LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 911 .'627 B19h cop. 2 111. Hist. Survey -.■„>«•* t ?^' ^^ \ \ ^9^ \ HISTORY OF LA SALLE COUNTY ILLINOIS. ITS TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, BOTANY, NATURAL HISTORY, HISTORY OF THE MOUND BUILDERS, INDIAN TRIBES, FRENCH EXPLORATIONS, AND A SiGlcl of tlie Pioieer Settlers of eacli Ton lo 1840, WITH AN APPENDIX, GIVING THE PRESENT STATUS OE THE COUNTY, ITS POPULATION, RESOURCES, MANUFACTURES AND INSTITUTIONS, BY ELMER BALDWIN. CHICAGO: Rand, McNally & Co., Pkintbbs, 77 and 79 Madison Street. 1877. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877, by EC-MEU BALDWIN, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. ? PREFACE The volume here given to the public is the out- growth of a long cherished feeling of the citizens of La Salle County, often publicly expressed, that the memories of the pioneer settlers should be pre- served. That the circumstances which surrounded those who reclaimed the wildness of uncultivated nature, who converted an unproductive waste into fruitful fields, and the rude theatre of savage life to the fit abode of Christian civilization, and the seat of thousands of happy homes, should be truthfully portrayed and handed down for the contemplation of posterity. To do this, after a lapse of half a century from the time the rude and simple red men retired from the scene, and the incoming race commenced the hercu- lean task they have so well performed, is beset with difficulties that one inexperienced can not appreciate. iv Preface. The early pioneers have mostly passed away. Twenty years ago many could have told the tale of their toils, whose lips are now forever sealed, and tra- dition alone hands down to us the story of their experiences. Human memory is treacherous, and forty revolv- ing years dim and clothe with uncertainty the his- tory told by the third generation. A few of the old pioneers remain, and to them the author has ap- pealed for the facts, and to them he has submitted the statements herein contained for correction ; and while he can not flatter himself that no errors have crept in, but is of the opinion it would be impossi- ble to exclude them ; yet that the work is substan- tially correct he verily believes, having spared no effort to make it so. The work was undertaken at the solicitation of the Old Settlers' Association, and rather as a labor of love than with the idea of pecu- niary profit. Articles upon Geology by W. W. Calkins, and upon the Botany of the County by E. Williams, are inserted. As these gentlemen have made these subjects a favorite study for years, and are old resi- dents of the county, it was deemed appropriate that they should appear in their favorite roles. The seeming repetition of facts in the two geolog- ical articles — the scientific and economic — are no Preface. v more than was required to show the value of the material found in the several strata. The pioneer history of the towns has been arranged chronologically rather than alphabetically. The incongruity of introducing the history of the town of Allen, one of tlie last towns settled, in ad- vance of all the old settled towns, will be apparent to all ; and the inconvenience of finding a town by the index will be much less than that of reading history backwards. The same course has been pursued in relation to the insertion of the names of the settlers of a town. The aim has been to enter the names in order, according to priority of settlement. The modern system of selling panegyrics, which pervades not only the periodical press, but nearly all the literature of the day, has been wholly ignored. When a more lengthy biograpliy has been given, or a narrative of personal experience more full than elsewhere, it has been to throw light on the usages and experiences of the times, and the one given is designed as a truthful representation of all. While that fulsome flattery that is bought and sold like cabbages in the market has been avoided, words that would wound the sensibilities of the living, or those of the friends of the dead, have been as carefully shunned. The simple leading facts of a person's life, with official vi Preface. position, is all that has been attempted, while none are so humble as to escape notice ; and if its read- ing shall beguile the lonely hours of the departing pioneer, by recalling those scenes over which he loves to linger, or shall excite the emulation of succeeding generations to practice the frugal virtues of those we commemorate, the author will feel that his labor has not been in vain. CONTENTS. Page Topography 9 Economifi Geology. --- 25 Mound Builders 34 French Explorations and Set- tlements -.. - 49 Indian History 57 Illinois 58 Pottawatomies .- - 68 Sacs and Foxes 04 Winnebagoes - - 6(; Kickapoos 68 Legend of Starved Rock-. 70 Early Explorations 73 Kennedy in Search of a Copper Mine -. 73 American Fur Company.- 74 Hodgson's Narrative 76 First Settlement of Couuiy-. 80 Winnebago War 80 Gurdon Hubbard's Narra- tive 82 Organization of La Salle County 85 Black Hawk War, 1831 .... 88 Black Hawk War, 1832 89 Forces organized under Gen'l Whiteside... 90 Stillman's Defeat 91 Forces discharged at Ot- tawa 91 Col. Fry raises a Regiment from the discharged Men 93 New recruits rendezvous at Fort Wilburn 92 Battle of Bad Axe 98 Black Hawk taken Prisoner 93 Gen'l Scott and the Regu- lars 94 Massacre at Indian Creek . . 94 Statement of J. W. Hall . 95 Statement of the Misses Hall 98 Page Killing of Schermerhorn and Hazleton 106 Killing of Payne and Baresford 108 Situation at the Close of the War 109 Shabona 110 Hickley's Statement 115 Indian Character and Cus- toms -. 116 Personal Narratives _ 119 Narrative by the Author.. 121 Mrs. Walbridge's Statem'nt 125 Mrs. Parr's Statement 127 Thos. Parr's Statement... 128 Claims and First Improve- ments 129 Morality of Claims 132 Squatter Sovereignty 133 Building a Log Cabin 134 One Post Bedstead 135 Breaking Prairie - 136 Lost on the Prairie 140 Mirage ..- 142 Crossing a Prairie in the Night 143 Prairie Fires. 145 Protection from Fire 146 How to Combat a Fire 147 Amusements .-- 151 Sickness 155 Hard Winter of 1888 160 Nativity of First Settlers... 161 Diversity of Customs, Pro- vincialisms, etc 165 Prairie Grasses... 171 Hard Times 173 Embarrassment of the State. 181 Depreciated Currency 183 Illinois and Michigan Canal. 187 Bandits of the Prairie 192 Irish Rebellion 199 Vlll Coideiits. Page Criminal Record - 200 La Salle and Dixon Railroad 203 Recovering from Hard Times 205 Frink and Walker Line of Stages.-- 206 Mexican War 207 Division of the County 207 New Cons' itution and Two Mill Tax 208 First Court House and Jail. 209 Present Court House / 209] Page Illinois Central and Other Railroads 210 Amount Paid to the State -- 210 County Officers : County Commissioners --- 215 Other County Officers 216 County Court 217 Circuit Court _ 218 State Senators. ., 221 Representatives 221 Biographical Sketch of Settlers of each I'own. Adams.- 4o4 Allen --- 475 Brookfleld - - - . . 445 Bruce 841 Dayton 266 Deer Park 320 Dimmick . 4ti6 Eagle 441 Earl 429 Eden 347 Fall River 390 Farm Ridge ;i81 Freedom 394 Grand Rapids 451 Groveland 468 Hope . . 480 La Salle 372 Manlius --. 310 Mendota. 478 Meriden 481 Miller 458 Mission. , 414 Northville 421 Ophir 410 Osage . - 474 Ottawa - - - . 223 Ottawa (Addenda) 484 Otter Creek 461 Peru 360 Richland - - 472 Rutland - - 273 Serena 435 South Ottawa 255 Troy Grove 403 Utica. --. 354 Vermillion 287 Wallace ...- 483 Waltham -.- 463 Appendix. Botany . . - 486 Geology- 503 Fauna 514 List of School Commission- ers and Superintendents. 532 Churches . . - - . - 533 Assessments and Taxes 536 Lodges - - - - 540 Miscellaneous Associations . . 541 Manufactures - . 542 Shipment of Produce 544 Population 545 Sale of Lots in Ottawa . 545 Arrival of Boats in 1849 545 Grangers 546 Cities and Villages - 547 Ottawa Academy of Sciences. 548 Conclusion 550 Illustrations. View of Starved Rock Fortification at Marseilles - . 275 Old Fort opposite mouth of Indian Creek 285 Map of Deer Park - 32 1 Survey of Fort on Bluff south of Starved Rock - 339 HISTORY OF LA SALLE COUNTY. TOPOGRAPHY. La Salle County embraces thirty-two townships, or about 1,152 square miles, and occupies geographi- cally a central and commanding position. It is nearly central to the northern half of the State, and at the head of navigation on the Illinois river. The Illinois & Michigan Canal passes through its centre, terminating near its western boundary, connecting at that point with the navigation of the river, and througli that with all the navigable rivers of this great western valley, while by the canal it has wateK transportation to the great chain of lakes, and through them to the eastern seaboard. Its position is the key to the most natural connection between the western rivers and the inland seas of the conti- nent. Its surface is more elevated and rolling than most of the prairie region south of it, and in addi- tion there is a considerable descent from all parts of the county towards the Illinois river, which passes through the centre and drains nearly its entire surface. The difference of elevation between the top of the bluff' at La Salle and Mendota is 239 feet, and at the county line north of Mendota, 371 feet. Tonica is 143 feet higher than La Salle, and there is an increasing though undulating elevation, going 2 9 10 History of La 8alle County. south, to a point seven miles north of Blooraington, which point is 367 feet above the Central R. R. station at La Salle, and that station is eighty feet above low water in the river, consequently the tributaries of the Illinois have a rapid descent to this river, and the Illinois is a quite rapid stream in this county, thus making an efficient and healthy drain- age for nearly all its surface. The scenery is on a grander scale than most of the prairie region ; there are more magnificent streams, higher and more picturesque blufls, more timber, and better distributed. The prairie is dryer and more rolling than most of that south of it, richer and more productive than that north of it ; it oc- cupies an intermediate position, and boasts of the possession of the best qualities of both extremes of the prairie region north and south. The Illinois river seems an agricultural as well as a topographical and geological axis. While the soil south of the river is as black, deep and rich as Sanga- mon County, and equally a corn region, that north of the river has a browner soil, is better for wheat and perhaps not quite as good for corn, and the surface generally more rolling. These distinctions are not radical, and a careless observer would not notice them, but they exist and are increased radically, going north of the county, owing to difference of geological formation. The most prominent feature of the topography of the county is the Illinois river, which intersects the county near the centre, running nearly due west ; but after leaving the county, its course is Topogrcqyliy. 11 southwest to its mouth. The Illinois is a sluggish stream, having but about twenty-eight feet fall in a distance of nearly 200 miles, being less than the distance allowed in canal navigation, but in La Salle County there are two rapids, one at Marseilles, and -one near Starved Rock, each capable of furnishing an immense w^ater power. The river is deep enough for good sized boats except at the rapids. There was considerable steamboat traffic between Ottawa and St. Louis before the canal was built, but since its com- pletion, terminating at La Salle, the boats seldom ascend higher than that place. The valley of the Illinois is from one to near two miles wide. From where it enters the county to within three miles of La Salle, it is above high water. Some of it has good soil, but most of it rests oii the St. Peters sandstone, and near Utica on the calcif- «rous lime rock, and the soil is thin, but after it strikes the carboniferous formation, above La Salle, the soil is alluvium, and ver}' rich, but subject to inundation. The bluffs are from 100 to 140 feet high. The scenery- along this valley is surpassingly beautiful. The broad river is dotted with islands shaded by majestic elms, the growth of centuries, the whole walled in by the sandstone bluffs on either side, presenting mostly a mural front, frequently worn by the elements into fantastic shapes, or cut by deep and romantic canyons, the tops clothed with a carpet of grass and fringed with scattering timber, among which many lofty pines are con- spicuous. It might well have attractions, as it ever has had, for both savage and civilized man. 12 History of La Salle County. Starved Rock, a point of the bluff separated by the denuding iorce of water, is situated one mile above Utica, on the south side of the river, which washes its base. It is 135 feet high, and contains an area of about half an acre on the top, shaded by evergreens. It is of especial interest from the Indian legends connected with it, and as the site of Fort St. Louis of the French. Buffalo Rock, hardly as high as Starved Rock, is on the north side of the river, four miles below Ottawa. It is about two miles long, forty to sixty rods wide, its southern base washed by the river^ while a wide cut, through which part of the river once flowed, separates it from the bluff on the north ; through this cut the canal and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad find a convenient passage. This rock was once an island in the Illinois, as there is no doubt that the Illinois was, sometime in the past, much wider than now, and extended from bluff to bluff*, through the extent of the valley ; the water marks along the sand-rock bluffs, and the washed gravel on the high bot- toms, all point unmistakably to that conclusion. There was a time when the lakes stood at a much higher level than now, and doubtless emptied their waters through the valley of the Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. When the Niagara broke through the heights at Lewiston and formed the Falls of Niag- ara, the level of the lakes was graduallv sunk until the waters sought the ocean by the river and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Since then the Illinois has only drained the country around the south end of Lake Topography . 13 Michiaan, and is reduced to a mere rivulet com- pared with its former niagnilicent dimensions. The valley of the Illinois was then more like a continu- ous lake than a river. The broad and deep valley, filled with accumulated waters of the upper lakes, must have formed the most majestic river of the West. At Beardstown the river bottom is twelve miles wide, and whoever has viewed the curiously- formed detached portions of the bluff, six miles south of Beardstown, could have come to no other conclusion than that the waves on that twelve miles expanse of water, driven for ages by the fierce west- ern prairie winds, could alone have formed those cones and pyramids from the solid bluff now stand- ing mementos of the doings of a by-gone age. This valley lias evidently been the favorite resort of all the peoples that have ever occupied the country — the mounds left by the mound builders were numerous along all the prominent parts of the bluffs and high bottoms. The Illinois Indians made this their central point, and here was" their principal town, and they fought for years, with the northern tribes, for its pos- session. The French explorers made it one of their principal military, missionary and trading posts. Its histoiy, if it could all be written, would be of intense interest. The principal southern tributary of the Illinois is the Big Vermillion — the Aramoni of the French. It cuts the south part of the county from southeast to northwest, emptying into the Illinois on the opposite side and one mile above La Salle. It is a rapid stream, with higli bluffs and narrow bottoms ; the 14 History of La Salle County. scenery along its banks for several miles from its month is very grand and imposing. The strata, which compose its bluffs are rich in fossils, and the geologist and lover of nature will be well paid for a trip along its rugged banks. The famous grotto of Deer Park is on the right bank, a mile or two from its mouth. It is in the St. Peters sandstone which first shows itself on the A^ermillion — it is a cut in the bluff, on a level with the river at low water, wind- ing somewhat like the letter S, and extending some hundred rods or more. The sides are perpendicu- lar, and at the extreme end about ninety feet high. At that point the sides project or shelve over about seventy feet on each side. In wet weather there is a pretty waterfall, and at all times a clear pool of water and a fine spring. The opening at top is about one hundred feet, and is fringed with pines and other trees. It is a great curiosity and a very popular place of resort. The Vermillion is bordered with timber on either side, and in the upper part of its course has some bottoms, of very heavy timber. Bai- ley' s, Otte^ and Eagle creeks, and many smaller streams, are tributaries of the Yermillion. Cov^ell creek, named from, the first settler on its banks, is the other considerable southern branch of the Illinois in the county. It rises in T. 32, R. 4, and runs westwardly into the Illinois, two and one- half miles below Ottawa. The principal northern tributar}^ of the Illinois, and next to that river in size, is the Fox. Its waters are clear, and the extremes of high and low water are less than most other streams in the county ; it is Topography. 15 one of the best, if not the best, mill stream in the State, and there is more improved water power on the Fox, from Wisconsin to its mouth, than on any other stream in the State, and, with the exception of Rock river, probably more than all others. It enters the county on its eastern side, between the towns of Northville and Mission, and runs southeastwardly to the Illinois at Ottawa. Its banks for a feAv miles from its moutli are bordered by belts of timber, while higher up, the prairie in many places comes to the bank of the stream. It runs through a fine rolling and rich prairie. Big and Little Indian, Somanauk, Mission and Buck creeks are the principal branches. The Little Vermillion, a northern branch of the Illinois, rises in the northwest part of the county, runs south to the Illinois on the east side of the city .of La Salle. Troy Grove, a large tract of excellent timber, is on the head of the stream. The Toma- hawk is the principal branch. The Percomsoggin, said to be Indian for little axe, rises in the town of Waltham,and runs southwest into the Illinois, half a mile above the Little Vermillion. The bluffs of the northern tributaries of the Illinois (except when they approach that stream) are not as high as the southern, they run over a different geological formation, and the overlying drift is not as deep, and the bed rock, mostly Trenton and St. Peters, is not as readily denuded as that of the coal measures that prevail south of the river. We have glanced at the streams, the valleys, the bluffs, the elevations and general outline of the county, but the great bulk of its territory, the 16 History of La Salle County. prairie that lies between and fills in the picture from stream to stream, remains to be noticed. It forms all the elevated portions of the county. The streams of course are on the lowest ground, and the larger streams, w^lien running over the coal meas- ures, are sunk, 100 feet or more, into the regular strata after leaving the drift, and on the St. Peters sandstone nearly as much sunk by the erosion of the water, and all showing that the amount of water tbat did that excavating was much greater than runs now. Whether that occurred when the ocean waters first receded from the surface, and following all the de-|)ressions, scooped out and formed channels for all the future streams ; or whether from the exist- tence of a moist climate and heav}' rainfall, the same object was gradually accomplished, may never be known, but it is probable it was a combination* of both. At all events the cause was ample for the effect, and the streams are all placed in deep beds, with far more than ample room for the discharge of their waters in any contingency. . The prairie extends back from the borders of these vallej's, and gradually rises to the ridges or highest ground between the stream s^in western parlance called divides, because they separate the water running to different streams. The timber being confined to the borders of the streams, is con- sequently on the lowest ground, and a person standing on one of these divides, can look over the timber to the prairie forming the divide on the opi)osite side. These ridoes or divides when seen from a distance Topograpliy. 17 are easily located, but when a closer inspection is attempted they ilee like an ignis fatuus; though some are so abrupt as to be well detined, they are mostly so near level as to be hard to locate. Emigrants coming from a timbered region, or what in its primitive state was such, from hilly New England or the mountains of Pennsylvania or New York, could have had no conception of the prairie region. In all those localities the land was covered with timber, except where the hand of man had removed it. They regarded that condition as the natural and normal state of any country. Add to this the uneven, rocky and broken surface of the land of their nativity, and the first view of the prairie State must have made a deep impression. In fact, the prairie is one of the wonders of the world. The steppes of Asia and the pampas of South America are wonderful in extent, but for richness of soil, beauty of landscape, and all that is valuable to civilized occupants, neither they, nor any other locality on the globe, make any approaches to successful competition with the prairie region of the North American con- tinent. The deltas of the Nile, of the Mississippi, and of other great rivers, possess a soil as rich and as level, but they are of limited extent, and the sun in its daily circuit does not shine on a country of the same extent, so rich, so grand and beautiful as the prairie before the hand of man had marred and defaced it. That region with us is now transformed to a popu- lous and cultivated country, and the future will 18 History of La Salle County. never witness in its native wildness and beanty the fairest scenery tliat uncultivated nature ever pre- sented to the view of man. A timbered region, covered by the dark, primeval forest, is grand and impressive ; its darl?: and sombre shades, and deep and tangled recesses, are well cal- culated to foster a superstitious dread, and to people its unexplored depths with the witches and goblins of the past, or with the whispering ghosts of which Ossian sings so mournfully. But no such goblins haunted the prairie. An imaginative organi- zation might have fancied the fairies sporting in the evening shadows, as approaching night shut in the landscape, or departing from their midnight revels among the curling mist as they vanished before the glories of a prairie sunrise. The early occupants of the prairie will remember noticing circles on the prairie from fifteen to twenty or more feet across, distinguisliable only by a ranker and heavier growth of grass, but very distinctly marked. What caused them was not known, though some ascribed them to lightning strokes. Similar phenomena exist in the natural meadow and grass land in England, and are there called fairy-rings or fairy-circles, vul- garly supposed to be caused by the fairies in their dances. If Sir Walter Scott had written in the midst of the prairie region instead of among the glens and wilds of the Scottish Highlands, where witchcraft and demonology have ever found their favorite fastnesses, his genius would not have been so deeply tinged with the supernatural, and war- Topograpliy. 19 locks and witches wo aid not have danced so freely over his pages. The quiet and sylvan beauty which clothes the vast, the limitless expanse, impressed and fashioned the imagination to cooler, more genial and happier thoughts — the grand and the peaceful occupied the mind, and left no room for those horrible creations of the fancy which destroyed the judgment and bru- talized the occupants of the dark forests of central Europe, and even found a foothold in the dense and tangled wild woods of rugged New England. A feeling of chastened personal dignity as the occupant of such a heritage, and of reverence for the power that fashioned it, forcibly impressed the mind, as, standing upon the vast, illimitable plain which spread in all directions, wave succeeding wave, and undulation following undulation, far away, till the earth and sky met and shut in the power of vision. It seemed as if a boundless ocean, set in motion by a powerful storm and then quieted, the bosom of the water smoothly heaving, all in motion, forming the most graceful curves and swells, had been instantly chilled, hardened to solid land— such was the prairie. Standing on a swell of the prairie on a clear day in early summer, the luxuriant grass waving in the wind, the shadows of the summer clouds fitfully chasing each other on beyond the power of vision, the observer could fancy the ocean restored and the long swells again in motion ; or, taking a stand in one of the numerous points of timber which ex- tended either way from the large streams, an open 20 History of La Salle County. grove, clear of underbnisli and covered with a green sward, and tlie view taking in the alternation of timber and prairie, a scene was presented that for extent, beauty and grandeur art can never expect to imitate, and having once been destroyed can never be restored. Whence came the prairie \ What peculiar condi- tions caused this region to grow grass alone, while all others grow timber «! The question seems j)artialh^ answered by the relative location of the timber and prairie. The timber grows ontlie alluvial bottoms where partially protected from the prairie fires, or on the thin soil of the bluffs, wliile the rich and deep prairie soil and the alluvial, where exposed to the fires, grow grass and no timber. AVhen the ocean receded from the rich and deep soil which had been deposited in its apparent quiet waters, as it was partially a swamp, the sedges and coarse grasses would soon grow with a luxuriance proportioned to the temperature, mois- ture and richness of the soil. Trees do not readil}^ grow in such a soil, and if they did, it would require a large number of years to enable them to withstand even a moderate fire ; but grass grows in a single season, and, when dry, furnishes sufficient fuel to effectually burn up or destroy any young timber sprouts of one or two years' growth that might exist. Thus we might expect no trees, but an annual growth of grass on the richest soil, and where ex^^osed to the annual fires ; while a poor soil growing too little grass for fuel to sustain an annual fire, and localities sheltered or protected in any way from tlie fires, Topography. 21 would grow up to timber — and such was found to be the fact. ISTarrow strips of land between streams or branches of streams were generally timber land. The soil on the top of the bluffs and near the streams was, and is, invariably thin, and not as well adapted to grass as the prairie — this soil is nearly all timber, and has the additional advantage of protection in one direction by the stream. The smooth and level sur- face would facilitate the progress of the annual fires, while a rough, rocky and uneven surface would check them. The great extent of the region over which these conditions existed would aid the spread of the fire when started, and some part of so extended a region would be likely to take fire, while if divided into small and isolated tracts like the present fields, fires would be seldom known. Lightning alone would be a sufficient cause for the annual firing of so large a tract, and this, at an early day, was doubtless the agent that effected it. It was the opinion of the early settlers, that at that time, the prairie was encroaching upon the tim- ber ; in fact, the bluff timber was all old, and a ma- jority of the trees injured b}^ the fire, and there was no young growth; an ox gad or a hoop pole could not be found except in some sheltered nook of the bluff, or on the sheltered alluvial bottoms, but as soon as the barrens, as they were termed, were pro- tected from fire, they rapidly grew up with a thrifty crop of well-set timber, showing that the fire had been the only impediment to that result. The prairie, although protected from fire, did not rapidly grow to timber, for the reason there were 22 History of La Salle County. no roots or germs to start from, as tliere was in the barrens, but the principal reason was, that no tree will grow readily in the unbroken prairie sod, as most of the settlers found by dear experience — but the timber did spread to the prairie, lirst a few hazel bushes, these would hold the leaves at the roots, thus mulching and killing the turf, then a few crab ajDples, then oak and hickor}^. There was probably a time when, from the recur- rence of wet seasons, a general moist climate, or other cause, the timber had encroached upon the prairie, else there would have been no timber — but the whole history since the waters retired, had evi- dently been a contest for supremacy between the two. At the date of the white settlements the timber had retired to the banks of the streams, to the thin- nest soil and to the low bottoms, and in most cases was still retiring. As j^roof of this, it was noticed that in many instances the extreme points, the out- posts or picket lines of timber had retired and left roots and stumps burnt to or under the surface, yet in reach of the plow, mementos of its former status. Most of the bluff timber was stationary or decay- ing, very little making a thrift}^ growth, and as the 3'oung si^routs were annualh' killed, it was impos- sible for the timber to hold its own. The writer has a vivid recollection of the first fire he witnessed, which was a very severe one, passing through the timber. Hundreds of trees were on fire to their ex- treme tops, presenting in a dark night a most mag- nificent but terrific view, much less enjoyable from the fact that so much timber was being destroyed. Tojpograpliy. 23 Those trees burnt for several days, and a frequent crash and thud told that the monarchs of the forest, the growth of centuries, were yielding to their con- quering foe, — a most conclusive answer to the ques- tion, why is it that timber does not grow on the prairies % Oaks and hickories are the most hardy and least injured by fire, consequently were the only varieties on the bluffs, and if these were receding be- fore the common enemy^, it could not be expected that the more tender varieties could exist at all. On the sheltered bottoms were found all the va- rieties of timber common to the climate, that is, where the timber had obtained the ascendency, so as to prevent the growth of grass sufficient to sustain the fire. Black and white walnut, linden, elms, sycamore, ash, maples, etc., were found in abundance, but were not found on the bluffs, as they would be killed b}^ a fire that would leave the oaks and hickorj" un- scathed. Points of timber occupying a bend or angle of a stream, well out on the verge of the timber point, and on the prairie soil, often consisted of walnut and other varieties of bottom timber, proving that such a soil was well adapted to the growth of different varieties of timber — a truth also proved by the suc- cessful cultivation of artificial groves and belts. After the lapse of more than forty years, the old timber has nearly all been removed, and the fires checked and finally eftectually stopped by the im- provements of the settlers ; that which was then tim- ber lands, or barrens, has grown a thrifty crop of 24 History of La Salle County. yoansr timber, not only of oak and liickorv. but where tlie soil is deep and rich, a sprinkling of wal- nut, linden, and other varieties of what was termed bottom timber, being then confined to such localities. The rapidity with which timber spontaneously starts wherever the germs exist, and its rapid and thrifty growth, show that our soil is inherently a timber soil, and that in the not very distant future, our State will be better supplied with good timber than those States originally covered with a heavy growth. It is a well-known fact that Western New York, Ohio, and other heavih^-wooded regions, when once cleared seldom produce a valuable new growth, and the reckless waste made by the occupants of those States will be repaid by succeeding generations in high prices and a scarcity of the article. The low price and abundance of pine lumber and the facilities for transportation have reduced the price of timber-land in Illinois, so that it will hardly bring the prices it did thirty years ago, and many are cutting off the second growth and putting the land under cultivation — all tending to a reckless exhaustion of the timber supply. There can be no question but that the immense demand over all the prairie region for lumber, and the readiness with which that want is supplied, must, within the life of another generation, exhaust the supply, and the warnings of thoughtful and sagacious men, to guard against the danger, ought to be heeded. The supph- once exhausted can not be restored for generations — the one to two hundred yeai-s required to produce a perfected growth of full-size timber is quite an Economic Geology. 25 item in the count of time, and a long period to wait for the production of a crop — and it will be wise to husband our resources and save while we can, hav- ing at least a thought for the future. The timber growing in Illinois will all be wanted, and at a price that will pay for its culture. The railroads built, and to be built, which have to renew their ties every eight or ten years, will consume all the timber the State can produce, and when the lumber region fails, as fail it must, there will be a still greater amount needed for building and fencing purposes. ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. The geology of a country is the first element of its form, character and resources. The face of the country, the scenery, the depth of the river beds, form of the river banks or bluffs, the soil, and its mineral resources, are all determined by its geology, and, as a consequence, its natural and exotic produc- tions, its timber, plants, fruits and grains, are to a great extent governed or influenced by it, modified, however, by its climate. Central and Northern Illinois, in common with most of the Mississippi Valley, rests upon a hori- zontal and nearly level bed rock. All sedimentary rocks are formed in horizontal beds, and only assume other positions when up- heaved or displaced by some great convulsion of nature, as shown in volcanic and mountainous re- gions. This Western valley appears to have suf- fered but little displacement, and its underlying 26 History of La Salle County. rock and all its regular strata, form one grand mag- nificent floor, from the Alleglianies to tlie Rocky Mountains, and necessarily a level champaign coun- try' — the grandest theatre for human effort ever vouchsafed to man. The bed rock or regular rock deposit in La Salle County is covered with the drift deposit from a tri- fling depth at the edge of the bluffs to a maximum depth of 150 feet at the divides or highest points of the prairies between the streams. From this point with a rolling or undulating sur- face, the descent is gradual to the streams forming the water sheds or natural drainage of the country. This descent is owing to the different depths of the drift deposit, and not to the uneven surface of the rock strata below — but the gradual rise in long ascents of the country going north, and frecxuently in other directions, is due to the gradual swells or ascent of the underlying rocks. From the beds of the streams and bottom lands, this strata has mostly been denuded or washed away, but leaving boulders and other evidence that it once covered the entire country. The drift is composed of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders or granite rock, and in it is found at all depths, pebbles, all worn smooth by attrition — bits of coal, and in numerous instances at different depths, pieces of wood, mostly black walnut, cedar, or other durable timber — showing that this is a comparatively recent deposit. Geologists agree that it was brought from the north b}^ glaciers — rivers or oceans of ice, of which the glaciers of the Alps, or Economic Geology. 27 the far more magnificent ones of Greenland, are bnt miniature specimens. From causes existing at tlie time, whether from a generally colder climate, or from peculiar currents of the atmosphere not now existing, which carried the vapor from the warmer regions of the earth to the north, where it formed an ocean of ice several thousands of feet in thickness, which by its weight cruslied and forced its lower portions forward, grinding to powder and leveling the surface of the earth with a power beyond con- ception, it spread over most of the north part of the continent, marking the hills and mountains of the East with striw or grooves in the solid rock. Its action is well described by the adage — "The mills of the Gods grind slow, but very fine." Its deposit here formed from what would have been a dead level and wet surface, a rolling and dry one, and laid the foundation of the richest soil that exists over so large a surface. Without the foundation of the drift, that soil could never have existed. Over the south part, and more than half of the county, the drift rests upon the carboniferous or coal formation, being the northern termination of the great coal field of the State. Its northern limit is a little north of the Illinois river, but most of it north of the valley of the Illinois and east of Ottawa, with few exceptions, lies upon the St. Peters sand- stone, approaches the outcrop, and is of little im- portance. The amount of coal embraced in the county is almost unlimited in amount, generally of excellent qualit}^ and its value, present and pros- pective, can hardly be overestimated. 28 History of La Salle County. There are three veins in the west part of the count}^, mined principally at La Salle and vicinity, aggregating a thickness of about thirteen feet. They underlie the Illinois valley and the bluft's on either side ; toward the east rising rapidly over the axis of the St. Peters sandstone. The two upper ones crop out and disappear, while the lower one overlies the St. Peters to Ottawa and Marseilles, and up the Vermillion to S. 24, T. 32, R. 2. Here this vein terminates its outcrop, being in the bottom of the Vermillion. Another vein has been found by bor- ing, at this point, forty- seven feet below the first, which extends to Streator and beyond, over a large extent of territory. It is reported at from three to four feet thick, and of best quality. It lies about one hundred feet below the vein now being worked at Streator, and has been there explored only by boring. The State geological report claims that this is the La Salle lower vein, which is evidently a mis- take. The vein worked at Vermillionville and Lowell, acknowledged to be that vein, is forty-live feet below the brown sand-rock, (a conspicuous strata on the Vermillion), and the vein which crops out in the river on Section 21, is the same distance below that rock with the same strata intervening as at Lowell, while the vein shows itself in nearly all the ravines between the two places, graduall}^ declining from several feet above the river to its bottom on Section 24 ; while the vein in controversy is forty- seven feet below that, with entirely difterent strata intervening between the two. Two shafts have been sunk on S. 31, T. 32, R. 3, and this vein is for the Economic Geology. 29 first time being worked. It proves a valuable vein. It is three and a half feet or over in thickness, and of excellent quality. For blacksmithing, generating steam, and all purposes so far as used, it is superior to any other coal found in the county. The next vein found in ascending tlie Yermillion is on Section 10, called the Kirkpatrick or Cook bed. Its extent is not fully known. It lies above the river, and is worked by drifting from the river bottom. A shaft sunk by David Strawn on the S. W. ^ of S. 2, found nine feet of coal eighty feet below the surface. It is a fair coal, but not as good as the same vein higher up the river, which is ex- tensively worked at Streator. This vein has an average thickness of about five feet, and extends over a large area. It is mined on a large scale for shipment hy the several railroads centering at Streator ; aggregating over a thousand tons per day, and constantly increasing. This coal field, and the one at La Salle, are among the most extensive and valuable in the State. The immense supply of motive power, both coal and water, with the commanding geographical position of the county, and facilities for cheap transportation, indicate that it must at sometime become a great manufacturing district. It is true, its agricultural resources are second to none, and if purely agricultural can compete with any of her sister counties of like character ; but it Avould be the most reckless folly to neglect and spurn those facilities for a diversified industry which nature has lavished so profusely upon us. No purel}^ 30 History of La Salle County. asfricultural res;ion can ever be rich. Ao-iicnltiire flourishes best, and its profits are doubled, when along side a manufacturing industr}". In fact, all the pursuits of an enlightened civilization flourish best in the vicinity of each other ; all are mutually dependent, and languish isolated and alone : and that community is the most wealthy, refined and intelligent that cultivates all the arts and Indus- tries — that so far as climate, location and resources will permit, is of itself a miniature world, its citizens living independent, and by their own industiy sup- plying most of their wants. If this generation does not utilize the natural ad- vantages of our position, some other will, and will laugh at the folly of this. Our advantages are too prominent to always escape the notice of discerning- business men, and the field is too ample to remain long unappropriated. There are few localities in the State where nature has bestowed with a more lavish hand such riches of mineral wealth as lie beneath the soil of La Salle County. Being the northern border of the coal field, and ad- joining a rich agricultural region to the north entirely destitute of that article, it has superior advantages of location for supph^ing that market. In addition, the iron and other ores at the north will be brought here for smelting. It takes about three tons of coal to reduce two tons of ore, being one-third cheaper to bring tlie ore to the coal than to carry the coal to the ore. The coal fields of Illinois l3^ing between the ores of Lake Economic Geology. 31 Superior and the Iron Mountain region of Missouri, makes it a prominent locality for the iron manufac- ture, and the light from her furnaces may at some time in the future, to some extent, rival the light of the prairie fires of her early settlement. An anticlinal axis composed of the St. Peters sandstone — a part of the Silurian series, which prop- erly belongs far below the carboniferous, crosses the county nearly from southwest to northeast. It is first seen on the Yermillion above Deer Park. It forms the bluffs of the Illinois ]iver from Little Rock to Ottawa, and above, and is seen on the Fox extending into Kendall County, and the same strata underlies the drift over more than one-third of the county. Its full thickness is about 150 feet ; in some places much thicker. It rises quite abruptly, form- ing the axis, displacing the carboniferous and taking its place. This axis is the northern bound- ary of the coal measures east of Ottawa, and the eastern boundary of the La Salle basin, about three miles east of La Salle, with the exception of the bottom vein, which overlies the St. Peters at Buffalo Rock, Ottawa, and above. The upheaval of the St. Peters sandstone fur- nishes the best material for glass manufacture, and will be the source of an extensive and profitable in- dustry. The material is of the best qualit}^ ; the amount inexhaustible, easy of access, and the fuel cheap and close at hand — a combination of advan- tages that can scarcely be matched elsewhere. TJie use of glass increases, as wealth, taste and luxury 32 History of La Salle County. increase, and tliis pursuit may well anticipate a large growth in the not distant future. It was very fortunate for this locality that nature, n necessit}^ or pastime, elevated and left for our use tlie riches of the Silurian strata, which would otherwise have remained far below our reach. In addition to the great value, for manufacturing purposes, of the St. Peters sandstone, com^Dosed of nearl}^ pure quartz, it gave us the picturesque views of Little Rock, Split Eock, Clark's Falls, Starved Rock and Deer Park, all in this strata, and which owe their peculiar structure to this formation. Beneath the St. Peters lies the calciferous ; barely brought within reach on the low bottoms between Utica and La Salle. The calciferous has a special interest as being the onl}^ outcrop of this strata in the State, and is here limited to seven or eight square miles, and contains beds from which excellent hydraulic lime is made — an article of great economic value, and supplying a constantl3^-increasing demand. Over 100,000 barrels have been manufactured in a 3'ear. How and when was this axis formed, bringing within reach mineral wealth of an untold amount '. Was it elevated be- fore or after the deposit of the coal measures i The lower vein of coal rests conformably on the St. Peters. If that bed was horizontal elsewhere, as well as on the St. Peters, and at the same level, it might reasonably be inferred that the coal was de- posited after the upheaval. But such is not the fact. When the veins of the La Salle basin ap- proach the west side of the axis they rise at a very EconomiG Geology. 33 abrupt angle. Was coal ever deposited in that position % It is generally supposed that the material of which the coal was formed was probably de- posited in water, and consequently at a water level, and the fact that coal occupies basins, usually thick- est in the central part, corroborates that opinion. There are other indications that give some clue to the time of the formation of the axis. At the cut- ting of the Illinois bluff, on the road from Ottawa to Vermillionville, just after crossing Co veil creek, the bottom portion of the brown sand-rock is tilted to an angle of about thirty degrees, the side to- ward the axis being elevated, while the top portion of the sand-rock lies in a horizontal position, over- lying and resting on the disturbed portion. This seems conclusive that the axis was formed, or at least this disturbance occurred, during the deposit of this sand-rock, which is in the upper series of the carboniferous. In this locality the carbonif- erous rests on the Trenton limestone, and the Trenton overlaps, at an ascending angle, the southern slope of the anticlinal axis, composed of the St. Peters, which appears in the bank of the creek under the Trenton, but soon rises to the sur- face of the banks, and the Trenton disappears. If this theory be true, the La Salle coal was deposited before the formation of the axis, while the Kirkpatrick or Cook bed was deposited after, as that lies above the brown sand-rock. The Trenton limestone is largely used for build- ing purposes, and some parts of the strata make a good, white lime. It is quarried at Homer, Lowell, 34 History of La Salle County. Covell creek, and other points, and extensively used for bridges, aqueducts, culverts, cellars, wells, etc. The brown sand-rock is used quite extensively for cellars and wells, and the solid portion answers a very good purpose. A few feet at the bottom of the St. Peters is sufficiently cohesive for building purposes. The county is rich in claj^s. A very good fire claj^ in immense quantities underlies the coal ; is of great value for the manufacture of ware, tile, fire brick, lining for stoves and furnaces, and tlie various uses to which such a clay is adapted, and will doubtless eventually be of great economic importance. The drift clay of the subsoil over most of the county is an excellent material for common brick. All of these clays have no real limit, but can supply any demand for a decade of geologic time. MOUND BUILDERS. After a knowledge of the topography and geology of a country, we may well proceed to investigate its history, to know the uses it has subserved through the long ages of the past. It is a very natural subject of inquiry for any people, to know who preceded them in the land they occupy, and who were the first possessors of the soil — not only who they were, but wliat they were, and under what circumstances tliey possessed it. The people of this country, the European emigrants and their descendants, have been accustomed to regard them- selves as the first, with the exception of the wild» Mound Builders. 35 savage tribes ; and for two linndred years after its dis- covery and settlement by the Europeans this theory remained unquestioned. But soon after the wliite settlements extended over the Alleghanies, the dis- covery of mounds, or earth works of a variety of forms, of which the Indians knew nothing, arrested the attention of the curious, and as settlements ex- tended over this Western valley these discoveries were multiplied almost indefinitely. These tumuli or mounds are mostly mausoleums or receptacles for the dead, and usually contain one or more skeletons, with pottery, copper utensils, beads, and other trin- kets. Numerous mounds for other than burial pur- poses exist in the form of animals, men, etc., some apparently for fortifications, and many the object of which can not be determined. These relics of a bygone age are spread from the Alleghanies far west of the Mississippi, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the north shore of Lake Superior, and unmistakably indicate the existence, at some time in the past, of a numerous and partially civil- ized people. This race, popularly called the mound builders, comprised an immense population, and were doubt- less an agricultural people, as they could not have subsisted in such numbers by any other means. The remains of their gardens of considerable extent still exist in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. The Lake Superior copper mines were doubtless worked by them, as they possessed copper utensils, such as knives, awls, needles, etc. ; and deep excavations existed in the mines when first visited by the whites. 36 History of La Salle County. requiring an amount of labor tliat the Indians never performed. This pottery was of fine quality, much of it highly ornamented, and very durable, being still in a perfect state of preservation. Their imple- ments remain as the only mementoes of their business, tastes, and skill in the arts ; nearly all were designed for use in the quiet pursuits of peace, while those left by the Indian race are mostl}^ weapons of a warlike people. The existence of such a people is now universally admitted by the best informed, and is as certain as any fact transmitted by written histor}^. Written history may falsif}^, but the mounds made b}' human labor, the utensils and the human bones, are proofs that can not be questioned. Who they were, from whence they came, and where the}' went, are ques- tions that open a wide field for speculation. Their works are here — works involving an amount of labor that could only have been done b}" united thousands. A mound in AVest Yirginia and one in Ohio, are each seventy -live feet vertical height, with a base of several hundred feet in extent. Human skeletons rej)Ose at the base and centre of these tumuli, but so decayed that they crumble to their mother earth when exposed to the atmosphere. A few skulls and parts have been preserved, showing a long, narrow head with a retreating forehead, entirely unlike the Indian head, and more like the ancient Egyptian. The mounds are supposed to contain the remains of their great men — the size of the mound probably indicating the extent of that greatness — while the common people, receiving onh' common burial, their Mound Builders. 37 remains have long since been dispersed by the elements. From the state of decay of these skeletons, com- pared with others in like situations in Europe, whose age is known, it is supposed they all have an age of at least 2,000 years, and that the last of the race left the country as early as 200 years B. C. Their works remaining are their only history. They exist at Ottawa, La Salle, Peru, and other points along the Illinois and Fox, and always on a commanding and sightly location, in ftincy giving tlie spirits of the dead a view of the scenery they doubtless loved so well when living. These mounds often contained Indian remains, as the Indians used them for burial places ; but such remains were near the surface, and the Indians knew nothing of the origin or history of the mounds. A glance at the history of the pre-historic races of America, elsewhere, may throw some light on the origin and final histor}^ of the mound builders. Although the history of the ancient peopling of the American continent has been handed down only by tradition and corroborated by the works of the ancient inhabitants, yet it has a history of deep and absorbing interest, and if written as fully as that of the Eastern continent has been, it would doubtless startle us by the magnitude and iDOwer of the nations which rose and fell unchronicled, unhonored, and unsung. The Assyrian, Persian, Egyptian and Macedonian empires might find their counterpart along the Ama- zon and Mississippi, at the feet and along the ele- 38 History of La Salle County. vated plateaus of tlie Andes, and in Central America and Mexico. The ruins of ancient cities, of roads, aqueducts, mounds, and other relics of their handi- work, tell of a high civilization, of a wealth}', ingen- ious and powerful peoj)le. The empire ruled by the Incas of Peru, when conquered by the Spaniards, had, in many respects, a higher civilization and a more stable civil govern- ment than has since been achieved by their conquer- ors. But the people conquered by Pizarro were inferior to their predecessors, as is shown by the stupendous works left as a monument of their jDower, industry and culture. A public road, built on a solid foundation of masonr}^, paved with hewn stone, laid in cement, and guarded by walls on either side, was built from Quito to Chili, along the Sierras, over plains, mountains, and rivers, with a branch from Cuzcotothe sea, and thence north to the equa- tor. It passed over deep ravines filled with the firmest masonry, dug for leagues through solid rock, and extended a distance greater than the length of the Pacific Railroad, and more diflicult of construction. The great traveler, Humboldt, says of this: "Our e3"es rested continually on superb remains of a paved road of the Incas ; the roadway, paved with well- cut dark porjDhj^ritic stone, was twenty feet wide, and rested on deep foundations. This road was marvellous. None of the Roman roads I have seen in Ital}^ South of France, or Spain, appeared to me more imposing than this work of the ancient Peruvians." Aqueducts for conducting water to their cities, Mound Builders. 39 and for inigation^ — 150 miles long, and one said to be 400 — made of hewn stone nicely fitted to- gether, and laid in cement, all of the most perfect and durable character, many of which are now in use, were left b}^ that people, monuments of their genius, skill and industry. The Peruvians manufactured both cotton and woolen fabrics of superior quality, cotton being in- digenous to their country, and wool obtained from the llama. Their skill in dyeing was hardly excelled by the Tyrians themselves. Gold, silver, and copper vases, and statuary in immense quantities, showed their skill in working these metals, and the people that preceded those ruled by the Incas, or those at an earlier period, are said to have had large furnaces for smelting iron on the shores of Lake Titicaca, and their sculpture of the hardest stone could hardly have been accomplished without it, and the name for iron in their ancient language is conclusive proof that they had knowledge of that metal. The Spanish buccaneers and pirates who con- quered these people, in their thirst for gold, and zeal for a fanatical conception of religion, crushed out a civilization they could never rival nor replace. Mexico and Central America furnish equal proofs of an ancient civilization. The ruins of ancient cities and structures of great extent and massive grandeur, discovered and described by Catherwood, Stevens, Squiers, and others, and which are doubtless but a tithe of the like which lie buried beneath the trop- ical forests and wild chaparral of that moist and heated climate, point, unmistakably, to the exist- 40 History of La Salle Countif. ence of a people higlih' skilled in arcliitectiire, of great industry, and superior taste ; and while equal- ing the Peruvians in the construction of massive masonry, the}' were far superior in aesthetic skill ; and the elaborate ornamentation shows the posses- sion of great wealth, which alone could enable any people to devote so much time to the orna- mental. The stones composing those ruins are nicely hewn, highly ornamented with elaborate carving, laid in mortar of lime and sand, and frequently finished with stucco, of as fine quality and workmanship as modern art can furnish. Letters and hierogh^phic characters frequentl}' oc- cur, and this people and the Peruvians both are said to have had a written language and books of history, which the Spaniards very carefully destroyed, (these books were rather hierogl^'phical than alphabetical). The little which remains of these I'ecords gives but a slight clue to their history, but with the tradi- tions of the people open a faint ray of light through the dark vista of the past. They had considerable knowledge of astronomy, and divided the year into eighteen months of twenty days each ; they then added five days at the end of the 3^ear, and one more every foui'th or bissextile }^ear, thus chronicling the time as accurately as the Europeans. The Aztecs, who were in possession of the country at the time of the invasion by the Spaniards under Cortes, were highly civilized, as compared with the savage tribes by whom they were surrounded, but they were not the builders of those splendid struc- Mound Builders. 41 tares whose ruins lie so profusely scattered over their country. Tradition relates that at an early date a savage people occupied the cquntry, called Chi-Chimicks, who lived b}^ hunting and fishing, and had no knowledge of the arts, and are supposed to have been the first occupants of the soil. They were dis- placed by the Colhuans, a civilized people, said to have come from the East in ships. They are de- scribed as the lirst people who established the arts of civilization and built cities. They taught the Chi-Chimicks to cook their food and to cultivate the earth, but their history is shrouded in the uncer- tainty of a vague and dark tradition. These were conquered by the Toltecs, another civilized people, who are said to have come by successive emigrations, from the Northeast, both by land and by sea. They joined with the wild Chi-Chimicks of the mountains, and took the Colhuan capital, Vibalba. It is proba- ble that the conquerors and the conquered mingled together and became a homogeneous people, and the united intelligence and skill in the arts of the two produced that perfected civilization which has astonished the world, even with the ruins of their once splendid cities. Uxmal and Palenqua will, through all the future, testify to the high at- tainments of the race that reared them. The Toltecs occupied and improved the cities of the Colhuans. The date of their emigrations, probably the com - mencement, as a populous people spread over a continent are not displaced in a day or century, is about 1,000 years before the Christian era, aud they 4 42 History of La Salle County. were overrun by the Aztecs about two centuries be- fore the Spanish conquest, or about A. D. 1320, so that the Toltecs must have held the country over 2,000 years. It was during, that time tliat the cities of Central America were built, and the Toltecs were doubtless the builders. They are said to have come from a country called Hua HuaHapalan, and that they were an old people, the word Hua Hua meaning old, Hapalan being the original name. The direction from which they came, and their coming, by successive emigrations, by both land and sea, would seem to point signifi- cantly to the land of the mound builders, and to indicate that the mound builders were the Toltecs of Mexico. It is not improbable that a branch of the Colhuan emigratioji may have settled in the valley of the Mississippi, at the same time that the other branch occupied Mexico, and were the progenitors of the mound buildera; or the mound builders may have been colonies of the same race, after they had be- come populous in their Mexican home, and when the mother country began to wane, their extended colonies very naturally sought the milder climate, and more highly improved country, at the centre of American civilization. And as Rome left more ruins of her temples and cities than Gaul or Britain, so Central America and Mexico contain more than the valley of the Ohio or Illinois. And as a southern and hot climate is never as favorable for the prodnction of men, as the temper- Mound Builders. 43 ate zone ; and as in the world's history, the people of a southern climate have ever yielded, in a contest, to the children of the North, so the Colhuans of Mexico fell an easy prey to the hardy mound builders from this great Western valley, but being of the same race, the}^ soon became one people. A brief sketch of the opinions of European writers as to the origin of the ancient American civilization, may here claim a place. At one time a favorite theorj'", now exploded, was that the lost ten tribes of Israel came to America, and were the progenitors of all the peoples here found. Another was the Malay, as the Malays are known to have peopled most of the islands of the Pacific, and their language forms the basis of nearly all the dialects of Polynesia ; even the Sandwich Islanders speak a dialect of that language. That they must have reached the American continent is quite proba- ble, but there is no proof that they ever settled here, nor any trace of their language among all the tribes of the continent. There is more plausibility in the Phoenician the- ory, for the ancient history of the Phoenicians, Egyptians and Greeks speak of a land beyond the pillars of Hercules as a wonderful land and occu- pied by a wonderful people. Vessels were said to have been driven by stress of weather till they reached the shores of this far-off land. Connected with this theory, is the supposed fable of the lost Atlantis ; a continent was said to have occupied, at an early date, a large portion of the Atlantic Ocean, 44 History of La Salle County. that it embraced the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, the region of the West Indies, and extended far toward the Coast of Africa, embracing the Cape de Yerde and Canary IsLands ; that those islands and the West Indies were the highest portion of the con- tinent, while all the lower portion was snbmerged by some great convulsion ; that the Atlantis was occupied by a numerous and highly civilized people ; a portion of these escaping from the great cataclysm reached the continent, and built the great cities whose ruins have created such surprise and wonder. The story of the lost Atlantis will probably never be verified. That the Phoenicians, who were a com- mercial and adventurous people, may have reached the Western continent is quite probable, and yet there are no customs, arts, or languages, existing here, which can be traced to that people, which would have been the case if they had settled in any con- siderable numbers. These theories are all based upon the supposition that the American continent could onl}^ be inhabited hj savages, unless a civilization was imported from the Eastern continent. There can be no valid reason given why the Western continent may not have originated a civilization as readily as the Eastern, and as it is geologicall}^ older than the Eastern, it may have had precedence in the improve- ment of man. It had a civilization, and this West- ern valle}^ shared in its benefits. It would hardly be reasonable to suppose that Mexico should be occu- pied for two or three thousand years by an intelli- gent and active people, and they never visit or know of the immense territory northeast of them, when Mound. Bailders. 45 there was no natural barrier to prevent exploration , or emigration ; and the works left, telling that such a people existed, are continuous from Palenqua to Lake Superior, and so uniform in structure as to leave no doubt they were built by the same people. The large tumuli have a uniform shape and con- struction, the only difference being that those in the mother country are more elaborate and per- fect. The broad and less elevated of these works were evidently foundations for more perfect struc- tures. The massive ruins of Central America are all built on elevated plateaus or iiat tumuli ; and there the superstructures were built of stone, and con- sequently remain ; while further north, in a heavy timbered region, they were probably of timber, liable to be destroyed by fire or the surer anni- hilating inliuence of over twenty centuries of time. That this theory, that the mound builders were the Toltecs of Mexico, is but a theory, is true, but so plausible, and so well corroborated by all the cir- cumstances surrounding it, that it will be received and believed until one better proved shall claim credence. There are convincing indications that there was a close relationship and connection between the an- cient civilizations through the length of the Ameri- can continent. The mound builders of the Missis- sippi Valley, the Toltecs, or Colhuans, of Mexico and Central America, and the ancient civilized races of Peru, were doubtless the same, or a closely re- lated people. The author received from Dr. L. IST. Dimmick, formerly of Ottawa now of Santa Bar- 46 History of La Salle County. bara. California, a pliotograpli of a specimen of an- cient x^otteiy. dng from a mound on tlie south bluff of the Illinois, just east of Ottawa in this county, of a curious formation, and showing much skill in its construction. It is a kind of quadruplicated jug — four small jug-like vessels, all connected with each other at the base, and from each of which, as from the corner of a square, rises a tube, uniting in one at the top, like the spout of a jug, all forming one ves- sel. It is composed of the same material as all the pottery found in these mounds, and from its appear- ance was not burned fike modern pottery. It differs from the modern article by being slightly elastic, and one ingredient in its composition is supposed to be pulverized clam shells. This potterj' seems to be indestructible, as 2,000 years of time has left it apparently as perfect as when first made. Numerous specimens of ancient potter}^ from the mounds of Peru and South America are of the same form and material as the one above described. Such could hardly be the case, unless the art of making them was derived from the same source. This specimen was found in a sepulchral mound, and its peculiar form might have some significance in connection with the religion or superstitions of that people. They are supposed to have been sun worshipers, but their distinctive views will proba- bly never be fuWj known, 3^et much in that direc- tion will yet be developed, as we doubtless have the relics of their works scattered over thousands of miles in extent, from which to glean the mementos that tell what, and who they were. The last few Mound Builders. 47 years have developed important facts in relation to this ancient people, and we can hardly estimate what lies in the future. Pre-eminent among those who have devoted years to the investigation of these relics of the past, is Frederick S. Perkins, of Wis- consin, who, by indefatigable effort, has collected 600 stone rollers, pestles, awls, pikes, etc, ; 8,000 spear, lance, and arrow-heads ; and of copper, sixty-eight spears or dirk heads, nine with shanks, fifteen with fiat shanks ; ten knives, fifteen chisels, five augers, two gads, one drill, etc. ; altogether 9,000 articles, of the pre-historic age. His collection of copper implements probably exceeds any, if not all others. They were mostly turned up by the plow, and some imbedded several feet in the clay. Through the extent of this great Western valley the soil will for ages continue to yield up rich relics of a great and numerous people, whose day is sep- arated from ours by more than twenty centuries. There is no proof that the mound builders culti- vated the prairies to any extent ; their works are mostly on the bluffs bordering the large streams, and near or on the large and fertile bottoms, which they doubtless cultivated. Maize was their princi- pal production, and those bottoms were the natural habitat of that cereal, and as they apparently had no beasts of burden, it was easier to cultivate by hand than the tough sod of the prairie, if the prai- rie then existed, and there is no doubt it did. A small area of rich land, well cultivated, will produce Indian corn sufficient to feed a large popu- lation. One-fourth of a bushel per week was said to 48 History of La Salle County. have been the ration allowed slaves on the Sonthern plantations, abont thirteen bnshels per annum ; 100 acres, at fifty bushels per acre, would sustain 384 people one year— a very much larger number tlian the same amount will sustain when converted into beef or pork. Their garden beds, so common and so well pre- served, were on the second or high bottom, or on timber land or barrens, mostly, and from their form, were evidently cultivated by hand. Thus having no beasts of burden, and probably feeding none for food, and if, being wiser than tiieir successors, they converted none into whisky or modern corn-juice, they could easily sustain a population that the pres- ent occupants of the valley have not, and for a cen- tury to come, can not, equal. We read of the ancient peoples of the Eastern con- tinent, of their countless number, of their wars, con- quests, and revolutions, of race succeeding race, with awe and wonder. We look with little less than reverence on rusted coins from Athens or Rome, a piece of stone from the ruins of Babylon, Tadmor, Balbec, or Palmyra, while we pass almost unnoticed these works of a people, probably as numerous, as ancient, and as intelligent as were the hordes that followed Sesostris, Sardanapalus, or Alexander. It is to be hoped that some of these mementos of a numerous and ancient people may be carefully and sacredly preserved, and that the reverence for the antiquities of the Orient may be equaled by a corresponding respect for those of the Occident. French Evploratlons and Discoveries. 49 FRENCH EXPLORATIONS AND DISCOV- ERIES. The Spaniards first discovered the Mississippi. De Soto, a Spanish adventurer, was the discoverer and the first to cross its turbulent and rapid current, and died upon the margin of the Lower Mississippi in 1542. His discoveries were not utilized, and were nearly forgotten. About a century elapsed before a French explorer reached a northern tributar}^ of that stream. Jacques Cartier, a French navigator, in 1534, dis- covered the St. Lawrence, and took possession of the country for the French king. Champlain soon fol- lowed, and extended the French title, and coloniza- tion commenced. The settlements were both religious and military ; the Recollets and Jesuits, religious orders of the Catholic Church, represented the religious element, and with a zeal and self-sacrifice worth}^ any cause, those hardy and devoted missionaries penetrated an unbroken wilderness thousands of miles in extent, cut loose from all the comforts of civilization, and braved every fatigue, and danger, and death itself, to carry the news of the cross to the rude tribes of the western wilds. Like their Protestant brethren they wished the salvation of souls, but preferred that it should come through the efforts of their own order — and jealousies and rivalries existed from the first between the Jesuits and Franciscans, but they both labored zealously, and were capriciously aided or opposed by the civil and military liead of the French possessions. 50 History of La Salle County. They had labored diligently and with some success for several years among the Canadian tribes, when the great Iroquois war destroyed or scattered their converts; but still undiscouraged.they turned further west for souls to save. They followed the great lakes and established two principal missions, one at Saint Maria du Saut at the outlet of Lake Superior, and the other at La Pointe, called Point De Esprit, near the west end of the same lake. Thither came the Illinois, Pottawatomies, Foxes, Sioux and other western tribes, yearly, to trade with the French. A young Jesuit, Jacques Marquette, who came to the upper lakes in 166S, heard from the Illinois Indians at their visits at La Pointe, of the great river of the West, and after the tribes residing near La Pointe had been dispersed by an attack of the Sioux, the Iroquois of the West, he removed his mission to Mackinaw, and from there in 1773, in comj)any with Louis Joliet, appointed by the French Governor for that purpose, started to explore the great river of which they had heard so much. On the 17th of June they reached the Mississippi where Prairie du Chien now is ; they floated down that river, stopping occasionally to confer with the Indians, till they reached tlie mouth of the Arkansas, and then re- turned by the wa^^ of the Illinois river to Canada. The party of Marquette and Joliet were the first discoverers of La Salle County, and the first white men that ever passed through it. This was in September, 1773, tradition says on the 16th of that month. The first settlement within tlie county was made Frencft Explorations and Discoxieries. 51 by Robert Cavalier, known as Louis De La Salle. La Salle was born at Rouen, France, in 1643, was educated for a Jesuit priest but abandoned that call- ing for tlie more arduous life of a military explorer. Many of the French emigrants at that time were persons of distinction. The Abbe Fenelon, a mis- sionary at Q'dinte, on Lake Ontario, was a brother of the celebrated Fenelon, Bishop of Cambray ; Dollin DeCasson had been a General of Cavalry under the great Turene ; and La Salle was not behind his asso- ciates in talents or prestige. It seems that some of the best talent of France had been attracted to this wide field of enterprise, the American Arcadia, as it was then called. In 1669, La Salle projected the exploration of the great river of the West and was persuaded to unite with an expedition sent out by the Jesuits, and La Salle, whose feelings toward the Jesuits seem not to have been cordial, b}^ a ruse separated from them when on Lake Erie. The Jesuits wintered on the west end of Lake Erie, in the spring went north and explored the upper lakes, and returning to Montreal, made the first map of the country. La Salle went south, discovering the Ohio, and fol- lowed it to the falls, where Louisville now is. Count Frontenac, the able governor of Canada, aided La Salle in building a fort, wdiere Kingston now stands, at the outlet of Lake Ontario, which La Salle named Fort Frontenac, and made a treaty with the much dreaded Iroquois, preparatory to further explorations. La Salle at this time doubtless entertained an am- 52 History of La Salle County. bition of no ordinary standard. To control the wealth of the fur trade ; to establish a chain of posts by the lakes and Mississippi to the Gulf, and another by the way of the Ohio; to circumscribe the English colonies on the Atlantic, and hold in check the Spaniards on the south, while a central French empire should rise in the great Valley of the West, vieing with the most noted of ancient or modern times, was a dream worthy the genius of a Csesar or Napoleon, and must have fired the youthful mind of La Salle with a frenzy for ambitious achievement. In 1674 La Salle went to France, strongly endorsed and recom- mended to the King by Count Frontenac. He was well received, granted a patent of nobility, and grant of Fort Frontenac and territory around it — re- turning, he spent two 3 ears in rebuilding and strengthening the fort, making it a proper base for future operations, a fulcrum for bolder or broader action. In 1677 he again sailed for France, and in spite of strong opposition, accomplished his object, being em- powered to continue his discoveries, to build forts, and to occupy, on the same terms he did Fort Fron- tenac. With thirty followers he returned to Canada in 1778. One of his party was Henri de Tonti, an Italian officer who had lost a hand in the Sicilian wars. Tonti proved an able, trustworthy, and most valuable assistant to La Salle. Arrived at Frontenac he soon organized his expedition ; with a small ves- sel his company reached Niagara the last of No- vember, but the vessel was wrecked, and most of the stores lost. A fort was built at Niagara, and the French Explorations and Discoveries. 53 winter spent in bnilding tlie vessel, called the Griffin, at a point above the Niagara rapids, supposed to be Cayuga Creek. In the summer of 1679 La Salle and his party in the Griffin, a vessel of forty tons, set sail on the virgin waters of Lake Erie, the first vessel that« ever floated on its bosom. They followed the chain of lakes to Green Bay, where a party that had preceded him had collected a load of furs, with which the Griffin was loaded and sent back to appease his creditors. They coasted around the south end of Lake Michigan to the St. Joseph, ascended that river to South Bend, carried their canoes to the Kan- kakee, floated down that stream and the Illinois to what is now La Salle County, December, 1679, explored the site of the great town of the Illinois, near the present town of Utica, on the first day of January, 1680; established friendly relations with the natives ; passed on to where Peoria now is, and built a fort called Fort Creveceur. Left Father Hennepin to explore the Illinois to its mouth, and to ascend the Mississippi. Left Tonti in command of Fort Creveceur, now Peoria, and returned to Fort Fron- tenac. On his way up the Illinois he surveyed the cliff called Starved Rock, and sent orders back to Tonti to fortif}^ it, but being deserted by his men and having but two companions, he was unable to exe- cute the order, and was compelled to accept the hospitality of the Illinois Indians at their great town called by the French La Vanta ; was there at the attack by the Iroquois, when the Illinois were 54 History of La Salle County. defeated and the town devastated. Tonti returned to Green Bay, and there met Hennepin returning from the Upper Mississippi. On La Salle's arrival at Niagara he was satisfied the Griffin was lost, and also heard of the loss of a transport with supplies from France. Still undismayed, he gathered his resources, and on December 21, 1681, started from Fort Miami, at the mouth of the St. Joseph, and by the way of Chicago river, the Desplaines and Illi- nois, he descended the Mississippi to its mouth and took formal possession, for the King of France, of the country watered by the MississijDpi and its branches, of the extent of which thej^ then had no adequate conception. La Salle resolved to make a permanent settlement on the head waters of the Illinois ; to gather the different tribes about him, making it the centre of the fur trade ; and then, with aid from France, to build a fort at the mouth of the Mississippi, placing the interior of *lie continent under his control. The resolve was wortliy the genius of La Salle. With his party he returned up the Mississippi, being de- tained at the Chicasaw bluffs by sickness, and on his recovery continued his journey. On his return from this journej^, in December, 1682, La Salle and Tonti commenced an intrench- ment and palisade fort, named Fort St. Louis, on the cliff now called Starved Rock, and it was soon after occupied by a French garrison, with Tonti In command. La Salle estimated the Indians in the vicinity of this fort at about 4,000 warriors, or 20,000 souls; • French Explorations and Discoveries. 55 but this was probably only at certain seasons of the year, as this nomadic people go and come as the fish, game and wild frnits may serve. La Salle designed tliis fort as the nncleus of a permanent settlement, and it was continuously occu- pied by the French till after the year 1700, and occasionally till 1720. The outline of another fort or outwork is plainly seen on the bluff, about half a mile south of Fort St. Louis, and near the edge of the prairie. This settlement was the first made in the Missis- sippi Valley, and La Salle County has the honor of being selected as the most important and command- ing point in the great West. In the meantime, Count Frontenac had been re- called, and La Barre represented the French king at Quebec. La Barre was an enemy of La Salle. He took possession of Fort Frontenac, and sent an officer. Chevalier De Baugis, to take possession of Fort St. Louis ; but Tonti and Baugis wisely agreed that while one represented the interests of La Salle, the other should see to the rights of the Government at Quebec, and they together jointly commanded the colonj^ In the following March, 16S1, they were attacked by 600 Iroquois, who besieged the fort for several days, but were beaten off with severe loss. La Salle sailed for France late in the fall of 1683. The brilliant scheme of La Salle found favor at the French court. La Forest, La Salle's lieutenant, ejected from Frontenac by La Barre, was sent back to take possession, in La Salle' s name, of that post, and also of Fort St. Louis. 66 History of La Salle County. La Salle asked for two vessels with wliich to make Ills settlement at the mouth of the Mississij)pi, and four were given him — one vessel carried thirty-six guns, another six. But the expedition was an ill- starred one. In an evil hour, Beaugeu, a naval cap- tain, was appointed to command the expedition. He quarreled with La Salle. One vessel was taken by the Spaniards, one was wrecked — the}" passed the mouth of the Mississippi and landed too far west. Beaugeu, after landing La Salle and a part of his stores, left him to his fate, and sailed for France. After erecting a fort, exploring the country, and having frequent contests with the Indians, La Salle, with a small party, started for Canada, through a wilderness of 3,000 miles in extent. After days of weary marching, his party reached the vicinity of Arkansas Post, where the untiring explorer, the heroic leader, the man of indomitable courage, nerve, and pluck, was basely murdered by his men ; they shot him through the head, di-agged him among the bushes, stripped him of his clothing, and left him unburied, a prey to buzzards and w^olves. Thus fell Robert Cavalier De La Salle. Says Tonti — ''One of the greatest men of his age," and Tonti knew him \vell. His plans were magnificent, his ambition un- bounded, and his phj'sical powers, zeal, and energy equal to either. But he was imperious, stern, un- yielding and tyrannical, and to these traits of char- acter he owed most of his misfortunes ; and he loas unfortunate in nearly all his undertakings — he could inspire respect and fear, but not affection, except Indian History. 57 from those capable of appreciating tlie grandeur and lofty bearing of his character. He demanded every sacrifice from his men, but himself led the way in every labor and every dan- ger. The West — the Continent — owes him a debt of gratitude. Our count}^ has no ignoble title, and it ma}^ well honor the hero whose name it bears. The Indians and Spaniards soon destroyed the infant colony on the gulf, and thus ends the wild and tragic tale of the explorers of the Mississippi. Where La Salle had plowed, others have sown the seed, and the dreams of La Salle were realized in the establishment for France of a vast, but transient dominion. INDIAN" HISTORY. The origin of the Indian tribes of North America is a matter mostly of conjecture. Their arrival here is generally supposed to be comparati\^ly of modern date, and the Indians have traditions corroborating such an opinion. The Iroquois nation is suj)posed to have preceded the Algonquins, and occupied the country from Lake Huron south through Ohio, New York, Penns3dvania, to North Carolina. The Al- gonquins came in at a later date and occupied all New England and Canada, to the country of the Esquimaux on the north, and embraced the Otta- was or Algonquins proper, Chippewas, Menimonees, Pottawatomies, Miamis, Sacs, Foxes, Kickapoos, Illinois, and the Powhattan tribes in Virginia, nearly surrounding the older Iroquois. 5 58 History of La Salle County. The traditions of both these great families of the red man say they came from the west and north- west, and the Dakotas were called the men of the salt water, and the generally received opinion that they came from Asia, may or may not be true. All the large number of tribes of the Algoncxuin race were manifestly from a common origin, shown by a general resemblance of complexion, features and language. The occupancy of the country hj the Indians is supposed to have been several centuries after its abandonment by the mound builders. ILLIN^OIS. The mini or Illinois confederation of Indians, from whom the name of our State and river is derived, which name means real or superior men, consisted of five tribes — Peorias, Moingwenas, Kaskaskias, Tamaroas, and Cahokias. Marquette sa}' s he found Peorias and Moingwenas in three towns west of the Mississippi near the Des Moines, and Peorias and Kaskaskias on the Upper Illinois. The Tamaroas were on the Mississii^pi and a tribe called the Michigamis, who seem to have been really Quapaws, also belonged to the confed- eracy. The Illinois occupied most of what is now the State of Illinois, were numerous and brave, ex- pert bowmen, but not canoemen. The}' moved otf to the plains bej'ond the Missis- sippi for a short summer hunt, and for a winter hunt of four or five months ; then gathered in towns of arbor-like cabins covered with water-proof mats, Indian History. 59 with geiierall}" four fires to a cabin, and two families to a fire. Allouis, Membre, and other missionaries, found the chief Illinois towns on the bottom below Utica, containing from 300 to 400 cabins and 8,00-0 2:)eople. At an early day the Illinois drove the Qua- paws, a Dakota tribe which the}^ styled Arkansas, from the Ohio to the southern Mississippi. About 1640 they nearly exterminated the Winnebagoes. They were badl}" defeated by the Iroquois in 1679, shortly after La Salle reached there, and in the war lost 300 to 400 killed and 900 prisoners. But they recovered partially, and aided the French against the Iroquois in the expeditions of De La Barre and Denonville. They were converted by the French mis- sionaries, and are said to have been much improved. In 1700, Chicago, their great chief, visited France and was highly esteemed. His son, of the same name, retained the great influence of his father till his death in 1754. In 1700 the Kaskaskias removed from the Upper Illinois to the place that now bears their name. The Illinois were continually at war with the Foxes from 1712, and suffered severely. It is said i\\^j furnished forces in aid of the French commander Villiers against the frontier settlements of Virginia, and captured a small fort in 1756. They took no part in Pontiac's war, but when that chieftain was killed in one of the towns near where St. Louis now is, the Foxes resumed the war and were joined by the neighboring tribes who made a common cause against the fading Illinois. It was in this war that a defeated party of the Illinois were driven on to the site of Fort St. Louis and starved 60 History of La Salle County. to submission, thus naming the cliff. The Illinois had for years been holding the Illinois river as a line of defense against the northern Indians, and had a chain of posts or fortifications for defending that line; one at Marseilles, opposite the rapids, one at the mouth of the Kanhakee, and one above Joliet ; the remains of that at Marseilles can still be seen. The extermination of the war party at Starved Rock is supposed to have been the last stand made by the Illinois on that line of defense. They abandoned theii' former homes to their northern foes and re- treated south. They joined the Miamis in the war with the United States, and with their allies suffered a defeat by the forces under General Wayne in August, 1794. General Wayne, on the part of the United States, concluded a treaty with the Illinois, Aug. 3rd, 1795, giving them an annuity of $500 annuall}^, and Con- gress had previously, by Act of March 3rd, 1791, secured 350 acres of land to the Kaskaskias, with the privilege of selecting 1,280 more. General Harrison, in 1803, negotiated a treaty at Yincennes, in which their decline is recited and an annuity of 81,000 given, and an agreement to build a church and maintain a priest. The Peorias were not a party to this treaty, but joined in that at Ed- wardsville in 1818, Sept. 25th, by which the Illinois ceded all their land in the State for $2,000 in goods and twelve years annuity of $300 per year. In 1832 they ceded their reservation and removed further west, receiving a large tract and cash to erect buildings and purchase agricultural implements. Indian History. 