 least none surpass, and only few rival it. The 
 Streator Decoi-atinj; ('tmi|iany is a wliolesale 
 and retail house dealing in" wallpaper and 
 deeorators' supplies. TJiree larjre store i-oouis 
 are devoted to its liusiness. and its 1 lade ex- 
 teiuls all over Illinois, and overflows into In- 
 (liana, Iowa and .Missouri. Witliiu a radius of 
 fifty miles from Streator it is the dominant fac- 
 tor in decoi-ative work. Most of the hiii- work 
 the churches, puhlic building's and line residen- 
 ces, pa.'?s throuffh the hands of the artists and 
 arti.sans of the Streator Decoratinjj: Company. 
 The nearer cities, such as Ottawa, Kankakee 
 and ( 'hillicothe. know its name as well as Stica- 
 tor people; while in Sprin^'tield. Hloominj,4on. 
 Decatur, Davenjtort and way out to llannihal. 
 ^fo., its name and fame is familiar. Kveu 
 where it does not contract direct, it furnishes 
 ! up|ilies to local dealers, and with them it fur- 
 nishes Streator iileas and Streator artists to do 
 the work. So it carries the influence of the city 
 to a considerahie distance, and, incidentally. 
 pive.s emplo>nient to Streator lalior ecpial to a 
 small factor). .\l the present time '.V2 jieojile 
 are em|)loyed. and tlic pay i-oll is ^I'.OOO ]ier 
 nu)ntli. 
 
 It specializes in line interior deiMirative 
 [work of all sorts, whether in oil or distemjier, 
 fre.seo or frioze work. It maintain- an ex|iert 
 service in wallpaiiers. in which the Juost won- 
 derful tiiumplis of modern dt ative art have 
 
 been wroui^dit in the jiast ten years. |-5ein.ir 
 asked what ohan^ics in taste he had observed 
 in his 30 year.'? exjjerience in Streator, Presi- 
 dent Ijovi'uy. replied: "The chanires have been 
 simply revolutionary. In the old days every- 
 body wanted bi^^:. flashy desiufus, and loud, 
 showy colors. Now nobody will have them. 
 They want rich, fine, (piiet tones, nmre like 
 hand work. The better the taste the more sub- 
 dued tile pattern. And they want it more sub- 
 stantial. Scarcely any good building is ])ut u|i 
 now without canvassing. Well-to-do jieople 
 nowadays are willing to sjieud money for house 
 decoration. Whereas formerly they used to 
 think ■^'yO a good price to spend on a room, now 
 they think nothing of spending $\oO or $200. 
 Kven the ]>oorest houses which use.l to ]iay 
 $."5.00 a room now jiay .^C.OO, while those of the 
 middle class think little of paving $10.00 or 
 
 $l.'il.(M). Some of tiii.s, of course, is due to in- 
 creased cost of labor and materials, but it is 
 nuu'li more unmistakably due to an imiirove- 
 ment in taste. This has been helped on by the 
 remarkable improvements in the designs of 
 wallpapers. By the discovery of the aero- 
 clironie process — a sort of air brush — it has be- 
 come jmssible to produce walli)aper with al- 
 most the effects of freedom and originality pro- 
 duced by good hand work. Xo one need suffer 
 from the sfifT, mechanical patterns of the old 
 paper; the beautifully blended, si)ft, rich cloud- 
 like elTects that formerly only an artist could 
 liaint, ai-e now, thanks to the new process, avail- 
 able for i)eoi)le of moderate means." 
 
 So we find the gospel of William Morris 
 permeating the lnunes of America, and the day 
 has come when nuichine ai't has ceased to be a 
 by woi'd and rejjroaeh. 
 
 In this w(u-k the leatler in Sticator is the 
 Streator Decorating Company. Through its 
 hands jiass periodically most of the homes of 
 the city, and what if leaves on their walls rep- 
 resents in large measure its contribution to the 
 aesthetic edm-ation nf the people. Louis Lor- 
 enz, the fiuinder and ) present head of the com- 
 pany, received his training in the most thor 
 ough going of (Jerman schools, liorn in Plauen. 
 Saxony, in ISfiO, he went to the common schools 
 until thirteen, and then was aiiprenticed to the 
 decorator's trade. After a day of hard work at 
 the trade he used to have to put two to three 
 hours each eveiiins'- pA di-awing. desi;;ning and 
 mastering the fechniipie of the craft. Before 
 the expiration of his five years apprenticeship 
 he had mastered his trade so well that his boss 
 gave him six months off time with full wages. 
 
 Mr. Lorenz came to America in 1880? he 
 worked as decorator for leading Chicago l^rms 
 for two years, by whom he was sent to various 
 cities in charire of work. Coming thus to 
 Streator in 1882, he liked tlu' place and settled 
 down. As the.se words are being written it is 
 just thirty years to the day since Mr. Lorenz 
 landed in Streator, and he is justified in look- 
 ing back with jiride on the ui)building of a 
 business that ranks among the first of its kind 
 in the state, outside of Chicago. Associated 
 with him in the business are his two sons, 
 Frank Lorenz, treasurer; Oscar Lorenz, secre- 
 tary; Carl Hagenson, vice-president.
 
 94 
 
 THK STORY OF STRKATOR. 
 
 THE DAILY INDEPENDENT-TIMES 
 
 The Iude])enclent-Times begun its career iu 
 1885 as tlie Streator Sunday Independent. It 
 was edited by Dr. David Le Roy, fatJier of tlie 
 jn-eseiit editor, and a well known writer, speaker 
 and jiublic cJiaraeter of those days. Fred Le 
 Roy, who now edits the paper, was type setter 
 and office force. It was continued a'< a weeklv 
 
 finally consolidated under the name of the 
 Streator Inde])endeut-Tiines. Meeks Bros, re- 
 mained with the reorganized jiaper for a time, 
 but ultimately withdi'ew, leaving the Ije Roy 
 interests in control. 
 
 In 1897 the interest of Dr. David Le Roy 
 was purchased by B. S. Barlow. Fred Tie Roy 
 
 First Page of Independent-Times. 
 
 for two years, and then changed to a morning 
 daily. While the Independent was pursuing a 
 vigorous independent democratic policy, there 
 was another democratic daily in the town, the 
 Times, edited by Meeks Bros. Four daily news- 
 pai)ers were more than Streator could in'ofitably 
 support, and the two democratic papers were 
 
 continued as editor, and ^'irginia Barlow Le 
 Roy became associate editor. From that time 
 until the present these interests have continued 
 in control, and tlie concern has enjoyed a per- 
 iod of iinbroken jirosiierity. The circulation of 
 the paper has increased ten-fold, the advertise- 
 ing patronage has more than quadrupled, new
 
 THK STOItV OK STI{|;.\TO|{. 
 
 95 
 
 l)rcsse,s ]iii()ty)ii- iiiac-liines, i4c. have been add- 
 ed iiHtil the jilant now has a first class imntinsr 
 e<|ni|inient. M'he (inn conducts a larue station- 
 ery .vtore. carrying all sorts of statiouers' sup- 
 plies, books, magazines, novelties, etc. 
 
 The most inipoi'tant extension of its Inisi- 
 ness, however, is in the job dejiartuK'nt, wliich 
 lias develo])ed tlie six-cialty of printini? elec 
 tion supplies and leiral blanks, which it sup- 
 plies larjfely to law lirnis and election odicers 
 in the stale of Illinois. Its salesmen cover ev- 
 ery town and city of coiise(|nence in the state, 
 and so larije has the volume of business become 
 that the Independent-Times is now the heav- 
 iest patron of the express offices in the city. 
 
 The <i:rowth of the business has called for 
 increased ollice and store room until recently it 
 was found neces-^aiy to pun-ha-^e tlie brick 
 bnildiiij,' ;\\ K'.'! K. Main -ticct. It will be re- 
 built aiirl carried l)ack to the alley, iriviui; a 
 spac(' of 140x1.'.') feet, with two stories and base- 
 ment, all of which will Ih' occuiiie<l with the 
 business of the Independent Times. 
 
 The editorial policy of the paper is )>rofj:res- 
 .-ivc and democratic. Mr. Le Hoy is a forceful, 
 fearless and Irenchanl wiiter, whose ni<i:<j:ed 
 sentences never f;'il to make his mcaniiiir cleai' 
 to t!ie ivader. His heaxiest blows are stiuck at 
 privilege, and his fon-eful utterances have ha<l 
 the recounition of repro<l\iction in the ('liica,i!:o 
 ilailies and <lailies tlironi;liont the stale. 
 
 In lino Ii(> was chosen state central commit- 
 teeman by his i»arty, and was re clecti'd in liH'J 
 aftei' a severe contol under the new direct ))ro- 
 mar\ law--a mark of public evfecm rather un- 
 usual for an nnsp.-irini;, hard hitting' newspaper 
 man who has nexcr play<'d politics foi' plac<' or 
 favor. (As his conipan>' is one of the |)ublish- 
 ers of this volume, it is fair to stale that this 
 personal conunent is written witlioiil Mr. Le 
 Hity's knowledge or consent.) 
 
 His wife, Mrs. \'ini;inia 1 -e Koy, is co-editor 
 witli him on the papei', and Iier \'er-atih' i)en 
 touches many suli.jects not usually covered in a 
 local dailv. Society, literature, education, art, 
 social ethics, economics, the woma.n movenu'iit, 
 all are illumimiti'd by her brilliant pen. She is 
 
 not a smatterer on these subjects, but writes as 
 one who has had many years hard study under 
 the direction of the best masters of philosoi>liy, 
 psychology, economics and ethics that the I'ni- 
 versity of Chicago possesses. She is a public 
 lecturer of many years oxjierience, of unusual 
 gift as a public speaker, and lias appeared at 
 many of tlie leading- chautau(|uas and lyceums. 
 She is also a contributor to the leading maga- 
 zines. In addition to her editorial work she 
 regularly conducts adult classes in literature 
 and poetry in this and neiglil)oring towns. A 
 daily column from her pen is one of the feat- 
 ures of the paper. 
 
 The citv department of tlie jiajier is looked 
 after by Miss Ethel Head and Mr. Michael 
 K'eed, two writers whose talents supplement 
 each other admirably. Mr. Heed is one of the 
 oldest, most eflicient and most respected work- 
 ing newspaper men in Streator, and Miss Head 
 adds the \ivacit\' of a bright pen. an r.lert news 
 instinct, an intelli.ijenl mind, and a pleasing 
 !)ersonality to the news staff. 
 
 Xot so opeidy before the public, but a ])il- 
 lar of strength to the paper is Mr. (Jeorge Stev- 
 ens, eirculatiuir manager, throui,Hi wiiose able 
 management the circulation has Ixen r.iised to 
 and kept at the high jjoint at which it now 
 >tands. 
 
 The business head and publi.-her is .Mr. !!. S. 
 P>}'r'ow, who is aNo (he father of the associate 
 editor, Mrs. Fred Le Hoy. Mr. Harlow has had 
 a long life of substantial business exjierience, 
 anrl thounh lie came into the newspaper held 
 late in life, yet he brought to it a nuiture judg- 
 menl, a solid financial support, and a mind 
 traine<l in sound business nu'thods that has 
 been invaluable to the enteriirise. Though 
 wisely c(mserva(ive, yet he has always been a 
 force for expansion and progress in (he growth 
 of (he paper. His mercantile exi)erience dates 
 ])a<k to ante-bellum days, when with the Inger- 
 solls, Puterbaughs and others lie was one of 
 the youny; busine s men of Peoria. ( 'ol. Inger- 
 soll olTi<'iated as best man at Mr. P)arlow's wed- 
 dini;. Though now ])ast 75 years of age, he is 
 still full of vim and vigor, and takes an active 
 interest in all the details of the business. 
 
 THE DAILY FREE F^RESS 
 
 The free Press was founded in Aui:ust, 1S7.">. 
 by Irving Carrier. After the first edition the 
 ])aper was ]iublislied by Carrier and W. W. 
 
 Hean. In ]^7A fhey were succeeded by He v. 
 James TI. Clark, who in a few months rei-eived 
 Walter Ploge as ])artner. After six months
 
 06 
 
 THK STORY OF STRKATOU. 
 
 Re\-. Clark sold his interests to Mr. Tloge, who 
 conducted the paper alone until in February of 
 1877 John TV. Fornof, who first began his con- 
 nection with the paper in Febniary. 1874, in the 
 capacity of printer, purchased a half interest. 
 Hoge and Fornof continued until the next year 
 
 forming the ])artnershiii of Van Skiver and 
 Fornof, which existed until 1!:)()5 when the Free 
 Press Company was organized. In 1910 Mr. 
 Fornof acquired all the interests of Mr. Vnn 
 Skiver, who retired from the paijer. 
 
 The Free Press has always been re]iublican 
 
 :— ifDRFicorai 
 
 CHicuo voumi Id yu , 
 
 »;^ 
 
 H free 
 
 .IN' i;*; Wl-T" 
 
 S?BI«SHtlD MPtRi «« 
 
 I LccAL HAS MnS RiCIAnD Lire : »e«i fu*"»i «»« 
 
 ■ -■"■ WFlEWLfi 
 
 Pr>««a •**'■> r» ■(•MOg'i 
 
 "-ifoeAMmiiist 
 
 HM HEHBEflOf U. E, CHtlRUH 
 
 "'^■M irnn C0UE6E 9kwm 
 
 • >t • *■«*'* Wi« M«* ■•^M **r-t ' • • 
 
 miMmm 
 
 ,BAS[BALL mm 
 
 ■\ m ffilQM ilEHI 
 
 First Page of Free Press. 
 
 when l"(iriiiif iiurcha:-ed the interests of Mr. 
 Hoge. In 1879 Mr. Hoge again purchased a 
 pai'tnership, and the fimi remained Foniof and 
 Hoo-e until 1884. In July of that year Mr. For- 
 nof sold liis share to A. R. Van Skivei-, and the 
 next month purchased the share of Hoge, thus 
 
 excejit during the ownership of Air. Hoge, 
 when it was democratic. The issuance of the 
 daily paper was commenced in 1880. 
 
 The officers of the company are: John \\. 
 Fornof, president; John R. Foniof, vice-presi- 
 dent; John L. Perry, secretary and treasurer. 
 
 THE STREATOR MONITOR 
 
 Was founded in October, 1869, by Rutan 
 Bros. They sold in a few months to B". W. 
 Dalton. Under this management it was issued 
 
 for a few months as a semi-weekly. This prov- 
 ing un]irofitable. it was restored to its weekly 
 chai'acter. March 13, 1874, Mr. Dalton sold to
 
 THK ST(>I{V OF STRKATCm. 
 
 97 
 
 Saiiuu'l I'luiiil), wlio in turn sold it to W. W. a six-column folio. The ^lonitor is a staunch 
 Bean, who has been sole proprietor and editor i-epuhlican i)aper. The Weekly is $1.00 a year 
 since. May 1, 1SS2 Mr. Bean coinuienced the in advance. The dailv is $3.60 a vear delivered 
 
 iftrmtor pniljj Hloutor. 
 
 M-KEATHS. ILUSOW, TtHKiUAV. U&KLII T. Kill 
 
 PKICK r*n CJtNT^ 
 
 fOSS'SFC^lCl'Ill i-^NS SPURN PtACE 
 
 WOUND UP AND 
 
 C*nf 
 
 STOP 
 
 Rt.lCHES SOUTH P01E7, 
 
 ■("« TO «e ■*««. 
 
 ..-«' Cm< S 
 
 ..MUN CALLS ™:!:r.T.'::liLlilSK 
 :' FOR MORE IROOPS-^r'l-^;:;^:.',-' BNELOTf 
 
 
 AGAINSIP.CKIIOX 
 
 t 
 
 *0E CHlti 
 
 
 or ouiH «o«9'. 
 
 First Pago of Monitoi-. 
 
 daily issue, the wt-ekly l>ein,ir coiitiiiueil. The 
 latter was under its lirst two nianau:eMients an 
 eitrhl colunm t'olio. Mr. I?ean made it a six- 
 column (piarto. its present size. The daily is 
 
 hy carrier. It is the oldest newsjjaper in 8trea- 
 tor and is published by the oldest newspaper 
 man, and has acconlingly deserved its success- 
 ful position of today. 
 
 A. H. ANDERSON' PRINTING COMPANY 
 
 That is the name of tlie Company. It is a 
 corporation ors^anized under the law- of tlie 
 state, but when all is said, .Mr. A. H. Anderson, 
 the president, manai^^er and vitalizini;- force of 
 the concern, is what it lepresent-. Every 
 business is the shadow of some man, Kmerson 
 says, and the statement fimls (piick and force- 
 ful apjilication here. 
 
 The Anderson Printiiiir Company began 
 business most modestly, l)ut experience, cover- 
 
 lUii tile broadest fields, has convinced all that 
 the institutions with luunble bej-inninjrs, when 
 properly manajjed, are the ones that have f?one 
 on to that )<ennanent success witli whicli strong 
 men like to see tlieir name< linked. 
 
 The business of this concern has never re- 
 ceived a dieck. That was because the man at its 
 liead took but one chance, (that was when he 
 started), was nuister of the detail -uxd knew 
 how to handle men, but mainly, l)ecau.se, to
 
 98 
 
 THE STORY OK STRFATOR. 
 
 start with, he was a praetifal. all-arDnnd ])rin- 
 ter, who brought into the business; a knowledge 
 that enabled him to shun the rough, shallow 
 places where so many craft run adrift. 
 
 "Good work pays" — that is the ino+'o of 
 the Anderson Printing House. It is i)ractically 
 water-marked into every ])iece of work sent out 
 
 Chicago, and because of the kind of work he 
 does, that territory is constantly expanding. 
 
 Mr. Anderson was born in Capps, Pennsyl- 
 vania, in ]8()4. and with his parents came to II- 
 inois when a lad, located at Braidwood, where 
 lie attended school until he was thirteen, when 
 lie came to Streator and went to work in the 
 
 ANDERSON 
 
 PRINTING Co. 
 
 and from the president to the "devil" it lends 
 character to all workers and workmanshiii. 
 
 "One can't sell silk at the ]irice of cotton 
 and he can't do good printing on fine paper at 
 cheap prices and continue doing it," ^Ir. An- 
 derson remarked, and added, "We please our 
 people because we take it for granted they 
 know what good work is and they want it." 
 
 The Anderson Printing House is spacious, 
 high posted, well ventilated, adinii-ably lighted 
 and located in the heart of Streator 's business 
 district on ground floors. The equipment is 
 complete, including as it does, ruling machines, 
 well selected book liindery re(|nirements, seven 
 job and cylinder presses, a judiciously selected 
 line of the most modern type faces and everA'- 
 thing else that is necessary in a well regulated 
 lu-inting establishment calculated to tni-n out 
 high grade work and lots of it. 
 
 "Andy' Anderson has made a success of job 
 printing. As a matter of fact he lias grown 
 faster than the city and today di-aws trade to 
 his sliO]) from a scope of territory that includes 
 
 coal mines. At twenty he left mining and start- 
 ed in to learn the jirinter's trade. After serv- 
 ing a limited apprenticeship he became a jour- 
 
 A. H. Anderson.
 
 THi: STOItV OK STIIKATOI!. 
 
 99 
 
 neymaii jiiid traveled dvep llie state, retuminji: 
 to Stii'ator in ISiH, when he lauiielied out as an 
 independent business man. 
 
 In l!SM8 lie inaiTie(l Miss Anna Billinj^sly 
 and at the present time .Mrs. ,\iiderson is a 
 stockhohler in the company, is one of its direc- 
 tors and is actinjj secretary. 
 
 Mr. .\nderson's ]iastime is jjolf, and he lias 
 
 no hesitancy in sayinu' that, as he was denied 
 the jileasures of boyhood when a boy, he has 
 his eomiue:, and is enjoyino: a little of it now. 
 TFe insists that the coile.<j-e of "llard knocks" 
 from wliicli he i^fiiidnated, must June some com- 
 liensation, and as he is, by descent, a Scotch- 
 man, the j-aine is his by double claim. 
 
 THE UNION NATIONAL BANK 
 
 The I'nion .Vational liaiik o|' Slicioi, Illi- 
 nois, was chartered for business in Auu:ust. 
 1874, with a capital stock of $")(».(M)(t. Five years 
 prior to that date Samuel I'lumb established 
 the Bank of Streator as a j)rivHte institution 
 under the laws of the state and he continued at 
 the head of the concern on throui^h l!ie period 
 of reorjjanization until 1SK2, wlien he liied. 
 
 follows: 
 
 Svimuel I'lumb. W. II. I'ilcli..r. M. Craft. K. 
 Kvaiis. A. H. Mtion. W. S. ( herrv, John liar- 
 Ion. I,. .\[. Sawver. A. E. Tvler, J.Kirkpatrick, 
 (I. U. Wheeler. J. W. Barnhart, R. Scharfen- 
 ber- ,J. Lomassnev, .1. II. Curvea. X. WoltT. T. 
 .1. Cotfey. (;. Fonlyce, L. Swift. Alex Fuller, J. 
 W. Moon. 1'. Richards, Isaac Ames, .lay Baker, 
 
 .Many who are active in Streator now and 
 who are helpinii- shape its destiny, will be in 
 terested in lookin-:: over the list of men who 
 constituted the stockholders of the l^uiou Na- 
 tional Bank when it was founded thirty-eisrht 
 years aijo an<l will be surprised to note how few 
 of those who were so alert in social and busi- 
 ness activities then, arc with u> now. The list 
 
 Kicliar.l llvan.-, \V. S. lialo. Mr.-. ]■]. K. High, 
 F. Plumb, Isaac Mason, J. S. Smith, Joel T. 
 Buckley, Elijah nefenbausih. F. Benckendorf, 
 Geo. L. Richards. ('. E. Stephens. F. ^f. Ryon, 
 Geo. Miller, Raljjh Plumb and ('. Wagoner. 
 
 The officers of the bank at that time were 
 Samuel Plumb, pi'esident; Isaac Ames, vice- 
 president; and G. L. Richards, cashier.
 
 100 
 
 THK STORY OF STRKATOR. 
 
 Ou November 8, 1890, the capital stock of 
 the bank was increased from $50,000 to $100,- 
 000 and the following condensed report to tJie 
 comptroller of currency, shows the condition of 
 the institution at the close of business February 
 20, 1912. 
 
 Flick, ass't. cashier. 
 
 The directors are: L. H. Plumb, S. W. 
 Plumb, C. C. Barr, James Sexton, C. H. Wil- 
 liams, M. W. Jack, ^y. 11. Boys, G. W. Graham 
 and E. H. Bailey. 
 
 The bank of today that has the art of com- 
 
 Interior of Union National Banlt. 
 
 RESOURCES 
 
 Loans and Discounts $ 869,248.10 
 
 U. S. and other bonds 291,640.00 
 
 Cash and Due from Banks 429,199.34 
 
 Due from U. S. Treasurer 5,000.00 
 
 Banking- House 45,062.39 
 
 $1,640,149.89 
 LIABILITIES 
 
 Capital ._.. $ 100,000.00 
 
 Surplus and Profits 313,255.81 
 
 Circulation 100,000.00 
 
 Deposits .. 1,126,894.08 
 
 $1,640,149.89 
 The officers of the bank at the present time 
 are L. H. Plumb, president; S. W. Plumb, vice- 
 president; E. H. Bailey, cashier, and W. C. 
 
 bining service with safety, accommodation with 
 reliability, is the bank, the real future t>f which 
 is still ahead; the bank management that 
 knoMs men values as well as property values, 
 hov.-ever great its present may be, is but at the 
 beginning of its career. Such are the Union 
 National Bank and the jieople at its head; it 
 and they have been identified directly or indi- 
 rectly with the city of Streator from its begin- 
 ning and logically, in interest, in sympathy, in 
 fore kiiowledge and in puquise this bank is one 
 with the city in all things that make for the de- 
 velopment of both. 
 
 The highest comjiliment that can be paid 
 those who are gone is the keeping alive and in 
 constant force the principles and policies and 
 amenities of life, for which they stood. 
 
 That is a big part of the framework upon
 
 THE 8TORV OF STRKATOR. 
 
 101 
 
 wliicli the I'liiiiri Xational so tirmly stamls — 
 tlie nifioiial, farsceina; plans and policies of the 
 bank, tliiity years and more af>:o, wlien Hanuiel 
 Phiinl) was the fifciiius who jruided its destinies, 
 are ilie i)lans and policies that have shaped its 
 developin;:; course thronfi:h the interveninir 
 years and in a huxe measure have won tor it 
 the proud and imi)ortant i)osition it occupies 
 in the city today, as tlicy are the plans and poli- 
 cies that ic<>\ern it now. Thi-re is no one tliin.n' 
 the |)resent inana;;einent emphasizes so much as 
 "The jmlicy of the Union Xational is the same 
 now as it was in the heuinninir, and it will so 
 continue, suhject, of course, to the cluinncs in 
 law and evolution in linancial alTair.-. tliat ai-e 
 
 inexitable." 
 
 In a few weeks the bank will abandon its 
 temporary (piarters and take permanent resi- 
 dency in the l)eautifui and substantial structure 
 it has just erected on the corner of .Main and 
 Park streets. 
 
 To attempt a description of its new liome 
 would take more s)iace than is at connnand — 
 sudice to say that in ln'auty of exterior and in- 
 terior, permanency of const luct ion, convenience 
 in arranji:enient, elaborateness in a])pointment 
 and in safety to de^msitors there is notliinc; of 
 tlie kind in Illinois outside of Ciiicaiio, that 
 snr))asses it. and outside of a few of tiie larger 
 cities notliinii in the stati' that equals it. 
 
 THE STREATOR NATIONAL BANK 
 
 'i'his baid< is less an in.-titution tiian a per 
 .sonality — or a group of jiersonalities. Thirty 
 years of service has not chilled the warm. )>er 
 sona! touch imparted to it by its t'ounder; nor 
 has the inevitable frigidity of the cash ne.xus 
 l)een able to supplant the friiMidiy, Inunan con- 
 nection established by liim between tiie bank 
 and its clients. 
 
 It was stai-ted by one who was perhaps llie 
 rarest personality that Streator has known — 
 Colonel Ikalpli I Imnb. founder of the city. 
 The founder has passed on, but in no oiu' |)lace 
 is liis inlluence more cherislicd than in tiic bank 
 whicii he established. That a bank sliouhl be 
 .safe, strong, con.servative, is taken for granted; 
 but that it should be friendly, helpful, self-giv- 
 ing in its spirit and serxice is not so conunon, 
 and it was tliis (pialit> tliat the founder sought 
 to inculcate. 
 
 Too often the banker is regarded as a soit 
 of supericM' person, to whom the man in need of 
 money must come as one suing for a favor. Aus- 
 terity and condescension are supi)osedly the 
 ])roper \ii-|\ies of the num who passes on the 
 • piality of a loan, and wiien it is granted the 
 borrower is sometimes nuide to feel <i sense of 
 obligation whicli rankles in after years. This 
 bank tries to negative tliis prevalent conce]!- 
 tion of the attitude of the banker. It makes no 
 loans that are not warranted by sound baid<ing 
 l)ractice; but, when it does, it tries to make the 
 borrower feel tiiat the obligation is mutual, and 
 that he has done tiie bank as much of a favor 
 as the bank has done for him. 
 
 Personality can only act tlirough persons. 
 
 and if tiie spirit of tiie founder is to flow on, it 
 must be thnuigh the peojile wlio follow, him in 
 the work. Like attracts like, and ])erhaps it 
 was this principle that attracted to it its ])er- 
 sonnel. The casiiiei', Mr. II. W. Lukins, has 
 lu'en with the bank nearly from its beginning, 
 and its larger development has been all within 
 his a<lministratioii. 
 
 Were Streator asked to present a name for a 
 position reijuiring courte.sy, integrity, ability 
 and self-etTacing kindness and .service, the 
 name of Harry \V. Lukins would s])ring .s])on- 
 taneously to many lijis. The assistant cashier. 
 .Mr. Louis Xater, has also been with the bank 
 for years, and he, too, is a banker jilus; for he 
 it is who speaks with the immigrant in lii.s na- 
 tive ttmguc. who patiently explains to him tiie 
 intricacies of strange money, and helps him 
 over the hanl i)laces. The .same spirit perme- 
 ates the whole .service, and it is significant of 
 its character that so many of its oIKicers and 
 workers are known and called by their first 
 names, from the president down. W'iieii the 
 president is familiarly called "Fawcett," and 
 the cashier is called "Harry," it is evident 
 that the hauteur and cliilliness sup|)o.sed to sur- 
 round a bank does not obtain here. 
 
 Naturally they are easy to do business with. 
 The same ready smile and glad liand greets the 
 small as well as the large dejiositor. Perhai)s 
 it is a i)()or working woman timidly coming to 
 make her first savings deposit; ])erhaps a har- 
 ried business man looking for a loan; i)erhai)S 
 a frightened foreigner sending his lirsf draft 
 home from a foreign land. Tliev are all made
 
 102 
 
 THK STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 to feel at ease, aud kindness aud .-ordiality 
 greets them all. 
 
 The people seem to like it. and their kindly 
 feeling has caused its deposits to increase tliir- 
 ty-fold since it began business, and it is still 
 growing. 
 
 On Feb. 28, 1907, it accepted the first sav- 
 ings account on which interest was paid in 
 Streator. Since then these accounts have 
 
 Nater assistant cashier. Additional directors 
 are Mr. D. ('. Murray, Mr. George Goulding and 
 Mr. Ermin F. Plumb. The capital of the bank 
 is $100,(X)0, and surplus aud undivided profits 
 $75,000. 
 
 The bank was remodeled and reconstructed 
 in i;ni, and is equipjied with modern, up-to- 
 date banking conveniences for the service of its 
 l)atrons. Tt invites the public to make use of 
 
 Interior of Streator National Bank. 
 
 Clark Studio 
 
 grown to large proportions, and it is now an 
 important deiiartment of the bank. Savings 
 depositors get three per cent interest, ))lus the 
 habit of saving, which is worth ten jier cent. 
 
 Among its officers and directors are some of 
 Streator's most familiar names. The president, 
 is Fawcett Plumb, and the vice-president is J. 
 E. Williams. H. W. Lukins is cashier, Louis 
 
 its customer's room and its free telephone 
 booth. Its safety deposit vault is a great con- 
 venience and safety. Private locked boxes may 
 be obtained at a moderate charge. All forms 
 of banking Imsiness are done with ])romiitness 
 aud courtesy, and the experience of its officers 
 is always at the service of patrons when in need 
 of friendlv and safe financial counsel. 
 
 PEOPLE'S TRUST & SAVING5 BANK 
 
 Five years ago on the fourteenth of May. 
 the People's Tiaist & Savings Bank was char- 
 tered under tlie liiws of Illinois, with the capi- 
 
 talization of .$100,000.00, and since tliat time 
 this newest of fiiumcial concerns has progressed 
 with a steady and rugged growth until it has
 
 THK STOKV OK STKKATOK. 
 
 103 
 
 won ii place in the eDulidenoe and business af- 
 t'cctiuus of tiic people, oC which it may be justly 
 proud. 
 
 The growth ol' tliis baidv, riniitiy interjireted 
 is an inspiration to liraiiis and courauc Tliere 
 is a wide round belief that, in order to succeed 
 in the bauKini,'^ business, one has to l)e born into 
 it, and nnist have grown up througli it, but Mr. 
 Piiilip Saunders, who was most active in the 
 orfjanization of the Peopled 'i'rnst & Siivinj^s 
 Jiank. who was mainly responsible lor its ex- 
 istence, who assumed manffieineii'. when it wa.s 
 authorized to l)ef;:in business, and wlc has con 
 
 friends, and he made them; he had opportunity 
 to perfect an intimate valuation of men. and 
 he took advantaue of it; he realized that tliere 
 was an urgent demand for a Savings Institu- 
 tion in this city, and when he had his plans ma- 
 tured he consulted capital as to their wisdom 
 and i)ractii'ability. Those others saw it as he 
 did, and tiie result is known. 
 