61 In 1854 they were so reduced in numbers that thej^ were confederated with the Weas and Pinkeshaws. They were located within the limits of the present State of Kansas, where they remained till 1867, when they were again removed and placed southwest of the Quapaws, onareservationofT2, 000 acres. They had dwindled in 1872 to fort}' souls. The combined tribes of Weas, Pinkeshaws, Peorias and Kaskaskias numbered 160. Such is the brief record of the once brave and power- ful nation of the Illini, and such the sad fate of the red man when confronted with a civilized people. Two hundred years ago they made the present county of La Salle their favorite home, and probably the seat of the central power of that confederacy, a great and numerous people. Here were the scenes of their joys and sorrows, for the savage breast throbs with as strong emotion as that of his pale- faced brother ; here he hunted the buffalo and deer, and took his favorite lisli - from the rapids of the stream. The feathered game spread over the prairies and covered the streams. Marquette saj'S, "No- where else in all ni}" wanderings have I seen such herds of buffalo and deer, such flocks of turkeys, ducks, geese, and grouse, beaver and other game, as along the Illinois."' It must have been the paradise of the hunter, the Eden of savage life ; a good reason why the waning power of the Illini so long waged a cruel and relentless war for its possession. For here were the graves of his kindred and the scenes of his fondest recollections. Here he returned from the excitement of the chase to feast with his History of La Salle County. tribe on the dainties liis location fnrnished so abun- dantly. Here he lield his war dance before he went out to meet the foe, and here he returned with the scalps of his victims dangling at his belt, the proud but cruel trophies of his prowess. Here the Indian boys and girls gamboled through their youthful years, and listened to the thrilling legends of war and the chase as told by the braves of the tribe. Here, as the setting sun cast its rays along the placid bosom of the Hlinois, and the soft southern breeze rippled its surface, the swarthy young war- rior, beneath the shade of the majestic elms, whis- pered soft words in the ear of the dark-eyed maiden — for love, as well with the savage as civilized, is the romance of life — the oft-told tale, over which none are so old but they delight to linger. The daily excitement of the chase, roaming free over the broad expanse, ever alive to the beauties and wonders which surround him — in these is a fund of enjoyment keenly relished by the savage. In fact, civilized man is ever enamored of it, and the most intelligent and refined embrace every opportu- nity to escape from the restraints and artificial con- ventionalities of civilized life, and disport among the wild scenes of uncultivated nature. The young savage, brought within the influence of civilization, placed in the halls of learning, ever yearns for the freedom of his native haunts. The Sacs, Foxes, Kickapoos and Pottawatomies were the principal tribes that benefited by the decadence of the Illinois. Whether they were actuated simply by a desire for possessing the Indian History. 63 much-coveted home of the Illinois, or some other passion impelled them to combine against their un- fortunate neighbors, is unknown. Some say the Illinois had become a drunken rabble, and excited the contempt of tlie surrounding tribes ; others say their arrogance and domineering conduct when at the height of their power, kept in remembrance by the desire for revenge, which with an Indian never dies, caused the combination of those neighbors for their destruction as soon as the weakening power of the Illinois made their opportunity. POTTAWATOMIES. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Pottawatomies occupied the southern peninsula of Michigan, and were hunters and fishers, and culti- vated a little maize. The Iroquois drove them west, when they settled about Green Bay, and gradually spread over Northern Illinois and Indi- ana and Southwestern Michigan ; a mission on the St. Joseph being a central point. Like most of the Algonquins, they took part with the French against the English and the colonies, and were hostile to the Americans during the Revolution and subsequently ; but after Wayne's defeat of the Northwestern Indians, joined in the treaty of Green- ville in 1795. There were the Wabash and Huron bands, and a scattered population called the Pottawatomies of the Prairies, who were a mixture of many Algon- quin tribes. From 1803 to 1809, the various bands sold to the Government, land claimed by them, and 64 ■ History of La Salle County. received money and annuities. Under the influence of Tecumseh, tliey joined tlie English in 1S12, and massacred the garrison at Chicago. New treaties were made in 1815 and later, by which most of their lands were conveyed to the Government. In 1835-37, they were removed on to reservations on the Mis- souri. The St. Joseph, Wabash and Huron bands had made some progress in civilization, and were Catholics; while the Pottawatomies of the Prairies were still roving and pagan. In 1874, the prairie band still in charge of the Government numbered 467, on a reservation of 17,000 acres, in Jackson County, Kansas, under the control of the Society of Friends, who had established schools and rej)orted some progress. Shabona was a peace-chief of the Pottawatomies, and with his tribe was friendly to our people after the defeat of the British and Indians at the battle of the Thames, in 1814. SACS AXD POXES. The Sacs, or Sauks, and Foxes — two allied tribes, were also driven b}' the Iroquois from east of De- troit, first to Saginaw and then to the vicinity of Green Bay; at first friendl}^ to the French, they ultimately became hostile, and with the Maskoutens and Kickapoos attacked Detroit in 1712. The French, aided b}^ the Menomonees and Cbippewas, finally, in 1746. drove them on to the Wisconsin river. The}' took no part in Pontiac's war, but be- friended the whites. In 1766 they took up their abode where Prairie du Chien now is, and on the Indian History. 65 Mississippi below. In the American Revolution they took sides with the British, and English intiuence prevailed after the end of the war. By the treaty of November 3, 1804, for $2,000, and an annuity of one thousand, they ceded to the United States on the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers, and on the Illi- nois and its branch, the Fox, large tracts of land. At this time they were chiefly west of the Missis- sippi, 140 leagues above St. Louis, and numbered 1,200. In the war of 1812, three hundred warriors joined the British at Maiden, and took part in the attack on Sandusky. Keokuk, one of their chiefs, with a part of the tribe, remained friendly, then and afterward. In 1815 they made a treaty of peace, but one band of Sauks long continued to be called the British band. They ceded lands in 1824, and again in 1830. Black Hawk's opposition to the latter cession, which he claimed was a fraud, inau- gurated tlie war in 1831-32— so well remembered by the old settlers here. At its close, they made a treaty with Gov. Reynolds and Gen. Scott, at Fort Armstrong, ceding land for an annuity of $20,000 for twenty years. Black Hawk and some of his warriors were carried by the Government to Wash- ington and to the principal cities of the East, to im- press them with a proper idea of the number and power of the whites. The Sauks settled on the Des Moines, and afterwards on the Osage. In 1872 the Sauks and Foxes had ceded their lands in Kansas, and numbering 473, were on a reservation of 48,300 acres, between the north fork of the Canadian, and the red fork of the Arkansas. Tlie friendly Sacs 66 History of La Salle County. and Foxes are rednced to eiglity-eiglit, occupying a reservation in Kansas and Nebraska, while another band purchased land at Tama, Iowa, and are said to be prosperous. WINNEBAGO INDIANS. The Winnebago tribe of Indians belong to the Dakota family. They style themselves Hochun- gara, are styled by the Sioux Hotanki, or Sturgeon, and by the Algonquins Wennibegouk, meaning men from the fetid or salt water. They apparently formed the van of the eastward Dakota emigration, and were the most eastern tribe of that race. They were once formidable, and a terror to the Algonquin tribes. In the early part of the I7th century a general alliance of tribes attacked the Winnebagos ; 500 warriors perished. The Illinois, wishing to relieve them, were ill-treated, and in retaliation, nearly exterminated them. They were friendly and faith- ful to the French. They adhered to Tecum seh, and aided the British in the Revolution, and were a party in the attack on Prairie du Chien, in 1814. In 1820 they had fourteen villages on Rock river, and five on Winnebago lake. In 1829 they ceded land from the Wisconsin to Rock river, for $30,000 in goods and a thirty-year annuity of |18,000. In September, 1832, they ceded all their land south of the Wisconsin and Fox rivers for a reservation of 263,000 acres on the Mississippi, and $10,000 for twenty-seven years. The reservation was unfit, and much suffering and many deaths occurred. They Indian History. ^ 67 were removed to Crow river, and from there to Blue Earth, Minnesota. They were hardl}^ settled when the Sioux war broke out, in 1859, and Minnesota demanded their removal. They were disarmed in 1863 and removed to Crow creek, Dakota, on the Missouri. This place afforded no means of subsist- ence, and was surrounded by wild and hostile In- dians. Famine, disease, and the hostile tribes rap- idly reduced them to less than two -thirds their num- ber when removed. The survivors reached the Omaha reservation and appealed for shelter. In May, 1866, they were removed to Winnebago, Ne- braska, and all improvements begun again. Whoever carefully reads the history of these Indians, after they ceded their lands to the United States, can but admit that their treatm.ent was sim- ply barbarous. Removed from rich lands and good hunting-grounds, where they lived in plenty, to bleak, cold, barren, inhospitable wastes allotted them for reservations, their fate was continual suf- fering, disease, and death, and if they found a place where living was possible, the cupidity, avarice, or fears of the whites at once demanded their removal. In 1869 they were assigned to the care of the Friends. In 1874 they numbered in Nebraska 1,445, with farms, cottages, and stock, dressed like whites, and had three schools. About 1,000 left in Juneau, Adams, and Wood counties, Wisconsin, were self-supporting. They have been removed to Nebraska, on a reservation, but most of them left on arriving there. Besides the early Catholic Mission, later attempts 68 History of La Salle County. have been made for their conversion by the Catho- lics and Presbyterians, but with very indifferent success. KICKAPOO INDIAISTS. The Kickai300 tribe of the great Algonquin family were first found b}^ the French missionaries, towards the close of the seventeenth century, on the Wis- consin. They were friendly to the French, and allies of the Miami s, yet the}^ killed Father Gabriel de la Rebourdi, one of La Salle's men. They made a prisoner of Father Guignas, and held him in cap- tivit}^ for months. In the first part of the eighteenth century, their principal location was on Rock river, Illinois. When the English came in possession of the country, after the peace of 1763, they found a village of Kickapoos, of about 200, on the Wabash. This town was taken by the United States forces in 1Y91, and Gen. Wilkinson burned another of their towns in Illinois. In 1812, a Kickapoo town on the Illinois was surprised, and many killed. Treaties of peace were concluded at Fort Harrison in 1816, and at Edwardsville in 1819, by which a large proportion of their land w^as ceded to the United States. Part of their lands they claimed by descent from their ancestors, having been in posses- sion for sixty years, and a part by conquest from the Illinois nation. The Kickapoos were one of the principal northern tribes that combined against the Illinois, and waged a relentless war for more than half a century. From about 1690 to about ITSO, with slight intermissions, Indian History: 69 it was continuous. After a short suspension, it was renewed with great vigor upon the death of Pontiac, wliich occurred in 1779, and resulted in the defeated Illinois retiring from their line of defense along the Illinois river to the south part of the State. This Kickapoo history helps to fix some other points in the history of the Illinois. The Kickapoos were on the Wisconsin in 1690 ; on the Rook river in 1720 ; and were allies of the Miamis, whose location was in Indiana and Ohio. In 1763, they were found on the Wabash, on the east line of Illinois. This section they claimed the right to cede in the treaty of 1819, having in- herited it and been in possession over sixty years. In the war w^iicli followed the death of Pontiac, and in which occurred the events told in the legend of Starved Rock, they drove the Illinois south, and took possession of the country south and east of the Illinois river, and this country they held by right of conquest from the Illinois, as they claimed when they ceded it. So their occupancy of this region must have commenced about 1780, or soon after, and that must be the date of the Illinois retiring from tills region. At the time of the first settlement by the whites, the Kickapoos were living on the Sangamon and Mackinaw rivers. They had a village at Kickapoo Creek, and at Elkhart Grove, and at many other points between the Illinois and Wabash. They were bitter enemies of the United States, and were foremost in the battles with Harmar, St. Clair, and Wayne, and they led in the bloody charge at 70 History of La Salle County. Tippecanoe. Their last attack of the Illinois was near Kaskaskia, after the Illinois had retired to the south part of the State. The Illinois children were picking strawberries when the Kickapoos attacked them, killed numbers, and took the others captive. About twenty-five miles from Kaskaskia is the scene of a great battle between the Kickapoos and Pottawatomies on one side, and the Kaskaskias and allies on the other, in which there was a terrible slaughter of the Kaskaskias and allies. This occurred about 1785 or 1790. After being reduced to submission, annuities were paid them, and they went on to a reservation on the Osage. In 1822, about 2,000 had removed, and about 400 remained in Illinois. Missionaries of different denominations labored without effect for their conversion. Some few settled down to agri- culture, but the most rambled off to hunt and plunder. A part of them emigrated to Mexico, from whence they made raids over the border. In 1873, 300 or 400 of them returned, and went on a reservation west of the Arkansas river. Those on the reservation now number 274. There are forty- six children in the school ; they have live stock valued at $18,000, and produce valued at $12,000 annually ; they dress like the whites, and have ceased to be warriors. LEGEXD OF STARVED ROCK. The legend of Starved Rock has by some been pronounced a fiction, while others have claimed that that event was the destruction of the last remnant of Indian History. 71 the great nation of the Illinois ; both of these state- ments are untenable. It was a war party of the Illinois Indians, that after a defeat by the combined northern tribes, took refuge on the cliff, the Fort St. Louis of the French, now called Starved Roclv, and after a protracted siege were starved into sub- mission ; the rock was closely surrounded on all sides, and efforts to procure food or water were prevented by the determined besiegers. Tradition says, that starvation did its work ; that a few sur- vivors, in desperation, taking advantage of a dark and stormy night, left their fastness, and en- countered the foe ; but being few in number and in a weakened condition, they were no match for their well fed, and numerous enemies, and were soon dispatched ; but it is said that in the darkness and oonfusion, a few individuals escaped. Such traditional history is very liable to be mingled with fiction, so that all the truth on this subject will probably never be known ; but of the substantial truth of that legend, as stated above, there can be no doubt. Gurdon S. Hubbard, who resided for years among the Indians, says there was no traditional event more certain, and more fully believed by the Indians than this. The bones of the victims lay scattered about the olifF in profusion, after the settlement by the whites, and are still found mingled plentifully with the soil. It is true, there had been warfare around that cliff before. The Iroquois attacked Tonti and were badly beaten, but they did not fall on the clifiF, nor did the French leave their dead unburied. 72 History of La Salle County. After tliat defeat, the Illinois abandoned their de- fenses on the line of the Illinois'river. That line of de- fense was an excellent one, as against Indians. The Indian always goes to war, if he goes at all, with an open place of retreat. Mrs. Simon Crosiar told the writer that she remained with her family, at her cabin at Shippingport, during most of the Black Hawk war, without fear, as she knew the Indian well enough to know that he would never put such a river as the Illinois between him and his place of retreat, and her opinion seemed well founded, as the Sauks did not cross that river during the war. The date of the siege of Starved Rock is not definitely settled ; it was doubtless the last stand made by the retiring Illinois on that line of defense. The Foxes and other northern tribes had been making war on the weakening Illinois for nearly a century, and after the death of Pontiac, killed in a drunken brawl at one of the Illinois villages, for which the Illinois were not in fault, the war, renewed and intensified by that event, resulted in the expulsion of the Illinois from their ancient home on their favorite river. Pontiac was killed in 1779, and the siege of Starved Rock occurred immediately after, probably not later than 1780, The absurd statement, that the last. remnant of the Illinois nation was starved and extinguished at that time, is sufficientl}^ refuted by the record of treaties, made with them by the Government for forty j'^ears afterward, their removal west in 1820, and their existence yet, though only a miserable remnant of that once great nation, like the flickering light of a lamp with the oil exhausted that must soon be forever extinguished. Early Explorations. 73 EARLY EXPLORATIONS. After the Frencli abandoned their posts here, which was about 1720, they still occupied posts north at Mackinaw and Green Bay, but their prin- cipal settlement was at Detroit, commenced in 1701, and they visited this locality occasionall}^ for the purpose of trading. But the country was virtually left to the natives after the treaty of Paris, in 1763, by which the country was ceded to England. The British flag was hoisted over old Fort Chartres, in what is now Monroe County, Illinois, the seat of the Michigami tribe of Illinois Indians, in 1765. In 1779 it was taken from the English, by Col. Clark, for the United States, and became a part of Virginia. In 1784 Virginia ceded all the Northwest Territory to the United States, and in 1787 Congress adopted the ordinance for the government of that territory, con- secrating it to freedom. The first account of a visit to this county by an American citizen may be found in Imlay's America. It is a journal by Patrick Kennedy, of an expedition, with several French courieurs debois^ from Kaskas- kia to the head of the Illinois river, in search of a copper mine. They left Kaskaskia July 23d, 1773, one hundred years after Marquette passed up the same river. He gives a flattering description of the country ; says the land is exceedingly rich, the timber tall and heavy (bottom timber probably), and the deer and buffalo plenty. They passed the mouth of the San- gamon river on the 4:th of August, and reached 6 74 History of La Salle County. Peoria Lake on the 7th ; found the French stock- ade fort burned, but some of the houses stand- ing ; passed the Vermillion on the 9th — found the water too shallow for his boat at the rapids, and went b}^ land from there ; passed the Fox on the 10th of August ; went some forty-five miles further, and returned without tinding the copper mine. They fell in with a party of French, who brought them in their canoes to where they had left their boat. On the way down the}' met^a Frenchman by the name of Jennette, who aided them in their search for the mine, but the party returned to Kaskaskia not hav- ing been within several hundred miles of the copper mines so famed in both ancient and modern times. Their meeting with Frenchmen shows that the French still hunted and traded here, and were virtually yet in possession of the country. Fort Dearborn, at Chicago, was built and occupied in 1804. A topographical survey of the Northwest was made by Maj. Stephen H. Long, United States Topo- graphical Engineer, in 1817. Fort Clark, at Peoria, was then just being occupied by United States troops, and Fort Dearborn, at Chicago, had been rebuilt the year previous, having been unoccupied since its destruction and massacre of its garrison in 1812. Maj. Long, in his report, refers to the national im- portance of our canal, and of the comparative facility of opening a canal almost made by nature. AMERICAN FUR COMPANY. About the year 1816 the American Fur Company established posts for trading with the Indians ; one Early Explorations. 75 at the mouth of Bureau creek, on the south side of the river ; one three miles below Peoria, on the west side, and one below; six to ten in the interior, between the Illinois and Wabash ; and three or four on Rock river. Gurdon S. Hubbard, of Chicago, has kindly fur- nished the facts in relation to these posts. Mr. Hubbard came from Vermont in the employ of the company, in 1818, when only sixteen years of age. After being here one year, he was made supervising agent of the company, going from post to post, dis- tributing supplies and taking away the furs bought of the Indians. These posts were continued till the influx of the whites, and change of location of the Indians, destroyed the business. That occurred from 1826 to 1833. Mr. Hubbard says there were posts in what is now La Salle County, that were fitted out from Chicago by John Baptiste, Beaubien, John Kinzie, and John Crofts. Mr. Hubbard found no white people but his agents between the Illinois and the Wabash. These posts remained in the heart of the Indian country, entirely unprotected, with perfect safet}^ The Indians no doubt regarded them as great acqui- sitions. The agents of the American Fui- Company were spread across the continent, and fortunes were rap- idly made. John Jacob Astor took all the stock of the American Fur Companj^, and its large profits went mainly to swell his colossal fortune. 76 History of La Salle County. HODGSON S NARRATIVE. Mr. Eli Hodgson, of Farm Ridge, has furnished the facts for the following narrative of a trip through this region by his father, Joel Hodgson, in 1821, two years before the firet white settler came in. Joel Hodgson was not an earl}^ settler here, but he settled in 1828 in Tazewell County, with a large family. Four of his sons and his widow removed to Farm Ridge, in this county, in 1853. Two of them, Aaron and Eli Hodgson, large farmers and stock breeders, are now residents here, and the narrative is worthy a place in our pioneer history. In the autumn of 1821 a number of families of Clinton County, Ohio, proposed to emigrate to a western location, in sufficient numbers to support a school, church, etc., and deputed Joel Hodgson and another person to explore the then wild and unoc- cupied Northwest, and select a location for the colony. His colleague having been taken sick, Mr. Hodgson resolutely started alone, on horseback. He equipped himself with a good horse, saddle and bridle, a packing wapello w^ell filled with dried beef, crackers, and hard-tack ; his other equipments were the best map he could then get of the western territories, a pocket compass, flint and steel and punk-wood, with which to kindle a fire, as matches were not then known. He carried no weapon, often remarking that an honest face was the best weapon among civilized or savage men. After safely crossing the State of Indiana, then a wilderness, he entered Illinois where Danville now Early ExijloraUons. 11 is, where lie found a small settlement and some friends. Here he made a short stay, and then took a northwest course, to strike the Illinois river, his map and compass his only guide. He put up, usually, where night found him. Striking a hre with his flint, steel, and punk, wrapped in his blanket, and with the broad earth for a bed, he slept soundly. He stated that his horse became very cowardly, so that he would scarcely crop the grass, which was his only suste- nance ; he would keep close by his master, follow- ing him wherever he went, and sleeping at night hj his side, and would not leave him at any time. With no roads but an occasional Indian trail, through high grass and bushes, over the broad, limitless prairie, or along the timber belts, occasion- ally meeting a part}^ of Indians, with whom he con- versed only by signs, it is not surprising that horse or rider should be lonely, suspicious, and fearful. The Indians were friendly, offering to pilot him wherever he wished to go, but were importunate for tobacco and whisky — ^in vain, liowever, for he carried neither. He reached the Illinois, he supposed, just below the mouth of the Kankakee, and followed down on the south side, till he reached the mouth of Fox river, and recognized it on his map— the first time he had been certain of his locality since he left Dan- ville. He explored each of the southern branches of the Illinois for several miles from their mouths, going up one side, and down the other. He thus worked 78 History of La Salle County. his way to Dillon's Grove, in Tazewell County; there, as he expected, he met a few settlers, old neighbors of his, from Ohio, the first white men he had seen since leaving Danville. He then returned by the waj' of Springfield and Yandalia to Danville, where he made a claim on Government land, which he afterwards purchased. He returned to Ohio and reported that he found no suitable location for the proposed colony. Some might think it rather sin- gular that a man of his resolution, and sound judg- ment, should pass through the best part of the State of Illinois — the best portion of the West, and as good a country as the sun shines on, and then make such report ; but those who saw it as he saw it. can properly apjDreciate his decision, and the fact that he made such a decision, is significant of the im- measurable difference betwen then and now. Sur- rounded by the solitude, which even his horse felt so keenly, he was not in a mood to take in the full value of a prauie farm, and the prairie region was not then understood ; there was supposed to be an almost fatal deficiency of timber, and the coal fields were hid in the bowels of the earth. The prairie was supposed to be so cold and bleak in winter as to be uninhabitable, and that not more than a tenth of the country could ever be utilized. The railroads which now connect us with either ocean, and the telegraph that annihilates distance, and converses with all the world, were neither of them invented. The slower mail and post coach had not then crossed the prairie region, and the puffing steamer had never reached the Upper Illinois, There was no Early Explorations. 79 civilization here. The deer, the wolf, and the In- dian, held a divided empire, and to the solitary traveler it seemed that generations must pass before this immense solitude could be made vocal with the converse and business of a civilized people. Even of those who came ten years later, many were of that opinion, and for several years later ^till, never expected to live to see the large prairies occupied. Our explorer eventually changed his opinion, for in 1828 he purchased a farm in Tazewell County, and removed there three years later, having, in the au- tumn of 1828, taken a trip through the country, similar to that in 1821, when some few settlements and more experience softened the aspect of the then changing wilderness, and convinced him of the fea- sibility of settling the prairie region. He remained on his purchase, near Pekin, till his death, in the autumn of 1836, leaving a widow and nine children. The eldest son, Isaac, settled at Long Point, Liv- ingston County, in 1834, twelve miles from the near- est neighbor, and in 1848 moved to South Ottawa, where he died in 1851. In 1853, four more of the brothers— Eli, Aaron, Abner, and Isaiah, settled in Farm Ridge, and soon after, their mother, the widow of Joel Hodgson, removed there, where she died in 1875. Eli and Aaron only survive, each with large families. 80 History of La Salle County. FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE COUXTY, AND THE WINNEBAGO WAR. The first permanent settlement made in the county, was at Ottawa and vicinity. Its geographical loca- tion, its topographical and geological features marked that as a central and important point, even to the most superficial observer. Dr. Davidson was the first white man, after the French, who settled in the county; he came in the summer of 1S28 ; Jesse Walker came in the fall of 1824, for the purpose of establishing a mission among the Pottawatomie Indians ; Enos Pembroke, Thomas R. Covell, Lewis Bailey, George and Joseph Brown, Col. Sayers, and Edward Weed, came in 1825 : David Walker, James Walker, and Simon Crosiar, came in 1826 ; George E, Walker in 1827. Nearly all of these located on the bluff, in what is now South Ottawa. These, and perhaps two or three others, constituted the pioneer force, the infant colon}", that occupied La Salle County in 1827, when the Winnebago war broke out and struck terror to all the frontier settlements. The scene of the outbreak was some distance away, but the intervening territory was a desert waste, or occupied by Indians, on whom no reliance could be placed. Immediately on hearing of the outbreak the little colony constructed a fort, and made the best possible preparation for defense. The fort was a small palisade, back from the bluff in South Ottawa, far enough from the timber to pre- vent the enem}" attacking under its cover, and com- manding a supply of water. The marks of the fort First Settlement — Winne'bago War. 81 can still be seen on the farm of Colonel Hitt, south- westerly from his residence. In the war of 1312, the Northwestern Indians mostly took part with the British, but joined in the treaty of peace, and remained friendly and peaceable up to the summer of 1827. That summer the Win- nebago tribe became turbulent, and without any apparent cause (except those petty frauds and wrongs constantly perpetrated by un]3rincipled Iron tiers men) seemed disposed to take the war path. Capt. Allen Lindsley, with two keel boats, while trading on the Upper Mississippi, discov^ered evident signs of hostile intent in the demeanor of the Winne- bagoes, armed his men, and prepared for the worst. While descending the river, at a point a few miles above Prairie du Chien and opposite the village of that tribe, he was fired upon, and his boats surrounded b}^ the Indian canoes in an attempt to board. He effectively returned the fire, beat off their boarders, and passed on down the river ; he had two men killed, and some other slight casualties, while the Indians were handled rather roughly. Such an outbreak at that time, of course, sent a thrill of terror through all the infant settlements. There were then, j^erhaps, 2,000 settlers in the mining region, and along the Mississippi, and a few scattering pioneers along the Illinois river, then the extreme northern limit of the frontier settlements. The country was full of Indians, of different tribes, apparently friendly, but the proverbial treachery of whose character was well understood. The confederation of the tribes for the destruction 82 History of La 8alle County. of the whites, under Tecumseh and Pontiac, was well remembered, and such an act of hostility might be imagined as but the prelude to a general war. . The following statement, by Gurdon S. Hubbard, extracted from the seventh volume of the Wisconsin Historical Collections, casts much light on the rela- tions of the Pottawatomie Indians, as well as giving a lucid account of the Winnebago war in 1827. Mr. Hubbard says: "It is a mistake that the young warriors of the Pottawatomies designed at- tempting to capture Fort Dearborn in 1832. No such design was ever contemplated ; had there been I should have certainly known it. The Pottawato- mies were then friendly. Their chief, Shaubanee, was very industrious, riding day and night, giving infor- mation to frontier settlers and protecting them, when in his power, sending nine of his young men to Gen. Atkinson, wlio remained in the army, as aids to our troops. I was in Gen. Atkinson's campaign from the time he left the Illinois river, serving sixty days, and personally conversant with every movement. "The statement referred to might aj)ply to the Winnebago war of 1827, but not to the troubles of 1832. Then such an expedition was contemplated by Big Foot's band, whose village was at Geneva Lake, then known as Big Foot's Lake. Big Foot circulated secretly the war wampum to the Potta- watomies while here receiving their annuities, but it was not accepted by their chiefs and braves. It was kept so secret tliat not a white man knew about it. ' ' The first intelligence we had here of the massacre on the Upper Mississippi, in 1827, was brought by First Settlement — Winnebago War. 83 Gen. Cass, who at the time was at Green Bay for the purpose of holding a treaty. ' ' The moment the General received the news of the hostile proceedings of the Winnebagoes he started in alight birch-bark canoe, descended the Wisconsin and Mississippi to Jefferson Barracks, where he pre- vailed on the commanding officer to take the respon- sibility of chartering a steamer and sending troops up the Mississippi. The expedition left the morn- ing after Gen. Cass arrived there, he accompanying the party as far as the month of the Illinois river, which he ascended, and came here to Chicago in his light canoe. I was taking breakfast at Mr. John Kinzie' s when we heard the Canadian boat song. Mr. Kinzie remarked that the leader's voice was 'like Forsyth's,' secretary to Gen. Cass. We all rushed to the piazza ; the canoe, propelled by thirteen voy- ageurs, was coming rapidly down the river in full view— a beautiful sight. " We hastened to the bank, receiving Gen. Cass and Forsyth, the latter a nephew of Mr. Kinzie. "While eating their breakfast they gave us full particulars of what had transpired. Gen. Cass re- mained probably two hours, and left, coasting Lake Michigan. Big Foot' s band had lingered here sev- eral days after the other Indians had left. During this time the fort, then evacuated, was struck by lightning. The barracks on the east side, the store- house at the south gate, and part of the guard-house at the south gate, burned down. It was at the time blowing and raining furiously. "I was sleeping with Robert Kinzie, United States 84 History of La Salle County, Postmaster, in his father's house. We put on our clothes, ran to the river, and found our canoe filled with water ; we could make no headway with it. We then swam the river and aided in extinguishing the fire. ' ' We received no aid from the Indians of Big Foot' s band. We thought it strange at the time, and they decamped in the morning. The news by Gen. Cass made us suspect Big Foot. That same day we sent Shaubanee and Billy Caldwell to Big Foof s village as spies, to ascertain what the Indians' intentions were. ''Caldwell secreted himself in the woods, sending Shaubanee into the camp. He was immediately seized, but by his presence of mind and shrewdness got liberated. He was escorted by Big Foot's In- dians for half a day, Shaubanee giving a signal as they passed near where Caldwell was, so that he and Caldwell did not return together, Caldwell reaching here about two hours later. Shaubanee reported that he was questioned as to the quantity of guns and ammunition the traders had here, which led him to think an attack was contemplated. Big Foot admitted he had joined the Winnebagoes to drive the whites from the country, urging Sliaubanee to act witli him, who replied that he would go home, call a council of his braves and send an answer. There were here at Chicago only about thirty whites able to bear arms. '•A council was called, which resulted in a resolu- tion to send two or three to the Wabash for aid. Three volunteers were called for this purpose, but Organization of La Salle County. 85 no one seemed willing to go. I volunteered to go alone, Mrs. Helm, who was here at the massacre of 1812, objecting, on tlie ground that I was the only one who had sufficient influence to command the voyageurs, in case of attack, but it was finally de- cided that I should go. " I started about four o'clock P. m., and reached Danville the next afternoon, one hundred and twenty miles. Runners were immediatel}^ despatched through the settlements, and the second day one hundred mounted volunteers reported, and we left for Chicago, reaching there the seventh day after my leaving the fort. These volunteers remained, I think, about twenty-five days, when we received the news that the troops from Jefferson Barracks had reached the Upper Mississippi. The Winnebagoes, surprised at their arrival, got together and con- cluded a peace with the commanding officer." ORGANIZATION OF LA SALLE COUNTY. At the time settlements commenced in La Salle County, the territory was a part of Peoria County. Previous to the organization of Peoria County the territory was a part of Sangamon County. Thus, each new county, formed on the northern frontier of the settled portion of the State, embraced all the territory north of it to the State line, as the settle- ment of the State commenced at the south, and pro- gressed north. The first election in what is now La Salle County was held at the house of John Green, in August, 86 History of La Salle County. 1830. It was for Fox River Precinct of Peoria County. In the winter of 1830-31 tlie legislature organized the county of La Salle, and an election was held the following spring, at Ottawa, for county officers. The boundaries of the county included Ranges 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, from the south line of Township 29, now the south line of the town of Groveland, to the north line of the State, being thirty-six miles wide, and over one hundred miles long — about the size of some of the smaller States. At the first election held at Ottawa, March 7th, 1831, George E. AValker was chosen Sheriff ; John Green, Abraham Trumbo, and James B. Campbell, County Commissioners ; and David Walker, County Clerk. The county was divided into three precincts. Ranges 1 and 2 constituted Vermillion Precinct ; Ranges 3 and 4 Ottawa Precinct ; and Ranges 6 and 6 Eastern Precinct. Each precinct ran north to the State line. A court was held the following summer on the south side of the river, as that was then the town. Judge Young presided. The grand jury held a ses- sion, a petit jury were summoned, but no present- ments were made, nor trials had. It is said the court was held under a large tree, on tlie bottoms south of the river. The grand jur}^ met in a room of David Walker's liouse, and the petit jury, not being impanneled, were not confined to any locality. Judge Young complimented the county upon its moral character, in having no indictments presented. Organization of La Salle County. 87 It seems that the first indictments ever presented by the grand jury in La Salle County, were for sell- ing whisky without a license, and if the past may be regarded as the truthful index of the future, and human nature remains as now, the last indictments which precede the final consummation of all earthly things, may be for the same off"ense. After the fright from the Winnebago outbreak had subsided, emigrants came in quite freely. The first settlements were made along the edge of the best timber. Tlie impression was, that only the timber belts could ever be inhabited ; the prairies were thought to be too cold in winter, and uninhabitable for want of timber. Thus the main attraction was the best groves, and farms witli timber and prairie adjoining were first selected, and none other as long as such could be found. After Ottawa, the first settlements were at Bailey' s Grove, (now Tonica) in 1825 to 1828 ; at Dayton and Rut- land by Green's party, in 1829, and others in 1830-31. At that time the only white man between there and Galena was John Dixon, the first and then the only settler where Dixon now is. There was only one white man between there and Peoria, on the river, that was Mr. Hartsell, an Indian trader, at Henne- pin. John Hays settled at Peru ; Lapsley, at La Salle ; Myers, Letts, and Richey, on the bluff south of Peru— all in 1830. James Galloway had settled opposite Marseilles in 1825. Troy Grove received its first settler in 1830, but only three families till 1833 ; Indian Creek, in 1830 ; and the first on the Vermillion, was in 1831. Martin Reynolds came to 88 History of La Salle County. Deer Park in 1829, and Elsa Armstrong in ]831. Charles Brown and the Hooabooms came in 1830. These, with a few others, were the whole popula- tion of La Salle County in 1831-32, when the Black Hawk war broke over the defenseless colony. The settlements in the county were located at Ottawa and vicinity, nearly all south of the river, extend- ing to Covell creek, and to Brown's Point below. At Dayton and Rutland, on both sides of the Fox, and on the Illinois at or near the Grand Rapids, there might have been fifty persons; four or five families on Indian creek ; four or five at La Salle and Peru and the bluff opposite ; a like number at Bailey's Grove, and two or three each on the Fpper Vermillion, and in what is now the town of Deer Park — a feeble and scattered people, on the extreme borders of civilization, but illy prepared to meet the shock of savage warfare. The outbreak in the spring of 1831, when Black Hawk crossed the Mississippi, near Rock Island, and drove the settlers from their claims, alarmed the whole frontier. The timid left the countrj^, and Immigration ceased. The difficulty was temporaril}^ settled, but there w^as a feverish anxiety among the people; and when, in the spring of 1832, the Sauks, under Black Hawk, took the war-path in earnest, many precipitately left, decreasing the. means of defense, and weakening the already feeble colony. The winter of 1830-31 was a very severe one ; the snow was of unusual depth, and traveling across the country almost impossible. The water of the Illinois river, at the time of the spring floods, w^as Black Haiok War. 89 from two to three feet higher than it has been since. BLACK HAWK WAR. Bhick Hawk, the chief of what was called the British band of the Sanks, who made war on the settlements in 1831, and again in 1882, althongh an ardent friend of the British, and a bitter enemy of the United States, was, from all accounts an amiable savage. He was now an old man ; he had been a warrior from his youth, and it is said he had never been defeated. He had served with the British, and was a friend of Tecumseh, in common with nearly all the prominent chiefs at that day. He is said to have been a kind husband and father, honest, and truthful, affectionate and sympathetic. It was his custom to spend one day each year by the grave of a favorite daughter, who was buried on the banks of the Mississippi near Oquawka. The tronble with Black Hawk originated as far back as 1804. A treaty was made by his tribe, selling most of their lands east of the Mississippi. This treaty, and several subsequent ones in 1815, 1816 and 1830, Black Hawk said, were frauds ; that in 1804 some of their tribe were arrested and tried in St. Louis for mnrder, and some of the chiefs went down to assist them on the trial ; that they got drnnk and did not know what they did, but when they came home said they had sold some land, and were decked out with Indian finery, which was all they received for the land. 90 History of La Salle County. In 1831, Black Hawk and most of liis tiibe resided west of tlie Mississippi. Some settlers had bought of the Government, the land in the vicinity of what had been their principal town on the east side, just below Rock Island. Black Hawk ordered them away, and upon their not going, destroyed their im- provements, and threatened to make war. Greneral G-aines, with a few companies of United States sol- diers, was sent to the scene of trouble, and seven hun- dred mounted volunteers from Illinois were called out. Black Hawk retreated across the Mississippi, and finally sued for peace, which was concluded by his ceding the disputed land. Yet, in the spring of 1832 he again crossed the Mississippi, notwithstand- ing his agreement, and made vindictive war on the frontier settlements. His bitter feelings toward the United States, and the wasting of his tribe, encroach- ment of the whites, and prospect of extinction, exasperated the old man's feelings and he made war, doubtless in desperation. Governor Reynolds called out about 2,20(> volun- teers, who were equipped, and ordered to the scene of the outbreak, under the command of General Whiteside, of the State militia. They went by the way of Oquawka on the Miss- issippi, to Rock river, and rendezvoused at Dixon. The army here found two battalions of mounted volunteers from the counties of McLean, Tazewell, Peoria and Fulton, commanded by majors Stillman and Bailej^ These forces asked for some dangerous service in which they might distinguish themselves. They were ordered up the river to feel the enemy. Black Hawk War. 91 and learn Ms location and streEgth. Stillman's command left on the 12tli of May. When they came to Old Man's Creek, since called Stillman's Run, they discovered a few Indians on horseback, and the men, without orders or commander, at once pursued, overtook and killed three Indians, but soon en- countered Black Hawk with some seven hundred warriors and of course changed front, and tried the speed of their chargers in the opposite direction. When they reached camp, the whole battalion caught the panic and made at once for Dixon where the army was encamped. Stillman lost eleven men, and was deemed fortunate in losing so few. The whole force was now anxious to be discharged. It seems their time of service had about exj)ired, and real fighting proving anything but holiday sport, they refused to serve longer. They were marched first to Stillman's battle ground, and then by the way of Paw Paw Grove, and Indian Creek to Ottawa, where they were discharged by Governor Reynolds on the 27th and 28th of May. Stillman's defeat and the discharge of the forces placed the frontier settlements at the mercy of the foe. The Indians scattered in small parties to the nearest settlements, and nearly all the lives of the settlers that were taken during the war, were taken soon after, and all the casualties followed, as the result of that defeat. Fifteen at Indian Creek ; Paine, the Dunkard preacher, killed north of Mar- seilles ; Schermerhorn and Hazleton, east of Fox river ; young Baresford on Indian creek ; one on Bureau creek, and one at Buflfalo Grove, were the 92 History of La Salle County. victims. It seems that La Salle County suffered far more than all others. After the discharge of the forces at Ottawa, Col. Fry made a speech to the discharged men, telling them it was a sliame for them to go home and leave these defenseless families to certain death, and call- ing for volunteers to serve till other forces could be raised and placed in the field. To this appeal a portion promptly responded. Out of the discharged men, a regiment of volun- ters was raised. Jacob Fry was elected Colonel : James D. Henry, Lieut. -Colonel, and John Thomas, Major. Whiteside, late commanding general, en- listed as a private. The several companies of this regiment were so disposed as to best guard the frontier. On the loth of June, the new levies had been mus- tered in, and were formed in three brigades, the whole force amounting to 3,200 men. There were fears that the Winnebagoes and Pottawatomies would join the Sauks, and a large force was called out, as well to overawe them, as to cope with the enem}^ already in the field. The Indians at this time had possession of nearl}^ the whole country from Chicago to Galena, and from the Illinois river to Wisconsin ; they lurked in nearly every grove, but the settlers had taken refuge in places of safety, and no more casualties occurred. The army was commanded by General Atkinson of the regular army. On the 22d of June, the forces were organized on the Illinois river at Fort AVilburn, near where Peru now is. They first marched to Dixon. Black Hawk War. 93 The movement of these troops north relieved the apprehension of the settlers, who soon returned to their farms ; the Indians were pursued steadily, and after repeated skirmishes were utterly defeated at the battle of Bad Axe, on the Mississippi, in Wis- consin, August, 1832. Black Hawk was taken pris- oner with the prophet, by the friendly Winnebagoes, probably by treachery . They were taken to St. Louis, where a treaty was made, such as the Government saw fit to dictate ; from there they were taken to Washington City, where they had an interview with President Jackson, and Black Hawk said to the President: "I am a man, you are another. We did not expect to con- quer the white people ; I took up the hatchet to re- venge injuries which could no longer be borne ; had I borne them longer, my people would have said, • Black Hawk is a squaw, he is too old to be a chief. He is no Sac' This caused me to raise the war- whoop." He was sent to Fortress Monroe where he became much attached to Colonel Eustace, the commander. On parting, Black Hawk said, "The memory of your friendship will remain until the Great Spirit says it is time for Black Hawk to sing his death- song. " After visiting the principal cities, in June, 1833, he was returned to his tribe, west of the great river. He lived till the 3rd of October, 1840, when he died at the age of 80 years, and was buried on the banks of the river where he had spent most of his life. General Scott had been ordered from the East to 94 History of La Salle County. take command in this war. In eighteen days he transported a regular force from Fortress Monroe to Chicago ; on their way np the lakes they were dreadfully afflicted with Asiatic cholera, then a new and strange disease. It broke out among the troops when at Detroit, Of two hundred .landed forty miles from Detroit, only nine survived. The main body came on, under General Scott, to Chicago. The disease again broke out when at Mackinaw, and continued after their arrival at Chicago, and within thirty days, ninety more were carried to their graves. The cholera detained Scott and his troops at Chicago about a month, and he reached the Mississippi at Rock Island, in August, 18B2, but after the decisive battle at Bad Axe, consequentl}' took no part in the fight. The defeat of Stillman, on Rock river, enabled Black Hawk, who had hitherto held his warriors together, to resist an expected attack from the forces Tinder Whiteside, being now relieved from immedi- ate apprehension, to send detached parties to attack the frontier settlements. As soon as Shabona was informed of the situation, he hastened to inform the settlers at the points exposed, that they were liable to be surprised at any time ; it was on the loth or 16th of May that Shabona visited the Indian Creek settlement. Mr. Hall started with his family for Ottawa, but was persuaded b}^ Davis to stop with him, so that Hall, Davis, and Petigrew, with their families and some hired hands, were all stopping with Davis. Davis was a Kentuckian, a large and powerful man, BJacJ^ HaioJc War. 95 and said to be of decided courage. He leftliis place and went to Ottawa for safety in the spring of 1831, and is said to have been taunted by some people as Avanting in courage ; and as the settlements were not disturbed in 1831, he said he would risk the Indians rather than again be taunted with cowardice by the Ottawa people. They were attacked b}^ seventy or eighty Indians on the afternoon of the 20th of May, 1832. Fifteen were killed, and two girls, 83^1 via HalJ, aged seven- teen, and Rachel Hall, aged fifteen, were taken pris- oners ; the others escaped to Ottawa. The details will best be told b}^ those who witnessed them. The following statement, made by John W. Hall, and also one made by Sylvia Horn, and Rachel Munson, the two prisoners taken by the Indians, are inserted as the most reliable : STATEMENT OF J. W. HALL. Nemaha. County, Nebraska, Sept., 18G7. I, John W. Hall, being requested by my sisters, Sylvia Horn and Rachel Munson, to state what I recollect of the massacre of my father's family and others, and captivity of my two sisters, in May, 1832, most gladl}' compl}^ with their request. The lapse of thirty- five years has made my memory rather dim, but there are some things, which I will relate, which I remember most distinctly, and shall as long as I have a being. It was in 1832, and, as near as I can recollect, about the 15th or 16th day of May, that old Shabona, chief of the Potowatomies, notified my father and others that the Sac and Fox Indians would probably make a raid on the settlement where we lived, and mur- der us, and destroy our property, and advised him to leave that part of the country for a place of safety. But Indian rumors were so common, and some of our neighbors did not sufficiently credit this old Indian, and we were advised to collect as many together as 96 History of La Salle County. possible, and stand our ground and defend ourselves against the Indians. So, after hiding all our heavy property, and loading the re- mainder and the family on to the vragon, we started for Ottawa, meeting Mr. Davis, who had been at Ottawa the day before, and had learned that a company had gone out in a northerly direction to learn of the Indian movements, and would report on their re- turn in case of danger. My father was prevailed on by Davis to abandon his retreat, and stop at Davis' house, where Mr. Petigrew and family, Mr. Howard and son, John H. Henderson and two hired men of Davis', Robert Norris and Henry George, were all stopping. On the 20th day of May, myself and dear father were at work under a shed adjoioing a blacksmith shop, on the west side next to the dwelling house. Mr. Davis and Norris were at work in the shop, Henry George and William Davis, Jr., were at work on a mill-dam, a little south of the shop. It bsiug a very warm day, in the after- noon some one brought a bucket of water from the spring to the shop, and we all went into the shop to rest a few minutes and quench our thirst. At this time John H. Henderson, Edward and Greenbury Hall, Howard and son, and two of Davis' sons, were in the field on the south side of the creek in full view, and ab ;ut half a mile from the house, planting corn ; and while we were resting in the shop we heard a scream at the house. I said: " There are the Indians now 1 " and jumped out of the door, it being on the opposite side from the house, and the others followed as fast as they could, and, as we turned the corner of the shop, discovered the door- yard full of Indians. I next saw the Indians jerk Mr. Petigrew's child, four or five 3'ears old, taking it by the feet and dashing its head against a stump. I saw Mr. Petigrew, and heard two guns seemingly in the house, and then the tomahawk soon ended the cries of those in the house, and immediately they fired about twen*}^ shots at our part}' of five, but neither of us was hurt that I know of. Their next motion was to pour some powder down their guns, and drop a bullet out of their mouths and raise their guns and fire. This time I heard a short sentence of prayer to my right, and a little behind. On turning that way, I saw my dear father on the ground, shot in the left breast, and dying, and, oa looking around, I saw the last of the company were gone or were going. The luiians Black Hawk War. 97 had jumped the fence and were making towards me. Mr. Davis was running in a northeast direction toward the timber ; he looked back, and said, " Take care; " he had his gun in his hand. I at this time discovered quite a number of the Indians on horse- back, in the edge of the woods, as though they were guarding the house to prevent any escape. Then it flashed into my mind tliat I would try to save myself. 1 tliiuk there were sixty to eighty In- dians. I immediately turned toward the creek, which was fifteen or twenty steps from where I stood. The Indians were at this time within a few paces of me, with their guns in hand, under full charge. I jumped down the bank of the creek, about twelve feet high, which considerablj' stunned me. At this moment the third volley was fired, the balls passing over my head, killing Norris and George, who were ahead of me, and who had crossed the creek to the opposite shore. One fell in the water, the other on the opposite bank. I then passed as swiftly as possible down the stream, on the side next the Indians, the bank hiding me from their view. I passed down about two miles, when I crossed and started for Ot- tawa, through the prairie, and overtook Mr. Henderson, who started ahead of me, and we went together till we got within four miles of Ottawa, where we fell in with Mr. Howard and son, three sous of Mr. Davis, and my two brothers, all of whom were in the field referred to, except one of Mr. Davis' sous, who was with us in the shop when the alarm was given, and who immediately left when he heard the cry of Indians. We all went to Ottawa together and gave the alarm. During the night we raised a company, and with them started in the morning for the dreadful scene of slaughter. On the way we met some of Stillman's defeated troops, they having camped within four miles of where the Indians passed the night, after they had killed my dear friends. They refused to go back with us, and help bury the dead, but passed ou to Ottawa. We went on to the place where the massacre took place, and oh ! what a sight presented itself. There were some with their hearts cut out, and others cut and lacerated in too shocking a manner to mention, or behold without shuddering. We buried them all in great haste, in one grave, without coffins or anything of the kind, there to remain till Ga- briel's trump shall call to life the sleeping dead. We then returned to Ottawa, and organized a company out of a 98 History of La Salle County. few citizens and Stillman's defeated troop?, into ■which companj^ I enlisted, and the next day were on the line of march, in pursuit of the savages, and if possible, to get possession of my two eldest sisters, who were missing, and who, we were satisfied, had been carried away by the Indians, from signs found on their trail. AVe went as far as Rock river, when onr provisions failed, and we re- turned to Ottawa for, and laid in, provisions for a second trip. I found that Gen. Atkinson had made propositions to the Winnebago Indians, through the agent, Mr. Gratiot, to purchase my sisters, as we were fearful if we approached the Indians, they would kill them, to prevent their capture. We then started the second time, and proceeded to Rock river, where we fell in with a company of volunteers, under Gen. Dodge, when we learned that the friendly Indians had succeeded in obtaining my sisters, and that the}' were at White Oak Springs. 1 went with a company of regulars to Ga- lena, and obtaining a furlough, went to White Oak Springs, where I found my sisters, and returned with them to Galena. (Signed) J. W. Hall. The remainder of the narrative of J. W. Hall is omitted, as it is substantially embraced in that of the Misses Hall, Avhicli follows. Statement made bv the former Misses Hall, now Mrs. Horn and Mrs. Munson, in presence of, and by request of, their husbands, of the massacre of their family and others, on the 20th of May, 1832, on In- dian creek, in La Salle County, and of their captivity and rescue from the Indians : STATEMENT. In the afternoon of the 20th of M^', 1832, we were alarmed by Indians rushing suddenly into the room where we were staying. The house was situated on the north bank of Indian creek. Here lived our father, William Hall, aged 45; our mother, aged 45; and six children — John W., aged 23; Edward H., aged 21; Grcenbury, aged 19; Sylvia, aged 17; Rachel, aged 15; and Elizabeth, aged 8. The house belonged to William Davis, whose family consisted of nine in all ; Mr. Petigrew, wife and two children. These fami- Blaclt Haio'k War. ^^ lies were staying together for the better protection of each other from the Indians. John H. Henderson, Henry George, and Robert Norris, were also stopping at the same house. Henderson, Alexander, and AVm. Davis, Jr., Edward and Greeu- bury Hall, and Allen Howard, were in the field, about 100 rods south of the house. Wm. Hall, Wm. Davis, John W. Hall, and Norris and George, were in a blacksmith shop, sixty or eighty steps from the house, down the creek, near the bank, and near the north end of a mill-dam, which was being built. Petigrew, who was in the house, with a child in his arms, when the Indians came to the door, sprang to shut the door, but failed to do it. He was shot and fell in the house. Mrs. Petigrew had her arms around Rachel when she was shot, the powder flying in Rachel's face. We were trying to hide, but could find no place to get to. We were on the bed when the Indians caught us, took us out into the yard, and tak- ino-'us by the arms, hurried us away as fast as possible, and while go- ing we saw an Indian take Petigrew's child by the feet and dash its head against a stump ; and Davis' little boy was shot by an Indian, two other Indians holding the boy by each hand. We passed on to the creek, about eighty steps, when they dragged Rachel into the creek and half way across, when they came back ; then they got us together and hurried us up the creek, on the north side, being the same side the house was on, to where the Indians had left their horses, about one and a half miles from the house. Here we found the Indians had father's horses, and some belonging to the neigh- bors tied up with their ponies. We were mounted each on a pony, with an Indian saddle, and placed near the centre of the proces- sion, each of our ponies being led, and receiving occasionally a lash 'of the whip from some one behind. We supposed there were about forty warriors, there being no squaws, in this party. We traveled till late in the night, when the party halted about two hours, the Indians danced a little, holding their ponies by the bridle We rested on some blankets and were permitted to sit too-ether •, then we were remounted and traveled in the same order until one or two o'clock next day, when they halted again near some bushes not far from a grove of timber on our right. Before we stopped, Rachel made signs that she was tired, and they took her ofE and let her walk, and while walking she was forced to wade a stream about three feet deep. Here we rested about two hours while the ponies picked a little grass, and some 100 History of La Salle County. beans were scalded by the Indians and some acorns roasted. The Indians ate heartily, and we tried, but could not, as we expected to fare as our friends liad, or worse. After resting we were packed up as usual, and traveled awhile, when some of the Indians left us for some time; when they returned we were hurried on at a rapid rate for some live miles, while the Indians that were following had their spears drawn and we supposed the party when absent had seen some whites, and that if we were overtaken they would destroy us. After about an hour they slackened their speed, and rode on as usual till near sundown, when the whole party halted for the night, and having built a fire they required us to burn some tobacco and corn meal which was placed in our hands, which we did, not knowing why we did so, except to obey them. We supposed it was to show that they had been successful in their undertaking. They then prepared supper, consisting of dried meat sliced, coflee boiled in a copper kettle, corn pounded and made into a kind of soup. They gave us some in wooden bowds with wooden ladles; we took some but did not relish it. After supper they held a dance, and after that we were conducted to a tent or wigwam, and a squaw placed on each side of us, where we remained during the night, sleeping what we could, which was very little. The Indians kept stirring all night. In the morning, breakfast the same as supper ; that over, they cleared off a piece of ground aboutj ninet}^ feet in circumference and placed a pole about twenty- five Jeet high in the centre and fifteen or twenty spears set up around the pole; on the top of the spears were placed the scalp^^ of our mur- dered friends ; father's, mother's and Mrs. Petigrew's were recog- nized by us. There were also two or tliree hearts placed on separate spears. The squaws, under the direction of the warriors, as we sup- ppsed from their jabbering, painted one side of our faces black and the other red, and seated us on our blankets near the pole, just leav- ing room enough for the Indians to pass between us and the pole ; then the warriors commenced to dance around us, with their spears in their hands, and occasionally sticking them in the ground; and now we expected at every round the spears would be thrust through us, and our troubles be brought to an end. But no hostile demon- stration was made toward us, and after they had continued their dance about half an hour or more, two old squaws led us away to one of the wigwams and washed the paint off our faces as well as they could. Then the whole camp struck tents, and started north, while the whole earth seemed to be alive with Indians. Black Hawk War. 101 This being the third day of our suffering, we were very much exhausted, and still we must obey our savage masters, and now ■while traveling we were separated from each other during traveling hours, under charge of two squaws to each of us, being permitted to stay together when not on the march, under the direction of our four squaws. We now traveled slowly over rough barren prairies until near sundown, when we camped again, being left with our four squaws with whom we were al-ways in company, day or night, they sleeping on each side of us during the night. The warriors held another dance, but not around us. Here we had all the maple sugar we desired, and the Indians made as good accommodations for us as they could . About this time our dresses were changed. The one furnished Rachel was red and white calico, ruffled around the bottom. Sylvia's was blue. They tried to gc t us to throw away our shoes, and put on moccasins, which we would not do. They also threw away Rachel's comb, and she went and got it again, and kept it. We then traveled and camped about as usual till the seventh day, when the Indians came and took Sylvia on to the side of a hill about forty rods away, where they seemed to have been holding a council. One of the Indians said that Sylvia must go with an old Indian, who we afterward^ learned was the chief of the Winne- bagoes, and was called White Crow, and was blind in one eye ; and that Rachel must remain with the Indians she had been with. Sylvia said she could not go unless Rachel went too. White Crow then got up and made a long and loud speech, and seemed very much in earnest. After he had concluded, an Indian, who called himself Whirling Thunder, went and brought Rachel to where Sylvia was, and the chiefs shook hands together, and horses were brought, and switches cut to whip them with, and we were both mounted, when one of the Sauk Indians stepped up to Rachel and with a large knife cut a lock of hair off of her head over the right ear, and another from off the back of her head, and told White Crow he would have her back in three or four days. Another one cut a lock of hair from the front part of Sylvia's head. Then we started, and rode at a rapid rate until the next morning near daylight, when w-e halted at the encampment of the Winnebagoes. A bed was prepared on a low scaffold with blankets and furs, and we lay down till after daylight. After breakfast the whole encamp- 102 History of La Salle County. ment packed up, and placed us with themselves in canoes, and we traveled all day until nearly sundown b)' water, and camped on the bank of the stream, the name of which we never knew, neither can we tell whether we traveled up or down. On the mornini!; of the ninth day we had breakfast verj' early, after which White Crow went round to each wigwam as far as we could see, and stood at the opening, holding a gourd with pebbles in it, shaking it and occasionally talking as if lecturing ; then went off and was gone all day. He came back at night, and for the first time spoke to us in Euglish, and asked if father or mother were alive, and whether we had any brothers or sisters. We told him we thought not, for we supposed they were all killed. When he heard this he looked very sorry, and shook his head, and then in- formed us that he was going to take us home in the morning. Next morning, being the tenth day. White Crow went through the same performance as on the morning of the previous day. Then twenty-six of the Winnebagos went with us into the canoes, and crossed over the stream, swimming their horses by the side of the canoes. On the other shore all were mounted on the ponies, and traveled all day through wet land, sloughs, and brush. At night we came to where there were two or three families encamped. Thej^ expressed great joy at seeing us. Here we encamped for the night — White Crow and Whirling Thunder with us. We had pickled pork, potatoes, coffee, and bread for us and the two chiefs, which we relished better than anything we had had since our captiv- ity. We lay down on the bed prepared for us, and White Crow came and sat down by our bed and commenced smoking, and continued there smoking his pipe most of the time till morning, never going to sleep, as we believe. Next morning had breakfast same as supper ; the Indian families bade us good bye, and the same company of twenty-six Indians, as the day before, started with us, and we traveled over land that seemed to be higher than that traveled the day before. About ten a. m., we came to some old tracks of a wagon, and here for the first time we began to have some hopes that the Indians were going to convey us home, as they said they would do ; and as we passed on we began to see more and more signs of civiliza- tion. About three o'clock we stopped and had some dinner — broiled venison and boiled ducks' eggs, and if they had not been boiled so soon the young ducks would have made their appearance. But the Indians would never starve if they could get young ducks boiled in the shell. Black HawJc War. 103 We then traveled on till near the fort, at the Blue Mounds. White Crow then took Rachel's Avhite handkerchief, or that had once been white, and raised it for a flag, on a pole, rode on about half a mile, and halted, and the Indians formed a ring around us, and White Crow went on and met the agent for the Winnebagoes, Mr. Henry Gratiot, with a company of volunteers, and returned to where we were. White Crow then delivered us over to the care of the agent, and we went with him and the soldiers to the fort. To our great joy, we found two of our uncles, Edward Hall, and Reason Hall, in the company. We remained here one day and two nights, and were supplied with a change of clothing. It was now about the first of June. We started, in company with the same twenty-six Indians, and a company of soldiers, with the Indian agent, Mr. Gratiot, for Gratiot's Grove, where we remained over night. Next morning. White Crow made a speech, in which he referred to the incidents of our rescue ; he also proposed to give each of us a Sauk Squaw, for a servant, during life, which we declined, telling him we did not desire to wrong the squaws. Here we parted with the Indians, who bid final adieu, and with the troops, we went on to White Oak Springs ; here we remained three or four days, and here our dear brother, J. W. Hall, whom we supposed murdered, met us. We remained here two or three weeks, and the merchants and others, who seemed to take a great interest in us, furnished the materials for some clothing, which we made up, preparatory to passing decently through the country, and we regret not being able to recollect the names of those kind friends, as a testimony of their kindness in our distressed con- dition. May the blessings of Heaven rest upon them all. From this place we went with Brother John W., and Uncle Edward Hall, to Galena ; here we stayed some days, at the house of Mr. Bells, with whom we had some acquaintance. While here, we received rations from the army. We also found kind friends in abundance, and donations in clothing, and other things, and needed nothing to make us comfortable as possible under such circumstances. All those friends have our thanks. We went by boat from Galena to St. Louis, where we stopped with Gov. Clark, and received every attention and kindness from him and his family. Here we re- ceived many presents, and through the influence of Gov. Clark, four hundred and seventy dollars were raised for our benefit, to be laid out in land, and intrusted to the care of Rev. R. Horn, of Cass lOi History of La Salle County. Count}-, Illiaois, -which was done at our request. "We also received smaller amounts to pay our expenses up the river, homeward. We cau only express our thanks to tbese kind friends for their gene- rosity. In company with brotlier John W., and uncle Edward Hall, who had been with us since we left the Blue Mounds, we took a boat up the Illinois river, to Beardstown, and out five miles east, to our uncle, Robert Scott, where we remained about two months, when brother .John W. Hall took us to Brown County, where we remained till March, 1833, when Rachel was married to William Munson, and settled near the scene of her parents' tragic fate, in La Salle County; and in May, 1833, Sylvia was married to William S. H )rn, and removed to Cass County, Illinois. This statement is made at the home of Sylvia, in Nebraska, where Rachel and her husband are visiting, and committed to writing by IMr. Horn, Sylvia's husband, the seventh day of Sep- tember, 1867. (Signed) Sylvia Horn. Rachel Munson. It will be observed by the reader, that Mrs. Horn and Mrs. Miinson, in their narrative, give a simple statement of the facts almost entirely without com- menr, or a recital of their own emotions during the terrible ordeal through which the}^ passed. Perhaps they were wise in doing so. No language could convey any adequate idea of what their mental suf- fering must have been in witnessing the more than tragic death of their family and friends — and of the fearful uncertainty that for days hung over their own destiny, held as they were helplessly in the power of those whose hands were still red with the blood of their kindred. They might well suppose that the sympathizing reader could better know what their sufferings must have been than they could describe them. It is but justice to say, that they were very kindly Black Hawk War. 105 treated, and made as comfortable as their savage captors had the means of doing, but their sufferings from the terrible scenes they had witnessed, the siglit of the still green scalps of their beloved parents, and their fearful forebodings of the unknown future, could be but slightly compensated by any such kindnesses. The foregoing statement of John W. Hall and his captive sisters, gives the manner of the death of but seven of the number that were slain. It is probably all that is really known, as John W. was really the last that left the scene ; he and a son of Davis were the only ones that escaped from where the men were at work. None escaped alive from the house but the captive girls. Davis' son who escaped, left at the lirst alarm, and doubtless knew nothing of what followed. Many statements regarding it have been made, some with apparent probability. One is, that Davis was last seen with a naked gun barrel in his hand, in a hand-to-hand conflict with the Indians, and dealing heavy blows right and left among the large number surrounding him ; of this, no one then present has tes- tified ; but he was last seen with his gun in his hand running toward the timber, and the fact that his gun barrel was found divested of the stock and badly bent, leaves little doubt that it met with some se- vere usage in the struggle. It may be the Indians destroyed it, not being able to carry it away. It is said he killed three Indians, which may or may not be true ; there were no signs of any dead Indians found, but as they were not piirsued, they would of 8 106 History of La Salle County. course, as is their custom, take away all their killed and wounded, if there were any. Davis was a pow- erful man, and something of a pugilist, and doubt- less would fight desperately if he had a chance, but against so large a number of enemies his chances single-handed were small, and the probability is, he did not attempt it. The Government and all parties showed a com- mendable sympathy and prompt effort to rescue the captives. The Government paid about $2,000, mostly in ponies, for their ransom. KILLING OF SCIIERMERIIORN, HAZLETOlSr, PAINE, AND BARESFORD. For some days after the massacre at Indian creek the settlers stayed close in the forts at Ottawa and Fort Wilburn at Peru. But as no Indians were seen, they cautiously ventured to take more libert}^ ; and as the scouts sent out discovered no signs of the enemy, they grew more bold, with the result nar- rated below. The settlers, who had hurriedly left their homes when the alarm was first given, were anxious to recover some stock and other property left, provided it had escaped the notice of the In- dians. For this purpose an expedition was organized at Ottawa, accompanied by a company of soldiers, to visit Ilolderman's Grove and points along Fox river. The soldiers, and others who were on the south side of the river, went by the way of Brown's Ford, and up the east side of the Fox, while a Mr. Schermerhorn and his son-in-law, Hazleton, who Black Hawk War. 107 were on the north side of the Illinois, went by the way of Dayton, and, crossing the Fox at that point, expected to meet the expedition on the road east of Dayton, but made the point about a mile behind them. They followed on, and in passing round the field near where Wm.Dunnavan now lives, discovered a party of Indians, and turned and fled toward Ottawa. A soldier, who had fallen behind his com- rades, met them at the south side of the field, and also fled, pursued by about a dozen Indians. The Indians did not fire on them, probably from fear of alarming the soldiers, but threw their spears, one passing just under and another just over his horse's neck, barely missing the soldier, who escaped to Ottawa and gave the alarm„ Schermerhorn and Hazleton were both killed and scalped, and their horses taken. From the place where the soldier left them, the track of the wagon circled to the right to- ward the timber (where David Grove now lives), the tracks of the Indians' ponies being south of the wagon track. The wagon was found against a tree on the edge of the ravine, nearly north of Mr. Grove's house. The tree is still standing. Scher- merhorn s body was lying by the fore-wheels of the wagon, and Hazleton' s twenty-five or thirty rods below, on the north bank of the ravine ; he appears to have fled after Schermerhorn was killed, and been overtaken or shot where found. A small scalp was taken from the head of Hazleton, but Schermer- horn, being nearly bald, was flayed to the neck. The same day, Capt. James McFadden, who was commander of a company of home guards organized 108 History of La Salle County. in Ottawa, James Baresford, and Ezekiel and Daniel Warren, were on the south side of the Indian creek timber, picking strawberries. Thej' had been thus enorased for some time, when the Warrens remarked that the}" were too near the bushes that skirted tlie timber, as Indians might be concealed there, and mounted their horses and rode off. The others remained a short time, and had just mounted their horses wlien they were fired on by about a dozen Indians, doubtless the same that killed Schermerhorn and Hazleton. Baresford was killed and McFadden shot through the ancle, the same ball passing through the body of his horse, but the faithful animal carried him beyond the reach of the Indian rities, and then fell. The AVarrens came to his assistance, and one of them dismounted and gave the wounded man his horse, with the agreement that if the Indians pursued, and were likely to overtake the one on foot. Warren should have the horse and McFadden should yield his scalp to the foe. There have always been men in the world who. if placed in the position of McFad- den, and the Indians had pursued, would have hes- itated as to fulfilling that agreement. But the In- dians did not pursue, and the three escaped. Other versions of McFadden' s escape are given, but all agree in the main facts of the unfortunate affair-. Adam Paine, a Dunkard preacher, who had labored occasionally among the Indians, left Chicago to o-o to Ottawa, and below. He was advised that he run a desperate risk, as the country was in the possession of hostile Indians, who would likely take Black Hawk War. 109 his scalp. But lie thought the Indians would re- spect him, on account of his acquaintance and labors among them. He wore a very long and full beard, then a great curiosity. All that is known of his journey is, that his head was found, stuck upon a pole, by the roadside, and his body was found and buried, by a compan}^ of Indiana militia, on the prairie between Holderman's Grove and Marseilles. These were the only casualties from the Indians, after the massacre at Indian Creek. SITUATION AT THE CLOSE OF THE WAR. The close of the Black Hawk war, in the summer of 1832, found the settlers in embarrassed circum- stances. In the north part of the county the crops had been destroyed by the Indians, and all the farms had necessarily been neglected, while tlie owners were in the army, or seeking shelter in the fort. Still, some raised tolerable crops, and there was no suffering. In 1833, as it was understood that the Indian troubles were fully settled, emigrants came in quite rapidly. The demand for provisions of all kinds, and for everything raised by the settlers, was fully equal to the supply, and for some articles, in excess, the deficiency being supplied by the boats in the river trade. Prices were high, as they always are where the demand exceeds the supply, and were everywhere becoming infiated, as the speculative times of 1835-6-7 were approached. The farmers of Illinois have never seen more pros- perous times than the settlers enjoyed from the close of the Black Hawk war to 1837 — that is, those who 110 History of La Salle County. had farms under improvement, and produce to sell, while those who were making improvements had to buy at such price as the older settlers saw lit to ask. Wheat was about two dollars per bushel ; corn and oats, one dollar to one dollar and a half ; though the prices varied in different neighborhoods, as the pro- portion of old or new comers ]Dreponderated, All new comers were consumers, and not pro- ducers, for the first year or two, unless they bought an improved farm, and that reduced their depend- ence upon the funds they brought with them, to one year's living expenses. But a poor man could always find emplo^anent, and if he arrived here without money he could get provisions for his family and pay in labor, as labor was the great need of the country. He could buy anything the countr}^ con- tained with labor. Building houses, stables, pens, and yards, making rails, fencing, and breaking prairie, called for stout and willing hands. A good worker was a great acquisition, but a drone had no place among the hardy pioneers. There are many subjects connected with the occu- pancy and settlement of a new country not con- tained in the narrative of passing events. The next few pages will be occupied with miscellaneous articles of personal narrative ; biography of the Indian chief, Shabona, the friend of the whites ; and usages and customs of the pioneers. SHABOWA. Most of the early settlers remember the large and manly form of Shabona, the old Indian chief, who Black HawJc War. HI spent the last few years of liis life in this vicinity, and often visited Ottawa and other parts of the county. He was a chief of the Pottawatomie In- dians, who lived in the vicinity, and was well known to the early settlers. His kindness and friendship for the whites, and the timely warning he gave them to escape from the murderous fury of Black Hawk and his tribe, has endeared his memory to the early pioneers and their descendants. And it is but fitting that the history that perpetuates the memory of the whites of that day, should carry with it some brief recollection of their Indian friend. Shabona was physically a noble specimen of his race— over six feet in height, and large in propor- tion ; erect, and commanding in his bearing, he at once inspired respect. He had been a distinguished warrior, but evidently was disposed to the more quiet pursuits of peace. He was honest, truthful, and trustworthy, and ex- hibited most of the virtues, and few of the vices of the red man, when brought in contact with civiliza- tion. He was of the Ottawa tribe, and was born on the banks of the Ottawa river, in Canada, about 1775. The Ottawas were the leading tribe of the great Algonquin family, which embraces the Winne- bagoes, Chippewas, Pottawatomies, etc., who had a common origin and similar language. When quite a young man, Shabona emigrated with a portion of his tribe to Michigan ; was a friend and companion of the great Tecumseh, and was his aid, and was fighting by his side when that 112 History of La Salle County. great warrior was killed at the battle of the Thames, in 1813. Shabona said, when Tecnmseh fell he looked about and saw the British all running, the Indians all running, and then he ran too. From that time he forsook the alliance of the British, and became the friend of the United States. All of the Algonquin tribes were under French influence, and took sides with them in all their wars with Great Britain and her colonies, and when the French possessions, by the treat}'- of 1763, passed into the hands of Great Britain, they mostly took sides with Great Britain against the United States, and their defeat at the battle of the Thames partially, at least, separated the North- western Indians from British influence. Shabona became peace-chief of the Pottawato- mies, from which tribe he is said to have procured his wife," He opposed Black Hawk's proposed war on the whites, and prevented the Pottawato- mies from joining the Sauks ; and when he found the war inevitable he lost no time in warning the settlers of La Salle and adjoining counties of their danger, and thus saved many valuable lives. The settlers at Indian Creek were warned by Shabona in ample time to have reached a place of safety, but his advice was unheeded, and i\\ej paid the penalty with their lives. He effectually aided the whites in that contest, and in consideration of his services the Government reserved a tract of land for his use at Shabona' s Grove, in what is now De Kalb County, and gave him a pension of $200. Black Hawk War . 113 In 1837, when the last of his tribe removed on to a reservation west of the Mississippi, Shabona went with them, but was not satisfied, and returned with his family — children and grandchildren, thirty per- sons in all — on to his reservation. At the solicita- tion of his tribe, he again went West ; but his residence there was an unquiet one. His favorite son was killed in a difficulty with some of the Sauks. who had a reservation in the vicinity. The difficulty is said to have grown out of the aid Sha- bona rendered the whites in the Black Hawk war, which was remembered by the Sauks, in true Indian fashion. With his family he returned to Illinois in 1855, and remained till his death, in 1859, aged eighty- four years. During Shabona' s absence some speculators rep- resented to the Government that he had aban- doned his reservation, and it was sold. He felt hurt at this injustice, and said: "Shabona has nothing now." George E. Walker, an old friend of his, and his companion in the Black Hawk war, said to him : "Shabona, while I have a bed and a crust you shall share them with me ; " and Shabona always made Walker's liouse his home, when in Ottawa. The citizens of Ottawa raised by subscrip- tion an amount sufficient to purchase twenty acres of land near Seneca, in Grundy County, and erected comfortable buildings on the same, where Shabona and his family lived till his death, in 1859. His wife, who was enormously fleshy, weighing about 400 pounds, was drowned in Mazon creek, Nov. 114 History of La Salle County. 30tli, 1864, aged eiglity-six years. She was born where Chicago now is, about 1YT8. The persistent friendship of the old Indian for the whites, under injustice from the Government, shows stronfflv the firmness of the Indian character : while their hates are bitter, vindictive, and cruel, their love and gratitude are equally lasting. The story of Shabona is a severe commentary on the barbarism of civilized man, who would sweep the red man from existence, and who say there are no friendly Indians but dead ones. That vindictive cruelty which characterizes the savage under real or fancied provocation, still actuates, with increased intensity, those pretended sharers of our boasted Christian civilization who would strike with re- morseless effect a fallen race, and extinguish at a blow the sad and melancholy remnant of a once powerful people, brought to the verge of extinc- tion by the diseases, vices and wrongs of a pre- tended Christian people. William Hickling, one of the early settlers of Ottawa, now of Chicago, has shown the writer a certificate of character given to Shabona in 1816, by Billy Caldwell, a half-breed chief of the Pottawato- mies. Shabona had carried it manj^ years carefully enclosed in a piece of buckskin, which exhibited unmistakable signs of long use. About a year before his death he gave it to his friend, Mr. Hickling, that it might be preserved. A verbatim copy is here inserted. Billy Caldwell was liberally educated by the Jesuits at Detroit. Mr. Hickling thinks the autograph attached to the certificate in his posses- sion, the only one of Caldwell's in existence. Black Haiok War. 115 [copy.] This is to certify, that the bearer of this — name Chamblee — was a faithful companion to me during the late war with the United States. The bearer joining the Late celebrated Warrior, Tecumseh, of the Shawnee nation, in the year 1807, on tlie Wabash river, and remained with the above Warrior from the commencement of the hostilities with U. S. untill our defeat at Moravian town, on the Thames, 5th October, 1813. I also have been witness to his intrepidity and courageous war- rior on many occasions & showed a great deal of humanity to those unfortunates of Mars who fell into his hands. Amherstsburg, 1st August, 1816. B. Caldwell, Captain I. D. The name Chamblee is the French way of wriiing Shabona' s name — nearly every writer spells it dif- ferently, but each means the same person. Amherstsburg is Fort Maiden, at the mouth of the Detroit river. Captain I. D. means Captain Indian Department. Caldwell held his commission from the British Government, and ifc is said he was the son of a British officer. The following statement is by Wm. Hickling, an old resident of Ottawa : hickliis^g's statement. I have heard the late Geo. E. Walker, of Ottawa, 111., and also the old Ottawa chief, Shabona, say that at the time the troubles commenced, in 1832, between Black Hawk's band of Sauks and Foxes and the United States, a number of the young Pottawato- mie braves were desirous of taking the war-path and joining Black Hawk in his foray on the frontier settlements of Illinois ; and that they were only prevented from doing so by the active exertions and great influence of Billy ('aldwell, Robinson, and Shabona, then the principal chiefs of the united Pottawatomies and Ottawas. 116 History of La Salle County. A small number of the young braves did actually join Black Hawk. These were supposed to have been related by blood and marriage with the Sauks. Two of them, young men, brothers, were accused of having been engaged with the band of Sauks in their murderous foraj' upon the settlements of the Fox and Rock Kiver valleys ; and at the close of the war, Mr. Walker, before mentioned, who was then sheriff of La Salle County, went alone to Black Hawk's camp in Iowa, and arrested the two young braves on a charge of mur- der, and brought them to Ottawa for trial. Not having any court- house building at that time in La Salle County, the court was held in the open air, under the shady branches of a large tree, at that time standing on the south bank of the Illinois river at Ottawa. The Court appointed the late Gen. James Turney to defend the Indians. For the want of sufficient evidence they were acquitted, and thus was the first sheriff of La Salle County saved from the disagreeable dut5' of an execution. It is said that upon their release from cus- tody, the Indians started quickly on a bee line for their homes, and in a few moments were lost to the sight of those who were watching their exit. The small bodj' of Pottawatomie Indians who were raised in 1S32, to operate against Black Hawk, included Robinson and Sha- bona as chiefs, and were commanded by Geo. E. Walker, with the title of Captain. I do not believe that the force ever acted as an independent command. Their employment was to carry expresses and act as scouts, and at different times they were under the order of Generals Atkinson, Henry, Scott, and probablj- other com- manders. INDIAN CHARACTER AND CUSTOMS. Accounts of Indian warfare, trade and treaties do not give an inside view of Indian character. Mr. David Grove, who lived here many years in daily interconrse with them, related to the writer many incidents of that experience, elucidating the every- day life of a people now no more. He says they were fond of athletic sports, and of contests with the Indian Character and Customs. Ill whites in jumping, running, hopping, wrestling, etc. In wrestling they never tripped, and com- plained of unfairness when the whites did so. In all such contests they proved inferior to the whites in both strength and agility. This might indicate less vitality, and one cause of their rapid decadence. They were very fond of a trial of skill in shooting at a mark, and very proud of being the victors. They would resort to a variety of devices to accom- plish that object ; when their opponent was taking aim they would commence the most savage and un- earthly yells for the purpose of unsteadying his nerves— an object they frequently accomplished. There was no trick they would hesitate to perpe- trate. If they could get their competitor's rifle they would secretly strike the sight with their knives, moving it to one side, so as thereby to win the stake. They were not addicted to stealing, but would sometimes fall into temptation in thsit direction. Mr. Grove tended mill, and frequently sold flour to the squaws. His practice was to sell by the handful, and after delivering the number agreed for, the squaws would invariably grab one handful more, for which he would sometimes box their ears ; they would be very angry and curse him roundly in the Indian jargon, when he would give them another handful to appease their wrath; they would at once call him good, good, and become the best of friends. They were fond of gleaning in the wheat fields, and like Boaz of old, the owners would drop a little now and then for the gleaners. They frequently bought 118 History of La Salle County. a few bundles, but alwaj^s came back dissatisfied, saying, "big straw little wheat." They were seldom satisfied with a trade, but would come back wanting something more. There is no proof that this was innate, but doubtless resulted from their being gen- erally overreached in the bargains the}^ made with the whites. They were usually fast friends, and never forgot a kindness. They were on the best of terms with the settlers ; would sometimes come into the settler's houses in the night and lie down by the fire, where they would be found in the morning. Esquire Allen, of Freedom, states, that the first winter he was on Indian creek, he was engaged in cutting and hewing timber for building purposes. Tlie Indians would be around nearly every day, watching the process with apparently the deepest interest. They would speculate on the direction the tree would fall, while being cut, and when it fell would seem to enjoy it hugely ; they would then go to the stump and appear to admire the nice smooth cutting of the white man's axe, so different from their rude instruments ; they would imitate with the hands the motion made with the axe, and the throwing of the chips b}^ its action, which their instruments never did. They seemed to appreciate a fact, which from habit we fail to notice, that the Yan- kee axe is one of the most efficient instruments ever invented by man. In the hands of experts it has cleared a continent and prepared it for civilized oc- cupancy, and that with a speed and facility that no other agenc}' could effect. The rapid and nice work Personal Narratlms. 119 of this tool could but attract the attention of these simple savages. Mr. Allen states that they left their tools at night where they stopped work, and although the Indians were almost constantly there, their tools were never molested. If a kind, conciliating and just course had in all cases been pursued in our intercourse with this people, may we not suppose their ultimate des- tiny would have been different ? Yet these friendly Pottawatomies, though held in check by Shabona and other chiefs, doubtless did a few of them join the Sacs in their war on the settle- ments, though this was said to have been confined to a few bucks who had intermarried with the Sauks. Their passion for war and blood is almost uncontrol- able, and their vindictive hate of an enemy leads them to a course of extermination. When Shabona accompanied the army under General Atkinson, and an attack was expected soon to be made on the Sauks, Shabona asked permission to spare a certain squaw, a friend of his. The General told him to spare all the women and children, but Shabona dissented, saying, "They breed like lice, leave them, their children will kill our children." That was Indian philosophy, and morality too. PERSONAL NARRATIVES. The writers of history seldom give more than the rise and fall of nations, biographies of great men, kings and princes, and but little or nothing of the common people — a matter of far more importance, 120 History of La Salle County. and more interesting. To know the intelligence, opinions, tastes, amusements, method and means of living, routine of every day life, the hopes and fears, which swayed and controlled a people, would be far more interesting than the life of a prince, sociallj' far removed from, and having no feelings in common with the masses. So, in recording the history of the pioneer settle- ments, we can not give a proper idea of the toils, privations, hopes, fears, anticipations, and misgiv- ings, simply by recording the founding and growth of towns, cities and counties, progress of agriculture and commerce, but we must accompany the emi- grant along his weary way, witness his parting with friends, difficulties of travel through unfrequented ways after reaching the fi'ontier, beyond the pale of society, his exposures and his patient industrj'. the impression made upon his imagination by the scenery, so new and startling, the wild animals so rare, and the notes of strange birds which alone break the middaj^ silence of his lonely home. To endeavor to convey to the reader a correct idea of the sensation produced in the mind of the new comer as he first became acquainted with the strange land he had come to occupy, several short narratives of the journey and first experience here, are inserted, not because the}' contain an}' startling facts of hair- breadth escapes from fire and fiood, or Indian barbarity, but to give a correct idea of the settler as he first occupied the unique and peculiar prairie region, as the circumstances that produced these have ceased to exist, and they can be known only by the recital of those who speak from experience. Personal Narratives. 121 NAKRATIYE BY THE AUTHOR. May 1, 1835, in company witli three others, Beebe Clark, James B. BearcUley, and N. W. Merwin, I left the western border of Connec- ticut, to explore the West ; this part of Illinois being our destina- tion. Toolt a steamer from Poughkeepsie to Albany, and a rail- road from Albany to Schenectady, the only railroad between Connecticut and the Mississippi, and beiag the first ever seen by us was a great curiosity. We first took seats in a small car a little larger than a stage coach ; were drawn by horse power about two miles to the foot of an inclined plane, then up the plane by a stationary engine, and from there drawn by a locomotive to Schenectady— in all, a distance of twelve miles. The rail was a flat iron bar laid on timbers, and the timbers on ties. How wonderfully that twelve miles of primitive railroad has grown and spread over all this Western world ; the journey which then consumed three weeks, can now be accomplished iu less than two days. From Schenectady came by canal boat to Buffalo, and by steamer from Buffalo to Detroit ; at Detroit we made a company of eight, and hired a farm wagon to talce us to the mouth of the St. Joseph river, by what was called the territorial road. Though a slow con- veyance it gave an excellent oiiportunity to see the country. Detroit and its surroundings had the aspect of an old country, but we soon entered a heavy timbered region, about twenty-five miles in extent, when alternate timber and openings with most beautiful scenery, extended nearly across the territory. This scenery with the occurrence of two or three small prairies, all of it inter- mediate between timber and prairie, prepared us for viewing the broad prairie further west. A most beiutiful feature of Michigan scenery was the frequent occurrence of small lakes from aeiuarter of a mile to two or three miles across ; with water as pure as crystal, with a hard sand or gravelly beach bordered by the clear lawns and scattering timber of those splendid barrens, they made a scene where the water nymphs and fairies might nightly dance together. The last day of the trip, which consumed a week, we found our- selves at dark without supper in the dense forest of the St. Joseph, with a track for a road barely passable by daylight ; when rain set in, and the wolves commi need howling. The older members of the company thought our situation somewhat unpleasant. We moved cautiously on, and finally discovered a small log cabin occupied by 9 122 History of La Salle County. an Irishman and liis wife, the only house for twelve or fifteen miles east of the St. Joseph river. Tliey had no forage, or provision for man or beast. The hordes were tied fasting to a tree, eight of us drank two quarts of milk just from the cow, for our supper, biy on the puncheon floor with our carpet bags for pillows, and slept soi'ndly till morning, when we discharged our team, and our host who also kept the ferry, took us over to the little settlement at the mouth of the river, where he procured some provisions for himself. After waiting two days for a little schooner to load with lumber, with fifty to sixty others we took passage on her deck, as her little cabin was more than full with the dozen lady passengers. After shivering through the night, without rest, a pleasant May sun made the temperature quite comfortable, but eating accommo- dations, after an inefl'ectiial attempt to set a table in the cabin, consisted of a supply of hard or sea biscuit, a pot for boiling mackerel, and a pan for frying bacon, with one cofi'ee pot. It was nearly night before all were served, and the boldest and most un- scrupulous fared the best, but hunger finally forced the modest and timid to a desperate eff"ort to appease their appetites, and they might be seen with a hard biscuit in one hand, and a half boiled mackerel held by the tail in the other, like a pig with an ear of corn, seeking a quiet portion of the deck to take their breakfasts, at three o'clock in the afternoon. About sunset our little craft anchored oft" Chicago, as no vessel could then pass over the bar into Chicago river. The passengers reached the pier by means of a small boat, and the cargo was taken over the bar in a flat boat or lighter. Chicago was then a respectable village, and Fort Dearborn, a United States palisade fort, stood near where Michigan and Wabash avenues intersect Lake street, and was garrisoned by United States troops. The margin of Chicago i iver was marshy and covered with tall slough grass. To reach the rivt r for water the people drove small piles in the mud ; on these, planks were placed on which they walked beyond the grass, and the water when obtained was clear and pure as compan d with that which runs in the same channel to-day. The sensation in Chicago, then, was the presence of several hundred Pottawatomie Indians receiving their annuities, and pre- paring to remove onto a reservation west of the Mississippi. To us these people were a subject of deep interest. They were quartered on the west side near the confluence of the North and Personal Narratives. 123 South branches, and -when wc visited them, the day after our arrival, there were more than one hundred helplessly drunk, lying about in all positions, and nearly nude ; while the i-thers, with a discretion uncommon among civilized men, kept entirely sober for the time, but it was said would have their turn to get gloriously drunk, some other day. The physical development of the native Indian is probably as perfi'ct as can be found elsewhere. The well developed, athletic, and lithe form of the young braves, would be an excellent model for an ancient sculptor, while the hideous countenances of some of the old men were repulsive in the extreme. One old Indian had a large and powerful frame, and an eye and countenance th it impressed one with terror at first sight. He had been teriibly mutilated in contest with either man or beast, his ears were nearly gone, only dangling sbreds remaining, his nose was reduced to a mere stump nearly level with his face, two fingers were gone, and his face, shoulders, arms and hands nearly covered with scars ; his life must have been a terribly eventful one. Some of the old squaws were nearly a match for the disfigured Indian, wMle some of the girls were quite comely, and a few might be called handsome — not only regular features, melting black eyes, long flowing jet black hair, but a natural grace, and ease of motion that would be difficult to find in civilized life. These Indians were about to yield up the home of their people ; the scenes of their youth, their much loved hunting grounds and the graves of their kindred, and all they held dear, were to be abandoned to the grasping power of advancing civiiizatitm. They were yielding to their destiny, the power of the white man, and the inevitable supremacy of a superior race. They were the retiring actors from the grand stage, and we the incoming ones with a new play and a new cast of characters. They were going where others of their race had preceded them, whose history, written by the finger of frite, presaged their own unhappy lot— a constant decline and final exiinction; while the incoming race wt-re to r< ar an empire in the Western valley to be peopled by untold millions, and consecrattd to liberty, to religion, to intelligence, and to the realization of a civilization, wealth, and power such as the wcrld has never seen. Actors in this new drama, while we could but heave a sigh for the gloom that hung around the destiny of theretiiing troupe, we could not fail to be exhilarated 124 History of La Salle County. by the brighter prospects ■which shone so propitiously on the future of the incoming race ; in fact, all the old settlers seem to have been impressed with the ultimate high destiny of the land of their adoption. But to resume our narrative. After an ineffectual effort for two days to obtain a seat in the stage that ran from Chicago to Ottawa, we left Chicngo on foot, about one o'clock p. m. of a very warm afternoon. There had been heavy showers for several days, and the low prairie around Chicago was more like a lake than dry land. For seven miles before reaching Berry's Point the water was from three to fifteen inches deep, through which we worked our weiry way. When within about two miles of dry land, one of our com- panions gave out, and two of us, one on each side, placed our arm around and under his opposite arm, while he placed his on our shoulders, and thus we bore him through. With this introduction to Illinois, I presume, if at the time we threw ourselves on the first dry laud we reached, we had been placed back in old Connecticut, we should have stayed there. The next day we walked about forty miles to Plainfield. It gave us our first view of a rolling, Illinois prairie. We had pictured in imagination the far famed prairie, but in common with others from the East, we had no adequate conception of its character. We strained our ej'es to take in its extent, till the effort became painful. We descanted again and pgain upon its beautj', and rich- ness, and wondered why such a country' had remained so long in the hands of the savage. It was a wonderful country. All was new. Strange sounds greeted our ears. The piping note of the prairie squirrel as he dropped from his erect position, and sought the pro- tection of his ho'-e close by our path ; the shrill notes of the plover, scattered in countless numbers, fitfully starting and running over the prairie ; the constant roaring of the prairie cock ; the mad scream of the crooked-bill curlew, as we appoached its nest ; the distant whoop of the crane ; the pump sounding note of the bittern; the lithe and graceful forms of the deer, in companies of three to five, lightly bounding over the swells of the prairie ; the rude cabins of tlie settlers, with their ruder cribs, stables and yards — all were new and strange : it seemed a new creation that we had entered. A virgin soil, clean and rich, inviting the plow ; boundless meadows waiiing for the scythe, the summer paradise of the flocks Personal Narratives. 125 and herds that were tu occupy them ; a teeming richness of soil whose golden harvests should one day glut the ma'kets of the ^orld— all this, so new and impressive, crowding in quick succes- sion upon the senses, could but excite the imagination to the live- liest hope, the most ardent anticipation. The day's experience was but a miniature picture of the hopes and the sufferings of pioneer life. Several hours immersion of the feet the previous day, in the warm water of the Chicago swamps, had fittingly prepared Ihem for the wholesale blistering this day's travel in the hot sun had pro- duced. Yet want of dinner, which we failed to get, and pain of our blistered feet, were all forgotten in the new experiences and strange sights of the land we had entered. It was but natural, that designing to become res'dents, we should look forward, and anticipate the future succes-^, the destiny of the land of promise— the material wealth, population, social, civil, religious and educational iuslhutions which should here arise, and bless succeeding generations, as they should follow each other down the stream of lime ; and however ardent our dreaming may have been, it could hardly have exceeded the realization. The succeeding day brought us to Ottawa. Wc crossed from East to South Ottawa, hardly knowing there was a N.^rth Ottawa, drank at the mineral spring which after a lapse of over forty years has become so famous, and passed on to Vermillionville, our origi- nal point of destination. IVIKP. WALBRIDGE's statement — THEN THE WIFE OF EDWARD KEYES. We came to La Sille County in November, 18:31. On our journey we traveled five days without seeing a house of any kind. At last we reached the hospitable cabin of Christopher Long, on Covell Creek, where we staid six weeks, when we moved on to the north _bank of the Illinois river, about five miles east of Ottawa. I re- member we moved from Covell Creek on Christmas eve, through a wild region, and I shall never forget the bi'ight moonlight night when we arrived at our cabin. It was a wild, dreary looking place, though I did not say anything of my feelin-s lest I should discour- age my husband. Our house was about twelve feet wide and sixteen feet long, one 126 History of La Salle County. story, of logs. The weather got so cohl that we could build our chimney but little higher than where the mantel piece ought to be, and when the wind came from the south we had to open the door to let the smoke out. The bottom Imd around us was covered with very tall grass, and ours the only house on the bottom between Ottawa and Jwliet, and but two or three in Ottawa. David Shaver lived about one mile north of us, and Wm. Parr lived one and a quarter miles northeast. "We got through the winter very well, as the weather was quite mild. In the early spr'ng, while I was at Mr. Long's, who had settled half a mile above us, and my husband was al'.ne, two Indi- ans called and took dinner with him. They told him that the Cho- Mokeman would come soon and kill all the pale faces. So we took the alarm, packed up our things and went to Posey County, in Indiana. Tliis was in the spring of 1832, and we thus escaped the dangers of the Indian war. We returned to our cabin in the spring of 18oi3, which we found as we left it. After putting in our crops Mr. Keyes started for the East, and I stayed alone about two months. About a week after he left I was taken with the ague, and had it every o'her da3^ The days I had the chills, Mrs. Parr would come an 1 help me. Mr. Keyes went to Connecticut and Vermont. He wished me to go to some of the neighbor's, but I thought I would stay and take care of what we had. The winter of 1833-4 Avas very cold, so the mill at Dayton was frozen up, and we pounded corn for our bread. We moved on the place in 1831 and 1833, and I have lived here ever since — and I have seen the wild region which looked so forbidding on that Christmas eve, in 1831, transformed into one of the most thriving and busi- ness-like places in the West. There is a peculiar and indescribable influence exerted over the mind by the pliin, unadorned candor and simplicity of the early pioneers. When they professed a friendship for you it meant something ; it came from the bottom of the heart. Style and fashion had no place on the frontier. This narrative of Mrs. Walbridge is somewhat abridged, but enough is given in her own language to convey a true picture of the feelings that actu- Personal Narratives. 127 ated the early pioneer. A woman that would stay alone for two months in that wild region, with the country full of Indians and wild animals, and sicjk with the ague too, is made of no common stuff, and the spectacle of Mrs. Parr, leaving her own family, and cares, and going a mile and a quarter every other day to wait at the bedside of her lonely sick neighbor, is an example of self-sacrifice and kind- ness seldom found, except in a new country. NARRATIVE OF MRS. SARAH ANN PARR, DAUGHTER OF W^IDOW ANNA PITZER. We arrived in the countj^ of La Salle on the 16th day of October, 1831, from Licking County, Ohio, and settled on the left bank of tlie Fox, about nine niiles from Ottawa, on the place where the Harneys now live. We left Ohio in May previous— my mother's family, in company with Aaron Daniels, Edward Sanders, Benjamin Fleming, and Joseph Klieber, and their families. There was but little talk about Indians during the winter, but in May there began to be rumors that the Indians were coming soon. About the middle of April, Sliabona, the Pottawatomie chief, came to our house, and told us the Indians would soon give us trouble. Soon after, we heard they had burned Ilollenbeck's house. Mr. Fleming came to our house just as we were getting breakfast, and tnld US we must all put out lor Ottawa, without a moment's delay. Jn great haste we got ready and started, wiihout our breakfast, leaving the table stand ng. We stayed in Ottawa about a week, wlien my mother, myself, and several others, went up to Dayton, because there were only two houses in Ottawa, owned by David Walker and Joseph Cloud, and there was a small fo;t at Diyton, built by John Green around his house, which was supposed to make it safe, at night at least. About five daj'S after, while we were all asleep, about eleven o'clock at night, a French- man brought word that Hall's, Davis' and Petigrew's families were all killed, up on ihe creek. In a great panic, we got ready— or set off wiihout getting ready— to go down the river,myself with seven- teen othe-s, in a large dug-out, or perogue, as it was called. We 128 History of La Salle County. were piloted down bj- Mr. Stadden and Aaron Daniels. The boat was so loaded that it dipped water several times ; however, we all landed safe. The balance of the Dayton folks walked down on the bank of the river to OUawa, where we sta3'ed some four weeks, when my mother and myself went to Sangamon, on the Sangamon river, six miles north of Springfield, where we stayed till the war was over. My mother, Anna Pitzcr, was a widow, and it was not deemed safe for her to remain, for provisions were scarce and supplies very uncertain. I was sixteen at the time, but \he recollection of 1ho.se scenes is as vivid as if they occurred but yesterday. TH03[AS PAKR".'^ >TATE>IENT. 1 came to Illinois in 1834, arriving about the 20th day of April. Then Illinois was a wild country. I went to Chicago to the land sales in 1835, when Chicago was a very small town. Great num- bers of the settlers came in ever}' daj' to enter their lands. You could see them coming with their prairie schooners, drawn by about three yoke of oxen, through the high grass, from knee-high to the top of a tall man's head, with a cloud of mosquitoes follow- ing, about the size of an ordinary swarm of bees. Chicago then resembled about as good a swamp as I ever saw. From Berry's Point to Chicago, ten miles, we waded through water all the way about knee deep. The buildings in Chicago were a kind of cabin stuck in the mud. We got our land and came home. Pretty wild times — chasing prairie wolves, scaring droves of deer, flocks of sand-hill cranes, geese and ducks There were a good many Indians in the country then, and we were but little belter, in appearance, ourselves. There were no proud folks in the country then, although the girls were as pretty as ever I saw. I settled on the right bank of the Fox river, eight or nine miles from Ottawa, where I have lived ever since. "We had the whole country- to pasture, and to cut hay iu, and although we could raise good crops, we could get no money to give for building railroads, and hardly enough to paj- the Methodist preacher for hearing him, although we always managed to pay him for marrying us. I had George Dunnavan and John Hoxie for neighbors ; the rest of the country north and west was an unbroken wilderness. The settlers had a good many slow notions : three or four yoke of oxen to turn the prairie ; and going Claims, and First Impromments. 129 to mill or market we would hitch our oxen to the big wagon, and "be gone two or three days, or a week, as the case required— rather a slow coach, but a never failing one, unless an ox strayed. The news was carried by ox telegraph. There was not so much style, nor so many big steals, as now. Those unfortunate individuals who worshiped fine horses, were kept in a perpetual state of excitement by a gang of bandits all over the Western country, who lived mostly by stealing horses. We used to go to Chicago to do our marketing, and sell our wheat. With an ox team and wagon, I would put on a good load of wheat, and start for Chicago. By the time I reached Indian creek, two or three more teams would join, and as we proceeded others would fall in, till when we reached Chicago a hundred teams would be in the train. We took along the old tin coffee pot, and some ground coffee tied up in a rag, and a few cooking utensils. We would camp, light a fire, cook our grub, collect around the fire, tell a few stories, crack a few jokes, crawl under our wagons, and, if the mosquitoes would let us, go to sleep and dream of our wives and children at home. We would get forty to fifty cents per bushel for wheat, and three cents a dozen for eggs, and if we got sixty cents for wheat we thought we were doing a land office business. Our teams found plenty of excellent pasture on tiie prairie wherever we slopped. Crossing the sloughs was an item of excitement, and if one got stuck, we joined teams and pulled him out. Crowding Frink & Walker's stage coaches was a favorite pastime, and they soon learned to give the hubs of a six-ox wagon a wide berth. CLAIMS. AND FIRST IMPROVEMENTS. Future generations will inquire, not only how this country appeared before the hand of civilized man Iiad marred its virgin beauty, but how the first com- ers managed to live, to protect themselves from the elements, and to procure the means of subsistence ; how they met the varied requirements of civilization 130 History of La Salle County. to which they had been accustomed, and with what resignation they dispensed with such as could not be had. If correctly told, it would be a tale of intense inter- est ; but it would require a master-hand to draw a picture that would show the scene in all of its de- tails — personal experience alone could fall}' unfold the tale. When a new comer arrived, he first se- lected a location, where he could make his future home ; and the question naturally arises, of whom did he get permission to occupy it? The answer might be given in the language usually used when defining political, or civil rights — every one was free to do as he pleased, so he did not interfere with his neighbor. AVhen the Government had extinguished the Indian title, the land was subject to settlement, either before, or after, survey. The settler had no paper title, but simpl}' the right of possession, which he got by moving on to and occupying it ; this gave him the right to hold it against all others, till some one came with a better title, which better title could only be got by purchasing the fee of the Government, when surveyed and brought into mar- ket. The right of possession thus obtained consti- tuted what was called a claim. These were re- garded as valid titles by the settlers, and were often sold, in some instances, for large amounts. Pre- emption laws were passed at different times, by Con- gress, giving to claimants who had made certain specified improvements, the exclusive right to pur- chase the premises, at the minimum price of $1.25 per acre ; provided, they would prove their pre- Claims, and First Improvements. 131 emption, and pay for the same, before they were offered for sale by the Government. The conditions required were possession, or cultivation, and raising a crop, the amount of the crop not being specified. A rail fence, of four lengths, was often seen on the prairie, the ground enclosed, spaded over and sown with wheat. When two settlers, by mistake, got a pre-emption on the same quarter-section, they were entitled to a claim on eighty acres more, to be selected by them- selves ; they received a certificate of such claim, it being called a float, and was frequently laid on im- provements, doing great injustice. But there was always an understanding among the settlers that each claimant should be protected in his claim if he had no pre-emption, provided he would attend the sale when advertised, by proclama- tion of the President, and bid the minimum price, and pay for it. The settlers usually attended the sale in a body, and although any person had a legal right to bid on any claim not pre-empted, and it had to be sold to the highest bidder, it was not consid- ered a very safe thing to bid on a settler's claim, and it was seldom done. When attempted, the bidding speculator usually got roughly handled, and found discretion the better part of valor. Eastern specu- lators often complained of this, claiming that they were deprived of the legal right to compete in the open market, for the purchase of these lands ; but the settlers replied that they had left the comforts and luxuries of their Eastern homes, braved the dangers and privations of a new country, and here 132 History of La Salle County. made their homes, cultivating and reclaiming these wild lands, and preparing the wa}-^ for advancing civilization, and that thej^ had a sacred right to the improvements, and the right to purchase the fee of the land, as the land and improvements must go together — and the}^ were right. Tlie fault lay in the Government ever selling the land in any way except by pre-emption, and to actual settlers. The Government got nothing b}' offering it at public sale, as the average price ob- tained, during a long term of years, was only 81.27 per acre, only two cents over the minimum price which would have been paid by actual settlers, not enough to pay the additional cost — and the purchase bj' speculators enhanced the price, and retarded the settlement of the country, forcing the settler to live isolated, without societ}', schools, and churches ; and it made the honest emigrant pay from S300 to 81,000 more for each eighty acres than the Gov- ernment price, and this went to the man who did nothing for the country, but sat in his Eastern home and pocketed the amount. The claim question had a morality of its own, and while at a distance, and from a certain standpoint, it had the appearance of mob law, and was so stig- matized, here where it could be properlj^ understood and appreciated, it was sustained by the purest and best of men ; not onh^ so, but an actual settler was never known to oppose it. If ever an equitable and just right existed, it was that of the claimant pioneer to the land he occupied. The nomenclature was peculiar, and expressive ; Claims^ and First Impronements. 133 when a man made a claim, lie was said to sqnat, and was galled a squatter, and from that came the phrase Squatter Sovereignty. When the claimant left his claim, the first occupant could have it. If he left it temporarily to visit his friends, or on busi- ness, and another embraced the opportunit}^ to possess it, he was said to jump the claim. Each set- tlement usualh^ had an association where such dis- putes were settled ; and the State enacted laws mak- ing claims transferable, notes given for claims valid, for protecting the claimant from the encroachment of others, and ousting jumpers. A claim jumper often found his way a hard road to travel. This nomenclature was often expressively applied to other matters. If a young man paid marked at- tention to a young lady, he was said to have made a claim ; if it was understood they were engaged, he was said to have a pre-emption, and if another cut him out, he was said to have jumped his claim. When the settler had selected his location, or made his claim, his first attention was directed to pro- curing a shelter for himself and family. If in the vicinity of others already provided, he was readily welcomed to share their scanty accommodations, two, and frec^uently three families, together occupy- ing a cabin with one room, perhaps twelve by four- teen, more or less. But if far removed from neigh- bors, he had to occupy his covered wagon in which he came, sleeping in, or under it, and cooking and eating in the open air, or some other rude contriv- ance, frequently a tent made of blankets, till a shelter could be provided. This was usually a log 134 Hi story of La Salle County. cabin, for the raising of wLich, help was needed. When help was not available, his cabin must be built of such logs or poles as, with the aid of his family, could be handled. In raising a log cabin considerable skill is required. What were termed corner bands — one at each corner, or where bands were scarce, one for two corners — should have some experience. The bottom log must be saddled or cut to a sloping edge, or angle, to receive the cross log, which must be notched to fit the saddle — a failure, requiring the log to be removed to be refitted, was sure to bring some pleasant raillery on the culprit. If well done, a door or window can be cut, and the parts of the logs will remain firm in their place, but if not a perfect fit, when a space is cut for the door, the accumulated weight from above will bring the logs to a fit at the corner, and throw the ends at the cutting wide from their place. When the walls were completed, or about ten feet high, the gables were carried up by laying on logs, each shortened in succession, to give the proper slope for the roof, and held by straight logs, or large poles, placed about three feet from, and parallel with, the plate, rising upward to receive the shingles, resting on and holding the short logs at the gables, and termi- nating with a ridge pole at the centre of the build- ing and top of the roof. On these were placed long shingles or clapboards, four feet long, laid double, so the top course broke joints witli the first, on which was laid another log, or pole, held by a pin at each end ; this pole held the shingles in place without nailing, and each succeeding course was Claims, and First Impromments. 135 laid and fastened in the same way. 'The floor was made of split logs, hewn on the split side, and spot- ted on to the sleepers on the round side, so as to make a tolerable floor ; these were called puncheons. The chimney was built outside the building at one end, and a hole cut through the logs for a flre- place. It was made of timber, lined with stone or clay, for four or five feet, and then with a crib of sticks plastered inside with clay mortar. The spaces between the logs were filled with pieces of split timber, called chinking, and plastered inside and out with clay mortar, making a warm and quite comfortable house ; but snow and rain, when falling with a high wind, would get inside through the clapboard roof— and where leisure and means justified, a roof of boards and short shingles was substituted. A one-post bedstead was made as follows : bore a hole in a log four feet from the corner of the room, and insert a rail six feet long ; then bore a hole in the log on the other side of the room six feet from the same corner, and insert a piece of a rail four feet long ; then insert the opposite ends of these rails where they meet, in a post, which completes the frame ; then lay slats crosswise from the side on to the log opposite, or on to a rail pinned on the log at the proper height, and the one-post bed- stead is complete, on which the weary pioneer slept as sweetly as on the most costly one. These rough buildings were quite comfortable, and as most of the old settlers will testify, wit- nessed much of real enjoyment. Some of our 136 History of La Salle County. greatest men were born and raised in such a dwelling. A shelter provided, the next thing was to pre- pare to raise whereon to subsist. The prairie region oftered advantages for an occu- pant far superior to a timbered country ; in the latter an immense amount of labor had to be done to remove the timber, and for years after, the stumps prevented free cultivation ; while on the prairie the sod only had to be turned, and the crop put in. At an early day the sod was turned by an ox team of six to ten yoke, with a plow that cut a fur- row from two to three feet wide. The plow beam, which was from eight to twelve feet long, was framed into an axle, on each end of which was a wheel sawed from an oak log ; this held the plow upright. It was a heavy, unwieldly-looking appar- atus, but it did good work ; and the broad black furrow, as it rolled from the plow, was a sight worth seeing. The nice adjustment and filing of the coulter and broad share required a practiced hand, as a slight deviation in the tip of the share, or even filing the coulter, would throw the plow on a twist, and require a strong man to hold it in place, but if nicely done, the plow would run a long distance without support. This was the primitive plow, but Yankee ingenu- ity soon found that a smaller plow and less team did cheaper and better work. It was found that the best time to break the sod was when the grass was rapidly growing, as it Cla/)?is, and First Impromvients. 137 wonld then decay quickl}^, and tlie soil soon be mellow and kind ; but if broken too early or too late in the season, it would require two or three years to become as mellow as it would be in three months when broken at the right time. Very shallow ploughing required less team, and would mellow much sooner than deep breaking. The first crop was mostly corn, planted by cutting a gash with an axe into the inverted sod, dropping the corn and closing it by another blow along side the first. Or it was dropped in every third furrow and the furrow turned on ; if the corn was so placed as to find the space between the furrows, it would find daylight ; if not, it was doubtful. Corn so planted would, as cultivation was impossible, pro- duce a partial crop, sometimes a full one. Prairie sod turned in June would be in condition to sow with wheat in September, or to put in with corn or oats the spring following. Vines of all kinds grew well on the fresh turned sod, melons especially, though the wolves usually took their full share of these. After the first crop, the soil was kind, and produced any crop suited to the climate. But when his crops were growing, the settler was not relieved from toil. His chickens must have shelter, closed at night to protect them from the owls and wolves ; his pigs required equal protection ; and although his cows and oxen roamed on the wide prairie in a pro- fusion of the richest pasture, still a yard must be made for his cows at night, and his calves by day. The cows were turned in with the calves for a short time at night, and then the calves turned on the 10 138 History of La Salle County. prairies to feed during the night ; in the morning the calves were turned in and tlie cows turned out for their day' s pasture ; this was necessary to induce the cows to come rrp at night, for if tlie calves were weaned the cows would fail to come. And the stock all needed some protection from the fierce win trj^ blast, though sometimes they got but little. Add to this, the fencing of the farm, the out-buildings, hunting the oxen and cows on the limitless prairies through the lieav}^ dews of late evening and earlj^ morning, going long distances to market and to mill, aiding a new comer to build his cabin, fighting the prairie fires which swept over the countrj^ yearl}^, and with his family encountering that pest of a new country, the fever and ague, and other malarious diseases, and the toil and endurance of a settler in a new countr}^ may be partiall}^, but not fully appreciated. A visitor from the Eastern States has often taunted the toiling pioneers with such remarks as these : "Why do 3^011 stack out your hay and grain?" "Why don't you have barns, comfortable houses, stables for your cattle, and other conveniences as we have?" He should have been answered, "You are enjoying the fruits of the labor of generations of your ancestors, while we have to create all we have. We have made necessaril}^ rude and cheap shelters for ourselves and animals, have fenced our farms, dug our wells, have to make our roads, brido-e our streams, build our school- houses, churches, court-houses and jails, and when one im- provement is complete, another want stares us in Claims^ and First Inmrovements. 139 the face." All this taxed the energies of the new settler to the extent of human endurance, and man}" fell by the way, unable to meet the demands upon their energies. The only wonder is that so much has been accom- plished ; that so many comforts, conveniences and luxuries have crowned the efforts of our people ; that we have reached a point for which a century of effort might well have been allowed. Political and financial theorists have tauntingly told the farmers of Illinois that they know nothing of finance, except what wiser heads have told them ; that they have made nothing by farming, and would be poor except for the advance in price of their farms. These Solons should be told that it is the toil of those farmers that has made their farms increase in price ; their toil has clothed them with valuable im- provements, planted orchards and fruit gardens, made roads and bridges, converted a wilderness into ii land of beauty, and made it the happy abode of intelligent men. All this had to be done to make these farms advance in price, and those who have done this, and raised and educated their families, have done well ; and if the advance in the price of their farms has given them a competence, it is what they anticipated, and nothing but the most perse- vering industry and frugality would have accom- plished it. In addition to the labor and multitude of cares that beset the new comer, he had it all to accomplish un- der disadvantages, and to encounter dangers that of themselves were sufficient to discourage men not of 140 History of La Salle County. stern resolve. Traveling nnworked roads, and cross- ing streams without bridges, was often a perilous adventure. Many were the hair-breadth escapes which most of the early settlers can recall, and which, in later years, were never referred to without a thrill of emotion. Up to the time of building the first bridge over the Yerraillion, the writer had a record of twent^^-five persons drowned in that treach- erous stream, within a distance of ten miles each way from that locality — all drowned in attempting to ford the stream. It was a common remark, that when a man left home in the morning, it was very uncertain whether his wife' s next dress would be a black one, or of some other color. Crossing the wide prairie at night, with not even the wind or stars for guides, was a very uncertain adventure, and often the wa3^farer traveled till ex- hausted, and encamped till the morning light should guide him on his way. In warm weather, although an unpleasant exposure, this was not a dangf^rous one ; and although the sensation of being lost is more irksome, and the lonely silence in the middle of a prairie, broken only by the howl of the wolves, is more unpleasant than one inexperienced would imagine, and the gnawing of a stomach innocent of supper, adds much to the discomfort, it all passes with the night, and a brighter view and happier feelino:s dawn with the breakino; morn. But cross- ing the trackless prairie when covered with a dreary expanse of snow, with the tierce, unbroken wintry blasts sweeping over its glistening surface, penetrat- ing to the very marrow, was sometimes a fearful and Claims, and First Ira'provements. 141 dangerous experience. No condition could inspire a more perfect idea of lonely desolation, of entire discomfort, of helplessness, and of dismal forebod- ings, than to find one's self lost on the snow-covered prairie, witli no object in sight in any direction but the cold, undulating snow wreaths, and a dark and tempestuous winter night fast closing around his chilled and exhausted frame. His sagacious horse, by spasmodic eftbrts and continuous neigh- ing, shows that, with his master, he appreciates the danger, and shares his fearful anticipations. With what longing the lost one reflects on the cozy fireside of his warm cabin, surrounded by his loved ones, which he fears he may never see ; and when the dark shadow of night has closed around and shut in the landscape, and chance alone can bring relief, a Joyous neigh and powerful spring from his noble horse, calls his eye in the direction he has taken, he sees over the bleak expanse a faint light in the dis- tance, toward which his horse is bounding with ac- celerated speed, equally with his master cheered and exhilarated by the beacon light, which the hand of afllection has placed at the window, to lead the lost one to his home. Nearly every early settler can remember such an experience, while some never reached the home they sought, but, chilled to a painless slumber, they found the sleep that knows no waking. 142 History of La Salle County. MIRAGE, AND TRAVELING AT NIGHT. Mirage, or looming, in peculiar states of the at- mosphere, is or was very common on the prairie, as is usual in any country with a flat, or nearly level surface. A grove or improvement, which is ordinarily hid by an intervening ridge of high land, will occa- sionally be apparentlj^ elevated, so it can be seen as fully and perfectly as if the observer were standing on the highest point of the intervening ridge. The writer was traveling in a partially cloudy day, from Peru to Palestine Grove, in Lee County, and when on the level prairie, two or three miles south of the ridge which constitutes the divide separating the waters of Bureau creek from those that flow to the Illinois, he suddenly beheld the country lying north of the divide, rise into sight, with every feature as distinctly marked, as if seen from a position directly over it. Perkins, Knox, and Palestine groves, with Bureau creek, and the scattering timber that skirts its banks, and the farm houses, were all distinctly recognized, as they had many times been seen from different points of the ridge, south and east of the Bu- reau. The view is a fine one, and could not be mis- taken. Gradually, in ten or fifteen minutes, the vision faded from sight, and when, half an hour later, the same view was seen from the dividing ridge, with- out a change in appearance, it was evident it must have been elevated several hundred feet to have met the view. Mirage is more common in a still, slightly hazy atmosphere, and no doubt has bewildered and led many a traveler astray. Jefferson, in his Notes Mirage, and Traveling at Nigld. 143 on Virginia, speaks of the same appearance as fre- quently occurring in the mountainous districts of that State. Crossing the uncultivated prairie in a cloudy night, or in a snowy or foggy day, was very liable to have an uncertain come out. In a clear night, the stars were a very reliable guide, and like the Eastern magi on the plains of Syria, the settlers came to have a close acquaintance with the constellations. A steady wind was a very reliable guide ; the traveler woukl get his bearing, then notice how the wind struck his nose, right or left ear, etc., and then keep that same sensation, regardless of any other guide,^ and he would generally come out right. But if the wind changed, of course he went with it. Without these guides, it was a mere accident if a person succeeded in a still atmosphere, in a cloudy night, or snowy or foggy day, in crossing a prairie of any extent. There is al ways a tendency to go in a circle ; the world moves in a circle ; planets and suns, comets and meteors, all move in circles. Blindfold a person, place him in a large hall let him be a novice, uncautioned, and in a majority of cases he will go several times around the hall before he hits the side. The writer, with an ox team, in a dark evening started to go about three-fourths of a mile to strike a point of timber, but failing to do so, kept traveling till late in the evening, when acci- dentally the timber was found, and followed to the desired point ; the next morning developed the fact that the ox team had traveled three times around about a quarter-section, following very nearly the 144 History of La Salle County. same track each time. A young man left Farm Ridge on foot, for Ttica, about ten o'clock in the evening ; a light snow several inches in depth, had just fallen, and there was no track. He traveled till he supposed he saw the Illinois timber, and in beating about trjang to see through the darkness, he tramped a broad place in the snow : he traveled rapidly all night, most of the time, as he thought. in sight of the timber, and when morning dawned found himself at the place where he had tramped the snow in the centre of a four-mile prairie. A gentleman, fresh from New England, who was viewing the country on the Vermillion, proposed to take a bee line for Ottawa across the prairie on foot. He was advised to take the road, as beins easier traveling and decidedly safer ; that without any track he might get benighted on the prairie, for although the day was clear he would for part of the distance be out of sight of timber, and he might mistake his course and be lost. He indignantly replied : ' ' Do jow. think I am a fool, that I can not cross a six-mile prairie in broad daylight i if it were three times that I could do it :'" and about noon started on foot, after ascertaining the direction. About twelve o'clock that night he got to the settle- ment on the Vermillion, five miles further from Ottawa than when lie started, nearly famished and exhausted. After a good night's rest, and supply- ing the inner man. next morning he took the traveled road for Ottawa. Prairie Fires. 145 PRAIRIE FIRES. The yearly burning of the heavy annual growth of grass on the prairie, which had occurred from time immemorial, either from natural causes or from being set by human hands, was continued after the white settlers came in, and was a source of much annoyance, apprehension, and frequently of severe loss. From the time the grass would burn, which was- soon after the first frost, usually about the first of October, till the surrounding prairie was all burnt over, or if not all burnt, till the green grass in the spring had grown sufficiently to prevent the rapid progress of the fire, the early settlers were continually on the watch, and as they usually ex- pressed the idea, ' ' slept with one eye open. ' ' When the ground was covered with snow, or during rainy weather, the apprehension was quieted, and both eyes could be safely closed. A statute law forbid setting the prairie on fire, and one doing so was subject to a penalty, and liable in an action of trespass for the damage ac- cruing. But convictions were seldom eftected, as the proof was difficult, though the fire was often set. Fires set on the leeward side of an improvement, while very dangerous to the improvements to the leeward, were not so to the windward, as fire pro- gressing against the wind is easily extinguished. Imagine the feelings of the man who, alone in a ■strange land, has made a comfortable home for his family ; has raised and stored his corn, wheat and 14G History of La Salle County. oats, and fodder for stock, and lias his premises surrounded by a sea of standina- o-rass, drv as tinder, stretching away for miles in every direction, over which the wild prairie wind howls a dismal requiem, and knowing that a spark or match ap- plied in all that distance will send a sea of fire wherever the wind may waft it : and conscious of the fact that there are men who would embrace the first opportunity to send the fire from outside their own fields, rea-ardless as to whom it might consume, only so it protected their own. Various means were resorted to for protection ; a common one was to plow with a prairie plow several furrows around a strip, several rods wide, outside the improvements, and then burn out the strip ; or wait till the prairie was on fire and then set fire outside, reserving the strip for a late burn, that is, till the following summer, and in July burn both old grass and new. The grass would start imme- diately, and the cattle would feed it close in prefer- ence to the older grass, so that the fire would not pass over it the following autumn. This process repeated would soon, or in a few years, run out the prairie grass, and in time it v/ould become stocked with blue grass which will never burn to anr extent. But all this took time and labor, and the crowd of business on the hands of a new settler, of which a novice has no conception, would prevent him doing what would now seem a small matter : and all such effort was often futile, a prairie fire driven by a high wind would often leap all such barriers and seem to put human eff'ort at d(^fitince. A prairie fire when Prairie Fires. ] 47 first started goes straight forward with a velocity proportioned to the force of the wind, Avidening as it goes, but the centre keeping ahead — it spreads sideways, but burning laterally, it burns compar- atively slow, and if the wind is moderate and steady, is not difficult to manage, but if the wind veers a point or two, first one way and then the other, it sends tlie side fire beyond control. The head fire in dry grass and a high wind is fearful, and pretty sure to have its own way unless there is some defensible point from which to meet it. A contest with such a fire requires an engineering skill and tact which can be learned only by experience, and a neighborhood of settlers called out by such an exigency at once put themselves under the direction of the oldest and most experienced of the number, and go to work with the alacrity and energy of men defending their homes and property from destruc- tion. The usual way of meeting an advancing fire is to begin the defense where the head of the fire will strike, which is known by the smoke and ashes brought by the wind long in advance of the fire. A road, cattle path or furrow is of great value at such a place ; if there is none such, a strip of the grass can be wet, if water can be procured, which is generally scarce at the time of the annual fires. On the outside, or side next tlie coming fire, of such road or path, the grass is set on fire, and it burns slowly against the wind till it meets the coming con- flagration, which stops of course for \vant of fuel, provided there has been sufficient time to burn a 148 History of La Salle County. strip that will not be leaped by the head lire as it comes in. This is called back-firing ; great care is necessary to prevent the fire getting over the fnrrow, path, or whatever is used as a base of operations. If it gets over and once under way, there is no rem- edy but to fall back to a more defensible position, if such an one exists. If the head of the fire is successfully checked, then the forces are divided, half going to the right, and half to the left, and the back-firing continued, to meet the side fires as they come up ; this must be continued till the fire is checked along the entire front of the premises endangered, and the sides secured. Various implements were used to put out a side or back fire, or even the head of a fire in a moderate wind. A fence board, about four to six feet long, with one end shaved down for a handle, is very effective, if struck fiat upon the narrow strip of fire. A bundle of hazel-brush does very well, and a spade or shovel is often used. The women often lent their aid, in cases of danger ; their weapon was usually the kitchen mop, which, when thorouglily wet, was very eflacient, especially in extinguishing a fence on fire. Wlien the fire overcame all op])Osition, and seemed bound to sweep over the settlement, a fear of personal loss would paralyze, for the moment, every faculty, and as soon as that fact seemed immi- nent, united effort ceased, and each one hastened to defend his own as best he could. It is due to his- torical truth to say that the actual losses were much less than might have been expected, though fre- Prairie Fires. 149' quently quite severe. The physical efforts made in extinguishing a dangerous fire, and in protecting one's home from the devouring element, were very often severe, and even dangerous, and the author has known of more than one instance where it re- sulted fatally. The premises about the residences and yards being tramped by the family and domestic animals, after a year or two, became tolerably safe from fire, but the fences, corn and stubble fields were frequently burnt over. When the prairie was all fenced and under cultivation, so that prairie fires were among the things of the past, the denizens of the prairie were happily released from the constant fear and apprehension which for years had rested like a nightmare on their quiet and happiness, disturbing tlieir sleep by night, and causing anxiety by day, especially when called from home, knowing that on their return they might look on a blackened scene of desolation, instead of the pleasant home they left. And when returning after a day's absence, the sight of a fire in the direction of home, although it might prove to be several miles beyond, would try the mettle of the team, by putting them to a speed pro- portioned to the anxiety of the driver. And here it may be well to throw a little cold water over the thrilling and fearful stories, got up to adorn a tale, of hair-breadth escapes of travelers and settlers from prairie fires ; such stories are not told by the old settlers, who know whereof they speak. It is true, a family might encamp in the middle of a dense growth of dry grass, and let a fire sweep over their 150 Hlstorij of La i^alle Count ij. camp, to their serious injury. But with ordinary intelligence and caution, a traveler on the prairie need have no fear of a fatal catastrophe, or even of any serious danger. If the head of a hre is approach- ing, it is usuall}^ an easy matter to get to one side of it, and when it has passed, pass over the side fire on to the burnt prairie, which can easily be done, by getting on to a spot of dry, rolling jorairie, where the grass is seldom more than eight to twelve inches high. Or, if the head fire is too wide, and its speed too great to allow getting around it, then at once set a fire to leeward, and when it has burnt a short distance, put out the fire on the windward side of the place of setting, and pass on to the burnt prairie and follow the fire till far enough from the dry grass to be out of danger. There are places on low, moist prairie bottoms, or sloughs, where the grass and weeds were much heavier than on dryer land, and their burning was terrific and dangerous ; but these places could be avoided, as an approaching fire could be seen a long distance, giving time to prepare for its coming. The early settlers will ever have a vivid recollec- tion of the grand illuminations nightly exhibited in dry weather, from early fall to late spring, b}^ num- berless prairie fires. The whole horizon would be lighted up around its entire circuit. A lieav}' fire, six or seven miles away, would afford sufficient light on a dark night to enable one to read fine print. When a fire had passed through the prairie, leaving the long lines of side fires, like two armies facing- each other, at night, the sight was grand ; and if Amusements. 151 one's premises were securely protected, he' could enjoy such a fire exhibition hugel}', free of cost ; but if his property was exposed, his enjojanent of the scene was like a ver}^ nervous person' s apprecia- tion of the grand and majestic roll of thunder — the sublimit}^ of the scene lost in the apprehension of danger. AMUSEMENTS. Of amusements, distinctiveiy, the early settlers could hardly be said to have any, A sparse popu- lation, widely separated, without roads or bridges, could not be expected to meet in any considerable numbers for an evening' s entertainment. Traveling concerts, troupes, lecturers, or showmen, would have found poor success among the scattered, poor and hard-working pioneers. To a social, compan- ionable temperament this seclusion from society, its i^leasures and amusements, was a deprivation most keenly felt. But tliere were many sources of amusement and gratification, which were made the most of, and utilized economically. In the first place, there was a release from restraint — a sense of wild freedom peculiar to the frontier — that was ex- hilarating and enjoyable. In losing the pleasure of society we get clear of many irksome jars and annoy- ances insei)arable from a dense population. The Indian in his native wilds ; the Arab on his barb. 5 ^oursino; over the sands of the desert ; and the ^t7 pioneer on the broad, unoccupied prairie, breathe a 152 Historij of La Salle County. fuller inspiration ; have a brighter vision ; drink in v^ith a keener relish the beauties of nature ; feast on the creations of a more vivid imagination, and have a conciousness of a noble existence, closer in contact with the Anthor of all that exists, than one of tlie jostled crowd that breathes the smoke and offensive odors of the populous cit}^ or town. Then the few pleasures possessed were highly enjoj^ed. Too oft repeated, any enjoyment loses its zest. A visit to a brother settler, after weeks or months of absence, was highly enjoyed. Experiences were re- lated, family history given, news from distant friends and other settlers recounted, crop prospects and mar- kets, new comers, and future prospects of tlie settle- ment were all discussed and listened to with an inter- est unequaled by that of men on the stock exchange in New York or London. These visits were regularly made at an early day, and are recurred to now, as an oasis in a desert of solitude. The same cordial, friendly feeling does not exist to-day, and probably never will again. The abundance of game made hunting and fish- ing a very delightful recreation, and the successes in those pastimes then, if truthfully recounted now, would be regarded as an old man's hunting story, to be believed or not, at pleasure. Log-cabin raisings, elections, political meetings, (for the Western custom of stump speaking came with the pioneers) were all enjoyable occasions, as they brouglit togetlier the widely-scattered neigh- bors. But the camp meeting was looked for- ward to as, par excellence, a social, enjoyable time, Amusements. 1 53 and one of much interest. Those indefatigable pioneers, the itinerant Methodist preachers, circu- lating on the frontiers, were a valuable boon, socially as well as religiously, as their quarterly and camp meetings brought the people together as no other occasion did. Court week at the county seat was with some a season of relaxation, ^a custom prevailing in some sections, and transferred by the emigrants from those localities to this. The custom was not gene- rally adopted, and gradually faded out. A custom that has largely prevailed both West and South, and still adhered to in many localities, is to make Saturday afternoon a holiday, to meet in some village at some public corner, grocery or tavern, and have a Jolly time. Horse-racing, athletic sports, as wrestling, jumping, quoits, etc., beguiled the time, and sometimes after freely pay- ing the drinks, a free hght or two, which made Monday a public day, with trials for assault. This practice has never prevailed to any extent in La Salle County. The few tliat favored such a course have yielded to a healthy public sentiment which has ever leaned to temperance and public order. Divested of its objectionable features the relaxation and proper amusement would be val- uable. Wolf hunts have been made exciting sport. By previous concerted agreement, the settlements on the circumference of a large prairie would move in line toward a flag in the centre, driving the wolves and other game before them, closing the line so as 11 154 History of La Salle County. to make a complete circle as they approached the centre-pole, where the game was shot or killed by dogs. Tin horns, cow bells, and all instruments that could be used to make a noise, were carried by the company to arouse the game. It was exciting sport, but generally the discipline and leading were bad, an open space was left for the wolves to escape, and the result was more noise and sport, than game. It will be observed that all the amusements or recreations were masculine and for men alone, except visiting and camp meetings, in which the women par- ticipated. And it was a common remark that Illi- nois furnished an easy berth for men and oxen but a hard one for women and horses ; and it was true in its reference to women ; there were more homesick women than men, and if any class of the early set- tlers was deserving more sympathy than another it was the matrons, the wives of the pioneers, whose domestic cares confined them at home with the duties and responsibilities of maternity, where nurses and help could not be procured, with no amusements and little social intercourse. Custom permitted them to carry their babies to church and other public places, or they could not have left home at all. Such confinement, unrelieved by seasons of relaxation, wears upon the faculties and brings premature old age. Amusement and relaxation for both young and old, are as essential to health and longevity as proper food and clothing, and, when separated from intemperance and rowdy- ism, should be encouraged by the best classes of society. Want of them shortened the lives of many of the pioneers. Sickness. 155 SICKNESS. Health is the greatest blessing vouchsafed to man, and sickness the greatest evil, and this too when a.mong kind friends and all the comforts of an old country, and a dense population. But to the settler in a new country, with few neighbors, and whose home and surroundings will barely serve in a time ■of health, sickness comes clad in a darker garb, and a more disheartening aspect — and a new country is ever cursed with a double amount of sickness. There are but few localities in the United States where malarious disease was not developed by clearing off* the timber or breaking the prairie sod. Bilious fevers and agues were the most common form, and however exempt any localit}^ may be from these diseases after a few years of culture, the pioneer almost always had to face them. Aside from the suffering and discomfort^ which are not light, the loss to one's business, want of care to stock and crops, was heavy. At a place where no help could be hired, and where the few and distant neighbors who were willing to aid a brother emigrant were most likely in the same circnmstances at the same time, the unfortunate invalid had to sweat it out alone, or sometimes with his whole family as his unhappy companions ; and he had a stout heart and steady nerve who did not quail under the affliction, and resolve to return to the home he left in such robust health, when return- ing strength enabled him to do it ; but with return- ing health and the opening of another spring his views became radically changed. The world, bare 156 History of La Salle County. and gloomy seen through bilious eyes, with a throbbing head and aching back, now assumes the brighter hues of the land of promise. The suffer- ings of the past are forgotten, and the plow is again cheerily followed. It was well understood that the first attack of ague was the worst ; and after the first seasoning, as it was called, there was not so much to fear : it was found too, that there were but few deaths compared with the amount of sick- ness, and it was a common remark bv the sick, homesick, and discouraged invalid that that was the worst feature in the case, that death would be a relief. Seasons have occurred when whole neighborhoods were prostrated at once, and nurses and help were out of the question : at such times one or two individuals more fortunate than the others, would daily visit each house, administer medicine, place water by the side of each bed. carry a pail of gruel, leave a little for each patient, and then return to watch by their own suffering families. It is true such were extreme cases, but it is equally true that the}' did occur and were repeated. Such sickness was confined to the last of summer and fall. There was but little sickness in winter except a few lingering fall cases that had become chronic : there were but few new cases after severe frosts, and the spring and early summer were per- fectly healthy. It was a common remark that when the bloom of the resin weed and other yellow flowers appeared it was time to look for the ague. The first spring flowers on the prairie were mostl}^ pink and Sickness. 157 white, then followed purple and blue, and about the middle of August yellow predominated, and that was about the season for ague to commence. While the immense amount of vegetation which covered the prairie was rapidly growing, it doubtless purified the air, and made that season healthful, but when that mass of vegetation ceased growing it reversed the process : it imbibed oxygen, and exhaled nitrogen, and the atmosphere became impure, and a cause of disease. Added to this was the decay of the prairie sod ; this was usually turned in June, and each settler commenced his improvement near the house. Walk across such a breaking in a warm ■evening in August or September, and the effluvia from the decaying sod was found to be quite often- sive, and must have sent sickness and suffering to the little cabin alongside. High water in spring, flooding the bottoms and filling the lagoons and low places along the streams, and then drying off with the hot sun of July and August, was a fruitful cause of disease, and in such localities it was often quite sickly, while the high prairie was comjDaratively exempt. At this day, people can hardly appreciate the trying scenes through which the pioneers have passed. Most of them made their improvements with their own hands, and when prostrated by disease those hands ceased their bus,y toil, and the work of the half-opened farm was at a stand-still. The family if not themselves shaking with chills, might milk the cows if they could get them from their wide range on the prairie, and might feed the 158 History of La Salle County. pigs and chickens ; but the cows often played truant, and were useless until another spring. The doctor, the mill and the store, were distant. They had kind friends that would gladly sympa- thize with their sufferings, care for their business, and bathe their fevered brows, but they were far away. Hundreds of weary miles intervened between them and their kindred, and alone they lay listening to the howling of the wolves, and reflect- ing on the wasting crops and their hapless situa- tion. But a kind neighbor with a healthful, cheer- ful countenance, would look in. attend to the most pressing necessities, tell them his tale of deeper suffering and how he surmounted it all, and was now^ prosperous, and they would soon experience the same, and for a time their pains were for- gotten. One who has never been in that situation can not begin to appreciate the cheering influence of a sympathizing human countenance, after days of lonely despondency and heart-sick forebodings for the future. It is then that one can realize the value of human sj^mpathy and the kindness of his brother man. In some way that can hardly be explained, the sick soon rallied from their disease, and recuperated not only their bodies but their business, and learned to laugh at the gloomy forebodings ; and in after years the}' would recount the desperate determinations thej^ then formed, and their recital would be a source of much merriment. One old lady, weak and petulant from a long siege of ague, looking out on the prairie after a heavy rain, exclaimed, "This is the most God-forsaken country Sickness. 159 under the sun ; it is fit onl}* for Indians, prairie wolves and rattlesnakes, and tliej^ liave about got possession; I wish it was sunk I " and then, check- ing herself, said, "but that ain't much of a wish, for it wouldn't have to go down over fifteen inches to be all under water." The fall of 1835 was quite sickly, but 1838 Avas much more so, and probably there was more sick- ness and more deaths in proportion to population, in 1838, than in any year since the settlement of the country. At Rockwell, La Salle, Peru, and all the river towns nearly all were sick, and man}" died, and fears were expressed that it would always be unhealthy along the Illinois river ; a prediction that has not been verified. An excessive spring flood that covered the bottoms till the middle of summer, and then dried off with extreme hot weather in August, sufficiently accounts for that exceptional season. Exaggerated and fearful stories were sent over the country, that season, in relation to the sick- ness. A correspondent of an Eastern paper stated that he saw in a cemetery at La Salle, 300 graves that had never been rained on, and that in a new country where settlement was but just commenced. That might have been true, but the cemetery belonged to the Catholics, and was the only one this side of Chicago, and tliousands of men were then at work on the canal, and they nearly all came to La Salle for burial ; and this was in the late fall when there had been no rain for nearly six months. When the land around a residence had become thoroughly cultivated, the inmates ceased 160 History of La Salle County. to have the ao;ue, the tilled soil readily absorbed the rainfall, and no doubt the deleterious gases of the atmosphere ; but whatever the cause, the annual sickness so annojdng for many years gradually disappeared as the country became improved. Malarious disease has nearly ceased, and the county is one of the most healthful locations in this or any other country. Although sickness is the greatest evil, yet there were many deprivations and annoyances that put the endurance of the most patient and uncomplain- ing to a severe test, and 3'et the evil was many times more imaginary than real, from the fact that a luxury once enjoyed, in imagination becomes a necessity : our real wants are few and easily sup- plied, while luxurious habits engender tastes and wants the world can hardly supply. The winter of 1838 was ver}' cold, and having been preceded b}' a very dr}' summer, and conse- quently low water, the supply of water for milling purposes soon became exhausted, and as there was no commercial communication with the outside world but by the river, and that frozen nearly solid, the suppl}' of Hour and meal soon became exhausted, and some substitute had to be found. Boiled w^heat, hulled corn, hominy, and what was called pound cake, made of corn pounded in a mortar, were all used. A common practice was to grind corn in a coffee mill, first popping or burning the corn over the fire, so as to make it brittle and more easily ground. The meal thus produced was quite palatable, and was made into hoe or johnny Natimty of the FirH Settlers. 161 cake, or used in some otlier primitive style which necessity had taught ; many had submitted to such privations when first here, and were better prepared to snrmount the difRculty. Nearly all the people then here had to obtain their bread in that way through most of that winter, and doubtless have a lively recollection of turning the coffee mill morn- ing and evening, preparatory to satisfying an excel- lent appetite ; and although the over nice and fastidious complained, the profane used some hard words, and many got homesick, it is probable none sot the o-out from high living that winter. NATIVITY OF THE FIRST SETTLERS. It will not be devoid of interest to briefly notice the localities from which the first settlers of the different towns came ; the communities here formed will ever look with a filial feeling toward the birth- place of their fathers, and those locations will ever feel a commendable pride in the prosperity of these offshoots from the parent stock. The settlements at Ottawa embraced a mixed class ; the first were from the south part of this State, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, while later, New York and New England were largely represented. A large number from Clinton County, New York, settled in South Ottawa, and almost every portion of the country had representatives there. Dayton, and Rutland, and a portion of Manlius, were settled almost exclusively from Licking 162 History of La Salle County. County, Ohio. They were a temperate, moral people, physically strong and vigorous, and raised large families, and the mortality among them has been remarkably small. Licldng County may well be proud of her colony, who, with their descend- ants, will doubtless long cherish the memory of the land of their fatliers. Serena has a large representation from near Plattsburg, New York ; while Vermont, Massachu- setts, Connecticut, and other Eastern States, are well represented, and later, a considerable French colony came in. Earl, and v^icinity, received lier tirst settlers mostly from Boston, while others from the banks of the St. Lawrence, Vermont, and other Eastern localities, mated well with those from the hub. The first settlers of Northville, and Adams, were mostly from !N"ew York, while Vermont. Ohio, Norway. German3\ Ireland, and even Russia, were represented. The pioneers of Freedom were largely from New York, but were a mixture from different localities, both South and East. Bruce, and Eagle, on the Vermillion, were largely settled from Fayette County, Pennsylvania, with a few from Ohio, and Virginia. Vermillion, and Deer Park, were settled b}^ per- sons from New York, Pennsylvania, and New Eng- land, with a few from Ohio, Indiana, and Virginia. The first in Farm Ridge, were from Fayette County, Pennsylvania, but most of the early set- tlers were from Connecticut. Natimty of iJie First Settlers. 163 The commercial towns usually had a mixed popu- lation, from the cities and commercial points, East and West, while each agricultural neighborhood was mostly from one locality. The emigrants from Nor- way, who are located in the northeast part of the county, in the towns of Miller and Mission, mostly, but are quite numerous in Adams, Northville, Serena, and other towns, embrace a large population, and for several years retained their language and usages, and formed a community by themselves; but our common school system, compelling the use of the English language, is a leveler of caste and race, and all rapidly become homogeneous. The first emigration from Norway to the United States was in 1825. Cling Pearson, of Hestham- mer, in Norway, came over in 1822, and on his re- turn gave a glowing picture of America, and finding the people of Stavinger, a small town of his neigh- borhood, dissatisfied with their minister, appointed by the Government, and desirous of changing their location, he persuaded them to emigrate. They purchased a small vessel, a two-masted fishing sloop, for $1,800, and fifty-two emigrants set sail in their little craft for the Western continent. They sailed through the North Sea, and English Channel, to Ma- deira, where they got short of provisions, picked up a pipe of wine, which they enjoyed hugely, and there laid in a stock of provisions. They left Norway July 4th, reached Funchal August ISth, and New York the last day of October, 1825, fifty-three in number — an increase of one. In New York they sold the vessel for $400, and 164 History of La Salle County. the company divided, twenty-eight going witli Cling Pearson, wlio got a free passage for them to Orleans County, New York, where they purchased land, and formed a settlement, the lirst Norwegian settlement in America. But Cling Pearson was a restless spirit ; he again rambled west, and explored Illinois, and fixed on a location in La Salle County. Cling stated that when exploring the country afterward occupied by his countrymen, becoming wearj^, he lay down under a tree, slept, and dreamed, and in his dream he saw the wild prairie changed to a cultivated re- gion, teeming with all kinds of grain and fruits, most beautiful to behold : that splendid houses and barns stood all over the land, occupied by a rich, prosperous and happj- people. He awoke refreshed, and, nerved anew by his dream, went back to his countrj-men in Xew York, and persuaded them to emigrate to Illinois. Cling' s dream may have been dreamed awake, but it has been fully realized. The early days of the Norwegian settlement were days of poverty and toil, and the}^ repeatedly sutFered terribl}^ by Asiatic cholera ; but the}^ have sur- mounted their trials, and are now, as seen in Cling' s dream, a wealthy, prosperous, and happy people. Cling Pearson afterward went to Texas, and died there. The first Norwegian colon}' from New York came to La Salle County in 1834, being a part of the fifty- three who came over from Norway in 1825. Since that, others have followed from Norway, and the first fifty-three emigrants have welcomed man}' of their old neighbors to the land of their adoption. It Diversity of Customs, Promncialisms, etc. 165 seems, that like the Pilgrim Fatliers, religious lib- erty was the prospective boon that led them to the Western continent. Many of them still adhere to the Lutheran, the national church of Norway, but many are Methodists, and the Mormons have a church among them. Many of the Irish laborers employed on the canal while in progress, remained in the county. Num- bers of these, and others who came from the favorable representation of their friends here, have settled on farms and become wealthy. The Gei'mans came later, and though but few of them were reckoned among the early settlers, they are now quite numerous. DIVERSITY OF CUSTOMS, PROVINCIAL- ISMS, ETC. In looking up the localities from which the first settlers of our county came, it is interesting to notice how many are represented. Nearly all the States of the Union, and from some of the States nearly every county ; and among the more recent emigrants, nearl}^ every nation of Europe — each furnish their quota. Thus a great diversity of habits, manners, customs, methods of cultivation, utensils used, religion, amusements, social relations, liabits of thought and language, are brought in contact, con- trasted and compared. It might well be expected that each ope should be persistently attached to that to which he was traditionally accustomed, and prone to sneer at the (to him) unusual practice of 166 History of La Salle County. liis neighbor. Under such circumstances human nature might be expected to be clannish, exclusive, and hostile, and unfriend!}' feelings be engendered ; but such was not the case to any extent. The sparse population, remoA^ed from the comforts and conveni- ences to which thej had been accustomed, were im- pressed with a feeling of mutual dependence ; and a neighbor was truly a friend and neighbor, whether he came from the Green Mountains of Ver- mont, the low country of Virginia or Carolina, or the dark and bloody ground of Kentucky ; and the great diversity of origin, instead of being an evil, has thus far, and will in the future, be a most de- cided benefit. A more successful result achieved bj^ my neigh- bor's method will not be lost on me. Traditional systems, though fondl}' cherished, must ever yield to a practical demonstration of greater success from ■other systems, although new to us ; and the metliods of procedure found most successful will in the end be adopted by all. Having so large a variety of customs to select from, embracing the usao-es of all the States of the Union and all the nations of Europe, the result must be the adoption of the excellences of each, the rejection of the less successful, and the formation of the most perfect system known to man. In matters of field culture, of gardening, of rural economy, and rural taste, social customs and amuse- ments, this is equally true. The log cabin, situated in the centre of a two-acre lot, where the children, cattle, hogs, horses, sheep, and poultry, mingle Dlmrsity of Customs, PromnciaUsms, etc. 167 promiscuously, and where 1;lie mud at the opening of spring is of a very uncertain depth up to the door-step, will be improved when contrasted with a snug though rude cabin enclosed by a rude fence, where the cliildren can gambol on the clean lawn ; where a rose unfolds its petals in the June sun, a vine is trained over the south window, and where a few well-trained shade trees break the force of the winter's wind and cool the heated rays of the noon- day summer sun. A choice fruit, a cluster of berries or grapes, given a neighbor, is followed by the inquiry, Where can I get a tree or vine? How do you cultivate them I Can you spare some cuttings or sprouts? The denizen of a cabin on the edge of the prairie, around which the stock roamed at pleasure, without a shrub, fruit tree, or bush of any kind, as he passed a dwelling where some home sick matron had decked her little yard with a plat of annual flowers, and grown some favorite rose, the root of which she placed in the box of goods as they left their old home a thousand miles away, would exclaim : "These stuck-up Yankees spend their time very foolishly ; how much money will they get for all that t '' But the daughter of that family, with the intuition of female taste, will soon look with pleasure at this little effort at adornment, and will inquire : " Can I get a slip of that rose, and some seeds of those asters and balsams ? ' ' And they are given with the generosity of pioneer life, intensified by contact with the whole-souled hospitality and kindness of the Southern character ; and thus the 168 History of La Salle County. customs and tastes become homogeneous, and all improve b}^ contact with each other. In the rural districts of ever}^ country the language is liable to become corrupted by provincialisms, and words and phrases common in one district are not known in another. As our educational system becomes perfected, and intercourse between different sections more free, this will cease. These provincialisms were quite common among our early settlers, each class or localit}' furnishing something toward the general stock. While the Yankee "guessed." the Sucker "reckoned.'