 The baidv has forty-eight stockholders, and 
 they are .judic'iously disti'ibuted o\er this sec- 
 tion of Illinois, and tiic same plan of distribu- 
 tion has been followed in the selection of its di- 
 rectors and the placing of its loans. As a logi- 
 
 Interior of Peo|)le's Trust and Savings Bank. 
 
 Clark Studio 
 
 tinned as its cashier since. ha> demonstrated 
 that the theorv is as dead as "tiie divine right 
 of kings." 
 
 If additional proof of this point be neces- 
 sary, all one has to do is to looU ;it ih- n:imes of 
 (". A. Ilepler, (ieorge Armstrong. David K. 
 Huggans, Josejili Kopf. Frank Marx. Walter 
 Si.xt, K. J. Howells, W. A. .lohnson and other 
 nuMi, who have not been banker-, who are now 
 associated with .Mr. Saunders in liie direction 
 and managemi-nt of the iiank. 
 
 Prior to May, liJOt), Mr. Saunders was busi- 
 ness managei' of the Ileenan Dejiartment Store. 
 In that capacity he had ojjpurtunity to make 
 
 cal sci|ueiice the nauu- of the People's Trust iS: 
 Savings Bank has become well and favorably 
 known and its reputation for safety, reliability 
 and accommodation has become w-ell establish- 
 ed. The management of this bank would lay 
 stress on the excellent service it is giving as a 
 saving institution. This was the primary pur- 
 )K)se when the bank was organized, and in con- 
 formity with its basic i)lan it was the first bank 
 in Streator to announce tliat it would ])ay in- 
 terest on tleposits. Of course, every other 
 function of sound banking is performed by the 
 People's Trust & Savings Bank, but the ori- 
 ginal idea of establishing a bank where the
 
 104 
 
 THE STORY OP STREATOR. 
 
 dimes aud dollars will all be cared for and 
 where they will command interest, has never 
 been allowed to become secondary, and to this 
 well established principle of sonnd finance and 
 real service in banking the management feels 
 that its popularity in no small degree is due. 
 
 While to commence with, i)art of the capital 
 to finance tlie enterprise had to be secured out 
 side of Streator, La Salle County and touching 
 territoiy, today practically all of the stock is 
 owned by people living and liaving tlieir inter- 
 ests within Streator's trading territory. 
 
 In 1911 the bank qualified as a trust institu- 
 tion under the suj^ervision of the State, as are 
 the Illinois Trust & Savings Bank and the Mer- 
 cantile Loan & Trast Company of Chicago, 
 and like them, under the law, it is qualified to 
 
 accept receiverships, assignments, trusteeshi^js, 
 and guardianships. 
 
 It is complimentary to the bank and its 
 management, as well as a recognition of the 
 strong foothold it lias gained, to say that it 
 closed its fifth year of activity in Streator with 
 dej)osits running over lialf a million dollars. 
 
 The i)resent Board of Directors are C. A. 
 Hepler, (reorge Armstrong, David E. Huggans, 
 Joseph Kopf, R. J. Howells, Frank Marx, Wil- 
 liam H. Jones, Walter Sext, W. A. Johnston, 
 H. P. Showman and Philip Saunders. 
 
 Its oftieers are C. A. Hepler, president; 
 George Armstrong and H. P. Showman, vice- 
 presidents; Philip Saunders, cashier and trust 
 officer; W. H. Jones, assistant cashier. 
 
 DORRIS & COMPANY 
 
 This records a ithenomenal success. 
 Here are three big Main street stores in one 
 line of business, and each of them doing a big- 
 trade. All of it has been built up in seven 
 years, aud just now they have added a $15,000 
 factory building for their ice cream trade, and 
 are ex])aiiding into the wholesale business. 
 
 No, we don't learn it in Greece. In fact, 
 there is but little of it used there. The way we 
 get into it is because when we come here we 
 find some of our countrymen in it, and we go to 
 work for them, perhaps, and get started in that 
 line." 
 
 P)ut how do vou make such a success of itf" 
 
 What is the secret of it ? 
 
 Have the Greeks got some peculiar racial 
 affinity for the ice cream and confectionery 
 trade that enables them to monopolize it? 
 
 The writer asked Manager George Dorris 
 the question, and he replied: 
 
 Clark Studio 
 
 ''We work hard; we put in long hours; we 
 sell honest goods. We try to be neat, clean and 
 attractive. Above all, we put brains into our 
 work. We are all the time looking for new 
 ideas, new names, new concoctions to please 
 our customers. Then we are careful; we waste
 
 THK STORV OF STKKATOK. 
 
 105 
 
 nothing; we in<^i\n\ze our Imsiness and work to 
 a svsteni. Ami tliaCs all the nivstei-v tliero is 
 to it." 
 
 The Dorris ('(tniiiaiiy lias ai)i)lied the meth- 
 ods of "bi.1.' business' to the ice cream trade. 
 Foniierly it was rej^arded as a sort of i)icayune, 
 jteamit stand husiness, in whicli some cripple 
 or widciw el<c(| out a precarious livelihood. 
 With l)iii:, t'ar-seeiufi: vision the Tiew-coniers 
 could .see in it the j)ossil)ilities of raisinji; it to 
 the ]ilane of a suhstantial uicrcaiitil'' concern, 
 as im|M>rtaiit and diniiiliccl as a nioccry or dry 
 floods house. Tiiey (•ulli\at<'d tlie husiness 
 scientitically, and huilt up their trade less by 
 takinj; away from their competitors than l)y in- 
 creasing the demand for the goods. They cre- 
 ated ill! ice cream habit in thi- town, and caused 
 four dishes to be fonsumed wlit-rt' tiiere was 
 only one i)efore. When they begun business 
 liere there was no demand for ice cream in the 
 winter. Last year they sold as much in the 
 winter as they did in former years in tlie sum- 
 mer. This illustratrs the Dorris metiiods and 
 
 gives a liint of the reasons for their success. 
 
 They have been in the wholesale business 
 three years. The first year they sold 'J,000 gal- 
 lons, the second year (i.OOO gallons, and last 
 year 17,000 gallons. And .so they have built 
 a new factory with the most up-to-date ma- 
 chinery and e(iuii)ment with a cai)acity of 
 1,500 galhuis every 10 lumrs. They ship for a 
 radius of fjO miles to such towns as Dwight, 
 Toluca, Roanoke, (iranville, Washburn, etc. 
 Althougli competing with factories at Pontiac 
 and La Salle tliat have been establislied 2.i or 
 30 years, they arc making a steady inro.id on 
 the trade, and once they get a custcuner tliey 
 keep him. The reason is obvious. Their goods 
 arc honest. They use real cream. Whereas 
 the govcrnnu'ut calls f(U' !• i)er cent liutter fat, 
 the Dorris cream averages Ki per cent butter 
 fat. Dealers are willing to ])ay nu)re for these 
 goods, the demand is increasing by leai)s and 
 bouinis, and the Dorris ice cream factory prom- 
 ises to be one of the most prosperous institu- 
 tions of the town. 
 
 THE W. C. HILL FLORAL COMPANY 
 
 It has been said elsewhere in this volume 
 that Streator is le.ss noted for beauty than for 
 utility. In the early mining days of the town 
 this was especially true, and it retpiircd a pio- 
 neer spirit, no les^ than a faith in the gospel of 
 beauty, to plant a floral establishment lieic. 
 Mut W. ('. Hill was just such a pioneer, a nuin 
 of earnest soul, of sterling character and of a 
 love of flowers that was i)art of his simple and 
 sincen' nature. His faith in human love of 
 Howers has been justified by results, for iiuman 
 nature in Streator is not different from other 
 l)laces, and today a sidendid Horal establish 
 nu'ut, doing a good \olinnc of liusincss, stamls 
 as a moimmeiit to the simjile faith of W. ('. 
 Hill. Mr. Hill has passed on, but his innuortal- 
 ity is a beautiful one, for his sjjirit lives on in 
 tlie flowers, and is given out in the aroma and 
 fragrance that is wafted out to sweeten the 
 dry and dusty days, to comfort hearts that 
 mourn, to gladden the eyes of the sick, to 
 quicken the pulses of lovers, and to hi ing joy to 
 young ami old at feasts, and weddings and 
 festivals. Xo liner memorial could a man leave 
 behind him than these tender, fragile, delicate 
 symbols of a .sentiment that is at once i>eri.sli- 
 iiig, yet more inunortal than tablets of bronze; 
 aiul the spirit of W. ('. Hill umst rejoice as he 
 
 looks on the work of his hands and piononnces 
 it good. And the writer takes reverent ))leas- 
 ure in stepping out of his character as editor 
 to offer this little wreath of a])preciation as 
 friend to him and the noble companion of his 
 labors who sui"\i\es him. 
 
 .\Ir. Hill begun the floral business in a small 
 way on Smith Park street in 1884. Si.xteen 
 years later he Ijought land and erected the 
 green houses on the west side, where the plant 
 is now conducted. The business was incoi-por- 
 ated in 1!»04. Al)out a year before Mr. Hill's 
 death he was joined by Mr. F. R. Thornton, of 
 (Jalesburg, III., who later bought in the com- 
 ]iany and is now its numager. Mr. Thornton 
 is a man of the same s])irit as Mr. Hill, but is 
 in addition a technician of wide horticultural 
 experience and knowledge. He adds to Mr. 
 Hill's enthusiasm for flowers a scientific train- 
 ing and expert skill, which enables him to be 
 an originator of rare varieties. He sj^ecializes 
 in carnations, and one of his creations uaraed 
 "Melody," was given first i)rize at the florist's 
 exposition of the Chicago Horticultural So- 
 ciety. The fame of that blossom caused a de- 
 mand for it across the Atlantic, and orders 
 came from England. A variegated carnation of 
 his breeding named after Mrs. Fawcett Plumb, 
 
 %
 
 106 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 of this city, was exhibited at Cliicago nnd at 
 the State Florists' Exhibition at Springfield. 
 It attracted much favorable comment. The 
 chief creation of this year is a purple carnation 
 named "Purple Beauty," which is sure to win 
 the favor of tiower lovers. Not only carna- 
 tions, but roses, lilies, sweet peas, chrysanthe- 
 )nums, all tlie favorite beauties beloved by 
 
 many years had charge of the store in Strea- 
 tor, and is pleasantly known to eveiy lover of 
 flowers for miles around. Her mastery of the 
 distributing side combined with Mr. Thorn- 
 ton's command of the producing have make the 
 business grow greatly. It has doubled in five 
 years, as also has tlie producing space. Tliey 
 now liave 20,000 s(]uare feet under glass, being 
 
 Hill Floral Co. Plant. 
 
 flower users are grown, and tlieir quality under 
 the skillful tendance of Mr. Thornton, has risen 
 to a grade much higlier than usually found in 
 cities twice the size of Streator. 
 
 Miss Clara Sherman is ai^ equal jiartner in 
 the business with Mr. TJiorntou. She has for 
 
 a fourtii larger than usual for plants in towns 
 the size of Streator. This indicates the trans- 
 formation that has taken place in the town, 
 which has become a place where no function, 
 festival or ceremony is complete witliout floral 
 beautv. 
 
 CLOVERDALE FARM AND DAIRY 
 
 There is no item of food that has received 
 more public attention in recent years than 
 milk. The largest producer of milk for Strea- 
 tor consumption i'^ the Cloverdale Daily, owned 
 by Mr. A. J. Daugherty. It produces 200 gal- 
 lons of milk daily. None is shipped away, but 
 it is used in the leading hotels, restaurants and 
 homes of Streator. 
 
 The milk sold by Mr. Daugherty is taken di- 
 rectly from his own herd of 75 pure bred Hol- 
 
 stein-Friesan cows. The milk from Holstein 
 cattle is said by physicians and experts to be 
 i-emarkable for its stimulating and nourishing- 
 qualities, and its freedom from disease. Great 
 care is exercised by the Cloverdale Dairy in its 
 treatment of the product. Barns are wliite- 
 washed twice annually, cows are rigidly in- 
 spected, and isolated at once if shown to be 
 touclu'd witli taint. 
 
 The feed for the cattle is home grown on the
 
 THK STOKV OF STKKATOH. 
 
 107 
 
 C'loverdale tana of 'SH7 acres. Fine jiastures 
 ahouiKi, water flowiiiy; from living springs is 
 pifntiful. and all tlic conditions needfnl for the 
 Miainlciiancc of licaltliy cattle arc |ii-('scut. The 
 winter feed is raised on the farm. Tliree crojts 
 a year of alfalfa are rai.sed and an aluindance of 
 corn silage, wiiicli is stoi-ed in two sihrs liolding 
 500 tons of fodder. 
 
 Among the mo\'emeiits of tlie past (piarter 
 of a centnry none have done mure to erect 
 fanning to the dignity of a science than those 
 dirc<'tcd to improNJnt;- the uiialitv of the stock. 
 
 One of the best prt)dncers is Pieterje Lass Aag- 
 gie Netherland I'd, and she has an official re- 
 cord of 20.1 (i.j pounds of milk in a year and 660 
 ])onnds of hutterfat, ecpial to 8"J5 pounds of 
 i)utter. Wlien it is remend)ered that a few 
 years ago 10,000 pounds of milk in a year was 
 thought a wonderful record, the above figures 
 will give some idea of the remarkable advance 
 made in stock bleeding anil milk production. 
 
 The t'loverdale Herd has a wide reputation 
 all over the United States and Canada. Strea- 
 t(U-'- Ilolstein stock mav be found in neai'lv 
 
 It is •_'."] years since Mr. Daugherty first gave 
 his attention to this important .-iubject. At 
 that time he had a henl of common mixed cows 
 and l>y careful attention In -election in l)rei'd 
 ing lie has completely tran>forme(l the held. He 
 has now ?.") head of pure lired regislereil llnl 
 stein-Friesian cows. Kvery animal is oflicially 
 tested for milk and liutter. The average yield 
 of '.W of these cows for one year was 15,76;{ 
 poiimls of milk, and .")"J0 pounds of butter fat. 
 This is eciual to nearly (!.')(' pounds nf butter 
 ])er cow, not far from two pnuiid> per day. 
 
 evei'y state in the union, and the deiiKiiul is 
 constantly on the increase. Farmers and dairy- 
 men are finding out that it iiays no more to own 
 pour stock than poor tools, and so it is that Mr. 
 Daiigherty's i)ii>iness is growing more and 
 more in the direction of breeding each year. 
 With a herd containing loO members A. K. O. 
 cows and their descendents, and with 23 years 
 of personal experience with one highly selected 
 herd iiehiml him. -Mr. Daugheity occupies a ))o- 
 -iition in the forefront of the breeders of the 
 country, and is able to sjieak with authority. 
 
 WOULF BROS. STOCK FARM 
 
 Streator is suirounded by one of the rich- 
 est agricultural regions on earth, and in no dis- 
 trict has there been greater jirogress in the 
 jiast (piarter century, l-^sjiecially is this true 
 in the culture of pure breeds of draft horses, 
 which has been raised to a remarkable degree 
 of perfection. The countries of the old world 
 have been ransacked for the finest si)eciniens of 
 their jmrest breeds, and there is today on the 
 stock fann of Tliomas and .James Woulf, near 
 Streator, the champion Percheron stallion of 
 
 the world. Major D'Hoorebeke, 205(i (24898), 
 winner of first prizes in Europe and America 
 that entitled hijn to the ]mnu\ distinction of 
 being the superlative horse of his class in the 
 world. 
 
 The brothers came on the Woulf farm in in- 
 fancy, and have grown up in the business of 
 horsl- breeding. 'I'heir splendid barn is equip- 
 ]ied especially for horse raising, and is fitted 
 M-ith modern conveniences. They make regu- 
 lar visits to France and Belgium and make
 
 108 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 four importations yearly, bringing over i^ure 
 bred Pereheron and Belgium .stallions and 
 mares, and dealing in nothing but the best 
 these countries produce. Their horse sales ex- 
 tend from Atlantic to Pacific, and in the year 
 1910 they bought and sold more horses and 
 mares than any other tinn in the state. 
 
 Des])ite the introduction of motor vehicles 
 the value of pure bred horse flesh was never 
 as high as now and the Woulf brothers are en- 
 thusiastic believers in the future of the Per- 
 eheron and Belgian hor-ses. The long scientific 
 
 to $1,200 for mares. Weights of horses at head 
 of stud range from 2,200 to 2,400 pounds. A 
 seven-months old colt has weighed 1.120 
 l)ounds. Some idea of the magnitude of the 
 horse business can be had when it is known 
 that the sales range from $20,000 to $50,000 
 per year. Sales are always to the highest bid- 
 ders, and are made without reserve. 
 
 Both brothers live on the old home farm, 
 where they continue with tJie labors of their 
 hands, in the field and around the bam, much 
 as they did when poor boys. Thev mav be 
 
 Major D'Hoorebeke, I'udt; (24.S9S.) Champion of the world. 
 
 breeding in the Old World has produced syste- 
 matically develoi)ed types of animal beauty, 
 nobility, intelligence, symmetry, size and 
 strength that is unecjualled for draft jnirposes. 
 The infusion of this strong and virile blood is 
 making a wonderful improvement in American 
 stock. They have now 75 pure bred horses and 
 mares on the farm, and the value of the best 
 horses ranges from $1,000 to $5,000. The actual 
 prices obtained at their semi-annual sales range 
 from $1,000 to $2,800 for horses, and from $600 
 
 found at home any time except when across the 
 water buying blooded horses or ti'aveling 
 around tlie neighborhood with their jirize stal- 
 lions, and tliey are always ready to welcome 
 friend or stranger, especially if he is interested 
 in the noblest animal in the world — which they 
 think is the pure bred draft horse. A letter 
 will reach them via Rural Route Xo. 8, Streator. 
 Phone, eiflier Farmers' or Independent Central 
 at Ransom, 111. 
 
 THE HARVEY DRAY & TRANSFER COMPANY 
 
 It was a good deal like "sending coals to 
 Newcastle," but this firm was the first that saw 
 the ()})portunity fliaf lay in opening a coal yard 
 in Streator for the sale of foreign coals. The 
 Streator product is essentially a steam coal, 
 and there was as a quality in Southern coal for 
 domestic purposes that made it desirable. With 
 keen foresight and enterprise the Ilarveys saw 
 that an opening could be made here for a local 
 
 yard, and with characteristic courage they 
 backed their jiulgmenf with their money and 
 built a place for the housing of their business. 
 The result has justified their venture. Last 
 year they sold 5,000 tons, and next year they 
 expect to double it, and are ])lanning the erec- 
 tion of chutes to facilitate liandling. Two ad- 
 vantages have accrued to the public from their 
 enteri)i*ise. First, the incoming of Southern
 
 I'm-; STOKV OF sthkatok. 
 
 1 11 9 
 
 coal lias served to roirulate the liouie price of 
 the local jinxiuct; and second, tiie ]»resence of 
 the local sii|)i)Iy has caused the dealers to ship 
 ill the forciyii aiticic at a t;reatlv reduced 
 
 John F. Harvey. 
 
 price. Tims Streator has been the "fainer in 
 liofli ways liy the enterprise of tin- Harveys. 
 'i'liey also handle the smokeless Wot \'iri;inia 
 coal, both domestic and smithing;. 
 
 Orisiinally oriiaiiized for coal handling:, their 
 business has branched out in many direction-^. 
 They handle all kinds of building materials, 
 and are special distributor.'; of Medus."'. cement. 
 They are agents for the .1. I. Case line of steam 
 thresjiers and agricultural imjilements, as well 
 as their automobiles. They have branched out 
 extensively into the general contracting busi- 
 ness, and most of the heavy contracts for exca- 
 vation, such as the new bridge, the Mlks. and 
 the Williams building, have been awarded to 
 them. 
 
 They <lo a laryc delivery and drayage busi- 
 ness, two of their tt'ams constantly emi>loyed at 
 that work, while half a dozen more are employ- 
 ed in the coal busine.s.s. They are also local 
 ilistributors for the Washbum-Crosby, the 
 I'illsbury ami three other leading tloiir mills of 
 llie i-ouiitry. and maintaiii a storage dejiot for 
 tlie (lour till it is distributed. 
 
 The Harvey Dray and Transfer Coiiipaiiy is 
 a partnership, consisting of K. I^. and .J. F. 
 Harvey — father and son. K. L. Harvey is one 
 of the oldest residents of the city, and noted as 
 one of its quaintest wags and humorists. In 
 early days known far and wide as the titwn 
 blacksmith, he has been engage(l In dilVereiit 
 lines of business, and now in his latter years is 
 prospering in a new line of work. His son, 
 •lolin F. Harvey, the originator of the new de 
 parture, is one of the driving, pushing, forceful 
 young business men of the town. He has plans 
 for far-reaching expansions, looking toward a 
 large and successful concern. He was born in 
 Streator in 1878, was educated in the common 
 schools, ai'd took the business course at the 
 llisrii School. 
 
 HOWELLS & HAMPTON, JOBBERS 
 
 The remaiivable railroad facilities of Strea- 
 tor I'oint to a develo))ment as a distributing 
 centie for merchandise that has not yet been 
 fully realized. With lines of railroad radiating 
 outward like the spokes of a wheel from the 
 hul), ami with scores of thriving towns and vil- 
 lages dotting the prairies for hundreds of miles 
 in every direction, it is curious that its advan- 
 tage's as a jobliing and wholesale centre were 
 not sooner percei\'ed. 
 
 However, about three years ago Streator 
 was "discovered" as a prospective centre for 
 tlie .jobt)ing triide. The discoverers were a 
 
 couple of young men who had tliemselves for a 
 iiuiniier of years been representatives of Chi- 
 cago bouses. The thought came to them that 
 what they had so long done for otiiers they 
 iiiiiilit do for themsehcs with e<|ual success. 
 And what center of distribution so favorable 
 as their own home town ? 
 
 They had for years been making the Xortli- 
 eni Illinois territory from Streator. They knew 
 every ston* in the territory, and tiiev knew that 
 from no other point could service be as i>roinpt 
 and s])eedy as from Streator. Tlie drawbacks 
 of Chicago were well known to them from ex-
 
 no 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 perience. As Mr. Howells, the senior jjartner, 
 remarked: "If I sent an order from my terri- 
 tory to Chicago I would he lucky to i;et it filled 
 in three or foiir days, so great is the congestion 
 of business in the big city. If I sent it to Strea- 
 tor, the customer would get the goods the next 
 day. That is the advantage of Streator as a 
 jobbing point for this territory, and it is an en- 
 ormous one." 
 
 R. J. HoweUs. 
 
 TJiey formulated their ])lan ; carefully, se- 
 lected a territory for about fifty miles around 
 Streator with which they were thoroughly fa- 
 miliar, picked a line of goods they knew would 
 find a ready market, and went to work. The 
 lule of purchase was: "Buy no more goods than 
 we can discount the bills on." They liave stuck 
 to that rule, and though their progress has not 
 been meteoric, it has been safe, substantial and 
 steady. They buy no more goods than they can 
 sell, and they take advantage of every discount. 
 No one can undersell the man who discounts his 
 bills, and who knows his trade thoroughly at 
 both the buying and selling ends. It is not to 
 be wondered at that their l)usiness has increas- 
 ed ten-fold in three years, and tluit they dream 
 of a time when they will have a wholesale es- 
 tablishment in Streator to compare wi'li the big 
 Chicago houses. 
 
 The line selected by them was cigars, confec- 
 tionery and grocers' specialties, and they have 
 stayed closelv bv their selection. Thev are 
 
 gars, some of which they are exclusive dis- 
 tributors of. Among their 10-cent brands are 
 the Leoi-na, Irene, Optima, Green Seal, Plautis- 
 ta and IJavaiui Smokers; and their 5-cent list 
 includes the Klljarra, Aaron Burr, Single Bin- 
 der, Eosv Light and their own specialty, H. 
 &H. ■ ' 
 
 Botli jiartners are in the prime of life and 
 are experienced commercial travelers. Mr. 
 Richard Howells is a graduate of the University 
 of Hard Knocks, and, like other Streator youths 
 found his v."ay up into the sunlight of success 
 by the aid of a jiit lamp. He was born in Aber- 
 dare, Wales, in 1869. came to America at 8 
 years of age, went to work shortly after, pick- 
 ing slate at a ]iit-head in Pennsylvania. Before 
 long he was promoted downward into the ]ut, 
 and dug coal for several years in Streator. 
 During the recurrent sti'ikes of those days he 
 learned the ])rinting trade, and from that 
 graduated on the road as a commercial traveler. 
 He is one of Streator 's respected citizens, a ves- 
 tryman of the Episcopal church, for 14- year.? 
 vice-jn'esident of the German Building & Loan 
 Association, and a director of the People's 
 Trr.st and Savings Bank. 
 
 Walter P. Hampton. 
 
 Mr. Walter Hampton was born in Gridley, 
 111., in 1875, has been a salesman and commer- 
 cial traveler the most of his days. He came to 
 Streator fourteen years ago, has identified him- 
 
 self with its best interests, and is one of its 
 building up a strong trade for their line of ei- highly regarded citizens.
 
 Tin: STOKV OP sTHi:.\T()i:. 
 
 Ill 
 
 THE J. C. AMES LUMBER COMPANY 
 
 'riifre is HIP (•(Uh-fiii tliiit luis iikmc rij;iil In 
 feel itself an iiitt'ji:ial part of Strcator tliaii tlio 
 J. ('. Ames I.iiiiilicr ('oiii)iany.. Two tliiids of 
 its luiil(liiiv:s are roofed, slicatlici). Hoored and 
 finislied with Ames' liiiiilicr. so it may riijiitly 
 consider itself a larire jpart of the l>ody tliat tlie 
 .sou! of Strealor inhaliits. Biir Imihlini^s ami 
 small, mansions and siianties, tiie framework 
 of Ames lumi)er is in all of them. Tlie Motor 
 Car Works, the 1) Heenan Store. The (Jarliehl 
 Scliool. the M. ]•:. churcli. the Powers & Wil- 
 liams and the Mlks' new Imildinj^s — all these 
 and many more lieir on their inside structure 
 the mark of the Ames ;.und)er ('ompany. To 
 furnish all these s^reat interest - with their 
 
 Carlos Ames. 
 
 Clark Studio 
 
 buildinn material, to bear a liij;h and honorable 
 reputation in tlie ti'ade for upwards of a iren- 
 eratioii is credit ennu^ii for an>' lirm. 
 
 It be-ian business in 1S7!> when .1. ('. Ames 
 transferred his interests from hardware to lum- 
 ber, lie operated it as a private enteri)rise un- 
 til IS!*], wiien it wa- incorporated as the J. C. 
 Anu's Lumber Company. Ailliouiih called to 
 lii.irh imbljc station. Mi'. Ames has retaiiieil liis 
 interest in the comi»iny. and is still its presi- 
 dent and princi])al stockholder. 
 
 The vice-president is his son. Mr. T. C. Ames, 
 who is on the ground and participates actively 
 in the business; and the .secretary-treasurer is 
 'S\y. 11. 1>. Manley, the responsible office man- 
 
 ager, who has been with the conipanv since 
 
 1 s;»2. 
 
 With the passing- of the years the growing 
 business of the J. C. Ames Lumber Company 
 will continue to jiress more heavily on the shoul- 
 ilers of I. C. Ames, or "Carlos," as he is moi'e 
 familiarly known to the companions of his 
 youth. But the shoulder.- are broad and 
 brawny, and eipuil to any burden, as the pass- 
 ing years bring poise and maturity of .judg- 
 ment. Young Mr. Ames is widely traveled and 
 has had an unusual range of experience. He has 
 seen government service autl has participated 
 in the great work of the century— the building 
 of the Pananui Canal. Having ])assed a youth 
 of stirring adventure, he has returned to the 
 (dd home, married, and has yoked his back to 
 the busiiu'ss load which his elders must soon 
 lav down. 
 
 Harrv L. Manley. 
 
 Clark Studio 
 
 He is daily immersed in the business detail 
 of the Ames lumber business, and is in active 
 and i)ersonal charge of the yards. He has also 
 taken hold of city affairs, and has a working 
 interest in its upbuilding. He is a member of 
 the Civil Service Commission controlling the po- 
 lice and firemen of the city, a member of the 
 building committee for the new Elks' building, 
 and a promoter of athletic sports, base ball, 
 district fair, etc., everything that goes to make 
 thiuiis livelv in Streator.
 
 112 
 
 THK STOKV OP STHKATOH. 
 
 THE PLUMB HOUSE 
 
 The Plumb House is the ohlost of Streator's 
 hostelries, and one of the most widely knowu. 
 It was built in 1882 by a group of public spir- 
 ited citizens for the purpose of siviuii' the town 
 a hotel that in magnitude and e(]uii)nient would 
 be commensurate with its growiui;- require- 
 ments. The march of events is rapid in these 
 days, and in 25 years the house that hid been 
 up-to-date and a little beyond wlu-n it was built 
 iiad fallen a little 1)ehin(i tlu' jirevailing hotel 
 standards. In 1907 the owner, with cliaracter- 
 istic enterprise, remodeled the entire interior 
 and brought it again up to the minute. 
 
 The Plumb House is now eijuipped with ev- 
 ery convenience of a modern hotel, and Streator 
 
 will be called on to meet. The hotel now has 
 80 available rooms and plans are under consid- 
 eration for adding new extensions which will 
 increase this capacity. It is located on one of 
 the jn-incipal corners of the Main street of the 
 city, and yet far enough from the raili'oad 
 centre to be free from the noise, smoke and dirt 
 of the trains. The accompanying cut gives an 
 indication of its architectural proi)ortions. 
 
 Mr. and -Mrs. Hutchinson are thoroughly ex- 
 perienced hotel peui)le, and know the require- 
 ments of the traveling public. Prior to coming 
 to Streator they were in the business of hotel 
 management in Chicago for years. There they 
 had first the Gresham, and later the Oakland 
 
 can boast of a house equal to the expectations of 
 its visitors, and commensurate with its achieve- 
 ments in other directions. It is provided with 
 steam heat, electric lights, freight and jiassen- 
 ger elevator, local and long distance telephones, 
 hot and cold running water in all rooms, and 
 also a fire escape in each room. 
 
 These improvements were made in the first 
 year of the tenancy of the ])resent landloid, ^Ir. 
 Joshua Hutchinson, who, on assuming the man- 
 agement in 1907, thoroughly refurnished the 
 house. Under his direction the hotel has pros- 
 ])ered and it is now a question of whether the 
 hotel must not soon be enlarged to meet the in- 
 creasing demand for accommodations which it 
 
 Hotel, the latter l)eing among the most impor- 
 tant family hotels of the city. Their training 
 has fitted them for handling the best and finest 
 clientile, and Mr. Hutchinson is little inclined 
 by experience or predisposition to \n\t i\\> with 
 the rough or disorderly. The Plumb, therefore, 
 has become a synonym for order, cleanliness, 
 (juietude, and all the cpialities which well-man- 
 nered respectable, rest-seeking traveling i)eo- 
 ple look for in their temporary home on the 
 road. 
 
 ^Ir. Joshua Hutchinson was born in Queens 
 County, Ireland, in 1848, and came to America 
 in 1872. The first half of his life was given to 
 the dry goods trade, and he served as sales-
 
 Tin: sinitv or sthfatotj 
 
 113 
 
 man in sonio of the most famous houses, sueh 
 as A. 'r. Stewart iS: Co., Xew York, aud Charles 
 Gossa^e & Co., Chicago. The latter half of his 
 life has been spent in the hotel business, at 
 
 which he has achieved a gratifying success. He 
 is an active supporter of all forward movements 
 of the city, and especially friendly to its relig- 
 ious, educational and cultural interests. 
 
 HOTEL REPUBLIC 
 
 The visitors to a town arc not all attractcil 
 to the most pretentious cstalilishnicnts. Among 
 travelers there are many to wiiom there are 
 more important considerations than style or 
 luxury, and to this numerous class the Hotel 
 Kepulilii- makes its appeal. It olTers comfort, it 
 olTers cleanliness, it olTers well prejiared, invit- 
 ing, substantial meals to its guests, and its |)ros- 
 perity demonstrates that it fills a place the |)ub- 
 lic wciiihl tio| wiliinirlx' have xacated. 
 
 the week. That a hotel of this type is appre- 
 ciated is shown by the fact tliat its rooms are al- 
 ways full, and its dining rooms sJiow few un- 
 occupied seats at meal times. 
 
 The i)ro|)rietor is Mrs. Mary Lightbodj'', 
 wliile the active cares of management fall on 
 the able shoidders of her son-in-law, Mr. (icorge 
 Baldwin. The hotel was erected in 18!)3 and 
 was operated with varying success and failure 
 iiiitil the pi'eseiit management took liold in 
 
 The Hotel Keimblic is situated on the corner 
 of Illinois and Hickory streets, ojiposite the 
 Santa Fe depot. It is a substantial brick build- 
 ing of 38 rooms, equipjied with gas, electric 
 light and steam heat. It caters to the commer- 
 cial traveler, and is the favorite stopping place 
 of railroad men, many of whom have to lay 
 over in Streator at the end of their runs. Its 
 rates are $]..')() per day, with special rates by 
 
 1907. The house was thoroughly renovated and 
 modernized, and straightway began a career of 
 jjrosperity that has remained unbroken until 
 the pi-esent time. Asked the secret of his re- 
 markable success Manager Baldwin replied: 
 
 •'There are just two things in running a 
 good medium priced hotel, but they are funda- 
 mental and in(lis])ensable. They • are, good 
 food and good beds. These involve a lot of
 
 114 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 other things, such as good help, good supervis- 
 ion, good buying and good management. Above 
 all, the most indispensable thing is cleanliness, 
 and this requires tireless and unceasing vigi- 
 lence. Unremitting attention to these details 
 have given our house a good reputation and our 
 trade is as much as we can accommodate. Our 
 greatest need at i:)resent is an addition to the 
 building. I may admit the business has been 
 profitable, and we have made money. But not 
 this year. Though the volume of business is un- 
 diminished, our profits are reduced to the van- 
 ishing point. This is on account of the enor- 
 mous increase in the price of eatables. We aim 
 to supply our table with as good and costly food 
 as the high priced hotels; the only difference 
 being in elaborateness of service and furnish- 
 ings. The increase of prices therefore strikes 
 us at a vital spot, and we cannot recover our 
 
 profit without raising our rates, and this we 
 cannot do without sacrificing our position as 
 the leading medium priced hotel of the town. 
 Meanwhile we are holding up our standard, and 
 retaining our trade, hoping that jjrices will 
 take a favorable turn soon." 
 
 The editor records this little interview as a 
 local instance of a feature of contemporaneous 
 histoiy that may become memorable. The pres- 
 ent year may be remembered as the climax of 
 the era of high jDrices. 
 
 ]\fr. George M. Baldwin, manager of the 
 Hotel Beimblic, is practically a Streator pro- 
 duct. He was born in Coalville, across the river, 
 and is one of those coal miners of whom Strea- 
 tor is proud, who graduated from the pick by 
 the aid of the ])it lamp, and by talent rose out 
 of the darkness of the mine to achieve a sub- 
 stantial success in the business world. 
 
 THE GRIFFITH LAUNDRY 
 
 A business concern equipped witli modern Up-to-date in all its departments. Owned and 
 machinery, new building, centrally located. operated l?y W. J. Griffith. 
 
 THE STREATOR STEAM LAUNDRY 
 
 The wonderful impetus to co-operative the steam laundry. To get the washing out 
 housekeeping finds no auxiliary so potent as of the house is the first great step in that ban-
 
 Till, STORV or STIM,\T<)I«. 
 
 115 
 
 ishmciit of tlif housewife's dnul,si:erv whieli is 
 essential net only to tlie solution of the servant 
 girl problem, but also to the i^reservation of the 
 American home. 
 
 Jiut it must he. a good laundry. It must be 
 clean, it must be careful, and above all, it must 
 send the housewife's own clothes back — and 
 not some other body's. This takes the most 
 scrupulous sort of attcr^tion, else the laundry 
 will fail. thou,s::li it liave the best machinery in 
 the world. It is in this special quality of at- 
 tention to detail that the Streator Steam Laun- 
 dry excels. Its proprietor, .lohn J. Woolley, 
 
 John J. Woolley. 
 
 has been in the business for Ki years in Strea- 
 tor, and it is to this never tirinj; quality of pa- 
 tience and vigilance that his success is due. In 
 these 1(5 years the l>usiness has grown to large 
 proportions. It includes the business of all the 
 hotels, a lireat numlu'r of the best homes, 
 and it has fifteen agents in other towns, such as 
 Chillicothe, Toluca. Kansom, Cornell, etc., who 
 pour in a lari;:e volume of business. 
 
 In this rapid moving age it is necessary of 
 
 course to keep up with the times in the matter 
 of equipment, and the Woolley laundry has the 
 best. It has five Ideal washers of the latest 
 type, and tlie.se allow the separation of the 
 great mass of material without too much mix- 
 ture. The white clothes have one machine, the 
 colored clothes another, white shirts another, 
 table cloths still another. Overalls and work- 
 men's clothes are a-iven a special machine, 
 which is used for no otlii'r purjiose. 
 
 The costliest item of laundry equipment is 
 the mangle, and Mr. Woolley has one of the 
 largest capacity, the American Co.'s Six Roll 
 Flat Work Ironer, with 110 inch rolls. This 
 lias a daily capacity of ],<S()(> shirts. The most 
 recent acquisition is a special culT ironer, 
 which insures a longer life and finish to the 
 cutT. There are wristl)and and neckband iron- 
 ers, collar and cuff starchers, reverse body and 
 sleeve ironers, body irons and numerous de- 
 vices the mention of which would only confuse 
 the unitiated. In place of the family wringer, 
 however, it may be mentioned that the clothes 
 are wnins; without abrasion by M-liat is called 
 an Extractor. It is solidly built of metal and 
 runs at a velocity of 1200 revolutions per min- 
 ute. The clothes are dried in a steam-heated 
 Truck Dry Koom, the inside of which is cover- 
 ed with a lininir of briiiht tin. It will not cor- 
 i-ode, and cannot stain the clothes. Needless 
 to say that by the lime the clothes pass through 
 (his jtrocess thev are thoroughly sterilized, and 
 there need be no fear of srerms. 
 
 P>nt invaluable as is the modern machinery, 
 Mr. Woolley lays most of his stress on exjier- 
 ienced and comjictent help. The force is thor- 
 oughly organized, and there is an expert at the 
 switch at each machine. The big man<>le re- 
 ijuires four to ojjerate it, and some of the work 
 can oidy be comi)leted by hand finishers. Some 
 of the help has been with Mr. Woolley for seven 
 years, and every effoi't is made to keep the best 
 grade of labor. The union scale of wages is ]iaid 
 and a 9-hour day prevails. 
 
 John J. Woolley was born on a farm in Free- 
 dom Township, La Salle County in 1859. His 
 father. Dr. ]\lilton Woolley. was an astronomi- 
 cal student of note, and his work of paralleling 
 biblical and zodiacal myths attracted consider- 
 able comment. The family came to Streator 
 about 35 years ago, and the proprietor of the 
 Strer.tor Steam Laundry has made it his home 
 ever since.
 
 116 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 FINLEN & COMPANY, MORTICIANS 
 
 One of the tenderest sentiments of the hu- 
 man heart, and one of the most universal, is 
 that which impels us to show our love for tlie 
 dei^arted by a fine and fitting treatment of its 
 bodily vestment. Unfortunately this beautiful 
 sentiment, under current usages, is made use 
 of to tyrannize over the living under the guise 
 of paying respect to the dead. Too many fami- 
 lies, broken by sorrow,, and impoverished by 
 long illness, are made to carry the additional 
 Inirden of a needlessly expensive funeral by 
 this appeal to the fine affection that makes 
 them want to show honor to the de])arted. So 
 thev are weighted down with a debt which 
 
 the service, or the dignity of the occasion. 
 
 The leaders of this movement in Streator 
 are Finlen & C'ompanv, who have opened a new 
 establishment at 202 W. Main street. The fact 
 that the firm is also connected with its own 
 liverj' stables enables it to effect a saving for its 
 clients as well as offering a convenience. It is 
 the custom among tlie livery people to pay the 
 undertaker a commission on all carriages, 
 hearses, or vehicles used. In the case of Fin- 
 len & Co. this commission goes directly to the 
 client and heljis to reduce the cost of the fu- 
 neral. The (|uarters of the Finlen livery are 
 directly adjoining the undertaking rooms, and 
 
 Office and Reception Room. 
 
 Clark Studio 
 
 may burden them for years, and all because 
 custom and business interest has prompted au 
 overexpensive funeral. 
 
 A movement has been taking form in re- 
 cent years looking toward the removal of this 
 unnecessary burden from the backs of poor 
 people. A new type of morticians have come 
 into being, who, realizing how crushing is the 
 burden of funeral debt, have detemiined on a 
 policy that will reduce it to a minimmn. "Work- 
 ing hand in hand with modern casket makers, 
 and being willing to work for a moderate pro- 
 fit, they have been able to greatly reduce the 
 cost of funerals without in any way diminish- 
 ing the richness of the casket, the efficiency of 
 
 their matched teams, funeral carriages and 
 equipment are recognized as among the finest 
 in the count}'. All arrangements for carriages 
 etc., can be made directly with the undertaker, 
 and Ihe client thus relieved of looking after 
 these details. 
 
 The Finlen undertaking rooms are the only 
 ones in the city provided with a chapel. Here 
 funeral services may be conducted as in a 
 church, with proper seating accommodations 
 for attendants. Parties who bring a funeral 
 cortege from other cities will find the chapel a 
 great convenience for the conducting of fu- 
 neral services, either by the clergy or by fra- 
 ternal orders. The use of the chapel is free to
 
 Tirr viDin of sthkator. 
 
 117 
 
 all, rejiyanlless of sect or denoiiiiiuition. 
 
 Wliik' having speeial rej^ard for moderation 
 in price tiie Finlen Company want it under- 
 stood tliat tiio quality of their j-oods is not sur- 
 ])assed by any in the market, either in richness, 
 beauty, or elegance of design and linish. 
 
 The active member of the iirm is Mr. 
 Charles M. Finleu, son of the well known livery 
 
 man, Mr. C. Finleu. lie is a typical Streator 
 boy, boru and reared here. His wide ac(iuaint- 
 auce will assure him a favorable introduction, 
 and his abilitj- and experience will no doubt 
 win him an honorable position in his chosen 
 jirofession. 1'hose re(juiring his services will 
 receive a prompt response by calling at 202 
 West Main street, or through phone (53. 
 
 TEBERG, THE SHOE MAN 
 
 \\ . .\!. 'i'chcrg, one of tlie proprietors of the 
 Streator Wear-You-Well Shoe House, and the 
 owner and propiictoi- of two well e(juip])ed sliue 
 repair establishments in the city, is a workman 
 who by do.se attention to every detail of his 
 business, bv tireless eiiergv and iiidustrv, and 
 
 ness in the delivery of orders. 
 
 In the repairing of boots and shoes there is 
 big opjiortunity for the use of false and shoddy 
 maleiial and yet in few lines is the need of 
 good nuiterial more apparent or more neces- 
 sarv. 
 
 The Teberg Shoe House. 
 
 by a determination to give to his patrons full 
 value in all tilings at all times, has won for 
 himself recognition as a business man and ar- 
 tisan. Mr. leberg is a believer in good goods 
 and good workmanship, coupled with prompt- 
 
 He calls his place of business the "Electric 
 Shoe Repairing Shoi)s" and the name gives 
 character to tiie work and the work gives 
 character to the name. The word "Electric" 
 carries with it, to the average intelligence, the
 
 118 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOK. 
 
 idea of modernity, quickness, efficiency, thor- 
 oughness, and the half hourly practice of the 
 Teberg Shops in soleing and heeling and other- 
 wise making for service purposes new shoes 
 out of old ones, while you wait, is proof that 
 the woi'd "Electric" as a name, tinds rightful 
 usage here. 
 
 The Teberg Exclusive Eepair Shop is at 107 
 North Monroe street, just off Main street. It 
 was here that he really got his start and it is 
 to this place that persons, needing his services, 
 go. His otiier place is at 418 p]ast Main street, 
 and is run in connection with the Wear-You- 
 Well Shoe House and the Katsioulas Shoe 
 
 Dressing and Hat Cleaning Concern. 
 
 Bealizing the possibilities of the shoe re- 
 pairing trade, when judiciously managed and 
 directed and backed by reasonable intelli- 
 gence, Mr. Teberg is seriously contemjilating 
 at this time the extension of his shoe rapair- 
 ing business to neighboring cities, with Strea- 
 tor as a center, and he says that he was partly 
 urged to this decision by the fact that Streator 
 has such excellent passenger and shipping fa- 
 cilities. 
 
 Mr. Teberg was born in Chenoa in ]88"2, and 
 came to Streator some four years ago. 
 
 T. J. MERRINER, REAL ESTATE 
 
 Eeal estate and real estate men have much came to Illinois in the vear 1878 and located in 
 
 to do with the upbuilding of every commun- 
 ity — on the activity, community interest and 
 sense of values of men thus engaged, the future 
 of every city much depends. There are those 
 
 T. J. Meiiiner. 
 
 buying and selling lands, lots and houses who 
 are in the business because they have idle 
 capital and see money in it; but thei-e are oth- 
 ers who have no choice — there are men who to 
 the profession are born; they are kiiown as nat- 
 ural traders, and close to the top in this class 
 stands T. J. Meri-iner. 
 
 Mr. Merriner was born in Virginia and 
 
 Streator. He ap]irentieed as a mason and after 
 mastering the details of the craft, worked as a 
 journeyman, later branching out for himself as 
 an independent general contractor in the build- 
 ing line, in which he continued until less than 
 a year ago, when he opened a real estate office 
 over the People's Trust & Savings Bank. 
 
 V\lieif All. .Milliner Offices. 
 
 This dei)!irture on his part was but the 
 culmination of his life's inclinations and in- 
 tent, for during all of the years he had been 
 a contractor he had been profiting by the op- 
 portunities afforded to learn land and lot and
 
 TH>: STOR^ OF STRK.ATOIJ. 
 
 119 
 
 location vahios. and as a result of the many 
 transaction already entered into, when he open- 
 ed his real estate ollicc he had a variety of 
 Ijrojterties all his own. He had options on 
 many other choice hits liere and there over the 
 
 in,','- land investments in other growing and 
 ra])idly developing section, will make no mis- 
 take in talking the matter over with him be- 
 fore reaching a decision. 
 
 Here is one real estate man that sells and 
 
 city, and a iiunilicr <>f iDnmiission contracts in 
 addition. 
 
 In addition to hcim,^ well erpiiiii'ed with 
 Streator ju-operties. lu- is ajrent for farm lands 
 in all sections of the country, especially to the 
 Xiirtli aiir) N'oitli\\('-t. and parties contemplat- 
 
 Merriuer. 
 
 trades for the love of the work and in the main 
 relies on guaranteed constantly increasing val- 
 ues for reward. That manner of real estate 
 agent is a necessity in every city, and the more 
 of his kind that a municii)ality has the more 
 rajiidlv it will ] n-oyress to the front. 
 
 THE JOHN NEUMAIER ELECTRIC COMPANY 
 
 Streator is now in a position to talce care of 
 its own electric work. Formerly if it became 
 neces.sary to rewind an armature, it had to be 
 sent out of town, a proceeding often inconven- 
 ient to owners of motors oi' i^'enerators. Now 
 if any accident happens all that is necessary 
 is to send them to the slioj) of the Xeumaier 
 Electric Company, or, if too large for that, they 
 can be repaired on the spot. The Xeumaier 
 firm is also able to design and constiuct switch- 
 boai'ds for any i)ossible use, also to do the wir- 
 ing of buildings under the most approved 
 plans. They carry a comj)lete line of electric 
 supplies, such as vacuum cleaners, washing 
 machines, toasters, ironers, lamps, sockets, 
 fuses and the like. 
 
 Mr. John Neumaier, the head of the con- 
 cern,, is one of the prominent electricians of the 
 
 west, lie wa- for some years electrical engi- 
 neer for the Allis-Clialmers Company, of j\Iil- 
 waukee, and is freipiontly recalled to that city 
 for expert work and consultation. Associated 
 with him is Mr. John G. Jjukach, for several 
 years in charge of the electrical work of the 
 Ameiican Bottle ('oni])any. At the head of the 
 office force is Mr. William Ackerman, long and 
 favorably knoM-n as the editor of the Volks- 
 blatt. and in later years the po|)uh!r police 
 magistrate of the city. 
 
 The companv was incoiporated on March 9, 
 191-2 with a cajutal of $10,000, with John Neu- 
 maier as president, John G. Lukach, vice-presi- 
 dent, and William Ackerman secretaiy-treas- 
 urer. Their office is at 109 West Main street. 
 Phone No. 375.
 
 120 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 THE BLUE FRONT RESTAURANT 
 
 The proprietor aud maiiayer of the Bhie 
 Front is John H. Swartz, aud althougli when 
 he assumed ownership aud control he was with- 
 out training or experience in the woi'k, he has 
 given to tlie business sucli intelligent applica- 
 tion that today he is master of its every detail. 
 
 Mr. Swartz is a Streator boy, having been 
 born on the banks of the Vermillion river, just 
 across the county line, twenty-five years ago. 
 He attended school in Streator, and when 
 through with school life, concluding he would 
 
 the best markets and served in a way that 
 leaves little to be desired and nothing to be 
 complained of when prices are considered, the 
 highest point in the public restaurant line has 
 been reached. The Blue Front eating house at 
 212 Main street, is such a place, and the fact is 
 generally recognized by the people of Streator 
 who are compelled by circumstances to take 
 their meals in public places. 
 
 The Blue Front is ideally located in the very 
 heart of the business district, the room is cool 
 
 Blue Front Cafe. 
 
 like to see some other parts of the country, left 
 for Chicago and later gravitated west and lo- 
 cated in Kansas City, in which city he worked 
 for some time, but the call of Streator was ever 
 liresent and two and one-half years since he re- 
 turned and bought an interest in the business 
 he owns and directs today. 
 
 A cool, comfortable, clean and well lighted 
 place in which to eat contributes much to the 
 graces of living. When these conditions are 
 reinforced by good goods brought fresh from 
 
 and is kept well ventilated; the linen is invit- 
 ing and the general tone and conduct of the 
 restaurant such as to connnand res^ject. The 
 menu covers such a broad field along the lines 
 of catering to the needs of the inner man that 
 the tastes and caprices of all are complied with 
 in a most satisfactory way. 
 
 In keeping with long established usages, 
 the restaurant is open night and day, and many 
 find in this a big convenience.
 
 THK STOHV OF STRl'ATOil. 
 
 121 
 
 ED. GROSSMAN CIGAR FACTORY 
 
 Tlio K(l. Grossman <^'i;jjar Factory at 208 
 Main street, is a Streator concern tliat iiiom- 
 ises devi'lopnitMit. Tlie firm name fonnerly 
 was Brannon & Grossman, and the factory at 
 that time was in the rear of the J. . Brannon 
 store, but recently ^fr. (jrossman ac(|uired 
 sole ownership, moved into larji^er (piarters, 
 doubled the numl)er of em])loves and at pres- 
 ent is centerinir his whole thouirht aiul enoriry 
 in the makinir of a line of cijj^ars that must ap- 
 )ieal to the di^criiiiiiiatini; smokers r)f tiiis cit> 
 and of the iiei;;hijtiriii;uf towns and cities wiicrc 
 his jjoods find a ready market. 
 
 In five cent lines Mr. Grossman is cmpluisiz- 
 ina- the --lU-n Seal" ami "Tiie .Moo>e," into 
 which he is jiuttinj; in tillers and wrai)pprs tlic 
 best material possible consistent with a hiuli 
 f»rade five cent article. In the three for a 
 <|uaitei" and stiai^^iit ten cent r'iu;ai' the "Don 
 (iusto" is his tind the public's faxdvite. and to 
 the lovers of a bi^ smoke with ipudity this ci- 
 par appeals. 
 
 Kd. (irossman, like many others of Strea- 
 lOr's substantial men, was born in Gernuiny; 
 that was 'A7i years a^fo, and with his |>arents 
 came to America when he was a child. Wiiiie 
 still a youth he became an appreiitii-e in the 
 ciii;ar-making trade and when mertring into 
 iianhood was looked upon as a skilled artisan. 
 
 At the aye of twent\. willi seveial other 
 Streator younij;- men, "IM." became a uu'inber 
 of tlie Streator Zouaves, a theatrical or'i:aniza- 
 
 tioii formed in tiiis city, and for nearly nine 
 years he linked his fortunes with this conii)any, 
 duriufj which time he saw much of America 
 and Kurn)»p. 
 
 Ed. Grossman. 
 
 When world wanderiiifj had lost its attrac- 
 tions anil the footli,a:lits no longer possessed a 
 charm, he returned to America and Streator 
 and ajiiilied himself at once to liis trade. His 
 ]iresent position gives [iromise of an active and 
 successful business career. 
 
 F. PLUMB'S CENTRAL PARK ADDITION 
 
 A new adtlition by i-'awcett I'lumb is an 
 event in Streator. Real estate operators sit u]) 
 and take notice Ijecause of the margins they 
 can make in liandliiig the new lots. Home 
 makei-s take a lively interest because in buying 
 of F. Plumb they get in on the gound floor, and 
 can buy a lot at bottom prices on easy pay- 
 ments. The last addition laid otT liy Jiim, 
 South Park, went ofT like hot cakes and lots 
 that he sold for $200 cannot now be bought at 
 $1,000. 
 
 Central Park addition is Mr. Plumb's latest 
 offering and is the last piece of acre property 
 
 left in the interior of tiie city. It was withheld 
 from settlement for years after the town had 
 grown up around it on all four sides, and is the 
 only cJiance left to get a lot in tlie heart of the 
 city at origiiuU prices. Any additions to be 
 sub-divided hereafter must be on the outskirts, 
 and involve a car fare or a long walk to the lot 
 buyer. 
 
 Central Park Addition is five minutes walk 
 from the opera house corner, right at the edge 
 of the East Main street paving. Arrangements 
 have l)een made to pave Main street to the far- 
 ther end of the addition this fall. The town
 
 122 
 
 THE STORY OF STRFATOR. 
 
 has grown far to the east beyond it, and this 
 block of 27 acres is surrounded on all sides by 
 beautiful homes. 
 
 Public Park Reserved in Centre. 
 
 The addition derives its name from the fact 
 that Mr. Plumb has reserved a full city block 
 in the centre of the plat and has dedicated it 
 to public uses as a park. Already a large num- 
 ber of quick-growing shade trees have been 
 planted in the park and throughout the addi- 
 tion, and soon their grateful foliage will jnake 
 pleasant shade for mothers to rest and cliildren 
 
 addition will repeat the experience of South 
 Park, and no more lots can be bought from the 
 original platter, but must be purchased from 
 second or third hands at four or five times the 
 present lU'iee. 
 
 The Plumb Policy. 
 
 The regular Plumb policy, under wliicli two- 
 thirds of the lots in Streator have been sold. 
 will be continued in the new addition. That 
 policy is: A small i)ayment down, and easy 
 montlily ])ayincnts, with perfect assurance that 
 no advantage of anv sort will ever be taken of 
 
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 Central Park Addition. 
 
 to play under. The city has taken over the 
 park and has begun to improve it as part of 
 the city i^ark system. 
 
 An Adequate Sewer System. 
 
 Forewarned by i)ast experiences, Mr. Plumb 
 has averted the expense and inconvenience of 
 torn up streets by putting in a complete sewer 
 system in advance. Every street is i^rovided 
 with a sewer and every house has access to it. 
 
 Though only recently placed on the market, 
 a half dozen substantial homes have been built 
 and occupied. There are many inquiries, and 
 no doubt it will be only a short time until this 
 
 the purchaser. It is that policy pursued for 
 over forty years that has made Streator a town 
 of home owners. Under it forty-two additions 
 to Streator have been laid out by Mr. Plumb 
 and over 2,500 lots sold, not one of which has 
 been the cause of dispute between buyer and 
 seller, or the subject of adverse forfeiture. Mr. 
 Plumb expects to continue doing business to the 
 end of the chapter on these lines; and invites 
 attention to Central Park Addition, which he 
 thinks is the best of all the offerings he has 
 made to Streator in his forty years of real es- 
 tate transactions.
 
 TRi: sTonv OF STnr.VTOR. 
 
 123 
 
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 124 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 FOREST C PETTINGELL, WHOLESALER OF FLOUR AND FEED 
 
 Forest C. Pettiugill, the wholesale flour, 
 feed and hay man, is a name familiar to the city 
 of Streator and is associated closely with the 
 city's activities. 
 
 Mr. Pettiugill was born in Newburyport, 
 Massachusetts, where he passed the earlier 
 years of his life and where he still has some 
 property interests, but to him, as to a great 
 number of New England's sons, then and now, 
 the cry and promise of the West were alluring, 
 and yielding to it he left the East and located 
 in Streator, established business, built a home 
 and reared and educated a family here. 
 
 Recently Mr. Pettiugill erected a big ware- 
 house on the corner of Vermillion and Bridge 
 streets, the structure is one-story, 140x53 feet, 
 constructed of Streator paving brick that will 
 endure through the centuries. Inside tlie build- 
 ing is so apportioned and arranged as to ac- 
 commodate every need of his business, and lo- 
 cated as it is, close to or practically in the busi- 
 ness district, and yet convenient to the railroad 
 freight houses, the conditions are ideal. 
 
 Mr. Pettiugill is the exclusive agent for sev- 
 eral of the highest grade brands of flour, and 
 
 the quality of his goods, coujjled with the close 
 margin of profits, with which he is content, 
 has enabled him to attract and hold trade over 
 a wide expanse of territory. As this is the 
 
 12:^ 
 
 only exclusive wholesale house in these particu- 
 lar lines in Streator, there can be no doubt the 
 volume of business done will increase from 
 vear to vear as it has from the beginning. 
 
 THE WAGNER BEAUTY PARLORS 
 
 The history of Streator would not be com- 
 plete without some appreciation of the more 
 gracious and refining aspects of its evolution. 
 For, as Richard Le Geilliene recently said, life 
 is not all iron and granite, it is beauty and love 
 and service. The apostles of beauty in Strea- 
 tor have not been numerous, but they have been 
 effective and loj^al. 
 
 Miss Emma Wagner is the pioneer in the 
 art of the aesthetic expressed in the science of 
 l^ersonal adornment, and it was through the 
 opening of her parlors seven years ago that 
 women became conscious of their obligations 
 toward personal attractiveness and have ever 
 since been cultivating their sensibilities in this 
 direction. 
 
 In Former Times. 
 
 Prior to the opening of Miss Wagner's 
 beauty parlors and during the first months of 
 her activities women were ashamed of their 
 
 awakened consciousness, and came and went by 
 stealth, afraid of being laughed at and made 
 ridiculous. Today the well-groomed woman is 
 a joy to all beholders, and is proudly conscious 
 of l)er inalienalile rights to co-operate with na- 
 ture in making Jierself as charming as possible. 
 Oily hair, pimply skin, uncared for finger 
 nails and an unkempt appearance are no lon- 
 ger regarded as badges of respectability, but of 
 a slovenly, disordered life, and the woman who 
 makes good today professionally and socially 
 must present a well groomed, attractive exter- 
 ior; it is her most valuable asset in public 
 esteem. 
 
 The Story of Her Beginning. 
 
 Miss Wagner has always been proficient in 
 the art of beautifying. At the age of seven it 
 was her delight to dress hair in tlie latest fash- 
 ion, and when other children were playing with 
 dolls she was developing an expertness in hair
 
 THi: STftTiV i»l ^!l!l \T<»i:. 
 
 125 
 
 arraiifreiiuMit wliidi lias culiiiiiiated today in the 
 reputation of beiu.if the most proficient artist 
 in this line in the state outside of Chicago. 
 
 Ifavinsr sutTcred for several years with a 
 skin eniptioii which no experts could ever cure, 
 Miss Warner went to Chicafi;o and Ijegan lier 
 study of tlie skin, and the proper nietiiods of re- 
 storin*; health an<l beauty to skin tissues, llav- 
 iiiff inaslenMJ iicr own case, she l)ecame inter- 
 ested in all the "general aspects of the art, and 
 after faniiiiarizinir herself with all the noted 
 methods in voj,nic, returned to Streator to put 
 the lu'iu'tits of her traininix into practical ser- 
 vice foi- the use of her patrons. 
 
 Her Personal Equipment. 
 
 There are at )l^e^ent timus;inds of well 
 equipi)ed beauty parlors throuifhout the state, 
 Init oidy one Kiiiiua Wairner. She went into the 
 work for tiie love of it, and l>ecause of tliis she 
 is one of the most expert, conscientious and re- 
 liable artists in her itrofession. She has all the 
 (Jerinan thon)Uirhness, tiieir love of cleanliness 
 and order, their honesty and inteirrity fif jtur- 
 pose, their loyalty and stal)ilit>' of cliara<'ter. 
 She ))ossesses the delicacy, yet firmness of 
 touch wliich is so essential to massasre work; 
 she is emiiu'ntly |iro;^ressive, fid! of the mod 
 ern -pirit of pluck and enteri>rise; she is hu- 
 
 manely sym])athetic, keenly itituitivo in her 
 jud.£inu'nts and would rather score results at 
 any cost than cousen-e her own energies. 
 
 Her Shop. 
 
 There is no more uji-to-date, attractive, con- 
 venient, well eipiipjicd lieanty parlor outside of 
 Chica,2fo than ^liss Wai^ner oi)erates for the 
 benefit of her patrons. All the electrical appli- 
 ances known to science which will aid in the 
 lirocessos of beauty culture are at her disjiosal. 
 She is always addins; to her ecpiipment. Her 
 stock of hair goods, face creams, jiowders and 
 lotions are of the best, for slie will endorse no 
 others. An attractive assorfnient of hair orna- 
 inciits and novelties have Ix-en added recently 
 to her stock, making everything complete and 
 attractive. 
 
 AVith the growth of Streator this business 
 will expand in projiortion for women are never 
 going to return to their slipshod ways of yore. 
 The science of being attractive is gaining its 
 votaries from every walk of life, and it is a safe 
 prophecy that this energetic, self reliant young 
 i)usiness woman will see her fondest dreams 
 realized, for skill and beauty and efficiency win 
 out every tinu'. and these are her I'liief charac- 
 teristics, her guarantee of permanent success. 
 
 THE WILLIAMS HARDWARE COMPANY 
 
 The cut presented herewith shows a view of 
 the Williams Hardware ('om]>any. It is the 
 latest as well as one of tlu- largest of Streator's 
 mercantile structures, and it represents the cul- 
 mination of a line of mercantile development 
 that began in ISS."). In that year Charles H. 
 Williams came to Streator from his father's 
 farm, about ten miles northwest of town. Had 
 be followed the lines of ancestral jiredisposi- 
 tion Cliarles wtuild have l)een a professional 
 man, a brain-worker, as were his fathers before 
 him — a long line of Xew England scholars and 
 teachers who ran back to Roger "Williams. His 
 father. Rinaldo Williams, one of the finest and 
 gentlest of scholars, and one of the most re- 
 vered names in the history of the county, was 
 County Superintendent of Schools for many 
 vears. and later ])rinci}ial of the Streator High 
 School. 
 