- One called it a "homely " face ; the other, an "ugl}^'" one. In answer to the universal question, one said he was " quite well ;"' the other, that he had " nothing to complain of," or that he was quite pert, the last word pronounced with a long e. The early settlers at the West made their own common clothing, and any purchased was called boughten, or "store clothes;" a young man was supposed to be on special business when he had on his store clothes. An extra meal got up for com- pany was called "chicken fixings," while an ordi- nary meal was " common doings." The Yankee finished cultivating his corn, while the Western man "laid it by." Household goods, traveling baggage, or other per- sonal effects, were called "truck," and "plunder." "Tote the horse to water," and "hang him up to hay," was a common order to the boy who cared for that animal. Diversity of Customs, Promncialisms, etc. 169 When sitting at table, the host wishing to be both hospitable and polite, would say, ^'Make a long arm, stranger," that is, help yourself to anything yon can reach. A common salutation when meeting a friend in a crowd was, "I wish I had struck you before," that is, met you. In answer to the usual inquir}^ as to health, a neighbor answered, "We liave nothing to complain ot; except that brother William has got a rock in his eye, and is suffering severely." This, to a Yankee fresh from New England, where anything less than about half a ton weight is never called a rock, gave a rather ludicrous impression of the size of brother William's eye. An old Kentuckian telling of a wedding in his neighborhood, of the parties to which he had not a very exalted opinion, expressed that opinion in his very forcible vernacular, thus: "He is an ornary ciiss, and she is rather slack-twisted." A Southern matron was inquired of, how far it was out to the public road, she replied, "It is a rifle shot and a horn-blow," that is, the distance a rifle will carry a ball, added to the distance a com- mon dinner-horn can be heard. The writer was traveling on horseback about the last of February and called on a wealthy Virginian to get entertainment for the night. The double log house was situated near the middle of an enclosure of one to two acres. Winter was breaking, and the enclosure was occupied by a large stock of cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, poultry, etc., and they had 12 170 History of La Salle County, tramped the surface to the consistency of mortar to the depth of from eight to twelve inches. The old gentleman was standing in the door, and the follow- ing conversation took place : Said I, " Can I get to stay: all night V a common way of putting the question then. He said, "I reckon." I prepared to dismount, when he shouted, "Hold on, stranger, the gal will open the bars, and save your getting in the mud." I had some curiositj^ to see how the girl was to get through the sea of mud between the house and the bars ; but she proved equal to the emergency; she quickl}^ doffed her foot gear, and holding her dress well up came promptly through the mud with her bare feet. I rode to the door, gave the horse to the girl wlio cared for him, and found inside, hospitable and comfortable accommoda- tions, notwithstanding the forbidding appearance outside ; sleeping in the same room with the host, his * wife, and several grown-up daughters — a practice born of necessity, and not considered indelicate at that time. A young man of very reputable appearance, and riding a fine horse, stopped in the early spring with the writer, over night ; the fi'ont yard con- tained some flower beds just planted, and some 37-oung shubbery just bursting the buds. Before breakfast I found the stranger's horse in the front yard, and removed him, but had hardly returned to the house when the horse was again among the flower beds, and I had just removed him the second time, when the owner came in in a huif, saying some Prairie Grasses. Ill one was interfering with his horse ; he had turned him in the yard to crop the fresh grass, (which was more forward in the sheltered yard than elsewhere, ) and he would be much pleased to have him left alone. I explained that we did not allow horses in the front yard, when he apologized, and said he was entirely unconscious of committing any impro- priety — that where he lived, the door yard was the place where they kept their horses. PRAIRIE GRASSES. The wild grass of the prairies, in its primitive state, made excellent pasture and hay. With the range the early settlers had, their cattle would put on more flesh, and in less time, than on any other pas- ture, either wild or tame. Having their choice from the boundless sea of verdure by which they were surrounded, they, of course, selected the best and most nutritious varieties. The sedge, which grew only along the sloughs, was the first to start in the spring, and was then eaten with avidity, but was entirely neglected when the grasses proper made their appearance. The bent or "blue joint," which grew mostly along the sides of the sloughs, or, as the settlers expressed it, "between the dry and wet land," was preferred to all other varieties, particu- larly when mixed with the wild pea vine, as it often was. These together made hay of superior quality, which stock of all kinds preferred to any other, without exception ; and its yield was immense ; 172 History of La Salle County. but as tliis was selected for hay, and the stock fed constantly on it, it was rapidly exterminated, so that in a few 3- ears that portion of the ground where it grew became almost bare of vegetation, after which, the upland grass, or that growing on the dry prairie, was selected for both hay and pasture, that is, within the range of the stock ; but by going back on the unoccupied prairie, as was frequenth' done, for some miles, as the settlements thickened, the bent and pea vine were found in rich abundance. And the older and more experienced oxen, and other members of the herd, learned to seek these rich pastures, so far out that days were sometimes spent in recovering them. The upland grass, wiiich for many j^ears formed the staple feed for stock, was a very good article, but immensely inferior to the choice virgin pastures which greeted the herds of tlie lirst comers. On all the prairie pastures neat cattle were re- markably^ thrifty, and free from disease, and in some respects horses were peculiarly so. It was a singular fact, that a horse reared on the prairie never had the heaves, and liorses from other locali- ties, badlj^ afflicted with tliat complaint, on being- turned on the prairie pasture, or fed with prairie hay for a few weeks, were invariably fully cured. It was attributed to the medicinal qualities of the resin weed, of which there were numerous varieties, and of which horses were xQiy fond. Some ascribed it to the climate ; but this idea is refuted, by the fact that since horses are fed on timothv hav, the heaves are quite common. Horses feeding on the Hard Times. 173 prairie never slobbered ; but this difficulty is now known to be caused by clover seed. As soon as the white clover heads turn brown, the slobbering com- mences. Seed of the red clover has the same effect. Horses fed upon prairie hay, and even on the pas- ture, were peculiarly subject to a disease, often fatal in a short time, called colic, which is much less fre- quent since the introduction of the tame grasses. Early mowing and close feeding rapidly extermi- nated the wild grass of the prairie, which, like the buffalo and the Indian, seemed destined to fade out before the steady advance of civilization. The set- tlers did everything in their power to effect this, by late burns and close grazing, thereby removing the fuel that sustained the annual hres, so much dreaded. If a tract of prairie had been enclosed, so as to entirely exclude all kinds of stock, and the grass cut for hay as late as the middle of August, each year, it could have been preserved indeiinitely, and would have b(5en a curiosity to future generations— as the pro- fusion of native flowers, so much admired by all who ever saw them, would have been preserved with the grasses. HARD TIMES. The financial crash of 1837 came at a very inop- portune moment, and much to the discomfort of our people. One of those periodical seasons of expan- sion, followed by corresponding contraction, a period of financial heat, followed by a financial ague of equal severity, which has been the bane of our 174 History of La Salle County. pi'osperit}", and which no financial skill or states- manship has been able to foresee or prevent, was then in fnll blast. When the Government ofiered the lands in the centre of the county for sale, in 1835, the settlers took but a small proportion, and the balance was taken by speculators, and at once held at from five to ten dollars per acre, and in some central localities at many times that. Although prices were high, anticipated prices were still higher ; every one ex- pected a fortune, or supposed themselves already rich. Corner lots, claims, pre-emptions, and floats, were in everybody' s mouth. A lodger at any of the rickety hotels at that day, would have to sleep in a room containing four or five beds, and from the bar- gains and contracts made by the lodgers before goins: to sleep, might well imagine himself on 'Change, or in Wall street, in Xew York, and his companions all millionaires. The writer called at a log cabin toward evening of a rainy day, where some half dozen far- mers were assembled, who had evidently engaged in high speculation during the day. One of the number, addressing himself to me, said, as he slapped his hand very complacently on his thigh, '•! have made ten thousand dollars to-day, and I will make twice that to-morrow ;'' and I learned from further conversation with his companions, that he had been the least successful one in the company. Towns and villages were laid out at almost ever}^ cross- road, and some where there had never been any road, I set out some small apple trees on my farm, the only ones to be procured, and stuck a stake hj Hard Times. 175 each ; a stranger coming past, inquired the name of the town I had laid ont. These lots were put npon the market, and sold at auction, or exchanged for other lots or lands. Many were sent East, and sold at good prices, the pur- chaser in many instances never inquiring after his purchase, as the bursting of the bubble soon in- formed him how badly he was sold. An auctioneer in Chicago, was crying a lot in a town somewhere on the banks of the Illinois river, and said it was a water lot ; a bystander replied, "you are right, for I was over it in a canoe, and I could not reach it with a ten foot pole ; " but the lot sold for a round price. Up to 183Y the country had never produced enough for home consumption, and prices were governed by a market, where the demand exceeded the supply, also enhanced by the wild speculation of tJie day ; but the harvest of 1837 exceeded the demand, and produce was worth only its value to send to an East- ern or Southern market. At the same time the crash of 1837 came, and soon after emigration almost entirely ceased. Work on the canal, which had then been in progress about two years, was nearly suspended, only being con- tinued in- a sickly condition, mostly by issuing scrip, which soon depreciated to eighteen to twenty cents on the dollar, and in 1839 work was entirely sus- pended. AVheat went down from two dollars to fifty cents, and no cash at that ; pork, from twenty-live dollars per barrel to one dollar per hundred ; corn, to ten cents, with store pay at one hundred per cent, profit. Hides, tallow, deer skins, and furs, were 176 History of La Salle County. the only articles that would bring cash. The utter breaking down of all business relations, the disap- pearance of a circulating medium, and impossibility of selling produce for cash, necessitated an economy which few elsewhere have practiced, and which those accustomed to the lavish practices and expenditures of the present day, will scarcely believe. There was no danger of starving ; there was plenty of breadstuff, beef, pork, venison, prairie chickens, and any vegetables the}^ chose to raise. Of fruit there was noue, except wild plums, goose- berries and crab apples, which would now be con- sidered a poor substitute. Groceries could be procured by barter ; but it took a load of grain to buy a little, and these were used very sparingly. Some boys now spend more for cigars in a day, than our best farmers would then handle in a month ; and letters from Eastern friends would lie for days in the post office, for the reason that monej^ could not be procured to pay the postage, then twenty -five cents on each letter. Of clothing but little was purchased. It was a comm.on and trite sajdng, that we came to Illinois to wear out our old clothes, which was done most effectually. A cheap garment then worn was made of a coarse material called ?tard times, com- posed of cotton and the coarsest wool, made like a frock, gathered at the neck, hanging loose to the hipr^, held by a belt at the waist, with loose sleeves. It was warm and comfortable, and, made at home, cost about $1.50, It was worn at all times— at church, to town, or to Chicago. Hard Times. 177 Hauling produce to Cliicago became a common practice, to raise a little money to pay postage and taxes. The only expense paid on a trip to Chicago was the ferriage over the Illinois river, and that was saved by those living north of it. The team lived on the prairie grass and a little grain carried from home, and the driver carried his provisions, and slept in or under his wagon. They carried a coffee-pot, encamped near some creek, made a lire, and lived independent. They would manage to encamp on the prairie near Chicago, go in in the morning and out before evening, never paying any tavern bills in Chicago. Wheat thus hauled sold as low as thirty-five cents per bushel, and it would take five days to a load. With wheat given and going thus cheap, a man would not earn day wages. Of course no one expected to make money ; to live was the only question, and hope for the future the only ambition. Such improvements as could be made without uione.y and by labor only, were prosecuted by the settlers in the time they could eke out from the toil that dire necessity imposed ; and many a farm was fenced, yards and stables made, and prairie broken, during these j^ears of depression, relying upon a change to come, when the produce of the farms thus improved should pay for their toil, and those who thus improved found those years, in the end, as profitable as any in their pioneer history. It has been said that a peox)le living thus de- prived of the luxuries of civilization are liable to degenerate into barbarism. If the church and the 178 History of La Salle County. school house are to be inclnded in these luxuries, the remark maybe true ; but the education and in- telligence which the pioneer settlers brought with them, and which emploj^ed their first and best efforts here to transmit to their children, has in its results sufficiently refuted that opinion. It has long been a mooted question whether it is possible to possess the intelligence, refinement, and polish of good society, divested of the luxury tliat enervates, and the slavish deference to the demands of fashion, which impoverishes and corrupts. There would seem to be no necessary connection between the dissemination of knowledge, and improvement of the esthetic nature of man, and the gormandizing of the glutton and drunkard, the painted face of the savage, the turkey quills in his hair, the bauble hanging to his ears or nose, or the equally absurd folly of dragging a trailing skirt through the filthy street, hampering and defiling the feet and ankles, and wickedl.y wasting means needed for other and better objects. The apparent hallucination whicli leads otherwise^ sensible people, in violation of every principle of decency or common sense, to pander to a senseless custom, and destroy health and usefulness, simpl}- to obey the foolish behests of fashion, is one of the darkest blots on human character. Those who were actors in these scenes when stern necessity forced fashion and all its follies into the background, have learned a lesson the world would do Avell to heed — they were none the less happy or intelligent ; in fact, all the kindlier feelings of human nature came Hard Times. l^^ to the front— tliere was more sympathy for the suf- fering, more regard for the feelings of others. There was more genuine benevolence and hospitality than ever existed in a community where the wealthy aspire to aristocratic distinction, and fashion draws the cruel line between those who can, and those who can not, follow her senseless behests. Many of those whose experience tells them the contrast between now and then, never tire of declaiming against the degeneracy of the times, and of extoling the good days, past, they fear, never to return. Wealth is a blessing, when properly used. The culture of art and a refined taste can not go on without wealth ; it is not the proper use of it that is com- plained of, it is its abuse. There has never been but a moiety of earned wealth properly used ; expen- sive folly and dissipation have consumed nearly all. This will doubtless be so till the world is purer and wiser than now. But if a few can see its folly, and will oppose the overwhelming tide that sweeps on its resistless course, it may be a beginning, that, like ■ all other reforms, contemned and despised at first, will, in the end, by slow and persistent effort, form a resistless barrier to the evil they essayed to stop. When we look upon the early pioneers, separated from the home of their youth, enduring the usual hardships and privationli)f a new country, the in- evitable sickness following in its train, complicated by the financial embarrassments which compelled a relinquishment of the fashionable luxuries to which they had been accustomed, we can but admire the patient endurance and the versatility of character 180 History of La Salle County. which enabled them to adapt themselves to such altered circumstances, and to build up a State which has no superior, in the face of obstacles that would seem insui-mountable. The question arises, would this have been accomplished if luxurious habits had wasted the avails of the settler's toil instead of con- verting liis labor into lasting improvements, as was done 't Determined perseverance will surmount almost any obstacle, but without economy it will avail but little in building up a country. "Many an estate is spent in the getting." The same perseverance, industry and economy which was practiced by the early settlers, and which built up the country with a rapidity unknown to other times, if pra(;ticed under more favorable circumstances would result in proportionably greater benefits. Better health, longer life, sure independence, social happiness, ailiuence to the individual and to the State, with all the blessings that cluster around life, would be the result. These blessings are now nearly all sacrificed to the Moloch of appetite, pride and fashion. A community obeying hygienic laws ; temperate in all things ; practicing patient industry and rigid economy ; taking common sense, comfort and health for a guide in dress and equipage ; cultivating the mind and all the elements of esthetic taste ; would as a community be a prodigy such as the world never saw, but which, in the good time coming, may be hoped for. BmharrassTiient of the state. Jbil EMBARRASSMENT OF THE STATE. A State seldom proves to be wiser than its people. As a stream never rises higher than its source, so a State in its sovereign capacity is but the exponent of the will and opinions of those who make its laws. The wild spirit of speculation which, pervaded the citizens of Illinois in 1835, 1836 and 1837, was equally develoj)ed in the counsels of the State. In 1830 the Internal Improvement Act was passed, incorporating the Central Railroad and a network of railroads covering most of the State ; counties not sharing in the improvements, or not being on the line of any railroad, were bril^ed into acquiescence in the scheme by grants of money directly. The Illi- nois and Michigan Canal was at the same time being- constructed under State authority. To meet all this expenditure of untold millions, tlie State de- pended upon loans entirely. Cities, counties and towns followed in the wake of the State, and loaned money to biuld court houses, jails, etc., to an amount that seems per- perfectly astounding. It now appears as if all the world was insane at that time, but no one knew it then. The construction of the canal and the Central Railroad, employing hundreds of laborers within the county, carrsed the disbursement of a large amount of money. Prices were high, and specula- tion wild. After spending about twenty millions of dollars, the collapse came. Not a single work was com- 182 History of La Salle County. pleted ; not one yielded a dollar to the coffers of tlie State. There was no money in the treasury, and very little taxes were collected ; there was no currency ; farm produce could not be sold for money, and consequently the people could not pay taxes or debts, and stay laws were passed. The fountain was dried up at its source, and all business entirely at a stand-still. The State paid no interest on her indebtedness. Auditors' warrants were issued for current expenses, but were worth onl}^ a small per centage of their face. Repudiation was openly advocated and practically adopted. The State was a byword, and all right-thinking men blushed at her dishonor. Emigrants avoided her borders as thej^ would a pestilence, and many of those who had the means left the State. The combination of causes which reduced the settlers to the necessity of living upon their own resources, and nearl}^ shut them from the outside world, restricted them to the original settlements near or in the timber, and to the old system of farm- ing, building, and fencing. It was soon seen that the supply of timber was entirely inadequate to meet the demands of the growing settlements^ and that it would be entirely impracticable to occupy all the prairie. The idea of importing lumber from the pineries of Michigan was not entertained for several reasons. It could not be transported, thei'e was no money to buy it, and in the absence of a market there was little manufactured. The desirable timber here was all taken up and held at high prices, with a prospect that still higher Embarrassment of the State. 183 prices would be reached. Every possible device was adopted to economize in the use of timber, and the varieties of fence invented would fill a curiosity shop of no small dimensions. A curious individ- ual counted the different varieties of fence seen in passing through the country. They amounted to ■nearly fifty, most of them failing in efficiency as the consumption of timber decreased. The want of timber, the low price of all kinds of produce, the bankruptcy of the State driving all emigration around it, utterly prevented the exten- sion of the settlements, or an}^ demand for real estate. The township school lands were unavailable, or sacrificed at a small percentage of the amount afterwards realized on those retained, consequently the residents had to support their schools from their private purse, or do without them. On every hand the prospect was discouraging. The high anticipa- tions indulged in when speculation was at fever heat aggravated and increased the despondency. Among the causes that intensified this state of things, was the want of a currency. After the failure of the two State banks in 1842, there was no reliable circu- lating medium. While the few articles of export that would bring cash, such as furs, peltries, tal- low, and the pork and wheat hauled by wagon to Chicago, or shipped to St. Louis, were sold at a price that would appear ridiculous now, payment was invariably made in a depreciated currency. The Eastern purchaser coming to Chicago with par funds to invest in Western produce, found a money- 184 History of La Salle County. changer there ready to give him two to five percent, premium for his Eastern currency, wliile the depre- ciated stuff was just as current among the poor Suckers : in fact, they never saw any other. One Smith, a Scotchman, had a bank of issue nominally in Milwaukee, called the Wisconsin Fire and Marine Insurance Company. He had an office in Chicago where he gave his bills for Eastern funds, paying a premium of one to two per cent., and for a time this was the only money in circulation. If the holder Avauted to remit East, (and all the currency received had to go East through the merchants, money loaners, or some one else), the money had to go to Chicago, and Smith would give Eastern funds for it at two to three per cent, discount on his own pajier, thus making from one to two per cent, on nearly all the money that passed Chicago. There were times when the exchange on Eastern or par funds was as high as five to ten per cent. It is but justice to the Scotchman Smith, to ^^y. that while he did a wholesale shaving business, he redeemed all his issues and closed up his bank honorably, and w^ent back to Scotland with a large fortune, made in his little shaving office in Chicago ; while the other -'Wild Cat '* and '* Red Dog," as it was called, from Missouri. Indiana and Michigan, after circulat- ing for months at a heavy discount, failed entirely — and many of the old settlers have bundles of it stored away in some corner of an old chest, but badly faded, as its makers did not even furnish decent paper and ink in its manufacture. The experience of the Illinois settlements, from Embarrassment of the State. 185 1838-39 to 1845-48, is but a repetition of the history of every community that overtrades and lives beyond its income. Wild and reckless speculation never creates wealth, but wastes it, and a period of waste- ful extravagance must be followed by the practice of rigid economy, patient industry and self-denial, or descent to groveling poverty. Full recovery, like phj^sical recuperation after a debauch, necessi- tates the inevitable penance which alone can restore the wasted energies. Although the settler had from the first advent here, from necessity, practiced the most patient and persistent labor, and lived plainly and economically as all settlers in a new country must, yet the Avorld was on a wild crusade of speculation and financial extravagance, and all had to suffer in common. Still the settlers and the country individually weathered the storm, and there were few cases of bankruptcy among the pioneer farmers, while most others yielded to the financial tornado. The production of permanent or lasting improve- ments, or acquisition of currency or credits, which can be exchanged for or converted into such im- provements or other valuable possessions held and retained for future use, is the acquisition of wealth. But the acquisition of useless luxuries, or of wealth to be converted into such luxuries, is not wealth acquired, A whole community may work indus- triously, the sound of the loom and spindle may be vocal through the land, and an immense amount of nominal wealth be produced ; but if those pro- ductions are all useless or injurious luxuries that do 13 -^ 186 History of La Salle County . not add to the sum of human happiness, or are expended for such when they have been earned and used, the commuuitj is no riclier than before, but a portion of time and labor which might have produced something permanently" useful has been lost. It always takes the greater portion of the earnings of any people to support them, or give them a living, and only as those earnings are in excess of that expense or support, are that people acquiring wealth, and all of those earnings expended for articles not necessar}^ for comfort are literally wasted. This principle applied to the circumstances of our early settlers from 1836 to 1844, will prove conclu- sively that they were really accumulating wealth, faster than at any succeeding time. They were placed in circumstances where as they had really no income to be converted into money and expended for luxuries which their pride and vanity would induce them to indulge in, they were forced to forego that indulgence, and as they were really none the less happy, they suffered no loss in consequence. But their time and energies were applied in making per- manent improvements, breaking the prairie, fencing, building bridges and roads, rearing orchards, fruit trees and shrubs, and by all this making the farms more valuable ; and as these could not be expended, it was all wealth acquired and stored up for future use ; here is the true secret of the unparalleled growth of our State. If the labor of the settlers had all been directed to hunting deer, and trapping muskrat, and all the pelts sold for silks and laces and other Illinois and Michigan Canal. 187 flnery, and that worn out, the State would have been no richer to-day than when the Indian followed that same business, and expended his earnings for whisky, beads, and other baubles. The hard- working, economical German will pay for an eighty- acre farm in a few years, when other men will only pa}' expenses ; although the G-erman produces no more than the other, yet he saves it, while the other spends it. As with individuals, so with nations — if the income of either exceed the expenses all counted, then wealth is being accumulated ; but if the outgo is more tlian the income, then no amount of fine spun theories, casuistrj^ or sophistry can prevent poverty being the result. ILLINOIS AND MICHIGAN CANAL. The Lake system of the southeastern slope of the North American continent is so commanding a fea- ture in the topography of the country, and so inti- mately connected with the river systems, and artifi- cial or canal navigation, that it needs to be well understood, to properly comprehend and appreciate the latter. This immense chain of lakes or inland seas, with basins a thousand feet in depth, filled with water, pure and sparkling as crystal, rests like a circlet of diamonds on the brow of the continent. All the world elsewhere go down to the sea, but we go up, as if nature, proud of her handiwork, had placed it on the highest elevation for the admi- 188 History of La Salle County. ration of the world, and that their sweet and pellu- cid waters, percolating through all the hidden crev- ices of geologic secrec}", might be ever ready to slake the thirst of a continent. Lake Superior is 630 feet above the sea level. Lake Michio-an is 578 feet above the sea, and about 100 feet above the canal basin at La Salle. Thus the lakes hang as it were in a setting above us, and Avith the excep- tion of the slight elevation enclosins: Lake Michi- gan, our State lies lower than that lake, with its water shed inclining away from it. The geological rock strata ascend and crop out going north, and consequently the lake, waters rest upon the edge of all the strata, penetrate the porous portion, and become the source of our artesian fountains. From their commanding position, the lakes send their waters by different routes to the sea. Once they found their principal outlet by the valley of the Illinois, and a stream of gigantic dimensions then passed through what is now our county ; but at a time long past, (how long we can only judge by appearances), the lakes were depressed, and the low and marshy plains around the south end of Lake Michigan Avere left bare, and the waters sought the sea by leaping the falls of Niagara, threading the passes among the islands and rapids of the St. Lawrence, and were greeted by the boreal blasts and icebergs from Greenland and Labrador, instead of the soft and spice-laden breezes of the Gulf. The idea of a canal or water communication from the lakes to the Mississippi by the way of the Illi- IlUiiois and, Michigan Canal. 189 nois river, presented itself to the first explorers of the country ; in fact, the former existence of such a connection was evident. Col. Long, after making a topographical survey of the country in 1817, says, "The project of con- structing such a canal where nature has nearly formed it, must necessarily force its consideration upon the Government,'' and such seems to have been the result. In 1814, President Madison called the attention of Congress to the importance of this national work, the "Illinois and Michigan Canal/' It was recommended b}^ Gov. Bond, tlie first governor, in his first message to the first Illinois Legislature, in 1819. In 1821, the Legislature appropriated $10,000 for surveying the route. Its cost was estimated at $600,000 to $700,000; it finally cost $8,000,000. In 1825, a law was passed incorporating the Canal Com- pany, but no stock was taken. In 1826, Congress donated 300,000 acres of land, or every alternate section within five miles of the canal, to aid in its construction. In 1828, a law was enacted providing for con- structing the canal under State authority, commis- sioners appointed, and a new survey and new esti- mates made. But work was not commenced till 1836 ; ground was first broken, with great ceremony, at Chicago on the fourth of July of that year. Work immedi- ately commenced in earnest, and several thousand laborers were employed ; loans were obtained from foreign capitalists, and State bonds issued therefor. 190 History of La Salle County. The work was successfully prosecuted for two or three j'ears, when the money loaned becoming ex- hausted, and the financial crash of 1837 intervening, dried up all sources from which money might be expected to come. The State was unable to borrow, and consequently unable to pay her contractors. Several issues of scrip were made, and the work temporarily sustained, but the scrip rapidl}' depre- ciated, some as low as fifteen or twenty cents on the dollar, and would have been worthless, but that it was received in payment for canal land sold b}^ the State ; the work was finally entirely suspended. The scrip was redeemed and the contractors paid, but it was several years after, and many failed, or sold their scrip or claims for a trifle, while those who bought, or held, did well. The suspension of work on the canal intensified the hard times and general poverty and embarrassment of the settlers, it stopped emigration, and many left the country. In 1845-0, the State made an arrangement with the persons of whom money had been borrowed for canal purposes (who had received no interest on the loans for some years, as the State was utterly unable to pay it,) b}^ which the bondholders were to take possession of the canal and canal lands, to advance the money, about $1,60<>,000, and finish the canal ; sell the canal lands not below the appraised value, and receive the tolls of the canal ; and when they had received their full pay, the canal was to become the propert}^ of the State. Under this arrangement work was resumed, and the canal was completed in 1848. Illinois and Michigan Canal. 191 The canal lands paid a large proportion of the cost of construction, and with the tolls liquidated the last of the debt in 1873, and the canal was turned over to the State. It now pays the State about $110,000 net, yearly. The original design was to feed the canal from the lake, by cutting through the surrounding ridge, which securely holds the waters of the lake, but the embarrassment of the State, and difficulty of obtaining means, compelled the adoption of what was called the shallow-cut plan, which saved six or eight feet, in depth, of rock excavation for ten or twelve miles. The Calumet river was dammed for a feeder, and immense pumping works Avere set" in motion at Bridgeport, on the Chicago river, which together supplied water for the canal. In 1869, Chicago, under an arrangement with the State, for the purpose of draining and cleansing the Chicago river which had become a cess-pool of tilth, excavated that level of the canal to the depth required for the lake to How through it, so that it is now constructed on the original deep-cut plan, and the lake Hows through the canal and Illinois to the Mississippi and the Gulf. It has reversed the cur- rent of Chicago river, and instead of its flowing into the lake, the lake Hows up through the river into the canal. The amount expended by the city was about $2,000,000, which was refunded by the State, after the great hre in Chicago, although not due by the terms of the agreement. The damming of the Calu- met for a feeder, flooded a large tract of swamp land in Indiana, and was a serious ground of complaint. After the completion of the deep cut, tlie Calumet 192 History of La Salle County. dam was removed, to the great satisfaction of the people of Indiana. BAXDITS, ETC. About the year 1837, the settlements in Northern Illinois became infested with a band of desperadoes familiarly known as the '" Bandits of the Prairies." Their favorite pursuit was horse stealing. The scat- tered population being confined most!}'- to the edge of the timber, while the broad prairie was unoccupied, gave them an opportunit}^ to travel with their ill- gotten steeds unmolested to Missouri, Kentucky, and Iowa, which the}^ did very successfully, seldom being caught. Their success in the horse line soon emboldened them to tr^- other branches, and burgla- ry, robbery and murder were not unfrequent. If a settler had money in his house, it would in some wa3' become knoAvn to the gang, and they would frequently get it. In one instance a settler had seven hundred dollars in a trunk under his bed, the robber entered the house and took out the trunk, while the man and his wife were awake and conversing ; the robber afterward told the conversation as proof that he heard it. It was done during a violent thunder storm, and when the thunder rolled heavily they would draw the trunk, and when it ceased, hold on till another thunder crash, and thus they got their prey without being noticed. They became a terror to the settlers, especially to the female portion. It is a part of the religion of a new country never to Bandits^ etc. 193 refuse shelter to a benighted traveler, and at the time named it was impossible to discriminate between the worthy stranger and the bandit of the prairie. And the stranger taken in, instead of proving an angel, has often broken the slnmber of his host by appear- ing at his bedside with a pistol, demanding his valuables. The civil authority seemed entirely in- efficient ; in many instances they were suspected of complicity with the gang. If arrested, they would break jail, or by some technical quibble escape the meshes of the law. They became very bold in some localities, stealing cattle, or anything they could \^j their hands on. It seemed to pervade all branches of business. The grand jury of La Salle County found several bills against a butcher in Ottawa for stealing cattle, and it was conclusively proved that the citizens of Ottawa had, although unconsciously, lived for months on stolen beef. The jury were very cautious, in presenting the bills, to have a warrant issued before, by any possibility, the butcher could suspect their action ; but he knew it as soon as they did, and left for parts unknown. The murder of Mr. Davenport, at mid-day, on the Fourth of Jul.y, alarmed the whole country. One of the gang, by the name of Birch, a shrewd man, but an accomj^lished scoundrel, was arrested for being concerned in the murder, and was identi- fied as the man who, a short time before, in the guise of a Methodist preacher, stayed over night with Jeremiah Strawn, a wealthy farmer of Putnam County ; attended prayers with Brother Strawn, and a night or two after, went through his house, taking 194 History of La Salle County. all his valuables, while an accomplice held a pistol to Strawn's head, to keep him quiet. Birch was brought to Ottawa as a witness, but not used. He shrewdly pretended to be willing to expose the gang. and his trial was put off for several months, to get his testimony. He subsequently broke jail, stole the Jailer's horse, rode him about a hundred miles, and left him ruined. He wrote back to the sheriff, apolo- gizing for his rudeness in not taking formal leave, after so much kindness shown him while an inmate of his family ; said he only borrowed the horse, but believed he had ruined him. and hoped he would be excused for both offenses, as his business was very urgent. That was the last ever heard of Birch. Exasper- ated beyond measure, smarting under the loss of property, and living in continual fear, the people came to the conclusion that self-preservation was the first law in nature ; that they had a right to pro- tection from the law, but if that could not be had, then it must come in some other way. Vigilant societies were formed, for arresting crimi- nals and bringing them to punishment, and deep mutterings were heard, indicating a feeling that was destined to reform the state of society. One of these societies was formed in the north part of the State, and a man by the name of Campbell was chosen captain. Campbell was a Canadian, a man of great energ}'^ and decision of character. The gang were alarmed, and resolved to dispose of him. One Sun- day afternoon, two men by the name of Driscoll, called at Campbell's front gate, and inquired of Bandits, etc. 195 Campbell's daughter for her father ; Campbell came to the gate, when, without saying a word, they shot Mm through the heart, and coolly rode off'. The next day the people assembled en masse, took three of the Driscolls, tried them by a jury of their own, found two of them guilty, gave them an hour to say their prayers, and shot them, as they did Campbell. They then resolved to serve every thief they caught in the same way. The effect was most salutary. It struck terror to the gang, and many of them sought a more genial clime ; showing that prompt and sure punishment will ever cause the law to be respected, and hold desperadoes in fear. Prompt conviction and punishment of every offense is the remedy. Delay is little better than entire omission. Northern Illinois has had no occasion for mob-law since, and it is to be hoped it never will again. These summary measures. Joined with the incom- ing emigrants spreading over the prairies and filling up the country, preventing the facilities for escape, made the freebooters' occupation a more dangerous one. An incubus was lifted from the minds of the people, and their nightly dreams ceased to be dis- turbed by the expected visit of the robber. The vigilant societies were continued a long time, and did much in effecting a change and preventing a return of the evil. The frontier settlements have ever been the favorite haunt of the outlaw, and it has ever been one of the most serious evils the pioneer had to encounter ; for this pioneer region offered unusual facilities for their enormities, as the whole country could be traversed either by night or 196 History of La Salle County. day without regard to roads, and it was almost as difficult to follow the trail of a thief, as the flight of a bird. A horse thief would travel across the prairie all night at a speed that would place him far away in the morning, then lie in some thicket, miles from the settlements, all day, and nothing but the stars or wind could tell you where to find him. An impression prevailed at one time, that a large proportion of the settlers, who were strangers to each other, were connected with the gang, and the utter impossibility of tracking the thieves increased that suspicion. The bandits tried to create such a belief. When Birch was at Ottawa, under surveillance, he stated that there were about 400 in La Salle County in league with the bandits, but refused to give any name, though he said he might some time do so. This suspicion and want of confidence at that time was a serious trouble, and well calculated to disorganize and disband society. But it soon be- came apparent that Birch's stoly was concocted in his own interest, and subsequent developments measurabl}^ removed the suspicions, and in the end proved them substantially false. Among a population derived from all sections of the world, suspicion that there might be some Judases among the number was not unnatural or unreasonable. When we consider the restraining influences of society upon individual conduct, and the scattered and isolated situation of the first set- tlers, it is surprising that so few showed the cloven foot. Bandits, etc. 197 It was said that wlien a company of emigrants crossing the plains to Oregon or California, were fairly on the plains, and removed from the restrain- ing influence of society, individnals that hitherto had borne a reputation for honesty, fair dealing and gentlemanly deportment, often proved the very reverse, and those who still bore themselves honora- bly and fairly could be trusted ever after. The ex- perience was a trying ordeal, and sifted the human character most thoroughly ; and the same experi- ences have transpired on the frontier. In a commu- nity with a dense population, where each individual is subject to the gaze and remark of numerous people, the character is artificial— is made to order, and adapted to the market; but place him on a point of prairie five miles from neighbors and twenty miles from town, and when he throws off his broadcloth and fancy neck-tie, he also drops the artificial man, and appears in his true character. If lie is made of gold lie will shine the brighter, but if of baser metal, which the criticism of his fellows has heretofore caused liim to keep burnished, it will here corrode and rust, and defile and corrupt him and all his intercourse with his family and neighbors. Most of the pioneers can remember the rough, uncouth and overbearing manner of some individuals who gave vent to their true character, when they felt relieved from the social influence of the old commu- nity they had left. Such individuals were usually cowards, and, like all cowards, were cruel when con- querors, and abjectly submissive when beaten. It was amusing and instructive to see the gradual 198 History of La Salle County. transformations snch characters underwent as soci- ety with its restraining influence formed around them and forced them to put on the artificial cover- ing that much improved, but could never conceal, the real one. It would liave been very singular if such persons, v\^ithout principle, and weak, morall}- and mentally, had not fallen in w^ith the desperadoes that preyed upon the public in the infancy of the forming society, and that such was the case, to some extent, was known to be true, but when incoming- population drove out this gang, it reformed their sympathizers ; and as a whole, no community East or West, since the population has occupied the whole count3% has been freer from crime and purer in morals than La Salle County. The settlers were not adventurers on the frontier seeking for something to turn up, but came to find homes for themselves and families, to found such institutions as they would Avish to leave in the pos- session of their children. Educated and intelligent, they impressed upon their children their own appre- ciation of education and correct principles ; and their experience with adverse elements had the effect to confirm them in their former convictions. A close study of the antecedents, character and history of the early settlers has convinced the writer that there never was a new settlement formed of better material, a more moral, intelligent, ener- getic, and enterprising people. Irisli Rebellion. 199 IRISH REBELLION. The large number of laborers on the canal, all transient persons, generally without families, more numerous at one time than the citizens of the county, was to some a source of uneasiness; and w4ien, in the summer of 18h8, the rivalry between the two (.'lasses, the Corkoniaus and the Fardowns, culmi- nated in open war, it created very serious alarm. It seems the Corkonians, finding themselves the most numerous on the line, resolved to drive the Far- downs from the work : commencing at the upper part of the line, near Chicago, the members of the clan fell in as they progressed westward, and woe to the poor Fardown who fell in their way ; they took the ferry boat 'by force at Ottawa, crossed the Fox, and went on to La Salle, promising to clean out Ot- tawa when they came back. At the lower end of the line, they found their opponents in considerable numbers, who held them in check, when they fell back to Camp Rock, where they cruelly maltreated contractor Durgan's hands, and then returned up the line. Sheriff Alson Woodruff had called out the force of tlie county, sending in all directions for the scattered settlers to come in with their arms. He mustered about eighty men, and placed them in charge of Maj. D. F. Hitt, and M. E. Hollister, as military commanders. They met the rioters below Buffalo Rock, but fell back to near Ottawa ; the Sheriff read the riot act, and ordered them to dis- perse, and on their refusal fired a volley into them with good aim, when they quickly fled, part toward 200 History of La Salle County. Bnftalo Rock, pursued by tlie footmen, and part toward the Xorth Bluff, pursued by the citizens on horse back. Some swam the river, and were fired on when in the water. The reports as to the effect of the fire were very contradictor}', some claiming fourteen or fifteen killed, and a large number wounded, some denjdng the killing of any : but the general impression was that several were killed, and many wounded ; about sixty were arrested, held awhile, and admitted to bail on their own re- cognizance, as the county had neither the means nor accommodations to hold them. The rebellion was effectually quelled, and was not repeated. The Fardowns, smarting under their wrongs, felt dis- posed to take revenge on their conquered foes, but were informed that they must submit to the law, and did so. CRIMINAL RECORD. Notwithstanding the panic created by the events above related, and the apprehensions of the timid, no further trouble of a serious character occurred during the building of the canal. The record of crime committed in the county is not a large one, when we take into consideration the amount of public works constructed and the large number of transient population employed. A few of the most noted offenses are related. Two residents of Earlville. Philips and Morse, quar- reled about a claim on Government land, at that time Criminal Record. 201 a very common cause of contention. Morse was shot by Philips ; no one witnessed the transaction ; both had threatened and were quarreling at the time, and the particulars of the affair will probably never be known ; neither were regarded as bad men. Philips was convicted of manslaughter, but escaped punish- ment by a repeal of the law fixing the penalty for the offense. He is still living in the town of Earl and regarded as a quiet, inoffensive citizen. While hauling timber at Troy Grove, Quigby and Edgecomb quarreled, Quigby struck Edgecomb over the head with a large club with fatal effect. He was tried and convicted of murder, but the verdict was set aside on the ground that the provocation was great, Edgecomb having seized Quigby by the beard, he having a very long and heavy one. Quigby is still living in the west part of the county. The house of a Mr. Swift living near Troy Gfrove, was entered in the night by two men, and while one held the pistol at the heads of Swift and his wife, the other collected the valuables, including a considerable sum of money. At the trial, at Ottawa, of a man for robbing a peddler, in the same neighborhood, which was pretty fully proved, as the man was found in the possession of the peddler's goods, two men from Lee County, Dewey and Bliss, appeared and swore, that at the time the peddler was robbed, the accused was playing cards with them at a place forty miles distant. Mr. Swift and his wife being present, identified these witnesses as the men that robbed their house. Dewev and Bliss were arrested, con- 14 202 History of La Salle County. victed and sent to the penitentiary. Subsequently, wlien the notorious Bircli was at Ottawa under arrest, he stated that he and another leading member of the gang by the name of Fox, robbed Swift ; that Dewey had a stiff hip, and Bliss a crooked knee ; that when they committed the robbery they affected these infirmities to avoid detection, and these were the peculiarities by which the Swifts recognized Dewey and Bliss when they testified against them at their trial. The prosecuting attorney conferred with the Governor, and while they considered Dewey and Bliss innocent of the crime for which they were convicted, they were proved to be mem- bers of the gang, and they decided to let them take the punishment on general principles. An Englishman by the name of Liley, was mur- dered and his body found near the Danville road, Just in the edge of Livingston County. The clothing was all removed, and the face mutilated to prevent identification. The day before Liley' s disappear- ance, he had been in Ottawa and purchased a scythe and snath, and left on foot for his home in Livingston County. About a week after, a man by the name of George Gates was arrested for passing counterfeit money, and lodged in jail in Ottawa. He was iden- tified as having been seen traveling with lAlej just at evening on the day of his disappearance, and carrying Liley' s scythe; the wounds upon Liley were two cuts across the face and a triangular cut across the top of the head cutting through the skull. A scythe was found near the body, bent so as to fit the triangular cut in the head. La Salle & Dixon Railroad. 203 Gates' clotlies were bloody, as proved by his washerwoman, and he paid out some Prussian thalers, such as Liley had received at the bank in Ottawa ; and Gates was seen wearing a coat of Liley' s. At the June term of the court in Ottawa, 1853, Gates was convicted, and hung in August, following — the only execution that ever took place in the county. In December, 1853, about four hundred men were employed on the line of the Central Railroad, south of the river, at La Salle. A misunderstanding- existed between the contractor, Albert Story, and these men. Their wages had been reduced from $1.25 to one dollar per day. After considerable altercation. Story went to the stable to get his horse, to escape, when they rushed upon him with picks and stones, and instantly killed him. Twelve were indicted as leaders ; four of them took a change of venue to Kendall county, and were convicted of murder. A new trial was granted, which resulted in a second conviction. Governor Matteson com- muted their punishment to imprisonment for life, and finally granted a full pardon. The La Salle people were dissatisfied with the executive clemency, and when Matteson was on a visit to La Salle he was burnt in effigy. LA SALLE & DIXON RAILROAD. On the 27th of February, 1841, the Legislature chartered the La Salle & Dixon Railroad Company, giving them the grading and work done on the old 204 History of La Salle County. Illinois Central road on their line, and abandoned when the financial crash came. During the year operations commenced, and a bank of issue, pre- tending to be authorized by the charter, was estab- lished. This, for the time, infused new life into the business of that localit}^, but the new state of things was hardly inaugurated, when the whole concern, including the bank, exploded. The prime actor in this enterprise was A. H. Bangs, a man of smooth and fair exterior, but who proved to be a mere ad- venturer, without character, capital, or credit. Not a hundred dollars in money or reliable paper had been used in the whole transaction of establishing and running a bank, and partially constructing forty miles of railroad. All the money used was the ivorthless issues of the bank. The laborers, and the farmers who supplied them with provisions, were never paid. The former tried to get satisfaction by wreaking their vengeance on the person of Bangs. He was dragged through the mudd}^ streets, but was finally rescued by the citizens, placed in a skifl', and sent down the river. The hopes of the community thus blighted opened an old sore, and seemed worse than the first experi- ence. An over-anxiety for a resumption of busi- ness, and desire to welcome an outlay of money, made Bangs' opportunity, and il: he had had one or two thousand dollars in good money, he might have completed and run his forty miles of railroad. Recovery from Hard Times. 205 RECOVERY FROM HARD TIMES. From about 1841 to 1842, there was a perceptible improvement in the financial condition of the coun- tr}^, slight, it is true, but enough to be the harbinger of hope. The people had commenced working their wa}' out of their depression by almost imperceptible progress, and by the most patient and persevering toil. To earn, and not to spend, was their motto, from necessity, if not from choice. Such a soil, a deposit of untold wealth, worked by willing and determined hands, could but achieve success. The weight of debt that pressed upon the State and peo- ple seemed too heavy to be lifted by the toil of a century ; but no burden could discourage, and no task appeared bej^ond their cajDacity, even under the most adverse circumstances. Smarting under the stigma of virtual repudiation and the oj)probrium of passing stay laws, to put their creditors at defiance ; charged with public rob- bery and private dishonesty, thej pursued the only course that could surmount their accumulated mis- fortune, and restore the good opinion of the world. It is true, a few, and some of the leading politicians advocated repudiation, claiming that the debt never could be paid, but that sentiment was quickly crushed by an emphatic expression of public opin- ion in the contrary direction. The people bore the taunts heaped upon them with the more equanimit}^, as they were conscious of not being really in fault. The terrible revulsion that swept older communities into bankruptcy struck 206 History of La Salle County. them when struggling with the toils, privations, and inevitable poverty of a new settlement. By the side of older commnnities and States, they were like infants by the side of giants. Yet they were equal to the emergency, and proved to the world their honesty, their indomitable energy and determination, and the wonderful resources of their adopted State. Sobered, and made wiser by the severe ordeal they had passed through, they were the better prepared to improve and utilize all the advantages offered by returning prosperity. On the 21st of February, 1843, the Legislature passed an act to provide for the completion of the Illi- nois and Michigan Canal, and payment of the canal debt. The act was a Avise and judicious one, inasmuch as it honestly placed the canal and canal lands in the hands of the bondholders, to be held as security for the payment of their debt, and at the same time guarded the interest of the State. The bondholders were to finish the canal, and out of the income and sale of the lands, to pay themselves. The proposi- tion was accepted by the bondholders, and under their direction, work which had been suspended for several years, was resumed, and this great state and national work completed in 1848. This arrangement relieved the State of six and a half millions of in- debtedness, and was the first step upward on the road to solvency. There was one item of business, that, during the years of stagnation, infused a little life into certain portions of the county ; this was the line of travel be- tween St. Louis and Chicago which passed through Becomry from. Hard Times. 207 tlie county. A steamer from St. Louis arrived at Peru daily, connecting with Frink & Walker s line of stages, that ran to Chicago, and during the sum- mer season the route became an important thorough- fare, from four to eight four-horse coaches leaving Peru daily. The building of tlie Chicago, St. Louis & Alton Railroad, making a direct, railroad commu- nication between Chicago and St. Louis, effectually closed this thoroughfare, and Frink & Walker's stages sought other lields of enterprise. In the Mexican war the county responded with her proportion of troops called for. Champlin R. Potter raised a part of a company of volunteers, and, when organized, T. Lyle Dickey was com- missioned Captain, and E. S. Holbrook, Lieu- tenant. Potter presented Captain Dickey with his sword, which he accepted with a promise not to dis- honor it. W. H. L. Wallace served in this company as orderly sergeant, and distinguished himself at Buena Vista, laying the foundation of his future military reputation. The La Salle County company did good service during the war. A strenuous effort was made by Peru, and vicinity, to effect a division of the county. It commenced at an early day, and continued for several years. Peru had from the first aspired to be a county seat, which Ottawa, and the east part of the county, had as persistently opposed. Ottawa consented to a cur- tailment of the territory of the county on the east and north, but held with a firm grip to the western jewel, Peru and La Salle. The matter created much bad feeling, and nearly all elections were more or 208 History of La Salle County. less affected by it. The completion of tlie canal and railroads, facilitating communication with the county seat, for the time quieted the agitation. During these years the State paid no interest on her internal improvement bonds ; the bondholders were impatient and clamored for some recognition of their claims. The county was also in debt for its court house, and had paid no interest on her bonds for years. The provision made for the canal indebtedness, and the partial revival of business, created a desire of all thinking men for some provision being made to redeem the State and county from the taint of repudiation. In 1848, the Constitutional Convention, with the design of making it permanent, and preventing repeal, inserted an article in the constitution pro- viding for levying a tax of two mills on the dollar, which was irrevocably pledged to the payment of the interest and principal of the outstanding State bonds. The people ratified this b}" a decided ma- jority. Although the amount raised by this tax was entirely inadequate to meet the amount due, yet it showed a disposition to do what could be done, and was hailed with great satisfaction by the creditors of the State. It was known that the avails of the tax would be constantly and rapidly increasing, and would, in time, liquidate the debt. It gave great confidence. It lifted the dark shadow of dishonor from the reputation of the State and people. This important constitutional provision was the turning- point in the history and progress of the State. Tlie Hecovery from Hard Times. 209 amount realized was soon sufficient to pay the interest, and to create a sinking fund for payment of the bonds at maturity. The provision was con- tinued in force till a new constitution was made, and till a large amount accumulated in the treasury over and above that needed to pay the bonds. The State is now practically out of debt. The county soon followed the example set by the State, and the first Board of Supervisors, at the first session in 1851, had the satisfaction of providing for the payment of the last outstanding court house bond. The first court house and jail was built in 1834. The amount paid, as allowed by the commissioners, was $402.20 for the court house, and $235.54 for the jail. The present court house was built in 1841, and accepted as complete in 1842. The contract was taken by William F. Flagg for $25,000, but he failed to build it for that, and a suit was commenced by the county, but was compromised, and the court house and the apology for a jail in the basement, cost $40,000, and county bonds were issued for the amount. The State and (iounty nobly redeemed themselves by paying their debts as soon as they had the means ; there was never any considerable number of her people in favor of repudiation ; but they failed to pay, simply because they could not. Their honest Intentions were shown by securing the canal debt, and the enactment of the provision for the two-mill tax. In the winter of 1851-2, the Legislature chartered a company to build the Illinois Central Railroad, 210 History of La Salle County. giving tliem the donation of lands granted by the United States to aid in its construction. The com- pany, by the terms of the contract, in consideration of the privileges granted and the donation of land, are to pay the State seven per cent, of tlie gross earnings of the road perpetually. That now amounts to about $420,000 annually. Work was commenced in 1852, and most of the portion in La Salle County was in operation in the fall of 1853. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and the Chicago & Rock Island roads were built about the same time. These roads, with the canal, have revolu- tionized the business of the county, and, with the telegraph, brought us into communication with all the world. The seclusion and distant removal from the homes of our youth, so irksome to the pioneer, is now practically abolished. We can communi- cate with distant friends in a few minutes, and transport ourselves there in a day or two of time. The cheap transportation of lumber has enabled the settler to build and fence away from the timber, and independent of the groves and timber belts so eagerl}^ sought for in the early settlements. The prairie towns on the outskirts of the county have rapidly settled, and experience has proved that there is no valid objection to the settlement of the largest prairies when lumber can be obtained for building and fencing, and coal for fuel ; and, with orchards and groves, a residence there is about as pleasant as along the timber, and more healthful than in the timber. The soil is found to be as good, and, with groves of timber, which are easily raised, Recovery fro'in Hard Times. 211 tlie difference in value, as compared with farms near the timber, is merely nominal. Timber hmd rapidly declined in price. Tlie saw-mills, which had made the lumber heretofore used, were aban- doned, with one or two exceptions only, in the county. That versatility of the American character, which so readily adapts itself to altered circum- stances, was conspicuous here. But the same trait of character will at some future da}^ be put to the test. When the lumber supply fails, as fail it will, they will be compelled to provide a substitute for the deficiency. Another important change occurred about the same time, commencing a little before, — a change more important and more lasting in its effect, — that is, the introduction of improved agricultural implements and machines. It has more than doubled the capacity of the people for the produc- tion of farm crops, and lifted the burden of slavish toil from the shoulders of the laboring millions. It will make the farmer's occupation one of the fine arts, and engineering skill and scientific knowledge the qualification required in a farm hand, rather than the rude muscular strength required by the old system. The implements used when the settlements were being made, forty years ago, would be regarded as ridiculous caricatures now. The plow then used was entirely inefficient. For years after the settle- ments commenced in La Salle County, there had never been a plow made or used in the State that would clear itself, or do good work. The old bull- 212 History of La Salle County. tongue, a wooden mold-board, with a flat strip of iron for a share, was about as good as an}^. Some brought with them the New England cast-iron plow — a good one there, but useless here. Any plow then in use would load with the fine unctuous soil to the depth of six or eight inches, when it would onl}' drag upon the surface, barely making a mark. A paddle was carried in the hand, and the earth removed every few rods. But the work was poorly done at best ; a good harrow or drag would do better work than any plow then in use. The first plow that was made to scour was the diamond, as it was called, from the shape of the mold-board or share. It was a single piece of iron made dishing, highly polished and brought nearly square to the front, and tlie pressure would make it clear itself. The farmer who first saw this done felt much as Morse did when he first sent a message by telegraph. Successive improvements have been made, till the polished cast-steel plow of to-day is a beautiful, as well as a perfect working instrument. The harvester, the mower, the thresher, the loader, the pitcher and binder, and numerous other imple- ments, have all come into use within the last thirty years. Our clean prairie s6il offers facilities for their use that can not be found elsewhere. Those who in their 3'outli used the flail, the sickle, the cradle, and the scythe, and who had their wives or daughters drop the corn wliile they covered it with the hoe, will soon have passed away, and the practiced skill whicli once used those implements will be among the lost arts. The tide of prosperity that followed the provision Recoxery from Hard Times. 213 for the State and county indebtedness, and the build- ing of the principal railroads, rapidly settled up the unoccupied prairies in the county, and largely added to the improvements of the older settlers. The county assumed the appearance of an old settled region. Comfortable houses and barns sprung up with a rapidity probably unequaled by any other locality. Orchards and cultivated groves trans- formed the once naked prairie to an abode of com- fort and beauty. The frugal habits of the early settlers gave place to habits of luxury, and verified the adage, that mankind usually live up to their income. In 1857, another financial crisis occurred, but the altered circumstances of the people enabled them to meet it with comparative impunity. It checked their rapid accumulation of wealth, but there was no suffering except with the commercial classes. In the war of the rebellion, the county furnished nearly six thousand men for the army, and paid out over $600,000 for military purposes. The military history of the county during the war would fill a volume, and justice to the soldiers and to the county calls for such a history. It will doubtless be writ- ten. Such a work, not full and exhaustive of the subject, would be unjust to some, and of little value. The revulsion of 1857, with the loss of our currency and low prices consequent upon the breaking out of the war, was soon followed by inflation and ex- cessively high prices. Those who held their grain from 1861 and 1862 to 1864 and 1865, made fortunes out of it. This inflation— with the certainty that an effect ever follows the cause that produces it — was 214 History of La Salle County. followed b}' the contraction and failures of 1873, from which long depression we are apparently just recovering. The county soon paid the 8600,000 of war debt, and, at the annual meeting of the Board of Super- visors in Sej^tember, 1877, was reported by the Treasurer as entirely free from debt, without an outstanding order, and with 828,000 in the treasury. Several lines of railroad have been built within the last ten years, all centering in Streator : the road from Streator to Winona, now extended to Lacon ; the Paducah. running southeast from Streator ; the Chicago, Pekin & Southwestern ; and the Fox River road, now leased and operated b}^ the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Compan}'. The latter tra- verses nearly the extent of the county, and is doing a large and profitable business, principally in the shipment of coal. The following table of elevations on the Fox River Railroad has been furnished by Mr. Wilson, who was chief engineer during its construction : FEET. Taking low water on tlie Illinois river as 00, ... OO Highest point between Ottawa and Covell creek is - - - 155 Grand Ridge station, 208 Streator at shaft side-track, 181 Yermillion river, -.----__- 106 Going north from Illinois river : Ottawa station, - - - 35 Illinois and Michigan Canal, surface of water, ... 40 Dayton, ...-.- 93 Indian creek, surface of water, ------ 54 Highest point in Serena, - 195 Fox river at Sheridan, surface of water, . - . . 82 Sheridan station. - - 144 County Commissioners. 215 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Of La Salle Coukty — Frcm 1831 to 1849, when a County Judge and two Associates transacted the County business for one year, to 1850, ichen the first Board of Supervisors were elected. 1831. John Green, James B. Campbell, Abram Trumbo. Dec, 1832. Martin Reynolds, vice Jas. B. Campbell. 1832. Daniel Kellogg, Simon Crosiar, Martin Reynolds. 1834. Isaac Dimmick, Geo. Havenbill, Robert P. Wood- worth. 1835. Benjamin Thurston, vice R. P. Woodworth. 1836. David Reader, Thomas Burnham, Wm. Barbour. 1838. Isaac Dimmick, Ralph WoodruflG^^m. Barbour. March, 1839. Henry Green, vice Wm. Barbour, resigned. Aug., 1839. Hiram P. Woodworth, vice Ralph Woodruff.'^ " 1840. Alson Woodrufi", vice Henry Green. ■ " 1841. Patrick Hanlejs Vice Isaac Dimmick. " 1842. Harvey Leonard, vice Hiram P. Woodworth. " 1843. Samuel Mackey, vice Alson Woodruff. " 1844. Robert Rowe, vice P. Hanley. " 1845. Chas. H. Gilman, vice Harvey Leonard. 1846. Chas. C. Elliott, vice Samuel Mackey. " 1847. John Kennedy, vice Robert Rowe. 1848. Chas. H. Gilman, vice C. H. Gilman. " 1849. Henry Gt. Cotton, County Judge ; Chas. H. Gilman and Patrick M. Kildufl, Associates. County divided into Townships by Champlin R. Potter, Levi Kelsey and Israel 6. Cooper. Report filed February 28th, 1850. First Board of Supervisors met May 27th, 1850, in special session. 216 History of La Salle County. LIST OF COUNTY OFFICERS. Assessor and Treasurer. County Clerk. Sheriff. 1831. Wm. Richey. David Walker. Geo. E. Walker. 1832. 11 (( t It May, 1837. John Pearson. It it Sept, " Jesse B. Thomas. A. Huntingdon. t I -Apr., 1838. John Pearson. Seth B. Farwell. i. I Sept., " ( 1 A. Huntingdon. Ck May, 1839. Thomas Ford. N. H. Purple. c t Nov., 1840. I ( ( ( C I A.Apr., 1841. (( Seth B. Farwell. < ( -Nov., •■ (( i i Lorenzo Lelan Apr., 1842. (i Jas.S. Holt. (t ^Nov., " John D. Caton. Seth B. Farwell. ( ( .Mar., 1843. J. M. Robinson. Benj. F. Fridley it, Nov., " John D. Caton. ( t a .Mar.,, 1844. 1 1. ( i (( Circuit Court. 219 CIRCUIT COURT— Continued. Terms of Court. Circuit Judge. P7'0S€Cuting Clei'k of Attorney. Circuit Cwirt. Nov., 1844. John D Caton, Beuj. F. Fridley. Lorenzo Leland Mar., 1845. (i (( 1 1 Nov., " u (C (( Mar., 1846. ( I (( (( Nov., " (I B. C. Cook. Mar., 1847. ( ( (I i( Nov., " 1 ( 11 <' Mar., 1848. 14 Cl <( Nov., " i I U 11 Mar., 1849. T Lyle Dickey. Philo Lindley. Nov., " ( ( (( t 4. Apr., 1850. ii C( ii Oct., " u {( i( Apr., 1851. ( 1. ik (( Nov., ''• i i ( ( n Feb., 1852. a (( <( June, " Is. lac G. Wilson. (( ( t Nov., " Edw. S. Leland. W. H.L.Wallace. Feb., 1853. « ii if ( ( May, " 1 1 t( I i Nov., " (( (t W May, 1854. It i( 4 t Nov., " C( i( i I May. 1855, l( CI u Nov., " M. E. Hollister. ( i t I May, 1856. (C ( ( ^ ( Nov., " l( 1 1 1 1 Feb., 1857. (( W. Bushnell. John F. Nash. June, '' t( 11 (1 Nov. " it 11 (I Feb., 1858. (( O.C.Gray, (5M&«?i«?< — first birth in town, married Frank Bruner, now a widow ; and Rachel. Samuel Grove, from Licking County, Ohio, was one of Green's party. He returned to Ohio, and came back to La Salle County in 1856. Joseph Grove, from Licking County, Ohio, in 1829 ; one of Green's Company. He married Elma Jackson, and settled on S. 22. He died in 18f)8. His widow died in 1872. Their children were : Seman- tha, who married a Mr. Wakefield ; John, is in Iroquois County ; Jeremiah, died in the army ; Jesse, is at home ; Lewis, married Melinda Pitzer, now of Miller ; Elma, married George Pitzer, of Iroquois County ; David, is at Dayton ; Mary, and Clara, are at home. William L. Dunnavan, from Licking County, Ohio, in 1830, made a claim southwest of Peru ; sold to Ish, and settled on Section 22 in 1831. He was married in the fall of that year to Eliza, Sketch of Settlers — Ruiland. 279 daughter of John G-reen, by David Shaver, Esq., being the first wedding in town. Has six children : Albert ; Emma, married a Mr. Hite ; John ; Eliza- beth, married Cyrus Debolt ; Jesse, married Maggie Burk ; James, at home. Edward Keys, from Indiana, in 1830 ; settled on N. E. iS. 14, T. 33, R.4; he first stopped with Chris- topher Long, on Covell creek, while building his cabin ; moved on to his claim in December ; he died of cholera at the land sale in 1835. His widow mar- ried Alonzo Walbridge. (See Mrs. Walbridge's narrative.) He left three children: Elias H., mar- ried Dorothy Hanson ; Sarah, married William Johnson ; Emily, died single. Christopher Long, and wife, Miss Booth, from Licking County, Ohio, in 1827, first located on the Drake farm in company with Moses Booth, his brother-in-law, on Covell creek, and in the fall of 1831 settled on the N. W. \ S. 13, T. 33, R. 4. He died in March, 1846, aged 51 ; his wife died in 1832 ; his second wife, Mar}'- Alvord, died in Sept., 1846, aged 42. He had five children : Catharine, married Elias Trumbo, now living in Rutland ; Elizabeth, married Jonathan Stadden; Lewis, married Miss Barbour, of Miller; Jane, married a Mr. Murphy, of Ottawa ; and William. Matthias Trumbo, and wife, Rebecca Grove, came from Licking County, Ohio, in the fall of 1880, and settled on S. E.^i S. 28, T. 34, R. 4. He died October 1, 1875 ; his wife died May 1, 1873. He had eight children : John, died in 1841 ; Lavinia, married West Matlock ; Isabella, married Jesse 280 History of La Salle County. Green, of Da}' ton ; Elias, married Catharine Long, the iirst child born in the comity ; Eliza, married William Gibson, and lives on the old farm ; Barbara, married Joseph Jackson, of Millington ; Elizabeth, married Jacob Strawn, of Utica; Anna, married Lewis Robinson. David Shaver, and wife, Nancy Grove, came from Licking County, Ohio, in the fall of 1830 ; settled on S. 2, T. 38, R. 4 ; was Overseer of the Poor and Justice of the Peace several terms ; he died Jan. 2, 1848. He had nine children : Cyrus, married Betsey Hackett, and settled on the S. E. ^ S. 4. Has four children : Harvey, married Sarah Johnson, now in Missouri; David R., married Margaret Kleiber, live on Section 3; Joseph, married Janet NefF, live in Rutland ; Harrison, died in 1833, the first natural death in the town ; Rebecca, married John Snelling, of Freedom ; Barbara, married Joseph Miller, of Ottawa; Nancy, married William S. Allen, in Gales- burg ; Catharine, married John K. Spencer. William Parr, and wife, Sally Trumbo, from Lick- ing County, Ohio, came in the fall of 1830 ; he settled on the S. E. J S. 3, T. 33, R. 4. He had five children : Henry R., married Elsa Armstrong, live in Serena ; Samuel, married Josephine Armstrong, in Rutland ; Isabella, married Orson Potter ; John, married Lucy Milliken ; Mary, married Samuel Grove, of Utica. Samuel Milliken, and wife, Rebecca Williams, from Licking County, Ohio, came to South Ottawa in 1830, and in the spring of 1832 settled on the S. E. i S. 5, T. 33, R. 4 ; sold to M. E. Hollister in Slcetcli of Sdtlers — Rutland. 281 1836, and moved to N. E. i S. 10, where he resided till his death in 1864. He has seven children: May, married Levi Zeluff ; Margaret, married John Billman, of Kansas ; Comfort, married James Ste- venson, of Grand Rapids ; Amanda, married Edward Wightman, in Iowa ; Jerusha, married John Kelly, in Missouri ; Samuel, married Sarah Leek ; Lucy, married John Parr, of Rutland. Goodman Hargus, came from Norway, to New York in 1828 ; one that came over in the famous sloop ; he married in New York and settled in Rutland in 1831. He died in 1850, leaving live children. G. W. Howe, from New York in 1834 ; settled on N. E. i S. 33, T. 34, R. 4 ; went to Rock Run, Will County, in 1840, and died there. Widow Barbary Grove, mother of Joseph, came in 1833. She died at the age of 78. Her son, Elias, came with her and died single in 1845 ; her daughter Elizabeth, was the first wife of N. Madison Letts. Widow Anna Pitzer, a sister of John Green, came with a large family from Licking County, Ohio, in the fall of 1830, and settled on N. E. i S. 10, T. 84, R. 4. A woman of much business capacity and decision of character. During the Black Hawk war, few men exceeded her in efforts for the protection of the infant settlement. She was a leading member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She died in 1854. Her children were: William, who married Sarah Kite, and settled on the old homestead ; Anthony, married Margaret Wagy, he died on the way to California in 1852 ; James, married Elizabeth Kite, 19 282 History of La Salle County. * live in Kansas ; Jesse, died in California ; Benja- min, died in the army ; Jacob, married Sarah Kite, live in Kansas ; Sarah Ann, married Thomas Parr, of Dayton ; Rachel, married Thomas Baj^ley, live in Kansas ; Elizabeth, married Henry Brumback, of Rutland ; Margaret, is dead ; Catharine, married H. Ham an ; Alvah,i is dead. Edward Sanders, from Licking County, Ohio, in 1831, settled on N. E. i. S. 11, T. 34, R. 4. ' He served five years in the United States army ; while stationed at Fort Dearborn, he went as a scout to the Illinois and Fox rivers in 1816, and what he saw of the country then, induced him to make it his home. He was a carpenter by trade ; his wife was Margaret Wamsley. Jacob Anderson, from Xorwaj', to Xew York, 1825 ; here, 1834 ; settled on S. W. i S. 13, T. 34, R. 4 ; went to California and died there, one of the first colony. Andrew Dall, from Norway, to New York, 1825, in the sloop ; here, 1834 ; settled on S. W. \ S. 1, T. 34. R. 4 ; died at Salt Lake. Vital Vermit, from Canada, 1834, settled on X. E. i S 12, T. 34, R. 4. He married Huldah Walker, daughter of Dr. David AValker, of Ottawa. Kept hotel for several years, at Yermit's or Yermit's Point ; went to Indiana. They had four children. Jas. M. Philips, and wife, Ann Gillespie, from Pennsylvania, 1834, settled on S. E. J S. 10, T. 33, R. 4 ; moved to Indian Creek 1835. John C. Philips, from Pennsylvania, 1834, settled on S. W. i S. 10, T. 33, R. 4 ; moved to ISVwark 1835 John Weitsell, from Germany, on N. E. ^ S. 13, T. 34, R. 4. Slcetch of Settlers — Rutland. 283 Rev. John St. Clair, and wife, from Kentucky, on S. E. I S. 10, T. 34, R. 4. Wm. Anderson, from Ohio, 1834, on S. E. i S. 3, T. 84, R. 4. John Harrington, from New York, 1884, on S. W. 1 S. 34, T. 34, R. 4 ; sold to J. F. Keyes, and moved to western part of the State. Solomon Channel, and wife, Betsey Wamsley, from Ohio in 1832, settled on N. W. i S. 12, T. 33, R. 4 ; sold to A. D. Biitterfield, and returned to Ohio, came back to Illinois in 184U, and died 1875 ; his wife died before him . He has had seven children. Joseph, now in Iowa ; Mary, married a Mr. Bell in Adams ; Malvina ; Alva, is dead ; Sarah, John, and Jackson, are single. A. D. Butterfield, from Jefferson County, New York. He visited Cuba, New Orleans, and other places South, and came to Marseilles in April, 1835. Kept a hotel one year, then rented his hotel, and in 1836 bought out Solomon Channel, on S. 36, T. 34, R. 4, where he still resides ; has held the office of Town Supervisor. Has had three wives ; his first was a Miss Edgar, second Lucy Otis, third Sally A. Rood. Has had nine children : David, married Julia Young, lives on the old farm ; P. A., married Sarah Drackby, is in Marseilles; Julia C, married Wm. A. Seers, of Odell ; .Orvill, at home ; Leavitt M., married Ella Parr, of Rutland ; Geo. F., married Mary Allen, and lives in Galesburg : Chas. W., Susan and Walter, at home. Ephraim Shaver, born in Virginia, came from In- diana here, in 1839. His wife was Mary E. Murphin, 284 History of La Salle County. from Ohio. Their children are : Semantha, married Geo. Bennett, of Waltham ; Mary Lovina, married a Mr. Ross, her second husband Mr. Turple, they live in Chicago ; Margaret, married Henry Mandeville, of Kansas ; Belle, married Henry Bennett, of Deer Park; Dora, married Wm. Munson, Jr., of Adams; Geo. W., married widow Wade ; Dolcina, Emma, and Peter, are at home. Thomas Tuttle, from Indiana, in 1836, settled on S. 11, T. 33, R. 4 ; sold to Garver Gunderson in 1S39 Timothy Corbit, from Pennsylvania, in 1837, settled adjoining J. D. Butterfield. Walter D. Rood, from Saratoga County, New York, in July, 1838, to Marseilles ; moved on to the Long farm. Went with Green's company in 1849 to California, lived in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, and returned to La Salle County in 1870. Married Amelia Robinson, and settled on S. 16, T. 33, R. 5, in 1872. Has one child, Olive. John Gibson, from Ohio, came here in 1840. He was a Lieutenant in the war of 1812, from Pennsjd- vania ; he died in 1869 ; his wife died in 1860. Left six children : Mart ha, married C. McKinley ; Maria, married Jas. N. Frenary, of Rutland; Capt. Wm. L., married Eliza Trumbo, of Rutland ; Geo. W., married Cynthia Robinson, of Rutland; John F., married Mary Jf. Anderson, of Rutland ; Capt. Theodore C, married Susan S. Sample, of Ottawa. Jonathan Daniels, and wife, Mary Channel, from Licking County, Ohio, in the fall of 1831, bought a claim of Wm. Stadden, on S. 33, T. 34, R. 4. They had two children : Elizabeth, married Jost^ph Kleiber ; Judith, married Wm. Stadden. Thi3:Breastworlij3 supposeij toTJe J200 years old "because tlie 3Ionn3s a sliort distance East, of it on theJv'orthliauli of theHavine contain . olS-AshesTjut no Cliarcoal. Tlan^ .'McT^'ally * Co.,'Bngr'a,ChKago. SJceich of Settlers — Vermillion. 287 Joseph Kleiber, and wife, Elizabeth Daniels, from Licking County, Oliio, in tlie fall of 1831, settled on S. 32, T. 34, H 4. He liad eight children : Melissa, married Henry Funk ; Jonathan, married Elizabeth Funk; Mary, married Geo. Hays, and afterward Henry (Jurry ; Margaret, married David Shaver ; Aaron, married Rosanna McKernan, live in Allen ; William, married Mary Pierce ; Stephen and Etta, are on the old farm. Aaron Daniels, and wife, Maria Sanders, from Licking County, Ohio, in the fall of 1831, settled on S. 33 ; now in Kansas. Albert Dunnavan, from Licking County, Ohio, came with Letts to Cedar Point in 1830 ; remained there one year, then came to Rutland and settled on S. 13 ; in 1831 married Nancy, daughter of John Green, and still lives on the old farm. Has eight children : Samuel, married Miss Munson ; David ; Isaac, is out West ; Joseph ; George, married Miss Rogers ; Katharine, married Frank Brandon ; Jane, married Aaron Howe ; and Anna. VERMILLION. The town of Vermillion embraces that part of T. 32, R. 2, lying southwest of the Vermillion river. It was among the earliest settlements in the county. It contains a fine tract of timber, called Bailey's Grove, through the centre of which runs Bailey's creek, while to the northeast it rests on the Vermil- lion river. This grove was doubtless the attraction 288 History of La Salle County. that induced the settlement, for here, as elsewhere, the first settlements were all along the edge of the best timber. Lewis Bailey, the first settler in the town of Ver- million, came from Ohio ; first to Indiana, and then to Illinois in 1825. He first came to Ottawa, but located on Section 19, at the head of Bailej^'s Grove, which was called Bailey's Point. His son Augustus is claimed to have been the first male white child born in the county, while a daughter of Christopher Long was the first. George Galloway, son of James Galloway, of Fall River, has claimed the honor of being born before Bailey. The fact seems to be that Bailey's son was a few days the oldest, but he was born at Peoria, where his parents had gone in a canoe, in anticipation of the event, and soon after returned, having been absent from home eighteen days. The location selected b}^ Bailey was a romantic one, and he said it was a favorite resort of the In- dians, who ever evinced a keen appreciation of the beautiful. Mr. Bailey's neighbors at first were only Indians. He always expressed a high opinion of his swarthy friends, and persistentl}' claimed that they were more honest, friendly and trustworthy than the whites. He was doubtless somewhat mis- anthropic. He with his famil}- left the county in 1844, and died in Oregon. He had two sons : Au- gustus and Timot]lJ^ William Seelej^ a native of Seneca County, New York, came to Madison County. Illinois, in 1818, and brought his famil}^ in 1820. He'came to Bailey's Sketch of Settlers — Vermillion. 