 But Charles elected the hardware business 
 as his life's calling, and at the age of nineteen 
 entered the hardware store of Powers Bros, as 
 
 clerk. The date of this writing, May. liUl'. finds 
 him still in the same store, oidy now he is ])ro- 
 prietor where 27 years ago he was cl;>rk. This 
 fact may be significant of the (piiet tenacity of 
 bis nature, which has in it little of the restless- 
 ness and excitability of our generation, but 
 which without ha.ste and without noise sticks 
 to its task till it is thoroughly mastered. That 
 Cliarles H. Williams is a ]>ast master of the re- 
 tail hardware business all who know him will 
 testify. Xot only is it attested by the remark- 
 able development of his business, which now 
 refpiires the largest hardware store between 
 Chicago and Decatur for its accommodation, 
 but it is evidenced by the suffrages of his fel- 
 low hardware merchants, who for two years 
 elected him president of the Illinois Retail 
 Hardware Association, and later chose him for 
 |iresident of the National Retail Hardware As- 
 sociation, tlie highest honor in the gift of his 
 giiild. 
 
 Needless to sav that the business talents so
 
 126 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 conspicuously recognized by liis fellow mer- 
 chants find their highest exercise in the service 
 of his own peoi^Ie. One of the aims most con- 
 sciously jmrsued during a quarter century of 
 mei'chandising has been to raise the volume of 
 business to a point where it would justify buy- 
 ing goods directly from the manufacturer, thus 
 enabling him to secure a liigher quality of 
 goods and to meet the competition of wholesal- 
 ers and jobbers. This goal has been reached, 
 and the Williams Hardware Company is now 
 in most instances able to sen'e its customers 
 with goods bought directly from the manufac- 
 turers under the most favorable tenns and 
 conditions. 
 
 General Roofing Company. It is the heaviest 
 dealer and contractor in Streator for tin and 
 sheet metal work, and it is a centre for the dis- 
 tribution of Pennsylvania lubricating oils for 
 the state of Illinois. 
 
 The latter promises to become one of the 
 greatest departments of the firm for the use of 
 lubricating oils for automobiles and other pur- 
 l)oses is greatly on the increase. The rock phos- 
 phate branch had a small beginning, for farm- 
 ers were slow to awaken to the need of artifi- 
 cial fertilizers, Imt now they are thoroughly 
 roused and carloads of phosphate ai-e sent by 
 the firm to many states of the union, north and 
 south — Texas, Missouri, Virginia, Kentuckv as 
 
 The New Store and Ware Rooms. 
 
 During the quarter century the l)usiness has 
 greatly broadened from the simple hardware 
 store of 27 years ago. It now includes a phos- 
 phate dei^artment, requiring its own elevator; 
 an independent oil station for the handling of 
 car loads of Pennsylvania kerosene and gaso- 
 lene; a magazine for the handling of high ex- 
 plosives; a department devoted espeeially to 
 window glass, and polished plate ; and a storage 
 warehouse "where thosuands of feet of space is 
 rented to patrons. The firm is also the whole- 
 sale distributor of prepared roofings for the 
 
 well as Illinois and Indiana, Wisconsin, Michi- 
 gan and New York. 
 
 It is this wide exi^ansion of business that 
 has necessitated the erection of the new build- 
 ing which the firm will occupy on July 1, 1912. 
 The building is built of brick and reinforced 
 concrete, and conforms to the requirements t f 
 the New York Board of Underwriters. It is 
 therefore as nearlj- fire-proof as a building of 
 this class can be made. It is 63x140 feet in size 
 and is four stories high with basement. Each 
 floor is of concrete and contains 8400 square
 
 THK STOnV OF STUKATOn. 
 
 127 
 
 feet of floor space. It is drained into an aban- 
 doned mine about 100 feet Iteneatii, and throiisli 
 it finds access to tlie river. The basement and 
 first floor will be salesrooms; the second floor 
 will be a supplementary salesroom and tin 
 shop; the tliird floor will contain surplus stock; 
 and the fourth floor commeicini fireproof stor- 
 age and surjilns. 
 
 It is equipi)ed with an up-to-date vacuum 
 cleaner outfil, and will he jirovided with rest 
 rofim, ladies' parloi- and licucial waiting room 
 
 for the convenience of the public This is an 
 idea borrowed from the de})artment stores of 
 the great cities, and is introduced for tlie first 
 time by Mr. Williams in Streator. Tliere will 
 be lockers provided for the stcu'ing of wraps or 
 ])ackages which visitors may desire to leave 
 while in the cily. 
 
 \Vheu the liiiii <'liangcs from its old to its 
 new home its name will be changed from Pow- 
 ers i^ Williams to the Williams Hardware Coni- 
 ])aiiy. Dui-ing tlie years that have jiassed Mr. 
 
 Williams has acquired the Powers interests, 
 and since he is practically the sole owner, it 
 seems fitting that the name of the firm should 
 show this fact. Though he has had an intense- 
 ly active business career, Mr. Williams has 
 found time for not a few civic and social duties, 
 lie has been for seventeen years a member of 
 the school board, has been an officer of the 
 Commercial Club, is now a director of the 
 
 Chas 
 
 Williams. 
 
 Inion National P>auk and of the Western Glass 
 rom]iany, and ju-esident of the Streator Chau- 
 tauqua Associatiiui. His yift of speech is nuich 
 in demand in publii' and social gatlici'ings, 
 ban(iuets and the like, where his fund of anec- 
 dote and his drv humor are alwavs welcome.
 
 128 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 STREATOR AQUEDUCT CO. 
 
 STORY OF ITS BATTLE WITH BACTERIA AND ITS FINAL SOLU- 
 TION OF THE WATER PROBLEM. 
 
 The Streator Aqueduct Company was or- 
 ganized on Sept. 15, 1S86. At the time of its 
 establishment there were two possible sources 
 of water supply for the city. The town was 
 seriously divided as to the source from which 
 water should be taken, one party under the 
 leadershij) of Aldenuan John C Campbell fa- 
 voring the Vennillion Biver; the othei', headed 
 by Dr. Edwin Evans, the local scientific au- 
 thority, favoring the fresh water springs north- 
 east of the city in Otter Creek Township. Af- 
 ter months of controversy the party of Dr. 
 Evans, who urged the unhealthiness of the 
 river water, finally prevailed; and by action of 
 the council the water company was dii-ected to 
 obtain its supply from the Otter Creek springs. 
 The plant was accordingly located north-east 
 of the city, but after a year of service the sup- 
 ply was found to be inadequate, and recourse 
 was had to the only remaining snureo — the 
 ^"e^nillion river. 
 
 In 1888 the Streator Aqueduct Coiujiany be- 
 gan to take steins to remove its plant. Laud 
 v/as secured on the river, about three miles 
 above the city, the site of the present plant. At 
 this point it was found that mill riglits were 
 owned by Mr. David Defenbaugh, which car- 
 ried with them perpetual flowage rights. These 
 were purchased by the comjiany and a jilant 
 erected. In 1890 a dam was built at a cost of 
 $9,800, witli 170 feet of roll way. This proved 
 adequate until 1904, when the increasing de- 
 mand for water made it necessary to raise the 
 dam to a height of eleven feet and four inches 
 above its base. This satisfies present needs, 
 but the Aqueduct Company has since secured 
 territoiy and flowage rights to enable them to 
 raise the dam two feet higher, which, when 
 built, will give them a storage sup[)ly of 275,- 
 000,000 gallons. The ])resent consumption of 
 the city is nearly 2,000,000 gallons daily, so 
 the new elevation will give them over one hun- 
 dred days' supply — far more than is ever 
 needed under prevailing conditions of rainfall. 
 
 Sufficient for City of 50,000. 
 
 But the company is not satisfied with sup- 
 plying the present need of Streator. even at 
 its maximum demand. "With far seeing eye it 
 looks forward to the inevitable growth of the 
 city, and is making provision for it. It has 
 gone eleven miles up the river and there pur- 
 chased a site for another dam and impounding 
 reservoir. Flowage rights are being secured of 
 sufficient extent to permit the erection of a six- 
 teen foot dam. When erected this dam will 
 create a reservoir that will hold 350,000,000 
 gallons of water, which, added to the present 
 capacity, will be adequate to the needs of a city 
 of 50,000 people. 
 
 Streator 's Scattered Area. 
 
 One of file unusual features of the water 
 situation in Streator is caused by its large area. 
 Thus it requires 46 miles of pipe to satisfy the 
 needs of its 3,800 water consumers; of which 
 there are 37 miles of cast iron pipe from 4 to 
 20 inches in diameter, and 9 miles of smaller 1 
 to 2 inch pipe. Of the 3,800 consumers an un- 
 usual proportion are industrial or commercial 
 users, the number being 452. The yearly rev- 
 enue shows this proportion is still more strik- 
 ing fashion. Last year the domestic consumers 
 paid the company $26,000, while the railroads 
 and industries paid $23,000, being nearly one- 
 half the revenue from those soiirces. 
 
 Supt. Hugaans is authority for the state- 
 ment that but for the support of the industrial 
 and conuuercial users the company would not 
 have been able to continue- in business. The 
 city pays for 271 public hydrants, and there 
 are 15 private hydrants. In addition the city 
 receives free water for its schools and other 
 iniblic buildings, for drinking troughs, display 
 fountain and for flushing sewers and for fire 
 purposes. The .school buildings use 21,000,000 
 gallons annually, and it is estimated that four- 
 teen i)er cent of all the water i)umi3ed goes for 
 free consumjition.
 
 THi: STOIJV OF STRi:.\Tf»K. 
 
 129 
 
 The Equipment. 
 Tlic nearly li.f KM ).(!()( I crallon.s of water con- 
 suiimmI eat'h day is prepared and pumped by a 
 modern, up-to-date meelianical equipment. It is 
 lifted from tlie intake well l)y two low lift oen- 
 Irifuija] jtuMips. eacli with a capaeity of :i,000,- 
 000 irallDiis daily. By the.se tlie water is lifted 
 to a hei;,'ht of :',2 feet and deposited v.\ the set- 
 tlint;: basin, where it receives its coagulants, 
 and remains for five hours. From there it flows 
 by gravity to tlie lilters, from wliicii it is con- 
 veyed to the olear water well, which holds over 
 a million gallons of Avater, and from there 
 inmi))ed direct to the city. Two Gaskell jmmp- 
 ing engines, one of :3,006,000 and one of .5,000,- 
 
 is notoriou.sly among the worst streams in Illi- 
 nois, and it was this knowledge that caused the 
 council tliat granted tlie water franchise to 
 demand that the company get its supply from 
 ()tter Creek springs, as before stated. The 
 river supply in its raw state is unquestionably 
 bad, a fact that may be the more freely admit- 
 ted now that scientilic advancement has made 
 it po.s.sible to absolutely eliminate all elements 
 dangerous to lioalth or comfort. 
 
 Battle with the Bacteria. 
 
 The existence of the Streator Aqueduct 
 
 Company lias been one long ])attle against the 
 
 bacteria and the mud of the ^'ermillion river. 
 
 How to kill the germs without killing the peo- 
 
 Water Works Power House. 
 
 000 gallons daily capacity, send the city its 
 daily sniiply of two million gallons, with ample 
 margin of reser\e. Power is furnished by a bat- 
 tery of boilers with a ca|»acity of 450 horse 
 power. 
 
 Quality of Streator Water. 
 
 This bare meelianical outline gives little 
 idea of the point mo>t vitally interesting to the 
 people of Streator, namely, the preparation of 
 the water for domestic use. It has long been 
 an o))en secret that the (pudity of Streator's 
 water was one of its tenderest points, one dan- 
 gerous to discuss before strangers .such as this 
 book is sujjposed to address. It may as well 
 be admitted, however, that the Vermillion river 
 
 pie has been its most anxious and perplexing 
 ])reblem. Now that the problem has been 
 solved, it is able to review its effoi-ts, if not 
 with equanimity, at least with the conscious- 
 ness that it has labored earnestly, conscien- 
 tiously, and with as much success as the larger 
 cities that have been baffled bj' the same 
 problem. 
 
 The Mechanical Filter. 
 
 The first attemi^ts to deal with the problem 
 were along the line of improved filters. The 
 mechanical filter was thought to be the solution 
 of the long vexed problem, and in 1888 the 
 Aqueduct Company i)ut in the new filtering 
 system, being the second mechanical filters to be
 
 130 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 installed in the state of Illinois. It was an im- 
 l^rovement, but it was not perfect; and at three 
 different periods since that time it has been 
 found necessary to rebuild them and bring 
 them ui3-to-date. At the present time there are 
 sixteen pressure filters, each containing 44 in- 
 ches of sand, through which the water must 
 percolate. There is a sand bed surface of 1,200 
 square feet, and as each square foot is figured 
 to filter two gallons eveiy minute, it will be 
 seen tliev have a filtering capacity of over 
 3,000.000 gallons daily. Those filters are thor- 
 oughly cleansed of their impurities every 24 
 hours by the forcing through them of air and 
 water under five iiounds pressure. 
 
 The Coagulants. 
 
 The filters, however, only take out the resi- 
 .dual dirt and impurities, and send the water 
 on to the consumer, clean, clear and palatable. 
 The heavy work of clearing the fluid of its 
 heavy load of ^"ermillion river mud is done in 
 the settling basin before it is sent to the filters, 
 and here must be told the story of the coagu- 
 lants. There are times of flood when the river 
 water is nearly black with mud. 
 
 How is it to be cleared? 
 
 It is not enough to turn it into the great set- 
 tling basin, to drive it over 265 feet of traveling- 
 space and then let it stand for five hours, as is 
 done with eveiy gallon of water. It will not 
 settle of itself. The mud must be helped to sep- 
 arate from the water. 
 
 How do they he\p it? 
 
 They pour a solution of alum into the mud- 
 dy water just as it flows into the tank. This 
 alum unites with the alkali in the water, and 
 this combination has the peculiar ])ower of at- 
 tracting the mud to it, and the weight of the 
 particle thus formed carries it down to the bot- 
 tom of the settling basin, from Avhieli it is ]5er- 
 iodically washed out. But it has been found 
 that the Vemiillion stream is very variable in 
 the amount of alkiliiiity it contains, and there 
 are times when the water is so soft that there is 
 not alkili enough to unite with the alum to cre- 
 ate a deposit. These occasions are rare, how- 
 ever, but when they occur, it becomes necessary 
 to add to the water enough lime solution to se- 
 cure the required alkilinity. 
 
 Is the Alum Injurious? 
 
 Like many others, who have been alarmed 
 by baking powder advertisements, the writer 
 asked Supt. Huggans if the alum was not in- 
 jurious to the health. He replied: 
 
 "Undoubtedly too much free alum would 
 
 tend toward constipation or diseases of that 
 kind, but there is absolutely no free alum what- 
 ever in the water after it leaves the pumping 
 station. When the alum unites with the alkili 
 they comi)letely neutralize each other, and be- 
 come something else. It is just like oxygen and 
 hydrogen, whicli, when united, become water. 
 People should get it out of their heads that 
 there is alum in the supply pipe just because 
 we have to put it in at the settling basin. It is 
 purely imaginary. Moreover the amount we use 
 is very small, on an average not more than one 
 and one-half grains per gallon. And it is so 
 exi:)ensive that our interest may be relied on to 
 make us keep it down to the mininmm. But 
 small or great, no jiart of it gets into the supply 
 pipe, for it is wholly neutralized and absorbed 
 by its chemical union with the alkili.' 
 
 The New Purifier. 
 
 Up to 1011 the imi)rovements above de- 
 scribed marked the farthest advance in the 
 Aqueduct Company's preparation and treat- 
 ment of water. By coagulation and filter they 
 had separated the impurities thoroughly and 
 the bacteria partially, from the water. It rep- 
 resented a great deal of outlay and effort, but 
 still it fell short of a satisfactoiy solution. The 
 bacteria were separated by the coagulum, but 
 they were not killed; and there was always the 
 haunting fear that some typhoid germ or colon 
 bacillus would get by the separator and infect 
 the user. 
 
 The year 1911 brought the latest improve- 
 ment in the treatment of watei\ Experiments 
 had been made for several years to find a sat- 
 isfactory germicide tliat would be commercial- 
 ly available. Hcientists had noticed the pres- 
 ence of chlorine gas in artesian waters that 
 were free from bacteria. Acting on this hint a 
 number of tests were made with bleaching 
 powder, which is composed of chlorine gas and 
 lime, and which is callel hypochlorite of lime. 
 The tests proved a remarkable sucess, and in- 
 side of five years New York, Philadelphia, St. 
 Louis, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Toronto, most of 
 the large cities in fact, were using the new 
 agent. After waiting until the new discovery 
 had i^assed the experimental stage, the Aque- 
 duct Company in October, 1911, put in the hy- 
 po-ehlorite of lime treatment with most satis- 
 factory results. Supt. Huggans feels assured 
 that they are now able to make Streator water 
 immune from disease breeding geiins, and in 
 August of this year a new coagulation basin 
 vith a capacity of 350,000 gallons is to be built.
 
 THi: STOH^ «»K STr5KAT«H{. 
 
 131 
 
 wlierc tlio hypoflilorite and coagulauts can be 
 applied iu the most exact and scieutitic manner. 
 
 Labratory Tests. 
 
 A labratory lias been installed at the plant 
 under the direetion of the State Water Survey, 
 with ecjnipment to make adequate chemical and 
 mieroscojiic tests. Chief Kiiyineer Haliih llug- 
 frans has taken a course under the direction of 
 the State Water Survey, and is able to make 
 correct analysis and examinations of the water 
 whenever re(|uire(l. A daily record is kept, 
 wliich shows the condition of raw and jmrilied 
 water as to its bacteria, turbidity, alkilinity, 
 color and the vohnne and weight of coacfulant 
 and bleach used. By the use of the laboratory 
 tests the exact number of bacteria can be deter- 
 mined with accuracy and tiieir dan,y;erousness 
 to health can be ascertained. The tests are 
 chemical, microscopic and thennal and are ac- 
 eej)ted as scieiitilically autlioritative on the 
 .subject of infection bearinjir Rcrms. 
 
 A Sample Test. 
 
 On April L'4. IIUl'. a period of flood, there 
 were found to be .■iL'd.dlMI bacteria in 20 droits of 
 water. After treatment the same water showed 
 only S.OOO bacteria, and no iras fonuers. "Xo 
 pras formers" is a sijjnilicant phrase in a water 
 analysis, and means that it is free from disease 
 breeding j^crms. Tliere may still lie bacteria 
 present, but they are harade.ss. 
 
 How is the test made? 
 
 A sam])le of the water is put into ji test tube 
 pontaiiiiiiy: a broth iu wlii<'h the .ii:enn.-; may in- 
 cubate. The lube is jmt in a heater, its tem- 
 })erature raised ifradually to 100 degrees, about 
 the heat of the body. If there are any disea.se 
 srerms present they will consume the broth in 
 their reproduction and growtii and in the space 
 left by the broth thus consumed a gas will be 
 fonued. This gas when measured on a scale 
 will show the ]>resence and amount of bacteria. 
 If there is no gas in the tube, it may be as- 
 sumed with scientific certainty there are no ty- 
 phoid or colon bacilli pre.sent. The result can 
 also be checked up on the microscope to make 
 assurance doubly sure. ^feasured by these 
 rig(u-ous scientilic tests, the water record of the 
 Streator A(|ueduct Company has shown the 
 significant talismanic synd)ol "No Gas Form- 
 ers" for the entire year of 1912. and so it feels 
 able to assure itself and the ])ublic that there 
 are al)solutely no deleterious bacteria present, 
 and that the problem of healthy water for 
 Streator is solved. 
 
 Unremovable Tastes and Odors. 
 
 For those who may have misgivings about 
 the healthfulness of tliis clieniicalit is only ne- 
 cessary to state that there can be no possible 
 danger in the use of hypochlorite of lime. Long 
 before it could jiroduce a pathological effect its 
 taste and smell would be so bad that no one 
 could drink it; but even then it would be harm- 
 less. The bulletin of the state sui'vdy says that 
 nothing less than three parts per million per 
 gallon of chlorine can be tasted, and at present 
 the company is only using 13-100 of a part per 
 million. If ever by any mischance, however, 
 the con.sumer gets a taste or smell of chlorine, 
 he may be sure that it is not in the least dan- 
 gerous. Tamarack water, caused by the steep- 
 ing of the fluid in leaves, grass and otlier vege- 
 tation and especially prevalent during the melt- 
 ing of snows in the spring, cannot be freed of 
 its odor or taste by any known jirocess. But 
 its bacterial danger can be eliminated, and 
 whenever melting snows bring down water 
 soaked with the taste of leaves and grass, it 
 may still lie used with the assurance that it is 
 not lianufnl to health. In any event this bad 
 taste and odor can occur l)uf i-arely in Streator. 
 
 The State Water Survey. 
 
 While the Aqueduct Company has a thor- 
 oughly competent service, yet it is not wholly 
 dejiendeiit on it. It is subject to visits froiu the 
 inspectors of the Slate Water Survey, who may 
 descend on it without notice at any tijue to 
 make examinations, much after the fashion of 
 bank examiners. It is also entitled to call on 
 the experts of the State Water Survey at any 
 time when umisual jiroblems or conditions call 
 for .scientific counsel. This privilege it has 
 freely availed itself of in the past whenever the 
 caprices of the Vermillion river brought a prob- 
 lem not before experienced and calling for 
 expert advice. 
 
 In this article the company has through the 
 editor of this volume undertaken to state frank- 
 ly and fully the probl(>ms of Streator's water 
 su]iply, the efforts it has made to solve them, 
 and the measure of success that has finally 
 crowned its efforts. It believes that the qual- 
 ity of the water today is absolutely safe, sani- 
 tary and healthful, and that no condition can 
 arise in the river to make it less safe. It is glad 
 after a quarter of a century of service to give 
 the assurance that both in quality and quantity 
 the water sujijily of Streator is safe, satisfac- 
 tory and adequate to the needs of a city of 
 .50,000 inhabitants. It, moreover, cherishes the 
 hojie that in any matter of difference about the
 
 132 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 cost of supplying the city and consumers with 
 water, an imj^artial commission may soon be 
 appointed by the state legislature to which all 
 disputed questions may be referred. Lleantime 
 the plant of the eomijany is ojien to visitors, 
 and the jjublic is invited to inspect the works 
 of the company at its convenience. 
 
 Superintendent D. A. Huggans. 
 
 A word al)Oi;t the man who has been in 
 charge of the plant for all these years may be 
 of interest. Davidson A. Iluggans was born of 
 Scottish parents in New York City in 1856. He 
 came to Streator at four years of age, went into 
 the coal mines at thirteen, and remained there 
 until twenty-five. Having a genius for me- 
 chanics, he was promoted out of the pit, and 
 took charge of engines, pumps and boilers of 
 the mine. On August 17, 1886 he accepted em- 
 ployment from tlie Streator Aqueduct C*om- 
 pany, then establishing its plant here. In July, 
 1887, he was placed in charge and has been at 
 its head ever since. 
 
 Like most of the early miners of Streator 
 who have risen to commanding positions, Mr. 
 Huggans was self educated. He took the cor- 
 respondence course from the Scrantcm School, 
 and received his diplomas in steam engineer- 
 ing and hydraulic engineering. He has served 
 as member of the j^ublic school board for foiir- 
 teen years, and on the high school board for 
 five years. He served the township as its su- 
 pervisor for four years, is prominent in the Ma- 
 sonic fraternity, and has been president of the 
 board of trustees of the Church of Good "Will. 
 Mr. Huggans is regarded everywhere as one of 
 the strong and forceful characters of the town, 
 a man of unswerving loyalty and integrity, 
 ti'ue to his convictions and his friends iTav- 
 i)ig known opposition he is a good fighter; 
 liavina' known hard work he is considcMle to 
 tlie worker; having known lowly station his 
 lieart goes out to those who are still "straggling 
 in the liaixl places of life, and with it goes a 
 strong, generous helping hand. 
 
 streator Aqueduct Dam.
 
 THi: STOHV OK STKi;\T<)i;. 
 
 133 
 
 LOCAL MEN OF MARK 
 
 IN THIS SECTION ARE PRESENTED A FEW PEN PICTURES 
 STREATOR'S GALLERY OF NOTABLES. 
 
 IN 
 
 Evor}- life lias a story; every face has a 
 picture. It is tlic task of the artist to make the 
 story interesting!:; the ])ieture a speakins,' like- 
 ness. To do this 111' iinist select his materials; 
 omit the thill detail that (hitters the picture; 
 seize the salient, sij^nificant thinjj; that gives 
 it the hreath of life, the touch of reality. He 
 must have iiisii;:ht plus; sympathy ail-compre- 
 hending. Insight and sym])athy will see only 
 tile good, for only the good is positive. Kvil is 
 negative, nescient; it is only the shadow. And 
 wlio wants to paint shadows.' 
 
 It is in tills spirit that tiie ])ortraits in 
 this volume have heen sketched. There may be 
 liiose who view the suli.jects treated herein at 
 
 such close range that they will see nothing but 
 defects; and these will uiiss the familiar moles 
 and pimples in these pictures. They are left 
 out so as not to distract attention from the 
 positive and vital trutii that the life stands for. 
 What we dislike in an aiii)reciation is not praise 
 but falsehood. The ai)preciatit)n must he true, 
 else it is ofl'ensive. The artist who is tit for his 
 work must have the eye to see the gleam of the 
 true in very subject, and .sufficient masteiy of 
 his medium and tools to release and reveal it. 
 Failing to see the glint and gliiiimer of beauty, 
 lie must reject the subject; and on no account 
 degrade his brush to the paintings of darkness 
 and defect. 
 
 OSCAR B. RYON 
 
 The highest public jiosition held by any 
 citizen of Strcator at this writing is that occu- 
 ])ied Ity Mr. U. U. Kyon. Measured by magni- 
 tuile of its scoi)e and largeness of its opportun- 
 ity, it is doubtless the most imiiortant office 
 ever held by a citizen of this city. 
 
 The ollice is non-political. There is none 
 like it. It has no antecedents, and no prece 
 dents. It may be fairly said that it was cre- 
 ated for ^fr. "l\yon. That is, it waited for its 
 establisliment until a man pos.se.ssing his pe- 
 culiar talent.s, training, and experience could 
 be found to fill it. It is within the writer's 
 knowledge that for several years he has had ur- 
 gent offers to accept service in this interest, 
 but not until recentlv was the office given such 
 definite shape that he felt justified in accepting. 
 
 What is the office? 
 
 It has a name, but it's name doesn't explain 
 it. As I view it, Mr. Kyon's new business is to 
 rationalize the tire insurance system of Amer- 
 ica, and to interpret it to the people of the 
 count rv. As it now stands that system is torn 
 
 into a thousand conflicting interests, big and 
 'ittle; companies fighting each other, agents 
 fighting the comiianies and state legislatures 
 fighting all of them. Mr. Kyon is to be media- 
 tor between those interests, and his efforts will 
 be to bring economy, efficienc.y, rationality into 
 a fire insurance situation that is notoriously the 
 worst in the world. 
 
 How will he do it? 
 
 One of his tasks will be to get state legisla- 
 tures to adopt rational and uniform laws, and 
 stop regarding insurance companies merely as 
 subjects for hostile legislation. His still bigger 
 task will be to so refomi and rationalize the in- 
 surance practice itself that the com])anies will 
 cease to i)rovoke the hostilities they complain 
 of. And biggest of all, his function will be to 
 educate the iiublic on the subject of fire preven- 
 tion, so that the enormous fire waste which is 
 the worst factor in the complex situation, may 
 be reduced. 
 
 An important position, is it not! Few 
 greater in the country.
 
 134 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 It has been said elsewhere that one of the 
 pleasant uses of this book is to reveal to each 
 other the men of Streator who are hidden by 
 an excess of nearness. The editor has taken the 
 liberty, without consulting- Mr. Byou, of pre- 
 senting him as a si^ecial example of this defect 
 of local perspective. In the minds of the dis- 
 cerning there is no doubt that the new positions 
 created by "big business" are more important 
 than those of loolitics; yet the title of Governor 
 of Illinois fills a bigger place in the j^ublic eye 
 than would Governor of Fire Insurance, even 
 though the latter might mean dollars to the 
 people where the former means cents. Mr. Eyon 
 as Manager of the Bu- 
 reau of Publicity and 
 Education for the fire 
 insurance interests has 
 stepi^ed into a front po- 
 sition among the "big 
 business" chiefs of 
 America, and his op- 
 portunities for public 
 service are immeasur- 
 able. 
 
 His progress has 
 been natural. Long an 
 insurance man and law- 
 yer, he has been special 
 counsel for the insur- 
 ance department of the 
 state, and earned his 
 greatest reputation as 
 attorney for the Illi- 
 nois fire insurance com- 
 mission. Pie wrote its 
 report, which is regard- 
 ed as one of the ablest 
 studies of insurance 
 practice extant. He is 
 also an expert on build- 
 ing and loan law, and 
 is the author of the Illi- 
 nois Building and Loan Law of 1898. Always 
 active in fSti-eator matters, he was for several 
 years secretary of the Improvement Associa- 
 tion, of the High School Board, and of the 
 Chautauqua Association. A versatile mind, a 
 brilliant conversationalist, a genial humorist, 
 his talents are in demand at all kinds of events, 
 serious or gay, whether at a banquet table, a 
 social function of at a convention of business 
 or professional men; and in all he acquits him- 
 self in a manner to please, to persuade, to en- 
 tertain or to instruct. 
 
 Oscar Eyon was born in Ogle County, Illinois, 
 ^in 1858, came to Streator at an early age, at- 
 
 tended its graded schools, and was graduated 
 from its high school. He finished at the Uni- 
 versity of Chicago, studied law in Streator, and 
 was admitted to the bar in 1881. Altliough his 
 main office is now in Chicago, his business con- 
 tinues in Streator, and his home is, and will 
 lirobably remain, here. 
 
 THOAIAS W. McVETY 
 
 MINISTER. 
 
 Oscar B. Ryon. 
 
 No study of the life of a community would 
 be complete that left out of account the factors 
 
 that make fov morality 
 and right living. The 
 deepest forces that en- 
 ergize the activities of 
 a city lie beneath the 
 surface, in the hearts 
 and wills of the jieo- 
 ple, and these draw 
 their nourishment and 
 strength from those 
 hidden and imseen Re- 
 alities which lie at the 
 root of being. It has 
 been easy to describe 
 and chronicle the busi- 
 ness activities of the 
 town, for tliey lie ob- 
 vious and easy to be 
 read on the open page 
 of its achievement, but 
 the faith, the ho))e, the 
 courage that inspire 
 tliem — whence did they 
 spring ? 
 
 Deep out of the Ages 
 they arose, rooted in 
 those eternal verities 
 which in all times have 
 been the substance of 
 religion. Streator, with its restless activity, 
 with its eager striving after material success, 
 seems on its face less devoted to things eternal 
 than some older cities, but its heart is fed fj'om 
 the same Source of Power, though it proclaims 
 not its name so loud. And its manifestations 
 of religion is different from that of fonner 
 days. It seeks to express itself in terms of life 
 rather than in terms of doctrine, in personality 
 rather than in form. 
 
 . This is why Thomas W. ^IcVety has come to 
 be the conspicuous representative of religion 
 in Streator that he is. It is because he has em- 
 bodied his i-eligion in his life, because it flows
 
 TFTF STORY OF STISKATOn. 
 
 135 
 
 through him not alono in the pulpit, but in 
 warm, personal contact witli his fellow men 
 through all the days and hours of the week. In 
 
 Tlioiiias W. McVety. 
 