289 Grove, La Salle County, in the fall of 1828, and brought his family in the spring of 1830 ; he settled on Section 19, just east of Bailey's ; he subse- quently laid out the town of Lowell, on the Vermil- lion, and in company with Charles Elliott built the stone mill now standing ; he held the office of Justice of the Peace several years ; was County Commis- sioner, and prominent among the early settlers ; he died March, 1857. His children were : John, who died single ; William, married Belle Tylee, they are in Kansas ; Randolph, married Clarissa Ellsworth, are in Nebraska; Samuel, married Hattie Tylee, live in Lowell ; Anna, married a Mr. Knight, live in Chicago ; Mary, married Ebenezer Burgess, now de- ceased ; Eveline married Barnum Newton ; Sarah, married John Seeley, now dead. Mr. Enos came from Sangamon County in 1829 ; settled on Section 18, and sold his claim to Mr. Pate, who came from the same county in 1830, and he sold to Jacob Moon in 1831. Enos and Pate were frontier men, and went West. Jacob Moon came from Dayton, Ohio, in 1831, and settled on the Enos claim, and in 1883 sold to Joel Alvord ; he moved on to a claim on the Ver- million, just over the line, in what is now Livingston County, called Moon's Point, where he died in 1853. The family are wealthy farmers and large stock dealers. John Slater, from Ohio, settled in Sangamon County in 1823, came to Bailey's Grove in 1829 ; he bought a claim of Tracy, a transient claimant, on S. 24, T. 32, R. 1 ; in 1833 sold his claim to Nathaniel 290 History of La Salle County. Eddy, and made a claim on S. 19, T. 32, R. 2, where he lived and raised a large family. He died of cholera in 1848 ; his first wife died in 1832 ; his sec- ond wife, Mary Warnock, is now living with Alfred. He left seven children : Henry, married Lydia Gal- loway, he died of cholera in 1848 ; Harriet, married Jacob Barr, they live at Lowell ; Sally, is single ; Olive, married Charles Clark, and lives in Missouri'*, Jerusha, married J. W. Wells, she is now a widow, living in Streator ; B. F., married Louisa Dart, are now living at Farm Ridge, have six children ; Alfred, married Mary Jane Kirkpatrick, and lives at Metrop- olis, ni. John Bailey, and wife, Sally Benjamin, came from Windsor, Vermont, in 1831, to Putnam County, and in 1832 bought the claim of Warren's estate on S. 17, T. 32, R. 2, where he lived till his death in 1842. A good citizen, he always cheerfully bore his portion of the public burden of a new settlement. His widow died in 1 854. He left seven children : Sarah Ann, married Nelson Alvord, a Baptist preacher ; Mary, married William Laughlin, now a widow ; Rhoda, married Samuel Bullock ; Annis, married Bailey Barrass ; Maria, married Seth Eaton ; Emilj'-, mar- ried Frank Wood, they live in Eden ; William, married Janet Potter, adopted daughter of John Rider, and lives on the old farm — is now Town Supervisor. * Leslie Kent, and wife, Huldah Harman, fj-om Conway, Mass., in 1833 ; settled on S. 18, T. 32, R. 2. Mrs. Kent died in August, 1840: he died in Septem- ber, 1846, leaving two daughters : Huldah, married Sketch of Settlers — Yermillion. 291 Edward R. Williams, they live in Deer Park;. Caroline Maliala, married Wells Alderman. Daniel Warren, and wife, came from Maine in 1809, to Madison County, New York ; he came by wagon, with his family, the whole distance from New York to Illinois in 1830 ; settled on S. 17, T. 32, R. 2 ; died there in 1832, aged 64 ; his claim was sold to John Bailey. He left eight children : Polly, married Asa Holdridge ; Nathan, settled in Serena ; Daniel, died in Serena ; Ezekiel, died at An Sable ; Samuel,, died on Indian creek ; Eunice, married Alfred Kel- logg ; Betsey married George Sprague ; Olive, mar- ried Alva 0. Smith, and died in Serena. William Petigrew, from Kentucky, a single man, boarded with Lewis Bailey ; made a claim ; sold to Enos, and went to Holderman's Grove; mar- ried a widow with two children, and then removed to Indian creek, where he and his family were all killed in the Indian massacre. Dea. John Leonard, from near Boston, Mass., in 1831, came with the Northampton colony in com- pany with Mr. Jones ; they located at Bailey's Grove. Jones died soon after, and Leonard eventu- ally married Jones' widow, and settled on S. 18, T. 32, R. 2. He was deacon and an active member of the Congregational church ; a radical abolitionist, he had the reputation of keeping a station on th& Underground Railroad ; he removed to Galesburg, where he died in 1866 ; his wife, and two children, Levi and Sarah, died there also. Levi Jones, from Massachusetts, in 1831, one of the Northampton colony, died the same year ; his. 292 History of La Salle County. widow married Dea. Leonard, left four children : Daniel and Raymond ; Mary, married Daniel Little ; Susan, is in Galesburg. Jacob Elliott, and wife, Meliitable Cook, from New Hampshire, in 1839, resided at Lowell. He died in 1841, leaving four children. His son Charles married Lucy Bach ; second wife, Harriet Hunting- ton. He was a partner of William Seeley in the town of Lowell and water-power adjoining. They built the stone mill, and anticipated building up a manufacturing town that would not disgrace its namesake in Massachusetts. It was not a success proportioned to the enterprise of its founders, and the early death of its proprietors put a stop to its further progress. Charles Elliott was for several years a Justice of the Peace and County Commis- sioner: he died about 1855 or '56, and left one son by his first wife, Jacob, who married a daughter of Sargeant Cummings, and lives in Iowa ; Sarah, the daughter of his second wife, married Uriali Painter, and lives at Streator. Jacob Elliott' s other children were : Cook, who married Jane Wiswall, and died soon after ; Mary, married Emery Stanford, now dead ; Sarah, mar- ried a Mr. Weber, both are dead. Emery Stanford, from Waterloo, N. Y., came in 1837, a stone mason by trade ; he built the stone mill at Lowell for Seeley & Elliott, an enduring mon- ument to the skill and fidelity of its builders. He married Mary Elliott, and moved on to a farm on S. 27, T. 32, R. 2, where he still resides. Has been Town Supervisor and held other positions of trust. STcetch of Settlers — Verm illion . 293 He has three children : Sarah, married Justin Hall, of Chatsworth ; Russell, married Mary Hutchinson ; Frank, is in Livingston Co. Mr. Stanford has a daughter, Susan, by a former wife, who married Henry Loomis, now in Kansas. Leonard Bullock, from Rehoboth, Mass., in 1837 ; he first engaged in teaching and then extensively in farming in company with his brother, Joseph, near Tonica. He married Julia Eames, and died in fall of 1856, leaving three children: Henry, married Fanny Laughlin, and lives near Tonica ; Eliza and Lura reside with their mother on the old farm. Henry L. Fulton, millwright, and Emeline Castle, his wife, from Waterloo, New York, came to Lowell in 1837, and moved to Chicago in 1842, where he now lives. They had two children : Juliette, mar- ried Thomas C. Whitmarsh, live in Chicago ; and Franklin, married Amelia Schock, now practicing as physician in Geneseo, Hlinois. Joseph Hamar, of Massachusetts, came to Illinois in 1835, in company with t>v. J. S. Bullock ; left Massachusetts in October, and came by the way of Albany, Erie canal and steamer to Cleveland, and by canal to Portsmouth, Ohio, and by steamer to St. Louis ; took passage for the Illinois river ; was detained by ice near Alton. Nov. 30th left the boat, and Mr. Hamar and Edw' d Knapp, also from Massa- chusetts, started on foot through a deep snow and over an uninhabited prairie for his destination in La Salle County. They reached Springfield Dec. 4, Tremont, on the 7th, and Bailey's Grove on the 11th. Dr. Bullock arrived by boat Jan. 2, 1836. In Janu- 294 History of La Salle County. ary, Mr. Hamar went to Dixon on foot to enter land, and was gone ten days. In the spring he was joined by his family and found quarters at the hospitable house of Lewis Bailey. He settled on S. 32, where he built a log cabin the following summer, the first in that locality that ventured to settle away from timber on the open prairie. Mr. and Mrs. Hamar, in common with their neighbors from iN'ew England, brought with them a high regard for the church and school-house, which they learned among their native hills. Mr. Hamar died Aug., 1846, aged 51. Mrs. Hamar died May, 1876, aged 78, leaving seven children : Elizabeth, now the widow of Samuel Wauchope, of Farm Ridge ; Mary Ann, widow of Oeorge Kingsbury, living near Tonica ; Minerva O. , wife of Nathan L. Eaton, living three miles east of Tonica ; Joseph E., living in Santa Barbara, Cal. ; Geo. E., is in Dodge County, Nebraska ; Therestal, died in 1846 ; Eugene lives in Tonica. Benjamin AVashburn, and wife, from Plymouth County, Massachusetts, in 1835 ; settled on S. 15. Had four sons : Benjamin, lives in Lowell ; Salmon B., is in Colorado ; Giistavus and Stillman are dead. Henry Angell, from Rhode Island ; left there in the fall of 1835. While on the way was frozen in on the Erie Canal, and wintered in Utica, New York ; arrived here in the spring of 1836, and settled at Yermillionville, where his wife died. He married Miss Washburn, and settled on S. 85 ; he died about 1850 ; his widow died in 1874. His children by his first wife are : Abbey, who married John Fry, her Sketch of Settlers — Vermillion. 295 second liiisband is John M. Trout, now in Kansas ; Henry, is in Nebraska ; Mary Jane ; Lydia, married Granville Clark. His children by his second wife are : Washburn and Albert, twin brothers — Albert is dead, Washburn married Miss Stillwell ; Everett, is married, and lives on the old place ; Ann, married Oeorge Enderton ; Hannah, married George Sharp. Mr. Wilkinson, from Rhode Island, came with Henry Angell, his brother-in-law, in 1836, and set- tled at Vermillionville ; soon after went to Iowa. Levi Woodward, and wife, from Massachusetts, came in 1837, and settled on S. 32, T. 32, R. 3, where he died in 1846. His widow married John Clai'k ; she became insane, and died in the Asylum at Jacksonville. Mr. Woodward left four children : Lewis, married Relefe G. Dart, second wife Marga- ret Dart, is living in the town of Allen, has twelve living children, and is a large farmer ; Ona, is living in Denver ; Mary, married a Mr. Richardson, and they are living in Iowa ; Elizabeth, married a Mr. Conway, of Missouri. Lloyd C. Knapp, came from Massachusetts in company with the family of Joseph Hamar, and Joseph Bullock, in the spring of 1836 ; he settled on S. 33, T. 32, R. 2, where he now lives. He married Sarah Kirkpatrick. Their children are : Alvan, who died soon after his return from the army, in the war of the rebellion ; Austin, lives in Kansas ; Sarah, wife of Nathan Hall, lives at East Lynn ; Dora, wife of Albert Hall, lives at Chats worth ; George, is at Anna, 111. ; and two younger children, at home. Joel Alvord, Edward Alvord, Nelson Alvord, 296 History of La Salle County. (sons of Joel), Jacob Barr, William Gfroom, and Madison Goslin, left Albany County, Xew York, in wagons, tlie loth day of May, 1833, for the West. In Chicago, they met Judge Isaac Dimmick, then returning from a tour of exploration, who directed them to this locality. They arrived here July 18th. A journey by land for hundreds of miles at that day through a country, most of it unsettled, without roads or bridges, can hardly be appreciated now. They were compelled to adopt camp life ; stopping at night on the bank of some stream, where wood and water could be procured, and sleeping in their wagons, or on the ground, and in some instances were compelled to build bridges to cross the streams. Madison Goslin died in the fall of 1833. Joel Alvord, and wife, in 1833, bought a claim of Jacob Moon, on S. 18, where he spent the remainder of his life a substantial farmer, and good citizen. He died, March, 1856, aged 76, leaving five children : Betsey, married Reuben Moifat ; Edward, married Elizabeth Cleveland ; Alison ; Nelson, a Baptist clergyman, married Sarah Bailey, and lives in Kansas ; Joel, married Lydia Hall, died of a wound. Jacob Barr married Harriet, daughter of John Slater, and is now living at Lowell ; has five children : Henry, married Harriet Alydo ; Sybil, married Eugene Miller ; Imogene, married Samuel Underhill, of Tonica ; Ellen, married Benton Crum- rin, now in California ; Arthur, is in California. The author is indebted to Mr. Barr for the history of the colony, of which he was one. Ezra Hawley, and wife, Rhoda M. Buck, came Sketch of Settlers — Vermillion. 297 from Bennington County, Yennont, to Sangamon County, and to Bailey's Grove, in June, 1835 ; set- tled on S. 20, where he is still living. His living children, are : Anson, at home ; Myron, who mar- ried Emeline Hall, in Vermillion ; Hiram, married Mary Goodwin, lives near the old place, Nathan Hawley, brother of Ezra, came from Ver- mont, July, 1836, and died the next October ; his widow, Chloe Ann Whiteside, lives near Peoria. Aurilla Buck, sister of Mrs. Ezra Hawley, came in 1836 ; she married John Becker ; is now a widow, living in Rockford. Jacob Burgess, came from Burlington County, New Jersey, in December, 1837 ; settled on Section 31. His wife was Olive Clark ; they are both dead. Ebenezer, married Mary Seeley, he died in 1841 ; Dorothy, married Jonathan Hutchinson, of Iowa ; Jacob, married Betsey Hall, and lives in Tonica ; Warren, married Emma Swift ; Stokes, married Emma Hiller; Sidney, married Miss Allen, on the old farm ; Mary, married Israel Hutchinson. Israel Hutchinson, from New Jersey, came in 183T, and settled on S. 32, where he still resides ; he married Mary Burgess, and has had fifteen children. Jonathan Hutchinson, from New Jersey, came in 1837 ; married Dorothy Burgess ; moved to Iowa. Bailey Barrass, from Saratoga, N. Y., in 1837 ; a carpenter and joiner by trade, an industrious and good mechanic ; he married Annis, daughter of John Bailey. He died in 1864, aged 51, leaving four children : John, died in the army ; Orvill, married 20 298 History of La iSalle County. Anna Fleming ; Onslow, married Margaret A. Mosier, of Tonica : Julia, at home. Josiah Seybold, from Southern Illinois, a native of the State, came in 1833. He built a flouring mill on the Vermillion, which was completed in 1836 ; he sold the mill to the Messrs. Todd, and moved on a farm in the town of Eden. While descending the Mississippi in a flat boat, he died at Xatchez. sus- pected of poison. He left three children ; Thad- deus, married Lizzie Denton, lives in Washington, D. C. ; Jerome, is in Chicago ; Mary, is the wife of Willis Stewart, of Putnam County. Mrs. Seybold, Nancy Scanlan, from Virginia, now lives with Mrs. Stewart. Chester Dryer, from Seneca County, N.Y., in Dec? 1835, his family came in June, 1836. A sad fatality attended his family ; his second son, Calvin, died in 1840 ; his oldest son, "William, died in 1841, and his wife, Sarah Hobro, died in 1842. Of seven children by his first wife, one only survives, Keziah, wife of Sanford Harwood. living in Iowa. Mr. Drver's second wife is Mary Little ; they have one daughter. He brought in the first threshing machine — a four- horse power that delivered the grain on the ground from the cylinder to be cleaned by the hand mill — an imperfect implement, but far better than tramping out the grain on the ground with horses or cattle. Mr. Dryer has held the office of Justice of the Peace for several years. George Brown, from New Hampshire, came in 18CU ; was part owner, with "William Seeley, of the Sketch of Settlers — Vermillion. 299 iiist sawmill built at Lowell; lie died at Seeley'a about 1836. Moses Little, son of Ebenezer, came from New Hampshire in 1837 ; settled on Section 33 ; removed, and died in Iowa, November, 1856. Fernal Little, from New Hampshire, came in 1837 ; went to the south part of the State. Deacon Button came from Ohio to Michigan, and from Michigan to S. 31, T. 32, R. 2, in 1835; in 1844 he moved to Wisconsin. He had a large family ; Rosanna, married Peter Schoonover; another daugh- ter married a Mr. Curtis ; Ann, went to Wisconsin ; Aladelphia, died at home. His sons were : Hollis ; Ard, married the widow Faro ; Charles, is a Baptist preacher of note ; Asa ; and some younger children. They all went to Wisconsin. Mr. Curtis, son-in-law of Button, came from Michi- gan with him, was constantly in litigation with his brother-in-law Schoonover till he left for Wisconsin with his wife' s father, when Schoonover had to find another opponent. Peter Schoonover came from Ohio and from Mich- igan here in 1830, settling on Sections 32 and 33 ; married Rosanna Button, and was a large farmer and stock raiser. He had a passion for litigation which was apparently uncontrollable, and he seemed in a state of suffering when denied the pleasure and ex- citement of a lawsuit. About 1857 he moved across the plains to Oregon, and when last heard from was preaching in California. He had but little education, but much practical shrewdness, and had learned by experience many quibbles and quirks of the law. 300 History of La Salle County. Nothing affoi'ded him more exquisite pleasure than to get the advantage of an opponent at law or to circumvent and outwit the simple men he employed to work his farm. The tale of his sharp transactions would fill a volume. His practice was, to make a written contract with the men he hired, so worded tliat the contract was sure to be broken, when the laborer got no pay. A few are inserted as a curiosity in their way. He sold a pair of steers for $65 worth 835, and took a note as follows : "One day after date, I promise to make for Peter Schoonover 32,000 oak shingles at $2.00 per M., Schoonover to furnish timber." The cattle were placed at double their value, and so was the work — but as the shingles could not be made in one day, the giver of the note was called on for the money at the advanced price. He arrested a German for burning some wheat stacks, as he claimed, by carelessness ; the frightened German who had not been near the stack, settled and gave a note for $100 ; this by advice, he refused to pay ; an arbitration followed, and Schoonover recovered $28. Anxious to pay it and be clear of the trouble, he traded a riHe worth $25 and a heifer worth $15 — all the property he had, with Schoon- over, and got an old rifle worth 50 cents and a credit on his note for $13. Now, says Schoonover, you can not read English, and will not comprehend an endorsement, you had better give me a new note for the $15 balance and take up the old note. He did so, but found he had received the $100 note that was killed by the arbitration — Schoonover retaining the Slietcli of Settlers — Vermillion. 301 twenty-eiglit and tlie fifteen dollar notes and the rifle and heifer. He hired two Germans to split 6,000 rails for $30, or $5 per M. , and to take in pay a mare for the $30. The rails were to be good size, not less than four inches square at the little end. One evening, Schoon- over says, " Bo3's, let me learn you a little shrewd- ' ness — it will enable you to get rich ; let us alter the terms of our contract, you give me $60 for the mare and I will give you $10 per M. for making the rails, it will be all the same ; if you buy the mare for $30, you can never sell her for more, but give $60 and she will sell for that." They did so. "When the rails were made, they would not measure four inches square at the small end, as no lot of rails ever did, and they got nothing for the splitting, and paid $60 cash for the mare worth $30, which he had induced them to take in advance, and they had traded away. As a specimen of his forensic ability, a sample is given. His father-in-law, Dea, Button, sued him for taking and butchering some of his hogs, and recov- ered. At the trial, Schoonover said: "This old man has followed me from Ohio to Michigan, and from Michigan to Illinois ; he has pursued me as Saul pursued David. And although I have had frequent opportunities I never cut off the tail of his €oat. How it looks for this old man to endeavor to destroy the reputation of the legal protector of the only unspotted daughter the old man has got ; this venerable old man with one foot in the grave, and God knows the other had ought to be." Benjamin Lundy, settled in the town of Vermil- 302 History of La Salle County. lion in 1838. His reputation is so world-wide that among the old settlers he deserves more than a pass- ing notice. His ancestors were from England and "Wales, and both his parents belonged to the Society of Friends. He was born at Hardwich, Sussex County, New Jersey, January 4, 1789. His educa- tional advantages were a few months only at a common school. He learned the trade of a saddler at Wheeling, Virginia, and as that place was then a great slave mart, he became strongl}^ impressed with the enormity of slavery. He here formed the ac- quaintance of William Lewis, and sisters, one of whom he afterwards married, and set up his busi- ness of saddler, at St. Clairville, on the Ohio. Al- though successful in business, he soon left it for the more congenial emplojanent of working for the free- dom of the slave. Lecturing, forming anti-slavery associations, and editing an abolition paper, was the commencement of a work to which he devoted his life. When he entered the field he promised never to leave it till he ceased to breathe or the object was accomplished ; he kept his word and died in the harness. Like Howard, the philanthropist, he made it a life-work, regardless of the sacrifices, pri- vations and personal dangers that beset his path. His was such a character as the world seldom pro- duces. It crosses the plodding, selfish track of common humanity like a luminous meteor passing athwart the sombre darkness of the midnight sky. Men pause while the evils and wrongs of society are exposed ; and those who are ever prone to travel thoughtlessly and without inquiry, in the ruts their Sketch of Settlers — Vermillion. 303 fathers made, even though they may be stained with the blood of suffering innocence, have their dor- mant and sleeping consciences aroused. Lundy was the first anti-slavery apostle, whose whole life was an offering on the altar of human rights ; his efforts aroused and enlisted Tappan, Goodell, Garrison, and others, who became his co- workers, and who carried on the work after Lundy had gone to his rest. He started an anti-slavery paper at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, in 1821, called the " Genius of Universal Emancipation." This paper he published some- times as a weekly, but generally as a monthly, with slight interruption, till his death, a period of eighteen years. After issuing eight monthly num- bers he removed " his paper to Tennessee where he continued till his removal to Baltimore in 1 824. The circulation of his paper was quite satisfactory, es- pecially so in most of the slave-holding States. His treatment of the subject, though firm and decided, was mild and conciliatory, yet it soon aroused the demon of slavery, and often exposed him to per- sonal danger. On one occasion in Tennessee, two- ruffians entered his office, shut and locked the door, and demanded the recantation of an article pub- lished in the "Genius," but he coolly faced and held them at bay till help arrived. The circulation of his paper had become so general over the whole country, that he thought its publi- cation in one of the Atlantic cities would increase its efficiency ; he selected Baltimore as being central, and within the shadow of the dark pall of human 304 History of La Salle County. slavery, and located there in 1824. In 1828, lie made a tour throuo-li Xew Eno-land, lecturino; and formino- his favorite anti-slavery societies, and increasing the circulation of his paper. On this trip he first made the acquaintance of Arthur Tappan, in New York ; of William Goodell, in Providence, and of William Lloyd Garrison, in Boston. Pi;£vious to this time, neitiier of those gentlemen had been very active in the anti-slavery cause. In November, 1828, he again traveled over New England and New York, and delivered fortv-three lectures while on the trip. The following winter he was assaulted and nearly killed in the streets of Baltimore by Austin Woolfolk, a slave-trader, for commenting on his conduct. The judge, before whom Woolfolk was tried, told the jury that Lundy got no more than he deserved, and when the jury ren- dered a verdict of guilty, the judge fined him one dollar, and gave the offensive article to the grand jury, informing them that it was libelous, but the jur}^ thought otherwise, and found no bill. The same winter Lundy went to Hayti in the interest of some manumitted slaves who were settled there in a state of freedom. While in Hayti his excellent and amiable wife and co-worker died, leaving him with a family of five children. Though keenly sensitive to his loss, his efforts in his life work were soon re- newed with his usual vigor. In the spring of 1829, he went again to Haj^ti on a similar mission. That spring Wm. Lloj'd Garrison joined him at Baltimore in editing the "Genius," Garrison was more severe in his language than Sketch of Stttlers — Vermillion. 305 Lundy, and was soon imprisoned for libel, and compelled to leave Baltimore. Soon after, a similar experience awaited Lundy, and he was compelled to remove liis paper to Washington. In the years 1830 and 1831, he traveled most of the time, taking some of his type and his subscription list with him. Stopping each month at some village printing office he would get the loan of press and types, issue his monthly edition, mail to his sub- scribers, and go on lecturing and forming societies; but Washington was nominally the place of pub- lication. Lundy visited Texas and Mexico three different times, to procure grants of land on which he could locate emancipated slaves, and raise cotton and sugar by free labor. He found encouragement in Texas, but the fillibustering on that contested field about that time defeated the object. He obtained a grant of 138,000 acres in the Mexican State of • Tamanlipas, on condition he should introduce 250 families ; this scheme received much favor at home, but the arrangement was also defeated by the Texas imbroglio. In these enterprises, Lundy seemed to trust in Providence, but more in his own industry and in- domitable pluck. On his arrival at Metamoras, on his journey to Mexico, his funds gave out ; he at once rented a room, went to work at his trade of saddler, earning sometimes five dollars per day, and when his purse was replenished, he again went on his way ; he had frequently done this before. His paper was prominent in all public questions 306 History of La Salle County. where slavery was involved. With the co-operation of John Q. Adams, he fought the enterprise of the Texan invaders, as he had before in 1823 and '24, taking a leading part in opposition to the attempt to introduce slavery into Illinois. It is singular, in the light of the subsequent history of the anti-slavery contest, that the movement inaugurated by Lundy should have made such headway in the slave States. His paper for August, 1825, states that he had more subscribers in North Carolina than in any other State. At an election in Baltimore, in 1826, Ray- mond, the anti-slavery candidate, received one- seventh of the votes cast ; this and other indications- show that there was a healthy anti- slavery senti- ment at the South, but the aristocratic slaveholders then, as since, when aroused, crushed it out and silenced its voice. A very unfortunate occurrence took place on the 3d of August, 1831, in the insur- rection of about fifty slaves in Southampton Co.^ Ya., under a fanatical preacher by the name of Nat Turner. They procured arms and commenced an indiscriminate massacre of all they met, without dis- tinction of sex or age, to the number in all of sixty- three, when they were dispersed. At the same time a plot for an insurrection of the slaves of several counties of North Carolina was discovered, and rumors of plots elsewhere were rife. The natural effect of all this was to prejudice the public mind against all anti-slavery efforts, and ta embitter the contest between the pro's and anti's. There is no probability that the anti-slavery movement had any inflaence in the Nat Turner in- Sketch of Settlers — Vermillion. 307' surrectioii ; Turner was a fanatic, and probably in- sane ; lie claimed to liave been commanded from heaven to do whit he did. In August, 1836, Lundy commenced in Philadel- phia the publication of a weekly paper devoted to emancipation, called the National Inquirer, and in 1838 relinquished its publication, and was succeeded by John G. Whittier. The "Genius," as a monthly, was published during this time at Philadelphia, where it had been removed from Washington. A large hall, costing $30,000, built by abolitionists and others, was opened on the 14tli of May, 1838, and several abolition meetings and discussions held tlierein. On the evening of the 17th, a mob assault- ed and burned the hall, with little opposition from the police ; the firemen protected the adjoining building, but did nothing to save the hall. This was done in staid Quaker Philadelphia, and shows the bitter contest then being waged on the slavery question. Lundy' s books, papers, clothing and other personal effects were all burned in the building. He had for sometime contemplated moving his paper to the then opening Northwest. He left Philadelphia in July, and arrived in Illinois in Sep- tember. Disappointed in an attempt to start his paper at Hennepin, he accepted a proposition from the citizens of Lowell, La Salle Co., and moved there- in the winter of 183S-9, built a house and printing office, and purchased a tract of land four miles dis- tant. Here his paper was published rather irregu- larly, for the want of funds, having at first no help- but his two sons, one of whom attended to the farm.- '308 History of La Salle County. In August he was attacked with bilious fever, then prevalent in that localit}^, and died on the 22d of August, 1839, in the 51st year of his age. His re- mains were buried in the Friend's burying ground •on Clear creek, in Putnam County, 111. The foregoing gives but a faint idea of the self- sacrifice, indomitable perseverance, and whole- souled philanthropy of Benjamin Lundy, for what- ever may be the views of anj^ one on the slavery question, it can not be denied that he deserves the name of a philanthropist in the broadest sense. He was not a fanatic ; his views w«^re broad and catho- lic, as is shown by the toleration of his efforts at the South, where his paper was as well received as at "the North. His efforts at colonization were broad and comprehensive, showing a cool head as well as a warm heart ; always conciliatory, but never yield- ing an iota of the rights of our common humanity, his was just the organization to lay broad and deep the foundations of universal emancipation. With an open and pleasing countenance, genial, and win- ning manners, he made friends of all his associates, while his convictions of truth and right were as firm as the granite hills ; neither povert}^, sickness, afflic- tion, toil and privation, mob violence, or the heel of the beastly Woolfolk, could swerve him from his purpose. His weapons were argument, reason, justice, and right, clothed in the garb of plain Quaker simplicity and sincerity; and when the contest became intenselj'' embittered, and insane passion put reason and right ;at defiance, it was, perhaps, well that he should Sketch of Settlers — Vermillion. 309^ quietly go to his rest beneath the peaceful sylvan beauties of the prairie, where coming generations will chant the praise of the Quaker philanthropist, whose quiet voice spoke terror to Tyranny's hosts, and inaugurated the work that finally broke the fetters of the slave. Mr. Lundy left five children, two sons and three daughters : Susan, married Wm. Wiseman, of Put- nam County, now in Kansas ; Eliza, married Isaiah Griffith, live in Iowa. Mr. Lundy' s sons are both dead. Charles, died in Oct., 1858; his widow, Mrs. E. M. Lundy, is living at Granville, Putnam County. Benjamin, married, practiced medicine in Magnolia, and died there, leaving one son, William L., the only male descendant, who is clerk in a drug store, in Henry ; his widow married C. C. Gappin, and lives in Lacon. Esther, the twin sister of Benjamin, died single. Zebina Eastman was assisting Mr. Lundy in the publication of his paper, at the time of Lundy' s death, and immediately after commenced the publi- cation of the "Western Citizen," an anti-slavery paper, at Chicago, which was continued for several years, and was really a continuation of Lundy' s work in the Northwest. David Perkins came from New York in 1837. He married Miss Barrass ; resided at Lowell several years, and removed to Chicago, where he is now living. Dr. Jethro Hatch, and wife, Ruth Cogswell, came from New Preston, Ct., in 1834 ; was a physician of good practice. Had two daughters : Mary Ann 310 History of La Salle County. and Elizabeth. Mrs. Hatch died about 1845 ; the Doctor died about 1850. MANLIUS. The town of Manlius embraces that portion of T. 33, R,5, lying north of the Illinois river. It formerly embraced the south half of T.34.R.5, which now con- stitutes a part of the town of Miller. It has consider- able bottom land along the Illinois, much of it valu- able, considerable bluff and broken land, and about one-third of the town is covered with bluff timber. Probably half the town is prairie of excellent qual- \tj. The Illinois & Michigan Canal and C, R. I. & P. R. R. pass through the bottom between the bluff and the river, bringing a choice of transportation facilities to the doors of all its people. The town of Marseilles is about equally divided between the towns of Rutland and Manlius, and is destined to be an important place. The Grand Rapids of the Illinois furnish a water power equal to any de- mand that will be mnde upon it, and the earliest as well as all subsequent settlers have marked it as destined for a brilliant future. In some respects it has been unfortunate, thus far, suffering severely from fire in several instances ; but it has surmounted these and is now doing a success- ful manufacturing business, aggregating nearly half a million of dollars annually, which is nearly all labor. This is but a trifle of what the future will develop here. How soon it will realize that pros- Sketch of Settlers — Manlius. 311 perity which its resources indicate, will depend upon national and local conditions which time alone will develop. Wm. Richey was born in Pennsylvania, emigrated to Huron County, Ohio, where he heard the cannon- ading at the time of Perry's victory on Lake Erie. Lost his first wife and married Dolly Wilson, a Kentucky woman, near Indianapolis, in 1828. Moved to Wisconsin, and engaged in lead mining. In October, 1829, came to La Salle County, and made a claim on S. 17, T. 33, R. 4, w-here William Moore now lives. He was accompanied by his son William W., the only child of his first wife that came West. The son stayed on the claim while the father went to the Blue Mounds for the family. They came by the way of Dixon, in a "prairie schooner," with a span of horses, and an ox and cow yoked to- gether ; arrived on the claim in January, 1830, The only neighbor was James Galloway. In February, 1830, Mrs. Galloway died. Mr. Richey and son cut down a black walnut tree the Indians had girdled, and split out some puncheon boards and made a coffin, in which Mrs. Galloway was buried. In the spring of 1830 Mr. Richey sold his claim to Abra- ham Trnmbo. They then made a claim near Gallo- way's, but sold to Galloway soon after and made a claim on the S. E. i S. 18, T. 33, R. 5, and in the winter of 1831 built a cabin in the ravine near the Dr. Ward place, the first cabin built in Marseilles, and where James Richey was born, the first birth in what is now Marseilles. William W. sowed a small patch of wheat where the sod had been killed 312 History of La Salle County. by Indian cultivation ; he got some wheat, but, what was more valuable, unwittingly got a pre-emption, and as he and his father were on the same quarter section, they were each entitled to a float on eighty acres elsewhere. They sold their floats to John Green, for which he entered their quarter section ; they thus secured their quarter section without money and without price. After the massacre at Indian Creek, in 1832, William W. went to Seneca to notify Abel Sprague, who had a claim there, and then moved the family to Ottawa. The father was a teamster for the army, and the son enlisted as a soldier. They were discharged on the banks of the Wisconsin river. In the fall they heljDed Ephraim Sprague, Charles Brown, and Richard Hogaboom build a dam and dig a race for a saw-mill at Mar- seilles. William Richey died about 1842 ; his wife died in 1839. William W married Widow Green, and lives in the town of Brookfteld. Abner Stebbins came from New York in 1834 ; settled on S. 4, T. 33, R. 5. George W. Brumback says he was the best axe man he ever knew, the best worker and most honest man ; he went to Iowa. Abdolonymus Stebbins, brother of Abner, and wife, Julia Webber, came from New York in 188.5, and settled on S. 8, T. 33, R. 5. Had ten children. Brumback says he was not so good a worker but a better talker than Abner ; that he was a staunch Whig, in favor of internal improvements, of devel- oping manufactures, arts and sciences, and delighted in talking on these subjects by the hour ; that there Sketch of Settlers — Manlius. 313 have been bigger fools in the United States Senate than Abdolonymus ; that the good seed sown by him is still bearing frnit ; but that his Democratic neighbors held him and his political heresies in utter contempt. His children were : Henry, married Mary Ann Pope, his second wife was Miss Bignal, is now in Iowa ; Louana, married Jacob Reser, of Pon- tiac ; Lorinda, married Volney Wood, both are de- ceased ; Mary, died single ; Louisa, married Gale Waterman, of Seneca ; Emery, married Laura Lam- my, of Iowa ; Edgar, is in Missouri ; Austin, mar- ried Miss Wiley, now in Florida. There are two younger sons. Lovell Kimball, from Watertown, Jefferson Co., 'New York, came in 1833. Brumback says there has never been a man of greater abilities in Marseilles, except Daniel Webster, and he stayed only one night. Kimball was an active business man, ener- getic, venturesome and unscrupulous ; he built a saw-mill, and in 1840 was a member and agent of a company that erected the best flouring mill, probably then in the State ; it had eight run of stone, was forty feet high above the foundation, and every way complete. When Kimball commenced his improvement he found Ephraim Sprague in possession of a part of the water privilege, owning and running a saw-mill. Kimball so made his dam as to flood out the privi- lege of Sprague, and as Sprague had no title but a claim on Government land, he found himself dis- possessed of his little property with no redress but Kimball's generosity, and as that did not serve, he 314 History of La Salle County. left in despair, and as lie did so, he raised his hands and prayed that water miglit wash away, and fire burn all in Marseilles, as long as the memory of Kimball sliould last. This is related by the old settlers of Marseilles, and is called "Sprague's curse." Kimball's saw-mill and the flouring mill were burned on the night of the 18th of May, 1842 ; he rebuilt the saw-mill, but never recovered from the loss, as, by some quibble, the Insurance Company evaded payment, and the flouring mill was never rebuilt. The members of the Marseilles company that built the mill were : Gurdon S. Hubbard, of Chicago ; Robert P. Woodworth, James A. Wood- worth, Lovell Kimball, Augustus Butterfield, Wm. Whipple, and James Brown. Kimball died in 1848 or 9 ; after Kimball's death, his widow married Orville Cone, of Morris ; she died in 1875. L. S. P. Moore, from Vermont, came in 1838 ; a wagon maker by trade. He married Jemima Reser, and is still living in Marseilles. Vivaldi More}^, came from New York to Illinois, in 1837, with his wife, Emily Brown, and settled on S. 32, T. 34, R. 5 ; went to Kendall County for five years ; now living in Marseilles. His children are : Sarah, who married Melvin Prescott, of Marseilles ; Wm. A., married H. C. Belknap, his second wife was A. P. Skinner — he is a lawyer, Justice of the Peace and Town and City Clerk ; Frances, married H. G. Peister ; Emily A., married F. W. Simpson, and Nettie, married R. W. Kilbourn, all of Marseilles. Hanson Morey, came from New York in 1835, and settled on S. 8, T, 33, R. 5 ; left in about two years. Sketch of Settlers — Manlius. 815 Nelson Morey, brother of tlie above, came about the same time and went to Texas. John Harrington, from England to New York in 1836 ; bachelor ; grain dealer in Marseilles. Thos. Harrington, brother of above, was drowned at the time of the flood in 1838. The ice gorged on the island below Marseilles, and flooded nearly the whole town, Joseph Brumback, from Licking Co., Ohio, ar- rived here Aug. 3, 1 832, built a cabin on S. 6, T. 33, R. 5, and lived in it nineteen years. His neighbors very appropriately called him the Patriarch Joseph, as he had nineteen children and eight step-children. His flrst wife was Mary Parr, who died, leaving four children ; George W., lives in Manlius, is County Surveyor of La Salle County ; Elizabeth and Mary, are dead ; Samuel, lives at Odell. His second wife was Margaret Oatman ; she died in 1842 ; had one child, Margaret, now dead. His third wife was Comfort Young, who died in 1858 ; had eight child- ren : Newton W., Jervis J., both in Bates Count}^, Mo. ; Ada Perkins, Grundy County ; Joseph Jefler- son, Livingston County ; John Howey, Merritt M. , and Oby David, all in Odell ; Nite E. died. His fourth wife was Margaret Hart ; had six children : Ella, Viola, Mirza, L-a E., Ezra H., and Oliver C, who are all at home. Christopher Massey, and wife, Sarah Bennett, from New England to Hlinois in 1838. He died in 1877 ; his widow is living. He left three children : Ann, married Jas. Mossman, her second husband was Mr. Jacobs ; Susan, married George Turner, of Indiana ; Charles, is in Grundy County. 316 History of La Salle County. Jonathan Massey, brother of Christopher, came at the same time. His wife was Xancy Dow. He died in 1866, and his widow died in 1876. He left five children : Adeline, married Mr. Houghton, of Michi- gan : Stillman E., married Miss McEwen, and lives in Morris ; Mja-a, married Mr. Pettis, of Morris ; Horace and Lizzie, are single. Israel Massey, brother of the foregoing, came at the same time, with his wife, Phebe Gardner. Has five children : Warren, married Caroline Barbour, and lives in Nebraska ; Mary A., married Mr. Young of the City of Washington : Gordon, is in Chicago ; Sylvanus, is dead ; Frank, is in Nebraska. Dr. Robert P. Woodworth, fi'om New York, 1837, one of the firm that built the Marseilles Mill, went to Ottawa, was postmaster and merchant ; moved to Peru ; was killed by an accidental gun- shot wound while hunting. Jas. H. W^oodworth, brother of the above, from New York, 1837, also one of the Marseilles mill firm: after the burning of the mill moved to Chicago; was a member of Congress one term, and died at Evanston. David Olmstead, and wife, Mary Linderman, from Tioga County, New York, 1833 ; settled on S. 10, T. 33, R. 5: died 1846. They had eleven children : Dea. Hiram, settled on a farm in Free- dom, now in Ottawa, married the widow of Rev. Chas. Harding, had four children ; Allen, married Mercy Baker, live in Marseilles ; Lewis, married Lydia Ackley at Marseilles : Edward A., in Grundy County ; Sally Ann, married Lewis Linderman in Sketch of Settlers — Manlius. 317 Boone County; Anson, married Phebe M. Jameson ; Wesley, is a Methodist Episcopal preacher in Min- nesota ; Ann, Mary and William, with their mother, moved to Minnesota ; Curtis, is in McLean County. Ephraim Sprague came first to Ottawa, and to Marseilles in the spring of 1833 ; built a dam and saw-mill, completed in the fall of 1833. A dam built below him ruining his mill power, he moved to Grundy County. Abel Sprague made a claim near where Seneca now is, on the Crotty place, sold the claim to two young men by the name of Stocking, and they sold to one Carter, who afterwards abandoned it. In 1841, when work was resumed on the canal, Jeremiah Crotty occupied it. Dolphus Clark, and wife, Sally Loring, from Ontario County, N. Y., in the fall of 1836 settled on S. 5, T. 33, R. 5 ; first a farmer ; present residence in Marseilles. Children : Carlos, married Clarissa Dyke, live in Nebraska ; Adaline, married Samuel Parr, now a widow in Marseilles ; Mercy, married Sylvester Renfrew, live in Nebraska ; Sally Ann, married D. A. Nicholson in Marseilles ; Caroline, married H. W. Morey, died from the bite of a rattlesnake ; John, married Mary Jane Kerns, lives in Iroquois County ; Mary, married Ebenezer Bar- bour in Marseilles ; Richard, married Mary Parr in Nebraska ; Clara M., married F. E. Titus in Morris, Grundy County. Wm. R. Loring, from New York, came here in 1838, married Jane Micca, and settled on S. 32, T. 34, R. 5 ; now in Benton County, Iowa. 318 History of La Salle County. Jacob Reser, from New York, came here in 1838 ; died thirty years since, leaving five children, two now living: Jacob, Jr., married Louana Stebbins, and settled on S. 2, T. 33, R. 5, now in Livingston County ; Jemima, married L. S. P. Moore, and resides in Marseilles. Nathaniel Neece, and wife, Miss Lewis, came here in 1836 ; now in Iowa. James Dyke, and wife, Mary Sabin, from Connec- ticut, came here in 1837, settling on S. 5, T. 33, R. 5 ; was killed by the fall of a tree, February, 1844, leaving a widow and six children, all now dead but one, Eunice, who married Perry Baker, and lives in Missouri. Seth Otis, father in-law to A. D. Butterfield, from Watertown, N. Y., resided here a short time. Geo. W. Brumback, now County Surveyer of La Salle County, says that Otis' family were well educated and intelligent ; that Mr. Otis came to his father's, and finding their stock of book knowledge was con- tained in one Bible, one Methodist hymn book, one Pike's arithmetic, an old work on chemistry and Cobb's speller, very generously, and unsolicited, loaned them a portion of his library, of which they made good use. The next season the neighbors put up a small log school house, and Otis' daughter Mary, now Mrs. Mancell Talcott, of Chicago, kept school for them. Brumback thinks that without Otis' books, and Mary's teaching, some other person than Geo. W. Brumback would be County Surveyor of La Salle County to-day. Otis soon after moved to Chicago, and died there several years since. Sketch of Settlers — JManliiis. 319 John Loring, and wife, Louisa Micca, from Bloom- field, Ontario County, New York, came here in 1835, and settled on S. 31, T. 31, R. 5, where he still resides. They have five children : Eliza Jane, married Milton Peister, of Rutland ; Hulbert, mar- ried Mary Bosworth — his wife is deceased, and he lives with his father ; George, and Alzina, are at home. David Loring, brother of John, from the same place to Ohio ; came here in 1836. Married Eliza- beth Nichols, and settled on S. 5, T. 33, R. 5 ; removed to Nebraska. Richard Ives, from Tompkins County, New York, came here in 1835 ; resided here about eight years, then went to Will County, and thence to Grundy County. Horace Sabin came from Connecticut in 1836, and died in 1837. His widow and son are living in Minnesota. David Meacham died soon after his settlement, leaving three or four children ; one is in California, and one in Grundy County. Reuben Simmons, and wife, Susan Kinney, came from New York in 1834, and settled on S. 4, T. 33, R. 5. Moved to Iowa in 1855. His children are : Joshua, Lois, Melinda, Eliza, Emily, and Frank. Giles W. Jackson, came from New York in 1836. He married Hannah Jennings, and settled on S. 20, T. 33, R 5. In 1854 he removed to Ottawa, and for several years was the senior member of the firm of Jackson & Lockwood, hardware merchants. He is now retired. Mr. Jackson was the first Supervisor 320 History of La Salle County. of the town of Manilas, has been Agent of the county for the care of the poor and poor farm for several years, and Alderman of the city. His children are: Henry A,, in Kansas; Elizabeth, is Mrs. Morgan, of St. Louis ; Harriet, married Chas. Catlin, of Ottawa. Samuel Bullock, from Boston, came here in 1834. He married Rlioda Bailey, daughter of John Bailey, of Vermillion. He left his family in 1850 and went to California, and did not return. Mrs. Bullock died in 1873. Of their children, Elisha married Brintha Hall, in Rutland ; Samuel and William are in Indiana ; Martha married George Jacobs, in Nebraska. DEER PARK. Deer Park, called after the romantic grotto of that name, which lies within its borders, is com- posed of that part of T. 33, R. 2, lying south of the | niinois river, and that portion of T. 32, R. 2, lying north of the Yermillion. It occujoies the point between the two rivers, and is nearly in the shape of a triangle. A considerable portion of its territory is covered by the bottom and bluff timber along the streams, and much mineral wealth will be extracted from those bluffs ; coal, fire clay, and stone, for lime and for building purposes, exist in large quantities. The high ridge of prairie extending through Farm Ridge, extends through this town, but is broader, giving the whole town a high rolling face, with ex- Sketch of Settlers — Deer Park. 323 cellent drainage ; and a more beautiful section of land can hardly be found in the State. Martin Reynolds, and wife, Elizabeth Hitt, came from Champaign County, Ohio ; removed to Jack- sonville 111., in 1827, and in 1829 located on S. 29, T. 33, R. 2, in present town of Deer Park ; the first settler in the town. For the purpose of securing educational advantages for his children, in 1838 he removed to Ogle County and assisted in establish- ing and sustaining the Mt. Morris Academy. He returned to his farm in Deer Park in 1844, where he resided until his death. His wife died in 1849, leav- ing six children, (Mr. Reynolds subsequently mar- ried the widow Thurston) : Joseph, married, and lived near the old homestead, where he died in 1870 ; James C, married Caroline Clayton, and re- sides on S. 28, T. 33, R. 2* a large farmer and stock dealer, has been Supervisor of the town several terms, the first Anglo-Saxon born in Deer Park ; Robert, occupies the old homestead ; Margaret, married B. T. Phelps, and lives in Ottawa ; Caro- line, married Joseph Gum ; Elizabeth, married L. P. Sanger, formerly of Ottawa and Joliet, now in Utah. Joseph Reynolds, brother of the foregoing, from Champaign County, Ohio, came to Deer Park iu the spring of 1830, where his three sons. Smith, Newton, and Milton, had located the previous fall, on what is now the Clayton farm ; they sold the claim to Vroman, and located at Troy Grove, the first settlers in that locality. John Wallace came from Urbana, Ohio, with his, 824 History of La Salle County. family, and made a farm on the point of prairie just above the junction of the Vermillion and Illinois and between the two rivers, in the summer of 1834. In 1838 he removed to Ogle County, in company with Martin Reynolds, to obtain a better opportu- nity for educating their children. He remained there until his death in 1854. leaving thirteen chil- dren : Eliza, married Caleb Hitt, brother to her step- mother, Wallace's second wife, and Mrs. Martin Reynolds ; Mary BeiTy, died single ; Josiah, was a merchant, and died in Chicago unmarried ; William H. L., was killed at the battle of Shiloh (see Ottawa) ; Sarah Ann, is the wife of Dr. R. Shackle- ford, of Ohio ; Thomas, died at La Salle on his way home from Wisconsin ; Margaret, died single ; Martin R. M., was Major and promoted to Lieut. Colonel and Colonel of 4th Cavalry, and breveted Brigadier- General — was assessor of internal revenue for First District, Illinois, and in November, 1869, was elected County Judge in Chicago — his wife is Emma, daughter of George W. Gilson — he has a large family ; Barbara, married William T. Cooper, of Polo, Ogle County ; John Fletcher, died of yel- low fever, in Texas, in 1867 ; Elislia Berrj^, was the first of the family born in La Salle County, went South in 1856, and has not been heard from since 1869 ; Matthew H. W., enlisted in the 4th cavalry and was drowned at Cairo ; Caleb Hitt, married V. Belle, youngest daughter of Judge T. L. Dickey, and is living in the Sandwich Islands. Mrs. Elsa Strawn Armstrong, from Licking County, Ohio, leaving her husband in Ohio, settled on Sec- Slcetch of Settlers —Deer Parle. 325 tions 35 and 36, T. 33, R. 2, in town of Deer Park, in 1831, with a family of seven children. A woman of great energy and business capacity. She died in 1871, aged 82 years. Her children were : John S., living in town of Mission; George W, in Brookfield ; William E. died in Ottawa; Joel W., (see below) ; Jeremiah died in California ; Perry lives in Morris, Grundy County, lawyer and member of the legislature ; and one son, who lives in California. Joel W. Armstrong came from Ohio with his moth- er' s family in 1831, married Cordelia Champlin, and settled on Sections 35 and 36, T. 33, R. 2 ; was a large farmer and stock dealer ; he was a teamster with the army in the Black Hawk war when a mere lad ; he held the office of County Recorder ; was several terms Justice of the Peace and Town Supervisor ; a good business man and prominent citizen. He died in 1871, leaving five children. Mulford, his oldest son, died before his father, just after graduating at the Chicago University with the first honors — much regretted ; was a young man of great promise. Nellie married E. C. Lewis, and lives on the old homestead ; Julia married Isaac Smead, and lives at Normal ; Cora, Walter and Hart are at home. Judge Isaac Dimmick, and wife, Clarissa Norton, from Wayne County, Pa., came West in the spring of 1833 ; he returned and brought out his family in the fall, and located at Vermillionville. He laid out and was the owner of the town of Vermillionville, which promised well for a time, but like many other towns of that day, refused to grow faster than the surrounding country, and was forced, with them, 326 History of La Salle County. eventually to yield the palm to the railroad centres. Mr. Dimmick held the office of Judge in Pennsj^l- vania, and was County Commissioner for several terms here. He removed to Ottaw^a, where he died, aged 91. His children were: Lawrence W., who came with his father in 1833, married Cynthia Jenks, was Deputy Surveyor, and settled on T. 32, R. 2, where he died in 1852 ; Esther, married Dea. Wood, she died in 1856; Dr. L. N., a physician, married and practiced at Freedom, then at Ottawa, where he kept a drug store, and is now living at Santa Barbara, California; Philo C, married Sarah Yost, and for his second wife, Miss Stewart — occupied the old farm, then joined his brother in the drug store in Ottawa, now at Santa Barbara, California ; Ann, with her mother, lives in Ottawa ; Olive, is now the widow of James Van Doren, and lives in Ottawa. Dr. James T. Bullock, from Rehoboth, Mass. He left there for Illinois in 1835, by the way of Providence, New York, Albany, Cleveland, Ports- mouth, Ohio, and the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois rivers, and reached La Salle County on January 2d, 1836. He settled at Vermillionville, and at once commenced practice as a physician, which he fol- lowed successfully for forty years. His literary education was completed at Brown University, Rhode Island, and he took his medical course at Boston. He died October, 1875, highly respected as a man and physician. He married Nancy Barrows of Massachusetts, who survives him. His children are : Sarah, who married Rev. Mr. Dickinson, and Sketcli of Settlers — Deer Park. 327 lives in Massachusetts; Ella married Robt. Galloway, who died in 1869, she is now the wife of Mr. Hay, and is living at Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory ; Frank W. married Agnes Baird, is a physician, and succeeds to his father's practice; Lena lives with her mother. John Hollinger, from Champaign County, Ohio, in 1833 ; settled on Section 4, T. 82, E. 2 ; died Jan. 4th, 1836. His widow married Thomas J. Potter in 1838, and died September 3d, 1840. The Hollinger childreii are: John D., who married, and lives at Granville, Putnam County; Martin H., married, and lives in Page County, Iowa ; Maria H. is dead; Harry C, married, a physician at Salt Lake City ; Wm. S., married, living in De Witt County, Iowa ; Elizabeth, deceased ; Caroline S., wife of James Holman, of Deer Park ; Mary A. Barbary, married, and moved to Iowa, both herself and husband were killed by lightning. Jason Wis wall, from Susquehanna County, Pa., spring of 1833, by way of Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois rivers, and by Chicago home. In 1835, in company with Enos Thatcher, came through from Pennsylvania by wagon, with his wife, Sally Stanley, and family, and settled on S. 12, T. 82, R. 2. He died in 18Y5, aged 92, a quiet, honest, worthy man. His wife died 1852. His children were : Jason P. and William ; Emily, wife of Matthew R. Coon ; Jane, wife of Cook Elliott and afterwards of Harvey Kingsley. Jason P. Wiswall, son of above, and wife, Julia Dimmick, came from Susquehanna County, Pa., by 328 History of La Salle County. way of Chicago, fall of 1833, made a farm on S. 10, and in 1835 sold claim to E. and R. B. Williams and located on Sees. 12 and 13, T. 82, R. 2, where he is now living; has been Justice of the Peace for several years, and Town Supervisor. His children are : Adaline, who married Jacob Cad well, and lives in California ; Hannah, married Alfred Symonds, and lives in California ; Caroline, married M. McMillan, now in Iowa ; Harriet, married Alexander Cad well, now in California ; Julia, married O. Paine, lives in La Salle County ; Jerusha, married James Garri- son, at Grand Ridge, 111. ; Edwin, at home. William Wiswall, brother of Jason P., and wife, Louisa Case, from same place, came by the rivers in the fall of 1S34 ; settled on S. 12, T. 32, R, 2. His wife died in 1856. With his two sons, Bruce and Ferris, and daughter Sarah, moved to Colorado. Jedediah Beckwith, and wife, from Wayne Coun- ty, Pa., in 1833 came to Hennepin, Putnam County, and to Deer Park in 1834 ; made a farm on S. 13, T. 32, R. 2. ; died, 1838 ; leaving two children : Horace, married Miss Collins, and moved to Iowa ; Emily, is a seamstress, and lives at Wenona, this county. Bradish Cummings, and wife, Sophia Sergeant, from Ware, Massachusetts, in 1834, settled on S. 11, T. 32. R. 2. His wife died in April, 1835. He mar- ried Betsey Hatch, from Connecticut, in 1836. Sold his farm to Nathan Applebee, and moved to Brook- lyn, Iowa. His children are : Sergeant, who mar- ried Mary Haj^s ; Henry, married Mary Peck ; William, married Susan Crusen ; and Charles — have Sketch of Settlers — Deer ParTc. 829 all four settled in Iowa , Sophia, married Samuel J. Hayes, and lives in Farm Ridf^e ; Frances, married Moreland Francis, and lives in Iowa ; Almira and Maria, children of the second wife, went with their parents to Iowa, Camp Hatch, and wife, Miss Ambler, from New Preston, Ct., in the spring of 1831. settled on S. 9, T. 32, R. 2. He died in the fall ot 1835. His widow married Jabez Whiting, Jabez Whiting, from England, came to Vermil- lionville in 1836 ; married the widow of Camp Hatch, and in 1869 or '70 moved to Iowa. Held the office of Justice of the Peace one term. Had two sons : Adolphus and John— all in Iowa. Matthew R, Coon, and wife, Emily Wiswall, from Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1834, with Williain Wiswall, came by the rivers, and settled on S. 12, T. 32, R. 2 ; moved to Iowa about 1845, and from there to California, where he died, leaving four children, Enos Thatcher, and wife, A. Case, came from Pennsylvania in wagons, with Jason Wiswall, in 1835, and settled on S. 12, T 32, R. 2 ; served as Constable for several years ; a teacher and leader of sacred music. His wife died in 1838 ; his son Henry, and daughter Elizabeth, who married Godfrey Lin- coln, are both in Oregon. Mr. Thatcher married a second wife, who with their children, George and Celia, reside in Livingston County, Mr. Thatcher is now with his children in Oregon. Ephraim Dimmick, brother of Isaac Dimmick, and wife, Jerusha Dunham, from Wayne County, 22 330 History of La Salle County. Pa., in the fall of 1833, and settled on S. 33, T. 32, R. 2 ; his wife died in 1848 ; he is still living with his son-in-law, J. P. Wiswall, at the lipe age of 90. His children w^ere one son and three daughters: Franklin, who married Harriet Hubbard, and set- tled on S. 26, T. 33, R. 2— was a joiner by trade, and a successful farmer — he died in 1866, leaving eight children ; Julia, married J. P. Wiswall ; Sophia, married Lewis Rugg, and resides in Pontiac ; Minerva, married James M. Leonard — died in 1875. Harvey Hatch (deaf and dumb), came from New Preston, Conn,, a brother of Dr. Jethro Hatch and of Mrs. Bradish Cummings, settled on S. 10 ; mar- ried, and removed to Galesburg, where he is now living. Rev. Thomas Powell, a Baptist clergyman, and his wife, Elizabeth Day, came from Saratoga, N.Y., ill June. 1836, and located on S. 14, T. 32, R. 2, but resided and preached at Vermillionville ; was pastor of the church at that place nine years ; he was the pioneer Baptist of this region, and formed a large number of churches in La Salle and adjoining counties , he was a faithful and earnest worker, and the denomination owes him a debt of gratitude for the work he has accomplished ; he is living in Ot- tawa in good health at a ripe old age. His cliildren are : Euphemia, widow of Mr. Foote, living with her daughter in Ottawa ; Barbara Ann, married Mr. Jacoby, she is now deceased ; William T., is now in Cliicago ; Mary E., married H. C. Strawn, and lives in Ottawa ; Sarah P., is deceased ; Benjamin R., is in Dubuque, Iowa ; John D., is in Chicago ; Truman Sketch of Settlers — Deer Park. 331 S., is in College in Missouri ; Isaac W., is in Pella University. Livingston Jenks, and wife, came from Bradford County, Pa., in 1838; settled at Vermillionville ; served as Justice of the Peace for several years ; he died at Tonica in 1870 ; his widow died in 1872. His children are : Oliver, a physician in Marengo, 111., Chancellor, a lawyer in Chicago ; Charles, is in Cali- fornia ; Morgan and John, are in Chicago ; Cynthia, is the widow of L. W. Dimmick ; Nancy, is mar- ried ; Sarah, married Mr. Shed ; Abbey, is in Cali- fornia ; Olive, married Dr. Jennings, and they are also in California. Charles Jenks, brother of Livingston, a bachelor ; lived with his brother. He died in Chicago in 1877. Ira L. Peck, came from Saratoga, N. Y., and settled in Vermillionville. In 1835, he married Miss Allen, and subsequently a second wife ; he is de- ceased ; his family are in Iowa. His children were : Mary, who married Henry Cummings ; Ira, is mar- ried ; Jane, Wayland, and Julia, are at home. David Clark, and his wife, Debby Ann Gorbet, came from Clermont County, Ohio, in 1836, and settled at Vermillion, where he worked at his trade for several years, then removed to Utica, and is now living in Waltham ; a good blacksmith, and an honest man. Andrew Kirkpatrick, and his wife, Ann Lefevre, came from Champaign County, Ohio, in the fall of 1837, and settled on S. 8, T. 32, R. 2 ; is a potter by trade ; and for several years carried on the manu- facture of stone ware ; he died in the spring of 1866, 332 History of La Salle County. and left five sons, and two daughters : John, married Rebecca Brant, 2d wife, Mary Mays, now in Texas ; iS'athaniel, is in Southern Illinois ; Sarah Ann, mar- ried Lloyd C. Knapp, and died Jan. 6, 1857 ; Corn- well, and Wallace, manufacture stone ware, at Anna, Union County ; Andrew, married Anna Woodward, and died in 1853 ; Murray, married Diantha Baldwin, and lives in Lowell ; Mary Jane, married Alfred Slater, and lives at Metropolis, 111. James M. Leonard, came from Middleborough, Plymouth County, Mass., in the spring of 1834, and settled at Yermillionville. He married, second wife, Minerva Dimmick. In company with Seth Eaton, he erected a dam and saw-mill on the Yermillion, in April, 1835, and completed a flouring mill in 1836 ; the company kept a store, and for several years did a heavy business in the flouring mill, but were unfortunate in losing their dam several times. Mr. Leonard died in 1852, leaving one son and two daughters by his first wife, and one son and one daughter by his last wife, who died in 1874. Man- ning Leonard, son of above, married Miss Sumner, and died at Tonica, in 1870 ; Eliza Ann, married Charles Todd, who died of cholera at La Salle in 1S52 : Fanny, died in 1852. Seth Eaton, came from Middleborough, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, in September, 1834, and settled at Yermillionville ; was partner with James M. Leonard, in a store, saw, and flouring mill, and is now residing in the town' of Yermillion ; his wife, Miss Allen, died, and he afterward married Maria Bailey, His son, Frank, was killed in the Sketch of Settlers —Deer Park. 333 battle at Fort Donaldson. The children of his last wife are : Clarence, Sarah, Belle, and Anna — all at home. John Beeson, and his wife, came from England to New York, and to Illinois in 1835, and settled on S, 5, T. 32, R, 2. He was a radical abolitionist, and lectured upon anti-slavery, temperance, and other reforms ; removed to Oregon, and espoused the cause of the red man, and is now on a mission to the In- dian reservations, laboring to get justice done to the poor Indian; an honest, true, but over zealous friend of humanity, and will doubtless find wrongs enough to be righted, to occupy the remainder of his life. He had one son, Welburn, who is residing with his mother, in Oregon. William Wheatland, and his wife, came from England, to Urbana, Ohio, and from there here in 1835, and settled on S. 3, T. 32, R. 2 ; he was a local Methodist preacher ; he filled a humble place as a preacher among the few early settlers, which without him, would have been vacant ; both he and his wife have long since gone the way of all the earth. • He had one son, Isaac, of Farm Ridge. Edward R. Williams, came from New Milford, Connecticut, in the summer of 1835, He was edu- cated as a cadet, at West Point, and served as a lieutenant in the United States army, for five years, when he resigned, and came to Illinois. He settled on S. 34, T. 33, R. 2, where he still resides. He married Huldah Kent, and has four children. Robert B. Williams, brother to Edward R., from the same place, and came at the same time, and 334 History of La Salle County. settled on S. 10, T. 32, R. 2. He married Miss Allen ; after her death, he married Sarah Herring- ton, who lived but a short time ; his third wife was the widow Beach, from Connecticut, who also died in 18T2. He has two children : Jehiel, who married Lncy White, and lives in Deer Park ; and Henri- etta, who married a Mr, Holeman, and lives with her father. William Clayton, and his wife, Elizabeth Punt- ney, came from near Wellsburg, Virginia, and settled on S. 28, T. 33, R. 2, in 1834. He bought the claim of Esdell, who bought of Vroman. Vro- man bought his claim of Re^^nolds, and sold to Esdell, who got badly frozen on the prairie, and died at Martin Reynolds'. His administrator, Jo- siah Seybold, sold the claim to William Clayton. Mr. Clayton has held the office of Justice of the Peace, and Town Supervisor, but has little taste for office, preferring the quiet of his farming operations, in which he has been very successful, accumulating a handsome property. His wife died in 1875. His children are: James, who married Sarah Clayton, and settled on S. 21 — removed to Colorado, and was murdered when out prospecting ; Caroline, married James C. Reynolds ; Sarah, married David Dick, who lives on S. 22 ; William married Miss Ostrander, and lives on S. 32 ; John, married Julia Suydam, and lives adjoining William — both are successful and prosperous farmers ; George, went to Colorado, and while taking a drove of cattle and horses from New Mexico to Colorado was murdered, probably by his Mexican assistants — his body was found unburied Sketch of Settlers — Deer Parle. 335 with the fatal bullet-hole in his head ; Manning, served in the volunteer service in the war of the Re- bellion, and died soon after his return from the army; Ellen, is unmarried, and lives with her father. Alexander Eaton, from Middleborough, Mass., in April, 1836 ; married Dorcas Little, from Ply- mouth, N. H., and settled on S. 8, T. 32, R. 2 : a farmer. His children are: Charles L., married Abby L. White, on the old farm ; Julius A., married Rosa White, and lives in Deer Park ; Nellie R., married Homer Palmer in Deer Park ; William, and Lucia T., are at home. John Wood came from Wayne County, Pa., No- vember, 1833, and settled at Vermillionville ; mar- ried Esther Dimmick, daughter of Judge Isaac Dimmick. He was the first Postmaster at Vermil- lionville ; for several years was Deacon of the Bap- tist church, and is now Justice of the Peace, His wife died in December, 1856, after which he married the widow Emma J. Lockwood. His first wife left two children : Newton, who married Miss Esmond, of Livingston County, are living near Odell, in that county ; Sarah, married a Mr. Mitchell, and is now living in Indiana. George Bronson, from Connecticut, first came to Illinois in 1834, to where Streator now is. Visited Michigan, Ohio and California, and in 1853 married Priscilla A, German, from New York, and settled in Deer Park, Robert Brown, and wife, Anna White, from Eng- land, came in 1838, and settled at Vermillionville in 1839, and both died the same year, leaving three 336 History of La Salle County. cliildren: Mary B., married William Gia}^ and have resided in Deer Park ; Emma, married a Mr. Davis — her second husband was Mr. Haines ; Rob- ert, died of cholera. William Gray came from Rhode Island, in 1837 ; a carpenter by trade ; married Mary Brown, and settled and still lives on S. 2, T. 33, R. 2. They have two children : Arthur, who married Belle Bane ; his present wife is Candace Fuller — he lives in Streator ; Fanny, married James Chase, now at her father' s. Job G.Lincoln came from Middleborough, Mass., with William Gray, in 1837 ; a carpenter b}^ trade. Married Elizabeth Thatcher, and settled on S. 2, T, 32, R. 2 ; removed to Oregon. John Clark, and wife, Sarah Cook, from Grafton, N. H., came in 1839, and settled on S. 10, T. 32, R. 2. Mrs. Clark died in ] 845 ; he died in September, 1872, leaving five children : Charles, married Olive Slater, and lives in Missouri ; Moody, died single ; John, married Rachel Merritt, and lives in Bureau County ; Lydia, married William Ellsworth, and lives on the old farm ; Sarah, married John Elliott, and lives in Yermillion. Ebenezer Little, and wife, Phebe Palmer, from New Hampshire, in 1838, and settled on S. 9, T. 32, R. 2. He died in September, 1839 ; his widow died in February, 1864. They left seven children: George, is married, and lives in Southern Illinois ; Charles, a graduate of Hamilton College, came West, in 1840, and died soon after ; Moses, married Miss Cook, died in Iowa ; Fernal, lives in South- Sketch of Settlers — Deer Park. 337 ern Illinois ; Mary, is the wife of C. Dryer, and lives at Lowell ; Dorcas D., married Alexander Eaton ; Sarah, married Henry Thatcher, and lives in Oregon ; Elizabeth B., is the wife of John More- head, of Yermillionville ; Alice, married E. Leaven- worth, and died in Southern Illinois. Luther Woodward, and wife, Sarah Knapp, from Taunton, Mass., came in 1836, and settled on S. 10, T. 32, R. 2 ; he built a dam and saw-mill on the Vermillion ; became involved in an unfortunate law- suit with the firm of Seeley & Elliott in relation to the water privilege, which crippled and injured the usefulness of both firms. Woodward went to Cal- ifornia in 1850, and returned in 1853, and died in 1857 ; his wife died in 1842. He held the office of Justice of the Peace for several terms. He left eight children : Sarah, married John Wilson, of Deer Park, is now dead ; Lucinda, married Alonzo Beardsley, of Sterling ; Anna, married Andrew Kirkpatrick, her second husband was Asa Hold- ridge, of Tonica ; Martin S., died young ; Oliver Cromwell, was killed in the battle of Hartsville ; Emma, married Frank McCall ; Jane, married and went to California ; Helen J., married J. Burgess. Sheldon Cad well, from Middletown, Ct., and wife, Aphia Van Valkenburgh, from Green County, N. Y., settled at Vermillionville, in 1836 ; he was a tinner by trade ; he moved on to S. 29, T. 33, R. 2, in 1839, and followed farming until his death, in 1853, aged 60. His widow died in 1876, aged 81, leaving six living children : Cushman, married Maria Green- field, and removed to Kansas ; Charlotte, married 338 History of La Salle County. Dr. Thomas W. Hennesey, of La Salle, now living in Dimmick ; Alexander, married Harriet Wiswall, they are living in California ; Sheldon, is a Baptist clergyman, married Martha Adams, and lives in Deer Park ; Jacob, married Adeline Wiswall, they are in California ; Lyman, married Cordelia Brown, now in Iroquois County; George, married Mary Eliza- beth King, and occupies the old homestead. Michael O'Connor and wife, Sarah Lane, from Ireland to New York, from there to La Salle, and on to S. 36, T. 33, R. 2, in 1838. Four sons, John, Thomas, Michael and Martin, were born in Ireland ; Elizabeth, married ; Elias, May and Edward, at home. Mr. O'Connor is deceased. He gave each child eighty acres of land ; to William, who is in- sane, 160 ; to the widow and two youngest children, 160. He died about 1866. Obadiah Brown, from Vermont in 1837 or '8. Settled on S. 26, T. 33, R. 2. Moved West about 1840. Peter Trout, and wife, Leah Brady, from Ohio in 1840. Was here about five years ; went to Wiscon- sin, and died there. Jacob Roan, from Ohio in the fall of 1840. Mar- ried Phebe M. Trout, and is now living in Tonica. Hiram Trout, from Ohio in 1839. Now living at Vermillionville. William Turner, from Kentucky in 1839. Settled on Section 35. He married Nancy Argabright. They both died of milk sickness near the same time, leaving nine children : Fletcher, Arthur, Elizabeth, Jane, Melissa, James, John, Martha, and George. .-^ .>«*•" > ©O' © ^^. ^' c ^^ ■4"-- ...^v"^^^ ^ g^- \ K ^' o v.© ^ '• ^ J».' ,0' J© ■ ,) ■ © ^ ) ';: \ ^IX «> 3, ©. O^ .o c. „ ® ©^ * ® . I >o & i,.) t <® © ©,-; cc Sketch of Settlers — Bruce. 341 Alva Lee, from Pennsylvania. Settled near Low- ell, and run the Lowell saw-mill. He went to Utica, and then down the river. Mr. Argubright, from Ohio. Settled in the west part of Deer Park about 1887 or '8. He died soon, leaving several children : Andrew, married Cath- arine Trout, and died in 1847 ; Jacob ; Nancy, mar- ried William Turner ; and James. Micah Pratt, from Massachusetts about 1838. Manufactured brick near Lowell, and then settled on Section 20, where he died in 1870. One daughter, married Abner Gray, now in Livingston County ; one son, Delbert, died in the army. Mr. Fay made a claim on Section 10 in 1833, and in 1834 sold to Camp Hatch. Mr. Ellis, from Canada, made a claim on Section 11 in 1833, and sold to Norris. Norris made a small improvement, sold, and left. Ellis died soon after, and his widow became insane. Mr. McCoy came to Yer mil lion ville in 1834, and then settled on S. 31, T. 32, R. 8. He sold his claim and went to Livingston County. BRUCE. The town of Bruce embraces that part of T. 31, R. 3, which lies northeast of the Vermillion river. More than one-half of the town is timber land, bor- dering the Vermillion, and Otter, Wolf and Prairie creeks. Much of the timber was of superior quality, and the attraction which made this locality one of 342 History of La Salle County. the early settlements. The prairie is level, and the whole town is underlaid by a rich deposit of coal. The settlement commenced in 1831. George Basore, a native of Virginia, made a farm in the forests of Alabama, another in the heavy timber of Indiana, and from there moved to the prairie, and settled on S. 24, T. 31, R. 3, in 1831. Mr. Basore had a physical organization and powers of endurance that admirably fitted him for frontier life, and a genius and business capacity that did him good service when living isolated from society on the frontier. He was a successful farmer ; his family manufactured all their clothing from cotton and wool, when at the South, and of flax and wool at the North, all of their own raising ; he made his sugar and molasses from the maples on his farm, and with honey from his apiary, supplied all his wants in that direction ; he tanned the hides of his own raising, and from the leather thus produced, made his harness, boots and shoes ; he owned a blacksmith shop and tools, did his own blacksmith- ing, and much for his neighbors. He was more independent of the rest of the world than civilized man often is. This capacity for all kinds of busi- ness was, from necessity, to some extent, acquired by all the pioneers. Mr. Basore married, for his second wife, the widow of John Wood ; he died in 1860. Calloway Basore, son of the foregoing, married Setter's sister, and died of cholera, just after return- ing from the land sale, in 1835. His widow married William Rainey, and after his death, she married Isaac Painter. Sketch of Settlers — Bruce. ' 343 William Morgan, from Fayette County, Pennsyl- vania, came in 1833, and made a claim on the north part of S. 4, T. 31, R. 3. In the spring of 1834, he sold his claim to Gaylord Hayes, and moved to the south part of the same Section. In the winter of 1835-6, when returning from Green' s Mill, at Day- ton, he was benighted on the prairie, and the next day was found frozen, by his neighbors, within two or three miles of his home. John Morgan, son of above, settled in 1833, on S. 11 ; went East in 1838, and returned in 1842, and finally removed to Iowa, where he died. Mary Morgan, daughter of William, married Wil- liam McCormick. A sister of above, married John McCormick, and Ann, married Rush Mackey. Eliza, married Thomas Sturgess. Nathan Morgan, brother of William, from the same place, a bachelor, came in 1835 ; he died in 1836. Thomas Sturgess, from Fayette County, Pa., in 1834 ; went to Wisconsin. John and David Sotter, from Indiana, in 1834; John died soon, and David returned to Indiana. William Rainey, from Kentucky, first came to Ohio, from there here in 1833, and settled on S. 25 ; married Sotter' s sister, widow of C. Basore. He died many years since. Norton Mackey, from Fayette County, Pa., in 1833, settled on S. 13. In 1836, in company with his brother, Samuel Mackey, and John Morgan, laid out the town of Van Buren on his farm, which, like many others laid out about that time, exists on 344 " History of La Salle County. paper only, the blocks, lots and streets are all obliter- ated by the farmer's plow. In company with Samuel Mackey, he built a saw- mill on Otter creek. He is one of the few residing where he first made his claim, on Government land. He married Elizabeth McCormick ; has six children : Libbeus, married Elizabeth Law, is living near the old farm ; Charles, married Sarah Morgan, lives at Fairbury ; Norton, Jr., married Jane Barnhart ; Mary, married Thomas Simpkins ; Jane, married Samuel Barnhart ; Winfield, married Sarah Law. Eush Mackey, brother of Norton, came from Pennsylvania at the same time ; he married Ann Morgan, and has lived on the farm owned by Wm. Morgan, his father-in-law. He has five children : Burton ; William ; Howard ; Rush, Jr. ; Norval, married Christina Morse. Benjamin Mackey, brother of Rush, from Fayette County, Pa., came in 1833, and settled on Sec. 9. He married Mary Shepherd, and still lives where he first settled. He has eight children : Joseph, mar- ried Harriet Trout ; George, married Mary Morse ; James, Rebecca, Jane, Mariette, William, and Ella. William Donnell, born in Ireland, came to New York in 1835, and to La Salle County in 1837, and settled on Section 4; married Miss T. Mackey. Their children are : Agnes, Porter, Margaret, Alice, Mary, and Ross — all at home. Widow Agnes Mackey, mother of Norton, Sam- uel, Benjamin and Rush, came from Pennsylvania with her sons in 1833, and lived with them until her death, Dec. 15, 1866. SketcJi of Settlers — Bruce. 345 • Norton Gum, from Rockingha-m County, Ya., in 1884 ; died in the summer of 1835, Reuben Hackett, from Indiana, came in 1836, and settled on Section 9 ; sold to Samuel D. Wauchope, and removed to Ottawa and then West ; served one term as Justice of the Peace. Sam'l D. Wauchope, from Ireland, bought Esquire Hackett' s farm, in 1837 ; sold his farm, and located on Section 2 ; soon after, he married Elizabeth Ha- mar, of Vermillion ; died about 1860, leaving eight children : Sarah, married Winley Stasen, of Farm Ridge ; Samuel, married Mary Wilson ; William John, married Jane Wilson ; Thomas ; Joseph, married Olive McCormick ; Arabella, married Mr, Sexton ; Jane, married Ward King ; Andrew, mar- ried Martha Ward. William Reddick, and wife, Eliza Collins, from Fayette County, Pa,, came in 1835, and settled on Section 11. He was elected Sheriff of the count}" in 1838, and served as Sheriff eight years, since which, he has resided in Ottawa. A leading politician — he has been a member of both houses of the State legislature, a successful merchant and farmer. He is wealthy, but has no children to inherit his estate. Gaylord Hayes, and wife, came from Barkham- stead, Litchfield County, Ct., to Hennepin in 1833, and moved on to S. 4, T. 31, R. 3. in the spring of 1834. He died in 1837 ; his widow died several years after. He left five children : Humphrey, married Miss Ellsworth and removed to California, now dead; Mary, married Sargeant Cummings, they live in Iowa; Samuel J., married Sophia Cummings, live 23 346 History of La Salle County. in Farm Ridge ; Philip C, married Miss Johnson, of Ohio, they live in Morris ; he is now Congress- man elect from the Seventh Illinois District : E, Timothy, lives in Marseilles; James H., of Cornell, Livingston County. "William Bronson came from New Breston, Ct.. in 1837 ; he settled on Section 25. where he still lives. He married Eliza Fulwilder, has been Justice of the Peace, and has had five children : William, married Miss Walworth, and lives in Streator ; Mary, died ; George, is teaching in Streator ; Frank and Ida, are at home. John Fulwilder came from Richland County, Ohio, in 1833, and made a farm on Section 25. He died in 1867, leaving three children : Jackson, married Jane Benedict, of Livingston County ; Eliza, married William Bronson ; John, deceased. Geo. L. Densmore, and wife, Maria Bronson, came from Woodbury, Ct., in 1840, lived in Ottawa one year, and then went on to Section 25 ; he served one term as Justice of the Peace, and died in 1872. His widow occupies the old farm, with Marius, her only son. Isaac Painter came from Columbus. Ohio, in 1837 : he. married Nancy Springer; his second wife was Wm.Raine3''s widow. He was a Justice of the Peace for several j^ears, and died about 1870, leaving six children : Andrew, married Miss Quigley ; Sarah A. , married Adelbert Osborne ; Uriah, married Sarah Elliott : Jane, married AVillis Baldwin ; Isaac, mar- ried T. L. Freer ; Joseph H. Sketch of Settlers — Eden. 347 EDEN. The town of Eden embraces Township 32, of Range 1. It joins the Illinois timber on the north, and Bailey's Grove on the east. It is drained by Bailey' s and Cedar creeks, which run to the Illinois and Vermillion rivers. The southwest part of the town is high land, forming the divide separating the waters that run north to the Illinois and those that run to Sandy creek, and southwest to the same stream. It is a fine farming region, and its beauty and fertility suggested the name it so well bears. It was settled at an early day along the north and east sides, adjoining the timber, then considered indispensable. The Illinois Central Railroad passed through it, near its eastern boundary, in 1853, and the prairie portion of the town was soon converted into farms. Tonica station, on the Central Railroad, sprang up immediately after the road was built, and has had a steady and healthful growth, and does a large business. Nathaniel Richey, and his wife, Susanna Kirk- patrick, came from Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1830 ; came through the wilderne^, by wagon, and settled on Sees. 3 and 4, T. 32, R. 1. Mr. Richey sympathized with the slave, and had the reputation of kindly entertaining the sable sons of Africa when traveling toward the North star, and freedom. He was a Justice of the Peace for several years : he raised a large family, and his descendants are nu- merous. His children are : Sophia, who married James Robinson, now deceased, leaving eleven chil- 348 History of La Salle County. clren ; Mary, married Joseph Robinson, has six children, on tlie old place ; David, married Margaret E. Evans, they live in the town of Eden — he is a farmer, and prominent politician, has three chil- dren; Sarah, married John Hopkins, lives in Iowa, and has seven children ; Margaret, married George B. Holmes, lives in Kansas, has five chil- dren ; James, married Anna Hamilton, is a farmer in the town of Eden, and has three children ; Susanna, married J. F. Evans, lives in Iowa, and has three children ; John married Nancy Hall, lives in Iowa, and has seven children ; Esther Ann, died young ; Elizabeth, married A. P. Landers, lives in Mis- souri, has five children ; Nathaniel, married Bertha E. Wilson, and lives in Tonica, has one child. Dr. David Richey, brother of the above, came from the same place, at the same time ; was here three or four years, then removed to Putnam County, and resided for several years in Livingston County. He died August, 1877. David Letts, and wife, widow Dunnavan, from Licking County, Ohio, in 1830 ; made a farm on S. 4, T. 32, R. 1 ; kept a store at Dayton, and at Ot- tawa. He was School Commissioner of the county ; removed to Louisa County, Iowa, and died there, in 1852. N. M. Letts, son of David, married Miss Grove ; his second wife was Mrs. Holderman ; resided on the old farm, at Cedar Point, till 1 854, when he sold to Franklin Corwin, from Ohio, and moved to Iowa, and is living at Lettsville ; a large dealer in cattle. James R., and Noah H., also sons of David, moved to Iowa, the first in 1855, the last in 1861. Sketch of Settlers — Eden. 349 Natlianiel Manville came from Pennsylvania in 1835 ; he laid out the town of Manville, which, like many of its cotemporaries, failed to be a town. He died in the south part of the State, leaving two daughters : Clarissa, married H. L. Owen ; Susan, married E. D. Lockwood, and lives on the old place. John Myers came from Tennessee, in 1840. He married a daughter of John Hays, of Peru, and settled on Cedar Creek timber ; he bought the mill that Simon Crosiar built, on Cedar creek, and run it some years ; an eccentric character, such as is often seen on the frontier. Kind and generous at home, he was wild and loquacious when he visited the town, calling himself the stallion panther. He became restive when surrounded by civilization, said the Yankees had overrun the country, and he left for Missouri, and freedom, but came back, and died here, in 1846, or 1847. John Hendricks, from Virginia, to Indiana, and came here in 1831. His mother was a 'daughter of a respectable Virginia planter, who eloped with and married her father's coachman, one of his African chattels. Under the laws of Hlinois then, he could neither vote nor testify against a white man ; yet he was an honest man and a good citizen. He bought the Peru ferry of Hays in 1840, and run it several years ; he removed to West Missouri or Kansas, and died there. William Kelly, from England, came to Ohio, and from there here in 1835 ; he died in Iowa. Thomas Wakeham, from Ohio, came here in 1835 ; son-in-law of Kell}^ ; died in Iowa. 350 History of La Salle County. Resolved H. Potter was born in New Bedford, Mass., and settled in Green County, New York, in 1828 ; removed to Onondaga and then to Tioga Coiintj^, New York, and from there to Illinois in 1834; settled on S. 12, T. 32, R. 1 ; deceased in 1842, aged 60 years, leaving two sons, Champlin R. and Adam. Adam came to Illinois with his father, and returned to New York about one year after. Champlin R. Potter, son of Resolved H.. with his wife, Mary Jane Richards, came from New York with Ms father in 1834, and resided on the same farm. He was a surveyor ; held the office of Justice of the Peace several years, and was a member of the Legis- lature one term ; he died Sept. 27, 1860, aged 56, leaving two daughters : Catharine, who married D. Darby of Wenona — died 1873 ; Helen, who married Fred Ambrose, and lives with her mother on the old farm ; a son, Adam, died about 1854. Joseph T. Bullock came from Rehoboth, Mass., in 1837, and settled on S. 36, T. 32, R. 1 ; he married Catharine Galloway, and with his brother, Leonard, engaged largely in farming and stock-raising ; since his brother's death he has continued the same on a large scale. He has two children : Ransom, mar- ried Ada Ellsworth, and lives near Tonica ; Susan, married Henry Foss, now in Colorado. Asa Holdridge, from New York in June, 1833, and settled on S. 25, T. 32, R. 1, near Bailey's Point ; he married Polly Warren ; was a successful farmer, and died in 1866, leaving five children: Lafayette, married Hannah Simmons, and lives in Livingston County ; W. H. H., married Mary Swift, Sketch of Settlers — Eden. 351 live in Eden ; Volney, married Lizzie Simmons, and lives in Ancona ; Clarinda, married D. Willey ; Ar- minda, married Capt. L. Howe, and lived near Tonica. Nathaniel Eddy, from Virginia, in 1833, bought a claim of John Slater, west of Bailey's Point ; he kept a store. Eddy, Holdridge and Bailey bnilt a saw- mill on Bailey's creek near its mouth ; Eddy moved West. William Groom, and wife, Miss Burhans, from Albany County, N.Y., came with Alvord's company in 1833 ; was a farmer, and Methodist preacher ; he died in 1852. His children were : Delia, married a Mr. Wells; Betsey, married John Harkins ; Alida, married Austin B. Carleton, of Vermillion ; Peter, married Miss Martin, now in Nebraska ; Abram^ married L. T. Naramoor; Joseph, married Eunice Harrington, in California ; William, married Miss Thomas, in Tonica. Ira S. Moshier, from Saratoga County, N.Y., came in 1834, and settled on S. 12, T. 3:, R. 1 ; a farmer, Methodist preacher, and lawyer. He died in 1874, leaving nine children: Edgar W., at Sandwich; Henr}^ C, married Elizabeth Baker, and lives at Gilman ; George, married Delana Schermerhorn, and lives at Gilman ; Charles W., married Celia Wilson, of Sandwich ; Maria A., married Thomas Foster; M. Charlotte, married Hugh Miller ; Sheridan L. ; Mar- garet, married Onslow Barrass, of Tonica ; Clara J., married A. G. Gray. Amos A. Newton, and wife, L. P. Bunnell, from Lexington, Green County, N. Y., in the sirring of 352 History of La Salle County. 