 Ilim ii'liicioii is a vitalized liuiiuin foreo. pouring 
 throiigii iiini in a lite yivinii' strcaiM. in the <Mir- 
 dial iiand-sliakc, lln' wai-miiiL:- -mile, tlio irenial 
 
 T. W. McVety is minister of the Methodist 
 Episcopal church, but he is more. As Bishop 
 Westcott, of Durham, was called "Everybody's 
 Bishop, so may McVety be called Everybody's 
 Minister." He is the pastor of the unchurched. 
 If a sinner dies, a gambler or liquor dealer, who 
 is called to say the last words? Why McVety, 
 of course. He indulges in no false eulogies, 
 but neitlier does he harrow the mourners; with 
 sane, hoi)el'nl, tender words about life and death 
 he leaves the sinner to the mercy of God, and 
 from the living he takes not away the consola- 
 tion of whatever was good and tnie, and noble 
 in the life that has gone out. Out of sixty-six 
 funeral services Iield last year, over fifty of 
 them were for persons not members of his 
 cliurch. And at the sick bed, amid scenes of 
 ailiiction. wherever trouble touclies human life, 
 then' at the ring of tlie telephone will be found 
 the helping lumd of ^ic\'ety, and his healthy, 
 hearty, human personality. 
 
 In days of fierce denominational rivalry he 
 suffers not the narrowing of vision which be- 
 fogs littler men. He fears not to let his ener- 
 gies go out to otiier causes, even if they call for 
 money from his own members. So within a 
 month of this writing lie was the leader in the 
 raising' of funds for the completion of the Sal- 
 
 Mvlhud.^: ^i----'J. 
 
 iiurch. 
 
 sympatliy that spends itself alike on Jew and 
 gentile, tlie churched and the unchuiched — all 
 who can give or receive human kindness. 
 
 vation Armv building, and with lay help he 
 raised $4,500 in five days. A few years ago he 
 raised $10,000 for the Deaconess Hospital, Pe-
 
 136 
 
 THE STORY OF STRKATOR. 
 
 oria, and about the same time raised $9,000 in 
 Streator, with the help of his official boax'd, and 
 put his church out of debt. He has been the 
 chief stay of the Chautauqua movement among- 
 the ministers, and through storm and shine 
 has been its optimistic, energetic and sturdy 
 supporter. Last year he was its platform man- 
 ager, and is now its chairman of i^rogramme. 
 For five years he conducted single-handed the 
 Chautaucjua at Galesburg, and turned the profit 
 into the church. 
 
 The work of such a minister is no sinecure. 
 Turning out two sermons a Sundaj' — sei'mons 
 with brain and heart stuff in them — numerous 
 other addresses at home and out of town, fu- 
 neral sermons, prayer meetings, society and 
 business meetings, pastoral calls — 1,300 of them 
 last year — McA'ety has surely a strenuous life. 
 He has a magnificent church building, seat3 
 1,600 people, which is given freely to proper 
 public uses. The church has a membership of 
 more than six hundred, over two-thirds of 
 whom have joined since McYety came to 
 Streator. 
 
 He was bom in Sydenham, Ontario, Can- 
 ada, in 184ti, and took his degree at Toronto 
 University. Joined the Central Illinois Confer- 
 ence in 1885, and has filled its best charges — 
 Pontiac, Normal, Kankakee, Peoria, Gralesburg, 
 Streator . He has been here nine years and has 
 justified the change in the pastoral tenure, for 
 his long stay has made him the force in the city 
 that he is. He is Trustee of the Deaconess Hos- 
 pital, Peoria, Visitor of Wesleyan University, 
 Bloomington, Conference Examiner for 15 
 years, and has received the degree of B. D., 
 M. A., Ph. D., and as this is being written. Doc- 
 tor of Divinity. But he wears his scholastic 
 title .suggested in this article — "Everybody's 
 Minister." 
 
 J. C. BARLOW 
 
 The histoiy of real estate development in 
 Streator could not be written without including 
 the name of J. C. Barlow. For a quarter of a 
 century he has been a striking figure in real es- 
 tate movements, and an aggressive and con- 
 spicuously successful operator. Incidental to 
 his real estate operations he has been an exten- 
 sive builder of houses, and a promo tor of the 
 growth of the city. He has always been a 
 prominent worker in the various societies, un- 
 der different names, for the development of 
 the city; has been active in the location of fac- 
 
 tories, or in any line of effort calculated to up- 
 build the material welfare of the town. An in- 
 tense and aggressive personality, he has made 
 his power felt in any direction that called for 
 liis effort. At all times he has stood ready 
 with donations of money or land to assist manu- 
 facturing or other projects that appealed to him 
 as calculated to build up the town. 
 
 Commenting on this fact Mr. Barlow re- 
 marked: "Yes, it is true I have always stood 
 ready to do my share for Streator with money, 
 land or personal eff'ort, but please observe that 
 I ask no credit for it. I have had large real es- 
 tate interests here, and I have always felt tliat 
 anything' spent in upbuilding the town was an 
 investment and that some day it would all come 
 back to me. I suppose most men are influenced 
 
 J. C. Barlow. 
 
 by similar motives, and I want no undeserved 
 bouquets for what I have done for the upbuild- 
 ing of Streator. This is my home. I expect to 
 end my days here, and it is natural I should 
 want to see it prosper. To this end I am will- 
 ing now, as in the past, to devote my very best 
 efforts and services. But please let there be 
 no flowery eulogies in your "write-up" of me. 
 Put me down simply among the men of Strea- 
 tor who have done their best for the advance- 
 ment of the city." 
 
 Mr. Barlow's wish will be respected; and, 
 indeed his deeds have carved his name deeper 
 on the map of Streator than could any expres- 
 sions of the writer, however laudatory. He be- 
 gan operating in real estate in 1882, and his 
 first experiments were in buying lots and build-
 
 THi: STf)r!\ <H' STKi: \TOI{. 
 
 137 
 
 iufr woikiiion'.s houses on them, afterwards 
 selling tlieni on monthly payments. This sup- 
 plied a need in a fast growing town, and be- 
 came very profitaljle. lie then began the ac- 
 (|uirem(':it of busiu('-;s property, and became 
 owner or ]>nrtner in fifteen lioidings, being the 
 largest individual owner of ]\rain street prop- 
 erty in the city. He became a sub divider of 
 acre jjniiicrty, and laid out live imiwrtant ad- 
 ditions, most of wiiicli lie has sold o(f in lots. 
 lie has also worked off 150 acres in one and 
 two-acre tracts, all rejiresenting a series of op- 
 eratiniis of large scope and value. 
 
 The otal.lisliiiH'iit of the :Motor Car Works 
 and tiie Metal Stamiiiiig Company are due to 
 the money and credit furnished by Mi: Barlow, 
 lie has now retired from active coimection with 
 tliem. but it sliduld lie remcuibcred that what- 
 ever they accompiisii fni- Streator will be in 
 large measure due to Mr. IJarlow's contribution 
 — which may involve a serious sacrifice. 
 
 .1. C. B.nrlnw was Ixtrn in Middleporl. Ohio, in 
 ISJS, jiiid removed to a farm, handed down 
 from revolutionary ancestors, near Oallipol's. 
 Ohio, in iuf'.tn'v. lie staid on I'le ";'vm un*il 
 ]!*, aiKi it wa> wiieu leavMig for Tlliiuiis that 'le 
 li'-^t i-aw a r.iilroad 'rain. IK- "i.lered ii:Jo par:- 
 uersliip with his hri)t]icr, I?. S. liarlnw. in the 
 >hoe busiue-s in Pekiu. Illinois, and in 1874 
 m()\t>d ti> Streatnr and cnnrnmed in the same 
 line i>f liusincss. After aliout eigiit years he 
 liranciied into the real estate business, which, as 
 before staled, became his life work. 
 
 NATHANIEL McINTYRE 
 
 PIONEER. 
 
 It is fitting that "The Story of Streator" 
 should contain a recor<l of the life of one of 
 tliose ])ionccrs of llic ]irairic whicji the early 
 days of Illinois ]»roduccd, and whose like we 
 shall not look on again. Such a life was that 
 of Xathaniel Mtdntyre, who sjient most of his 
 days on his farm in Allan Township, east of 
 Streator, l)ut who came to tiie city in the clos- 
 ing years of his life. lie was born of Scottish 
 ])arents near Colerain, Ireland, in 183-1, and died 
 in Streatoi- in 1!)()8. Strong, rugged. ]n-oud of 
 his Scottish blood, he was a powerful ]ierson- 
 ality, a natural leader of men, and he played a 
 great part in the early develojiment of the 
 county. At the time of his jjassing an appre- 
 ciation of him was written by the editor of 
 this vohune, a portion of which is here repro- 
 duced : 
 
 ''What need of tears for a man who has 
 been liere for 74 years and has lived, fullj', 
 richly, strenuously, eveiy minute of the time! 
 For the man wlio has l)een here but has not 
 lived, M-ho has shut the door of his mind, who 
 has refused to look at beauty, who never has 
 been stirred by the pulses of sym])athy — for 
 such a life we may weep, and we may nu^uru 
 for liim as for one who has been deaf, dumb 
 and blind. He has touched but not tasted life. 
 He has had his chance, and missed it. But for 
 the life that has been lived to the full, what is 
 there but a song of joy, a ])aen of thankfulness 
 that such a life has been lived by our side, in 
 strong comradeship and manful courage. 
 
 Nathaniel Mclntyre. 
 
 A Belated Rob Roy. 
 
 "It is witli such a joy that I contemplate 
 the life of Nate Mclntyre. Not for him is the 
 crown of the saint and martyr. No meek and 
 lowly follower of passionless perfection was 
 he. No! Rather rough, rugged and aggressive 
 was Mclntyre, like liis ancestors, the turbulent 
 chiefs of the Scottish border, a man to take and 
 give hard blows, a sort of belated Rob R03-, 
 cast by the accident of time on the raw and 
 unbroken prairies of Illinois. But in the per- 
 spective of time his form looms large against 
 the background of the ])rairie, picturseque as 
 the historic figures of Scottish chiefs against 
 the hills of Scotia; and he towered big and 
 masterful among the men of the plains as did 
 Rob Roy among the clans of the Highlands. 
 Always when 1 went out to the old farm and 
 sat down to enjoy his hospitiility the old saying
 
 138 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 ever came to my mind: "Wherever McGregor 
 sits, there is the head of the table.' 
 
 If Mclntyre Had Left His Memoirs. 
 
 '■What a history of pioneer life might 
 have been written if some Turgneneff could 
 have recorded the memories of Mclntyre! 
 With what interest have I listened hour after 
 hour to the graphic narrative of the daring and 
 doing of those days, as they fell with gripping 
 spell from his lips. Comedy, tragedy, pathos, 
 he was equally master of, and he did 
 not lack the eye for the epic, the heroic note, 
 in the great drama of settling the new world in 
 which he played so ijrominent a part. For he 
 was not born a pioneer, and so he brought an 
 eye to it trained under other standards. To 
 hands accustomed for ten years to nothing- 
 harder than dr>' goods the plough handle felt 
 veiy rough, and eyes used to city streets found 
 a new vista in the wide stretches of untamed 
 prairie. When the "Call of the Wild" came to 
 him it found a soul sensitive to its hardships, 
 but strong as steel to endure and master 
 them. 
 
 The Master Mind of His Parish. 
 
 Mclntyre was guide, counselor and friend 
 to his neighborhood. In politics and business 
 his was for forty years the master mind, and 
 he was counsellor in law, and often in love and 
 marriage, to the entire coimtry. He composed 
 domestic troubles, received confidences, wrote 
 wills, and often served as spiritual as well as 
 legal advisor to his parish, and many are the 
 intimate domestic secrets of Allen and Otter 
 that were buried with him. His power was 
 great in his province, and he used it wisely. 
 His example was always for progi'ess. Before 
 his neighbors had passed the big barn and lit- 
 tle shanty stage, Mclntyi'e had a steam heated 
 house, a piano in it, daily papers .nid maga- 
 zines on his tables, and sent his children to 
 college to be educated. 
 
 He Saved the School Land.s. 
 
 "In ]niblic matters the victoiy he was most 
 proud of was the saving to Allen of the school 
 land. This he did by sheer force of personal- 
 ity, contrary to law, and contrarj^ to the will 
 of the majority. But he always gloried in it, 
 and Allen township owes a debt which it can 
 never repay to the man who refused to sacri- 
 tice the children of the future to the greed of 
 the living generation. He was proud, too, of 
 building the county court house, which he did 
 as chairman of the supervisors' committee in 
 charge, and of thwarting the ringsters and 
 
 grafters of his time who were seeking to plun- 
 der tlie county. 
 
 He Was Greater Than His Deeds. 
 
 "But Nate Mclntyre was bigger than his 
 deeds. It needs such lives to remind os that a 
 man may play his part greatly witliout doing 
 anything that will cause his name to go down 
 to postei-ity in marble or bronze. There is an 
 immortality far more enduring in the pervasive 
 influence of 2)ersonality which leaves its im- 
 press on the lives of other men and is carried 
 in the blood currents and in the brain tissues 
 of the race, and this is an immortality which 
 no accident of time or change can efface. And 
 it may be said in conclusion that Mclntyre 
 had no faith in any other form of immortality, 
 and it should be an inspiration to every lover 
 cf his kind that he was able to live his life 
 greatly, largely, loyally, though often solitary 
 and misunderstood, without hope of future re- 
 ward, without fear of future inmishment, sus- 
 tained only by faith in the worth of life and 
 ;he joy of human fellowship. 
 
 "He lived a great life. I rejoice that he 
 lived it largely and humanly. For the rest 
 there is faith; confidence that whatever the 
 Land of Shadows may hold for him he will 
 meet it in the spirit of the hero of Browning's 
 Epilogue, and, like him. 'Greet the unseen with 
 .•I cheer.' " 
 
 RUDOLPH D. KLINE 
 
 If he who causes two blades of grass to 
 grow where only one grew before is a public 
 benefactor, what shall be said of him who 
 raises thirty-five thousand dollars worth of 
 crops on eighty acres of land that one year be- 
 fore was a wild and boggy swamp? 
 
 This is the story of a Streator man who jier- 
 formed that wonderful feat. Rudolph D. Kline 
 is a gardener by the grace of Nature and his 
 own genius. Where Edison and Tesla discover 
 the hidden powers of nature in ions and mole- 
 cules, Kline finds them in the dirty and de- 
 spised mud of neglected swamps. Where the 
 millionaire promoter makes his millions by 
 taking them away from other people, Kline 
 makes his thousands by extracting them from 
 unutilized mud beds and thus adding to the ac- 
 tual wealth of the world. 
 
 Kline made his first entry into Streator as a 
 youtli of twenty-one, on top of a wagon load of 
 garden truck. It was in the sumnier of 1867, 
 and there was a miners' strike on at the time.
 
 THK STORV OF STKi: \TOIJ. 
 
 135 
 
 lie came from Henry, II]., where he was run- 
 ning a small ti-uek garden. His green stuff 
 found a ready market and he came again and 
 yet again, and every time he came he found 
 pronii)t and willing customers. This impressed 
 the young gardener, and ho finally concluded to 
 move his garden to Streator instead of hauling 
 the product here. 
 
 He came to Streator in 1877, and with his 
 lather bonulit tiie Kline homestead near Coal- 
 vdle. and built the family residence on it. Af- 
 ter seven years of gardening in partnership 
 with his father, he went into hnsiue>s for him- 
 self, and was employed in retail gardening for 
 fifteen years. Later he formed a ])artnership 
 with his brother to engage in wholesale garden- 
 ing, which ])artnersliip sfill continues under 
 the firm name df Kline P>i-i>thers. • 
 
 Uudolph 1). Kline. 
 
 I'laik Sludio 
 
 It was during this wide and varied exjier- 
 ience in retail and wholesale gardening that he 
 acquired the knowledge and technique that was 
 to tit him for the imjiorfant work of his life. 
 Among the pieces of land that he had worked 
 in Streator there was one twenty acx'C tract that 
 was swampy. In reclaiming this swamp he 
 found out the secret of converting bogs into 
 gold mines, and when a hunting trip took him 
 through the great Kankakee swamp he knew 
 that he had struck the Promised Land. When 
 the time came for the great drainage ditch to 
 be cut tlirough this swamp, ^Ii-. Kline backed 
 his faith witli his cash and bought veven hun- 
 dred acres of combined water and bog. What 
 was the result? Take the stoiy of one 80-acre 
 tract as a concrete example: 
 
 A Wonderful Story. 
 
 On December 31, 1910, this tract was a wild 
 and trackless bog in the heart of the Kankakee 
 swamp. On January 1, I'Jll, Kline moved on it 
 with his force of workmen. They gnibbod it, 
 tiled it, fenced it, built houses, barns and sheds, 
 and planted it to onions and potatoes. 
 
 Within one year of getting the title for this 
 tract of land, for which he had paid sixty dol- 
 lars per acre, I\Ti-. Kline raised and sold a crop 
 on it, for which he received in excess of thirty- 
 live thousand dollars ($35,000.00.) 
 
 Forty acres of this land were planted to on- 
 ions, twenty to potatoes, and twenty remained 
 as woodland i)as)ure. l\>rty cai-loads of onions 
 were shipped from this field. One acre yielded 
 900 bushels of onions, and as high as $2.25 per 
 bushel was received for some of' the product, it 
 being regarded as of very sujierior .juality. 
 
 Mr. Kline owns seven hundred acres of" this 
 swamp land, of which two hundred are under 
 cultivation. He raises corn and other farm 
 crojjs, as well as the more concentrated crops, 
 such as onions, potatoes, cabbages, etc. His 
 sales last year were about $(30,000, which is 
 lirobably the greatest value ever i)roduced on 
 two hundred acres of land in Illinois or Indiana. 
 
 'riie land is worked on a coiniirehcnsive plan. 
 II is divided info ten locations, eacii with its 
 a|iprn])riafc buildings, machinery and work- 
 ing force, i hiring the busy season ]Mr. Kline 
 uses two automobiles to haul extra gangs of men 
 men from place fo ])lacc. 
 
 ^hich of the land is under water, and has to 
 be dyked to protect it from overflow. He is 
 now engaged in dyking a large tract, which he 
 will drain by gasolene ]nimp. The water de- 
 velo]ied inside the dykes will be ])iped to a 
 large swamp, and from there pumped into the 
 main drain. 
 
 Depopulate the Slums. 
 
 As Burbank, tiie wonder worker, has spe- 
 cialized on i)lant species, so Kline has s])ecial- 
 ized on soils. AVhen he found that the soil of 
 Illinois had become too dry for onions and po- 
 tatoes, he searched for the" right soil conditions 
 elsewhere and found them in the Kankakee 
 swainjis. He sjiecialized on onions, and thev 
 I'-aid him $30,000 last year. All his life he ha"s 
 been a student of intensive fanning. His suc- 
 cess entitles him to be regarded as an expert, 
 and his ojunions have the additional value of 
 coming from a man who has worked them out 
 with his own hands and brains. Asked his 
 o])inion on the "back to the land" movement, 
 he replied:
 
 140 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 "I believe the fann has been the backbone 
 and will be the salvation of onr nation. I 
 think it is easily possible to balance the popula- 
 tions of city and conntiy. By intensive cnl'd- 
 vation the farm workers can be greatly increas- 
 ed and the congestion in the slum districts of 
 the cities relieved. Ten acres of Illinois soil 
 woiild support a family in affluence. With ev- 
 
 ducer; one who has added to the wealth of the 
 world; a witness to the fact that it is still pos- 
 sible to earn a competency in America without 
 impoverishing your neighbor by so doing. 
 
 What has he done? What is his contribu- 
 tion to the wealth of the world? 
 
 He has taken a common garden vegetable, 
 specialized in it. raised it to such a potency 
 
 Residence of R. D. Kline. 
 
 ery section road made of brick, an electric rail- 
 way every three miles, with small farmiu,-^- com- 
 umnities dotting the landscape at short inter- 
 vals, with eveiy 10 acre tract supporting a fam- 
 ily, fann life in Illinois would be a paradise, 
 and its ob\ious advantages would soon depopu- 
 late the slums." 
 
 EDWARD C. KLINE 
 
 This is the story of a man who learned to 
 do one thing better than any one else in his 
 generation. 
 
 The world will pay for the superlative; and 
 so it has rewarded this man with a competency, 
 though he is yet only in the prime of life. 
 
 He started for himself at 21 years of age, 
 without capital. All that he has has literally 
 come out of his own hands and l)raiiis. He has 
 not taken it away from anybody else by ex- 
 change, speculation or promotion. Hj is a pro- 
 
 tiiat its productiveness is trebled and its qual 
 ity i^' more than doubled, as measiiied by its 
 price in the market. What Burbank has done 
 for the daisy and the cactiis, Ed. Kline has 
 done, in a degree, for the asi3aragus plant; and 
 today his jjroduct is quoted in our markets at 
 twice the price of the ordinary variety, and 
 there is never any shrinkage in the demand. 
 
 How did he achieve this success? 
 
 In the old, old way. By intense application, 
 by days and nights of unremitting labor, by un- 
 flagging vigilance, and by the imrescrved giv- 
 ing of every power of mind and body to his 
 work. He studied the nature of the plant, its 
 food, its diseases, .and its housing. He learned 
 that it need to be stuffed like a tubercular pa- 
 tient, and so he plied it with plant foods, fer- 
 tilizers and the like, till it could absorb no 
 more. He found its soil needed to rest each al- 
 ternate year, and so he invented a movable 
 STeen house, which can be moved with wonder- 
 ful economv of labor. With this movable ap-
 
 THi: STOKV <>|- STKKATOIS. 
 
 141 
 
 pliance, on wliicii lie has a basic patent, he is 
 able to inai<e liis seventeen liouses do the \rork 
 of one hnndred of tlie stationniy sort, and 
 makes it jiossibh' for lijni to alternate his as- 
 paraiius plots with a niiuinnini of cost. 
 
 He studied soils and found that no two are 
 alike; that what is food for one is jioison for an- 
 other, and so he studied his own ground witli 
 jnicroscoj)ic care, found just what elements it 
 needed, and fed them those and no other. He 
 thinks nothing of spending $■_'()() on an acre of 
 land if it needs it. and no year gets by without 
 his putting back a hundred dollars into each 
 acre. 
 
 There is no magic 
 
 of E. C. Kline has been won 
 in it; there is no luck. It is simply a matter of 
 absolute self-devotion to a given end. For many 
 years of his life he practically lived in his 
 green-houses. He thought, breathed, lived as- 
 jiaragus. He was rarely down town, or found 
 at clubs, sports or anniscments. He ga\e all 
 the ]iowers of a strong and powerful nature to 
 the producing of a larger and tenderer stalk of 
 asparagus than anybody else, and he succeeded. 
 He has made the Kline product the standard of 
 America. 
 
 After achieving his aml)ition as a gardener, 
 he has turned the direction of his intense nature 
 
 Kesidence o£ E. C. Kline. 
 
 The subject of seed was investigated with 
 care. H was found to be intimately connected 
 with the question of disease. He traveled hun- 
 dreds of miles, visited the most noted gardens 
 of the country, counseled witli the most exper- 
 ienced gardeners — and then drew his own con- 
 clusions. He observed that the great asparagus 
 plague — the rust — moved across the country 
 like the human plagues. He noticed that the 
 locations earliest attacked became immune, and 
 conceived the idea of immunizing his own beds 
 by inculcating them with seed of plants already 
 infected. He apjilied his idea, and lo! it worked. 
 AVhile others have lost their crops, his have re- 
 mained ))ractically unscathed. 
 
 It is by such arts as these tliat the success 
 
 toward public service. Finding liimself in con- 
 flict witii one of the big public utility corpora- 
 tions of the city, he engaged it in combat single 
 handed, and whatever nuiy be its final outcome, 
 he has displayed a zeal, an energy, a public 
 spirit which has won him the ajiproval of a 
 large body of his fellow citizens. He was presi- 
 dent of the Streator Chautauqua for two years; 
 an ardent progressive, he was a delegate to the 
 fioosevelt convention in Springfield, and has 
 also been active in religious and public service. 
 As he is still a young man, tilled with the en- 
 ergy of youth, and with a passion for social 
 righteousness, he will yet be heard from as one 
 of the constnictive forces shajiiug the future of 
 his citv and countrv.
 
 142 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 Edward C. Kline was born in Henry, 111., in 
 1873, came to Streator in 1878, and has lived 
 liere, working at his profession as a gardener 
 
 Edward C. Kline. 
 
 ever since. He stands ont as one of the strong 
 characters of the town — a man who has learned 
 to do one thin"- better than anvone else. 
 
 L. P. HALLADAY 
 
 The latest factory to be established in 
 Streator is that of the L. P. Halladay Com- 
 pany, devoted to the maunfacture of automo- 
 bile specialties. As these lines are being writ- 
 ten the wheels of the new factory are turning, 
 and they have been turning for ten days. Busy 
 hands are at work, and it will not be long be- 
 fore the new truss roof brick building, with its 
 50x133 feet of space, will be a humming liive of 
 industry. 
 
 It is of special significance to Streator that 
 Mr. Halladay should ei-ect his new factory 
 here, for this city is no untried experiment to 
 him as a manufacturing point. He has been en- 
 
 gaged in manufacture here before; in fact he 
 was the pioneer builder of autos here, and was 
 the founder of the Streator Metal Stamping 
 Works. The auto made by the Streator Motor 
 Car Company — the Halladay — still carries his 
 name across the continent, and a number of the 
 valuable patents held by the Streator Metal 
 Stamping Com2)any were invented and patented 
 by him. He was a one-third owner and at the 
 head of tlie manufacturing dei)artment of those 
 concerns, when in IDDll he sold out his interest 
 to Messrs Barlow & Chubbuck. 
 
 After selling out he continued his manufac- 
 turiTig exi)erience. He went with tlie Stavei 
 Company as manager of their automobile de- 
 partment, having full charge of engineering 
 and designing, as well as of the manufacture 
 of cars. In 1911 he went into business for him- 
 self again, organizing the L. P. Halladay Com- 
 pany for the manufacture of his own special 
 inventions. He started the new company in 
 Chicago, remained there a year, then moved his 
 establishment to Streator, and erected the new 
 Halladay factory building. Asked what con- 
 siderations induced him to return, lie replied 
 frankly: 
 
 "I came back because I like the character 
 of the people, and because of the good friends 
 I made when here before. In that sense the in- 
 ducements were purely human, friendly and 
 "(lersonal. One's friends make a large part of 
 life outside the factory, and it is worth a good 
 deal to live in a town where you like the people 
 and they like you. Congenial companion.ship, 
 sociability, good fellowship, was the first con- 
 sideration; but I could hardly have come on 
 that ground alone, if Streator had not been a 
 good place for my business. I think it the best 
 town around here for manufacturing. It has 
 Chicago beat in many ways. I can have a good 
 biiilding here at a price I can afford to pay. 
 My transfer bills are not half as high. Conges- 
 tion of Chicago freight is avoided, and we can 
 get much quicker raih'oad action. Best of all 
 we can get much better labor here, at the same 
 wage scale. These and many other advantages 
 brought me back. There was no bonus, no gift 
 of land, everything is paid for, there are no ob- 
 ligations between Streator and me, honors are 
 even, and I'm glad to be back again among 
 friends." 
 
 Mr. Halladay has spent a busy life, working 
 with hands and brain, inventing and making 
 devices of metal. Born in Auburn, N. Y., in 
 1864. he came in infancy to Chicago with his 
 familv, had a common school education and en-
 
 THI-: STOI5V OK STI{i:.\TOI{. 
 
 143 
 
 tered liis fatlior's faotoiy at the age of fourteen 
 and learned tlie trade of machinist. He had an 
 all-around experience on the road and in the 
 factory, which his faflier owned in partuer.sliip 
 with (Jen. .MacArlhur. AVlien the bicycle boom 
 came he and his father established the Marion 
 Cycle Works at Marion, Ind. After remaining 
 there twelve years he started a factory for 
 jnaimfai'turing music racks, wliicli was later 
 brouglit to Streator and became the foundation 
 of the Streator Metal Stamping Works. 
 
 All his life he has been a pmlific inventor. 
 In tlie r. S. patent ollice there stand credited 
 to him 57 patents, most of them on useful spe- 
 cialties. (Juitc a luiinlx'r are on the music rack, 
 (•ar]iet sweej^'r and baby go-cai't, which liave 
 been made here by the Metal Stamping Com- 
 l)any. Many of the special tools ami devices to 
 
 invention that is not only to make the fame of 
 Halladay, Init also add to the fortune of Strea- 
 tor. 
 
 L. p. Halladay 
 
 economically mamifacturo tliese novelties are 
 the i)roducts of his fertile brain, some of them 
 disjilacing costly and complicated processes by 
 a simple contrivance. The specialties now oc- 
 cupying his attention are attachments for auto- 
 mobiles, and include bumpers, side lever sets, 
 brake sets, side tire irons, rear tire irons, 
 strainers, oil can holders and number pad 
 holders. 
 
 His brain at 48 is just at the maximum of 
 its ])ower. trained and disciiilined in the pro- 
 duction of 57 iiatcnt(>d inventions. It is still 
 teeming with ideas not yet visualized or made 
 tangible, and perhaps it is yet to bring forth an 
 
 LL GRAVES, MACHINIST 
 
 Theoretically this should be a writo-nii of a 
 machine slioii. witli a description of its lathes, 
 presses, macliincry and ecjuipment to turn out 
 work. Instead it will be the story of a man of 
 genius who tried to harness himself to the 
 routine work of the shoi), but who l)roke his 
 tugs and got away to a field more congenial to 
 his talents. 
 
 li. L. Graves is a niaciiinist by tlie grace of 
 God and his own brain-seared experience. He 
 knows the throb of an engine like the Scotch 
 engineer in Kipling's story, and can tell its 
 ailments by its heart beat as well as any physi- 
 <-ian can diagnose a pulse. He knows its parts 
 as an osteopath knows anatomy, and with a far 
 more intimate sense of personality. I-'or an en- 
 gine to him is a living thing; he speaks of it as 
 "she," and he enters into its feelings, its 
 moods, its diseases as a good doctor enti'rs inti> 
 sympathy with liis patient.. l)ut his remedies 
 are more iiit'allil)le tliaii those of the materia 
 meuica, for they are of iron and steel, and when 
 apjilied by the hand of an expert they never 
 fail to yield uniform results in each case. 
 
 Long experience in his specialty has given 
 "Lew" Graves a skill in diagnosis and treat- 
 ment of sick engines that is almost i)reternat- 
 ural. From a leaky valve, or a hot eccentric, to 
 an untnu' shaft, he knows e\'ery wlieeze or 
 creak or strain, and by listening with his ears 
 and hands he can tell just what medicine to ad- 
 minister. This is why his reputation as an 
 engine doctor has spread for miles around, and 
 he is sent for from distant villages and towns 
 as a consultant or operator. Little by little the 
 doing of routine machine shop work has ceased 
 to interest him. and he has been giving himself 
 more completely to this expert engine j)ractice. 
 Among his regular clients are great concerns 
 like the ^farquette Cement Company with their 
 2000 horse power Corliss engines, who have 
 called him regularly as a consultant for several 
 years. The American Bottle Company, the 
 Public Seiwice Comjiany, the various brick and 
 coal concerns of the city, in fact eveiybody 
 for miles around, who has an engine knows the 
 name of Graves and sends for him when in 
 trouble. 
 
 L. L. Graves and his father came to Strea-
 
 144 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 tor in 1875, and opeued a macliiue shop and 
 foimdiy. At tliat time Col. Plumb was building 
 his lines of railroad into Streator, and they did 
 the machinist work for these lines. In 1880 
 the father died, and L. L. Graves personally 
 took up the work. The mining business was 
 then at its height and the business of the shop 
 ran in the direction of mining machinery. 
 "Lew" Graves was the first man in America 
 to build a coal cutting machine to work in a 
 "long wall" or low seam. John Kangley, a no- 
 ted mine operator of those days, brought the 
 idea to Graves and he worked it out. The ma- 
 chine was a success and on one occasion, under 
 favorable conditions, made an undercut of 
 three feet 1,000 yards in one day. Twenty ma- 
 chines were built and operated, but it was 
 found they could not be ]jrotected liy ])atent, 
 and so were abandoned. Other of Graves' ideas 
 
 L. L. Graves was born in Eockford. Illinois, 
 in 1856. lie came to Streator in 1875 and has 
 made his home here ever since. 
 