1836, and settled on Section 26, where he lived until his death in 1844, aged 66 ; his widow still survives, at the age of 90 years. He had nine children : A. Judson, died in 1842, aged 23 ; Barnum, is in Guthrie County, Iowa ; Wallace, is also in Iowa ; Esther L., married Moody Little — her second hus- band is Andrew J. West, of Tonica ; Charlotte, married Henry Kingsley, from Connecticut — she is deceased ; Harriet L., married Henry Kingsley — his second wife ; Eunice, married Joel B. Miller ; Abi, married Angus McMillan. Geo. M.Newton, son of Amos A., and from the same place, came to Bailey's Point in 1835. He moved his wife, Fanny Loomis, and family in 1836 ; and settled on Section 2.5. Mr. Newton has been Postmaster, Jus- tice of the Peace and Supervisor. His wife died in 1863. He is now living with his second wife, the widow Sarah Mafiis. Joel B. Miller, came from Greene County, N. Y., in 1837. He married Eunice Newton ; he died in 1862 ; his widow died in 1875. Has three children : Horace, lives at Minonk ; a daughter married a Mr. Swift ; another married George Beardsley. Angus McMillan, from Pennsj^lvania, came in 1838. He married Abi Newton, and lived here live or six years, and then removed to Grundy County. His wife died, and he went to Iowa. James Little, and wife, Polly Cook, came from New Hampshire, in 1839, and bought the farm of Nathaniel Eddy on S. 24. He died in 1842, and left four children : Daniel, married Mary Jones, and removed to Geneseo ; Lucy, married Isaac Gage, of Sketch of Settlers — Eden. 353 Brooklield ; Moody, married Esther Newton, lived at Tonica, aud died in 1848 ; Jolm, married Frank Bassford, now in Southern Illinois. Harvey McFerson, from Brown County, Ohio, came to Putnam County, in 1840, and to Eden on S. 22, in 18o6. His present wife is Martha King — have six children. Willis Moffat, and wife, Olive Simmon, from Greene County, New York, in 1835, and settled on the west side of Bailey's Grove, and is now living in Tonica. His first wife died and left two children : AV alter S., married Elizabeth Defenbaugh ; Sarah E., married James B. Flulin, both are living in Livingston County. Mr. Moffit's second wife is Louisa Harwood, the widow Jenkins, when she married him ; she has one daughter, Mary L., at home. Rev. Reuben H. Moffat, brother of Willis, came from the same place in 1834 — a Methodist preacher. His wife was Catherine C. Yale. He died in 1863, aged QQ. His children are : Reuben, married Miss Defenbaugh — he died in the army ; Sarah, married the Rev. Mr. Young, a Methodist preacher. Sanford Harwood, from Saratoga County, New York, came in 1837 ; married Keziah Dryer, and moved to Iowa. Heman Harwood, brother of Sanford, from the same place ; married Melissa Ide, and settled on S. 1. Died in 1857, in Deer Park. His widow married a Mr. Lathrop, and moved to Iowa. He had three children : Sarah, married, and is living in Iowa ; Charles was killed by the accidental discharge of a gun ; the younger daughter is with her mother. 354 History of La Salle County. UTICA. Utica embraces that part of T. 33, R. 2, which lies north of the Illinois river, being about half a township; the river, which is the southern boun- dary, running about due west, near the centre line of the town. There is a wide strip of bottom land between the bluff and the river, most of it very valuable for agriculture, but more so for the rich mineral wealth it contains. The beds of hydraulic lime which here lie near the surface, and are easily accessible, are the only ones found in the State, and the source of a large and valuable business. This bottom land was the favorite resort of the Illinois Indians, who occupied it in great numbers, and both savage and civilized men have ever re- garded it as a point of attraction, for its beautiful scenery, its rich soil, and mineral wealth. Old Utica was a town on the river first occupied b}^ Simon Crosiar, and when the business was all done by river boats, was a commercial point of some impor- tance, the boats arriving and departing with con- siderable regularity. It was regarded as the head of navigation, except at very high water when the boats ascended to Ottawa. But the building of the canal and the Rock Island Railroad, both along the foot of the bluff, on the opposite side of the valley, a mile distant, and the river boats all discharging at the basin at La Salle, dried up its sources of busi- ness, and it now stands like Goldsmith's deserted village. Instead of the panting of the river boat, its shrill note of arrival and departure, and the Sketch of Settlers — Utica. 355 busy hum of the cheerful denizens of the embryo town on shore, •' Aloug its glades a solitary guest, The hollow sounding bittern guards Its nest ; Sunk are its bowers in shapeless ruin all, And the rank weeds o'ertop the crumbling wall." But New Utica, a mile north, has taken its place. With the railroad and canal for transportation ; its large manufacture of hydraulic lime, and sewer and drain tile, and export of St. Peter's sand for the manufacture of glass, with the large shipment of grain from Utica township, Waltham, and other towns on both sides of the river, the young town may well anticipate a successful future. But while it exults in its own prosperity it should remember the changes and mutations which attend towns and cities, as well as men, and heave a sigh for the dis- appointed anticipations which once clustered around its older rival. Should the contemplated ship canal become a reality — a not improbable occurrence — and the busi- ness return to the river, Old Utica might arise from its ashes, and drop a tear for the blasted hopes of the New. The town of Utica, with its wooded bluffs running nearly through its centre, with the Percomsoggin, crossing its western portion, with Clark's Run and other points of timber piercing the prairie, was so well supplied with timber that it commenced set- tling at an early day. Simon Crosiar was born near Pittsburgh, Pa.; his wife, Sarah Owen, was from Clermont County, 356 History of La Salle County. Ohio. He left Penns^'lvania in 1815, and went to Ohio, and was married in 1817 ; removed to Illinois and settled at Cap an Gra^-, in 1819, and removed to Calhoun County, where he remained until 1S24, then to Peoria, and to Ottawa in 1826, where he put up a log cabin on the ravine near where S. W. Cheever now lives ; resided there one year and then removed to the south side near the Bass rocks, where lie remained about two years ; removed to Shipping- port in the fall of 1829 ; built a mill on Cedar creek, and removed there in 1831. He was Post- master, and carried the mail to and from Peoria once a month. Sold the mill to Mr. Myers ; built a sawmill and carding machine on the Percomsog- gin ; started the saw-mill in the spring of 1833 and the carding machine in the fall after. Removed to Old Utica, on the north bank of the Illinois in 1834, kept a store and warehouse for storage and commission business, and for a time was Captain of a steamboat on the river. He died in November, 1846 ; his widow died in 1871. Both Mr. and Mrs. Crosiar were bold, hardy and resolute, and well calculated for frontier life. Mrs. Crosiar told the writer many incidents of her pio- neer life ; she said she was not afraid of the Indians even when alone, unless they were drunk, but they were like white men when intoxicated, unreasonable and dangerous. On one occasion, during her hus- band's absence, they came and wanted whisk}"; she had covered up the whisky barrel and told them she had no whisky : the}' told her she had, and went to uncover the cask ; she then seized a hatchet and told Sketch of Settlers — Utica. 357 tliem they should not have it if she had ; tliey told her she was a brave squaw, but raised their toma- hawks, and she was compelled to yield to numbers ; they got the whisky and had a big drunk, but did not molest her. Mr. Crosiar was an active participant in the Black Hawk war, and was one of the party that buried the victims of tlie Indian Creek massacre. In his numerous removals he followed the rivers, transferring his family and effects in a keel boat, and frequently served as a pilot on the river. The latch string of the Crosiar cabin was always out, and many an early emigrant gratefully remembers their kindness and hospitality. They had a large family of children, but they have all left except one. Amzi Croziar, the only child remaining here, married Miss Brown, and is an ex- tensive farmer and prominent citizen of Utica. Amzi Crosiar, brother to Simon, came from Pitts- burgh, and settled on Sec. 36, near Shippingport, in 1826 ; came to Utica in 1833, and settled at the foot of the bluff on the south side of the river. He was killed by a runaway team in 1848. James Clark, and wife, Charlotte Sargent, came from England, to Ohio, and from there here in 1833, and settled on S. 17. He was a contractor on the Illinois and Michigan Canal, and was the first to develop and manufacture hydraulic lime for the market from the Silurian strata of that neighbor- hood, conferring a great benefit upon the locality and the whole Northwest, and enriching himself. Mr. Clark has been Town Supervisor and member 358 History of La Salle County. of the Legislature, and is now General Agent of the Consolidated Cement or Hydraulic Lime manufac- ture of tlie West, His children are : John, who married Julia, daughter of Truman Hardy ; is living in Utica and is partner with his father, doing a large busi- ness ; Charlotte, who married James B. Peckham, and lives in Utica. Mr. Hudson, from Virginia, lived at Old Utica, about two years, and went back to Virginia in 1838. Hiram Higby, from New Hartford, Ct., and wife, Frances M. Tamer, from Middlesex County, Ct., in 1836. Mr. Higby was the first Supervisor of the town of Utica. He died in 1864. Mrs. Higby died in 1854. Their children were : Arthur, deceased ; William, deceased ; Frances, the widow of Charles Powers ; Thomas Frederick, served in the 63d Reg- iment Illinois Volunteers, and died soon after his return ; Helen M., married C. M. Buel ; H. W., is a druggist in Utica ; Julia, is deceased. William Simmons came from Kentucky to Ohio, and to Ottawa in 1834 ; bought land in Utica at the sale in 1835, and made a farm on which he resided till his death, leaving one son and one daughter. Edward Holland came from Clermont County, Ohio, in 1840 ; his wife was Eva Hess. He died in 1846, leaving eleven children. His widow married Henry Gorbet, who had fifteen children. Zenas Dickinson, with his wife, Mabel Clark, came from Granby, Mass., in 1836, and settled on Section 10. Mrs. Dickinson died in August, 1846. Mr. Dickinson died in November, 1857. Sketch Off Settlers — Utlca. 859 Samuel Dickinson, son of Zenas, came from New York to Utica in 1835. He was a partner with Jas. Clark in a large contract on the Illinois & Michigan Canal, at Utica, and subsequently, for several years successively, captain of the steamboats Dial, La Salle, and Belle, running from the head of naviga- tion of the Illinois to St. Louis. He went to Cali- fornia in 1850, and died there in 1851. He never married. Zenas Clark Dickinson, also son of Zenas, came from Massachusetts with his father in 1836 ; settled on Section 10, where he still resides. His wife was Harriet Donaldson ; they have six children — all at home. Six sisters of Clark and Samuel came with the parents : Caroline, married Mr. Johnson, she is deceased ; Cemantha, married Robert Shepherd, now a widow in Chicago ; Amelia, married Mr. Wood, she is now deceased ; Susan, married and lives in Chicago ; Olive, married Mr. Munger, in Montana ; Margaret, married Mr. Fairchild, now in Indianapolis. Ira Hartshorn, and wife, Joanna Burnham, came from Lisbon, Ct., to Madison County, N. Y., and Irom there here in 1836 ; moved his family in 1837, and settled on Section 6. He died in September, 1859 ; his widow died in 1875. Joshua P., married Jane Simon, now in Iowa; Erasmus D., married Marietta Meserve; Alfred I., married Terrena Culver, now in La Salle ; Pliny, married Sarah Simon ton, second wife, Amelia Dean — lives in Waltham ; Calvert, married Anna Niles ; Mary, married Frank 360 History of La Salle County. Dean— her second husband, Eli Strawn, now of Buckley ; Lucy, married Mosely Niles, of Buck- ley ; Lydia, married Robert V. Dunnary, of Liv- ingston County ; Charles B., died in the army, at Pittsburg Landing. Benjamin Hess, and wife, Barbara Ann Simeon, came to Illinois in 1833, and settled on the bluff north of Utica village. Mrs. Hess died in 1848, aged 75 ; Mr. Hess died in August, 1850, aged 77. Jeremiah, married Laura Sevins. and lives on the old farm ; Benjamin, died in 1846 ; Susan, married Mr. Mulford, she is now deceased ; Abram, married Mary E. Wallrod, and lives at Utica ; Eva, married Edward Holland, and had eleven children— second husband, Henry Gorbet ; Elizabeth, married Mr. Wallace, and lives at Bureau Junction ; Jemima, married Chester Hall, then of Ottawa— she is now deceased. PERU. Peru embraces the west half of Township 33, Range 1, and lies on both sides of the Illinois river, while the east half of the township constitutes its sist^ town of La Salle. The city of Peru is on the north side of the river at the foot and on the bluff. Its commercial advantages are scarcely inferior to those of its rival— La Salle. The Chicago & Rock Island Railroad passes through it from east to west, and the river trade passes its levee and warehouses as it goes to and from the basin at La Salle. The Sketch of Settlers — Peru. 361 long and bitter contest to secure tlie termination of the Canal was decided in favor of La Salle, not be- cause it offered superior advantages, but because it was located on canal land belonging to the State. The two cities are practically one, and will eventu- ally be included in one municipal government. The location is commanding and important, not only in reference to the County, but to the State and Nation. The rich and heavy deposit of coal, and facilities for transportation, will make it one of the largest manufacturing cities in the West. Its progress thus far in that direction is an earnest of the high position that awaits it in the future. John Hays, and wife, came from Tennessee in 1830 ; built a cabin on the Illinois bottom, just above the present location of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad depot ; kept the Ferry across the Illinois river till 1840 ; sold to Hendricks ; went to Hennepin, and died there. Hays was from the class at the South that was crushed and kept in ignorance by the institution of slavery. He was a rough and fearless frontiersman. His children were : one daughter, married Mr. Davis, and with her husband, was killed at Indian Creek, in 1832 ; Harrison, is in Bureau County; James, and two other sons. . Lyman D. Brewster came from Nashville, Tenn. In 1832, he traveled on horseback from Nashville, through Ottawa and Chicago, to Salisbury, Ct. ; he returned and settled at Peru in 1834, and died at Hennepin in the fall of 183.5. William Paul, from Scotland, settled just below 24 362 History of La Salle County. where Peru now is, in 1834; sold his claim to Kinney & Spaulding, and went to Hennepin, w^here he married the daughter of Dr. Pulsifer ; came back to Peru in 1843, and kept a store till 1867 or '69, then moved to Vineland, New Jersey, where he now resides, Ulysses Spaulding came from'Tennessee in 1834 ; engaged in selling goods with Kinnej^; died in 1836 ; was Justice of the Peace, and kept a grocery store. Left two sons and two daughters — one married Mr. Coffling, of Peru. Widow died in 1860. Henry S. Kinne}^, from Pennsylvania, came in 1834, and bought a claim of William Paul, and in company with Ulysses Spaulding, engaged in mer- chandising until 1836, and after Spaulding' s death, in partnership with Daniel J. Townsend until 1838 ; he then took a heavy contract on the canal basin, and a few months after quietly left, leaving his work- men unpaid and his affairs unsettled. He afterward figured conspicuouslj^ in the militarj^ affairs of Texas, and was an officer under Walker in the fillibustering expedition in Central America. A man of some abilit}^ and of great energy and activity, but was lacking in some more valuable qualities. Theron D. Brewster, came from Salisbury, Ct., in 1835 ; he first engaged as clerk in the store of Kinney & Spaulding. In 1836 he laid out the Ninawa Addition to Peru, embracing all the business portion of the place. In 1843 he engaged in merchandising and selling town lots. In 1848, built a warehouse and engaged in the grain and shipping business, in company with H. S. Beebe ; in 1853 in banking. Sketch of Settlers — Peru. 363 and in 1858 in manufacturing plows and other agri- cultural implements ; in this last he is still largely engaged. In all these pursuits, Mr. Brewster has been suc- cessful, and while he has accumulated wealth, has always been an enterprising, public-spirited citizen, and Peru owes mu'ch of its prosperity to his ejfforts. When Peru was made a city in 1851, he was its first Mayor. Mr. Brewster has been twice married ; his hrst wife was Adeline Mann, who died in January, 1849, leaving two children : Sylvia A., and' Frank, both living at home. Mr. Brewster's second wife was Martha Jones, who has four children : Jesse, Mar- garet, Benjamin L., and Theron D., Jr. — all at home. Calvin and Peletiah Brewster, two young men from Baltimore, came to Peru in 1835 ; Calvin died the same season ; Peletiah went South in 1837, and died in Texas. Isaac Abrams, and wife, Ellen Rittenhouse Evans, grand niece of David B. Rittenhouse, the astronomer, came from near Philadelphia in 1838. In company with his brother, Nath'l J., was engaged in selling goods for live years, and for the next five years fol- lowed the same business alone, and since has been agent for the sale of real estate. One of the sub- stantial business men of Peru, and closely identified with all its history and growth. His children are : William H., Land Commissioner of the Texas & Pacific Railroad — resides at Marsliall, Texas — he married Anna Harris, daughter of Hon. William 364 History of La Salle County. A. Harris, of Virginia, M. C, and Minister to the Argentine Republic ; Louisa, at home ; Edwin Evans, a clerk, in Chicago. Nathaniel J. Abranis, brother of Isaac, and wife, Eliza A. Evans, came from the same j^lace at the same time ; was five j^ears with his brother, mer- chandising ; since which, he has followed farming on Sec. 7, T. 33, E,. 1. His children are : Mary E., married Lavega G. Kinnie ; Charles H., George W., and Eugene, are at home. George W. Holl}^ came from Salisbury, Ct., in 1837 : his wife was Miss Church, daughter of Judge Church, of same place ; he was editor of the Ninawa Gazette, published by Ford & Hollj^, the first news- paper in Peru ; a genial man and good writer. In 1839 he removed to Niagara Falls. Mr. Holly was educated at West Point, but left there on account of partial deafness. Churchill Coffing, and wife, Asenath Brewster, from Salisbury, Ct., came in 1839 ; a thorouglil}' educated and able lawyer, but lacked energy of character, and was not successful in business ; he died in Chicago in 1872, leaving one son, John, now living with his mother in Chicago ; one daughter, Catharine, married Mr. CoUiday, now in Philadel- phia. William Chumasero, from Xew York, in 1838 : a law^yer of good ability ; married Elizabeth Brown ; and removed to Helena, Montana, about ten years since. Dea. A. D. Brown, from New York, in 1838; settled on a farm back of town : married Cornelia Leonard, Sketch of Settlers — Peru. 365 who died in October, 1877. His children are : Eliz- abeth, married William Chumasero, now of Helena, Montana ; Henry W., married Emily Gibbs, and lives in Chicago ; William, married Lucy Rattan, on the old farm ; Harvey, married Lydia Tompkins ; Charles, died from disease contracted while in the army. John P. Tilden, from Marblehead, Essex County, Mass., came in the fall of 1837 ; a farmer, and set- tled on S. 8, T. 33, R. 1. His first wife was Mary Rogers, who died, and left three children : William P., lives in Peru ; Mary, married James Batcheler ; Eanice, married Greo. YanDycke. His second wife was Nancy S. Gordon — has one child, Flora. Mr. Leonard, from Rochester, N.Y., came in 1839. His cliildren were : Harvey, a bachelor, was a Jus- tice of the Peace for several years, went to La Salle, and died tliere ; Cornelia, married A. D. Brown, of Peru ; Greaty, married Mr. Robins, of Peru ; Mary Ann, died single, in Chicago ; Julia Ann, married Lucius Rumrill, of Peru ; Caroline, mar- ried Charles Noble. Henry S. Beebe, and wife, Lydia Wilcox, from Great Barrington, Massachusetts, in 1838. He kept a livery, was a commission merchant with T. D. Brewster, ran a foundry under the firm of Fitz- simmons & Beebe ; he removed to Chicago about 1861. His children are : George, deceased four years since ; Lucy, married a Mr. Weber, in Chicago ; Nelly, married ; Jennie, and Mary, at home ; James, is married, in Cliicago. Elijah Merritt, from Putnam County, New York, 366 History of La Salle County. in 1834, lived here four or five years ; was killed by tlie fall of a tree near Tiskilwa. about 1855. Daniel Merritt, brother of the above, from Put- nam County, New York, in 1834 ; settled on S. 7, T. 33, R. 1.. He died in 1870. Harriet Hopkins, his widow, and one daughter, Martha, live on the old place. Stephen Merritt, from Putnam County, New York, settled near Peru, in 1834, afterward removed to Henry County, and now lives in Bloomington, HI. Dr. Samuel G. Smith, from Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in 1840 ; his first wife was Mary Deland — second, Mary Ann Pomeroy ; has one child, Sybil E., at home ; has followed the business of a druggist ; is now Postmaster at Peru. John Hoffman, from Tioga Co., Pa., in 1838 ; mar- ried Mary Ann Mann ; kept a hotel, and did a ware- house and commission business in company with C. C. Charles, and afterward with John L. Coates ; has been Sujjervisor, and Chairman of the Board ; is now farming in Mendota. Has eight children : Asa, married Frances Raymond, of Ottawa ; Pliebe Adeline, married O. Beardsley, she is now dead ; Maria L., married L. L. Stoddard, of Englewood : John B., married Mary Thomas, and lives in Men- dota ; Julietta C., married Charles Wolf, of St. Louis; Maria R., Charles C, and Andrew J., at home. J. P. Judson, from New York, in 1836 ; was land agent ; left soon. S. Lisle Smith, from Philadelphia, a talented law- yer ; here a short time, and went to Chicago. Sketch of Settlers —Peru. 367 John Smith, brother of S. Lisle, kept a drug store ; went back to Philadelphia. Fletcher "Webster, son of the renowned Daniel Webster, from Marshfield, Massachusetts, in 1837 ; practiced law here three years ; was Assistant Sec- retary of State at Washington, for a short time ; was appointed to an office in the Boston Custom House, by President Harrison ; was killed in Vir- ginia, in the war of the Rebellion. Daniel Townsend, from New York, 1837 ; was a partner of Henry S. Kinney, in selling goods ; left in 1840 ; now at Niagara falls. Philip Hall, from New York, in 1838 ; here five years, clerk to Kinney & Townsend ; went to Aurora, and was Superintendent of Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad ; since dead. James Mulford, from Chicago, here in 1836, with Kinney ; was partner with Daniel Townsend in com- mission business ; went South in the Mexican war ; did a commission business in New Orleans. James Myers, from Pennsylvania, brother of Mrs. William Richardson, here several years ; went to Corpus Christi, Texas ; died on a sea voyage, and was buried in the Atlantic ocean, William and Charles Dresser, from Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in 1837; tailors by trade; went to California in 1849. Harvey Wood, from Canada, in 1837 ; died about 1872. He had four children : William died here ; John went to Tennessee, is now in Illinois ; Marga- ret, married Frank Casort, of La Salle ; Grace, married D. W. Mattock. 368 History of La Salle County. N. B. Bullock, from Cleveland, Ohio, carpenter b}^ trade, came here in 1837. He and his wife both died of cholera in 1852. Jesse Pugsle}^ came from Eastern New York in the fall of 1838 ; married Miss Wood, and second wife Miss Wood, sisters of Harvey Wood ; still living in Peru on a farm. Ezra McKinzie came from New York in 1837 ; carpenter by trade ; married Miss Kerr, now living in Peru. Two daughters at home. J. P. Thompson came from Pennsj'lvania in fall of 1836 ; went South fifteen years since, and died in Pennsylvania two years ago. C. H. Charles, and wife, Juliet Mann, came from Tioga County, Pa., in 1837; was a merchant in part- nership with John Hoffman ; died in 1810. His daughter, Susan, married Wm. Oilman, of Mendota; Phebe, married Hon. Washington Bushnell, of Ot- tawa ; one son, C. C. Charles, married, and lives in Chicago. Lucius Rumrill came from Utica, N. Y., in 1839 ; watch maker and jeweler; married Julia A. Leonard, sister of Harve}^ Leonard, Esq., of La Salle; moved to Chicago, and died there ; widow lives near Chi- cago. One daughter, Emih^, now widow of Charles Coyrell. Cornelius Cahill came from Pennsylvania in the fall of 1838 ; a merchant, and Justice of the Peace ; now living in Corpus Christ!, Texas. Cornelius Cokeley came from Pennsylvania, with H. S. Kinney, in 1835 ; died in Peru, about 1850 ; widow lives in Peru. Had one son, John, and five Sketch of Settlers — Peru. 369 dangliters: Mary, married Mr. Miller: Maggie, married Wm. O'Neil; Theresa, married; Nellie. Patrick M. Killdnff came from Harper' s Ferry, Ya., in 1838; married Christiana Mann, daughter of Asa Mann ; was Mayor of Peru, Magistrate, and County Commissioner ; died in Peru, June 11th, 18Y4. David Dana came from Vermont in 1836 ; black- smith by trade ; was a farmer in Bureau County, now in Chicago. Timothy Cokeby came from Pennsylvania in 183Y; now on a farm. Daniel McGinn came from Ireland in 1840; tailor ; went to California in 1849. Zimri Lewis, and wife, Hannah Brown, came from Dryden, Tompkins County, N. Y., in 1835 ; kept a hotel in Peru for several years ; spent the last year of his life with his son-in-law, S. W. Raymond, in Ottawa, where he died in 1867. Had three children : Lorilla, married S. W. Raymond, now in Ottawa ; Zimri, Jr., in California ; William, died of cholera in 1849. Samuel W. Raymond came from Woodstock, Vt., in 1837 ; lived in Peru ten years, and kept the ferry part of the time. In 1847 he was elected County Recorder, and removed to Ottawa ; he has held the offices of Recorder, County Clerk, and County Treasurer for many years ; an excellent and popular officer. He married Lorilla Lewis, daughter of Zimri Lewis, of Peru. He has ten children : Frances, married Asa Hoffman ; Susan, married John A. Corton, of Iowa ; Mary H., Charles, Eme- 370 History of La Salle County. line, Floretta, Samuel, Jr., Corrin, and Walter, at home. Hiram P. AVoodworth came from Vermont in 1837 ; was engineer on tlie Illinois Central Railroad, tlien a merchant. Died of cholera, at Hennepin, in 1852. His widow lives in Chicago. Silas Woodworth, brother of Hiram, was assistant engineer ; went to Oregon. George B. Martin, kept warehouse ; went to the Au Sable. William H. Davis, clerk for Kinney ; went to the Au Sable. Dr. Seeley came from New York in 1837; a physi- cian here till 1848 ; went to the Au Sable. Died recently. George Low came from New York in 1838 ; s^e and harness maker, then merchant ; went to Iowa ; kept hotel ; then to New York : died there, and was buried in Peru. M. Mott came from New York in 1838 ; kept the hotel at the Sulphur Springs, between Peru and Otta- wa ; died there. F. Le Beau came from St. Louis, lived here five or six years, then went South. A. Hyatt, and wife, sister of Jesse Pugsley, came from New York in 1837 ; merchant with Mott, and Postmaster ; left in 1840, and is living East. Ward B. Burnett came from New York ; resided here from 1837 to 1841 ; was engineer on the canal when building ; now living in New York. O. C. Motley came from Hennepin in 1837 ; he built the Motley Hotel on the bottom, near the old SJcetch of Settlers — Verii. 371 ferry ; the hotel was carried away by an ice flood, and Motley left. Lewis Waldo, from New London County, Ct., and wife, Alice T. Baldwin, from Canterbury, Ct., in 1834, settled on the bluff south of Peru, where they still reside. They have three children : Ella S., married Wm. H. Bryan, of Peru; Sarah H., and Herbert L., are at home. George W. Gilson, of Connecticut, graduated at the Norwich University in 1837, came to Peru in spring of 1838 ; was an engineer on the original Central Railroad, built under State authority, under T. B. Ransom, resident engineer ; he married Miss E. C. Greenfield, of Middletown, Ct., a sister of Mrs. Ransom ; he removed to Lost Grove, but returned to ^Peru, and was elected Mayor in 1855. He re- moved to Chicago, and became a member of the real estate firm of A. J. Galloway & Co. ; he died Sept. 29, 1856, leaving four children: George T., lives in Chicago — he married the daughter of Prof. D. J. Pinckney, of Ogle County ; the widow and Frances are living with Emma, the wife of Judge M. R. M. Wallace, in Chicago ; Ella, is the wife of Wm. J. Russell, of New York City. William Richardson, and wife, Mary Myers, came from Cataraugus County, N. Y., in 1837 ; kept hotel in Peru several years ; bought a farm of Thomson, in the Brown settlement. South Ottawa, and dealt largely in cattle. He died July 13, 1854, of cliolera, in Ottawa, aged 56. His widow is now the wife of Dr. Coles, of Ottawa. His children were : Wm. Capron, married A. Palmer, his second 372 History of La Salle County. wife was Anna Hossack — he died May 9, 1868 ; Henry, married Sarah Benedict, died soon after ; Susan, died single. William Rouse came from New Orleans, in 1837 ; grocer ; died in 1874. John Aaron came from New Orleans ; grocer ; died in 1875. LA SALLE. La Salle embraces the E. i of T. 33, E,. 1, except a small point between the Illinois and Vermillion rivers which belongs to Deer Park. It is crossed from north to south by the Illinois Central Railroad? and from east to west by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, and the Illinois and Michigan Canal terminates in an artificial basin within its limits. In this basin the riv er steamboats from St. Louis meet the canal boats from Chicago, and the locality seems destined and fitted both by nature and art to be one of the most important commercial points in the West. The progress and development of the town and its business has not equaled the anticipa- tions of its early settlers, but its growth has been constant and healthful. A manufacturing industry can never flourish until agriculture is developed, the population becomes dense, and capital has accumulated sufficient for its prosecution. The coal production, and the zinc and glass manufacture, have assumed large proportions, Sketcli of Settlers — La Salle. 373 and with the produce and shipping interest, aggre- gates an amount of business that must be quite o-ratifying to the citizens of La Salle, and of which older places might be proud. The future of the locality can have but one result, that of a great success. Samuel Lapsley, from Pennsylvania to St. Louis, and from St. Louis to La Salle, in 1830 ; made a farm on the present site of La Salle, where the old Catholic church stood, extending as far north as Fifth street, and as far east as Joliet street. He built a saw-mill on the Little Vermillion ; his claim proved to be on canal land, belonging to the State, and he lost his improvements ; he died in 1839. Burton Ayres, and wife, Orilla Langworthy, from Ohio, came to La Sajle in 1830, and settled on S. 14 ; a blacksmith and farmer. His shop was at the foot of the bluff, near the Little Vermillion ; he died in 1870. He had six children : James, is married, and lives in Iroquois County ; Myron D. is also in Iroquois ; Elizabeth, is married, and lives in Iowa ; Franklin, is in Kansas ; Warren, is single, and lives in Princeton ; Charlotte, is married, and in Kansas. Mrs. Swanson, a widow, with a family — and a sister of John Myers, from Ohio, settled near the mouth of the Little Vermillion, in 1831. She moved near the Hardy farm, and in 1840 removed to Peca- tonica, then came back to La Salle, and finally moved to California, where she died. She had two sons, John and Edward, and two daughters. 374 History of La Salle County. Aaron Gunn, from Montague, Massachusetts, was one of a colony formed in 1830, in Northampton, Massachusetts. Agents sent out to find a location, fixed upon La Salle. The colony came out in 1831. Gunn, and seven other young men bought two pe- rogues, or canoes, at Mottville, Michigan, and floated .down the St. Joseph to South Bend, then hauled their canoes across the portage to the Kan- kakee (the same route taken by La Salle loO years before), they then floated down the Kankakee and Illinois to Hennepin, in nine days. The season was wet, and the colon}^, dissatisfied with the location, scattered over the countrj^, mostly going to Bureau County. Mr. Gunn went to where Lamoille now is, bought a claim of Mr. Hall, who was killed by In- dians, at Indian Creek, the following summer. The next summer he left on account of the war, and remained two years at Magnolia. In 1835, sold his claim and bought 400 acres north of and now adjoining the town of La Salle. In common with most of the settlers in 1836, he supposed his fortune made, being told that liis 400 acres were worth $40,000, and that he need work no more, but not realizing that sum he went one year on tlie Ottawa mission as a Methodist exhorter, and in 1837 was married to Nanc}^ Winters, of Mt. Palatine, and went to farming, finding his 400 acres worth what its production of farm crops would indicate. He is still living on a part of the 840,000 farm, at a ripe old age, probabl3^as comfortable as he would have been had he realized his anticipated fortune. His experience and disappointment in that respect, Sketch of 'Settlers —■ La Salle. 375 might be written as a part of the history of many of the emigrants who came in 1836-7. His children are : Lydia C, who died at the age of IS ; Nettie Z., married George A. Elliott, of La Salle; Moses W., Pastor Baptist Church, Normal, 111. ; Lucy G., married Herman B. Chapman, of La Salle ; Eliza- beth S., married Frank L. Ay res, of Kansas ; Aaron E., a farmer, of La Salle ; Bella E., at home. Dixwell Lathrop, from Norwich, Ct., came in 1835 ; was emj^loyed by a company in Norwich to select and purchase land. He arranged to enter land at Rockwell, adjoining La Salle, returned and brought out his family in 1836. As the agent of Charles and John Rockwell, of Norwich, he laid out the town of Rockwell, and in 1838 was reinforced by a colony from Norwich and vicinity, called the Rockwell Colony. The town of Rockwell was at this time at the height of its pros- perity, and the arrival of the colony was supposed to insure its ultimate success ; but the summer and fall of 1838 were seasons of unexampled sickness through- out the West ; malarious disease existed to an extent unknown before of since. It was particularly severe along the wide and low bottom lands of the Illinois. The Rockwell colonists were all sick, many died, the survivors scattered through the country, and the town never recovered. La Salle being selected as the termination of the canal made that the centre of business, and Rockwell will doubtless be a pleasant suburb of its successful neighbor. Notwithstanding the failure of the town, Mr. Lathrop retained the confidence of the Rockwell 376 History of La Salle County. Company ; is residing in La Salle ; he has been a successful amateur farmer and bee culturist, and is highly respected. His first wife was from Norwich, Ct., his second wife was Miss Foster. He had one daughter, who died aged 17. Daniel Baird came from Westborough, Mass., in the spring of 1836 ; kept a boarding-house at Rockwell ; his wife, Charlotte B. Field, and her sister, Adeline 0. Field, 'came out in the fall of 1836. Miss Field was married to Ehner Baldwin, of Farm Ridge, in 1838. Mr. Baird and family were all prostrated by the sickness of 1838, and his business broken up. In the sj)ring of 1839 he moved on to a farm near Palestine Grove, in Lee County, where he resided till his death, in 1866. He had three children : Marianne, married Henry C. Chapman ; Seth, married Amanda Thompson, second wife, Martha Reese ; Carrie, married Newton Pumphrey. They all, with the widow, live on or near the old homestead. Hackaliah Merritt, and wife, Sarah Smith, came from Putnam County, N. Y., in the fall of 1836. He made a farm on S. 3, T. 33, R. 1 ; his wife died in 1847 ; his second wife was Lydia Robinson, who is still living, aged 83. Mr. Merritt died in February, 1877, aged 84. He left four children : Fuller, mar- ried Julia Ide, they live in La Salle ; Cordelia, married Philo Lindley, she lives in Ottawa, and is now a widow ; Martha, married Frank Hunt, she is now deceased ; Nathan, died in Arkansas. Norman McFarrand came from Whitehall, N. Y,, to Baltimore, in 1830 ; he married Mary Ann For- Sketch of Settlers — La Salle. 877 rest, of Ellicott's Mills, Md., and settled in La Salle Sept. 13, 1837. His wife is deceased, leaving seven children : John Forrest, Isaac Hubert, Wm. Henry, Mary Ann, Cyrene Sophia, Norman Nash, John Isaac. John H. McFarrand, brother of Norman, came from Tioga County, N. Y., in 1837 ; he married Julia A. Clark ; he was engaged on several railroads before he came to La Salle ; he was a contractor on the Illinois & Michigan Canal, and on the Illinois Central Railroad ; was Postmaster at La Salle for several years. He is now living in Chicago. Nahum Gould was born in Warwick, Franklin County, Mass., in 1798; crippled by an accident and unable to labor, he attended an academy at New Salem, and taught school alternately, till he entered Amherst College and graduated in 1828. He studied theology with Dr. John Woodbridge, of Hadley. He married Rebecca B. Leonard. Was ordained a minister of the Presbyterian Church, and appointed a missionary in the State of New York. May 5th, 1834, with his wife, three children and his sister, Semira (who afterward married Thomas Hartsell, of Hennepin), started for Illinois in a light wagon ; they generally found accommodations for the night at the houses along the route, but were sometimes compelled to sleep in their wagon. He arrived at his wife's brother's, Dea. John Leonard, at Bailey's Grove, on June 12th. He was first settled at Union Grove, and preached occasionally at Hen- nepin and Yermillionville, 25 378 History of La Salle County. He organized or assisted in organizing a Presby- terian Church at Hennepin, Dec. 29th, 1834 ; one at Union Grove, Dec. 3rd, 1834 ; at Vermillionville or Lowell, August, 1834 ; one at Plainiield ; one at Rockwell, Januar}', 1837. Tliat year he built a house and settled at Rockwell. In 1838 his wife, Rebecca Blake Leonard, died, leaving four daughters. The sickness of 1838 swept away more than half of the church. He preached at Troy Grove, and organized a church there. In 1838. being, in common with the majority of the pop- ulation, taken sick, he turned his horse on the prairie to care for himself, and was taken to his sister, Mrs. Hartsell at Hennepin, where his children were. Mr. Hartsell was also sick, and his only child died. Thos. Hartsell died at Waukegan about twelve years since, and his w^ife, Semira Gould, died at Hennepin, thirty j^ears since, or in 1846. Mr. Hartsell' s only surviving child and son lives at Aurora. Mr! Gould returned to Rockwell late in the fall, and in the spring of 1839 married Sarah Dewey, daughter of Roswell Dewey. He left for his health and lived at Princeton one year, then settled at Troy Grove ; preached and taught the district school and kept a station on the Underground Railroad, and claimed that the passengers went safely through. While at Homer he was a sort of an itinei-ant on a missionary circuit to Indian Creek, where he organ- ized a church in 1843 ; one in Paw Paw in 1844 ; preached in Harding and Serena ; suffered many hardships and encountered many dangers and nar- row escapes in fording streams and other new- country experiences. Sketch of Settlers — La Salle. 879 In 1846 he removed to Goiildtown, in the town of Freedom, where he resided fonr years, then to Xorthville, and to Somonauk in 1859. In November. 1850, his wife, Sarah Dewey, died, and in 1858 he married Lois Jane, widow of Rev. P>ancis Leonard, of Galesburg. His family lived with or near him till 1871, when one daughter went to Nebraska, one died, one went to Iowa, and one to Minnesota. In October, 1871, he removed to Nebraska, and settled at Kearney Junction. He secured the organ- ization of a church at Kearney, aided efficiently in organizing the presbytery of Kearney and synod of Nebraska, and presided at the first meeting of each. He died at his home in 1872, aged 74, and his grave overlooks the city which had but one house when he went there. But few men have had more varied experiences — seen more of new country life, or labored more zealously in their chosen field, or accomplished more for which his church should be grateful. Barney Martin, from Ireland, in 1838. William Riley, from Ireland, in 1888. Bartlett Thompson, in 1839. Dr. Thomas W. Hennesey, from Ireland, 1837, was a practicing physician in La Salle for twenty years, then moved on to a farm, in the town of Dimmick, where he now lives ; he married Charlotte Cadwell, daughter of Sheldon Cadwell, of Deer Park. Daniel Burdick, and wife, Sallj^ Adams, from 380 History of La Salle County. NorAvich, Ct., in 1837, settled on a farm. He enlisted in the army, and died in 1864, soon after his return. John Higgins, from Detroit, to Chicago, in the spring of 1836, and to La Salle, Novejnber 1st, same year. Is now in the grocery trade, which he has followed since he came to La Salle. Married the widow O' Conner, daughter of William Burns — has a second wife. Mr. Yaughan, and wife, from Connecticut, 1838, one of the Rockwell colony. Both soon died. Giles Lindley, from Connecticut to St. Louis, from there here in 1840 ; married Jane Knight, from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, who is living in La Salle. Mr. Lindley died, leaving nine children. Philo Lindley, from Seymour, Connecticut, came in 1836 ; married Cordelia Merritt ; was seven years Clerk of the Circuit Court of La Salle County, and County Clerk one term ; was Quartermaster of the Fifty-third Regiment Illinois Volunteers, and was killed near Altoona, Mississippi, 1863 ; his widow resides in Ottawa, with three children— Philo, George, and Laura M. Myron D. Downs, from Connecticut, in 1837 ; he married Elizabeth Allen ; he sold goods in Rockwell and went to Chicago in 1838, or 1839, where he is now living. William Baldwin came in 1837 ; merchant in Rockwell ; went to Chicago in 1838 or 9. James O'Neal, from Ireland, in 1836 ; laborer. William Burns, and wife, Sarah Harris, from Ire- land to Pittsburg, Pa., in 1812, came to I^a Salle in 1837 ; was the contractor for building the canal SketcJi of Settlers — Farm Ridge. 381 aqueduct over the Little Yermillion, and the lower locks on the canal ; a good mechanic, and physically and mentally a superior man. He died in the Sis- ters' Hospital, in Chicago, in 1873, aged 101 years. His children were : Eliza, who married David L. Gregg; John C, died in the State of Maryland; Sarah, married Mr. O' Conner, of La Salle, and, after his death, married John Higgins, of La Salle — she is now deceased ; Joseph, died at St. Louis ; two grandchildren only living. Daniel Cosgrove came from Ireland in 1837 ; was Justice of the Peace for several years ; died in 1872. His wife was M\iss Garrity. His children were : Annie, 'Daniel, Terrance, Cronise, and Luke. John Cody, from Ireland, came to La Salle in June, 1837 ; he married Miss Turney ; he is still living ; his wife died in 1870. Has three children : James, married Mary Whalen, is now a grocer in La Salle ; Bridget, married James Duncan, the present Mayor of La Salle ; Ellen, is unmarried. James and William Crosiar, brothers of Simon Crosiar, from Pittsburg, Pa., settled on Section 36, near Shipping-port, in 1831 ; they both left in 1833. FARM RIDGE. Farm Ridge embraces all of Township 32, Range 3, except Sections 31 and 32, which lie on the south- west side of the Vermillion, and are attached to and form part of the town of Vermillion. It is all prairie except the extreme southwestern portion. 382 History of La Salle County. which borders the Yermillion. The most striking topographical feature is a high ridge or swell ex- tending northwest and southeast, parallel with the general course of the river, from which the town derived its name. The ridge is from two and a half to four miles from the Vermillion, and forms the divide which separates the waters which flow into that river from those that run to Covell creek and the Illinois. The substratum of the ridge, to a considerable depth, and coming within six to eight feet of the surface, in the western part of the town, is com- posed of pure washed sand, from which issue several large, never-failing springs of water. The descent from the summit or divide to the Vermillion river is quite abrupt, while to the northeast it is more gradual. A similar ridge, though not as high, runs nearly east and west across the north part of the town, while the central part is more level, but, as a whole, has a most excellent and well-drained soil. The first settlement here, as elsewhere, was con- fined to the vicinity of the timber, and consequently to the southwestern part of the town. William McCormick, Samuel Mackey, and Rees Morgan, came from Fayette County, Pa., and were the first settlers in the town of Farm Ridge. William McCormick settled on S. 18, in 1833, and in 1834 broke the first prairie broke in the town ; in 1835, sold his claim, crops and improvements, and located on S. 3, town of Bruce. He married Mary Morgan, and has had eleven children : Sanders, in • Sketch of Settlers — Farm Ridge. 883 Iroquois County ; Hampton, in Strawn ; Bruce, in Champaign ; William, in Strawn ; Ann Eliza, mar- ried Mr. Bodine, now in Iowa ; Mary, in Champaign County ; Rees, Worth, and Morgan, in Ford Co. Samuel Mackey settled on S. 33, in 1833 ; sold to Charles McCormick, and removed to S. 1, town of Bruce. In company with his brother, Norton Mackey, built a saw-mill on Otter Creek. In 1839, in company with Rees Morgan, built a saw-mill on the Vermillion, in the centre of a heavy timbered region, which did a large business for several years ; he died in 1854 ; he was the first Supervisor of the town of Bruce. His widow, Sarah Morgan, is living in Streator. He left children : Malvina, married Mat. Morrison ; Stephen, married Emma Holly ; Minerva, married William Cad well ; George and Jabe/, are single ; Agnes, married Methuel Bronson. Rees Morgan, son of William Morgan, of Bruce, settled on S. 33. He married Rebecca, daughter of David Reader ; in 1838 sold to Marvin W. Dimock, and moved on to S. 8, T. 31, R. 3; after running the saw-mill on the Vermillion for several years, he served one term as County Treasurer, then removed to Dayton, and is now living at Strawn, Ford Co., Illinois. He has several children. Elmer Baldwin, Beebe Clark, James B. Beard si ey, and Noble W. Merwin, came from New Milford, Connecticut, in the spring of 183.5. Bought the claim, improvements and crops of William Mc- Cormick, and the claim of Alfred McCormick — pur- chased the land at public sale, at Galena, in June, and settled on Sees. 18 and 19, T. 32, R. 3. 384 History of La SalU County. Xoble W. Merwin sold his land to Solomon Brown and Kirjetli A. Hunt, in the spring of 1836, and moved to Ohio. James B. Beardsley brought out his wife, Laura M. Piatt, and settled on his purchase in the spring of 1836. His wife died in July, 1837. The same year he married Prudence Barrass, from Saratoga County, Xew York. In 1850 he sold his farm to Rev. Daniel Baldwin, from Connecticut, and re- moved to the town of Vermillion, where he now lives, an active member, and Deacon of the Baptist Church. His son, George, and daughter, Harriet, wife of Augustus Hall, live near him. Sidney P., the son of his first wife, died at the age of 19. Beebe Clark settled on his farm as soon as pur- chased. In 1837 he married Susan Bishop, of Con- necticut, and cultivated his farm till 1869. when he sold, and moved to Joliet, to live with his daughter Henrietta, an only child, the wife of the Rev. Chas. A. Gilbert ; he died Feb., 1870, and his widow died two years after. Elmer Baldwin brought his famil}-, consisting of his wife, Adeline Benson, and an infant daughter, Mary, now the wife of Rinaldo Williams, iu the spring of 1836 : his wife died in Januarv, 1837. He married Adeline O. Field, of Worcester County. Massachusetts, in Ma}', 1838, and still resides on the land purchased of the United States in 1835. a far- mer and nurseryman. He held the office of Justice of the Peace fourteen consecutive years ; Supervi- sor of the town five j^ears : Postmaster twent}^ years ; School Treasurer of the town from its first Sketch of Settlers — Farm Iliclr/e. 385 settlement, till 1874; twice a Representative in the Legislature, and once in the State Senate ; and a member and President of the Board of State Chari- ties five 3^ears. His son, Noble Orlando, married Maggie Jackson, and lives adjoining the old farm. Susan Orvilla is at home. Harvey Benson, and wife, Fanny Northrop, came from New Milford, Connecticut, in 1836 ; he settled on S. 29, where he died in 1841 ; his widow occupied the same premises till her death, in 1871. Their only child, Adeline, was the first wife of Elmer Baldwin. Solomon Brown, from New Milford, Connecticut, in 1836 ; he settled on S. 18 ; he sold to Moses G. Hallock, in 1842, and moved to S. 13, T. 32, R. 2, where he died, in 1846 ; his widow, A rmida Waller, died 1856. His daughter, Jane, married Marvin W. Dimock, now a widow, living with her brother, Henry. His son, Henry, is a minister of the Prot- estant Episcopal Church, and lives in the State of New York. Kirjeth A. Hunt, from New Milford, Ct., wife and five children, came from Connecticut in 1836 and settled on S. 19, on the premises bought of Noble W. Merwin ; remained one year, and returned to Connecticut. He sold his farm to Dr. Johnson Hatch. Marvin W. Dimock, from Washington, Ct., came in 1838. He bought the farm of Rees Morgan, and married Jane, daughter of Solomon Brown. In 1850 he sold to Hiram Jackson, from Pennsylvania, and removed to Ottawa. In 1865, while showing a 386 History of La Salle County. friend the animals in the park of Judge Caton, he was killed by a vicious elk. The foregoing eight families constituted what was called the Yankee settlement. Five of these came in company from Connecticut by the way of New York and Philadelphia, by railroad from Philadel- phia to Columbia on the Susquehanna, then by canal and slack water on the romantic Juniata to Holidaysburg, by the Portage Railroad over the crest of the mountains to Johnstown, thence by canal to Pittsburg and by steamer to St. Louis, and from there by a stern-wheel Illinois river boat to U tica, La Salle County — being five weeks on the trip. Dea. Henry W. Gridley, and wife, Lucy Dickin- son, came from Deerfield, Mass., in June, 1835, and settled on S. 1, where he resided until 1848, when he sold to Thomas Dunnaway and removed to Ottawa, where he now resides. His children are : Caroline E., married Henry L. Brush ; Chas. H., is deceased ; Laura W., married Dr. D. Hopkins ; Lucy S., at hojne. Wm. Moore, and wife. Miss Wauchope, came from Ireland in 1^35, and settled on S. 35, where he raised a large family. He sold his farm to Mr. Bossermans about 1854, and moved to Fall River. The practice of persistent industry and rigid economy has produced in the history of Mr. Moore what it always has done, the possession of abundant wealth. John McCormick, brother of William, came from Fayette Co., Pa., settled on Sees. 33 and 34, in 1835. He married Miss Morgan, daughter of Wm. Mor- Sketch of Settlers — Farm Ridge. 387 gan. He raised a ftimily of seven children. In 1875 lie sold his farm, and is now in Missouri. His children are : Charlotte ; Ralph ; Charles, married Lizzie Hays ; Nelson ; Zachery, deceased ; Olive, married Joseph Wauchope ; Dow. Charles McCormick, and wife, from Fayette Co., Pa., parents of William, John and Alfred, came from Fayette Co., Pa., in 1836 ; bought the farm of Samuel Mackey on Section 33, where they died a few years after, Alfred McCormick, son of Charles, came from Pennsylvania in 1835 ; made a claim on Section 19 ; sold and located on Sec. 33, and lived there until 1866, then sold to Mr. Hampson, and removed to Streator. James G. Patten, and wife, daughter of Charles McCormick, came from Fayette County, Pa., in the fall of 1 836, and settled on Section 33. In 1839 he removed to Wisconsin. John Trout, from Brown County, Ohio, came in the fall of 1838, and settled on S. 6. In 1842 went to Ohio on a visit, and died there. . He left six children : John M., married Abby Angell Fry, now living in Kansas ; William C, married Mary Morehead, live in V^ermillion ; Susan, married John Morehead, now a widow ; Sarah M., married Hiram Cole, and lives in Kansas ; Harriet, married Salathiel Snell, in Deer Park. Dea. John T. Ross, from Clermont County, Ohio, came in 1836, and settled on Sec. 6, and died in 1837, aged about 80, leaving three children : Archi- bald Tweed, went to Missouri and died there ; Henry, 388 History of La Salle County. also went to Missouri ; the daughter married John Black, and went to Iowa. George Gleim, and wife, Katharine Weitzel, came from German}^ to Baltimore, in 1834, and settled on S. 36, T. 32, it. 3, in 1840. His wife died in 1858, leaving two children : Frederick, who occupies the homestead, and is a successful farmer ; Anna, is now living in Texas. Mr. Gleim married a second wife, by whom he had six children, all living in the town of Bruce. Isaac Wheatland, and wife, came from England to Ohio, and fi?oni Ohio here ; made a claim on Section 33, in 1836, where he lived till his death. His wife died about 1843, and he again married. About the year 1846 he was drowned while crossing the Illinois river at. Ottawa. He left six children : Elizabeth, married William Wedgebury, now living in Iroquois County ; Mary Ann, who married and went to Livingston County ; one son died single ; William, married Miss Casey, lives in Farm Ridge; George and Ellen. Amos Clark, brother to Beebe, came from Con- necticut in 1837 ; purchased a farm on Sections 20 and 29, and in 1839 sold to Myron B. Bennett, and returned to Connecticut. Myron B. Bennett came from Connecticut in 1839; in 1842 he married Mary Stuart ; he was an ener- getic and successful farmer ; he died in 1856, leaving a widow and two children ; his widow died in 1858. His son, Jasper, married Maggie Ackley, of New Milford, Ct., and lives in Evanston, 111. ; Ella, at present, resides with them. Sketch of Settlers — Farm Ridge. 389 Dr. Johnson Hatcli, and wife, came from New Preston, Ct., in 1837, and bought the farm of Kirjeth A. Hunt. An old experienced physician, his ser- vices were in demand during the sickly seasons of 1838 and '39, and the release from labor which he sought by coming West was hardly found ; he re- turned to Connecticut in 1841. John W. Calkins, and wife. Miss Page, came from Salisbury, Ct., in 1838, and settled on Sec. 19. Mrs. Calkins died in 1838. He married Miss Beardsley, of Connecticut, who died soon after. He then mar- ried Cynthia Bishop, of Connecticut. Mr. Calkins removed to Deer Park in 1842, and subsequently to Ottawa, where he died, leaving four children : James, who married, was engaged in the lumber trade in Ottawa, subsequently , in Chicago, and is now manufacturing lumber at Manistee, Mich. ; Helen, married Edgar Baldwin, from Connecticut, and lives near Vermillionville ; Mary, married Henry M. Baldwin, from Connecticut, and settled in Deer Park — Mr. Baldwin died, and Mary is now the wife of Henry Page, in California ; William W. , married Louise Hossack, and lives in Chicago. Charles H. Gfreen, son of Henry Green, of Ottawa, came to Illinois with his father, and settled on Sec- tion 3 ; he married Jane Loyd, and has three daughters. Mr. Green cultivates a large farm and has a line herd of short-horn stock. 390 History of La Salle County. FALL RIVER. Fall River embraces that part of Township 33, Range 4, lying south of the Illinois river. It de- rives its name from the grand rapids of the Illinois, which lie along its northern boundary. Until 1863 it formed a part of the town of Grand Rapids, which was also named from the same natural feature. It embraces considerable fertile bottom lands along the river. The south bluff of the river, extending along its entire northern boundarj', is a marked object in its topography ; covered with timber, with points extending back into the prairie, and having the Covell Creek timber on the southwest ; all its peo- ple have eas}^ access to that important article. The prairie is rolling, and as fertile as that of its sister towns. The first settler in the limits of the present town was James Clalloway ; he came from Pennsylvania to Ohio, near Sandusky, and remained there three years ; he visited the Illinois river in the fall of 1824, and is said to have spent some months in hunting, trapping, and exploring the country ; moved his famil}^ to Chicago in 1825, and wintered there ; in 1826 he bought a claim on S. 24, T. 3, R. 4, which was first made by a man by the name of Rawson, who sold to Ephraim Sprague, and Sprague sold to Gallowa}^, where he made a home and spent his days. His first wife died in 1830 : her children are : George, claimed to be the first white male child born in the county, now living near the old farm ; John, died in Missouri ; Susan, married Joel Ellis, Sketch of Settlers — Fall River. 391 lives in Chicago ; Jane, married Mr. Halloway ; Mary, married Mr. Clyburne, and lives in Chicago. Mr. Galloway's second wife was Matilda Stipes; her children are : Archibald, married Mary Dicker- man, and lives near the old farm ; Marshall, who is a conductor on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad ; Samuel, lives in Michigan ; Sarah, mar- ried Mr. Pearson, and is living on the old farm ; James, is living in the vicinity. Mr. Galloway died in 1863, aged 73 j^ears. His widow died in 1864. Abraham Trumbo was born in Pendleton County, Ya., and resided in Licking County, Ohio, eighteen years ; left there for Illinois in November, 1829, with the Greene Colony. That companj^ crossed White river, in Indiana, in the morning, and Mr. Trumbo arrived on its banks the evening of tlie same day ; it had become swollen during the day so that he was detained four weeks before he could cross. He went to Sangamon Count}^, where he wintered, and reached La Salle County in the spring of 1830 ; he first bought a claim of William Richey on S. 17, and afterwards purchased on Sees. 14 and 22. He was the first Supervisor of the town. He died Oct. 7tli, 1865, aged 73 years, and his wife, Esther Dyer, died in April, 1865. His children were : Jane, who died in 1848 ; Ambrose, married Casbia Gentleman, is a wealthy farmer on the old farm ; Margaret, married John S. Armstrong, is living in Mission ; Rebecca, married Samuel Parr, and lives in Rutland ; Jack- son, died of cholera in 1848. John Brown, from Missouri, came in 1829 ; settled at the ford of the Illinois river, two miles above 392 History of La Salle County. Ottawa, which bears his name. He was drowned in sight of his house while crossing the Illinois in re- turning from the land sale in 1835. The family left in 1841. John Powers, from Bridge water, Mass., came to Southern Illinois, and from there here in 1834, and settled on Section 26. He was the first Justice of the Peace in the town. He died in 1862 ; his widow, Nancy Ford, from Litchfield, Ct., still survives. He left six children : Charles R. Powers, lived near the old homestead, has removed West ; Aaron F., is in Grundy County ; John H. ; Mary, married; Lucy, married Andrew Greenless ; Lura, married Samuel Hammond. The family have all left the county. Reeder Galloway, brother of James, married Rachel Stipes ; died long ago, leaving one son^ John R.., of Marseilles. Samuel R. Lewis is of Quaker parentage ; his parents, Jehu Lewis, and Rachel Mills, from Penn., settled in Putnam County, in 1833. Samuel R., with his wife, Ann Harley, removed to Section 21 in Fall River, in 1843. He held the office of County Treas- urer two successive terms ; has been Supervisor of the town several terms, and is now chaii'man of the County Board. His children are: William, who married Ellen Eichelberger, lives in Grand Rapids ; Edward C, educated for and admitted to the bar — he married IS^ellie Armstrong, and took charge of the large farm and stock business left by his wife's father, J. W. Armstrong ; Charles, has just gi-ad- uated from Oberlin College, and is now in the law office of Lawrence, Campbell & Lawrence, of Chicago ; Sketch of Settlers — Fall River. 393 S. Morris is in Chicago University. Mrs. Lewis, mother of Samuel R., died in 1874 ; her son buried her beside hei' husband in the Quaker burying- ground at Clear Creek, Putnam County. William Gentleman, from Vermont, settled in the town on Section 18, in 1834, and is still on the old farm ; has buried two wives, and has four children : Eliza ; William, has recently graduated at Cornell University ; James ; and one younger daughter. Patrick Harrigan, from Ireland to Boston, and came here in 1836 ; died 1872 ; widow, and oldest daughter, live in South Ottawa. A. M. Ebersol, son of Joseph Ebersol, came with his father' s family in 1834. He was married to Miss C. C. Whittlesey, by the Rev. Owen Lovejoy, the renowned abolitionist, in 1844, having made a jour- ney to Princeton to have the ceremony performed by that distinguished man. Mr. Ebersol has been an active citizen ; he has been Superintendent of a Sunday School twenty-three years ; Justice of the Peace ; Elder in the Presbj'^terian Church ; Town Clerk twelve years, and Secretary of the Old Set- tlers' Association. He has six children : Calistine and Elizabeth, are at home; Lelia, married Lewis Hodgson, went West ; James, married Miss Try on, and lives in Ford County ; E. Corinne, wife of Mr. Coleman, lives near home ; Alice, married Charles T. Ferrel. 26 394 History of La Salle County. FREEDOM. The town of Freedom embraces the surve^^ed Township 35 X., of R. 3 East, and is mostly prairie. Indian creek passes, in a southeast direction, across the northeast corner of the town. On the banks of the creek are about two and one-half sections of timber, which was originally of excellent quality, and was the attraction that induced the settlement. The settlement commenced in 1830. and was broken up by the Indians, in the Black Hawk war of 1832. After the war, the surviving settlers returned, and others came in, and, as a part of Indian Precinct, and later, as the town of Freedom, it has been a prominent and prosperous section of the county. The sad story of the massacre of three families of its pioneers, gives a melancholy interest to its his- tory, and to the locality where it occurred. Each succeeding generation, with bated breath, will listen to the recital, till the banks of Indian creek will become historic ground tlirough all the future. William Munson has recentl}' erected a fine marble monument at the grave, where the fifteen victims were buried. It is in view of the public road, lead- ing from Freedom to Earl, on the northeast side of the creek, and as the white column meets the view, the traveler will instinctively heave a sigh of sym- pathy for the tragic fate of the first pioneers. The inscriptions are as follows : Davis, "Wife and five Children. Wm. Hall, aged 45. ! Wm Petigrew, Mary J. R. Hall, Wife, and two aged 45. Children. Elizabeth Hall, aged 8. Killed May 20th, 1832. Emery George. SketcJi of Settlers — Freedom. 395 William Hall, born in Georgia, was married to Mary J. R. Wilburs, in Kentucky ; moved to Illinois ; from there to near Springfield, Illinois, in 1825 ; made a farm at Mackinaw, and then went to the lead mines, neaV Gfalena ; followed mining three years, then moved to Bureau Creek, and to near Lamoille, Bureau County. In the spring of 1832, sold his claim to Aaron Gfunn, and moved to Indian Creek, where he, with his wife, and one child, were killed by Indians, May 20, 1832. His eldest daugh- ter. Temperance, married Peter Cartwright, nephew of Dr. Cartwright. For the others, see narrative of the massacre. Mr. Davis, from Kentucky ; settled on Indian creek, S. W. I S. 2, in 1830— the first in that region. His wife was daughter of John Hays, the first settler at Pern — they, with five children, were killed at the massacre. Their three oldest sons escaped. William Petigrew, from Kentucky, wife and two children, were stopping with Davis at the time of the massacre, and all were killed. Mr. Petigrew came to Bailey's Grove at an early day, and was then single ; he is said to have married a widow, with two children, and these constituted his family when he went to Holderman's Grove, and from there to Indian Creek, in 1832, where he proposed to settle, John H. Henderson, and wife, Elizabeth Powell, came from Tennessee in 1830, he located on Section 11. He was in the field on the south side of Indian creek, planting corn, when the massacre took place by the Sauk Indians, May 20, 1832 ; he, with others, escaped to Ottawa. He was an active, enterprising 396 History of La Salle County. citizen, and a leading abolitionist. He died June 17, 1848, much regretted. His widow still survives, living with, lier children. Her children are : Mary, married A. P. Devereau, of Freedom ; George, in Iowa ; Frances, married Richard Scott, in Califor- nia ; Martlia, married James Clark, of Sycamore ; Sarah, married George Martin ; Erastus T., married Miss Norton ; Annetta, married Charles Martin, of Vermont. William Munson came from Indiana to Putnam County, and from there here in 1833 ; he purchased the farm, owned by William Hall at the time he was killed by the Indians, on Section 1. He mariied Rachel Hall, who was taken away prisoner by the Sauk Indians, May 20, 1832. In 1837 he laid out the town of Munson, which has hardly realized the expectations of its founder. His wife died May 1, 1870. Mr. Munson still occupies the farm where he has spent the most of his life. He has four daughters and three sons : Irena, married Dr. Geo. Vance ; Miranda, married Samuel Dunnavan, of Adams: Fidelia, married George Shaver, of Rut- land ; Phebe, married John Reed, of Ottawa ; Wil- liam, married Delia Shaver ; Lewis and Elliott, at home. David B. Martin, with his wife and one son, came trom Ohio in 1833, and purchased the claim owned by Davis, where the massacre took place. Mrs. Martin returned to Ohio, and died there. Mr. Martin married the widow of Wm. Seabry; moved to Wisconsin, joined the Fourierites, then to Sanga- mon County, where he died. SJceicJb of Settlers — Freedom. 397 John W. Lyman, and wife, Jerusha Newcomb, came from Charlotte, Vt., in 1833; he settled on Section 24. He has one child : John, married Emma Ford, second wife. Miss Williams. Jonathan Root, and family, came from Ohio to the creek in the spring of 1834. He raised a family of eight children. His wife and two daughters died long since ; one son, Rasina, was killed in the late war ; the others are widely scattered ; one only, Oscar, remains here. Mr. Root died in 1840. William Barbour came from Evansville, Ind., in 1834 ; he married Miss Hinkley ; was an active democratic politician ; held the office of County Commissioner, and was a member of the Legislature. He died in 1876. Ethan Z. Allen, and wife, Lydia Marsh, came from Tinmouth, Rutland County, Vt., in 1834 ; he settled on Section 13. He held the office of Justice of the Peace for thirty-five years, when he resigned in 1875. He has six children : Eliza Ann, married Edward C. Hall, she died in 1867; George, married Martha Larkin, in Towa ; Milo, at home ; Minerva, married Richard Martin, of Freedom ; Lucetta, married Newton Davis, in Harding. Samuel King, and wife, came in 1836 ; nativity not known. Mrs. King died at John Henderson's soon after — the first natural death in town. Benjamin Seabring, and wife, came from Pennsyl- vania, in 1834, and settled on Section 3 ; moved to Wisconsin, and died there. Thomas Seabring, and wife, came from Pennsyl- vania, in 1834, and settled on Section 3 ; moved to California in 1852. 398 History of La Salle County. William Seabring, and wife, came from Pennsyl- vania, in 1834. and settled on Section 3 : died in Ottawa in 1850. His widow married David Martin. Yolney Beckwith, and wife, Mary A. Piper, came from Herkimer Connt3^ N. Y., in 1835 : moved to Ottawa. He died in 1861, leaving three children : Edwin B., married Lizzie Hanfelt. live in Seneca; Daniel, married Josephine B. Ford, live at Ottawa ; Mary P. married John Hoag, at Marysville, Cal. Hiram Munson, came in March, 1833, and died in July, 1836, at the house of his brother, William Munson — the second natural death in the town. Alanson Munson came in the fall of 1836, and settled on Section 11. In 1840, removed to Bureau County, where he and his wife died soon after. Milton B. Ruperts, came in 1835, and settled on Section 1 ; he was the first Justice of the Peace in Indian Precinct. His wife died ; he married a Miss Terr}^, and moved to McDonough County. John Hubbard, and wife, from Homer, Cortland County, X. Y., settled on Sec. 14. in 1835. An industrious, worthy man : an excellent teacher of sacred music. He lived several years with an adopted daughter who married the Hon. M. B. Castle, of Sandwich, but returned to his farm a few years before his death in 1875. John H. Hosford, and wife, Margaret Mj^ers, came from Orange County, Yermont, to Ohio, in 1833, and from Ohio here in 1837. His family came in the si3ring of 1838, and settled on S. 23 ; removed to Ottawa in 1875. Has six children : Fear R.. mar- Sketch of Settlers — Freedom. 399 ried Robert Rowe, on the old farm ; Mary, married Hugh McCiure ; Arabella, married W. Ct. Brown ; Sarah P., married Frank Condon; Josephine C, married George Lamb ; Charles, married Sarah S. Brandon. Rev. Wesley Batcheller, a Methodist clergyman from Brimfield, Hampton County, Mass., was for several years a resident of Homer, Cortland Co., N. Y., and member of the Oneida Conference. With his wife, Martha Hall, and nine children, he came by wagon from New York to Illinois in 1836> and settled on Sec. 11. They encamped with such shelter as could be made while building a house. Mr. Batcheller is endowed with a powerful, health- ful physical organization and commanding voice, which has enabled him to perform an amount of labor in his chosen field whicli few could endure. He commenced preaching in Indian Precinct in 1836, and labored in Washington Precinct two years ; in Ottawa in 1839 ; Hickory Creek in 1840 ; Princeton in 1842 ; Newark in 1843 ; and was Bible Agent for the county for two years. He is now on the super- annuated list, yet healtliful and vigorous at the age of 77. Manly T. Batcheller, his second son, died in April, 1852 ; Angeline, died Nov. 4, 1854, and Mrs. Batcheller died Feb. 17, 1868. The children now living are : Noah S., who married Lucy Hitch- cock, now at home ; Charles, is inDacotah ; Martha, married William Haskell ; Elijali, married Elizabeth Lawry, now dead; Mary, married John Stockton, in Kansas ; Watson, married Elizabeth Baldwin, near home ; Joseph B., married Louisa Wright, in Call- 400 History of La Salle County. fornia. Mr. Batclieller is now living with his sec- ond wife, Ruhama Sampson. Bemus Hall, Mrs. Batcheller s father, arrived here a few days before his daughters famil3% and died soon after. John Miller, from Cumberland County, Pennsyl- vania, to Dayton, in 1837. Married Rosanna Brad- shaw ; made a farm in town of Freedom, where he still resides ; has been town Supervisor, and served one term in the Legislature. Rebecca, married Martin Domini ; Alice, married Ira Weaver ; Jesse, Henry, and Dolly, at home. Reuben Miller, brother of John, from same place, to Dayton, in 1834 ; married a daughter of David Letts ; he is now a Mormon Elder in Salt Lake. Charles Miller, also brother to the above, came to Ottawa, in 1836 ; was Magistrate in Ottawa several years ; now lives in Chicago. Urial Miller, from Pennsylvania, 1837 ; married Rachel St. Clair ; settled in Freedom ; has three children. Benjamin Beem, and wife, Sarah Hoffman, from Licking County, Ohio : came to La Salle County in 1837, and settled on S. 12, on the right bank of Indian creek. Mr. Beem died, 1871, aged 87. Mrs. Beem died, July, 1877, aged 83. Their surviving children are : Mary, who married Levi Tucker, and live in Freedom: Elizabeth, married John Hoxie, of Serena ; Phebe, married Jacob Tucker, of Sheridan ; Sarah, married Elijah Knight, of Adams ; Rachel, married Charles Brown, and are on the old farm ; Daniel, and Jackson, are in California. Sketch of Settler's — Freedom. 401 Stephen Sampson, from Wyoming, Pennsylvania, died of cholera, in 1838, or 1839. James M. Parker, and Powell, relative of Hen- derson's wife, came from Tennessee, in 1838, but soon returned. Dr. Josiali Hall, and wife, Elizabeth Arnold ; blacksmith by trade ; came from New York, 1840 ; resided here ten years ; he died in Ottawa, 1874 ; his widow is now living in Ottawa. Hugh M. Gregg, from New York ; settled on S. 3 ; died, 1838. Ezra Gregg, son of Hugh ; studied law, and went to Ottawa. Philip Wagy, from Newark, Ohio ; father-in-law to Anthony Pitzer. Died in Ottawa, very aged. Ann, married Joel Fitch. The other daughter mar- ried a Mr. Randall. Isaac Farwell, brother of S. B. Farwell, from New York to Ohio, and here 1835 ; moved to Winnebago County. James Skelton ; tailor, by trade ; went to Ford County. Enos Griggs, married Lovina Hall ; killed by lightning. George Scolield, from New York, in 1834 ; came through with an ox team ; stayed one year, and went back with the same team ; stayed in New York a year, then returned to the creek, as it was then termed ; found the land all claimed, and went West. Solomon Holden, from Plattsburg, N. Y., came to Buffalo ; a brickmaker by trade ; was sometime in 402 History of La Salle County. the employ of the noted builder and contractor, and linally forger, Rathbun. He came to Illinois and settled in Munsontown in 1836 ; his wife was Stisan Allen, sister to Esquire Ethan Allen, of Freedom ; he removed to Ottawa in 1839, and died there, leaving four daughters : Sarah, married John Batcheller ; Cornelia, married William AViley ; Mary Elizabeth, married Stephen Jennings, of Ottawa ; Salome, married Henry King. June Baxter came from New York in 1835 ; moved West. Minter Baxter came from New York in 1835 ; died in 1840. Samuel L. Cody, from Vernon, N. Y., settled on Section 13 in 1835, and married Miss Baxter, second wife widow Kenyon, sister of his first. Children : Harriet, married George Frisbin Busnell ; Louisa, married Walter Colton ; Ford C. ; Joy, died in the army ; Frederick, at home. Alonzo Wilson, from Oliio, came in 1838 ; a stone mason. He was School Treasurer here ; went to Iowa, and there elected Judge. Hiram Harding, and wife, from Wyoming, Pa., came in 1838, and settled on Sec. 14. He and his wife are both dead. His children are : Mary, who married Mr. Rice, is now dead ; Charles, died single ; Ruth, married H. Worcester ; Park, died ; John, lives at Paw Paw ; Christine, married Mr. Goble, and was killed by the fall of the Dixon bridge. William Williams, from AYales, came to New York, then to Licking County, Ohio, and here in 1840. He married Rachel Davis. He was a ship Sketch of Settlers — Troy Grove. 403 carpenter b}' trade ; settled on Section 8, Mrs. Williams died in 1870. Ellen, married John Ly- mer ; John, at home ; Evan, in Dacotah ; several children at home. Charles Wiley, and wife. Seraph ena Greenleaf, came from Maine, and settled on Section 10. He died in 1875 ; his widow and three children are living : Samuel, married Mar}^ Thompson, at Earl ; Henry, married Rosa Thompson ; Martlia, married David Davis, of Freedom. Patrick Ferguson, came from Ireland, and settled on Section 9. He died in 1872. His children are : Charles A., who married Eliza Wiley, and his sec- ond wife, was Kate Conden ; Mary, married James Leonard. Rev. Charles Harding, from Lucas County, Pa., came in 1840. He was a Baptist clergyman, and organized the church at Harding, and preached, alternately, there and at Paw Paw. He died in 1843. His widow married Hkani Olmstead. He left one child, Almira, who married Ashbel Fuller. TROY GROVE. The town of Troy Grove embraces Township 35, Range 1, and derives its name from the line tract of timber called by that name, which lies mostly witliin its limits. The grove was named by Warren Root, one of the first settlers, from Troy, N. Y., the place from whence he came. The Little Vermillion passes across the town from north to south, near its eastern 404 History of La Salle County. side, and through the centre of the grove, and furnishes a tolerable mill j^ower. The grove em- braces about three sections of land in this town ; the remainder of the town is prairie of good qualit3\ The Trenton limestone crops out along the banks of the Little Vermillion, on Sections 25 and 35, furnishing a very good building stone, which is ex- tensively quarried and of great value to the sur- rounding country. The Trenton limestone, at this point, is remarkably rich in fossils, making it a point of much interest to the geologist and the curious admirer of nature. Hiram Thornton came from Virginia to Ohio, and to Troy Grove in 1831 ; was the first settler in this town ; he settled on S. 14, T. 35, R. 1. He died in 1867. His wife was Robina Smith. Warren Root, from Otis, Mass., and wife, Rosanna Goddard, of Granby, Ct., came from Troy, N. Y., to Troy Grove in the spring, of 1833. Mr. Root came in the fall of 1832 and made a location, and returned for his family. He located on Section 11. Selden, the eldest son, preceded the familj^ a few days, to prepare for their reception, and died just before their arrival. . Mr. Root died about 1848. Mrs. Root died in 1875, aged 95 j^ears. Nathan Wixom, brother to Justin D., from Taze- well County, came here in 1833, and settled on Sec- tion 35 : went to California in 1843. Reuben AVixom, from Erie County, N. Y., and wife, Clarissa Atwater, from New Haven, Ct., came to Sangamon County, 111., in 1827, to Tazewell SketcJi of Settlers — Troy Grove. 405 County in 1829, and to Troy Grove in 1836, and set- tled on Sec. 10. He was the father of the Wixom brothers who came with him, except the two eldest, Justin and Nathan, who preceded him. He died in 1847. His chiklren were : Justin D. and Nathan, above named ; Chauncy, wlio came with his father, married Miss Hawks, settled on Section 10; Abram, married Miss Scott ; Henry W., married Miss Tich- nor, second wife Miss Eckert ; Urbin, married, and all the family settled in the vicinity of Troy Grove. Justin Dewey came from Ohio in the fall of 1833, and settled on Section 13. He died in 1849, aged 70 years. Thomas Welch, and wife, from Pennsylvania to Ohio, and from there here in 1834; settled on Section 26. He died in 1862. He had a large family widely scattered, but noted for ability and prominence in their respective localities: Thomas, Jr., came with his father, he married Bethiah McLaughlin, and is now in Iowa ; John, has been Chief Justice of Ohio ; Belinda — then the widow Fairchild^ — came with the family, went to Rock River, then to Iowa, now in Oregon ; one daughter, married Wm. Winterton. Jesse F. Wixom, brother of Reuben, came from the same place, in 1835, and settled on Section 24. A local Methodist preacher ; soon removed to Min- nesota, and died there. George S. Ransberger, and wife, came from Iowa in 1835, and settled on Section 25. His son, David S., married Rebecca Evans, and settled on Section 36; Catharine, married John S. Simpson. William Winterton, from Virginia to Ohio, and 406 History of La Salle County. here in 1834 ; luarried a daughter of Thomas Welch ; he died 1855 ; his wife died before him, leaving three children, who have all left this county. Welch, Ransberger, Simpson, Winterton, and Kelsej, all came from Sandy, now in Putnam Co., to Tro}^ Grove, having stopped there temporarily. Zophar Holcomb. and wife, Lucy Goddard, from Maine, with Gillett. in 1833. Had five children : Harlan, married Miranda Brook : Warren, died ; Flora, married Asahel Baldwin, her second hus- band was a Mr. Dutton, she is now in Iowa ; Sophia, married Mr. Axtel, they live in Kansas ; Harriet, is deceased. Riverius Goddard. and wife. Miss Buttles, from New York, in 1837 ; a blacksmith by trade : moved to Michigan. The widow Arsenith Bellamy, (who came in 1837 .and died in 1848), Mrs Root, Gillett, and Holcomb, were all sisters. John Taylor, and wife, Rebecca Hopkinson, from England, came in 1837 : settled on S. 35 ; died 1860 ; his wife died 1870. Two of the children are in Iowa. One in Ford Countv, Illinois. Charles Stevens, a brother of Mrs. Levi Kelsey, from Berlin, Connecticut, in 1837 ; his wife was Ann Hopkinson, the widow Melville, when she married him ; they moved to Oregon in 1852 ; are now at Astoria. Roswell Dewey, from Great Barrington, Berk- shire County, Massachusetts; settled here in 1838; died in fall of the same year. Had children: Sarah, married the Rev. N^hum Gould; William R., married Paulina Pratt, now in Mendota. Sketch of Settlers — Troy Grove. 4.01 Richard Malony, from Ireland, in 1835 ; married Miss Gardner ; settled on S. 33. Hartly Setcliel, from England, in 1837 ; he mar- ried Amanda Goddard, and settled on S. 2. John Ferguson came in 1838 ; had two sons : James, married Miss Brown, lives in Mendota ; John, is a ba<^helor, has been Supervisor of Troy Grove. Thomas Orr, from Scotland. David McLaughlin, and wife, Mary Winslow, came from New York to Troy Grove in 1834. Mrs. Mc- Laughlin died in 1867, and Mr. McLaughlin died in 1869. Their children were : -David, who married Fanny Davis ; Edward, married Phebe Masterman, live in Minnesota ; AVilliam, married Miss Edwards, and lives at home ; Augustus, married Amanda Stevenson, live in Dimmick ; Mary Jane, married O. J. Gibbs, both are dead ; Bethiah, married Thos. Welch, now living in Iowa ; Sarah, married Samuel Wilson, of Rock Falls ; Charles, married Melissa Wixom, daughter of Justin D. Wixom, live in Dimmick. William Dunlap, from New York, came to Troy Grove in 1886, and remained here two or three years. He had three sons and two daughters : Nathaniel, Minzo, and M. L. The last was a prominent horti- culturist, and was for many years distinguished as the agricultural correspondent of the Chicago Tribune over the signature of •' Rural." Jason Gurley came from East Hartford, Ct., to Ottawa in 1834, and to Troy Grove in 1835. His children were: Jason, Jr., who came to Calumet 408 History of La Salle County. in 1830, and to Troy Grove in 1835, and bouglit a claim of Welch ; Julius, was killed at Ottawa by a fall from the bluff ; Joel, died in 1848 ; John A., of Cincinnati, was a noted Universalist preacher, and editor — was appointed Governor of Montana, but died before assuming the office ; Delia, mar- ried Ralph Woodruff, of Ottawa ; Sarah, married Joseph Hall. Wm. A. Hickok, from Grand Isle Co., Vt., to Union Grove, Putnam Co., in 1833 ; June 16, 1834, to Bai- ley's Point with Rev. N. Gould and Isaac Freden- burgh, then to Granville and Troy Grove in Nov. , 1836 ; was Deacon of the Presbyterian Church ; opened the first store kept at Homer ; a worthy man. He died May 5, 1852 ; his widow resides with her daughter at Homer, much respected, aged 74. Had three sons : Lorenzo B., who is Supervisor of Troy Grove ; Hiram, married Martha Edwards, and holds the office of Justice of the Peace at Troy Grove; James B., born and raised at Troy Grove became notorious on the western frontier and earned the sobriquet of "Wild Bill" ; a man of superior physical form, over six feet tall, lithe and active, he was more than a match for the roughs he met on the debatable ground between civilized and savage life, and is said to have often killed his man ; at one time he is said to have killed four in sixty seconds — they were on his track seeking his life. He served with Jim Lane in the Kansas troubles. He was elected Constable while a minor in Kansas ; was for two years U, S. Marshall at Abilene, and was regarded as a very efficient and reliable officer. He Sketch of Settlers — Troy Grove. 409 was killed at Dead wood, Dakota, Aug. 2, 1876, While playing cards his assailant came silently be- hind him and shot him through the head. His murderer was tried by a mob jury and acquitted, but subsequently arrested under forms of law, con- victed and hung. WilJiam G. Shed, and wife, Lucy R. Noyes, from Massachusetts, came in 1835; died in 1851 or '52 ; his widow is now living. His children are : Harriet, who married James Hastings — she is dead ; Clinton, married Emil}" Reed, in Mendota. Joshua Brown, from Chester County, Pa. , to Erie County, N. Y., came here in 1835, and settled on Section 10, at the head of the grove. He died in 1842. His widow kept a tavern, which all the old settlers will remember. She is now living at Rocky Falls ; had a large family, none of whom are re- maining here : Hannah, married Sylvester Warren ; Lydia, married Martin South ; Thomas, is in Bureau County ; Sarah, is in California. Levi Kelsey, and wife, Emma Stevens, came from Hartford, Ct,, in 1833, first stopped on Sandy creek, in the spring, and then went to Paw Paw Grove, where he built the first house in that locality. He settled in Troy Grove in the spring of 1834 ; his family came in September of the same year. For the first three or four years he sold clocks and notions, and traded with the Indians ; had a store on Sandy creek ; here he cultivated a farm and loaned money; was a Justice of the Peace and Notary for twenty years ; one of the oldest in the County, and Com- missioner to divide the (county under the Township 27 410 History of La Salle CovMty. Organization Act. In 1856 lie moved to Mendota, and soon after engaged in banking ; now retired. He has two daughters : Lydia A., married James 0. Cram, a Methodist preacher ; Myra, married Geo. M. Price, now a retired banker, 'and lives in Men- dota. Charles B. Foster came from Massachusetts, in 1835, married Nancy Wixom, and settled on Section 34. Famih" of jseven daughters. Rufus Shed, brother of William G., came from Massachusetts in 1836 ; married Martha Welch. Has one son, Zaccheus, at Fremont, Nebraska, and one daughter. OPHIR. The town of Ophir is identical with Township 35, Range 2, and is a prairie region, with the exception of about one section of timber on Sections 18 and 19, being a part of Troy Grove, which was originally as fine a tract of timber land as there was in the county. It lies mostl}^ in the town of Troy Grove, and at an early day was surrounded by pioneer settlers. The first one here was Joseph Reynolds, and with Elias Carey and Hiram Thornton, were the onlj' families at this point at the breaking out of the Black Hawk war. They all left, and Rejnolds did not return. Aftei; the war, settlers came in quite rapidly and were about equally divided between the towns of Opliir and Troy Grove, the grove of heavy timber being the centre of the settlements. Sketch of Settlers — Ophir. 41 1 Joseph Reynolds, brother of Martin Reynolds, of Deer Park, came from Champaign County, Ohio to Morgan County, 111., then to Tazewell County, and next to Deer Park, and to Troy Grove in the spring of 1830 ; was the first settler here. He settled on S. 19, T. 35, R. 2 ; left at the breaking out of the Indian war in the spring of 1832, and in the foUow- mg fall sold his claim to Asahel Baldwin ; went to the Big Woods, and. from there to Hickory Creek now New Lenox, Will County, where he died, and where his three sons, Smith, Newton, and Milton now reside. ' Elias Carey, and wife, Margaret Collins, from Ohio, on to the Wabash, in 1829, or 1830, and to Troy Grove, in 1831. Settled on S. 24, T 35 R l He left during the Black Hawk war, but returned at Its close, and made a farm in Ophir. He died in Mendota, in 1868. His children are : Nancy now dead : Sally, married William Thompson, now in Iowa ; Minerva, married W. Rollins, in Mendota • Abijah, and John, went to Oregon ; Calvin, to Cali- fornia ; Washington, is now here; Absalom, in Iowa. Justin D. Wixom, from Erie County, New York to Ohio, and, with his father's family, from Ohio to Sangamon County, Illinois, in 1827 ; from there to Tazewell County in 1829, and to Troy Grove in 1833 and settled on S. 18. He married Wealthy Ann Johnston. He died in 1860, aged 58. Asahel Baldwin, from Colebrook, Connecticut, in the fall of 1832 ; bought the claim of Reynolds, on S. 19. Married Flora Holcomb, and in 1834 moved 412 History of La Salle County. to Indian creek ; returned for a short time, and went to Iowa. John Johnston, and wife, Delila McCarty, from Ohio, in the fall of 1832 ; he died in 1843. His children were : James ; Cynthia, married James Hall, of Marshall County ; Aurelia, married James X. Reader ; Wealthy Ann, married Justin D. Wixom ; George, married Mary Ann Beaver, set- tled on S. 25, T. 35, R. 1— he died 1876. Gideon Gillett, and wife, Ruth Goddard, from Granby, Connecticut, came in September, 1838. He died in 1866. His children were : Emeline, died single ; Almon, died — his widow married Levi Carter ; Luna, married Pliny Dewey ; Ruth, mar- ried Simon Cooley ; Dennis T., married Mary Smith, in Iowa ; Daniel S., married Susan Worsley, in Iowa ; Samuel X., married J. Weisman ; Simeon B., married Eliza Baker. Leonard Towner, from New Jersey to Ohio, and from there to Ophir in 1883 ; he married Julia, daughter of Justin Dewej'^ ; settled on S. 18, T. 35, R. 2. Has fourteen children : Ezra, in Washington Territory ; Jane, married Joseph Billings, of Men- dota ; Nathaniel, married C. Ormsby, in Missouri ; Lorenzo, is dead ; Matilda, married Eakin Smith, is in Iowa ; Hiram is in Washington Territory; Letitia, married Mr. McKim; Justin D., married Miss Gor- don, second wife Miss Bugg, live in Vicksburg ; Daniel, married Flora Hoffman, live in Mendota ; John H., is in Kansas; James, married, lives in Mendota ; Katharine, is in Iowa ; Mary, married Mr. Tobias, in El Paso ; Horace E., is in Texas. Sketch of Settlers — Ophlr. 