 L. L. Graves. 
 
 went into the Cyclone ventilating fan for mines, 
 which had a wide use; others into safety 
 catches, hoisting engines and the like. 
 
 For the past ten years, for reasons before 
 stated, the Graves machine shop has been giv- 
 ing more time to repair work than to original 
 construction. The reputation of Mr. Graves as 
 an engine expert and the calls for his services 
 for treatment of engine troubles, makes it ne- 
 cessary for the force of his factory to hold 
 themselves in readiness to take care of i-epair 
 work when the master sends it in, and often it 
 necessitates the working day and night until 
 the job is completed. 
 
 PHILLIP SCHLACHTER, JR. 
 
 MASTER WORKMKAN. 
 
 Phillip t*>'!cljiacliter, Jr., is an example of edu- 
 cation by manual training. He concluded his 
 course in the Streator common schools at about 
 12 years of age, and begun his manual training 
 in his father's planing mill. Phillip does not 
 claim to have completed his course, for, as he 
 says, "there is always something to learn;" 
 but he has earned the degree of "Master Work- 
 man," bestowed on him by universal consent, 
 and justified by his works, which are found all 
 over Streator. 
 
 Xo better teacher of the art of wood-work- 
 ing ever came to the west than Phillip Schlach- 
 ter, Sr., the fatlier of the l)oy who went under 
 liis tutelage at twelve. Phillip, the elder, came 
 from Mannheim, Germany, in 1880, and had a 
 genius for building that is rarely equaled. He 
 put young Phil at a moulding machine, and 
 taught him to make his knives and to properly 
 grind and temi)er them. Tliis making of knives 
 for machines was hard and exacting work, but 
 Phil looks back on it as the most important 
 part of his training in mill work. He then took 
 the turning lathe and made porch columns, 
 rewell posts, si)indle work, etc., and then was 
 jjromoted to the sash and door machine, then to 
 stair buihling, and finally to cabinet work. This 
 was the culmination of liis training in exact- 
 ness, for a mistake of the hundredth part of an 
 inch might spoil the job. With all this went 
 hand work, drawing and designing, and later 
 when he became his father's assistant the work 
 of planning and estimating buildings and the 
 foundations of architecture. 
 
 During this long ap]irenticesliip Phil got a 
 first hand knowledge of the nature of mater- 
 ials, an exi)erience of a])i)lied geometry and the 
 art of measurement, a grasp of the princiiiles of 
 heating, plumbing, ventilation and all the wide- 
 ly related sciences that touch on modem house 
 construction. Nor did his education leave out 
 tlie culture of the humanities, for with ar- 
 chitectiire came in the knowledge of proportion, 
 symmetry, design, and the principles of color 
 harmonies, decoration and ornament. And so 
 Pliilljp Schlachter, Jr. stands at forty-two, hav-
 
 THK STOHY OF STItDATOR. 
 
 145 
 
 mg left scliool at twelve, a broadly ediu-ated 
 man, Streator's first [graduate of manual 
 traiiiin*^. 
 
 IJis b^l^^iIless lias grown a])aoe. He is owner 
 of the Streator Saw and Planing Mill, and does 
 a large genend i-ontractiiig busine-s. builds 
 liDUscs and business linildings, and deals in 
 lumber, eement and mill work. Among the 
 monuments of his builder's craft are the lialpli 
 Plumb school, the Schlitz building, the D. C. 
 .Murray and A. II. Sliay residem-es, etc. 
 
 lie was the lirst Streatur liuilder to venture 
 on concrete work, and built his own residence of 
 that material ten years ago. With the growth 
 of that business he has ki-pt at the front, and 
 
 Philip SclilacUltr 
 
 gone largi'ly into ('('mcnf constrnctioii. lb- lias 
 built eiglit cuiicicte luidgcs for the State High- 
 way ('ommissioii. lie did tiie concrete work for 
 the M(d<inley intenirban line, and the excava- 
 tion and concrete for tlie new Bridge street 
 bridge, lie also wholesales cement. Keceutly 
 he sold 7,<l()(t liai-rels in Franklin County, 111. 
 
 In addition to a full line of out-door and in- 
 terior mill-work, the Schlachter ])laning mill 
 carries on a special line of manufacturing. It 
 makes drawing boards, drafting tools and other 
 novelties. Now in jirocess of consummation is 
 an order for 500 patented Triangle T S(iuares 
 for the Los Angeles Board of Education for the 
 use of the schools in that city. 
 
 MR. AND MRS. LOUIS M. HARVEY 
 
 There is one place in the world where per- 
 
 sonality is the chief asset, and that is in manag- 
 ing a hotel. This is a story of how a young 
 cou|ile, without money or ''pull," solelj' by vir- 
 tue of their sunny dispositions and a genius for 
 friendliness, have turned failure into success 
 and made for themselves an envied position in 
 the hotel world. It is a pleasant story, for it is 
 one of those rare romances where the two lives 
 became literally as one, and where not only the 
 hearts but the heads and the hands wei-e joined 
 in united labor and comradeship to ujibuild the 
 stnicture of their fortune. 
 
 The first thing Mr. Harvey said to the writer 
 was: "I want you to be sure to give Mrs. Har- 
 vey eqiml credit with me for any success we 
 have won in the hotel business." 
 
 And she <leserves it. For if the essential of 
 success in hotel keeping is personality, Mrs. 
 Harvey has it ])lus. Not only pleasing in 
 <peech and jierson, but with rare charm and 
 kindliness of manner, she is able to imjiart a 
 liome liki' atmosphere to the usually barren and 
 chilly walls of a hotel that makes it attractive 
 and inviting to weary travelers. Louis is equal- 
 ly fortunate in disposition. Large anil generous 
 in nature, as well as in stature, he has a smile 
 and ;i hand clasp that is a sure cure for the 
 lilues. Walking into the hotel the stranger 
 feels as if he is walking into the home of a 
 friend. There is attention to his wants, there 
 is ready information for him if he needs, and 
 cordial recognition and hearty greeting if he 
 lias been there before. Friendliness is a rare 
 i,nft. and a man must be born with it if it is to 
 liny; true. .Mr. and .Mrs. Harvey were born un- 
 der a friendly star, for their spontaneous gen- 
 iality s])rings from a real love of jieople, rather 
 tiian from the studied art of interested po- 
 liteness. 
 
 This is a jH'n picture of tiu' dual landlords. 
 Now what have they done? 
 
 When they took the Columbia Hotel in 
 1!I04, they luul on their hands a place that was 
 known as a failure. Louis had no money e.x- 
 cept what he had saved out of his salaiy for 
 the three years he had been clerk in the same 
 hotel. There were no rich relatives to give 
 tliem a '-boost." But Louis had a good hcr^.d, a 
 strong body and a brave heart. Mrs. Harvey, 
 too. had courage and ambition and was not 
 afraid to work. She took the housekeeping side 
 as licr province, and never were rooms kejtt 
 cleaner, or linen more spotless. She tried to 
 make each room home-like and cheerful, a place 
 where travelers would look foi^nard to with 
 jileasure. Louis took the dining room, kitchen 
 and front as his part of the work. He managed
 
 146 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 the labor, greeted tlie guests, and saw that the 
 tables were supplied with the best the season 
 at¥orded, and served in appetizing and pleasant 
 fashion. 
 
 What happened? 
 
 The business grew by leaps and bounds, and 
 the Columbia from being a morgue came to be 
 one of the liveliest and most prosperous hotels 
 in the state. Improvements followed. The 
 liouse was rebuilt, remodeled and refurnished. 
 And still the business grew. It became ne- 
 cessaiy to buy the old Arlington across the 
 street and add it to the Columbia as an annex. 
 
 lights, hot and cold ranning water, in fact all 
 the accessories of a first-class modern hotel. 
 The Clifton is fortunate in being situated on 
 the Fox river, on one of the most picturesque 
 spots in the state, and when the Harveys finish 
 adorning it, no more beautiful location can be 
 found for those wlio wish to combine the beauty 
 of nature with the comforts of a modem hotel. 
 
 Being asked the secret of hotel success, Mr. 
 Han'ey replied: "Give a man a good bed, a good 
 meal, and make the Y)\ace as much a liome for 
 him as possible. It is all the home he has, and 
 the best is none too good for the traveling 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Louis Harvey. 
 
 Again there was rebuilding, and tlie capacity 
 was raised to 85 rooms, "all ecjuipped with 
 electric light, telephones, hot and cold water, 
 box spring beds, hair mattresses, in fact, all 
 the adjuncts of a first-class, up-to-date hotel. 
 
 Still prosperity pursued the Harveys. And 
 so they had to expand again, tliis time taking 
 in the Clifton Hotel at the neighboring county 
 seat of Ottawa. Again there was reconstruc- 
 tion, redecorating, refurnishing. An addition 
 was built, and the capacity of "the hotel raised 
 to 110 sleeping rooms, 45 of them with baths. 
 An elevator was added, steam heat, electric 
 
 man." And Mrs. ITarvey added: "Give him 
 his money's wortli, and liave him appreciate it. 
 You can't do this without good help, and the 
 way to keep good help is to treat them right. 
 We have sojne people with us that liave been 
 here since we started in Imsiness. Add to this 
 personality, and you have the whole secret of 
 hotel keeping." 
 
 Both the landlords are still young, and look 
 the future in the face smilingly. Mr. Harvey 
 was born in Streator on January 11, 1881, and 
 got his education in tlie common and high 
 schools. His first work after leaving school was
 
 THK STOnV f)F STRFATOR. 
 
 147 
 
 as clerk in a lii>tc'l, and tliouf;;]! soarcoly turned 
 tlirci- dei.-ades, lias achieved that which many 
 hotel men fail to reach in a long life of service. 
 
 bus, and has served as district deput}'. At one 
 time secretary of the Citizens' League, he was 
 nominated as candidate of the law and or- 
 
 Indiiii^ as we hegun, i( is a case of jiersonality 
 -the (itting of the man to the vocation. 
 
 Columbia Hotel. 
 
 der foree.s for mavor of the citv, l)ut declined 
 
 B. T. KEATING 
 
 Mr. I>. 'I'. Keating is district inaMager of the 
 Mutual Life Insurance (."ouipany of New York. 
 and lias l)een in its service for twenty-iive years. 
 He has the distinction tif havin.g written the 
 second largest life insurance ]iolicy ever taken 
 out in tlie State of Illinois, the one" for $2.^)0,000 
 on the life of Mr. K". W. Crawford of this city. 
 Few agents stand higher with the comjiany, and 
 he has been olVeicd a state agency at a hand- 
 some salary and i>rei|ni>iles, l)ut lie j/refers to 
 remain in the old home. Mr. Keating luis also 
 been secretary ami manager of the Home Build- 
 ing & Loan Association for the i»ast eighteen 
 yeai-s, and has conducted its affairs with dis- 
 tinguished success. lie was for many years 
 president of the Father Matthew Total Abstin- 
 ence Society, was state treasurer of the Catholic 
 Total Abstinence Union, has l)een for several 
 terms (irand Knight of the Knights of Colum- 
 
 becau.se of disinclination for political activities. 
 Mr. Keating enjoys liigh consideration as a citi- 
 zen, and has won for himself a comfortable com- 
 petency and an honorable place in the esteem of 
 the community. 
 
 These facts are ><i'\ down liy the writer with 
 more emphasis than Mr. Keating would care to 
 jtlace on them, because they are the necessary 
 l)ackground of a story of achievement which is 
 one of the most inspiring in the book. Mr. 
 Keating 's life story reads like a romance. At 
 one time there were many like it in the old 
 world, but thauks to humane legislation, they 
 are gi-owing rarer. 
 
 Ife was born near the historic Bothwell 
 Castle on the river Clyde, in vScotland. in 1857. 
 His parents were from Armagh, Ireland. They 
 were jjoor, and young Barney, as was the cus- 
 tom in those days, had to go down into the coal 
 miiu's at nine years of age. Every morning at 
 five he had to descend into the pit, and there 
 were many winters that the poor lad never saw 
 the sun shine except on Sundays. But the boy 
 had a thirst for knowledge, and Scotland then
 
 148 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 as now, foremost in love of education, furnished 
 the pit-boy an opportunity. For seven years he 
 went to night school, grounded himself in the 
 fundamentals of an education, and finally quali- 
 fied himself as an engineer. 
 
 In 1882 the lure of the new world touched 
 the youth, and he sailed from Glasgow for the 
 land of dreams with only a steamship ticket and 
 ten dollars in his pocket. He came direct to 
 Streator, arriving here with only one penny in 
 his ]iocket. This penny he still prizes, and once- 
 paid $7.50 for its recovery after its loss in the 
 Heeiuin fire. 
 
 On airiving here, finding no worlc at his 
 trade, he found employment as a section hand 
 on tlie railroad at $1.10 per day. Later lie got 
 
 B. T. Keating. 
 
 worlc in the Coal Run mines as mule .Iriver, 
 which he accepted confidently, though Aviien lie 
 went to harness his mule it was t!ie first time lie 
 had e--.-er put strap to horse or mnle. Of course 
 he succeeded, as such assurance aud energy 
 must, and he became successively mule boss, 
 then engineer, and still later superiutendent of 
 the mine. In the latter capacity Mr. Keating 
 was the first to hoist coal out of the lower vein 
 in 8treator. 
 
 During his strenuous years in the mines he 
 passed through many vicissitudes and dangers 
 from mine floods and gas explosions. Still on 
 the_ sunny side of sixty, in the ripe maturity of 
 a vigorous manhood, he looks back on his hard- 
 ships with a smile; and if he has any pride in 
 
 any of it, it is in the achievements of the little 
 pit-boy, who, with coal-grimed eyes intent on 
 text book, studied out the rule of three in the 
 night schools of Scotland. In that lad was the 
 promise of the i^rosperous business man now re- 
 spected as one of Streator 's best citizens, Mr. 
 B. T. Keating. 
 
 M. A. BRONSON 
 
 If ever La Salle County lioasts an aristoc- 
 racy of "oldest families," tlie name of Bronson 
 will give its holders entrance into the inmost 
 circles; for the records of the county show the 
 Bronsons to have been among the earliest set- 
 tlers. The wing of the family represented by 
 M. A. Bronson settled near Deer Park and he 
 spent his infancy and boyhood on the parental 
 farm. He came to Streator in 1874 and has 
 since made tliis city his home. 
 
 Mr. Bronson is one of the most active and 
 lU'ominent factors in the democratic party in 
 La Salle County, and lias been a memjjer of the 
 democratic county central committee for ten 
 years. Whenever his ])arty has sought a win- 
 ning candidate for the county legislature it has 
 turned to M. A. Bronson, and not in vain. The 
 result is that lie is now serving hi ; eleventh 
 year as super\isor. During four of these years 
 he has served as chairman of the board, a dis- 
 tinction bestowed on but one other city super- 
 visor beside himself in the history of the 
 county. For the board of sujtervisors is con- 
 ti'olled by its fanner members, and between 
 these and the city members there is always 
 more or less contention because of the clash of 
 interests over land valuations for taxation pur- 
 jjoses. The chairman of the board of su]iervis- 
 ors is by virtue of his office a member of the 
 Board of Eeview, and that his farmer col- 
 leagues should have had the confidence in Mr. 
 Bronson to elect him to this ])()sition is an 
 honor rarely bestowed, and to be highly valued. 
 
 The supervisor is by law the Relief Officer 
 of the township, and to him the dependent poor 
 must apply for help. In the administration of 
 this office Mr. Bronson has had the wisdom to 
 a]iply, as far as the situation pennitted, the 
 principles of modern iih.ilanthropy. He has 
 associated himself with Women's Clubs and 
 Associated Charity workers, and co-operated 
 with them in having relief administered on 
 some well-considered and unified system. A 
 special worker has been employed, investiga- 
 tions made, records kept, and often heli^ful
 
 hi: stoijv ok sthi: \toi5. 
 
 149 
 
 counsel as weli as assistance in obtaining em- 
 ployment has been given the apijlicant. Mr. 
 Bronson's ten years' record as relief oflicer is 
 one of intelligent, jirai'ticiil licljifiilne'^s, a bene- 
 ficence that songiit to help witliout ijauperiziug 
 the beneficiarj'. 
 
 Mr. lironson has been active in all move- 
 ments looking to the welfare of the city. He is 
 a nieniber of the Conmieicial Club, of uumy fra- 
 ternal orders, and is the chainnau of the build- 
 ing committee which has just erected the s])len- 
 did structure for the Elks. He was born in 
 
 M. A. Bronson. 
 
 1850, near hetrnii. Mirliigan. came to La Salle 
 County in infancy, ant! has remained here 
 since. As a young man lie taught school at 
 jMackey's school house and in District Xo. (J, 
 while Streator was yet a handet Laler he was 
 clerk, then railway mail agent running between 
 Streator and Chicago, and later, and was for 
 twenty years the representatix c of the Anheu- 
 .ser-l'usch lirewing Coni])any. At present he is 
 the Streator representative of the V. Peter 
 SchoenliolVen llrewing Company, of Chicago. 
 
 W. G. FOSTER, ARCHITECT 
 
 AVhatever beauty of exterior Streator pos- 
 sesses, it owes iirimarily to the architect. Every 
 beautiful structure is fii-st an idea; then it must 
 be clotlied in form, and made suliservient to the 
 \ises of men. In recent years the man to whom 
 Streator owes nu)st of its structural beauty is 
 W. G. Foster. He it is who has designed many 
 
 of the fine residences and public buildings that 
 adorn the city. If a citizen wants to build a 
 new Lome or remodel an old one, his first step 
 is to call ou the architect. To him he will tell 
 the number and size of rooms, and his general 
 idea of the structure; but the matter of style, 
 design and ornament is left almost wliolly lo 
 the architect. Thus it comes that he is the most 
 potent educator of taste in the comnuinity. Ev- 
 ery structure he rears is a model which, con- 
 sciously or unconsciously, exerts its influence 
 ou every passerby; and thus not only the pres- 
 ent appearance of the city, but tiie taste of fu- 
 ture generations, depends largely on the ideas 
 of form embodied in the building which the 
 genius of the architect calls into being. 
 
 Streator is fortunate in possessing a resi- 
 dent architect trained in the best traditions of 
 arcliitectural art. W. G. Foster is a graduate 
 of the Tniversity of Illinois, and took there the 
 ] described course in architecture. Then fol- 
 lowed six years of strenuous i)rofessional work 
 in Ciiicago, in the olHces of some of its most 
 eminent architects, among them Howard Shaw, 
 the famous desigTier of residejice sti'uctures. 
 lie came to Streator in 1!M)S a.s a ]iartner in the 
 firm of Field iV: Foster, and since the death of 
 his partner has continued the business in his 
 own name. 
 
 The latest ci'eation of Mi-. Foster's genius is 
 the new I'^lks buihliiig, which tlie writer has 
 heard '•ailed the most jjcrfect club structure in 
 the coiuitry. 'J'his the artist has designed some- 
 what along Greek lines, modified by Colonial 
 tendencies. Its fine pro])ortions may be seen 
 in the cut shown elsewhere. Another impor- 
 tant building now under construction from his 
 plans is the St. Stephen's .scliool. 
 
 Perhaps the most jierfect examjjle of archi- 
 tecture of tlie Colonial type Streator jiossesses 
 is the new suburban residence of Mr. F. Plumb 
 in Marilla Park, the interior of which Mr. Fos- 
 ter regai'ds as strictly Colonial in style. The 
 building of the Williams Hardware Company, 
 shown elsewhere, represents tlie Foster idea in 
 store construction. Other recent stnictures 
 from the designs of Mr. Foster are the residen- 
 ces of Messrs. Schurman, E. C. Kline, Dr. Dor- 
 sey, W. E. Connors, St. Antliony's rectory and 
 the parocliial residence of Father p]gan in Eagle 
 township. He lias been called out of town to 
 design several churches, notably the Pnssbyter- 
 ian at Grand Kidge, the Baptist at Minonk, Xor- 
 wegian Lutlieran at Ottawa, and the German 
 Evangelical at Dixon, 111. 
 
 Mr. Foster is noted for the accuracy and 
 completeness in the drawing of his plans and
 
 150 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 specifications, and the writer lias heard it stat- 
 ed on authority of one of the biggest contract- 
 ing firms in Central Illinois that there are no 
 papers come into their office for estimates so 
 free from doubts and ambiguity as those of the 
 Streator architect. 
 
 The most important addition in recent years 
 to the architectural resources in the matter of 
 exterior facing of buildings is the dark vitri- 
 fied brick. Most of Streator 's important build- 
 ings have been faced with them in recent years, 
 and in Chicago their use is growing at a re- 
 markable rate. In view of Streator 's prospec- 
 tive expansion as a manufacturing point for 
 these brick, it is good to have a favorable ex- 
 pert opinion on them. Mr. Foster states with 
 deliberation that Streator vitrified brick have 
 no equal in the world for facing purposes; that 
 there are none produced that have . such rich, 
 deep shades, which can be ran down into the 
 blacks if desired. 
 
 W. G. Foster was born on a fami in Vennil- 
 lion County, Illinois, brouglit up as a farmer's 
 boy, took his early education in the common 
 schools and finished in the state university. 
 He is now building a residence in Streator, and 
 regards himself a permanent resident of 
 Streator. 
 
 M. MEEHAN, JOURNALIST 
 
 Wlien the industrial progress of Streator 
 was committed by the Commercial Club to the 
 liands of its new secretary, there were voices 
 heard asking the question: 
 
 "Who is this Mr. Meehan that has been en- 
 trusted with so important a position?" 
 
 It is a fair question, and the editor feels that 
 it should be answered in tliis book, "The Story 
 of Streator," which Mr. Meehan has been chief- 
 ly responsible in calling into existence. Ac- 
 cordingly he has prevailed on him to permit the 
 publication of such facts as the public is entit- 
 led to know about the new secretary of the 
 Commercial Club. 
 
 First, it should be explained that Mr. 
 ban is not a professional "write-up" 
 "The Story of Streator" is the first aud 
 work of the kind he has ever engaged in, and 
 the character of the book shows at a glance its 
 difference in conception and execution from the 
 usual advertising "write-ups." 
 
 Who then is Mr. Meehan? 
 
 He is a man who has given his whole life to 
 educational and newsj)aper work, the latter 
 
 Mee- 
 man. 
 only 
 
 years having been devoted wholly to editorial 
 writing- and control. He was born in Lindsay, 
 Ontario, Canada, in 1859, and received his edu- 
 cation in the public schools and at St. Basil's 
 College, Toronto. After a period in the book 
 trade, lie went into school work, the last six 
 years of which was spent as county superin- 
 tendent and principal of schools at Vermillion, 
 seat of the State University of South Dakota. 
 From teaching he went to journalism and 
 became editor and publisher of the Carthage 
 (AIo.) Daily Eeview. In 1896 he became editor 
 of the Joplin, (Mo.) Globe, and remained there 
 for six years. In 1902 he assumed the editorial 
 management of the Concord, New Hampshire, 
 Daily Pati'iot, and remained in charge for about 
 ten years until the paper was sold. While there 
 
 M. Meehan. 
 
 he was the intimate friend of iNlrs. Mary Baker 
 Eddy, and wrote a book of four hundred pages 
 called "History of the Great Mrs. Eddy Trial," 
 which sold at $5.00 per volume .He is also the 
 author of a volume on the New Hampshire pri- 
 maiy law. During his control of the Patriot the 
 paper celebrated its one hundredth anniver- 
 sary. After the sale of the paper he came west 
 ami assumed the liusiness management of the 
 Quincy (111.) Daily Journal, and remained 
 there nearly a year until illness compelled him 
 to undergo a serious ojieration in the hospital. 
 On recovering from his operation he was 
 made publicity manager of the great Missis- 
 sippi dam project at Keokuk, Iowa, and han- 
 flled all the newspapers between Burlington 
 and Hannibal, great and small, in the interest
 
 THE STORY OF STRKATOR. 
 
 151 
 
 of that enteiijrise. On concluding that engage- 
 ment, not (Ifsiriiig to iv-entor editorial woi-k, 
 he was atti-a<'te<l to Slreator, ami, l)eing much 
 impressed with it, determined to reiuaiu and 
 get out this volume. 
 
 On his return to the west from New Hamp- 
 shire Mr. M<'ehan brousiht witli liim a sheaf of 
 personal letters from men emiMcnt in pul)lic 
 life, testifying to his worth in manj- capacities, 
 v\-hich any man might be jiroud to earn by a 
 life time of liii^di living. A few excerpts may 
 help to introduce him here. 
 
 As a Speaker. 
 
 He stood liii;li in liis parly and was chair- 
 man of the democratic state convention. Says 
 Mr. Clarence K. Carr, noininee for CJovernor: 
 
 "He is a facile and ready speaker, and a 
 good presiding ollii-er. As chairman of a con- 
 vention or on tlie stump, he is e<|ually forceful 
 and eloquent." 
 
 As a Public Spirited Citizen. 
 
 Says .ludiif ('harics 1",. Curiiiim-. mayor of 
 Concord for the j)ast si.x years: 
 
 "lie has taken a prominent i)art in public 
 affairs, both personally and as editor, showing 
 interest in pidilie i|uestioiis and pi'oitiotini;- all 
 loeal mea-ures caleulati'd i'or iniproNfment and 
 jirogress. " 
 
 As a Writer. 
 
 Connneudali(m from \V. .). l.rvan is some- 
 
 thing to be proud of. Says the great publicist: 
 '"I have known Mi\ Michael Meehan for 
 
 many years. He has unusual editorial ability. 
 
 He knows what to write, and how to write it. I 
 
 am glad to commend him." 
 
 From Hon. E. N. Pearson, Secretary of 
 
 State, N. H. : "A bright, versatile and forceful 
 
 writer, keen in analysis, logical in reasoning, 
 
 happy in expression." 
 
 As a Man. 
 
 Pages might be added of similar encomiums, 
 but one must suffice. It is from the pen of Hon. 
 E. E. Kced, for eight years mayor of Manches- 
 ter, a city of 70,000 people. Says Mr. Reed: 
 
 "Not only one of the ablest editorial writers 
 in the country, but also that he is one of New 
 llam|isliire's lirst eitizens, may be testified to 
 by the thousands of friends whom he has sur- 
 rounded himself with since his residence here." 
 
 Enough has been said to justify the Com- 
 mereial Club in its selection of its new secretary 
 and to introduce him properly to the citizens of 
 Streator. A man of broad knowledge, of ripe 
 experience, of rare personal gifts in meeting 
 juen, of boundless faith in tiie iiidusli-ial des- 
 tinj' of Streator, ^Ir. Meehan will prove an in- 
 valuable agent in the forthcoming development 
 of the city. 
 
 City Park.
 
 152 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 MEN IN TH E PROFESSIONS 
 
 LEADING PHYSICIANS, LAWYERS, DENTISTS AND OFFICE MEN 
 OF THE CITY OF STREATOR. 
 
 DR. CHAS. L. TAYLOR 
 
 Among the sketches of professional men of 
 Streator, there is one that by common consent 
 will take precedence. It is that of Dr. Charles L. 
 Taylor, dentist, ])nblicist, hnmanist. Not alone 
 because he was eminent in his profession — and 
 few have equalled him in that — but ])ecanse of 
 all that he was above and beyond his profession. 
 It is what a man knows outside of his business 
 that measures his culture; it is what a man does 
 outside his vocation that marks his eminence as 
 a citizen. And it is Dr. Taylor's attainments 
 and sei-vices in these 
 directions that entitle 
 him to precedence, and 
 stamps liim as pre-emi- 
 nent among the profes- 
 sional men of Streator. 
 Professional work is 
 intensive in its ten- 
 dency, absorbing in its 
 demands on the prac- 
 titioner, and there are 
 few who can give their 
 best to their work and 
 have any strength left 
 to give to public causes. 
 Thus it is that the com- 
 munity is deprived of 
 the services of its fin- 
 est and best trained 
 minds, and nearly ev- 
 ery healer comes to 
 consider himself ex- 
 empt from the larger duties of citizenshij), 
 and a non-combatant in the great struggles 
 going on about liim in which he could be a 
 leader. Not so Dr. Taylor. A full half of his 
 life was given to non-professional, non-gainful 
 labors. And it is for this reason that tlie pres- 
 ent writer, who knew him intimately for many 
 years, esteems him as the ideal professional 
 man — one who having superior gifts of educa- 
 
 Dr. Chas. Taylor 
 
 tion and intellect, places them freely at the ser- 
 vice of the community. 
 
 Did this retard his progress in his profes- 
 sion? Let tlie record answer this question: 
 He was president of the State Dental So- 
 ciety; president of the La Salle County Dental 
 Society; delegate to the International Dental 
 convention at St. Louis; member of the State 
 Board of Dental Examiners— this without so- 
 licitation and made without his knowledge. He 
 was organizer of the Dental Fellowship Club 
 of Streator and was much in demand at dental 
 gatherings for scientific papers. 
 What were his public activities? 
 
 He was president of 
 the Board of Education 
 for five years, aldennan 
 of tlie third ward for 
 two terms, and chair- 
 man of tlie park com- 
 mission at the time of 
 his death. He was 
 in-esident of the Church 
 of Good Will, a pro- 
 gressive religious or- 
 ganization, and for 
 many years the faithful 
 superintendent of its 
 Sunday school. These 
 indicate in only a small 
 way the manifold ac- 
 tivities of Dr. Taylor, 
 but they do show his 
 singular greatness of 
 mind — a greatness that 
 did not despise to use 
 big talents in small offices, a greatness that was 
 willing to serve where the diiidgery was gi-eat 
 and the glory small, whether in the ranks or 
 at the head of the column, wherever and when- 
 ever duty called. Greatest of all he was con- 
 spicuous in a profession that tends to turn men 
 inward and selfward, in giving himself lavishly 
 and unselfishly to the good of the town, its 
 people, its institutions and its prosperity.
 
 THK STORY OF STRKATOR. 
 
 153 
 
 It was because of tliis sclf-giviug spirit that 
 tlic following could be tnitlifuily written of him 
 when lie i)assed on. 
 
 "With the passing of Dr. Charles R. Tayloi- 
 we lose our most pul)li(;-si)irite(l citizen. Not 
 that lie was most conspicuously identiiied with 
 l)rominent afTairs or stood forth in the lime- 
 light of imhlicity; not that he was aggressive, 
 dominating or assertively constituted, for he 
 was none of these. Hut in ipiiet, persistent, un- 
 asismning ways, in doing unasked connnonjilace 
 work, laborious work, much of it in loyalty to 
 unpopidar ideals, in warm-hearted lueadth of 
 vision and (|uick responsiveness to demands on 
 his ]nirs«', time and energies, Dr. Taylor embod- 
 ied many of the splendid (jualities of the com- 
 ing man, the man vitalized by a .social puri)ose. 
 
 "lie was cMtliolic in his large tolerance, 
 winning in his gt-nial ways with men, and so he 
 lived among us, doing so cheerfully, so modest- 
 ly, so patiently and lovingly his share in the so- 
 cial, l)usiness and family relations which nuike 
 for social harmony and ordi-r, that we scare rea- 
 lized how much his services meant to tliis com- 
 munity. 
 
 "In many resjiects his jiassing is not sad, for 
 he left so mucli liehind. lie did not live a long 
 life, but a full life, lie has not gone far away, 
 but only passed on to larger si)heres of service, 
 leaving behind a wealth of line memories, ten- 
 der sympathies, noble deeds, loving acts, kind 
 looks, hearty fellowsiiip and 'good will to 
 men. ' " 
 
 Charles K. 'I'avlor was born in 1S4S ni'ar 
 Folkstone, Kngland, and died Sept. 1.!, liHHi, at 
 Streatoi-, 111., where he had lived since 1S77 in 
 the practice of liis profession. In 187!' he nuir- 
 ried Miss Jennie Phelps, of Sandwicli, 111., who 
 sunives him. 
 