413 Stephen R. Be^gs, and wife, Elizabeth Heath ; a Methodist preacher of note on the frontier. He came in 1834 ; laid off a town where Triumph now is, and named it La Faj^ette. It failed to make a town. Beggs moved to Plainfield, and to Chicago. He published "The Early History of the West and Northwest," a sort of autobiograph}' of himself and brother preachers of the Methodist persuasion. Joseph Worsley, born in England, came from Ohio here in 1834, married Margaret Weitzell, and settled on S. 30. He died 1870, aged 87. His chil- dren are : John, who married Matilda Morehouse : Frederick W., married Caroline Dewey ; William Y., married Lovina Cooper, lives on S, 10, T. 35, R. 1 — has been Justice of the Peace, and Town Supervisor ; Ann, married Charles Webster ; Mar- garet, married William D. McDonald; Joseph F., married Esther Crandall ; Henrj^, married Miss Eastman. Edward Y. Waldo, from Sufiield, Connecticut, in 1834; settled on S. 18, T. 35, E. 2. His father was Chaplain to Congress when over ninety years of age ; died at the age of 101. He had three wives. Hannah Merritt, Phebe Rice, and Mary Johnson. Had two children : Anna, married a Mr. Terry, of Indiana ; Charles, married Miss Gfeer, of Bureau County. Abner D. Westgate, from New York, 1836. His wife was Caroline Waterman. His children were : David, who married Miss Waterman, of Ophir ; Thomas, is single ; Joseph, married Miss Fleming ; (jreorge, is in Missouri ; Emily, in Ophir. 414 History of La Salle County. Joseph B. Westgate, and wife, Emily Bradwin, from New York, in 1836. He died in 1848. His widow died 1874. They had three children : Joseph, James, and Mary. They have all left the county. Cxurdon Searls, from Connecticut, in 1836. He married a sister of Dixwell Latlirop, of La Salle. His daughter, Ann, married Elisha Merritt. Robert Carr, and wife, from Connecticut, in 1837, settled on S. 29. Mrs. Carr died in 1875. Mr. Carr is still liAdng, at the full age of 80 years. His son, Daniel, married Bridget Gardner, and lives on S. 29. He, with Mrs. Scranton, are his only children. William H. McDonald, from Erie County, N. Y., came with Joshua Brown in 1835, and settled on S. 7, T. 35, R. 2, where he still resides. He married Margaret Worsley. Simon Cooley, from New York, came in 1836 ; married Ruth Gillett. He was a carpenter by trade ; went to Iowa. Hiram Barnhart, and wife, Lucy S warts, came here in 1837, and left in 1839— removed to the Wabash. MISSION. The town of Mission embraces that portion of T. 35, R. 5, lying east of the Fox river, and that portion of T. 36, R 5, which lies south of the Fox, about thirty-two Sections. The Fox forms its north- ern and western boundary, and Mission creek runs westwardly across the town near its centre. There Sketch of Settlers — Mission. 415 was some heavy timber on both the creek and the Fox, The face of the country is rolling, and the soil dry and fertile. The first white occupant of what is now the town of Mission, was Jesse Walker, who established a mission in 1826, by appointment and under the supervision of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the head of Mission creek, on Section 15, for the conversion of the Pottawatomie Indians, and a school for the education of Indian children. The Indians in considerable numbers were occupying an island in the Fox, near the mouth of Somonauk creek where they had cultivated corn and vegetables and made the vicinity their head-quarters. After the white settlers came in, the Indians relinquished the cultivation of the ground, preferring to buy of the whites, paying with skins or with money received as annuities from the Government. They were con- stitutionally lazy, and like some with whiter com- plexions, thought honest toil lowered their dignity, and to carry out the resemblance still farther for fear their women would overstep their sphere, the squaws were made to perform all the labor for the community. The mission was barren of results, and was aban- doned early in 1832, and the buildings were burnt by the Sauks the following summer. Walker sold forty acres of improvements to Washington Bulbona, a half-breed French and Indian, who also had a reservation of a Section when the Indians sold to the Government, which became Section 16 when surveyed. 416 History of La Salle County. Mr. Schermerhorn, and liis son-in-law, Hazelton, were the lirst settlers after the Mission, and made claims on S. 10, where John Armsti'ong now lives, in 1831. Their tragic history is given elsewhere. Peter Miller, a native of Ross County, Ohio, and wife, Harriet Holderman, from Maine, came to Ot- tawa in 1830 ; went to Pekin during the Black Hawk war, and to Holderman' s Grove in the spring of 1833 ; made a claim and settled where Sheridan now is in the fall of the same year, the first settler in the town of Mission, excepting tho'se connected with Jesse Walker's mission among the Indians, and Schermerhorn and Hazleton. He now lives in the town of Sheridan, the town having come to him. He has one son, Dyson, who married Harriet Beards- ley, and has eight children. John Armstrong, then a minor, came from Licking- County, Ohio, in company with his uncle, John Strawn, in the fall of 1829. and hired out by the month near Hennepin, stopping for some time with James Wallace in the Brown settlement, South Ottawa. He returned to Ohio in 1831; the same year his mother, Mrs. Elsa Armstrong, moved to Illinois Avitli her family. He again came to Illinois in 1833. He married Margaret Trumbo, daughter of Abraham Trumbo, and settled on Sec. 10, town of Mission, in June, 1834, where he still lives — a suc- cessful farmer and stock dealer. He was an ardent supporter of the Grange movement, and is now Treasurer of the State Grange. He has six children : Abram, married Charlotte Grant, and lives at Se- rena ; Elsa, married Henry Parr ; Joseph, married SketcJi of Settlers — Mission. 417 Mary Havenliill, in Mission ; Josephine, married Samuel Parr ; Benjamin, a lawyer, is in Kansas; Fanny, at home. Samuel D. Barbour, from Indiana, came in 1834 : settled on S. 17, where he still resides. He married Betsey Neff, and has eight children : Susanna, who married John Abel, of Mission ; Eleanor, is single ; Ebenezer, married Mar}^ Clark, live in Mar- seilles ; Moses, married Augusta Freeland, of Mis- sion ; Eliphalet, married Emma Blake ; Samuel D., Jr., married Emma Corning ; Marion, married Mar- garet Mason ; Henry, at home. Beach Fellows, from Penn83'lvania, settled on Section 6, town of Mission, Ma}' 1, 1835. On the farm seven years. In 1855 he was elected Countj^ Treasurer. Has lived in Ottawa since. He married Martha Nelson, and has six children : Joseph, is in Missouri ; Jane, in Livingston County ; William, Maud, and Delia, at home. Ebenezer Nefi", from New York, and wife, Marga- ret Douglass, from Pennsylvania to Indiana, from there to Holderman's Grove in 1835, and to Mission in 1837. He was a Justice of the Peace for several terms. He died in May, 1867. He had nineteen children, twelve of whom are liv- ing. Betsey, married Samuel Barbour, live in Mis- sion ; Daniel, married Maria Thomas, deceased ; Olive, married Joseph East, they live in Indiana ; Almira, married William Bogwell, live in Iowa ; Is- abel, married Joseph Mason, live in Mission ; Henry B., married Mary Freeland, live in Ottawa ; Wm. D., married Anna N. Peterson, live in Ottawa ; Ra- 418 History of La Salle County. chel, married ISTewell Blodget, live in Iowa ; Sarah- belle, married Wellington Mason, live in Kendall County ; Janette, married Josiah Shaver, live in Rut- land ; George, married Thirza Whitney, live in Ot- tawa ; Margaret, married Sanford Whitney. Joseph Mason, from Indiana in 1835 ; married Is- abel Neff ; a blacksmith by trade ; settled on S. 28 T. 35, R. 5 ; still living on a good farm. Has nine children : George is in Kendall County ; Daniel is in Serena ; W. W., married Lovina Peister, live in Miller ; Ellen, married Milton Reed, at Sheridan ; Sarah Ann, married James Knickerbocker ; Althea, married Abel Misner ; Lewis, married Ellen Hamon ; Pamelia and Joseph, at home. Robert Trimble, from Tazewell County, in 1834, sold his claim to Robert Rowe, and went to Mis- souri. Robert Rowe, a native of Scotland, with his wife Mary McMath, came from Indiana here in 1835 ; has held the office of County Commissioner, and is a prac- tical surveyor and mathematician ; still resides on the farm he first occupied. His wife died in 1 56. He has eight children : James, married, and lives in Mis- sion ; Samuel, married Celeste Robinson, lives on the homestead ; Alfred, is in Colorado : Mary Ann, mar- ried Cyrus Delameter ; Isabel, married John North ; Jane M., married Peter Cunningham ; Amelia, mar- ried Levi Spradling ; Emeline, married Delos Rob- inson. Jesse Pearson, half brother to Wm. Barbour's Avife, from Indiana ; removed, and died near Bloom- ington. 111. Sketch of Settlers — Mission. 419 Thomas Bart, from Virginia to Indiana, came here in 1834 ; settled on S. 15, resided here a few years, removed to Missonri, and died there. One daughter, Sarah, married Enoch Spradling ; another, Lina, lives at Shabona's Grove, widow of James Price. Enoch Spradling, and wife, Sarah Dart, came from Indiana, in 1840. He has live children : Rachel, married Alva Pitzer ; James, married, lives near the old farm ; Elizabeth, at home ; Frances, married Mr. Snelliug, in Mission ; Josephine, married Levi Rood. George A. Southworth, and wife, Miss Bowen, came from New York, in 1836 ; settled on S. 11 ; died about ten years since. He had two children : Mary, married Mr. Southworth ; Marcus, a lawyer, in Aurora. Anthony Haman came in 1835, and moved to De Kalb County. Conway Rhodes came in 1835, married Miss Ha- man, and moved to Iowa in 1836. Mr. Poplin came in 1835, married Miss Haman, and moved to De Kalb County. James Rood, and wife, Miss Babcock, a native of Massachusetts, first to Connecticut, then to New York, and came to Illinois in 1836. Died about 1850 ; his widow died several years after. Launcelot Rood, son of the foregoing, was a mer- chant in Georgia ; came to Illinois in 1836 ; went to Iowa about 1850. Levi H. Rood, son of James Rood, from Litch- field County, Ct., went to Georgia; taught school 420 History of La Salle County. there, and came to Illinois in 1838 ; was a Justice of the Peace several terms. He died in 1875. His first wife was L. A. Philips ; she had four children : Mary H., married Dr. Pierce, of Minooka : James P. and Joseph B., in Will County; Rufus B., in Sandwich. His second wife was Mary E. Wyman, of Massachusetts, who had six children: Levi W., married Josephine Spradling, and lives with his mother; Grace W.; Benjamin B.; Julia E.; Ellen, and Charles, are deceased. Henry Verbeck, from New York, married Jane Southworth. He died in 1867. Had three children : James, in Missouri ; Eddy, in Colorado ; Eva, mar- ried Frank Bowen ; Mabel, lives in Millington with her mother. Ever Waller came from Norway in 1835, and bought claim of Jesse Pearson. Jesse Pearson came from Indiana in 1835 ; sold to Waller, and went to Bloomington. J. Q. Eastwood came in 1836: died about 1847. His widow married Nathaniel Hibbard, from New Jersey ; died some two years since. M3''ers Foster came from Pennsylvania in 1834 ; returned in 1837 or '38. Charles Colton came from New Hampshire, and settled on Section 15 : moved West. George Havenhill came from Nelson County, Ky., to Tazewell County in 1830 : in 1832 raised a crop near Holderman's Grove, which was destroyed by the Indians ; was County Commissioner in 1835 ; died about 1842. Marshall Havenhill. son of George, came with his Sketch of Settlers — Northmlle. 421 father, and settled on S. 12, T. 34, R. r^, in 1834 ; married Jane Collins. Fielding Havenhill, son of George, came with his father, and settled on Section 12, in 1834 ; was mar- ried in Kentucky. Alexander Rowe, and wife, Ann Eliza Philips, came from Connecticut in 1835, and settled on Sec- tion 26, where he still lives, aged 72 years. His wife died in 1857. His children are : Robert, married Fear R. Hosford, and lives in Freedom ; Ann, mar- ried Hamilton Rawlin ; John H., married Mary Austin ; Jane M., at home ; Isabel, married Free- born Rawlin ; Edward, married Jennie Angevine ; Henrietta, married Morris Law, lives in Sheridan ; Ebenezer M., was accidentally shot while hunting, 12 years old. Steward Liston, and wife, came from New York in 1837. He died about 1850. He had three child- ren : Lemuel, married Lois Townsend ; Lucy, mar- ried Henry Newton ; Maria, married John Warren. NORTHVILLE. Northville embraces the most of Township 36, R. 5. The Fox river forms its southern boundary, and running south westwardly cuts oif from that township about as much territory as it takes from the town south of it. The town lies between the main line and branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and has several railroad stations and market towns near 422 History of La Salle County. its borders, but none within its limits, consequent!}^ its market places, social institutions and churches are mostl}^ in the adjoining towns, giving them the benefit of the wealth and population created in part by the business from Northville. The town occupies the northeast corner of the county. It is watered, in addition to the Fox river, by Somonauk creek, which runs southerly a little west of the centre througli the entire length of the town ; the timber along its banks relieved the monotony of the otherwise unbroken prairie and prompted the settlement which commenced in 1834, most of the early settlers coming in the next three or four years. Letsome, Dubois, and Armstrong, were frontier men who came in at an early day and settled near the Fox, where they made claims and sold to Messrs. Carr, Heath and Lewis. John T. Carr, from Onondaga County, NewYork, came in the fall of 1 836, and settled on Section 36. He was thrown from a wagon in crossing Fox river, and broke his neck. Charles Carr, son of John T., settle don Sec. 36 ; is now in Somonauk. Barney S. Carr, brother to Charles, married Susan Williams ; lives in Somonauk. R. D. Carr, brother to Charles, removed to Cali- fornia. Lindsey Carr, brother to the above, was a soldier in the Mexican war— Capt. Co. H., 10th Regiment Illinois Volunteers for three months ; also of the same for three years. He was killed on the picket line near New Madrid. Sketch of Settlers — Northmlle. 423 Isaac Potter, from Onondaga County, New York, came in 1834 — said to liave been the first settler in town. He settled on Sec. 4. Had two sons : Nelson, died ; John, left the count3\ Darius Potter came here in 1837, and left the county in a few years. One daughter, Fanny, mar- ried M. H. West ; another married Hugh Adams. Lyman Potter settled on Section 36 ; Lydia Ann, married Frank Bliss. Eli M. Kinne, from Onondaga County, N. Y., came in October, 1835, and settled at the mouth of Somonauk creek ; removed to Leland in 1850 ; has been a merchant in Leland since that time. His first wife was Maria Heath ; his second, Laura Fisk. He had two sons, W. C. and P. F.— both in Iowa. Lewis Supus came from Germany in 1835, and settled on Section 7. Henry Hull, from Stamford, Duchess Co., N. Y., came in 1838, and remained here two and a half years. Joseph Stockham came here in 1836 ; one of the first Justices of the Peace in Mission Precinct ; re- moved to Iowa. David Crawford from Ireland in 1833 ; came here in 1838 with William Sly ; removed to Iowa in 1861. Abijah Haman, and wife. Bought claim of Du- bois in 1836, and sold to Bernard ; removed to New- ark, and died there. Had two sons : John, removed to Kendall County in 1845 ; Clark. William Sly, born in Ireland, came from Huron County, Ohio, to De Kalb County, in 1833 ; here in 424 History of La Salle County. the fall of 1834 ; settled on S. 28, T. 36, R. 5. He held the office of Justice of the Peace twenty-five years ; died in September, 1876. His children are : Joseph ; Frederick, in Somonauk ; Jackson, in Whiteside County ; Anne, married W. Grriswold, live in Kane County ; Eliza, married Christian El- derding : Joanna, married John Jones ; Alice, mar- ried Mr. Gray ; Jane, married George Shipman. Samuel Lewis, and wife, Delia Ward, (who died in 1865), came from Tompkins County, New York, in the fall of 1835. In 1844 went back for one year. Settled on S. 3. His children are : Edward W. ; Charles F., in Somonauk. Peter Newton, from Broome County, N. Y., came in 1836, and died in Newark. N. Newton, son of Peter, came with his father and settled on Sec. 4 ; removed 19 Mission in the fall of 1850. Levi Wright, from New York, came in 1839 ; was Supervisor one term. Conrad Smith, fiom Germany, first to Ottawa, here 1835 ; settled on S. 4. Frederick Smith, from Germany ; settled on S. 5, in 1835. Horace Williams, and wife, from Onondaga Co., N. Y., came here 1836 ; settled on Sees. 20 and 21, T. 36, E. 5 ; had two children : Douglass, married Elizabeth Gould ; settled on S. 19, T. 36, R. 5. Helen married Charles Merwin, lives at Somonauk. Dr. Heath came here 1834; resided here several years, then moved to Wisconsin. One daughter married Frederick Weatherspoon. Maria married Eli M. Kinne, now of Leland. Sketch of Settlers — Northmlle. 425 Orange Potter, from New York, 1835. Frederick Myers, from Germany, 1888. Moses H. West, and wife, Fanny Potter, fiom Berkshire Connty, Mass. ; came here 1837 ; lived some time in New York and Michigan. Settled on S. 19, T. 3G, R. 5 ; millwright by trade ; Justice of the Peace twelve years. Children : Charles, editor So- monauk Gazette ; Clara F., married A. D. Charles, live in Somonank ; Cora M. and Alma J., at home. James Whitmore, with his wife, Rachel Hyat. sec- ond wife Polly Foster, from Ca3aiga Connty, N. Y., March, 1835. Settled here ; now lives in Sandoval. His children are, Albert, Catharine, William and Abner. Harvey Whitmore. on Sees. 5 and H, 1836 ; died years ago. Murray Whitmore, came in 1836. David Whitmore, from Caj^uga Count3% N. Y., to Ohio 1836, and here 1839. His wife was Marv Ann Mitchell. Ha^ two children, Harriet and John. Joseph Whitmore, came in 1836 ; died 1851. Trac,y Whitmore, from Cayuga County. N. Y.; came in 1836. Wife, Sarah Vanderhoof. He died 1862. Albert Whitmore, from Cayuga Connty. N. Y.. 1836 ; died at 22 years of age in 1844. Jonathan Cooley, came in 1835. Had one dauah- ter, who married Ephraim Scott. John Potter, came in 1835 ; died 1836. James Roberts, came in 1835. William C. Whitmore, from Monroe County, N. Y., 1836; first wife, Phebe Foster; second, Mrs. Schotield. 28 426 History of La Salle County. Henry G. Murray, from Cayuga County, X, Y., 1836. Benjamin Daniels, from I^. Y. ; living with James Whitmore. Harrison \Y. Sweetland and wife, Harriet Brain- ard, from Tompkins County, N. Y., 1836 ; bought a claioi of Letsome and settled on Sees. 34 and 27 ; has held the offices of Town Supervisor and Justice of the Peace for several terms. His children are : Charles, married Helen LaMar, lives near ; Martha, married Emil Culver, lives in Indiana ; Reuben, died in the army ; Henry, married Miss Underwood, lives at Newark ; Horatio, Amanda and Hattie, at home. James Whitmore, with his wife, Ann Brigham. from Ca3^uga Count}^, X. Y,, to Ohio in 1829, and from Ohio to Illinois in 1832 : has two children, Emily and Martha. Benjamin Whitmore, and wife, Susan Emerson, from the same place and at the same time with James Whitmore, his brother. Has one child, Susan. Nathaniel Seaman, and wife, Mary Lane, from the city of New York, came to Illinois in 1836, and settled on S. 31. In 1864 he went South, as agent of the Sanitary Commission, and died near New Madrid. Of his children : Fanny, married Edward Lewis, of Kansas ; Anna Mary, married C. H. Hall, of Chicago ; Henry, was killed at Lookout Mountain ; M. Adelaide, married Charles Gifford. of Somonauk i Julia, Charles, and Lucien, at home. Jacob Seaman, and wife, Jane Kidney, from Duchess County, New York, settled here in 1837. Sketch of Settlers — Northville. 427 and died in 1S64. Of his children : Henrietta, mar- ried Edward Keenan, of Leland ; Martha Ann, mar- ried John Keenan ; Byron, and Emma, are de- ceased ; Delilah, married George Selwin, of North- ville ; Walter, married Maria White — second wife is Ella Stoiightonbury. Richard Seaman, and wife, Betsey Searls, from Duchess County, New York, in 1837. He died in 1846, leaving live children : James, died in 1847 ; Sarah, married James Jackson, of Northville ; Ellen, married Thomas Blanchard, of Kansas ; Caroline, married Wallace Hathron ; and Edgar, married Martha Bennet, of Northville. Thomas Gransden, from England to Ulster Co., New York, in 1834, and settled on S. 30, T. 36, R. 6, in 1837. He married Eliza Powell, and has two sons, Thomas, and Albert, and three daughters, Anna, Alice and Martha ; all at home, except Mar- tha, who married Edward Armstrong, of Northville W. L. F. Jones was born in Rutland County, Vt. , and raised in Crawford County, Pa, ; with his wife, Betsy Minor, came to Milford, now Millington, Ken- dall County, in 1837 ; is now living on S. 13, T. 36, R. 5, a blacksmith, and farmer ; he was the first Supervisor from the town of Northville. He has live children : Benton, at home ; Misner, in Kansas ; Elma, married Ira Armstrong, and live in Somo- nauk ; Charles, is a medical student, in Chicago ; Alfred W., is in Sandwich. Hugh Allen came to Northville in 1837 ; moved to Dayton 1845. Levi Wright, and wife, Esther Whitmore, came 428 History of La Salle County. from New York in 1839. Has been Supervisor one term. Handj^ Siiples, from German}^ with Conrad Smith; died soon after, leaving two sons, Hugh and Lewis. Lewis settled on S. 8. Thomas Lemar, and wife, Mary Hawes, to Ottawa 1836, and to Northville 1840. Has three children : Otis K., Helen A., and Luther J. Henry Curtis, and wife, Marj^ E. MeNett, from Connecticut, in 1836. John Wliitmore. and wife, came from Ohio in 1834, and settled on Section 16 : removed to Waukegan, and died in 1851. Children : Lorenzo, killed by lightning; Alonzo, married Miss Skinner, died in Kansas : John and Addison, went to California, and Lucien, to Sheridan : the three are now in Leland. Samuel Graff came from Germany in 1834 : tailor by trade : settled on Section 8 : moved to Section 5 ; died in 1 874. John Sherman came from Russia in 1835. and settled on Section 4 : now deceased. Henry Sherman came from Russia in 1835, and settled on Section 9 ; still living. Jeremiah Hough came from Oswego, N. Y., in 1839. Died in 1845. Had five sons. William Powell came from Boston in 1838, and bought the claim of David Crawford. He married Elizabeth Warner ; second wife. Miss McNett. Samuel Warner, from Boston to New Orleans, by boat to Peoria, and b}' land to Somonauk ; pur- chased a claim of Hugh Allen ; put in crops, went back to Boston, and brought out his father and family in August, 1838. Sketch of Settlers — Earl, 429 George Warner, and wife, Marj^ Salisbuiy, came from Boston in August, 1838, and bought a claim of Foster. He died in 1845, aged 60 ; his widow- died in 1871, aged 88. He had six sons and one daugliter : Samuel, married Mar}' Ann Powell, had two sons, Alfred and George, now in Ford County ; John ; Alfred, married Almira Richard- son, of Maine, moved to Michigan, and has eight children, all in Michigan : Thomas, lived single, and died in California ; Elizabeth, married Wm. Powell ; Francis, married Julia P. Back, and has four child- ren — he was Sheriff of La Salle County for two terms, from 1859 to 1861, and from 1863 to 1865— he is now Superintendent of Pinkerton's detectives, and lives in Chicago. Daniel McNett, and wife. Mar}' Boomer, came from Xew York in 1838. He died in 1876. He had fifteen children : Charles, married Lydia Baker, in Iowa ; Sophronia, married William Powell ; Mary. died : Michael, married Florence Jackson, of AVhiteside Count}" ; Martha, married George Ed- wards, of Mendota ; Lucina, married Asher Gib- son, of Missouri ; Eliza, married Albert Powell ; W^iljiam, married Lovina Havenhill ; Polly, Eleanor, John, Henry, Clara. Sherman, and Abbey, are single. EARL. The town of Earl embraces the Congressional Township 36 North, of Range 3. It is the centre town on the north line of the county. Indian creek 430 History of La Salle County. enters the town near the middle on the north, rans southwest to Section 19, and then southeast, having a fine growth of timber along most of its course. It was settled quite sparsely along its banks com- mencing in 1834, until, in 1853, the Chicago, Burling- ton & Quincy Railroad was built through the town, after which the influx of population was rapid. Charles H. Sutphen was the pioneer settler in the town of Earl, in company with John E,. Dow. They came from Boston, made claims and located at the head of the grove in April, 1834. They found two families just arrived from Indiana, J. Ross, and a Mr. Johnson, who located on the south side of the grove and made some improvement that sum- mer. They sold their claim to McClasky & Philips, and left in 1835. Mr. Sutphen brought his family in the month of October, and built a double log house on the site of the village. The land came in market in 1839, when Mr. Sutphen purchased one thousand acres where Earl- ville now stands, and has occupied it as a stock farm for about twenty years. He was one of the first Justices for Indian Precinct, and held the office continuously for fifteen years, being the oldest Justice in the county when he resigned. He had a family of six sons and three daughters ; Charles T. Sutphen was the first white male born in the township, he and Greorge are in California ; Albert, is in Aurora ; Ford, in Missouri ; Gilbert and Weller, in Iowa; Sarah, married S. Cook, now deceased; Carrie T., was the first white child Sketch of Settlers — Earl. 431 born in the town— married William H. Graham, of St. Louis ; Mary, married O. C. Gray, of Ottawa, and her second husband was Dr. Canfield, of Ottawa — she is now deceased. Mrs, Sutphen, Elizabeth H. Dow, died in 1870 ; Mr. Sutphen removed to Joliet in 1871, and married the widow of H. D. Higginbotham. John R. Dow returned to Boston in the fall of 1834, and his two brothers occupied his claim. He is now living in IS'ew York. D. A. Ballard came from Boston, in the fall of 1834 ; his wife was a sister of Mrs. Sutphen ; he returned to Boston in 1842. Two sons remain— one died at Earl two years since ; the other is at Aurora. Albert Dow came from Boston in 1835. He mar- ried Miss Frances Johnson, of Boston, and settled on the claim left by John R. Dow ; his wife died soon, and he married Martha Miles, and had one son and two daughters ; he is now living in Chicago. He resided in Ottawa several years. Warren Dow, from Boston, came in 1834. He married Miss Alice B. Champney, of Boston ; has one son and three daughters ; he now lives in Wis- consin. He resided in Ottawa several years, and in Marseilles. Amos Foster, from Massachusetts, came in 1834 ; married in Ottawa ; removed to Wisconsin. Corrin Doane, from Boston, came in 1834 ; mar- ried Harriet Johnson— his second wife was Hannah Stilson, sister to S. T. Stilson. He died in May, 1836. He had two sons : Hazen, married and lives in Earl ; Samuel J., died in the army. 432 History of La Salle County. JoliiiT. Cook, brother-in-law to Sutplien, came in 1834 ; went to Galena, then to Chicago in the lum- ber trade ; his wife died in Chicago of cholera. John Thornton, and wife, Hannah Benedict, from St. Lawrence County, N. Y., in 1835 ; he died in 1865. He had three daughters : Lurania, married Samuel O. Carter ; Roby, married Wm. Imil ; Sarah, married O. J. Wilson. Samuel O. Carter, from St. Lawrence County, N.Y., in 1835 ; stopped near Chicago three months in De- cember ; settled on S. 17. Wife, Lurania Thornton : has three sons : Adolplms married widow Doane ; Heman H. married Malvina Philips ; Joel at home. Alonzo Carter, from St. Lawrence County, N. Y., in 1836 ; now a Methodist preacher in Ohio. Levi Carter, from same place in 1836 ; married widow Jewett ; now in Sandoval, Marion County, Illinois. Ferdinand Carter, from the same place in 1836 ; he died 1854. His widow, Deborah Breese, died 1867. Benjamin Carter, from same place in 1836; went to Green County 1860 ; now there. Sylvester Carter came in 1836 ; he died of cholera in 1849 ; first wife, Miss Christy ; second, Mary Breese, widow ; third, Lucy Pine. Of his children, James Carter is in Livingston County ; Joseph is teaching in Normal ; Lucien in Livingston County. Urial Carter, married Eli/a Rogeison ; now in Ar- kansas ; has seven or eight children ; left herein 1855. Joel Carter, father of the foregoing seven sons, came from the bank of the St. liawience river in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., in 1836 ; died in 1853, aged 75. Sketch of Settlers — Earl. 438 Jolm Currier came from Vermont to Cincinnati, and here in 1838; wife, Eliza Wallace ; ten cliildren. Frank Ransted, from Vermont to Cincinnati and from there here in 1836 ; his wife died 18')5 ; he has several children. Alexander Brown, from Cheshire, Mass., Jul}' 1838 ; a bachelor ; died 1867. AndreAv Brown came in 1838. Allen Brown, and wife, Miss Best, in 1838 ; has one «on and three daughters. The above three brothers came from Berkshire County, Mass. O. J. Wilson, from St. Lawrence County, N. Y., 1835 ; left there Nov. 16th, when 17 j^ears of age, and came by steamer to Hamilton Ba}", then on foot to near Chicago in company with Uri Carter ; stopped with Samuel and Levi Carter a few days, then went to Indiana and spent the winter, and in December, 1836, reached Big Indian creek in LaSalle County; bought a claim on S. 21, which came in market in 1839. Mr. Wilson's history is a striking example of the result of industry and econoni}-. From the poor boy trudging on foot through the wear}^ distance to reach the West, he has become the possessor of wealth, being a large land owner, farmer and banker. He married Sarah Thornton ; his children are, Thomas, who married Mary Wood, lives near; Wil- liam, who married Nettie Doane, lives in Earlville, a banker ; Edwin, in California ; Abram, married Frances Pope, lives in Earlville ; Richard, Caroline,* John T., Charlotte Ann, and Osnian John, are at home 484 History of La Salle County. Major D. Wallace, from Orange County, Yt., in 1837 : the only physician here for ten years ; left two sons, Charles married the widow Scott at Earl, owns the Wallace House ; G-eorge married Miss White. James Wood, from New York in 1840; he died 1853 ; settled on S. 6 ; four children : Peter: David: Lovina married James Wallace ; Elisha. David Smith, from South Adams, Mass., 1840 ; died 1864. Daniel Smith, son of foregoing, came in 1838 ; mar- ried Harriet Burt. Miles Rouse, came from Xew York, in 1834 ; died in 1860 ; widow still living here ; Ellen, married Mr. Lynn : Eliza, married ; Martha, married Allen Mc- Gregor. George Rogerson came from Brockville, Canada, in 1838 ; George is in Ford County ; Eliza, married Trial Carter, in Arkansas. Mr. R. died in 1840. Edward Cook came in 1835 : died in California, 20 years ago : left a widow and son. All have left. Russel Bliss, came from Xorth Adams to Ohio, and from there here, in 1837. James M. Philips, came from Pennsylvania, in 1836 ; he had a difficulty regarding a disputed claim with his neighbor. Moss, and unfortunately killed him ; he was tried for murder and convicted of man- slaughter, but was discharged, from a defect in the law. It is due to Mr. Philips to state, that his neighbors all agree that he has led a blameless life since ; has a large family of children who are much respected. He sent five sons to the war. Mr. Moss, who was killed by Philips, was from Sketch of Settlers — Serena. 435 Vermont ; he was making a farm preparatory to moving his family, when he met his fate. Abram Foster, and wife, Millie White, came from Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in 1836 ; settled one mile north of Earlville, on the creek ; he died many years since, leaving seven children : Betsey, married Conrad Smith, of Northville ; Millie, married Frederick Smith, of Northville ; Elisha, is deceased ; Alfred, went to California ; William, died here, his widow is still living ; Willard, went West ; Abram settled on the creek, now in Colorado. Amzi Foster, grandson of Abram, came from Bradford Co., Pennsylvania, in 1837; he married Mary J. App ; has three children. He has resided in Ottawa for many years. Samuel T. Stilson, born in Connecticut, came from Chatauqua County, N. Y., 1839; has been a farmer, merchant, gi*ain dealer, and banker; successful, and now retired. His first wife was Ellen Wood, who died in 1862 ; his second wife was Sarah Lukins. Has had five children ; two are living. SERENA. The town of Serena embraces Township 35, Range 4, and about three additional sections of T. 35, R. 5, which lie on the west side of Fox river. Indian creek runs nearly across the township and is intersected by its principal branch, the Little Indian, on Section 16. There was much good timber along those streams, and consequently settlements com- 436 History of La Salle County. menced at an early date. Tbe plentiful supply of timber, with rolling, rich prairie, made it a desira- ble location. There were several saw-mills on the creek at an early day. and two or three flourino- mills have been added since. Settlements commenced in 1831, and settlers came in rapidly after the close of the Indian troubles, in 1833. Robert Baresford was the tirst, in 1831. and the Warrens, Alva O. Smith, Daniel Blake and others in 1833. The Fox River Railroad runs through the east part of the town, with a depot nearly central, which brings a market to the doors of the people who set- tled in an inland town. Robert Baresford, a native of Deny, Ireland, came to America, and with his wife, Mary Desert, and family, came fii-st to Peoria, and, with Jesse Walker, to Ottawa in 1825 ; assisted Walker in establishing his mission at Mission Point, and in 1829 settled at Holderman's Grove. He removed to Indian Creek in 1831 : he built a saw-mill on the creek, and resided in that locality till his death in 1851. Mrs. Baresford died in 1843. He left three children : John, married, and is now living at Fremont. !Xe- braska : Mary Ann. married William Cullen. of Ottawa — Mr. Cullen has been Sheriff, and for many j^ears editor of the Ottawa Republican : Lovina, married Mr. Wykoff ; James, was killed by Indians while scouting in 1832. Daniel Warren. Jr.. came from Madison County, N. Y.. in 1830, and settled on Indian Creek in 1S32. His wife was Lucy Skeels, from Putnam County. Sketch of Settlers — Serena. 437 He died in April, 1867. His widow married Peter Dick, and lives on Section 17. He left six children : Elizabeth, married Anthony Hoar, in Missouri ; Ardilla, married Henry Hoar, deceased ; Luther, married Catliarine Cristler, at Streator; Huron, is in Nebraska ; Ruden, married Charlotte Wright, of Serena; Louis S., married Eliza McClure, of Serena. Nathan Warren came from Madison Count}^ N. Y., in 1830, and settled on Section 8 ; is now liv- ing on Section 5. His tirst wife was Lydia Baxter ; second wife, Maria Lester. He has seven children : William, is in Serena; Fannj^, married Mr. "Wariner, of Paw Paw ; Lucien, is in Amboj^. Second wife's children are : Mary, married Gfeorge Bristol, near Amboy, now deceased ; Emma ; Florence. Ezekiel AVarren married Susan Sargent and settled on Section 17. He and Daniel Warren built a saw- mill on Section 8, and moved to Morris, and died there in 1847. Samuel Warren, from Madison County, N. Y., came on the creek with his brothers ; died single. The four Warren brothers were children of Daniel Warren, and came with their father from Madison County, N. Y., in 1830, by wagon to Bailey's Point, now Vermillion. The father died near Ottawa in 1832. His widow married the father of Horace and George Sprague ; she died in 1836. John Hupp, from Licking County, Ohio, came thi'ough by wagon, and settled on Section 23 ; went to California in 1850. His children are : Sedgwick, living in Serena ; Wilson, was drowned in Colum- bia river ; Havilah, resides in Serena ; Jane, married 438 History of La Salle County. James Moore ; Cemantha, married Ira Baj'le}^ of Grundy County: Stephen, in Iowa; George, at Northville; Riley, in Serena; Louisa, married Josepli McKim. Kinne Newcomb came from Plattsburg, K". Y., in 1833 ; married Jerusha Lyman. He died in 1840. Hiram Brown, and wife, Olive Niles, came from Sliaftsbury, Yt., in 1833 ; now in Kane County. AlvaO. Smitli, from North Haven, Ct., in 1833: arrived in Ottawa in 1834. He married Olive War- ren and settled on Section 18, T. 35, R. 4, in Dec, 1835. In company with James Day, bought the saw-mill of Ezekiel Warren. Mr. Smith died in 1870, leaving eight children : James, married Mar- garet Barker ; Levi C. : Lois L., married William M. Curyea, of Ottawa ; Mary, married Isaac Pool, of Serena; Sarah E., married William T. Jones, of Serena ; Alva O. ; Olive, married Geo. W. Curyea. of Dayton ; Sidne}^ at home ; Eunice O. John Hoxie, from Williamstown, Berkshire Co., Mass., came in 1836, and settled on Sec. 25, where he still resides. He married Elizabeth Beem. His children are: Henrietta, Fremont, Lincoln, and Fanny. Henry was killed at the battle of Mission Ridge. Daniel Blake, born in Maine, removed to Ohio, and from there here in 1833 ; lived a short time under the hospitable roof of Robert Baresford, and settled on Section 34 ; removed to Ottawa in 1868 ; served as Sheriff from 1871 to 1873. His children are : Joshua M., in Livingston County : James A., on the old farm ; George, a lawyer, in Ottawa ; Mary Sketch of Settlers — Serena. 439 J., married Havilali Hui:)p, in Serena ; Hattie M., is the wife of Irvin Mies, of Livingston County, and Susie A., is at home. Ezra Dominy was born at East Hampton, L. I., 1876 — with his wife, Rhoda Smitli, and family, came from Plattsburg, Xew York, in 1835, with a wagon, by the Lake shore, to Illinois, being six weeks on the road ; settled on S. 28. The Dominy family, descendants of Ezra, with their wives and husbands, held a reunion in September, 1873 ; there were 100 present, including children, grand children, and great grand children. His children are : Rebecca, who married Robert Greenless, of Dayton ; Na- thaniel, married Philinda Finch, in Grand Ridge ; John, in Iowa ; Belinda, married Martin Lewis, now dead ; Sally, died single ; Lorenzo, in Serena ; Ezra A., married Ann Eliza Pool, in Serena ; Gilbert, married Mary E. Pool ; Betsey, married Jacob Peterson, in Serena ; Anna, married Matthias Pool, in Serena. Mr. Dominy is living with the last named, at the ripe age of 91. Mrs. Dominy died in 1873, aged 87. Amos St. Clair, from Kentucky to Jacksonville, in 1830, and here 1835 ; he settled on S. 32 ; he died 1839, aged 49 — his widow, Elizabeth Watkins, died in 1868. Watson St. Clair, son of Amos, came at the same time and settled on Section 32, is now on Section 36. His wife was Laura J. Beckwith. His children are : Martha E., and Laura E., both at home. William St. Clair, also son of Amos, came at the same time and is livins; on the old farm on Sec. 32. 440 History of La Salle County. His wife was Susan Miller. His cliildren are : Eugene and Lucretia, at home. St. Clair sisters, daughters of Amos, were : Mary- Ann, who married H. P. Harvey, of Freedom; Rachel, married Urial Miller, of Freedom ; Eliza Jane, mar- ried Samuel B. Flint, of California ; Sarah E., married L. Clifford, of Serena. John St. Clair, also son of Amos, came from the same place and settled on Section 32 in 1834. Rev. John St. Clair, brother of Amos, came from Kentucky in 1834 ; a Methodist preacher and Pre- siding Elder ; he was prominent in his denomina- tion, an able, enterprising and useful man. He died in Evanston in 1861. Settled in Rutland. William Beardsley, from Williamstown, Mass., came in 1837. and settled on Sec. 27 ; Julia, died in the fall of 1838 : Lyman, insane ; Harriet, married Dyson Miller. Henry Beardsley, half-brother of William, from Williamstown, Mass., came in the fall of 1837. His children are : Lovina Blake, now in Adams ; one son, William, in Mendota ; Chester, married Miss Wheeler. Nathaniel Perley, and wife, Eliza Stevens, from Massachusetts to Ottawa, and from there to the creek in 1839. Mrs. Perley met her death by her clothes taking fire. Mr. Perley has gone West. William Haskell, and wife, Martha Batcheller, first came to Ottawa in 1837, and to the creek in 1839. Perley & Haskell built Curyea's mill and distillery in 1839. He died recently in Streator. John R. Hobbs, came from New York, in 1835 ; Sketch of Settlers — Eagle. 441 settled on S. 26. Daruria, died ; Alfred, married, and lives in Serena. Pliineas Perley, came from Massachusetts, in 1833 ; married Wm. Beardsly's widow : one daughter, Almira. He died about 1857. Joseph T. Roy, bachelor ; run a mill on the creek. Died in 1871. Aaron Grinnell, bachelor, came from New York, in 1837, in the poor house, familiarly called "Old Chub." Martin Lewis, came from Plattsburg, N. Y., in 1834 ; settled on S. 28, and died in 1837. EAGLE. Eagle embraces that portion of T. 31, R. 3, that lies south of the Vermillion river, and the east one- third of T. 31, R,. 2. That portion lying along the Vermillion was settled at an early day. John Coleman, came from Richland Co., Ohio, in the fall of 1831 ; he settled on S. 22, lived there till 1847, and went to Missouri for two years, and then returned to the old farm ; he is now living in Strea- tor. His wives were : 1st, Anna Cramer ; 2d, Rox- ena Cowgill ; 3d, Hester Kelley ; 4th, Lutitia Grif- fith. All dead. Of his children : Julia Ann, mar- ried Mr. Ploger, of Ottawa ; Hester Ann, married Josiah Roberts, of Streator ; James, William, Lilla, are single. Henry Cramer, came from Richland Co., Ohio, in 1831 ; he died in 1832. His daughters married John 29 442 History of La Salle County. Coleman, James McKernaii, Geo. McKee, and Dan- iel Barrackman. John Holderman, and wife, Hannah Young, came from Richland Co., Ohio, in the spring of 1831 ; the lirst settler in the town ; he settled on S. 27. He died about 1842. He had five children : Jacob, married Rachel Gannet, of Streator ; Allen, is now living in Streator ; Sarah, married Elisha Nar- amoor ; Martha, married Barney O'Neill; Eliza, married George Tillsbury. John Wood came from Richland Co., Ohio, in June, 1833 ; settled on S. 22 ; he died in 1840. His widow married George Basore. His son Peter, only remains. Dan'l Barrackman, came from Licking Co., Ohio, in 1831 ; his wife was Rachel Cramer. He had three sons : Charles and Daniel are on the old farm ; Benjamin, went to Iowa. David Reader, and wife, Sarah Whitaker, from Hamilton County, Ohio, to Tazewell County, 1829, and settled on S. 16, T. 31, R. 3, in the spring of 1835 ; a good farmer, and useful citizen. He held the ofSce of County Commissioner ; he died April, 1853, leaving five children : James Newton, married in Tazewell County, settled near his father in 1836, moved to Troy Grove in 1837, is now living in Liv- ingston County ; Mitchell, married Malvina Gum, is in Kansas ; Joseph, married Miss Johnson, in Livingston County ; Rebecca, married Rees Morgan ; Jacob, married Elizabeth Jane Lord, and lives adjoining the old homestead. Jacob Goff, and wife, from Pennsylvania to Taze- Sketch of Settlers — Eagle. 443 well County, in fall of 1835, and soon after settled on S. 17. Mr. Goff died in 1840. His children, Alif, Samuel, Janet, and William, all moved to Kansas about 1856. Thomas, John, Elza, and James Downey, four brothers from Painesville, Ohio, in 1834 ; settled on Sees. 15 and 16 ; Thomas served as Justice of the Peace ; he died about 1850. John and Elza re- moved to Magnolia, Putnam County ; James left, after a short residence here. George Tillsburv, from Pennsylvania in 1839 ; married Eliza Holderman ; taught school a few months, and left the county and his family, soon after. Daniel McCain, from Michigan, married Sarah Shay ; died 1840 ; the widow married William Perygo ; after his death she went to Michigan. Stephen Shay died in Michigan. Charles Clifford, from Ireland to Michigan, in 1834, and settled on S. 13, T. 31, R. 2, in 1837 ; now living in Ottawa. Has children. Samuel Galloway, and wife, Catharine McClure, of Scotch descent, from near Londonderry, in the north of Ireland ; emigrated to America, and set- tled in Lexington, Green County, New York, about 1806— his wife died in 1815 ; his second wife was Lydia Moore, who died 1833. He removed to La Salle County, Illinois, June, 1837, with all his children ; he first located near where Tonica now is, and in 1840 moved on to S. 6, T. 31, R. 3 — known as the Galloway farm, and the location of the Gal- loway postoffice. He died July 24, 1840. His 444 History of La Salle County. children by his first wife were : Catharine, who mar- ried Joseph T. Bullock, and lives near Tonica ; Samnel C died single, Angnst 24, 1840 ; Francis, married Elizabeth J. A. Galloway, and settled on S. 1, T. 31, R. 2— he died July 24, 1869 ; Mary, married John Briley, and lived on S. 1, T, 31, R. 2. She died Dec. 25, 1876. The children of the second wife are: Elijah M., who married Elizabeth Halcott, daughter of Colonel Thomas Halcott, from Green County, New York. Elijah was Postmaster and Justice of the Peace for several years ; he now lives near Monroe City, Missouri ; Lydia M., mar- ried Henry Slater ; her second husband was W. Holl}^, who died in California. She is now living with her third husband. Jefferson Smith, in Mich. Jacob Dice, from New York, about 1837 : settled on S. 6; he sold to Hoffman. He married the widow Hays, and soon returned to New York. Stephen Faro, and wife, Sally Dakin, from Scho- harie County, N. Y., came in 1837 or 8 ; a cooper and farmer ; he settled on S. 5, and died about 1841. His widow married Ard Button. Isaac Thorp, and wife, Lj^dia Dakin, came from New York, with Faro ; the two married sisters ; set- tled in 1838 on S. 7, near the A^ermillion timber. They both, with three children, died of milk sick- ness ; one child survived, and was sent to its friends at the East. Campbell settled on S. 31 in 1835 ; he sold to Myers, and left. Hiram Divine, and wife, Betsey Torrey, came from Green County, Pa., in 1839: settled in the town of I Sketch of Settlers — Brookjield. 445 Eagle, on Section 12 ; was a farmer and nursery- man ; lie died in 1871; his wife died in 1847. Emma, lives in Champaign County ; Luther, is in Iowa ; Charlotte, is Mrs. E. B. Darling, of Streator ; Mary, is insane ; Alvin, Celia and Elma, are the remaining children. Second wife's children, Clemens and Lucien. Chester Naramoor, from Goshen, Yt., and wife, Louisa Dickinson, from Goshen, Ct., came from New York to Michigan in 18B2 and to LaSalle County in 1839, stopping at Bailey's Grove, where Mrs. Nara- moor died ; Mr. Naramoor died in 1847. They had one son and four daughters, three of the daughters died. Louisa T. married Abram Groom ; Elisha married Sarah B. Holderman and settled on S. 15, T. 31, R. 8, where he still resides. Jacob Moon, and wife, Leah Reese, came from Ohio, first to Bailey's Point, and in 1883 settled at Moon's Point, on the edge of Livingston County, where he spent the remainder of his life. Of his children, Albert married Elizabeth Boyle of Ox Bow Prairie ; Jane married Solomon Brock ; Thomas married Mary Barrackman ; Rees married Miss Baker ; Ellen married James Barrackman, both are dead. BROOKFIELD. Brookfield embraces T. 32, R. 5, and that part of T. 33, R. 5, which lies south of the Illinois river. The first township is nearly all prairie, while the 446 History of La Salle County. fraction is all timber or bottom land. The tirst set- tlement commenced in 1833 and was confined to the skirts of the timber adjoining the prairie, or to the bottom along the Illinois, while the settlements have gradually extended south over the prairie region during the forty years that have intervened. It is all now occupied by a thrifty and prosper- ous people, although an old pioneer will recognize in the southern part the prairie grass and wild flow- ers of the early day, reminders of the olden time; and that the civilized occupancy is comparatively recent. G-eo. W. Armstrong, the first settler in Brookfield, came from Licking County, Ohio, with his mother, Mrs. Elsa Strawn Armstrong, in 1831 ; he made a claim on S. 28, T. 33, R. 3 ; but John Hogaboom jumped it and finally bought it for $28. Armstrong made a claim on S. 1, T. 32, R. 5, and moved on it in the fall of 1833 ; was encamped there when the stars fell, Nov. 13th, of that year ; made a farm and has resided there since, except when a con- tractor on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Mr. Arm- strong has been prominent as a politician ; has been Town Supervisor, and Chairman of the Board several years, and has served five terms and still is a member of the Legislature. He married Anna Green, of Jacksonville, 111., and has nine children: John G., married Nellie McCann, lives in Ottawa : William, is in Colorado ; Julius C, married Hattie Goodrich, and is a Congregational minister in Cook County ; Eliza M., married William Crotty, now of Kansas ; Joseph, at home ; Marshall, is in Chicago Sketch of Settlers — BrooTcfield. 447 University ; Susan, married Robert Langhlin, and lives on the line of Grundy County ; James E., at Champaign at school ; Charles Gr., at home. Jolm Drain came from Licking ('ounty, Ohio, in 1833. He died at Abraham Trumbo's in 1835. Dr. Frederick Gmham, from Westchester County, N. Y., first to Ottawa, and then settled on Section 8, in 1836 ; a practicing physician for many years. He and his wife are both dead. Levi Jennings, and wife, from Fairfield County, Ct., to Oneida County, N. Y., and from there to Illinois, with a large family, in 1834 ; he made a farm on the Illinois bottom, on Sec. 19, just east of James Galloway. His wife died. He spent the last few years of his life with Ids son-in-law, G. W. Jackson, in Ottawa. Levi Jennings, Jr., a native of Connecticut, when 17 years old, went to Beaver County, Pa., and while there his father moved to Illinois. He married Emily Allis, and moved to Illinois in 1835, and first settled near his father, then on S. 8, T. 32, R. 5. He died in 1852, aged 60. His widow survives, aged 69. His children are : Matthew, married Clara Ferguson, lives in Brookfield ; Mary, married Rich- ard Gage, of the same place ; Henry, the first child born in Brookfield, lives in Allen ; Frederick, mar- ried Lucy Bishop, lives in Allen ; Lucy Ann, is in Marseilles ; Catharine Louisa, married Reuben Smallen, of Allen ; Julia, married John J. Ford, of Brookfield ; Emil}'^ Jane, married Geo. S. Beach, a Congregational minister, in Ohio. David Jennings, brother of Levi, Jr. , died single. 448 History of La Salle County. Stephen Jennings, brother of Levi, Jr., married Mary Elizabeth Holden, and lives in Ottawa. Ebenezer Jennings, youngest son and half brother of the foregoing, died in California. Daughters of Levi Jennings, by his first wife : Hannah, married G. W. Jackson, of Ottawa; Mary, married George Mac}^, of Ottawa ; another daughter married a Mr. Goodell ; and one married Eldridge G. Clark. Daughters of Levi Jennings, by his second wife : Julia, married Daniel Ward; Aphelia, married Gershom Burr ; another daughter married a Mr. Goodell. Eldridge Gerry Clark came with the Jennings family from N. Y. ; died here soon after. William H. Goddard came from Boston in 1836 ; disgusted with farming after four years" trial, went to Louisville. Ky., and pursued his profession of a dentist. His wife was a sister of the somewhat noted writer, James Ross Brown. Richard Edgecomb. from New Providence, West Indies, came in 1835 ; moved to Ottawa. Rev. George Marsh was born in Norfolk County, Massachusetts ; when five years old removed to Sut- ton, Worcester County ; when twenty years of age, removed to State of New York ; lived there until thirty-eight years of age— the last ten years in the city. Came to Illinois with his wife in 1835, bought a part of Section 4, and subsequently settled on Sec- tion 16, where he now lives, at the age of 81. He officiated as a Presbyterian clergyman for a third of a century, and although his field of labor was a Sketch of Settlers — Brookfield. 449 liiimble one in tlie sparsely settled outskirts of the county, lie led a pure life, and his intluence will be felt long after he shall have passed away. He has a family of three children ; the oldest, George G-., is a Government clerk at Washington ; John James, and Mary E. A., are at home. George S. Maxon came from New York in 1837, and settled on Sec. 2, T. 32, R. 5 ; a substantial farmer and worthy man. Sibel, his wife, died in 1861, aged 63 years, and he died in 1867, aged 73. The history of his family is peculiar and sad. His son, George S., Jr., died at the age of 39 ; his wife died before him, and two of his children are de- ceased and two are living ; Paul, another son, died at the age of 2Q, he was injured while raising a building, and died a year or two after from the effect of the injur}^ ; Lewis, another son, while chopping in the timber cut his foot with an axe and died in a few hours from loss of blood. His daugh- ter, Julia, married a Methodist preacher, was di- vorced, came home and died. Another daughter, Roxy, married an Englishman, who started for England and was never heard from after. David, the only remaining child, lives adjoining the old farm . Asa Lewis, from Troy, N. Y., came in 1837, re- mained four or five years, and went to Wisconsin. His son, Cyrus B., married Mar}^ C, daughter of Christopher Champlin, and lives at Marseilles. Isaac Gage, from New Hampshire, came in 1837, and settled on Section 8. He married Lucy Little, daughter of James Little, of Eden. Mr. Gage is a 450 History of La Salle County. wealthy farmer. He has four children : Louisa, married S. T. Osgood, and lives at Marseilles ; Harriet E., Ida A., and Benjamin Frank, are at home. Gershom Burr, from Fall River, Mass., and wife, Mary E. ]S"orris, from Bristol, R. I., came in 1836. Married Ophelia Jennings— his second wife — and settled on Section 20, afterwards called Burr' s Grove. He removed to Ottawa, in 1844, and engaged in mer- chandising until his death. His children are : Sel- lick, married Miss Newton, and lives in Ohio ; Ger- shom, lives in Ottawa, unmarried ; Mary, is in Rhode Island ; Ophelia, married Dr. Farley ; Charles, married, and lives in Michigan. Reese Ridgeway, from Licking County, Ky., in 1834, and settled on S. 4, T. 33, R. 5. Stephen G. Hicks settled on S. 30, T. 33, R. 5, opposite Marseilles. A Mr. Stevens bought the place of David Jen- nings, sold to Levi in 1834, and was supposed to have been killed in Chicago in 1835, for his money. Peter Consols and John Wilcox settled on S. 30, T. 33, R. 5, in 1834. Guy Dudley settled on Section 25, in 1833. Capt. Tylee settled here in 1838 ; is now living in Vermillion. One daughter married William Seeley, and another married Samuel Seeley. Oliver H. Sigler settled in the town about 1840 — has several children. Silas Austin came in 1836. Sketch of Settlers — Or and Rapids. 451 GRAND RAPIDS. Grand Rapids and Fall River, till 1863, were one town, named Grand Rapids, from tlie Grand Rap- ids of tlie Illinois, which washed its northern bor- der. It now embraces the Township 32 N., R. 4. There is a grove of timber along the creek on Sees. 6 and 7, called Ebersol' s Grove ; the remainder of the town is prairie. Covell creek rises near the south- east corner, and, running northwest, passes out on S. 6. The high land or divides on the east and west sides of the town are quite elevated, and have con- siderable descent to the creek and its branches, in the centre of the town, giving good drainage, a di- versified surface, and a more than ordinarily pictur- esque view to a prairie landscape. The early settlements were nearly all on the only grove in the town, on Sees. 6 and 7. Henry Hibbard came from Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1827, and made a claim on S. 5, in 1829, on what has been called the Ebersol farm. John McKernan bought the claim of Disney, in 1831, who must have purchased of Hibbard. McKernan settled there in 1831, and sold to Ebersol in 1834. Joseph Ebersol, with Elizabeth Sliuey, his wife, and family, came from Harrisburg, Pa., and in August, 1834, purchased of Mrs. McKernan, her claim on S. 5, and made that his home, till he died in 1873. His wife died in 1870. He was a blacksmith by trade, though a farmer most of his life ; he brought his anvil and other tools to Illinois. Improvement was made on his farm in 1828 ; orchard set in 1830. 452 History of La Salle County. He left seven children : A. M., (see Fall River); Dan- iel, (see Ottawa) ; Albert, in Grand Rapids ; Catha- rine, married Michael Budd ; Louisa, married Geo. H. Rugg, now of Ottawa ; Helen, married Edward Reed, of Grand Rapids ; Samuel was thrown from a horse, and killed, when 33 years old. Eleazar Hibbard, came from Cincinnati, married a sister of Darius Reed, and settled on S. 6. He separated from his wife, and either abandoned or sold his claim and went to Putnam County. Benjamin B. Reynolds, and wife, Elma Scofield, from Mifflin County, Penn., in 1835 ; settled on S. 6. His father, Judge David Reynolds, came with him and assisted in opening his farm, and then returned to Pennsylvania. He still occupies his old farm on Sees. 5 and 6, part being the claim of Hibbard. His children are, Marj^ A., David, Pascalena, Eleanora, John P., Sarah E., James C, Benjamin B., Jr., and Washington. Luke Rugg, with his wife, Salome Patch, and fam- ily, from Lancaster, Worcester County, Mass., set- tled on S. 23, in 1839. He was one of the Worcester colony, started by Geo. W. Lee, John D. Thurston, Pyam Jacobs, and others. Mr. Rugg, at the time of settlement, was four miles from timber and three miles from neighbors, and after a residence of ten years neither timber nor neighbors had approached any nearer, except a grove of locust about his place, known over the county as Rugg' s Grove. Sick of seclusion from society and despairing of the settlement of that region, Mr. Rugg moved to Ottawa in 1849, where he died. His children are : Sketch of Settlers — Grand Bap Ids. 453 Lewis, who came with his father's family in 1839 ; married Sophia Dimmick ; lived a few years in Ot- tawa, and is now in Pontiac. George H., lived with his father, till he moved to Ottawa, in 1849. He in- vented and manufactured Rugg's Harvester, for sev- eral years a popular and successful machine. He is now manufacturing furniture in Ottawa. Charles went to Iowa. John Anderson, a native of Ireland, came from Clinton County, N. Y., here in 1837; settled, with a family, on S. 6. In 1849 he mysteriously disap- peared, and was never heard from afterward. The prairie region of Grand Rapids, after 1850, rapidly settled, and the region so long occupied by Mr. Rugg, and him alone, was, soon after he left it, teeming with an active and well-to-do population. It is related that the settlement of that town com- menced at the north end and progressed south. The town was soon made a school district, and a school- house built in the northwest corner. Soon after, that district was limited to four sections, named No. 1, and the remainder made district No. 2, and a good house built ; that district was then limited to four sections in the northeast corner, and the balance of the town made district No. 3, which at once voted a tax to build a school-house. This process was con- tinued till the last four sections in the southeast corner of the town, having helped build all the school-houses in the other eight districts, had to build their own without outside help. The houses were all very fine ones. They were built by a tax on the real estate in the district, and by a vote 454 History of La Salle County. of the people who lived in all those instances mostlj in the four sections, which in the end composed the district, and as the remainder of the territory taxed was nearly all owned by speculators, with no one residing on it, the voters were very generous in vot- ing a tax, or as some called it, "salting the specu lators. ' ' One of those speculators who owned three sec- tions in the last district, complained of being legally fleeced. He said, " I have paid a liberal tax to build nine different school-houses, better ones than are usually seen in older sections of the country, and now three men settled on the one section I do not own, vote a tax of ten or twelve hundred dollars, three- fourths of which I have to pay. These Western men are ardent supporters of education." This last statement of the building of school-houses may have been an exaggeration in this instance, but simi- lar cases did occur, and forcibl}^ show the nature of the contest waged between the settlers and those called land speculators. And where the settlers made the laws and executed them, they frequently'' had the advantage. ADAMS. Adams embraces T. 36, R. 5. It lies on the north line of the county, and is drained by Little Indian creek, which runs southwardly near the centre of the town, and furnished a fair supply of timber for the early settlers. The Chicago, Burlington & Sketch of Settlers — Adams. 455 Quincy Railroad passes northeastwardly across the north side of the town, and Leland Station is a thriving village. The first settlement was in 1836, but the settlements were few, and scattered, till the advent of the railroad, after which the town rapidly filled up. Mordecai Disney, and son-in-law, Sprague, set- tled on S. 27, in 1836, on the east side of Little Indian creek, and were the first in the town ; they claimed all the country, and sold claims to all that came ; they left in a year or two, probably to re- peat the same speculation elsewhere. Nathan Townsend, from Sullivan County, New York, in 1836 ; came through by wagon, stopped at Ottawa for the winter, and settled on S. 27, in the spring of 1837. He died in 1857. His children are : Charles, now living near Streator ; John, and Alva, are in Kansas ; Mary Ann, married John Nichols, she died 1841 ; Olive, married Charlton Hall, she died 1853 — (Elder Batcheller married them, and at- tended both the funerals) ; Margaret, married Ed- win Beardsley ; Deborah, married Reuben Bronson ; Phebe, married James Stoutenbury ; George, and James, are at Kankakee ; Perry, was murdered at Pike's Peak. Aaron Beardsley, with his family, came from Massachusetts to La Salle County, in 1835, and first lived in the town of Serena, and moved into Adams in 1836, buying a claim of Disney, on S. 23 — some say it was in 1838. Henry G. Beardsley came in 1 838 ; married La- vinia Blake ; lives on S. 22 ; has seven children. 456 History of La Salle County. William Saro-eaiit came from Indiana in 1838 ; settled on S. 27 ; died in Indiana. Had three sons : James, Newton, and Jackson. Eeuben Bronson came from Green County, N'ew York, in 1838; lived a few months at Holderman's Grove ; settled in Adams in the fall ; married Deborah Townsend ; bought the claim of Thove Kettleson on S. 22 ; has served as Justice of the Peace four years. They have five children : Ru- hana, married Theron J. Baresford, and lives in Amboy ; Albert, lives near Amboy ; Jay, is at school ; Alice, and Arthur, at home. Joshua Richardson, from Indiana in 1837 ; settled on S. 85 ; sold to Wilcox, and went back to Indiana. Riverius Wilcox came in 1837, bought claim of Joshua Richardson ; died years ago. Allen Wilcox, son of Riverius Wilcox, came the same year ; now at Amboy. Nathaniel S. Pierce, and wife, Mary E. Simmons, from Middleborough, Massachusetts, in 1838 ; set- tled on S. 28, in 1840 ; he raised a large family, and became wealthy ; he died in 1876, aged 74. His children are : Deborah S., Mar}^ E., Robert Riche}^, Samuel N., Nathaniel, Lucy S., Hannah V., Susan, Levi, Ebenezer. Andrew Anderson, Ole T. Oleson, Halvar Nelson, and some others, emigrated from Norway in the spring of 1836, and came to La Salle County in the summer of the same year, and settled in the town of Adams in the spring of 1837, on Sees. 21 and 22. Mr. Anderson is quite wealthy. Ole T. Oleson died long since ; his widow lived until January, 1877-, Sketch of Settlers — Adams. 457 when she died — over 9(> years of age. Their son, Nels Oleson, lives on the old place. Halvar Nelson settled on Section 15, in 1837, and died soon after. John Kalliim located there about the same time, and died soon after. His sons, Jacob and Mark, lived on the old place until recently ; they removed West. Thove Tillotson, from Norway, settled on Sec. 22 in 1837, and sold to Reuben Bronson in 1839, Paul Iverson, from Norway, came in 1837, and located on Section 14, where his two sons, Thomas and Nels, lived until recently. Halvar K. Halvarson and family, came from Nor- way in 1838, lived in Rutland first, and removed to Adams in 1840. Hans O. Hanson and family, came from Norway in 1839 and settled on Section 15 in 1840 ; the father and mother are both dead. The oldest son, Ole H., lives on the old place ; another son, Alexander, lives near, on Section 20 ; the oldest daughter. Ber- tha, married Thomas Mosey, and lives in Freedom ; Lovina, married P. H. Peterson ; Helen, is married and lives in Iowa. In 1837, a number of Norwegians came from Stavinger, (the place from which the first colonists came to America), and settled mostly in Mission. One family, that of Osman Thomason, settled in Adams in 1839 ; he died in 187G, aged 92. Ansel Dewey, and wife, Philanc}^ Alvord, from Lenox, Mass., settled near Troy Grove, and removed to the town of Adams in 1849, where he still resides. He has eight children: Mary E., married Samuel 3C> 458 HisUyiy of La Salle County. Dewey; Milton E., married Rebecca J. Brown; Maria L. , and Frances C. , are at home ; Cliaiincey B. , married Miss Blodget in Vermilion County ; Wm. A., at home ; Henrietta, married Charles S. Brown in Vermillion County ; Charles O., in Ottawa. MILLER. The town of Miller embraces Township 34, Range 5 ; it is nearly all prairie, and is settled mostly by emigrants from Norway. The settlements commenced in 1834. It has no railroad, but the town is populous and wealthy. Cling Pierson, a native of Norway, came to the United States in 1822 ; in 1824 he returned to his native place and gave a glowing account of the Western world, and through his representations and efforts, the first Norwegian colony emigrated and settled in Orleans Coiinty, New York, in 1825. In 1834, Pierson again led a portion of his countrymen from New York to La Salle County, who settled in what is now the towns of Miller and Mission. Cling seems to have been a restless, roving spirit, and might under favorable circumstances have achieved fame as an explorer. He led the way in the settle- ment of his countrymen on American soil, and thousands of the natives of Norway and their de- scendants now occupying happy and luxurious homes in this Western valley, owe their present status in part, at least, to the lead and efforts of Cling Pierson. Sketch of Settlers — Miller. 459 It seems he could not rest while there were other lands to explore ; he removed to Texas, and died there. Oliver Canuteson, one of the first company from Norway to New York, in 1825. Came to Illinois in 1834 — died in 1850. He left two sons and one daughter. One son died in the army in 1863. Mils Thompson came from Norway to New York in 1825 ; came here in 1834— died about 1856. Yerk Hoveland came from Norway to New York in 1825, and to Illinois in 1 834 ; died at Ottawa in 1870. Oliver Knuteson came from Norway to New York in 1825, and to Illinois in 1834 ; died in 1848, leaving four children. Christian Oleson, from Norway, in 1825, and came to Illinois in 1834 ; died in 1858, leaving three chil- dren. Torson Oleson, from Norway, in 1825, and came to Illinois in 1834 ; went to Wisconsin. Ova Rostal, and wife, Miss Jacobs, from Norway in 1825, and came to Illinois in 1835 ; now in Iowa. Daniel Rostal, brother to Ova, and wife, came at the same time ; died in 1860. John Rostal, brother of above, came at the same time from Norway and New York ; here now ; mar- ried Miss Pierson, and settled on Section 3 ; has five children. The first colony of Norwegians, who came in 1834, settled mostly in what is now the northwest part of Miller, and the southwest part of Mission, and was for a long time known as the Norwegian settlement. 460 History of La Salle County. George Johnson, one of the first from Norway, came here in 1834 ; died in 1846 ; had four children. Tortal H. Erickson, from Norway to Ottawa in 1837, to Rutland in 1840, then to California and Australia, and back to Miller in 1866 ; married Helen Pierson ; has eight children. Nels Nelson, from Norway to New York in 1825, and came to Illinois in 1836 ; has seven children. Austin Baker came in 1839 ; died in Minnesota. Canute Williamson came from Norway to Illinois in 1838 ; living here now. Nels Frewlin came from Norway to Illinois in 1839 ; now here. Ole Oleson, one of the fifty-two that embarked in the little sloop, in 1825, came to Illinois in 1834. All who came from Norway in 1825, were passen- gers in the famous sloop. Canute Olson came from Norivay to Illinois in 1836 ; died in 1846. Lars Brenson came from Norway to Illinois in 1836. Nels Nelson, the older, from Norway in 1825, in the sloop, came to Illinois in 1835, purchased a farm, and moved his family in 1846. Andrew Anderson, from Norway to New York in 1836, and came to Illinois in 1838, with his wife, Olena Nelson; he died of cholera in 1849. His widow died in 1875. The children were two sons and two daughters. Ener Anderson came with his father ; he married Margaret Gunnison, and settled on S. 16, T. 34, R. 5 ; has had eleven children ; eight are still living. Sketch of Settlers — Otter Creelc. 461 Andrew, Jr., also came with his father ; has several children now living in Ottawa ; Sosa.n, married John Hill ; Elizabeth, married Henry Doggett. Lars Nelson came from Norway to Illinois in 1838 ; died in 1847. Henry Sibley came from Norway in 1838 ; went to Salt Lake. Lars B. Olson came from New York in 1837. Michael Olson came from Norway to Illinois in 1839; died in 1877. David W. Conard settled on Section 30. His first wife was Miss Debolt ; second wife, Miss Grove. OTTER CREEK. Otter Creek township, embracing T. 31, R. 4, orig- inally a part of the town of Brnce, was detached and made a town in 1871, and named from the creek of that name which runs from east to west across the town near its centre, and with its principal branch, Wolf creek, furnishes a small area of good timber. The few early settlements in the town were, like all others at that day, confined to this belt of timber, the remainder of the town being all prairie — which settled much less rapidly, but is now full of people. Solomon Brock, born in Kentucky, and came from near Dayton, Ohio, in 1830, to Bailey's Point, and to S. 21 in 1833. He married Jane Moon, daughter of Jacob Moon, and raised a family where he first settled. He died in 1860. His children were : 462 History of La Salle County. Henry, who is married ; Evans B,, married Sarah Birtwell, and occupies the old farm ; Rees B., mar- ried Mary Cooper, he was killed at the battle of Hartsville ; Philander B., married Ellen Spencer, he is now insane; Calvin B., married Sarah Hart, and moved to Iowa ; Ellen, married Christian Wagoner ; Mary, married Jerry Hopple ; Orilla Jane, married Wm. H. Gochanour ; Lilly married Daniel Barrack- man, she is dead ; Anna, married J. C. Campbell. Hiram Brock, twin brother of Solomon, came from Ohio in 1835. Went to Iowa. James McKernan, son of John McKernan, of South Ottawa, wdtli his mother, settled on S. 22, at the head of the creek timber in 1834, where he still resides ; his mother died there in 1872. Mr. McKernan has held the office of Justice of the Peace for several years, and was Captain of Volunteers in the late war. He married Miss Cramer, and has eight child- ren: Rosanna married Aaron Kleiber in Allen; George married Miss Little, now in Iowa ; Samuel married, and resides near his father ; Candace married Henry Ackerman in Iowa ; Solanda married M. Lockwood, and lives near the old place ; Ann Eliza married Matthias Cavanaugh. Two younger children at home. Hugh and Patrick McKernan, brothers of James, died single. Benjamin Craig, from Ohio, settled on S.16, in 1887. Sold to Pickens. Martin Dukes, from Kentucky, in 1885, settled near McKernan, and after two or three years moved to Iowa. 1 Sketch of Settlers — Waltham. 463 Henry Pickens, from Middlebury, Mass., came to Otter Creek in 1839 with his wife, Mercy Pierce. Mr. Pickens died in 1844. His widow is still living with her son James, aged 89 years. James Pickens and wife, Eliza Chase, from Mas- sachusetts, in 1838, came in a wagon the whole dis- tance with his family and aged grandmother, Mrs. Abia Hathaway, who died a few years after, aged 98. He settled on the creek, and in 1848 moved to Ottawa, where he now resides. His son Henry re- sides in South Ottawa, and is the Supervisor of that town. Robert Wade, from Lancashire, England, in 1830, came to Taunton, Mass., and here, in 1840 ; he mar- ried a Miss Wilson from England. He has two daughters : Rebecca, married Henry Simmons ; Elizabeth, married and lives on the old place. James Spencer, from Lancashire, England, came with Mr. Wade in 1830, and reached Illinois in 1840. He married Mary Bulsbury, an English lady from Michigan. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace for many years. His son James was killed in the army. Ellen married Philander Brock ; is now living with her father. One younger daughter. WALTHAM. Township 34, Range 2, and the town of Waltham are in territory and boundaries identical. With the exception of a small grove on the Percomsoggin in the southwest part of the town, it is all prairie. 464 History of La Salle County. Thomas Burnliam settled in the extreme southwest corner in 1834. Some others came in that locality in 1836, but the first on Waltham Ridge was Jones and others, in 1838, and it peopled slowly till after 1850, when it filled up rapidly in common with all the prairie towns. The principal part of the town is high, rolling and desirable land, and is mostly cov- ered with first class improvements. The town has no railroad, but it has a good and convenient market at Utica and La Salle, sending its products to market by cheap canal transportation. There is a French settlement of considerable numbers in the northeast part of the town, and a number of Scotch in the northwest. Several of the early settlers on Waltham Ridge were from Waltham, Mass., hence the name. Thomas Burnham, and wife, Climena Clark, of Granby, Mass., came from Lisbon, Ct., and settled on the Illinois bottom, opposite Rockwell, in July, 1833. The family were all sick. David Letts moved them to Cedar Point, where they made a claim. In September, 1834, he sold to Lewis Waldo and moved on to S. 30, T. 34, R. 2, now the town of Waltham. He filled the offices of Justice of the Peace and County Commissioner for several years. He died in May, 1845. He and his wife and aged father were buried on the farm, but have been removed to Oak- wood Cemetery, La Salle, and a sister has placed a stone to their memory. Mr. Burnham was the first settler ; erected the first dwelling, broke the first prairie, and raised the first crop in the town of Wal- tham. He left two sons : John, the first male child, Sketch of Settlers — Waltham. 465 born in Waltham, married Sarah Lathrop, and lives at Buckley, 111. Thomas was killed at the battle of Peach Tree creek, Hannah Burnham, sister of Thomas, now the old- est settler in the town, lives with Alfred I. Harts- horn, aged 70. She came with her brother, in 1833. Stephen A. Jones, from Waltham, Mass., in 1837; settled on S. 8, T. 34, E. 2 ; is still living where he first settled. He married Catharine Brewster, of Pawlet, Vt., in 1852; has two sons and one daugh- ter, Willie, Fanny and Charles, all at home. Zaccheus Farrell came with Jones from Waltham, Massachusetts; settled on S. 4, in 1838. He went East to be married in 1840, and was accidentally shot. George Nye, from Plainfield, Connecticut, one of the Rockwell colony ; settled on S. 4, in 1840 ; died 1865. His widow now lives in Homer. One son in Iowa, and one daughter, the wife of William Dana, is in Waltham. John Hill, and wife, from Plainfield, Connecticut, in 1840, now at Troy Grove. Joseph Fullerton, from Waltham, Massachusetts, in the spring of 1838. Settled on S. 5, T. 34, R. 2 ; a bachelor ; he died at Troy Grove in 1839. Barzillai Bishop came from Connecticut ; his wife was Elizabeth Allen, from Lisbon, Connecticut ; settled on S. 29 in 1836 ; died soon after. Isaac H. Lamb came in 1838, and settled on S. 32. Joseph Meserve, and wife, Betsey Wood, from Maine to New York, and from New York here in 1840. His children are : Henry, who married 466 History of La Salle County. Amelia Harkness, lives at Buckley, 111. ; Willis, in Nebraska ; Manning, married Elizabeth Coll, now of Nebraska ; Marietta, married Mr. Hartshorn. DIMMICK. The town of Dimmick embraces Township 34, Range 1. The Little Vermillion passes from north to south through it, east of the centre, and the Toma- hawk, its principal branch, comes from the northeast and joins it on Section 34. There is considerable light bluff Limber along these streams, but little bot- tom of heavy timber growth like that of Troy Grove. The early settlements were correspondingly slow. Along the Tomahawk the St. Peters sandstone comes to the surface of the creek bottom, and the Trenton limestone shows slightly in the western part. The Illinois Central Railroad runs north near the centre of the town, and like all railroad towns, Dimmick has become populous and wealthy. The first settler in the town was Daniel Dimmick, who came from Mansfield, Ct., in 1824, to Washing- ton, Richland County, Ohio, and from Ohio to Peoria in 1 828, to near Princeton, in Bureau County, in the spring of 1829, and in 1830 to near Lamoille, and went to Hennepin during the Indian war. In 1833 he settled on Sec. 26, in the i)resent town of Dim- mick. Mr. Dimmick had much new countrj'- experi- ence. He carried the chain to lay off the town of Zanesville, in Oliio, in a wind-fall, and he lived many years in his final home, almost secluded from neigh- SketcJt of Settlers — Dlmmick. 46Y bors and society. He held the oflBce of Justice of the Peace. He died at the home of his son, Elijah, in 1851. Mr. Dimmick had six sons and two daughters. Elijah is the only one remaining here ; he married Mary E. Philips, second wife, Caroline Foot, and has seven children. He says that in the spring of 1833, while in Hennepin, his father sent him to Dixon to inquire of Mr. John Dixon if it was safe to come back, and Mr. Dixon assured him that it was, and they then went on their claim in the town of Dimmick. Jarvis Swift came from Cayuga County, N. Y., in 1838 ; married Jerusha Kellogg. Elijah, married Lydia Tibballs, now in California. Richard H., married Melissa A. Tibballs, came in 1835, was a prominent capitalist, and loaned money till 1840, then went to Chicago, engaged heavily in banking, and failed in September, 1857; is now in Colorado, in reduced circumstances. Henry Swift married Mary Simpson, and died in Colorado. Lyman Swift is in Chicago. Albert is in Michigan. Mary married Mr. Anderson, is in Kansas. Garret Fitzgerald was an early settler in the west part of the town. Israel Kingman came in 1835, and settled on Sec- tion 1 . He lost three sons in the army in the war of the rebellion. 468 History of La Salle County. GROVELAND. Township 29, Range 2, constitutes the town of Groveland. It is the southernmost town in the county, and the last settled. With the town of Osage, it lies between the counties of Marshall and Livingston, and when those counties were organized from territory taken partly from La Salle, both of them refused to take the territory included in those towns. So La Salle from necessity had to keep it. With the present population and wealth they con- stitute no insignificant portion of the county. The west side of the town is the most elevated. Prairie creek rises near New Rutland and runs to and along the north line. Long Point creek rises near Minonk, and crosses the town from southwest to northeast, while the southeast portion is drained by Diamond creek. All these run northeastwardly to the Vermillion, and make effectual drainage. In 1865 the town was an unbroken prairie, without an inhabitant. The first house in the town was moved on to the present site of New Rutland, and made a section-house on the Illinois Central Railroad. It was made a liquor saloon, and destroyed by a mob in 1865. The railroad was built through the town before it was settled, and doubtless was the agency that developed its resources. AbnerShinn built the first house and Oscar Jacobson occupied it in March, 1855, being the first resident in the town. He left in 1862. The second resident was Elias Frink, and wife, Emily Whitman, from Onondaga County, N. Y. ; he settled on S. 22. His only child, W. E., mar- Sketch of Settlers — Grotelaiid. 469 ried Orvilla Kenyon, and has seven children. He was a good soklier, and is Police Magistrate in the village of Dana. The third was Lewis W. Martin, from Indiana ; he made an improvement on Sec. 10 ; sold to Alva Winans and went to Nebraska. Geo. W. Gray located and lives on S. 11 in 1855, and raised a large family. The fifth settler was William Mar- tin ; he pre-empted the northeast quarter Section 25th. An Englishman by birth, he enlisted in the 33d Regiment, and died on his way home from the army; a bachelor, he left no relatives but a sister, Mrs. Anna Swift of Bloomington. Nelson Cooper, from Maryland, a carpenter by trade, settled on S. 17. He enlisted in the 104th Kegiment. His wife was Sarah M. Jacobson, daughter of John Jacobson. He is the present Supervisor of the town. John Jacobson, from Germany to Ohio, was a magistrate there ; was Supervisor here for several years, and moved to Nebraska in 1869. An emigration association was formed in January, 1855, of about two hundred members, residing in the vicinity of Rutland, Vermont. Each member paid ten dollars, and was to have a lot in an embryo city to be located somewhere in the far West. Dr. Allen and W. B. Burns were the locating commit- tee. The present site of New Rutland was selected, being the northwest 40 acres on S. 18, and southwest 40 on S. 7. The railroad gave the members a prefer- ence in the selection of their lands at 20 per cent, discount. W. B. Burns came on the ground in August, 1855 ; built a house and occupied it in 1856 ; he was the master spirit of the enterprise and in- 470 History of La Salle County. sured its success ; bad health induced him to re- move to California, where he died in 1875. Willard Proctor and Rufus Weston were the first to select lands under the arrangement with the railroad. John Wadleigh came to the town in the fall of 1855; settled in the village in 1856; was Capt. Co. I, 104th Regiment, and had the care of the regiment for awhile ; now Postniaster at New Rutland. Daniel Wadleigh came about the same time as his brother John. Daniel Arnold came in the spring of 1856. Has been Justice of the Peace and Supervisor, and held other town offices. S. L. Bangs came in 1856 ; he was agent for Mark Bangs, a younger brother, in building five dwellings, and purchasing about $100, Ooo worth of railroad lands, and breaking 800 acres of prairie. The spec- ulation failed of success in the revulsion of 1857. John T. Grove came in 1856 ; was called the village blacksmith ; was afterwards a merchant. His son, E. Gove, was a successful teacher ; a Lieutenant in the Thirty-third Regiment, and breveted a Major. Charles Lamb, Andrew Moffatt and Reuben Tay- lor came in the spring of 1856. John Grove and son, J. M. Grove, came and set- tled on the west half of Section 15, in the spring of 1856. John Grove was the oldest man in the town. J. M. taught school from his eighteenth year ; studied law, and was admitted to the bar in Ohio. He held the ofiices of Assessor and Justice of the Peace and Supervisor. John H. Martin, born in Wayne County, Illinois,. Sketch of Settlers — Groneland. 471 was raised in Marshall County, having lived there since 1829 ; removed on to Section 25 in March, 1856, Alexander Clegg, from West Virginia, settled on Sec. 25. His daughter, Florence, was the first child born in the town. Marshall Smiley, on Sec. 36 ; Thomas Reeder and Joseph H. Brown settled near the south line of the town ; A. Mullen andR. Bal linger settled on S. 6 — all in the spring of 1836. The first religious meetings were held in the hotel stable ; and afterwards in the hotel. Esquire Barney O'Neal on the Vermillion, twenty miles away, was the nearest Justice of the Peace ; there was no law, yet all was orderly. At the Presidential election in 1856, the political excite- ment reached the infant settlement, and all went twenty miles to the house of Alif Groff, near the Vermilion, to vote — all but one voting tor Fremont. Groveland was made a town in the fall of 1856. First election was held in April, 1857; W. B. Burns, Supervisor ; John Wadleigh, Clerk ; and J. M. Grove, Assessor. Groveland has two villages and railroad stations within its limits : New Rutland on the Illinois Central Railroad, and Dana on the Chicago, Pekin & South- western — both of which roads pass through the town. New Rutland has five churches, a graded school, ten stores, a grain elevator, mill, and 800 population. Dana, in the southeastern part of the town, has two grain elevators, one church, six stores, a mill, and 250 population. Like all settlers in a prairie town. 472 History of La Salle County. the people know tlie importance of timber-planting, and belts and groves of timber are scattered over its surface on nearh' every farm. RICHLAND. The town of Richland embraces the west two- thirds of T. 31, of R. 2. It constituted a part of Eagle Township till 1867. It is an elevated prairie district, with no considerable stream, and no timber land within its limits. When the county was divid- ed into townships, under the Township Organiza- tion Act, the Commissioners decided to make the navigable rivers, or such as were so declared by law, township lines, and consequently all towns cut by the Illinois, Fox, and Vermillion rivers, were divid- ed by the stream. The town of Eagle embraced T. 31, R. 2, and half of the town east of it, and south of the river. This policy was adopted for the reason that there were no bridges, and the streams were impassable at high water. Where the streams have been bridged, the tendency has been to so alter the town lines as to have the boundaries correspond with the surveyed township. This is a great convenience in electing school officers, and doing the business relating to schools — and that size is doubtless the most con- venient. If Bruce had claimed the part of her town- ship south of the river, and Eagle or Richland taken the balance, or the whole of T. 31, R. 2, it would have been a better arrangement. Bruce would have Sketch of Settlers — RlcJtland. 473 been forced to build a bridge over the Yermillion, which ought to have been done long since. Rich- land, being a prairie town, remained unoccupied till the building of the canal and railroad made its settlement practicable. In 1849 William Linder set- tled on S. 3. Peter Eschback, in 1851, settled on the same section. Conrad Eschback, in the same year, settled on S. 10, all from Germany, and com- menced what is now the prosperous German settle, ment in the northeast part of the town. E. A. Chase, from New England in 1838, settled first in Deer Park, and subsequently in Richland, on S. 7. He is now in Florida. Reuben Hall, from Ohio in 1851, or 1852, settled on S. 7. Asa Dunham, about 1848, settled on S. 8, and J. L. Dunham, in 1854, on S. 7— both from Ohio. Robert E. McGrew, and sons, from Ohio in 1854, settled on S. 8. Cutting, and Dana B. Clark, from Maine, in 1854, settled on S. 18. Elwood Grist, about 1850, settled on S. 29 ; he died in 1855. Israel Jones, from Maine ; W. Keller, from Ohio ; Isaac Yale, from Pennsylvania ; William Copeland, Andrew Foss, and Alfred Lathrop, from Maine. The foregoing were those who first occupied and improved farms and participated in the experiences incident to the opening of a new country. Richland is now a well settled and populous town, the Ger- man element largely predominating. 31 474 History of Lo. Salle County. OSAGE. The town of Osage includes the Congressional Township 30 North, of Range 2 East, the south line of Groveland or Township 29 being at first the south line of La Salle County, along all its southern border. Osage is a prairie region exclusively. Surrounded by prairie and distant from the county seat, it was unoccupied until after the older portions of the county had become comparatively an old country, and yet the early settlers have a lively recollection of the loneliness and privations of a new region. The first entrj^ of Government land was in November, 1829. The N. W. I Sec. 17 was entered by John O. Dent ; at the same time he entered for R. E. Dent, now of California, the N. W.J of same Section. . In 1850, Daniel Grimes entered the N. W. J of Sec. 6, and John and Amos Scott entered the N. ^ of Sec. 4, The pioneer practice of making claims on Government land had about become obsolete, and a legal title was considered the only valuable one. The first settlers were — Daniel Grimes who settled in 1850 ; R. E. Dent, April, 1851 ; John 0. Dent, 1851 ; James M. Collen, May, 1852 ; James Honer, 1852. The town was named from the Osage hedge plant. William H. Mann grew ninet}^ acres of plants, and Dent & Verner grew forty acres of plants the year the town was organized. The town was organized in 1857 — John O. Dent, Sketch of Settlers — Allen. • 475 Supervisor ; James B. Work, T. Clark, Gr. M. Good- ale, A. Ledore and John York, Commissioners ; John Elliot and John N.York, Justices of the Peace ; R. E. Dent, Collector ; Pleasant York, Assessor. The town is well fenced with Osage hedge, and numerous thrift}'' groves of timber exist. It is doubtless true that a prairie region will, in the fu- ture, be better supplied with timber than one with a heavy primitive growth, and a town entirely desti- tute will feel the necessity and make more provision for the future supply than one partially or fully supplied. Such seems to be the case in La Salle County. John O. Dent has taken the lead in this direction, having forty acres of timber planted on his premises, and groves of maple, black walnut, ash, etc., are conspicuous objects on most of the farms in the town. In this respect it is said to be in advance of any other town in the county, and the bleak and naked face of the native prairie is thus transformed into a beautiful variegated landscape, now a thing of beauty and comfort. ALLEN. The town of Allen is composed of the Congres- sional Township 31 North, of R. 5 East, and is the southeastern town in the county. It is entirely prairie, having no natural groAvth of timber within its limits or near its border. The soil is good, and the surface mostly rolling. From its location at a 476 History of La Salle County. distance from timber and at the extreme limit of the county, it remained unoccupied until twenty years after the organization of the county, and twenty-five years after settlements commenced with- in the county limits. The first permanent resident in the town was Robert Miller, from New England — a Quaker. He settled on Section 12, in the fall of 1850 ; after a few years residence he removed to Iowa. The next was Michael Kepner from Perry County, Pa., in the spring of 1851 ; he made a claim on S. 16, where he remained five or six years, and removed to Minnesota. James Mclntyre made a claim on S. 16, in 1851, but resided in Peru one year, then occupied his claim two years, and in 1853 moved on S. 14, where he now resides. Two brothers, John and Inglehart Wormley came from Pennsylvania in 1852, and settled on Sees. 21 and 22, where John still resides. Inglehart was the first Supervisor of the town. In 1862 or 63, he re- moved to Southern Illinois. Adam Fry, from Ohio, came to Du Page County in 1835, and in the fall of 1852 settled on Section 6, where he died in Sept., 1874; his widow still occupies the same place. Elias C. Lane, from Ohio to Putnam County in 1845, then to Hickory Point in 1853, and to Sec. 8 in 1855, where he still resides, at the age of about 90 years, with his son, W. H. Lane. William Flint bought land on Section 9 in 1851, and occupied it in 1853 ; he spent ten years in im- Sketch of Settlers — Allen. 477 proving and developing the town, and then removed to Tonica. M. C. Lane, son of Elias C, from Brown Conntj^, Ohio, entered land on Section 9 in 1851, and occu- pied it in 1856. John Cochran, from Adams County, Ohio, entered land on Section 3 in 1851, and has occupied it since 1856. John Higgins, a native of Prince Edward' s Island, and from Putnam County here ; made an improve- ment on Section 8 in 1855, and has occupied it with his family since 1856. John L. Summers, from Adams County, Ohio, bought land on Section 10 in 1851, moved on and improved it in 1855 ; returned to Ohio in December, 1866, and came back to his first love in Jan., 1876. David Griffith came from Washington County, Pa. , in 1 857, and settled on Section 25 — then three to four miles from neighbors ; he died Aug. 14, 1877. Mrs. Sarah Hamilton, from Ohio to Putnam County in 1846, and here in 1856. Allen Stevens, from Canada to Du Page County, and thence here in 1857; is now living on the south- east quarter of Section 5. Since 1857 the town of Allen has rapidly filled up with an enterprising population, so that there is no vacant land in the town, and the improvements of most of her citizens are not behind those of her sister towns. The dwellings, barns, and other im- provements of Nathaniel and James Mclntyre, M. C. Lane, Thomas Sullivan, Henry Smith, and some others, are scarcely excelled in the older States. 478 History of La Salle County. The extension of the Chicago, Pekin & South- western Railroad was built through the town of Allen in 1875, giving a direct communication with Chicago. The station was located near the centre of Section 16, which, fortunately for the town, had not been sold previous to the location of the road. The town of Ransom was laid out by the School Trustees, and lots sold to the amount of $5,000 at the first sale. If judiciously managed, the town will realize a very eflacient fund for the support of her schools through all the future. Thus this town, in the centre of a prairie region, far from timber, distant from market, and long neglected, is destined to be a successful rival of the older settled portions of the county. MENDOTA. T. 36, R. 1, constitutes the town of Mendota. It lies in the extreme northwest corner of the county ; has no natural growth of timber, and was entirely ignored by the early settlers. The settlements around the head of Troy Grrove timber had extended just over the line into T. 36, in 1840. O' Brian came in 1840, Taylor, in 1841 ; Ward, in 1842 ; Meath, in 1845. Charles Foster settled on S. W. i S. 34, in 1848. Bela and William Bo wen, from New York in 1849. But the building of the Illinois Central and Chi- cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroads inaugurated the germs of the city of Mendota— and soon fiUed Sketcli of Settlers — Mendota. 479 the town with a busy population. It was known as early as the spring of 1853 where the junction of the two roads would be, and D. D. Giles erected a store, and others followed in quick succession. T. B. Blackstone, resident engineer on the railroad, laid off the original town of Mendota. The place was fa- miliarly called the Junction, but as the railroad stations located on new territory that were nameless were given Indian names, this name was changed to Mendota, which is the Indian name for junction — meaning meeting, or coming together. O. N. Adams suggested the name, perhaps from his being the owner of the Mendota Furnace, near Gfalena. The Central road was completed to this place in the sum- mer of 1853, and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy in November following. The latter road was built in sections ; first, the Military Tract and Galesburg, Galesburg to Mendota, and then the Aurora Exten- sion, connecting with the Northwestern at Turner Junction. The increase of population and building up of the town was very rapid, so that in 1855, less than two years from the completion of the railroad. Town Trustees were chosen and a municipal government organized. The village limits were the lines of S. 33. There have been several additions since. March 4, 1867, a city government was organized, and city officers chosen on the 9th of April following. The growth of Mendota has been constant and rapid, and it is destined to be a city of no mean proportions. The enterprise and intelligence of the people is shown by their admirable schools and institutions of 480 History of La Salle County. learning, churches, manufactures and trade shown elsewhere. HOPE. The town of Hope is Township 31, Range 1. It is the southwestern town in the body of the county — is all prairie, and was entirely neglected by the early settlers. Its northern portion forms part of the divide which separates the waters which flow north- erly to the Vermillion and Illinois and those that flow west and southwest to the Illinois. The head of Bailey' s creek drains the northeast- ern portion of its surface, which runs to the Ver- million, but the larger portion is drained by the north branch of Sandy creek and its affluents, called Little Sandy, which runs west and southwest and empties into the Illinois near Henry. Samuel D. McCaleb, from Rockbridge County, Virginia, and his wife, Catharine Wood, from Ma- son County, Kentucky, settled on Ox Bow Prairie, Putnam County, in August, 1832, where Samuel D. died in September, 1839. His widow moved to S. i S. 9, town of Hope, with her family of five boys and one girl, in April, 1850. She is now living in Lostant. Her children are: Albert G., in Lostant ; Gilbert B., Lostant; Herbert C, Wenona ; Ethel- red A., Missouri ; and Hubert A., in Ottawa ; the sister is now dead. Hubert A. McCaleb held the following positions in the army : Sergeant Company I, Eleventh 111. Sketch of Settlers — Meriden. 481 Infantry, Second Lieutenant and First Lieutenant same company, Lieutenant Colonel Sixth U. S. C. Artillery, Colonel same regiment. Sheriff LaSalle County from 1866 to 1868, and County Clerk from 1873 to 1877. John M. Richey, from Muskingum County, Ohio, came to Putnam County in 1837. He entered S. 24 in Hope, in 1849, on which he resided till his death in 18T5. The village of Lostant was laid out on Mr. Richey's farm in 1861. He married Clara C. Col- lister, and left three living children : Mary C, Can- dace M., and John C. Horace Graves, and William H. Graves, came to Putnam County in 1829 and 1830, and were early settlers in Hope. John Morrison, a native of Scotland, came to Hope in 1850 ; has been Supervisor eight terms. The Rev. A. Osgood, and family, were early set- tlers, and aided efficiently in building up the town. William Lancaster settled at an early day on the Magnolia road, that runs through the town ; he served as Town Supervisor. Thomas Patterson, from Kentucky, owned a farm, and built a house, called the Prospect House, at an early day, about the first in the town. MERIDEN. Township 36, Range 2, constitutes the town of Meriden. It is bounded on the north by the north line of the county, and is a prairie region, sur- 482 History of La Salle County. rounded by prairie on all sides except a small grove on Sees. 5 and 6, called Four-Mile Grove. Afew fam- ilies pitched their tents around the little oasis in the middle of the wide prairie, in the year 1836, and these were all the early settlers. John Haight settled on Webster' s farm near Peru, first, and came to Meriden in 1836. David Peck, from Albany County, N.Y., settled on Sec. 6, in 1836 ; sold to Cunningham. Lyman Alger, from the same place, in 1836 ; sold to Mclntyre. O. W. Bryant came from Maine to Peru, in 1837, and to Meriden in 1842. Benjamin Furman came from Tioga County, Pa. ; settled on S. 6, in 1838. Greorge Wilkinson, from the same place, settled on the same Section at the same time. Benjamin Birdsall came from New York, in 1839. E. R. Wicks settled on S. 18, in 1848. David Holden settled on the same Section in 1849. Ira Bailey came in 1848. John Rose, from Scotland, James Cunningham, Hiram Cristler, John "Weisner, Thomas Eager and a few others constituted the pioneer force that com- menced the task of transforming the wild prairie town into productive farms and the quiet pleasant abode of a numerous, wealthy and prosperous people — a task that with the aid of succeeding emigrants has been most successfully accomplished. Sketch of Settlers — Wallace. 483 WALLACE. Wallace embraces the west part of Township 34, Range 3, being four and one-half miles in width from east to west. Until a few years since it was a part of Dayton, and being nearly all prairie it remained unoccupied excepting a few settlers on its southern border until the impetus given by the completion of the canal and railroads sent the pop- ulation over all the prairie. Its proximity to Ottawa and Dayton made its settlement a mild experience compared with the more secluded sections. Thomas Robinson came in 1838 ; Mr. Cavanaugh and E. W. Curtis, in 1847 or 48 ; A. P. Hosford, Seth Sage, R. O. Black and a few others, were the earliest residents. 484 History of La Salle County. ADDENDA — OTTAWA. John Manley, from Clinton County, X. Y., settled in Ottawa in 1837 ; has kept a hardware store either alone or with a partner, for nearly forty years, probably the oldest house in town. A daughter, who had just completed her education, was drowned in the Hudson river. A younger daughter is the wife of Richard C. Jordan, cashier of the City Na- tional Bank of Ottawa. Carrie is at home. Peter Russel, from Ireland, came to Ottawa in 1838 ; a cabinet-maker ; his has been the leading house in that branch in Ottawa for many years. His son is now a partner in the firm of P. Russell & Son. William Palmer came from New York in 1836 ; a wagon maker b}^ trade ; he has followed the busi- ness since he came till 1875 ; he has left the county. John Palmer, brother to William, came at the same time ; settled on a farm ; afterwards moved to Ottawa ; was County Assessor, and the first that assessed the land sold by the Government, being five years after the sale : he died in Ottawa, John and George Armour from Ayreshire, Scotland, came to Ottawa in 1884. After a few years residence in Ot- tawa, George went to Chicago, where he still resides. John was a prominent warehouse owner and grain dealer till his death, several years since ; he never married. James and Archie, brothers of the above, came later. James died in La Salle ; Archie is still living in Ottawa. Martin Murra}', from Ireland, came about 1838 or 9 ; he was familiarly known as Janitor of the court- Addenda — Ottaioa. 485 house for many years. His son John is well known in Ottawa. Dick Daily came from Cork County, Ireland, to La Salle County in 1839 ; married Sarah Ann Mc- Cormick ; has served as Constable many years. Jacob C. Van Doren, from Montgomery County, N. Y., came in 1838 ; settled on S. 28, T. 32, R. 3 ; about 1855 he removed to Ottawa, where he and his wife died some years after. His eldest son, C. M., came before the family ; he also removed to Ottawa and is now in Washington Territory. James married Olive Dimmick, and died in Ottawa about 1874. The only daughter is the wife of Jesse Dickey in Ottawa; Lansing and Lucas have left the county. Albert H. Ebersol came from Dauphin County, Pa., to Grand Rapids, with his father, Joseph Ebersol ; married Miss Celia Pearre ; has one son, Joseph P. ; he is now the oldest settler in Grand Rapids. CATALOGUE OF THE PHAEXOGAMIA OF FLOW- ERING PLAXTS OF LA SALLE COUNTY. BY K. WILLIAMS. In a botanical point of view, the surface of the county may be conveniently divided into four habitats or districts, each having a flora peculiar, in part, to itself : 1, the prairie or treeless district, the soil a deep black loam ; 2, the belts of wooded upland, border- ing the river valleys, having for the most part a clay soil ; 3, the alluvial bottoms and islands of the Illinois and YermiUion rivers ; 4, that part of the Illinois River Valley characterized by the up- heaval of the Silurian formation, and lying principally between the cities of Ottawa and La Salle. A glance at this varied surface, ranging in the quality of its soil from a deep alluvium to a barren sand, will prepare the botanist to look for a rich flora, and he will not be disappointed. Of one hundred and thirty-two orders found native in the Northern United States, one hundred and eleven are represented in Illinois by one thousand and fifty-two different species ; number of Gramineae or true grasses, one hundred and fifty-two ; of forest trees there are over seventy species, including thirteen species of oak ; there are one hundred and sixty-six species of Composite; or compound flowers, including twenty-three species of Aster, twenty of Solidago or golden rod, and fourteen of the Helianthus or sun- flower. The following list embraces but few species that have not been personally identified bj* the writer of this ai'ticle, during a residence of twenty years in the county. Much labor has been bestowed to make it as complete and accurate as possible. Correspondence in regard to omissions or doubtful points in nomenclature is invited. The time is not distant when many of the species here enum- 486 Catalogue of Floioerim/ Plants. 487 erated will not be found in the county. The fringed gentian, for example, is becoming every year less common in our pastures. The herbariums prepared by W. W. Calkins, of Chicago, and W. W. Johnson, of Marseilles, have afforded much valuable assistance in the preparation of this list. Ranunculace^ — Crowfoots. Clematis Virginiana, Virgin's Bower. " Viorna. Anemone nemorosa. Wind Flower. " Pensylvanica. " thalictroides. " cylindrica. Hepatica triloba, Liverwort. " acutiloba. Thalictrum dioicum. Meadow Rue. Ranunculus reptans, Buttercups. " acris. " Purshii. " aquatilis. " abortivus. " fascicularis. " Pennsylvanicus. * ' multitidus. Caltha palustris. Marsh Marigold. Isopyrum biternatum, False Rue Anemone Aquilegia Canadensis, Columbine. Cimicifuga racemosa, Black Snakeroot. Act£Ea spicata, Red Baneberry. " alba. Anonace^ — ■ Anonads. Asimina triloba. Papaw. Menispermace^ — Menispermads. Menispermum Canadense, Moon-seed. Berberidace^e — Berberids. Berberis Vulgaris (Europe), Berberry. Caulophyllum thalictroides. Cohosh. Podophyllum peltalum, "Wild Mandrake. Nymph^ace/E — Water Lilies. Nymphffia odorata. Water Lily. Nuphar advena, Yellow Pond Lily. PAPAvERACEiE — Poppy-worts. Sanguinaria Canadensis, Blood-root. Chelidonium majus (Europe), Celandine. 488 History of La Salle County. FuMARiACE^ — Fumewoi-ts. Dicentra cucullaria, Corydalis aurea, " glauca. Adlumia cirrhosa (Canada), Dutchman's Breeches. Golden Corydalis. Mountain Fringe. Crucifer^. Dentaria laciniata, Cardamine hirsuta, Arabis Canadensis, " la;vigata. Sesymbrium officinale, Sinapis nigra (Europe), " arvensis " " alba Draba verna, " Caroliniana. Armoracia rusticana (Europe), Camelina sativa " Capsella Bursa-pastoris, Lepidium Yirginicum, Raphanus sativus (Europe), Pepper-root. Bitter Cress. Sickle Pod. Hedge Mustard. Black Mustard. Field Mustard. AYhite Mustard. Whitlow Grass. Horse Radish. False Flax. Shepherd's Purse. Tongue Grass. Radish. Capparidace^ — Capparids. Polanisia graveolens. V10LACE.E — Violets. Viola cucullata. " sagittata. " lanceolata. " delphinifolia. " pedata. " tricolor (Europe), Pansy. Hypericace.^: — St. John's worts. Hypericum perforatum (Europe). " Canadense. CARYOPHYLLACE.i: — Pinkworts. Saponaria officinalis (Europe), Silene stellata, •' nivea. Agrostemma Githago, Cerastium vulgatum, " nutans. " oblongifolium. Stellaria media, " longifolia. Arenaria lateriflora, MoUugo verticillata, Bouncing Bet. Stellate Campion. Com Cockle. Chickweed. Star Chickweed. Sandwort. Carpet Weed. Catalogue of Flowering Plants. 489 PoRTULACAC^E — Pui'slaues. Claytonia Virgiiiica, ISpring Beauty. Talinum teretifolium. Fortulaca oleracea, Purslane. " grand iflora (S. America), Portulaca. Malvace^ — Mallows. Althaea rosea (Europe), Hollyhock. Malva sylvestris (Europe), High Mallow. " crisp a. " rotundifolia. " triangulata. Abutilon Avicenna?, Indian Mallow. Hibiscus Moscheutos, Marsh Hibiscus. Linages — Flaxworts. Linum ustatissimum (introduced), Flax. " rigidum. " Virginianum. TiLiACE^ — Basswoods. Tilia Americana. Geraniace.e — Gerania. Geranium maculatum, Spotted Geranium. " Robertianum, Herb Robert. " Caroliuianum. Oxalidace.k — Sorrels. Oxalis Acetosella, Wood Sorrel. " violacea. " strieta. Balsaminace^ — Jewel Weeds. Impatiens pallida, Touch-me-not. fulva. RuTACE.E — Rueworts. Xanthoxylum Americanum, Prickly Ash. Ptelea trifoliata, Shrub Trefoil. Anacaridace.e — Sumachs. Rhus Toxicodendron, Poison Oak. " radicans. Acerace/E — Maples. Acer dasycarpum. White Maple. " rubrum. Swamp Maple. " saccharinum, Sugar Maple. " PseudoPlatanus, Sycamore. Negundo aceroides, Box Elder. 32 490 History of La Salle County. Sapindaceje — Indian Soapworts. ^sculus glabra, Ohio Buckeye. Cardiospermum Haliacabum, Balloon Vine. Staphjdea trifolia, Bladder Xut. Celastrace^ — Staff Trees. Celastrus scandens, Staff Tree. Euonymus atropurpureus, Burning Bush. Rhamnace^ — Buckthorns. Ceanothus Americanus, Jersey Tea. ViTACE^ — Vines. Vitis aestivalis, Summer Grape. " vulpina (introduced), Fox Grape. Ampelopsis quinquefolia, Virginia Creeper. POLYGALACE.E — Milkworts. Polygala Senega, Seneca Snake-root. " polj'gama. " sanguinea. " verticillata. Legcmings.e ■ Desmanthus brachylobus. Gleditschia triacanthus, Cassia Chamiecrista, " Marilandica, Cercis Canadensis, Baptisia leucophiea, " leucautba. Lathyrus palustris. " venosus. Vicia Americana, " Caroliniana. " sativa. Desmodium acuminatum, " Dellenii. " cuspidatum. " rigidum. " Cauadense, Lupinus perennis, Gymnocladus Canadensis, Trifolium procumbens, " repens, " pratense, " stolouiferum, Melilotus alba (Europe), Psoralea floribunda. Amorpha fruticosa, " canescens. Leguminous Plants. Honey Locust. Sensitive Pea. American Senua. Red Bud. Wild Indigo. Vetch. Bush Trefoil. Lupine. Coffee Tree. Yellow Clover. White Clover. Red Clover. Buffalo Clover. Sweet-scented Clover. Lead Plant. " Shoestring." Ccitalogue of Flowering Plants. 491 Dalea alopecuroides. Petalostemon candidum, " violaceum. Astragalus Canadensis, " Plattensis. Pliaca astragalina. Tephrosia Virginiana, Robinia Pseudacacia, Apios tuberosa. Phaseolus perennis, Cerasus serotina, " Virginiana, " Pennsjdvauica, " vulgaris (Europe), Prunus Americana, Amelancliier Canadensis, Cratregus cocciaea. " tomentosa, Pi'rus coronaria, Rosa setigera, " blanda. " lucida, " Carolina, " rubiginosa (introduced), Agrimonia Eupatoria, " parviflora. Geum vernum, " Virginianum. Rubus villosus, " Canadensis, " occidentalis, Fragaria Virginiana, Potentilla Norvegica, •' Canadensis, " fruticosa. " arguta. Spiraea lobata, " salicifolia, Gillenia stipulacea, Rosacea. Thimble Weed. Milk Vetch. Goat's Rue. Locust. Wild Bean Viae. Black Cherry. Choke Cherry, Red Cherry. Morel lo Cherry. Red Plum. Shad Flower. Thorn. Wild Crab Apple. Wild Rose. Shining Rose. Eglantine. Agrimony. Avens. High Blackberry. Dewberry. Black Raspberry. Strawberry. Cinquefoil. Five Finger. Queen of the Prairie. Meadow Sweet. Bowman's Root. Ly thrum alatum, (Enothera biennis, " fruticosa Gaura biennis. " filipes. Ludwigia palustris, Circase Lutetiana, Lythrace.e — Loosestrifes. Loosestrife. ONAGRACE.a! — Onagrads. Evening Primrose. Bastard Loosestrife. Enchanter's Nightshade. 492 History of La Salle County. Cactace^ — Indian Figs. Opuntia vulgaris, Prickly Pear. Ckassulace^. Seclum Telephium, Orpine. " ternatum. Pentliorum sedoides, Virginia Stone-crop. CUCURBITACE^. Sicyos angulatus, Single Seed Cucumber. Gkossulace^ — Currants. Ribes rotundifolium, Swamp Gooseberrj'. " floridum, Wild Black Curraut. Saxipragace^ — Saxifrages. Saxifraga Pennsylvanica. " oppositifolia. Henchera Americana, Alum Root. " Richardsonii. Mitella diphylla, Mitrewort. Hydrangea arborescens, Wild Hydrangea. Chrysosplenium Americanum, Water Carpet. Hamamelace.^. Hamamelis Virginiana, Witch Hazel. Umbellifer^ — Umbelworts. Sanicula Marilaudica, Sanicle. Eryngium yuccasfolium, Rattlesnake jMaster. Pastinaca sativa, Parsnip. Thaspium aureum. Golden Alexander. Zizia integerrima, " " Cicuta maculata, Water Hemlock. Cryptotasuia Canadensis, Honewort. Slum latifoliuui, Water Parsnip. Erigenia bulbosa, Pepper and Salt. Araliace^ — Araliads. Aralia nudicaulis. Wild Sarsaparilla. " racemosa, Spikenard. Panax trifolium, Dwarf Ginseng. CORNACE^. Cornus paniculata, Dogwood. " sericea. " florida. Caprifoliace^. Triosetum perfoliatum, Feverwort. Lonicera flava, Wild Honeysuckle. " parviflora. Catalogue of Flowering Plants. 493 Lonicera sempervirens (introduced). Sambucus Canadensis, " pubens. Viburnum Opulus (introduced), " prunifolium, " roseum (introduced), Elder. High Cranberry. Blacl\ Haw. Snow Ball. Galium Aparine, ' ' trifidum. " tritlorum. " asprellum. Diodia Yirginiana. Cepbalanthus occidentalis, Houstonia coerulea, RuBiACE^E — Madderworts. Cleavers. Button Bush. Bluets. Valerianace^. Valeriana ciliata. Valerianella umbilicata, Lamb's Lettuce. CoMPOSiT.^ — Asterworts. Vernonia fasciculata, Iron Weed. Liatris cylindracea. " squarrosa, Blazing Star. " spicata. " pycnostachj'a. Eupatorium purpureum. " perfoliatum, Boneset. ' ' serotinum . " ageratoides, White Snake Root. " altissimum. Achillea Millefolium, Yarrow. Aster corymbosus, Aster. " cordifolius. " sagittifolius. " patens. ' ' Novo? Anglise. " sericeus. " tenuifolius. " undulatus. " lisvis. " mutabilis. Deplopappus linariifolius. Erigeron Canadense, Flea Bane. " Philadelphicum. '■ strigosum. " bellidifolium, Robin's Plantain. " heterophyllum. " anniium, White Weed. Solidago tenuifolia, Goldenrod. " ^ latifolia. K 494 History of La Salle County. Solidago lanceolata. " Missouriensis. " Canadensis. " altissima. " rigida. Inula Heleuium, (introduced), Polymnia Canadensis, Silphium laciniatum, " terebinthiuaceum, " integrifolium. " perfoliatum, Parthenium integrifolum. Ambrosia artemisitcfolia, trfida, Xanthiuni Slrumarium, Heliopsis Isevis, Ecliinacea purpurea, " angustifolia. Rudbeckia hirta, " subtomentosa. Lepacliys pinnata. Helianttius, anauus (S. America), " rigidus. " tomeutosus. " angustifolius. " tuberosus. " mollis. " occidentalis. Coreopsis liuctoria (introduced), " discoidea. " tripteris. " trichosperma. Bideus bipinuata. *' frondosa. " connata. " chrysanthemoides. Senecio aureus, " vulgaris, Hymenopappus scabiosseus, Cacalia atriplicifolia. " tuberosa. Helenium autumnale, Artemisia biennis, " vulgari?. Manila cotula, Tanacetum vulgare (introduced), Gnaphalium uligiuosum, " decurrens. " polycephalum. Antennaria plantaginifolia, " margariticea. Elecampane. Leaf Cup. Polar Plant Prairie Burdock. Cup-plant. Hog-weed. Horse-weed. Clot-weed. Ox-eye. Purple Cone-flower. Cone-flower. Sunflower. Tick-seed. Senecio. Groundsel. Sneezewort. Mugwort. Mayweed. Tansy. Cudweed. Everlasting. Catalogue of Flowering Plants. 495 Fire-weed. Common Thistle. Canada Thistle. Burdock. Succory. Dwarf Dandelion. Hawkweed. Erechtites hieracifolius, Cirsium lanceolatum, " arvense, " altissimum. Lappa major, Cichorium intybus (Europe), Krigia Virginica, Cynthia Virginica. Hieracium Caoadense, " Gronovii. " longipilum. Nabalus albus, " racemosus. " crepidineus. " asper. Taraxacum Dens-Leonis (Europe), Lactuca elongata, Soachus oleraceus (introduced), LoBEiJACEvE — Lobeliads. Lobelia cardinalis. Cardinal Flower " inflata,, " sylphilitica, " spicata. Campanulace^ — Bellworts Campanula rotuudifolia, " apariuoides. " Americana, Specularia perfoliata. Drop Flower. Dandelion. Trumpet Milkweed. Sow Thistle. Indian Tobacco. Blue Cardinal Flower. Hare Bell. Bell-flower. Ericace^. Gaylussacia resinosa, Monotropa uniflora, Huckleberry. Indian Pipe. Aquifoliace^ — Hollyworts. Prinos verticillatus, Black Alder. Orobanchace^ — Broomrapes. Aphyllon uniflora. Primulace^e — Primworts. Androsace occidentalis, Dodecatheon Media, American Cowslip. Lysimachia stricta, Loose-strife. " thyrsifolia. " longifolia. " ciliata. Centunculus minimus. False Pimpernel. Plantaginace^ — Ribworts. Plantago major (Europe), *' lanceolata. Plantain. 496 History of La Salle County. Plantago cordata. " aristata. Lentibulace^. Bladderwort. Urticularia vulgaris, " minor. BiGNONACE^ — Trumpet Flowers. Tecoma radicans. ScROPPiui.ARiACE^ — Figworts. Mullein. Toad Flax. Figwort. Turtle Head. Beard Tongue. Innocence. Monkey Flower. Speedwell. Yellow Foxglove. Gerardia. Painted Cap. Lousewort. Cow Wheat. Verbascum thapsus (Europe), Linaria vulgaris " Scrophularia nodosa, Chelone glabra, Pentstemon gracilis, " digitalis. Collinsia verna, Mimulus ringens, " alatus. Conobea multifida. Veronica Virgiuica, " scutellata. Dasystoma flava, Gerardia purpurea, " tenui folia. " setacea. Castilleja coccinea, Pedicularis Canadensis, " lanceolata. Melampyrum partense, AcANTHACE.E — Acanthads. Dipteracanthus strepens. VfiRBENACE.E — Vervains. Verbena angustifolia. " liastata, Common Vervain. " urticfefolia. " stricta. " bractiosa. Lippia nodiflora, Fog Fruit. Pliryma leptostachya, Lop-seed. Labiates — Labiate Plants. Teucrium Canadense, Germander. Isanthus cceruleus, False Pennyroyal. Mentha Canadensis, Horsemint. " viridis (Europe). Lycopus Europaeus, Water Hoarhound. Hedeoma pulegioides, American Pennyroyal. Pyeuanthemum linifolium. Wild Basil. Catalogue of Flowering Plants. 497 Pycnanthemum pilosum. Monarda fistulosa, " punctata, Lophanthus scrophularifolius, " nepetoides. Xepeta cataria (Europe), Brunella vulgaris, Scutellaria versicolor, " can! scens. " parvula. " galericulata. " lateriflora. Physostegia Virginiaua, Synandra grandiflora. Galeopsis tetrahit, Stachys hyssopifolia, '• palustris. Leonurus Cardiaca (Europe), Marrubiuni vulgare " BORRAGINACE^E — Onosmodium Carolinianum. Lithospermum canescens, '• hirtum. Mertensia Virgiuica, Myosotis stricta, " casspitosa. Lycopsis arvensis (Europe), Echinospermum Lappula, Cynoglossum officinalis (Europe). " Virginicuin. Hydrophyllace.*; Hydrophyllum appendiculatum, " Virginicum. " macropliyllum. Ellisia Nyctehca. POLEMONIACE.E - Phlox acuminata, " glaberrima. " divaricata. " pilosa. " bifida. Polemonium reptans, CoNVOLVUliACE^ Convolvulus arvensis, Pbarbit s purpurea, Kil. Iporacea panduratus, " iacuuosa, Wild Bergamot Hedge Hyssop. Catnip. Blue Curls. Skull-cap. Lion's Heart. Hemp Nettle. Hedge Nettle. Motherwort. Hoarhound. Borrageworts. Puccoon. Smooth Lungwort. Forget-me-not. Wild Bugloss. Burr-seed. Hound's Tongue. — Hydrophylls. Water-leaf. Phlox worts. Phlox. Greek Valerian. Bindweeds. Bindweed. Morning Glory. Wild Potatoe. False Bindweed. 498 History of La Salle County. Calystegia spithmfeus. " Sepium, Eutland Beauly. Cascuta glonieiata, Dodder. " tenuifloi'a. SoLANACE^ — Nightshades. Solanum Dulcamara, Bittersweet. nigrum (Europe), Black Nightshade. Physalis viseosa, Ground Cherrj'. Atropa Belladonna (Europe), Deadly Nightshade. Hyoscyamus n\ger, Henbane. Datura stramonium (Cent. America), Thorn Apple. Gentian ACE JE — Gentianworts. Gentiana quinqueflora. " crinita. Blue Fringed Gentian. " Saponaria. *' detonsa. " Andrewsii, Closed Blue Gentian, alba. Erythrsea Centaurium. ApocrNACE^ — Dog-banes. Apoeynum androssemifolium. • " cannabinum. AscLEPiAPACEji — Asclepiads. Asclepias cornuti. Milkweed. " phytolaccoides, Poke Silkweed. Asclepias puipurascens. " incaruata. " tuberosa, Butterfly Weed. " vertioillata. Acerates viridiflora. Oleace^ — Olives. Fraxinus Americana, White Ash. quadrangulata, Blue Ash. " sambucifolia. Black Ash. AsiSTOLOCHiACE^ — Birthworts. Asarum Canadense, Wild Ginger. Nyctiginace^ — Marrelworts. Oxybaphus nyctagineus. Wild Four-o'clock. PoLYGONACE.^ — Sorrelworts. Rheum Rhaponticum, (Siberia.) Rhubarb. Rumex crispus, Yellow Dock. " altissimus. " Acetosella. " verticillatus. Water Dock. " obtusifolius. Catalogue of Flowering Plants. 4'J() Polygonum aviculare, " Pennsylvanicum, " convolvulus, " orientale (Europe), " Hydiopiper, " amphibium. " Persicaria. Birds Knot Grass. Knot Grass. U It Prince's Feather. Water Pepper. Phytolaccace^ . Poke. Phytolacca decandra, ClIENOFODIACE^ — GoOSC-fOOtS Chenopodium hybridum. " album, " authelminticum, Amarantace.^ — Amaranths Amaranthus hypocoudriacus (Mexico). " retroflexus (introduced). " albus Pigweed. Wormseed. Sassafras officinale. Comandra umbellata, Dirca palustris, Laurace^. Santalace^. Bastard Toad Flax. Thymelace^. Leather-wood. EUPHORBIACE^E. Euphorbia Cyparissias (Europe), " corollata, " prostrata. " commutata. " roliindifolia. " hypericifolia. " mercurialina. •' maculata. Acalypha Virginica, Ricinus communis (East Indies), Cypress Spurge. Flowering Spurge. Three-seeded Mercury. Castor Oil Plant. Ulmus Americana, " fulva, Ulmace.e — Elmworts. White Elm. Slippery Elm. ARTOCARPACEiE Morus rubra, " alba (China), Madura aurantiaca (Arkansas), Artocarps. Red Mulberry. White Mulberry. Osage Orange. 500 History of La Salle County. Urticace^ — Nettleworts. Urtica dioica, Stinging Nettle. " procera. ■ Humulus lupulus, Common Hop. Cannabis sativa (India), Hemp. Pilea pumila, Richvveed. Plantanace^ — Sycamores. Platanus occidentalis, Buttonwood. Jdglandace^ — Walnut. Juglans cinerea, Butternut. " nigra, Black Walnut. Carya glabra. Pignut. " alba, Shagbark. Capulifer^ — Mastworts. Quercus imbricaria, Laurel Oak. " ilicifolia, Scrub Oak. " rubra, Red Oak. " palustris, Pin Oak. " alba, White Oak. " macrocarpa, Burr Oak. " castanea. Chestnut Oak. Corylus Americana, Hazel Nut. Ostrya Virginica, Hop Hornbeam. Carpinus Americana, Hornbeam. BETULACE2E — Birchworts. Alnus serrulata. Alder. Salicace^ — Willows. Salix-tristis, Sage Willow. Mulenberghiana. " eriocephala. " vitellina, Yellow Willow. " Babylonica (Europe), Weeping Willow. " longifolia. " sericea, Gray Willow, Populus tremuloides, American Aspen. " grandidentata. " candicaus (introduced). Balm of Gilead. " dilatata, Lombardy Poplar, alba, Silverleaf Poplar. CoNiFERA/E — Conifer. Pinus Strobus, White Pine. Abies alba, White Spruce. " excelsa (Europe), Norway Spruce. Thuj a occidentalis, Arbor Vitse. Juniperus Virginiana, Red Cedar. Catalogue of Floioering Plants. 501 Aracege — Aroids. Arissema triphyllum, Jack-in-the pulpit. " Dracontium. Calla palustiis. Symplocarpus fcetidus, Skunk Cabbage. Lemnace/E — Duckmeats. Lemna minor. THYPHACE.a; — Typhads. Typha latifolia, Cat-tail. NiADACE^ — Naiads. Potamogeton natans. Pond-Weed. " hybrid us. Alismace^ — Water Plantains. Alisma plantago. Saggittaria variabilis, Arrow Head. Scheuclizeria palustris- Hydrochakidace.^ — Frogbits. Anacharis Canadensis. Orchidace.e — Orchids. Cypripedium pubescens, Ladies Slipper. " parviflorum, Yellow Slipper. " spectabile, Moccasin Flower. " candidum, White Ladies Slipper. Orchis spectabilis. Spiranthes gracilis, Ladies' Tresses. Amaryllidace^ — Amaryllids. Hypoxis erecta, Star-grass. Iridace^. Iris versicolor, Blue Flag. Sisyrinchium mucronatum. Blue eyed Grass. Smilace^. Smilax rotundifolia, Green Brier. " quadrangularis. Trilliace^ — Trilliads. Trillium recurvatum, Wake-robin. " granditiorum. White Trillium. LiLiACE.E — Lilyworts. Erythronium Americanum. " albidum, White Erythronium. Lilium Canadense, Yellow Lily. " Philadelphicum, Tiger Lily. Scilla esculent a. Quamash. 502 History of La Salle County. Garlic. True Solomon's Seal. Clustered Solomon's Seal. Two-leaved Solomon's Seal. Mealy Bellwort. Allium tricoccum, " cernerum. " striatum. Polygouatum multifiorum, Smilacina racemosa, stellata. Majanthemum bifolium, Uvularia per foliata, " grand iflora. Melanthace^ — Mel ant lis. Zigadenus glaucus, Zigadene. Melantliium Virginicum. COMMELYNACE^. Tradescantia Virginica. Xyridace.e. Xyris Caroliniana, Yellow-eyed Grass. PONTEDERIACEiE . Pontederia Cordata, Pickerel Weed. THE GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS OF LA SALLE COUNTY, AND THEIR ORGANIC REMAINS. BY WILLIAM WIRT CALKINS. Of the tea great systems at present recognized by geologists, five are wanting in ttiis State. These are : The Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic, Huronian, Laurentian. Of the other five, we have in this county, the Quaternary or Post-Tertiary, the Carboniferous, and the Lower Silurian Formations. It thus appears that we have in the county no Tertiary or Devonian deposits. These are developed further west and south. We will consider each of our three great divisions seriatim. THE QUATERNARY SYSTEM. This embraces the soils, sands, gravels, clays, and other deposits forming the surface of the county, and varying in depth from a few feet to perhaps one hundred feet in certain localities on the prairies. This Formation nowhere attains a thickness of one hun- dred and fifty feet, as estimated by Freeman. The '■'Boulders''' form a peculiar feature of this system, and have given to it the name of the " Boulder'' or "Drift" epoch, referring to the manner of its deposition. These boulders are familiar to all and found- throughout the entire county, though more numerous in some localities than others. Col. D. F. Hitt, of South Ottawa, has an elegant collection of them on exhibition, showing the useful, scientific and ornamental purposes to which they may be put. I have at different times secured from the Colonel's '■'fence'''' more than twenty varieties of the primitive rocks containing minerals of mica, feldspar, garnets, copper, etc. Large deposits of boulders occur in the Illinois Valley, lying in some places directly upon the St. Peters Sandstone, and so numer- ous and closely packed as to exclude everything else. A good example may be found in West Ottawa, near D. S. Ebersol's resi- 503 504 History of La Salle County. dence, which shows their deposition to bfe conformable to the course of the valley and the direction assumed by the agencies that brought them from their original to their present location. Lake Superior is the nearest point from which these granite rocks could have been derived ; and the formation there which outcrops at the surface, is here buried many hundred feet below and beyond our reach. Ice and icebergs moving through the flood of waters coming from the the North, brought to us our boulder deposits. The scratchings and groovings found on many of them are suflicient evidence without examining localities where the formations in place during the Drift epoch, as on the west shores of Lake Michi- gan, show the same erosions, only to a greater extent. The area occupied by boulders shows that the great lakes once covered an immense country, and gives us some idea of the Ice period when these boulders were distributed. During the geological changes that followed, the lakes were contracted, but the Illinois river was for a time an immense stream, serving as an outlet for vast bodies of water that afterwards were diverted elsewhere. We can safely assume that the Illinois river once flowed from bluff to bluft', con- fined in its course so far north as Joliet, probably becoming at that point undistinguishable from the vast lakes above. The fossil re- mains found in the Drift are of course accidental and derived from other formations. Some of these are as follows : a Lithostrotlon, species undetermined, found near Caton's spring in South Ottawa. This is an interesting coral and belongs to the Carboniferous For- mation. Of Urmtacea, several Trilobites have been found by Mr. U. Ellsworth, in Cl-irk's Run at Vermillionville. The species is common to the Trenton Group, which is nearly denuded and approaches the surface where the Drift lies immediately upon it at this point. Fossilized wood is frequently found in digging wells. In the more recent deposits remains of the Mastodon have been found ; also species of land and fresh water shells identical with those now living in the county. The banks of our rivers will afford examples. Of valuable minerals— copper, lead and iron, occur in the drift, sometimes in quite large masses, but all these came here with the boulders and by the same agencies. THE CARBONIFEROrS FORSIATION. This is represented by the Coal measures and of variable thick- ness. The great axis of upheaval crossing the Illinois Valley at Geological Formations^ etc. 505 Split Rock, running thence in the direction of Deer Park, Big Bend, and Lowell, has a direction nearly parallel with the Big Vermil- lion river, and the Coal measures on either side present distinctly- marked features caused by the commotions of the period when they occurred. The thickness of the C.)al measures west of the axis at La Salle, approximates six hundred feet, from the most reliable figures I can obtain. In this locality they rest upon the Silurian rocks. Their beds of coal are known as the upper, mid- dle and lower, and some claim that there is a fourth bed. East of the great axis the Coal measures thin out, only one bed of coal appearing in a large area of the district. But there are two veins in Deer Park back of the Fisliburu place, only one, however, of sufficient thickness to work, which is done mainly by stripping, though the main one was once worked by driving a shaft into the hillside. This was done by my father some years ago. On a recent examination by Col. Hitt and myself on the O'Connor place, we carefully traced the deposits from the edge of the timber down the ravines leading to the Illinois bottoms where these deposits rest upon the St. Peters, and found very interesting outcrops. We coul^l have loaded a wagon in a short time with fossil Lepidodendrons which were then lying exposed in the ravines. These Coal plants were most numerous at the head of the ravines and near the surface. Freeman remarks (3 Ills. Repts.), that with one exception, only one bed of coal appears east of the anticlinal axis, which he says is the "lower La Salle bed." Such, however, is not the case, as recent developments show. Neither do I believe that all the beds referred to are equivalents of the La Salle lower bed. On page 267, (3 Ills. Repts.) Freeman says: "Fossils are rare in this county, associated with this coal, so far as my observations extend." He refers to the "lower bed." And the fact of there being immense quantities of fossil coal plants as well as other fossils, found east of the axis as stated above, would warrant the conclusion that neither the beds of the Ottawa and Deer Park districts, or those east of the Big Vermillion, are in reality the third or "lower La Salle bed." For additional evidence, I may say that I have myself taken out at different times a full wagon load of fossils from the so-called " lower beds," east of the Vermillion, in the vicinity of Lowell and above, so far as Kirkpatrick's Mines. These latter are undoubtedly upper beds, and the same is true of those at Clark's Run, which ac- 33 606 History of La Salle County. cording to Freeman are " lower beds." Much confusion has been caused by the diversity of ideas about our coal strata, and the un- satisfactory conclusions of the State Report. We can determine certainly that where the coal rests upon St. Peters, as at Ottawa, it is a lower bed and the lowest in the Stale. The immense coal mining operations now carried on all over the district will afford excellent opportunities for studying our coal strata, which should be improved. The Cannel coals on the Vermil- lion also deserve attention. Only the Coal Measures Group of the Carboniferous System is developed in the county. The Subcarbouiferous does not appear at all, hence the absence of crinoidal forms in the abundance represented elsewhere. The Group is however proline iu numerous organic remains, both animal and vegetable. A list of these appears elsewhere. The coal beds, shales, clays, sandstones and limestones, of this Group, show good outci'ops, and I know of no section where better opporturuties are afforded for investigation. The Blufls of the Big and Little Ver- million are good localities for obtaining fossil shells, while the coal jnines swarm with various types of past vegetable life. From the city of Streator to the mouth of the Big Vermillion, all on the line of the great axis, there will be found a greater represen- tation of fossil species than elsewhere, owing to the upheaval. In the banks and bed of the Vermillion occur many fine septaria or turtle-stones. These assume vaiious fantastic forms, and sometimes contain shells. Mr. Hurd, of Lowell, exhibited one to me before the war, in which was a perfect Nautilus. They are, of course, referable to the Carboniferous era. A good story is told of a cer- tain reverend gentleman, (who was also a lover of science,) and his studies of turtle-stones. Having resolved to investigate, he exhumed a large one after much labor and expense, from the bluff at Lowell. This was carefully transferred to his home in Tonica and scientifi- cally set up in the front yard. The gentleman labelled it Cetacea or Whale-fossil. It was a big one, though not of the species he suii- posed. I traveled on foot six miles to see the wonderful whale, and still had my doubts. THE SILURIAN FORMATION. The divisions proper are "Upper" and "Lower." Only the latter outcrops in La Salle Count3^ The Groups or Subdivisions exposed are : the Trenton, the Calciferous, and the St. Feters. Geological Formations^ etc. 507 The first contains numerous fossils of great interest, and is well ex- posed in various parts of the county. The Homer beds are Trenton and regarded by Freeman as local, being left after the denudation of the drift movement. 1 do not, however, concur in this view, but regard the deposit as extensive, extending south, east, and north- west, though only slightly exposed on the Little Vermillion at other points. The Trenton also appears near the railroad tunnel below Utica, and wTthin the city limits of Ottawa, where it is quarried for building purposes. The McPherson and Reddick Quarries, west of town, are Trenton, as shown by the fossils ; and resting upon St. Peters at this point in more than usually heavy masses, it seems to fill a depression or gap left in the underlying rock. It appears on the Fox river at difl'erent points, but generally thin bedded, silicious in character, and the fossils hard to obtain perfect. South of the Illinois good outcrops are seen on Covel creek resting on St. Peters sandstone. These finally disappear beneath the Coal measures in the bluffs. The thickness is from twenty to forty feet. Some very fine fossils have been obtained here. On the Big Vermillion the Trenton appears at Deer Park abrupt- ly upheaved against the St. Peters, affording a fine opportunity to study the two groups. Thickness, ninety feet. Above Deer Park there are exposures at several points : at Big Bend, Clark's Ford, Lowell, and Eaton's Mill. At the latter points the development is unusually large. The thickness here is one hundred and seventy feet, according to the boring at the petroleum well. It forms the bed of the river, and contains many fossils. Above the dam at Eaton's, when the river is low, there is shown a regular coral reef of the Silurian era. Pieces of this coral are circulated locally as 'petrified honey-comb. The Calciferous Group of the Potsdam period is developed at Utica, and known as the cement rock. It is the only outcrop in the State, and covers an area of a few square miles north of the Illinois river, but on the south side disappears beneath the St. Peters. So far as I know no fossils have been found in this rock. The St. Peters Sandstone Group is familiar to all. It outcrops at Ottawa, Buffalo Rock, Split Rock, Deer Park, Starved Rock, etc., covers one-third of the couuty, and is of great thickness — from 161 feet at Ottawa to 600 on the Vermillion, as determined by 508 History of La Salle County. borings. North of the Illinois river it thins out towards the west, near Utica, where its junction with the Calciferous may be seen. I have now given a sketch of all the geological formations de- veloped in La Salle County, without enlarging upon the peculiar features of any, which would be desirable if space permitted. I can not, however, leave the subject without referring to one or two points of particular interest. Near the railroad tunnel in the Illi- nois Valley, and west of Utica, may be seen within a short distance, outcrops of four different formations : the Coal Measures, Trenton Group, St. Peters, and the Calciferous. Here will also be noticed immense detached masses of rock scattered around in the valley. This is opposite Little Rock, and all on the line of upheaval. The evidence presented shows that along tbe great axis powerful convulsions occurred at some former period, resulting in the juxta- position of the formations mentioned above. Portions of the Carboniferous and Trenton east of the axis were swept away. The strata on the west suffered a sinking process, and a strong dip to the southwest, in some places fifty degrees. At the same time a cor- responding dip occurred east of the axis. The coal shafts at Little Rock also show a displacement of the strata there. To a person familiar with geology the question will arise, as he looks over the ground and the facts presented, whether or not, there once existed here an immense wall of rock, extending from Little Rock to Split Rock, on the opposite side, and forming a cataract far excelling Niagara in size and grandeur. I have no doubt of it myself, though positive proof is wanting. THE ORGANIC REMAINS OF LA SALLE COUNTY. These have been teferred to in a general way. A list of species will now be given. As is known to some, I have made a study of these for twenty years ; and prior to the great " Chicago Fire " of 1871, had collected representatives of all the species known. I lost in that " Fire " more than two thousand species, among them the La Salle County collection, but fortunately had preserved a list of those from this county, which is now embodied in this paper. The greatest care has been taken to verify species and localities, and though the specimens were destroyed, every one is even now, after the lapse of six years, as familiar to me as though thej' were still in my hands. I only regret that figures and descriptions can not, for obvious reasons, be given in this book. For these the lover Geological Formations^ etc. 509 and student of geology must refer to the State Reports and tlie various other scientitic publications of the time — a labor requiring a vast amount of patience and research, but one that will not intimi- date the zealous explorer after knowledge. FOSSILS OF THE COAL MEASURES GROUP. CARBONIFEROUS FORMATION. Brachiopoda. Mollusca. Martinia (Spirifer,) piano- convex a ^ Shum. Abundant at La Salle and elsewhere. Terebraiula bovidens, Morton. Abundant, same localities as the preceding. Athyris subtilita, Hall. Has a wide distribution in the Coal Measures. CJionetes millepunctata, M. and W. In the upper Coal Measures at La Salle. Uhonetes mesoloba, Hall. Very plentiful everywhere in the Coal Measures. Chonetes Flemingii, Hall. Found at La Salle in same location. Choneies g ranuUfera, Hall. Same as the preceding. Discina niiida, Phil. Found at La Salle. Discina subtiigorialis, McUhesney. Same locality as preceding. Discina capuliformis, McChesney. Found at La Salle. Productus JSebrascensis, Owen. Abundant at La Salle in the upper limestones. Also found on the Vermillion — equals P. Eogersii, N. and P. Productus symmetricus, McCh. Abundant at La Salle. Productus 2Junctatiis, 3Iartin. Very fine and large. Loc. At La Salle and on the Vermillion. Productus injiatus^ McCh. Extremely abundant at La Salle and other localities. Resembles P. semireticulatus, of Sub Carb. Productus longispinus, S'by. From the La Salle limestones. Also found b}'^ me on the Vermillion. Equals the P. Wabashensis, N. and P. Productus costatus, S'by. Abundant at La Salle in the upper limestones. Productus La S(tllensis, Worthen. A variety of the preceding species. 510 History of La Salle County. Productus Wilberamis, McGh. From La Salle. Is larger than P. JVebrascensis, •which it resembles. Or this LaSiUenns, McCh. {Heinipronites.) Fouad at La Salle and west of the Big Vermillion. Orthis crass us, Meek and W. {Hemipronites.) Found at La Salle, (equals H. erenisiria. Eur.) Ortlds carbonari'i, Swalhw. Abundant in the upper Coal Meas- ures, at La Salle and elsewhere. Retzia punctulifera, lJuilus subguadratus, M. and W. Upper Coal Measures. EuomphaluH pernodosus, M, and W. Lower Coal Measures. Euomphalus subrugosvs, M. and W. Shales of the lower Coal Measures on the Vermillion. Bellerophon carbonnria^ Cox. Same as last. Belltroplion Blaneyanus, McV. Same as last. Pleurotomavia Orayvillensis, McC. La Salle and elsewhere in Coal shales. Pleurotomaria Shumardi. An elegant species from Wild Cat Point. Murehisonia archimidea, McC. Limestones at La Salle and on the Big Vermillion. Found by A. C. Baldwin. GepJialopoda. Ooniatites Hathaicayanus, McC. La Salle. Nautilus Li Sallensis, M. and W. Same. Orthoceras Vermillionensis, Calkins, M. 8. From the Coal strata shales. Leaia tricarinata, M. and W. Lower Coal Measures, Big Ver- million. Vertebrata. Cladodus mortifer, N. and W. From the Coal shales at La Salle. Petalodus destructor, N. and W. Limestones at La Salle. Petrodus occidentaUs, li. and W. Coal shales. Agassizodus variabilis, iV. and W. Upper Coal Measures at La Salle. Agassizodus scitulus, W. and St. J. Lower Coal Measures Ver- million and La Salle. Lophodus variabilis, N. and W. La Salle. Peltodus unguiformis, N. and W. La Salle. Cymatodus oblongus, N. and W. La Salle. FOSSIL COAL PLANTS. The species from this county have been studied but little. From Streator I have identified the following : Pecopteris villosa, Brong. Pecopieris unita, I.esq. Neuroptcris hirsuta, Lesq. 512 History of La Salle County. From Little Vermillion river, Pecojiteris Bucklandi, Brong. has been found. Sigillaria Massiliensis, {Sp. not.) In the Marseilles and Deer Park sandstones. SigiUaria coriugata, (iV. -9.) Found at Marseilles. Stigmanas. Several species, undt. Lepidodendron rugosum, Brong. From the Little Vermillion. There are still a large number of unidentified and undescribed forms from Deer Park and Streator. RADIATA. — COKALS. LopJiopJiyllum proliferum. Met'. Very abundant on the Big Vermillion, La Salle, etc., in the limestones. Scaphiocrinus hemispheric us, Shum. La Salle. The Radiata do not appear to be numerous in species. A. C. Baldwin found near Wild Cat Point a species which I recognized as Chaetetes Igcoperdon, Lay. Its position and occurrence here still puzzles me. The strata there and at Bailey's Falls need further study. "While the majority of the fossils are Carboniferous, there are forms which appear to belong to the Cincinnati Group, L. Silu- rian. All along the Big' Vermillion, at Clark's Ford, etc., will be found numerous -£7 MC/i/aVe stems {Crinoidea,) occurring separately and in large masses, which in places are deposited in regular strata, as near Clark's Ford, high up in the Carboniferous. These are called by the local geologists petrified buttons, and other curious but expressive names. None have been found sufficiently perfect to identify. They are very beautiful and very abundant. FOSSILS OF THE TRENTON GROUP. Loicer Silurian Formation. Articulata. Crustacea. Calgmene Blumenbachii. Brong. {Trilobite.) Supposed to equal C.nenaria, Con. Locality, Clark's Run. Also on the Vermillion and at Ottawa. This suggests the close proximity of the Cincin- nati Group — or its destruction in the general denudation. GASTEROPOBA. Trochonema umbilicata, Hall. At Deer Park. Raphistoma lenticularis, Con. Big Bend. CyriolUes trentonensis, Con. Loc. The Big Vermillion. Oeologlcal Formations^ etc. 513 I Lave identified from the Trenton at Homtr the following species: Lituites undaius, Con. Gonioceras anceps, Hall. Very fine. Ormo- ceras Backii, Stokes. Orihoceras fmiforme, Hall. Endoceras annu- iatum, Hall. Endoceras proiiforme. Hall. Several varieties. Uyrtoceras dardamis, Hall. Vanvxemia (?) Ctemdonta {?) Lep- taena sericea, Hall. Strophomena alternata, Con. Asaphus{?) Pen- ■ tamerus (f) Very fine. From the Trenton of the Big Vermillion and Covel creek we have : Orihoceras ariellum, Con. Orihoceras Junceum, Hall. Orihoceras veriebrale, Hall. Cyrtoceras macro stomum, Hall. Cyrtoceras con- sir iciostriatum, Hall. Maclurea'J). Orihoceras Tiian , Hall. This is our largest species. All Cephalopoda. Other species are : Conu- laria irenionetisis, Miller. Found near Lowell by A. C. Baldwin. Very rare, ibireptelasma corniculum, Hall. Leptaena sericea, Hall. Abundant. Orthis—Rhynclwnella—Strophomena. Last three species not positively identified. The Facoides are represented by several species. The observer will see at Lowell— ButJiotrepIiis succulens, Hall, and BnihotrepMs gracilis, Hall. Of Corals we have two species of Halysites not named, and Favistella sidlaia. Hall, at Eatons — before referred to as Honey- comb Coral, which all will recognize. A few good specimens of the screw-coral, Archimides reversa, Worlhen, were found near Wild Cat Point by A. C. Baldwin, and are the only ones that I have seen from this county. This completes the list of identified species coming under my notice. There are many others still undiscovered, which future research will reveal. FAUNA OF LA SALLE COUNTY. BEASTS. The Fauna of this locality, from the open and exposed character of the counlri', did not embrace those animals which delight in the seclusion of the dense forest — the bear, the panther, was not known ; or, if known, only as transient visitors. But those adapted to the country appear, from the testimony of the French explorers and other sources, to have existed in immense numbers. It was a country prolific of animal life— but limited in species. Seventy-five years ago, the buffalo, in immense herds, swarmed over the broad plains of Illinois, and fattened on the rich prairie pasture. Their bones were scattered profusely over the prairie when the settlements first commenced. There was said to be a tradition that they were nearly extermin- ated by a hard winter with an immense depth of snow. But it is well known that the bufialo retreats south on the approach of win- ter, and the situation of the bones would not indicate anj' whole- sale slaughter from any cause. Each skeleton was by itself, and they were apparently of diflerent ages, as indicated by the different stages of decay, and no great number existed in the same decajang stage. And the natural mortality from old age or accident among such immense herds would account for all the bones then existing. They mu>t have existed here in immense numbers, as the pasture would have sustained millions. The country now inhabited by the buffalo is comparatively barren, and yet they are found in herds that can not be numbered or computed, but like their Indian com- panions, on this theatre of what was doubtless the scene of their highest development, they are fast fading out before the cruel but resistless advance of civilized man. Like the Indian, they have gone toward the setting sun, and the place that now kniws them will soon know them no more. 514 Fauna of La Salle County — Beasts. 515 And the deer have followed the buffalo. The tirst settlers, and even those who came in twentj^-five years ago, will testify to the immense number of deer that tempted the skill of the hunter. They could be started from almost every thicket or point of timber. They could daily be seen in droves of four or five to twenty-five, and even 35 to 40 have been seen together. They were sometimes a serious nuisance— they would eat the limbs of j'oung fruit trees to the great disgust of the owner, who was impatiently waiting for the growth of the first apple. And they were nearly as desiruclive as so many hogs in the ripened corn. A farmer would frequently have three or four acres of unpicked corn caught in the first deep snow, and when the snow melted, four to six weeks after, would find it all harvested by the deer. They were a pretty feature in the land- scape— excessively timid— their lithe and sleek forms ever alert and apprehensive of danger, were continually in motion; when feeding they would hastily take a bite or two, then throw up their heads and look suspiciously in all directions, and if startled by any in- truder, would hoist their white flags and leap over the ground with a fleetness and grace unmatched by any other animal. Their flesh was choice eating, and their skins weie valuable ; many of the early settlers could dress them nicely, and make them into mittens, gloves, and frequently into coats, hunting frocks, pants, and moc- casins. They were easily killed, and their flesh was a common article of diet. Experienced hunters often made it a profitable business killing them for the market. They gradually diminished before the advancing settlements, and had nearly all left the country in 18G0. The last one killed in the county known to the author was killed on the Vermillion, in 1866, since which time none have been seen. The young fawns were easily domesticated if caught when quite young and carried in the arms for half a mile, they would then follow readily and remain if properly fed and pro- tected. They were quite interesting pets, but soon became destruc- tive to young trees and shrubbery, and an ordinary fence was never in the way of a deer. These characteristics were usuallj^ fatal to the young pets, and by the time they were half grown their flesh was consigned to the cook and their skins to the glover. The buffalo and the deer and other game are being preserved in both public and private collections, and will not entirely be lost to the world, but the deer confined will never rival in beauty and agility his wild congener in his native haunts, any more than the caged 516 History of La Salle County . liou equals his ancestor when free on the borders of the desert, be- neath an African sun. The hunler and his game have yielded to their destiny, while the farmer, and the flocks and herds that go and come at his call and feed at his hand, occupy their heritage. The flocks and herds that first replaced the buffalo and deer have, in turn, given place to those of more perfect form, and they, too, must yield to a better and more perfect race, when that better one claims the right. The survival of the fittest is a law as imperative when applied to animals, as when applied to nations and individuals. Of beasts of prey, the number was very limited. Felines. — The Canada lynx was occasionally met. It lives on rabbits and birds, sometimes on young pigs and poultry, but otherwise is harmless ; it is a stupid animal, easily shot or caught in traps. The wild cat, or bay lynx, was more plenty but not numer- ous ; were destructive in the hen roost. Both of the loregoing have disappeared. Cakis Lupus. — The large gray wolf was only occasionally seen. They sought more seclusion and a better hiding place than this region aflbrded. But the prairie wolf here found their natural habitat, and existed by thousands. They are a bold, impudent, and mischievous animal, living on rabbits, birds, lambs, pigs, poultry, green corn, watermelons, berries, and almost every thing that comes in their way. They burrow in the ground, usually on some high ridge of the prairie, to rear their young, having from six to ten at a litter. They would come around the cabins of the early set- tlers at night and pick up the crumbs and bones thrown out during the day. They were cunning and not easily killed or caught in traps ; at least, it required experience and skill to trap them suc- cessfully. Hunting them on horseback, with dogs and grayhounds to lead, was exhilarating sport. Well mounted, preceded by the dogs, and they by the wolf, bounding at full speed over the swells of the prairie, was very exciting to the participant, or to the observer, and if the wolf did not reach the covert of a thicket or timber, was pretty sure to yield up his skin. A single horseman, well out from timber, could ride over and eventually tire out and kill a wolf, if his steed did not tire first ; one or two good dogs would shorten the process and much relieve the horse. The wolves would frequently make a bed on a bog, or ant hillock, by crawling under the grass, which, when killed by frost, was nearly the color Fauna of La Salle County — Beasts. 517 of the wolf, and excavating so as to bring bis body about even with the surface with a perfect tit, his head on the side of the hillock in a good position for observation, and then wait for bis prey. The writer passed within three feet of one in that position, when per- ceiving a pair of eyes among the grass, returned to about the same distance, and for a minute or two looked steadily at the eyes, which returned the gaze without winking, and then giving a loud scream and jumping toward the eyes, developed a very large wolf, which leaped nearly ten feet at the first bound. One caught in a heavy trap, on being approached made desperate efforts to get free, then, with the hair on bis back erect, be barked fiercely like a dog, but perceiving his enemy not frightened, instantly fell as if shot, and lay as dead while being dragged some distance by the trap. A severe blow on the head, designed to kill him, made bim very lively. They were very noisy, especially at night, barking, yelping and howling, frequently a combination of all three — four or five would make as much noise as twenty might be supposed capable of doing. Their concerts were often repeated during the night and frequently in the daytime, and were the lullaby that put our children to sleep — at least their concerts were usually in progress when they went to sleep. Two good dogs could master a prairie wolf, but one alone would seldom attempt it, unless an extra one for size and spunk. Gener- ally when the nightly concert commenced, the old dog, which would bark violently at other times, would seek his kennel or get under the bed. The prairie wolves are not yet exterminated. For a number of years they were not seen or beard, having retreated to the large un- settled prairies, but they were probably as much surprised as the early settlers to find those, then solitudes, filled with an enterpris- ing, dense population, and now disturbed in their favorite haunts, they have scattered over the State, not very numerous, but enough to prove a decided nuisance. They are one of the retiring races, and being without one redeeming trait of character, their final exit will be bailed with satisfaction. The opossum, the only American marsopial, are found in quite limited numbers. It is said they were not here before the settle- ment and for some years after. Their temporary advent was not to them a success, and being easily caught they will soon disappear. The raccoon is an inhabitant of the woods, living in hollow trees 518 History of La Salle County. in heavy timber ; they visit the settlements iu pursuit of green corn and chickens. Our open country is not their favorite liome, yet thej' are found in limited numbers in the vicinitj- of the streams and timber belts. The ground hog, or woodchuck, though occasionally seen, are so few as to be hardlj' an item iu the fauna of the county. The skunk was seldom seen at an early day, but have rapidly iu- cre-'scd in the last few years. Though sometimes destructive to young poultry, they are doubtless, on the whole, a benefit, living almost entirely on beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and other insects and larvae. Their good acts far overbalance their evil ones, yet they could not be recommended for pets. The badger was barely known to be a resident here. A few were caught at an early day, but are not known here now. The graj^ rabbits are ver}^ numerous both on timber and prairie. They increased rapidly after the settlement of the county. They are sometimes very destructive to nurseries, young fruit trees and shrubber}', gnawing the bark and girdling the trees. Immense num- bers are killed without seeming to diminish their numbers, as they breed like rabbits. Of the true, or tree, squirrel we have but one variety, as the squirrel is distinctivel}' an inhabitant of the woods. The fox squir- rel is of a red or fox color, and one of the largest of the squirrel family. Much larger than the black or gray squirrel of the 3Iiddle States. They have gradually increased with the settlements, there having been but few found here at first. The chipmunk, or ground squirrel, was not found here for several years after the settlements commenced ; thej' are now quite com- mon. When the}' first appeared, tbeir peculiar chinup was at once recognized by emigrants from the Eastern States, and they were greeted as old acquaintances. The chipmunk is regarded as inter- mediate between the tree squirrel and the spermipholes, laying up his winter store like the first and burrowing in the ground like the latter. He has not yet acquired the bad reputation of his eastern congener, of digging up the newly planted corn. The flying squirrel diilers from all the squirrel family in its appendage for sailing from one tree to another, although no^ properly flying. It also diflers in being nocturnal in its habits, and consequently is not often seen even when quite numerous. Of the spermipholes, or prairie squirrel, we have, or did have. Fauna of La Salle County — Beasts. 519 two varieties— the striped and gray. The gray variety is more than twice the size of Ihe striped ; their habits are the same. The gray were never as numerous as the striped, and have now nearly or quite disappeared. The striped variety are yet quite numerous, but when the country was new they were much more so, and a great enemy to the farmer's corn at the planting season. In North- ern Illinois and Wisconsin they are erroneously callc d gophers. The spermipholes all hibernate, or sleep through the winter with- out food. They select some bank or sand lidge that will not be flooded, and at the bottom of their hole excavate a space that will hold from a third to half a peck, which they fill with leaves and dry grass. The hole is closed from the inside, and obedient to the instincts that guide him, the little fellow crawls to the centre of the nest, rolls himself into a ball, and slet ps till spring, unconscious of the c( Id snow wreaths piled above him. The gopher, like the mole, lives beneath the surface. Is about the size of a large rat, of a dark color, with fine fur like the mole. Their burrows, or run-ways, are ten to twelve inches below the surface, and extend indefinitely. While excavating their burrows, at intervals of a few feet they come to the surface and deposit the earth taken from the excavation ; these piles of earth contain half a busl el or more. For this woik, nature has provided them with a pouch, or pocket, on each side of the neck, -nhich they fill and then come to the surface, and by a contraction of the muscles empty the pockets with a force that ejects the earth to a distance of six to twelve inches. The gopher lives mostly on roots, and is very destructive to young trees and vines, and especially so to osage hedge. It is claimed they are not found north of tl.e Illinois riv€r, but they are veiy plenty south of it. To kill them, put a grain of strychnine in a small potato and drop in the run-way. Otter were found along all the principal streams, and frequently caught. They are very seldom setn new. The American otter weighs about twenty-five pourds, and its fur is valuable. It has a singular habit of sliding down a wet clay bank into the water, apparently for sport. It will climb the bank, slide down, and repeat the process for a great length of time with as much appar- ent pleasure as the boy courses with his sled. A trap set under the water at the proper point is very apt to spoil the spoit, and is a common way of taking them. 520 History of La Salle County. Beaver were numerous at the time of the French explorations, but disappeared before the American settlement. Mushrat weie, and still are, numerous, frequently building their winter homes in the ponds on the middle of the largest prairies. Mink are quite plenty over all the country. Their fur is more valuable than any other animal we have of their size, and of course thej^ draw the principal efforts of the trapper. But they are very prolific, and are likely to hold their own. They are about the worst enemy that preys on the poultrj' yard. The small brown weasel, though not numerous, are yet a great pest among the poultry. The cruel, bloodthirsty little rascal has no fear, and very little discretion, but more pluck than can be found elsewhere enclosed in so small a skin ; his reckless daring often leads him to his death. The Norway rat soon followed the emigrants, and in a few years became immensely numerous. All animals increase in proportion to immunity from molestation by enemies and easy access to their natural food ; the profusion of the cereal grains all exposed made this the paradise of rats. Yards filled with corn cribs, standing for three or four years, became infested with numbers innumerable. They go and come, sometimes swarming like the locusts of Egj'pt, and then leaving for several years. The black rat, so common seventy years ago, disappeared immediately after the introduction of the Norway species, which is a larger and much more powerful and sagacious animal. The country has gained nothing by the ex- change. Some succeeding race may exterminate the Norway, but that may result, as before, only in a change of evils. The good things of the world were not made for man alone. Imperious man says : " ' See all things for my use.' " ' See man for mine,' replies the pampered goose."— Pope. The common mouse was a native of the prairie, and no sooner was a house completed and occupied than the mice asserted their right to a place therein, and they held it, as no buildings then erected would exclude them. Now they are no more annoying here than elsewhere. The long-tailed, or jumping mice, are found in the timber occa- sionally, but they are not numerous. The short-tailed, or meadow mice, are very numerous, and have increased with the settlements; they are often very destructive to Fauna of La Salle County — Birds. 521 orchards and shrubbery. Aiiy tree or shrub left in the fall, with grass or other mulching about the root, is liable to be girdled by these rodents. This is prevented by removing everything down to the naked earth from the tree, and tramping heavj^ snows solid about it. Bat. — There are two groups of this singular little animal, the fru- givorous, or fruit-eating, and insectivorous, or insect-eating. We have only two or three closely allied varieties of the insect-eating kind; they fly in the dark in pursuit of prey, which Ihey take like the swallow and other insectivorous birds. The bat differs in its organs of sight from all other nocturnal animals. The owl and the cat have large eyes, with a pupil that dilates to the size of the eye; while the bat has extremely small eyes and evidently of little use, as it avoids all obstructions when on the wing equally well wheu its eyes have been destroyed — hence the adage, '' blind as a bat." Cuvier discovered that the extreme delicate sensibility of the large wings answers the purpose of sight; the reaction of the air upon these sensitive surfaces enables them to judge of the dis- tance as well as size of all surrounding objects, and there is no doubt the minutest ray of light aftects them as really as it does the retina of the best formed eye. Does not this explain how somnam- bulistic clairvoyants see to read from the top of the head ? BIRDS. The prairie region could not boast of as full a list of the feath- ered tribes as a timbered country. In fact, the more common sing- ing birds were at first almost entirely wanting, and one of the causes of discontent and homesickness was the absence of the well-remembered bird music, which made the groves and orchards of the older States vocal with song. This was more marked away from the timber, but even along the edge of the timber, where the tirst settlements were made, it needed groves, orchards, and gar- dens, and especially the fruits they bore, to make an acceptable home for the birds of song. The constant roar of the prairie cock, the distant whoop of the crane, the bittern's solitary note, and the yelping of the prairie wolf, was to a homesick ear a poor exchange for the cheerful song of the robin, the thrush, the cat bird, and the oriole of the orchards, and the vireos and warblers of the groves. Singing Birds, Family Turdid.«. — The robin was not gener- ally seen here for several years after settlements commenced. At 34 522 History of La Salle (jounty. length a solitary pair might be seen in the timber, but the orchard and garden, their favorite home, did not exist, but when they did, the robin quickly occupied them in plentiful numbers. The robin is so close a companion of civilized man, and so nearly connected with the rural population and all the recollections of childhood, that, during its absence for the first few years of pioneer life, it was sadl}' missed, and its advent greeted with sincere satisfaction. It is a sweet singer, and confides in man, building its nest in the favorite apple or cherry tree. It is true, the robin is fond of cherries and small fruits, but it is better to plant an extra tree or two for their use than to dispense with their pleasant company. The cat bird, like the robin, came in gradual)}- as the country improved. It is a sweet singer as well as inveterate scold, a fami- liar inhabitant of our thickets, groves, and hedgerows, frequently rearing its j'oung in the garden or hedge, and becomes quite fami- liar ; if kindly treated, will come to the steps and even into the house for the crumbs daily thrown for its use. The brown thrush — thrusher — sandy mocking bird, is a delightful singer. It came a little earlier than the robin, but at first onl)- a few in number ; they are now numerous. It is a pretty pet, and sings finely in confinement. In the Eastern States it was said when the thrush appeared in the spring it was time to plant corn. Family Saxicolid.?^. — The bluebird is usually the first arrival of our migratory birds at the close of winter, and the sound of his pleasant note is hailed as the harbinger of spring. The note of the bluebird, though not musical, but in a half plaintive, half cheerful tone, heard on the first warm days of February or March, is to most ears peculiarlj' grateful. Family Parld^. — Titmice, or chicadees, ar'e a hardy bird, en- during the rigors of the severest winters, and, as a consequence, none of them are migratory. They are musical after their fashion, chirping a quaint dittj', which, heard on a cold winter's daj' when all sounds of animal life are hushed, is pleasant to hear. They are active, restless, and heedless of man's presence, and live on insects, seeds, and almost anything that comes to hand. We have several species. Nuthatch. — The nuthatches are among the most nimble and active creepers, running up or down the tree with equal facility — the}' hang in everj- conceivable position, head down as often as any other way; this distinguishes them from other creepers. Fauna of La Salle County — Birds. 523 Family Troglodytid.e. — The wrens are a numerous family, of which the liouse wren may be taken as a type. It is an impudent little creature, very pugnacious and apt to show bad temper, are particularly spiteful toward swallows and martins, sometimes taking possession of their nests. They sing cheerily, and when disturbed while singing, scold vociferously. There are two or three species only with us; they are not numerous, but increasing. The Family Sylviacolid.e, or Warblers, are a family of small birds embracing an immense number of species. They mostly inhabit the thick woods, nestling among the dense foliage, living on insects, and cheering the solitude with their cheerful musical notes, being mostly good singers. In a heavy timbered region they are found in immense numbers, but we have but a few species, of which the summer }'ellow bird is one. Family Tanagrid.e. — Of the tanagers we have a s'ngle species, ihe scarlet tanager, a brilliant fiery red, except the wings and tail, which are black; a very showy bird, becoming quite common. Family Hirtjndinid.-e. — Of swallows we have the barn swallow, building in barns or other out-buildings. The cliff or eave swallow, unknown here till within the last twelve or fifteen years, naturally congregate in large numbers and build their ball-shaped nests on high overhanging cliffs, but recently have taken to building under the eaves of barns, nearly covering the sides of the building. They are flycatchers, and are said to use up the mosquitoes in the locality where they stop. Bank swallow, sand marten, like the foregoing, are gregarious, and collect in the breeding season in large numbers, and make holes for their nests in some back or river bluff. The blue marten — marten — usually build in boxes prepared for them by those who enjoy their social, cheerful ways. The swallows are all migratory, and leave soon after the close of the building season. Their sudden departure and return, and their habit of flying close to the surface of the water for insects, has given rise to a fiction that they winter in a torpid state at the bot- tom of lakes and streams. Of the waxwings, we have the Carolina waxwing, cedarbird, cherrybird. They are not residents here, but visit us occasionally, The}^ are very destructive to cherries; a flock of them will clean a cherry-tree of its fruit in a few minutes, without saying by your leave. The Greenlets, or Vireos, are like the warblers in their 524 History of La Salle County. habits. Our open prairies tempt but few of tliem to stop with us. The vireo appeals to the ear rather than to the eye, having a plain dress that harmonizes with the verdure, and being seldom seen, as their home is among the densest foliage of the forest. There they warble their lays unseen, while the foliage itself seems stirred to music. Standing on a still summer day in the solitude of the forest, that heart must be callous to emotion that does not, while listening to the wild notes of the little songster, echo thoughts he can never expect to clothe in words. Of the shrikes we have the great northern shrike, or butcher bird — a bold and quarrelsome bird. They are carnivorous, feeding on insects and such small birds and animals as they can overcome. The}'' have a curious habit of impaling their prey on thorns, or sharp twigs, and leaving it there — for what object has never been ascertained. The Family Frixgillid.!: embraces the sparrows, and allied birds, finches, buntings, linnets, etc. Thej' are very numerous, both in species and individuals, in fact, the two families fringillid* and sylviacolidie, or warblers, compose about one-fourth of all our species of birds. The sparrows, finches, etc., live mostly on seeds, and consequently are not so strictly migratory like the purely insectivorous birds, which go south with the first, cold to secure their food. We have several varieties of the sparrow. The chirping sparrow, or chipping bird of New England, is either not here, or varies from its eastern type, which it is said to do, and still more further west. The song sparrow, field sparrow, and other varieties, are plent}', some of them fine singers. The snowbird, the lark, bunting, or white-winged blackbird, the indigo-bird, cardinal or red-bird, not native here but kept in confinement for its song ; towhee, or che- wink, a well known inhabitant of woodlands and thickets ; may be seen solitary scratching among the leaves, occasionally emitting a single note or cry, are all well known here, and are of the same familj'. The Family Icterid^, or American Starlings, embraces bobo- link of the North, or rice-bird of the South, yellow headed black- bird, grackle, or crow blackbird, field, or meadow lark — this bird is a pretty singer, partially gregarious, and not migratory. The above were here when the settlements commenced. The orchard oriole, of an orange color, with black wings and tail, and the Balti- more oriole, golden robin, firebird, or hangnest — of a fiery red Fauna of La Salle County — Birds. 525 color, black wings aud tail ; both of tliem are fine singers, and hang their nests (which are a round sack with an opening at the top,) to the end of a pendant bough. Tliey only come among us after the country has become well settled. Family Corvid^ embraces the crows, jays, etc. The ravens were about as numerous as the crows before the settlement by the whites. The raven is only distinguished from the crow by its much larger size and its croaking note. A homesick woman said every thing here was change ; even the crows were so hoarse they could only croak. The crows have increased with the settlements. They have a better reputation here than their eastern congeners, where they pull the young corn ; here they are not accused of that as yet. They live mostly on insects, and do much more good than harm. They take an egg occasionally, but are far less criminal in that respect than the ravens, which were experts at hunting eggs. The Bluejay. — Every one knows the jay, with its blue dress and harsh, discordant note. He is a lively, cheerful fellow, and though he sometimes eats the early apple, (who would not?) aud it is said he has a bad habit of disturbing the young of other birds, yet he may be slandered, and all have their failings; he could not well be spared from the fall and winter landscape, and he may well be tolerated about the cattle yards on a winter morning, where he picks up occasionally a stray kernel of corn. Family Tyranidas— Fly-catcher— Kingbird— Bee Martin.— A pugnacious, quarrelsome bird and noted tyrant among his fellows, and, like all quarrelsome individuals, has few friends ; he is accused of eating bees, but, like all bad characters, is verj^ likely to be ac- cused unjustly. He is a habitual tly-catcher, and probably destroys a thousand noxious insects to one bee, but on the theological dogma, that a good act performed by a sinner is yet a sin, so I suppose the poor kingbird will not be allowed credit for anj' good act, liowever useful. Pewee, Pewit, Phoebe. — A small bird, of brown color ; its song resembles the word " phebe " iiuickl}^ and sharply spoken, hence its common name, phoebe-bird. It builds under bridges, eaves of out- buildings or house-porch ; it appears when spring has fairly opened. Family CArRiMULOiD.E, Goatsuckers. — The whippoorwill is the most noted of tlie family ; the night song of this bird is 526 History of La Salle County. known to all, and is a great addilion to the songs of the summer night, and a cheerful sound floating through the dampness, when only the sad moan of the owl is heard. Night Hawk. — This bird belongs to the same family as the whip- poorwill, but not to the same genus ; while that bird is nocturnal, the night hawk flies by daj', or more generally toward evening, flying in companies, foraging for insects. In the breeding season it performs curious evolutions, falling through the air with a loud, booming cry. Family Cypselid.e, Swifts, Chimney Swallows.— These birds closely resemble the swallow in form and habits, but are really widely different. They are noted for tlie great development of the salivary glands, which secrete large quantities of a kind of mucus, with, which thej' glue the sticks together which compose their nests. They build in chimneys. Family Trochilid^e, Hummingbirds. — There are said to be five hundred species of this beautiful creature, all Americas. Most numerous in the tropics. The ruby-throated hummingbird is the most common in this latitude, disseminated from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains. Its tiny form; beautiful colors rivaling the rainbow ; its activity and celerity of motion, standing balanced on its pinions while it sips the nectar from nature's fountain, changing its position in any direction with the quickness of thought — altogether it seems a being of a more perfect organization than pertains to earth, as if allied to the fabled sylphs of the higher air, and too delicate for the rough siorms that beat on us here. Family ALCiDiNiDiE, Kingfisher. — The belted kingfisher is found plentiful along our streams. Thej' are adroit fishers, diving beneath the water to seize their pre3\ They burrow in the banks of streams, where they rear their young. Family Cuculid^, Cuckoo. — The yellow-billed cuckoo is the only one with us. It is seldom seen except wheu on the wing from one covert to another, being a sh}^ and solitary bird, yet frequent- ing orchards and thickets in the vicinity of dwellings, where its note, sounding like " cow, cow," may be heard. It builds its own . nest and rears its own young, while most of the cuckoos deposit their eggs in the nests of other birds, which unwittingly become foster mothers in place of the unnatural parent, and the young cuckoo, as soon as able, ejects the rightful fledglings from the nest, taking sole possession; hence the saying, "as ungrateful as a cuckoo." Fauna of La Salle County — Birds. 527 Family Picid.k, Woodpeckers.— We have the red-headed wood- pecker, whose gay color and loud harsh screams are well known. The golden-winged woodpecker, highholder, flicker, or yellow hammer, is also common. There are several other varieties found in the timber, and they are all useful, living on the larve of beetles, which they extract from trees, being provided with an apparatus for that purpose. The tongue of the woodpecker is sharp and hard as horn, with numerous barbs projecting backward on the sides, and he has the power of extending his tongue several inches be- yond his bill, this he thrusts into the hole made by ihe larva, or borer, as he is frequently called, pierces, and the barbs hold him securely while the bird draws out and swallows the precious mor- sel. How curious and wonderful is this arrangement, and how well adapted to its purpose ; design is stamped on all that exists. There is a variety called sphyrapicus, or sap-sucker, whose tongue is not sharp or extensile, but is broad and covered with fine sharp and hard papilla ; with this, after removing the outer bark with his bill, he rasps oif the cambium, or new and soft wood and inner bark, on which he subsists. They make a horizontal row of round holes sometimes entirely around the tree, repeating the process sev- eral times, so as to remove all the inner bark, and girdle the tree. They prey mostly upon evergreens, doing great injury. Family Stkigid^e, Owls. — The owls are mostly nocturnal, and all carnivorous. Their solemn appearance, coupled with their strange and lugubrious notes, has caused traditional superstition to class these dismal night birds as illomened. The little screech owl, one of the smallest of the family, is quite common. Its shrill scream in the stillness of the night, until familiarized, is really startling. The long-eared owl is of medium size, and is the only variety that breeds here except the above. The great gray owl and the snowy or white owl, the largest of the owls, are natives of the boreal regions, but travel south during the winter and aie fre- quently seen at that season. Family Falconiu^, Hawks. — The hawks hold the same relation to the feathered tribes that the beasts of prey do to the mammals. In round numbers, there are 1,000 species and 200 genera in all parts of the world. Of this large number, we have but three or four. The red-tailed buzzard, or hen hawk, is quite common and well known. The sharp-shinned hawk is of medium size, of great courage, and 528 History of La Salle County. very active. Will picli up a chicken in presence of the mistress of the poultry yard, and do it so adroitly as scarcely to be noticed. The rusty crowned falcon, sparrow hawk, is one of the smallest, and preys upon small birds. This, with the cooper, or chicken, hawk, includes about all that are now common in this locality. A medium sized, reddish colored hawk, called prairie hawk, were very numerous at an early day. They were constantly on the wing, hovering near the ground, and living on mice and insects mostly. They have now entirely disappeared. OsPREY, Fish Hawk. — Are quite common along our principal streams, subsisting exclusively on fish. Bald Eagle. — This emblem of the Republic lives mostly on fish, and is a piratical parasite of the o^prey. It will sit for hours watch- ing the osprey, and when that bird rises from the water with its prey, the eagle at once pounces upon it