 DRS. R. AND C SCHURTZ 
 
 One of the oldest and most respected mem- 
 bers of the medical fraternity in Streator is 
 Dr. K. Schurtz. There are few, if any, who 
 have a larger or more successful jiractice. lie 
 came to Streator in ]886 from Cass County, 
 Michigan, where he had been in practice for ten 
 years. A large practice attendeil him from the 
 start, and for over a quarter of a century he has 
 perhaps been the town's hardest working 
 physician. In addition to his medical work he 
 has not shrunk from ])nblic service, and has 
 been president of tiie Board of P^ducation since 
 li)07.'ile was born in Constantine, Michigan, in 
 1851, educated in Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor, 
 
 Mich., took regular courses in medicine and sur- 
 gery, and in 1902 took a special course in elec- 
 tro-thera]>eutics. He owns a farm of 440 acres 
 in La Fayette County, 111., wiiich occupies any 
 
 R. Schurtz, .M. D. 
 
 Claik Studio 
 
 vacation or other intervals tlie doctor can sjiare 
 from a busy life. 
 
 With him is associated his son, Dr. Carl 
 
 Carl Schurtz, il. D. 
 
 Clark Studio 
 
 Schurtz, who, while assisting his fatlier on oc- 
 casion, has his own independent pi-actice. The 
 younger Dr. Schurtz was educated in Eush 
 Medical College, and Mai'ion Sims, St. Louis,
 
 154 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 gTaduating from the latter iu 1900. He enjoys 
 a fine general practice and is especially expert 
 iu snrgery. His popnlarity may be judged 
 from the fact that he was chosen by ballot by 
 the employes of the Streator Paving Brick 
 Company when it became necessary to choose a 
 physician for the works by the liability com- 
 pany. 
 
 DR. D. S. CON LEY 
 
 Dr. D. S. Conley is one of Streator 's foremost 
 professional men, whose prominence as a physi- 
 cian has not been obtained by the sacrifice of 
 his interests as a citizen. A man of mgged in- 
 deiaeudence, and conscientious to the extreme, 
 Dr. Conley has adhered to a high code of honor 
 in his public and professional relations, and has 
 stood b)' his convictions when it might have 
 been easier to truckle. He is a strong advocate 
 of the duty of medical men to take their share 
 of the bnmt of public work, and has urged that 
 
 '■m^^'' 
 
 
 
 
 ;^: ' 
 
 V- ■• 
 
 D. S. Conley, M. D. Clark Studio 
 
 duty in season and out in the many medical so- 
 cieties of which he is a member. That he prac- 
 tices what he preaches is evidenced by the fact 
 that he has been three times president of the 
 board of health, is a member of the school board 
 and chairman of the teachei-s' committee; was a 
 member of the j^ensiou board under the Cleve- 
 land second administration; was the first presi- 
 dent of the city physicians' club; is ex-xiresident 
 of the La Salle County Medical Society; and 
 also ex-president of the Streator Club. He is a 
 
 loyal member and worker of the medical socie- 
 ties of the cit}% county, north central district, 
 state and nation. 1). S. Conlej^ was born on a 
 farm in Blooming Grove Township, Bichland 
 County, Ohio. As a boy he attended country 
 school, and Plymouth High school. As a youth 
 of eighteen he taught school in the winter to 
 eke out his earnings and prepare himself for his 
 career. Was graduated from the University of 
 Michigan in 1883 in the first group to take the 
 three years' course in medicine. Started prac- 
 tice in Kalamo, Mich., in 1887, where he was 
 also a member of the school board and township 
 treasurer. He came to Streator in 1887, where 
 he has created for himself a fine practice and 
 an honored place in the esteem of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 DR. ROY SEXTON 
 
 Dr. Koy Sexton is one of the foremost medi- 
 cal practitioners of Sti-eator. He stands among 
 the iiighest in his social and professional con- 
 )iections, and in his reputation as a physician 
 and as a man. His scientific predisposition and 
 study has led him to give special attention to 
 surg''ry, and his services are greatly in demand 
 
 Roy Sexton, M .D. 
 
 as an operating siirgeon, in which department 
 of therapy he has won a distinguished success. 
 Dr. Sexton is the son of Mr. James Sexton, a 
 prominent and respected citizen of Streator, 
 who was for many years a successful faiTuer 
 north-east of the city. The doctor was born on
 
 THE STORY OP STHRATOR. 
 
 155 
 
 his father's fanii Jan. 2, 18(58, and was gradu- 
 ated from Streator lli.<<h SclionI in LSSo. He 
 took Jii.s IMi. V>. degree at Uberlin Univei-.sity, 
 Oberliu, Ohio, in 18!)0, and his medical degree 
 from tlie Xortliwestern University Medii-al 
 Scliool in ].S!)4. J[e studied abroad six months, 
 began i)raetice in < 'hit-ago, taught in tlie Col- 
 lege dis{)eusary there, and came to Streator in 
 ISUG, where he has since remained, lie is a 
 iiicmlier of the Masons, Elks, Maccabees and 
 WoiMliiien; and served six years on the library 
 board, the j-ears during which time the new 
 fetnicture was built. 
 
 DR. HARRY S. LESTER 
 
 With the advance of scientific k)iowledge, 
 specialization l)ecomes inevitable, and Dr. Har- 
 ry H. Lester has taken for his special i)rovince 
 those maladies that alTlict the eye, ear, nose and 
 throat. Jle has not always confined himself to 
 those organs, but sujierimposed his specialty 
 on the l)road founrlation of eight years of gen- 
 eral medical prictice. He has found the more 
 
 Harry S. Losltr, M. D. 
 
 limited practice almndaiitly able to occupy his 
 talents and his time, and his office hours are of- 
 ten filled to i-eplefion, some of his cases coming 
 from long distances. Dr. Lester is distinctively 
 a western man. He was born in \'illisca, Iowa, 
 March 23, 187L In his education he spent two 
 years in the Villisca High School, one year at 
 the AVestern X(n-mal ("ollege, two years at the 
 State Agricultural and Mechanical College at 
 
 Shenandoah, Iowa, and was graduated from the 
 Medical Depaiiment of the State University at 
 Iowa City, Iowa. He took post graduate 
 courses at the Chicago Policlinic, Chicago, and 
 in New York post graduate seliools. He engag- 
 ed in general practice in Woodford, Wis., in 
 1895, took up special practice in 190.S, and came 
 to Streator in 1904. Dr. Lester and his wife 
 are both talented devotees of vocal art, and are 
 active in support of the best musical interests 
 of Streator. 
 
 DR. ALBERT C. PURCELL 
 
 I>r. .Vll)ert C. Purcell is one of Streator's 
 sons who has leaped at once into a lucrative 
 practice. His father. Mr. INlichael Purcell, was 
 one of Streator's early and higiiiy respected 
 citizens, who founded tlie inei'cantiie firm of M. 
 Purcell & Co., which is still controlled by the 
 Purcell family, and is one of the leading 
 houses of the city. Dr. Purcell's success was 
 jio doubt aided by his wide acquaintance and 
 honored family connection. l)nt tlie main fac- 
 tor in it was his connection with tiie late Dr. 
 W. L. Smith. Dr. Smith had established the 
 reputation of being the most brilliant oi)erat 
 ing surgeon in these jiarts. and when declining 
 
 Albert C. Purcell, M. D. 
 
 health impelled him to seek assistance, young 
 Dr. Purcell attracted his attention and favor, 
 and he invited him into partnership. This was 
 in 1907, and on the death of the veteran sur- 
 geon the young doctor succeeded to his posi-
 
 156 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 tion, wliicli lie lias filled with distinguished 
 success, as may be judged from the fact that 
 he is surgeon for the Atcliison, Topeka and 
 Santa Fe K. R., the American Bottle Company, 
 and the Chicago, Ottawa & Peoria Ky. Albert 
 C. Purcell was born Nov. 25, 1880, in Streator, 
 III, was graduated from Eush Medical College, 
 and later was interne at St. Elizabeth Hospital, 
 Chicago, 111. 
 
 DR. H. C. HILL 
 
 To an unusually thorough course of medical 
 training, Dr. H. C. Hill adds a family predispo- 
 sition for medicine, an "inherited tendency," 
 so to speak, that is given to but few. He en- 
 joys the singular distinction of being the son of 
 a father who jjracticed medicine in one place 
 for forty years, and who gave to the world five 
 
 H. C. Hill. M. D. 
 
 Clark Studio 
 
 sons who adojited tlie medical profession, all of 
 whom were graduated from the same college — 
 the Eush ]\Iedical. Dr. H. C. Hill is one of these 
 five brothers, and under the guidance of his fa- 
 ther his preparation has been most tliorough. 
 After a course of education in the piiblic 
 schools and Eureka College, Eureka, 1)1., he was 
 graduated from Eush Medical College in 1904. 
 He took a special course in the Eye and Ear In- 
 firmary, New York, and later, in 1910, crossed 
 the Atlantic and studied in the hospitals of 
 London and '\''ienna. Pie began practice in 
 Athens, 111., later going to Springfield, 111., 
 doing special work, and coming to Strea- 
 
 tor in 1902. He specializes in diseases of 
 the eye, ear, nose and thi-oat, and has built up 
 a lai-ge practice. He is a member of various 
 national, state and county medical societies, is 
 a Mason, K. of P., etc. 
 
 DR. LYSTON D. HOWE 
 
 Although a Streator boy. Dr. L. D. Howe 
 did not come to his old home for the pi-actice of 
 his profession until a comparativeh' recent 
 peritid. After receiving his degree he opened 
 liis office in Leonore, 111., in 1903, and after a 
 jjeriod in Arizona for the benefit of his health, 
 returned to Illinois and resumed practice in 
 Cherry in 1906. He was physician for the St. 
 Paul Coal Company in Cherry in 1909 when the 
 mining disaster occurred which sent a thrill 
 of horror around the world and caused the loss 
 of nearly ."JOO lives. As a member of the rescu- 
 ing party that went down into the fiery furnace 
 of that mine, Dr. Howe won and received the 
 h.onors due a hero; and his deeds then, and in 
 attendance on the victims of the horror, reflect- 
 ed lienor on himself and the profession he so 
 nobly represented. The disaster practically 
 
 Lyston 
 
 M. D. 
 
 wiped out the town of Cherry for a time, and 
 Dr. Howe removed to his old home and began 
 practice here in 1910. He was boi'u in Strea- 
 tor Sept. 24, 1880, received liis education at its 
 common and high schools, at the University of 
 Illinois, and the College of Physicians and Sur- 
 geons. He was house surgeon for tlie latter 
 college and served as interne at St. Mary's
 
 THK STOKV OF STKKATOR. 
 
 157 
 
 Nazaretli Hospital, Chicago. lie is surgeon for 
 the C. Af. & S. P. I?v., and tlie Streator MoUn- 
 Car Co. 
 
 DR. GEORGE K. WILSON 
 
 Dr. Ck'orgc K. Wilson is the ialest of Strea- 
 tor's young pliysiciaus to "make good." He 
 ranic to tlie city about four years ago direct 
 from a year's service as lionse piiysician in Al- 
 l«';i:liaiiy Jlospital, I'iltslmrg, I'a. lie liroiii,^ht 
 witli him a sphjiidid c(|uipment of knowledge 
 and training in the most recent achievements 
 of mi'dical scicm-e, and a love of his profession 
 wiiii'li made liim prefer its pursuit to any other 
 recreation. OhsiMuity was his fate for a time, as 
 it is for most young doctors, but not for h)ng. 
 Opportunity knocked at his door, and it did 
 not ha\"e to kiioi'k twice. It found liim ready. 
 
 years of age. Yet notwithstanding this de- 
 privation, slie saw six of them tlirou<;ii the I^ni- 
 versity of .Michigan and graduate into jirofes- 
 sioiis. Dr. Wilson was born at Lake Benton, 
 Minn., in 1879, came to I^a Salle County at 3 
 years, was graduated from Tonica High School 
 at 1'), went to Mirliinan State Xormal College 
 in l!»0o, to Ann Arbor University in 1!K)7, 
 where he was assistant in surgery; was house 
 ])hysician in Alleghany Ilosjutal. F'ittsburg, 
 I'a.. in 1!*(1S, and came to Streatoi' from there. 
 Dr. Wilson bi-lieves the foundation of treat- 
 ment is diagnosis, and gives especial attention 
 to his e.xaminations. 
 
 DR. LLOYD BRONSON 
 
 Dr. Lloyd Brousou bears one of the historic 
 names of Streator. His grand-)>ar('nls were 
 among the earliest settlers, an<l the family 
 name is widely known and respected. His 
 father. Dr. (ieorge Bronson, was for years one 
 of the prominent practitioners of the city, and 
 one of its nu)st substantial citizens. Coming of 
 -ncli stock. ;nid with such a wide lamilv ac- 
 
 and so good an aci-ount did he nive ot liimsi 
 (hat he was soon called into some of the most 
 important cases by some of the prominent peo 
 jde of the city. His reitutation was made, sind 
 today, after less than four years of i)ractice, 
 the name of Dr. AVilson is a familiar one in the 
 city, as well known as many of the older family 
 jihysicians, an<l his jtraotice is large and well 
 established. It is pleasant to record a success so 
 rapid, so c(mii)lete and so wholly dependent on 
 the merits of the man. Dr. (ieo. K. Wilson is 
 the son of a Congregational minister, one of 
 eiii-ht children, whose mother was left a widow 
 without means when the youngest was three 
 
 l>loyd Bronson, M. U. 
 
 (|naintauce, it is little wonder that young Dr. 
 J'ronson came to a prosi)erous in-actice with 
 less stniggle than usually befalls the youthful 
 ])ractitioner. He began the practice of medi- 
 cine in June, 1908, and is one of Streator's ris- 
 ing young physicians. He was born in Strea- 
 tor in 1883, and received his medical degree 
 from the Northwestern Medical School and the
 
 158 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 University of Illinois. He took a si)ecial course 
 in obsteti-ics at the Chicago Lying-in Hospital 
 Dispensary, and specializes in obstetrics and 
 the diseases of children. He has the distinc- 
 tion of having won a scholarship at tlie North- 
 western Medical kSchool. Dr. Bronson is a 
 member of the Park Presbyterian cluirch. 
 
 DR. E. E. PERISHO 
 
 Dr. E. E. Perisho is a typical exannile of the 
 American professional man, the tyi)e of which 
 our country furnishes so many honorable ex- 
 amples. Like many of the most eminent physi- 
 cians of the west, Dr. Perisho started on his 
 upward career on the solid foundation of a far- 
 mer's training and ex]ierience. He was born on 
 a farm at Yale, 111., attended district school and 
 was graduated in due time from high school. 
 At 17 years of age lie went to A'alparaiso, Ind., 
 
 E. E. Perisho, M. D. 
 
 and took tlie teacher's course, then served as 
 principal of a school near (_)blong, 111., for a 
 couple of years, after which he returned to Val- 
 paraiso and took the pharmacy coui-se. From 
 there he went to the College of Physicians and 
 Surgens, Chicago, affiliated with the State Uni- 
 versity, and after taking the prescribed course 
 was graduated and received his degree of M. D. 
 While studying at the university he spent the 
 summer months under a preceptor at Westtield, 
 111., where he got early and valuable experience 
 in the practice of his profession. He began 
 practice on his own account at Ancona, 111., in 
 
 J897, remained there seven years, then removed 
 to Streator, where he is now estalilished in an 
 excellent practice. He is a member of national, 
 state and local medical societies, and stands 
 high in the esteem of the great life insurance 
 corporations, for which he is resident examiner. 
 Among these are the New York Life, the New 
 York Mutual, the John Hancock, Union Central, 
 Merchants Life and National Life. 
 
 DR. M. F. DORSEY 
 
 The career of Dr. M. F. Dorsey furnishes an 
 example of one of those surprising successes 
 that occur occasionally in the history of the 
 medical practice. He came to Streator about 
 eleven years ago fresh from college, and enjoys 
 today what is probably tlie largest and most lu- 
 crative practice in the city. At any rate it is so 
 large that he has been forced to avail himself 
 of tlie services of an assistant, and both of them 
 are kept working at their maximum jiower. He 
 came here a stranger, had no pull, and did not 
 escape the year of starvation that comes to most 
 yonug physicians. In fact he lost a thousand 
 
 M. F. Dorsey, M. D. 
 
 Clark Studio 
 
 dollars his first year in Streator and liad to send 
 to the folks at home for helji. iJut lie stayed in 
 his othce, stuck to his work, and when he got a 
 patient gave the best that was in him. In time 
 this absorbing devotion to the work in hand 
 made an impression on the patients. The new 
 doctor began to be talked about, and patients 
 came thick and fast; surgical cases, examina-
 
 THh; STOI5V OF STHKATOi;. 
 
 169 
 
 tions, eonsultations and office in-actice, until 
 he was so hard worked that liis iiealth gave way. 
 He railed in to helii him Dr. L. (^nillen, graduate 
 of Northwestern University, who liad two years 
 
 Dr. Ellen Adelaide Richards is one. In the 
 niovoments in which the science of medicine 
 touches public interests it is douljtful if any 
 male member of the profession is as active and 
 
 Residence of Dr. .\l. F. Dorsev. 
 
 as interne at .Mercy hospital Cliicago. |)r. 
 (^>nincn makes a specially of lalmratory work, 
 for wiiich he is specially titled, and he makes 
 the microscopic examinations, the blootl. s\n\- 
 tum. and urinary tests, the rhcmical analyses, 
 blood pr<'s>nrc mcasurings, contents of stomach 
 testings, etc. On the basis of these researches 
 Dr. Dorsey makes his diagnosis ami treatment 
 follows. It is pleasant to record siicli a success 
 on the |>art of a young man still on t!ic sunny 
 .'^ide of forty. It is outwardly evidcnrcd l)y his 
 erection of one of the handsomest brick residen- 
 ces in the city. Dr. Dorsey 's career is typically 
 American, liorn on a farm in Lee County, in 
 IS?.'!, went to jtublic school, then Xorlliern Illi- 
 nois { 'ollege. AV'ent back home and taught i-oun- 
 Iry school, then to University of Iowa, from 
 there to liush Medical College, from which he 
 graduated in 1!>0(I, came to Streator in l!t01, and 
 achieved his remarkable succe.ss here. 
 
 self-giving as Dr. l\i(l:ai-d.<. As a member of 
 
 tlie WduiaiCs ('liristian Temiierance riiinii ami 
 
 DR. ELLEN A. RICHARDS 
 
 Tlie place of women in the healing,- profes- 
 sion is honorabh- upheld in Streator by two 
 members of the medical fraternity, of whom 
 
 Ellen A. Richards, M. D. Clark Studio 
 
 other social movements, .she finds time and en- 
 ergy, apart from Iier exacting professional du-
 
 160 
 
 THE STORY OP STREATOR. 
 
 ties, to foi-ward those causes she has at lieart 
 and to perfonu public diities the male uicju- 
 bers of the profession too frequently consider 
 themselves absolved from. Dr. Kichards is a 
 descendeut of the ancient Rogers family that 
 came to this country from England in IGo.j, 
 and settled in Connecticut. She was born in 
 Alden, Minnesota, in 18(i7; was educated at 
 Hutchinson aud Minneapolis, Minn.; at Battle 
 Creek, ]\[ich., and Chicago. She practiced in 
 partnersliii) witii her husband for two years in 
 Chicago, after which she had seven years of 
 country practice in Eastern Illinois, near Wat- 
 seka. She came to Streator in 190(3. Dr. Rich- 
 ards is a member of the S. D. Adventist church. 
 
 DR. IDA M. WOOLLEY 
 
 Dr. Ida Mai'garet Woolley was born in Es- 
 men Townshijj, Livingston County, 111., on a 
 farm owned by her father. Dr. ]\lilton Woolley. 
 AVhen but a child she moved with hor parents 
 to Streator, 111., where she received her pri- 
 
 Ida M. Woolley, M. D. 
 
 mary education in the public and high schools. 
 In the year 1887 she began teaching in the 
 Streator i^ublic schools, which position she re- 
 signed in 1890 to enter Knox College, Gales- 
 burg, 111. Here she waited table for lier board 
 and used the money that she had saved teach- 
 ing school for tuition, books and clothes. Her 
 stay at Ejiox was limited to several terms ow- 
 ing to lack of money, and she again acce])ted a 
 position as teacher in the Streator schools, 
 
 where she remained some time, not caring to 
 return to college, as, in the meantime, her class 
 was graduated. Having a liking for medicine 
 and pharmacy which she inherited from her 
 father and grandfather before her, she entered 
 the Northwestern University School of Phar- 
 macy, Chicago, in the fall of 1897, from which 
 institution she was graduated in 1898. Being 
 allowed one year in medicine for pharmacy, she 
 enteied the Sojihomore year of the College of 
 Physicians and Surgeons of Keokuk, la. She 
 was, however, required to "make up" Osteol- 
 ogy, Histology, Physiology and Embryology — 
 studies that do not occur in pharmacy. This 
 was a veiy busy year for her. During the 
 Senior year she assisted the Chairs of Phar- 
 macy and Pharmacognosy, and thus defrayed 
 her expenses. She also took a post graduate 
 course of medicine in Chicago. For a i)eriod of 
 five years Dr. Woolley did relief work in medi- 
 cine and phannacy in the states of Illinois, 
 Iowa and Missouri. This afforded her an op- 
 liortunity to become acquainted with the A'ar- 
 ious cities throughout these states and also a 
 choice of the same for the practice of her 
 chosen ])rofession. Dr. Woolley is not a mem- 
 l)er of any church, but she is veiy much in 
 svmiiatliy with any organization designed for 
 the betterment of society and tlie ujilifting of 
 mankind. 
 
 DRS. MUNSON AND BAILEY 
 
 DENTISTS. 
 
 Amid the discoveries and ad^•ances of these 
 rapidly moving scientific days there is no pro- 
 fession that has made greater progress than 
 dentistry. Originally a side line in a barlier 
 shop, dentistry has advanced until in techniijue 
 and equipment its demands on the practitioner 
 are scarcely second to those of any learned ]>ro- 
 fessions, and it has the advantage over its sis- 
 ter professions in that its methods are exact — 
 no guess work — aud its results are absolute. 
 
 In the office of Drs. Munson & Bailey the 
 latest advantages of modern scientific treat- 
 ment are at the service of the ]>atient. Es]iecial- 
 ]y do they call attention to their new system of 
 ])ainless practice. To the usual preparation for 
 ])rofessional work which every j^ractitioner 
 must undergo, they have added special study 
 and special equipment for the elimination of 
 ])ain. Pain is the great dread of those who must 
 liave recourse to the dental chair, and Drs. 
 Munson & Bailey have supplied themselves with 
 every new scientific appliance and discovery
 
 THE STORY OF STKEATOR. 
 
 161 
 
 witli which to overcome that dreaded dental 
 experience from wliicli every man and woman 
 recoils. And, thanks to tiie jirogress of science, 
 they are glad to he able to give the assurance 
 that painless dentistry is at least an accom- 
 plished fact; and clients may visit their office 
 with the al)soIute certainty they are not going 
 to be tortured. 
 
 Ur. K. n. Bailey. 
 
 Among the agencies for the banishing of 
 pain is the nitrons oxide apparatus for i)ain- 
 less extractinii. Nitrons oxide ami oxygen are 
 both used also for painless cavity prepara- 
 tion. The oHice is c(|uip|)ed with a full com- 
 jih'Tiu'iil of eh'ctrii-a! appliances used in the 
 
 Dr. V. W. Munson. 
 
 IMMctice of modern dentistry; also a steam 
 sterilizing' outfit, and all the furnishings of an 
 up-to-date dental office. 
 
 The Streator office is one of three owned 
 and ojierated by Drs. ^funsou tV D.iiley, the 
 othet two being 
 
 P>oth jmrtners are graduates of iirst-elass insti- 
 tutions. Dr. V. W. ^funson graduated with 
 the class of 1898 from the Louisville College of 
 Dentistry, and Dr. E. li. Bailey was grad- 
 uated fi'om the Illinois School of Dentistrj', 
 University of Illinois in 1905. 
 
 Dr. .'Jailey is in charge of the Streator of- 
 fice, and the business has grown so large that 
 he is obliged to use the services of an assi.-tant. 
 One of the causes of their unusiml success, no 
 ihaibt, is the moderate scale of .charges for iii'st 
 class work. All kinds of expert dental service 
 are performed, but however expert or difficult 
 the treatment. Dr. Bailey insists on reasonable 
 charges to all. The office is at 317-319 East 
 Main street. Phone 116. 
 
 LLOYD PAINTER 
 
 in Chicago and Quincy, 111. 
 
 Among the younger generation of public 
 mfn there is no name that .shines with steadier 
 lustre or more promising glow than that of 
 T.loyd Painter, the present city attorney of 
 Streator. He has been in the jinblic eye since 
 1903 when he was first elected to office, then a 
 young man of 26, and has steadily held his 
 place in ]niblic favor until the present time. 
 His life has all of it l)een lived in Sli-eafor; it 
 is an open book on every page of whidi may be 
 read a record of honorable achievement, with 
 never a blot or a smear to sully it. It is this 
 remarkable openness of his life, together with 
 a re])utation for integrity, aljility and devotion 
 to public service that mark Lloyd Painter as 
 one of the rising young men of the republican 
 party, and of the La Salle County bar. 
 
 IFe is now serving his third term as city at- 
 torney, having been elected to the office in 1903, 
 1905 and again in 1911. The third term was 
 accepted as a i)ublic duty, for his private prac- 
 tice has now grown to the ]ioint tliat the faith- 
 ful performance of the duties of the office in- 
 volves considerable pecuniary loss. Mr. Pain- 
 ter, however, finds contact with the city council 
 and its work pleasant, and this compen.sates in 
 a measure for the loss of revenue. The great- 
 est public question coming up in the present 
 administration is that involved in the city's re- 
 lation to the water company, which is a subject 
 of bitter controversy. Mr. Painter has made an 
 exhaustive study of the law on this question, so 
 as to be in a position to jjroperly advise the 
 council. It is in such painstaking labor as this 
 that the quality of a faithful city attorney will 
 count, eveu though it may never be blazoned to
 
 162 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 the public like some more spectacular or 
 meretricious feats. It is the solid, euduring 
 quality of Mr. Painter's work that has jjaved 
 the way to his present success, and that points 
 the way unfailingly to a successful future. 
 
 Lloyd Painter was born of pioneer stock and 
 bears the name of some of the oldest settlers of 
 this vicinity. He is the son of Jackson Painter, 
 who lived on a farm north-east of Streator, un- 
 til Lincoln's call to arms summoned him to bat- 
 tle at the age of twenty. Lloyd was born in 
 1877, spent his boyhood here and received his 
 education in Streator 's jmblic and high schools. 
 School teaching was his steiii)ing stone te the 
 law. He taught country scliools, and later was 
 principal of the Grant street school. Before set- 
 
 IJoyd Painter. 
 
 tling down to his life's work he sated the wan- 
 der-lust of youth by a year of travel. This he 
 acquii'ed by a tour of the country as ca])tain of 
 the Streator Zouaves, a military company 
 which won much fame for its exhibition drills. 
 Returning to Streator he resumed the study of 
 law and was admitted to the bar in 1907. 
 
 Of warm soi'ial disjjosition, it was natural 
 he should ally himself with the social organiza- 
 tions of the town, accordingly we find him a 
 member of the Streator Clul), the Hlks, the 
 Woodmen, the ]\[utual Protective League and 
 the Athletic Club. He is also a member of the 
 Park Presbyterian church. 
 
 ARTHUR H. SHAY 
 
 tliur H. Shay as one of the leading legal lumi- 
 naries of the state, ])erhaps of the nation. For 
 he believes Arthur H. Shay to be of the stuff of 
 which lawyers of national prominence are 
 made. As it is he must be set down as among 
 the foremost practitioners of the city and 
 county. On the iniblic side of his career there 
 is little to be chronicled. He has been too busy 
 practicing law to make himself a place in the 
 jniblic eye, but ho has built up a practice single 
 handed and unaided in his few years of service 
 that is equaled by no other office in Streator 
 having only one practitioner. His most mark- 
 ed characteristic is self-reliance. In his fledge- 
 
 Were this sketch to be written twenty years 
 later the writer believes he could refer to Ar- 
 
 Arthur H. Shay. 
 
 ling days, when most young lawyers are wont 
 to call in the assistance of county seat lawyers, 
 young Shay went it alone, and succeeded or 
 failed on his own merits. He .succeeded oftener 
 tlian he failed; because of his indefatigable 
 jiower for work, and his ability for seeing both 
 sides of his case. Wlien he won his clients 
 came again and brought others; and even those 
 whom he defeated came to him when again 
 needing legal services. And so without adven- 
 titious aids, by sheer force of brains and indus- 
 try, he has made for himself a place at the 
 forefront of the bar. Arthur H. Shay was born 
 Feb. 18, 1872, on a fai-m near Carthage, 111.; 
 came to Streator in 1881, was educated in its
 
 THE STORY OP STREATOK 
 
 163 
 
 public and high schools, and at Northwestern 
 University, licgaii the ))ractice of law in 1891 
 alone, and has Ix-en at it ever since. He has 
 been trial attorney for the (". (!c A. E. R. seven 
 years, is a member of tiie Streator t'lnb. Elks, 
 Woodmen, and of the Pi-esbyterian church. 
 
 RUSSELL C. OSBORN 
 
 Mr. Russell Carl Osborn is a nienilier of the 
 leading law linn of the city, that of Hoys, 0.s- 
 born & (iriggs. .Mr. Osborn 's father was secre- 
 tary of state for Kansas, and he was employed 
 in his father's oilii-e for a year before liegini'ing 
 the pi'actice of law. lie began jii'a'-tii'ing in 
 Topeka, Kansas, in ISiKi, and became associated 
 Mith Mr. Charles J. Devlin, the we!! known 
 owner of tlie Devlin coal jn-operties in Spring 
 X'alley, Tnlnca and otiicr Illinois jioints. Mr. 
 Osborn came iiere as Mr. Devlin's attoiney, ant! 
 after the collaiKse of the latter came in contact 
 with Receiver lieeves while settling the estate. 
 T'leir cooperation in liic IV'vlin settlement led 
 to a partnership which was formed under the 
 nam' of Reeves. O>born & (iriggs. and later, o;i 
 the death of Mr. Reeves, changed to lioys, Os- 
 born & (Iriggs. Since that time ?\Ir. Osboi-n 
 lias made Stn-atur his home, and has taken an 
 interest in everytinng calculated to ui)lniild the 
 
 Russell C. Osborn. 
 
 city. A rij)e lawyer, a good citizen, liis coming 
 has been an accession to the civic, .social and 
 intellectual life of the town. Mr. Osborn was 
 bom in Ames, Iowa, on Feb. 20, 1872, was edu- 
 
 cated in Stockton Academy, and in Washburn 
 Colle<>e. Topeka, Kansas. He established him- 
 self in Streator in 1896. 
 
 EDWARD M. GRIGGS 
 
 The greatest honor that could befall a law 
 student in Streator was to be invited to a part- 
 nership by Hon. Walter Reeves. This honor 
 came to Kdward M. Griggs, on his admission to 
 the bar, after iiaviu"- been a student in Mr. 
 
 Edward M. Griggs. 
 
 Ree\es' oflice. When the great lawyer and pub- 
 licist passed on and Mr. Boys returned to the 
 office, the firm name became Boys, Osborn & 
 Griggs. Tiie junior partnei- lias been busy jus- 
 tifying Ml'. Reeves' judgment, and luis liad lit- 
 tle tiujc to figure in jniblic affairs; but he has 
 licen digging into the law, trying cases, writing 
 briefs, and attending to the multifarious de- 
 tails which the business of a l)ig law firm brings 
 to the office. He has made good, and the future 
 lies before him big with jiromi-se. Pie was bom 
 in Streator Jan. 30, 1882, was educated at the 
 local ]iul)lic and high schools, and was grad- 
 uated from Beloit College, class of 1903. He be- 
 gan jiractice in 190() as stated with Mr. Reeves, 
 the finn then being Reeves, Osborn & Griggs. 
 He is the son of one of the most respected citi- 
 zens of Streator, Mr. Oakley Griggs, for 30 
 years head of the Oakley Griggs Drug Co.
 
 164 
 
 THE STORY OP STREATOR. 
 
 ROBERT E. LARKIN 
 
 Robert E. Larkin is tl)e junior member of 
 the ]aw tinn of Lucey & Larkin of this city. 
 Mr. Larkin was born and reared two miles west 
 of Streator in the town of Eagle. He received 
 his early education at the Kangley public 
 schools; later he completed his classical course 
 
 Robei t E. Larkin. 
 
 of studies at the Streator High School and at 
 St. Bede College, in this state. He then took up 
 the study of law and in October, 1906, was ad- 
 mitted to the Hlinois bar. Lumediately there- 
 after he began tlie jiractice of law in this city 
 and in September, 1907, foi-med a partnership 
 with P. J. Lucey, of this city. Mr. Larkin has 
 also been admitted to the practice of law in the 
 District and Circuit Courts of the United States 
 and has successfully conducted cases in the U. 
 S. Courts and the highest courts of the state of 
 Illinois. He is a member of the Streator Club 
 and of the Streator Commercial Club. He has 
 since starting in business in Streator always 
 contributed to the building of our new churches 
 and schools and to all ])ublic enterprises. His 
 motto is "Progressive Citizens Make Progres- 
 sive Cities." 
 
 WILLIAM C. JONES 
 
 tinction of beginning his professional career in 
 partnership with one who has since become one 
 of the most famous judges in America. Mr. 
 Jones made his entrance into the legal arena in 
 Chicago in 1892. He was claim attorney for the 
 Grand Trunk Railway and became associated 
 while in that connection with Judge Kenesaw 
 M. Landis, who was then a practicing lawyer, 
 not yet liaving made his noted decision in the 
 Standard Oil Case. He remained in association 
 with Judge Landis until the latter was promot- 
 ed to the bench, and Mr. Jones then came back 
 to his boyliood home and formed a partnership 
 with Mr. Paul R. Chubbuck, which continued 
 until about a year ago. Mr. Jones is forging to 
 the front as a lawyer, and already is at the head 
 of one of the strong law jiractices of the citv. 
 
 A\'illiam C. Jones. 
 
 An able, aggressive, conscientious man, he was 
 chosen leader of the moral forces of the city in 
 the last municipal campaign and won respect 
 and admiration for his high ideals and lofty 
 purposes. A Streator boy, bom in 1881, he is 
 a man with whom the future must reckon. 
 
 F. M. POWERS 
 
 Mr. William C. Jones had the great dis- 
 
 Frank M. Powers is an individualist. He 
 has never sought a partnership or alliance with 
 any sup]wrting interest. When he comes to 
 look back on his career he will have the satis- 
 faction of knowing that his success is due to
 
 THE STORY OF STHKATOH. 
 
 165 
 
 himself. He is still in tlie early thirties, is hap- 
 pily married ami a father, and is climbing 
 steadily toward a comfortaljle competency. His 
 start is made, his jKtsition is assured, and he is 
 fairly in tlie race of life with y-ood liealtii, ^-ood 
 liahits and a reimtation for ability and integrity 
 that will carry him a long way toward the goal. 
 Mr. Powers is wholly a Streator jtroduct. He 
 was born here on Fel). 1(1, 1880, had his imblic 
 schodl cdiwalion here, and was gradnated from 
 the Illinois I'niversitv. He is the son of one of 
 
 Frank M. Powers. 
 
 Streator's oldest and most respected citizen.-, 
 for many years one of Streator's hardware 
 merchants. Tliongh he passed on some years 
 ago, his name is so esteemed that it is still kept 
 at the head of its largest hardware establish- 
 ment, Powers & AVilliams. Though giving his 
 most serious interest to the law, Mr. Powers 
 tinds time to devote to the liner arts, and is re- 
 garded as the best auuiteur tiutist in the city. 
 
 C. H. LINSCOTT 
 
 C. H. Linscott is one of the bright and prom- 
 ising sons of Streator who has fought his way 
 up to j)rofessional position witli bare hands. He 
 comes straight from the people and carries with 
 him the tang of the soil, and the unemasculated 
 virility of long generations of workers. His 
 father, a blacksmith, but a man of unquestion- 
 ed force and intellectual endowment, was able 
 to do but little "boosting" for his son. Young 
 Linscott managed, however, to get an educa- 
 
 tion in the local schools, and was graduated 
 from the high school in 1898. After that he did 
 any lionest work that he could turn his hand to. 
 He carried a hod, drove a team and clerked in 
 a store. From 190li to 1 !»()() he served as deputy 
 sheritf of La Salle County. The nameless some- 
 thing in men that keeps them from stagnating 
 urged him on; he read law with W. H. Boys, 
 and in Deccmlier, 1!»]0. received the coveted 
 
 prize and was admitted to the bar. He begun 
 practice immediately, and tlie same energy and 
 push that characterized his youth is marking 
 with success his career as a lawyer. He is sec- 
 retary of the Police and Fire Commission of 
 Streator, and a member of the Elks. He can 
 be found in his office at 101 Fast Main street, 
 and is rcadv for anv kind of law business. 
 
 JOHN F. BUCHNER 
 
 RECORDER. 
 
 John F. Bnchner, who since December A. D. 
 1904, has filled the position of Recorder of 
 Deeds in La Salle County, was born upon a farm 
 in Carroll County, Indiana, November 21st, A. 
 D. 1SG4, and is of German lineage. In 1867 Mr. 
 Buchner, with his parents removed to Peru, Il- 
 linois. Soon after they took up their abode in 
 La Salle, Illinois, where the boyhood days of 
 John F. Buchner were passed. The German 
 tongue was spoken in the household and he 
 early became familiar with that language as 
 well as with English. His education was ac- 
 quired in the public schools of La Salle. In A.
 
 166 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOR. 
 
 D. 1883 Mr. Buclmer came to Streator, where he 
 became employed by the Streator Bottle & 
 Glass Co., holding various positions with said 
 company. In A. D. 1889 he was elected a mem- 
 ber of the city council from the first ward and 
 for three consecutive terms was continued in 
 that position. In A. D. 1904 additional politi- 
 cal honors came to him through his election to 
 his present position, that of County Kecovder 
 of Deeds, which position he has filled for the 
 past eight years, and at present holds. During 
 his time as Eecorder of Deeds Mr. Buchner has 
 become familiar with all the records in La Salle 
 County, and is now at the head of the "Buchner 
 and Roe La Salle County Abstract Company." 
 Mr. Buchner was manned on October Ifitli, A. 
 D. 1888, to Miss Louise Bertiaux, a daugliter of 
 one of the pioneer window glass workers, who 
 came to this country from France. Three chil- 
 dren grace this marriage — Albert F., Ernest J. 
 and Tjouise Carmen, aged respectively twenty, 
 nineteen and twelve years. 
 
 Mr. Buchner is a member of Humboldt 
 Lodge, No. 555, A. F. and A. M., S]ia])bona 
 Chapter No. 37, R. A. M., Ottawa Conunanderv, 
 No. 10, Knight Templars, B. P. 0. E. No. 591, 
 Royal Arcanum and Modern Woodmen of 
 America. The same thoroughness which has 
 characterized his business life has been mani- 
 
 fest in his official service and he brings to bear 
 in the discharge of his duties an industry and 
 close apjdication which ex])edites matters and 
 
 John W. Buchner 
 
 make him a capable official for the people of La 
 Salle Countv. 
 
 View in City Park 
 
 I
 
 THi; STOItV OK STIM. ATOi;. 
 
 167 
 
 CHARLES L McNAMARA 
 
 CITY CLERK. 
 
 TIh'iv is a hi'lii'f common ainoin;' iiicii that 
 eacli is l)oi-ii into tliis world witli some l)iisiness 
 or professional endowment or temleney. wliicli, 
 if eoura,i;;eously, persistently and intelligently 
 followed and developed, guarantees to him a 
 reasonable success in life. 
 
 That i)articular tiling- which manife.st itself 
 in Charles L. McXamaia, City Cleric of Strea- 
 tor, is bis al)ility to nuike and hold friends — 
 
 Mr. McNamara has had experience in legis- 
 lative nmtters iu Springfield, having gone 
 through a session there in the capacity of com- 
 mittee and private secretary and clerk, and 
 this experience coupled with a five years' re- 
 s])onsible jtosition on the Santa Fe enables him 
 (o give to the discharge of the duties of his 
 jiresent i)osition. a ripened judgment that is 
 valuable to himself and the people. 
 
 Charlie is an enthusiastic sup))orter of legi- 
 timate si)ort and his activity, contributions and 
 zeal, coupled with that of nuiny others, make 
 possible the high standard of out of door en- 
 
 Charles L. McXamaia. 
 
 the faculty he possesses of recommending him- 
 self on short acipiaintance to his fellows, and 
 of winning tiieir kindly and substantial regard. 
 This, in a very large measui'e. accounts for the 
 fact that although of the minority jiarty, he 
 holds the position he does iu the city today. 
 
 In the iierfonnance of his public duties 
 "Charlie," as he is popularly known, is ac- 
 commodating, treating all alike and meeting 
 all with fairness, kindness and couitesy. In 
 the deliberations of the city council his .iudg- 
 ment is consuKeil because of his familiarity 
 with the details of the oitv's affairs. 
 
 tertainments so desirable aiul necessary in 
 modern urban life. 
 
 Charles L. McNamara was born in Newark, 
 Ohio, in 1S81, and with his family came to 
 Streator when eight years of age, and has re- 
 ceived his education and lived his life here. 
 To ])re<lict a future for him is not the pur]iose 
 of this word of ajiju-eciation, but that a man so 
 ellicient, so jiopuhii- and so accomodating will 
 go forward to bigger ami better things in jiub- 
 lic matters, is a foregone conclusion in the 
 minds of men who are watching the drift of 
 things.
 
 16S 
 
 THE STORY OF STREATOB. 
 
 G. C. Daniels, 
 
 AldeiTnan from foiirtli ward; succeeded 
 
 "William Cool. 
 
 
 IP 
 
 ? 
 
 ■■^^ 
 
 1 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 
 
 1^^ 
 
 1 
 
 
 j4 
 
 
 \. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^H 
 
 ^■^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^^^^^^1 
 
 
 E-.^H» 
 
 
 
 1,. 
 
 __J 
 
 K. J), lioberts, 
 
 Alderman from first ward; succeeded 
 
 John Diederich.
 
 THE STORY OP STRKATOR. 
 
 169 
 
 THE ORDER OF ELKS 
 
 If the Streator ("lub represents the age ami 
 wisdom of Streator, tlie Elks represents its 
 young life, its jmsh and vim and energy. There 
 are 3:iO of them, and every one is a booster, 
 hustler and worker. They are organized for so- 
 cial jiiirposes only, t(} cvdti\ate the graces of 
 fri(Mid>liip and the softer amenities of life. 
 Their lodge room is a retreat from the stress of 
 business, an oasis where joy and kindness may 
 flourish amid the burning heat of competitive 
 strife. 
 
 billiard room, cafe — all the adjuncts of a first- 
 class club room. It is 120x50 feet in size and 
 when conipletetl will have cost not far from 
 $50,000. 
 
 While not permitted to divulge any of their 
 good deeds, it is an oi)en secret that the charity 
 of the Klks is deep, wide and all-embracing. 
 Like the dew, it falls gently, and not even its 
 beneliciaries know whence it comes. Their own 
 pulilic beneficence is their annual Thanksgiv- 
 ing dinner to poor children. Last year 400 ciiil- 
 
 .W'A l':iiis L'iub House.'. 
 
 That is why they want their Elks' rooms in- 
 viting and attractive, and .so they have just 
 erected the beautiful edifice Avhich is to be tlieir 
 future home, one of the handsomest structures 
 in Streator. It is situated on a prominent cor- 
 ner facing the city park, near the heart of the 
 city, and is equipped with gymnasium, bowling 
 alleys, shower baths, ball room, ladies parlors, 
 
 dren i)artook of their hospitality. 
 
 Tlie officers for the i)resent year are: M. A. 
 Bronsou, Exalted Ruler; Arthur H. Shay, Es- 
 teemed Loyal Knight; A. M. McCoy, Esteemed 
 Lecturtng Knight; Harry R. Smith, secretary; 
 C. A. Raymond, treasurer; Max Murdock, Dele- 
 gate to Grand Lodge. The trustees are R. F. 
 Purcell, W. H. Jennings and J. W. Fornof.
 
 r^ 
 
 ^1 
 
 STREATOR HEAT AND 
 LIGHT COMPANY 
 
 — - Qperates= 
 
 ^THE SCHOTT SYSTEMS'' 
 
 ^ Of - 
 
 Central Station Heating 
 
 Some Advantages: 
 
 Central Station heat is the ideal heat. 
 The service requires no attention or worry 
 No Fire in building reduces fire risks 
 Absence of boilers eliminates explosions 
 
 and floods 
 Absence of coal eliminates smoke, ashes 
 
 and dust 
 No care or responsibility to maintain heat 
 Ability to heat properly at all times 
 Hot Water for bath or domestic purposes 
 
 day or night 
 Reduced investment due to boilers and 
 
 space 
 Consumer controls cost of heating 
 Company receives pay for heat actually 
 
 furnished 
 
 =(=ii
 
 r' 
 
 =1 1 i r= 
 
 "I F. Plumb, Pres. 
 
 E. F. Plumb, Vice-Pres. 
 
 George Goulding, Sec'y. 
 
 F. M. Whiting, Supt. 
 
 '^ 
 
 Streator Paving Brick Co. 
 
 Office in Opera House Block, Streator, Illinois 
 
 Manufacturers of Paving Blocks, Repressed 
 
 Brick, Wire Cut Brick, Common Building 
 
 Brick and Colonial Face Brick. 
 
 Our brick have been used locally in the construction 
 of the followint; huildinf;s during the year 191 1: 
 
 Elk's Club House; Griffith's Laundrv: Monitor 
 Printing Office, Salvation Army Building, face; Dr. M. F. 
 Dorsey, residence; A. H. Anderson, residence; F. Plumb, 
 residence. 
 
 Other buildings in which our brick have been used: 
 Post Office; Christian Church; Congregational 
 
 Church; Evangelical Church and Parsonage, {German); 
 
 St. Steven's Slavish Church; Grant School; Joseph Vipond, 
 
 residence; R. Kiefer, residence; W. E. Conness, residence; 
 
 C. Schroeder, residence; Linn Mulford, residence. 
 
 Streator Shale Brick are noted for durability and for artistic appearance. The 
 Streator Paving Brick Company has shipped brick as far North as Winnipeg, Canada, 
 and as far south as Vicksburg, Mississippi. We invite any one interested to call or write. 
 
 V 
 
 OFFICE TELEPHONE, 120. 
 
 YARD TELEPHONE, 494 [ 
 
 ESTABLISHED 1888 
 
 STREATOR'S BEST TRADING PLACE 
 
 Tliis Store represents everything that is best in Modern Merchandising, large and well 
 assorted stocks in every Department. Newest Styles are shown on our counters as soon as 
 they can he seen in the Metropolitan cities of the country. 
 
 Our prices for De|iendal>le Merchandise are, as a rule, less than those in other 
 stores. 
 
 Our Salespeople are efficient, capable and courteous and are pleased to have an 
 opportunity to show our goods to the public, whether they intend to purchase or not. 
 
 W'c do not urge people to buy. 
 
 For over 24 years the policy ot this store has been, that when any goods are 
 purchased here and are found to be unsatisfactory when taken home, no matter for 
 what reason or for no reason, we insist that they be returned to us, at once in saleable 
 condition for cheerful exchange or money back. 
 
 Could any business be conducted in a fairer way towards the public? 
 
 D. C. MURRAY & COMPANY 
 
 ir=ii ^==
 
 THE 
 
 KEYSTONE PRESS 
 
 L. Weitlispach, Proprietor 
 
 W 
 
 ^ 
 
 Producers of the 
 Better Kind of 
 
 PRINTING 
 
 For any Business 
 or Occasion 
 
 PHONE 2556 
 
 408 Main St. - Streator, 111. 
 
 JO 
 
 Graduate Battle Creek Sanitarium 
 
 BATH 1 MASSAGE 
 
 PARLORS 
 
 Upstairs--113 N. Vermillion St. 
 
 PLUNGE, SHOWER, ELECTRIC 
 
 AND VAPOR BATHS 
 
 All forms of Thermo-Electric, Hydro-Therapy 
 and Massage applied hy an expert of thorough 
 training and many years experience. 
 
 REFERENCE TO STREATOR'S 
 MOST PROMINENT CITIZENS 
 
 OLDEST ESTABLISHED PARLORS IN THE CITY 
 
 The Most Complete Line of 
 
 HARDWARE 
 
 In La Salle County 
 
 folinAlband 
 
 J HARD\V;\RE AfP stoves! 
 115 E. MAIN STREET. 
 
 STREATOR, ILL. 
 
 Phone 186 
 Peoria Lexington and Round Oak 
 
 COOK STOVES 
 
 And Ranges 
 
 Excelsior Motorcycles 
 Indian Motorcycles 
 Pope Motorcycles 
 
 Guns and Bicycles 
 
 Spauldings Sporting 
 Goods 
 
 Barbers' Supplies 
 
 REPAIRING A 
 SPECIALTY 
 
 E. C. Van Loon 
 
 314 Main St., Streator, III.
 
 Chicago's Most Modern Hotel 
 
 757 Rooms — each with private bath. Every room and suite 
 in Hotel Sherman is supplied with distilled, circulating ice water. 
 
 The management has spared no expense to supply its 
 patrons with the most modern accommodations, and yet the 
 prices are always in moderate and just proportion to the serv- 
 ice rendered. 
 
 Hotel Sherman invites consideration of its 
 facilities for banquets and conventions. 
 
 Hotel SKermaJV 
 
 Home of the Famous College Inn 
 CITY HALL SQUARE, CHICAGO
 
 r" 
 
 -r^=i- 
 
 E. F. BURKHOLDER & CO. 
 
 ^ 
 
 317-319 E. MAIN ST. 
 
 ■•THE OLD RELIABLE' 
 
 STREATOR, ILL. 
 
 This firm handles a splendid line of general merchandise 
 suited to the needs of everybody. 
 
 It believes in honesty, progression and prompt service, and 
 during its past ten years of merchandising in Streator has re- 
 ceived a liberal patronage from the city and surrounding country. 
 
 The policy of selling brands of recognized merit, at lowest 
 prices possible for the grade, has brought to this store the con- 
 fidence of the people, and accounts for its continuously increas- 
 ing trade. 
 
 Manned by men of integrity, experience and ability, it makes 
 an ideal store with which to concenirate your business. 
 
 L. 
 
 
 r^ 
 
 =ii==i[=; 
 
 .J 
 
 STREATOR LUMBER COMPANY 
 
 :DEALER IN: 
 
 LUMBER, CEMENT, LIME, PLASTER 
 
 HARD, SOFT AND SMITHING COALS. 
 
 ESTIMATES FURNISHED 
 
 524 E. Bridge Street 
 
 Telephone 64 
 
 L. 
 
 JEi 
 
 3 l=li 
 
 J
 
 
 HILL BROTHERS 
 
 HOME BAKERY 
 
 MANUFACTURERS AND 
 WHOLESALERS OF 
 
 Confectioneries and Ice Cream 
 
 211 EAST MAIN STREET 
 
 STREATOR. 
 
 ILLINOIS 
 
 
 OSTEOPATHY 
 
 UR. C. J. IIlGIABOTHAM 
 
 OSTEOPATHIC 
 PHYSICIAN 
 
 GRADUATE OF MEDICINE 
 AXD SUliGERY 
 
 UKS. & OFFICE. JACK 1{I>UG. KtKJM.S I TO 4. 
 
 :iJ!> MAIN STREBT. (OVER 'nAWN") 
 
 ti:ni;imione :5U7 
 
 XHAINKn NCH.MK I.V ATTENnANCK. 
 
 H.J. HOWLAND 
 
 UNDERTAKER 
 
 PICTURE FRAMES AND 
 ART GOODS 
 
 PHONES 
 
 STORE 295 RESIDENCC 002 
 
 I I 2 MAIN STREET 
 STREATOR. ILLINOIS 
 
 PHIL OHALLORAN 
 
 LIVERY, BUS, CARRIAGE, AITOMOBILE, 
 BAGGAGEANDTRANSFERLINE 
 
 HEADQUARTERS 
 
 Olympic Restaurant Columbia Hotel 
 
 TELEPHONES 
 Barn 425, Olympic 138, Columbia 292 
 
 Livery and Feed Yard 1 17-21 S. Monroe
 
 J. T. McCOY 
 
 BREECE DAVENPORT 
 
 McCoy & Davenport 
 
 Tin, Sheet Iron 
 
 and 
 
 Metal Wort<ers 
 
 Slate and Asbestos Roofs and Furnaces 
 a Specialty. 
 
 121 SOUTH BLOOMINGTON STREET 
 STREATOR, ILLINOIS 
 
 Sharfenberg Bros. 
 
 Clothing and Shoes 
 
 201-203 Main St. Telehorie 132 
 
 CLOTHIER, FURNISHER AND 
 HATTER 
 
 THE HOME OF 
 
 Hart Schaffner & Marx 
 CLOTHES 
 
 Every garment that leaves my store 
 has my personal guarantee. Aside from 
 that, my forty years of continuous mer- 
 chandising in Streator assures you of a 
 SQUARE DEAL. 
 
 Dave Wolferman 
 
 220 East Main St. 
 
 Streator, Illinois 
 
 ALBERT DUIS 
 
 •CONTRACTOR FOR ^'^^ 
 
 Steam and Hot Water 
 HEATING 
 
 PNEUMATIC WATER SYSTEMS 
 AND PLUMBING 
 
 ACETYLENE LIGHTING 
 
 TELEPHONES 
 
 OFFICE 163 RESIDENCE 36 
 
 WINDMILLS 
 AND PUMPS 
 
 GASOLINE 
 
 ENGINES 
 
 Office 119 S. Bloomington Street 
 
 Residence 1002 E. Main Street 
 
 STREATOR, 
 
 ILLINOIS
 
 r 
 
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 Bud^veiser 
 
 AMERICA'S FAVORITE BEVERAGE 
 
 More Bud\veiser is used 
 in American homes than any 
 other two brands o[ bottled 
 beer combined. This proves 
 that its superiority is recoc- 
 nized everywhere. 
 
 Bottled only at the home plant in St. Louis. 
 
 ANHEUSER-BUSCH BREWERY 
 
 ST. LOUIS 
 
 Anheuser-Busch Branch 
 
 E. F. J. ELBRECHT, Manager, 
 STREATOR, ILL. 
 
 ^ 
 
 J
 
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 ^1 
 
 THE KEELEY INSTITUTE 
 
 THE famous Keeley Institute o]ierated by The Leslie E. Keeley Company, a eor- 
 poration, is located at Dwinlit, Illinois, twenty miles from Streator. It is 
 probably the most widely advertised and best kntnvn corporation in the State 
 
 of Illinois. The late Dr. Leslie E. Keeley began the treatment of dmukenness, 
 drag addictions, the tobacco habit and nervous disorders many years ago, meeting 
 with remarkable success, so much so that in 1880 he abandoned jirivate practice en- 
 tirely and established the Keeley Institute, devoting himself exclusively to that 
 work thereafter. There are now Keeley Institutes in foreign countries, besides 
 which there are one or move in nearly every state in the union. 
 
 The Institute consists of a laboratory and office building, a hotel and power 
 house, all of fire proof constrnction and up-to-date in every i)articular. The Hotel 
 Livingston, iindoubtedly the finest hotel in Illinois outside of Chicago, is where 
 most of the patients board, but this hotel is also open to the public. 
 
 The Keeley treatment has a record of about four hundred thousand cures to 
 its ci'edit, and as far as results are concerned, it is recognized as being not only the 
 standard, but also without rivals or competitors. Business is conducted on a high 
 plane; eveiyoue is treated fairly. All business is strictly confidential. Printed mat- 
 ter is always sent out in a sealed envelope when requested, and full particulars are 
 given by letter. Liquor cases and cases of drug addictions have to be treated at 
 the Institute. There are home remedies for the tobacco habit and nerve irritability. 
 
 The company maintains an office in Chicago, which is located in the Sector 
 Building, Suite 906, 79 W. Monroe Street. 
 
 eJ
 
 R. T. SHAW, PLUMBER 
 
 ONE of Streator's longest established businesses is that of R. T. Shaw, 
 plumber. In 1891 Mr. Shaw opened his plumbing shops on Vermillion 
 Street and has been on this street during all the intervening years, his 
 present address being 113 North Vermillion Street. 
 
 The business necessarily began in a very small way and its steady growth 
 to its present size has been due to the manner in which Mr. Shaw has met the 
 phniibing requirements of Streator and the splendid increase of the business is 
 proof that they were met satisfactorily. The modern equipment of the business 
 makes possible the handling of work from the largest to the smallest measure. 
 
 A little over one year ago Mr. Shaw introduced a new feature into his bus- 
 iness when he took over the Streator agency for the "Champion Coal and Gas 
 Kange 2 in 1. " The success of this new department has greatly exceeded his 
 expectations and the efficiency of the range can now be testified to by over 
 twenty of Streator's best homes. 
 
 Mr. Shaw also carries a full line of plumbing accessories together with 
 heating, gas and electric fixtures. 
 
 Miss Wood mansee 
 
 213 East Main Street 
 
 Streator, Illinois 
 
 SPYRE'S PLAGE 
 
 Tliat is 
 where 
 
 The 
 
 People 
 
 go when 
 ihey want 
 their shoes 
 dressed as 
 they should 
 be dressed 
 and where 
 hats are re- 
 paired s o 
 that they 
 are as good 
 as n e w 
 prices pop- 
 ular. 
 
 IT'S AT 418 E. MAIN STREET 
 
 ^ 
 
 :i3E
 
 = " " = 
 
 TIERNEY BROTHERS 
 
 The firm of Tieriiey Brothers, coniposed of 
 James Tieruey and Josepli Tierney, was estab- 
 lished in 1881, and has grown from humble ]n-e- 
 tentions to its present proportions. The firm 
 makes a specialty or Iron, Rubber and Metal, 
 but deals also in ingot copper. 
 
 The Tieruey Brothers, in counectiou with 
 their other business, handle considerable real 
 estate and loan monej^ Their trade extends 
 over this whole section of Illinois and because 
 of the large shipments made, this firm appre- 
 ciates the advantages Streator i^ossesses as a 
 railroad center. 
 
 Yards and offices at 515 E. Bridge street. 
 Telephone 231. 
 
 =1 1 1 1= 
 
 ^' 
 
 Money Loaned 
 
 On Furniture, Pianos, Horses, 
 Wagons, or any Personal Pro- 
 perty of value. All property 
 left in your possession. All 
 dealings strictly confidential. 
 
 PRIV^ATE RELI.VBLB 
 
 STATE LOAN CO. 
 
 217 E. MAIN ST. 'PHONE 199 
 Over Independent 5 & 10c Store. 
 
 H 
 
 ... 
 
 
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 W. B. HATTENHAUER 
 
 DRUGS & KODAKS 
 
 21 5 MAIN STREET 
 
 STREATOR. 
 
 ILLINOIS 
 
 ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW IN JEWELRY 
 
 CAREW 
 
 ■1, 
 
 Fine Jewelry 
 
 316 MAIN STREET, STREATOR 
 
 SPECIAL ATTENTION TO REPAIR WORK 
 
 ED. REINEL 
 
 Watches, Jewelry, Clocks, Cut Glass 
 
 210 MAIN STREET 
 YOUR EYES SCIENTIFICALLY FITTED WITH GLASSES. 
 
 J. J^. ARTHUR 
 
 PHOTOGK A PIIIC STUDIO 
 
 •jnll MAIX HTKKET 
 
 STKKATDK, ILLIN'OIS 
 QUALITY SERVICE
 
 FABER 
 Beauty Shop 
 
 322 E. Main Street 
 STELLA FABER 
 
 »[ 
 
 Hair Dressing, Shampoo- 
 ing, Facial Massage 
 and Manicuring 
 
 Telephone No. 1539 
 
 MOTORCYCLES 
 AND BICYCLES 
 
 REPAIRING, SUPPLIES 
 
 ACCESSORIES 
 
 Kroesen & Plock 
 
 506 E. Main Street 
 
 RECEPTION ROOM 
 
 CLARK'S STUDIO 
 
 THE PLACE WHERE GOOD 
 PHOTOGRAPHS ARE MADE 
 
 JAMES CONNELL 
 
 LIVERY FEED AND SALE 
 STABLE 
 
 HARD AND SOFT COAL 
 
 DRlVlNfi AND DRAFT HORSES 
 FOR SALE Al ALL TIMES 
 
 126 S. Park Street 
 STREATOR, ILLINOIS
 
 CHIRO-PRACTIC 
 INSTITUTE 
 
 106 E. SUMNER STREET 
 
 PROF. G. H. SMITH, Director 
 
 TIk- newest scliool of iiKMiiuil licaliiii;- has t'.>t;il)lislu'(l 
 ail iiislilutc ill Stivalur, wliieli lias liecii opcrali'd with 
 remarkable success here for several years. Ciiiro practic 
 is the hitcst and most sciontifio form of treating- disease 
 by iiiaimal therapy — hand-healing it may be called. 
 Wonderful results have been attained and many inonii 
 iient Streator citizens testify to its eflieaey. 
 
 A Plant that Represents Streator's Progress 
 
 The 
 Independent-Times 
 
 An Indci'jcndent Democra- 
 tic Daily Newspaper 
 
 A paper that stands for Good 
 Government and Good Principles 
 
 The 
 Independent-Times 
 
 STATIONERY 
 BOOK STORE 
 
 A Store that Treats allMhke, the 
 Child as well as the Adult. 
 
 THE INDEPENDENT-TIMES 
 Job Printing Establishment 
 
 Makes a Specialty of General Job Printing for the Local Community 
 
 And a Specially of Legal lilaiiks acul Legal Printing for Lawyers, Real Estate Agents, Justices of llie Peace, Banks, 
 County Clerks, City and Town Clerks, Etc., Throughout the State of Illinois.
 
 THE J. I. BRANNAN 
 
 BILLIARD HALL CIGAR STORE BARBERSHOP 
 
 CAROM AND POCKET BILLIARD TABLES IN 
 FIRST CLASS CONDITION 
 
 The Best and Most Popular Brands of Cigars 
 
 Imported and Domestic 
 
 A FIRST CLASS BARBER SHOP 
 
 An Artist at Every Chair. 
 
 Corner of Main and Monroe Streets. Most Popular Corner in the City. 
 
 A BRIGHT, CHEERFIL, CLEANLY PLACE IN WHICH TO PASS AN HOUR. 
 
 -I ir==ii 1= 
 
 The Pure Ice Qo. 
 
 OUR PRIGE HAS BEEN AND IS AL WA VS 
 THE L O WES T 
 
 OUR IQE IS THE BEST 
 
 Prompt service and honest weights ^uaran= 
 teed. Goal and general teaming at alt times. 
 
 ,4' 
 
 J. W. Worrell 
 
 108 S. First St. 
 
 STRETITOR, ILLIXOIS 
 Phone lO'JO 
 
 El ii:^=ji 1;
 
 BA<-W*y<»-. ■ T-V 
 
 iSX.V"^ 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA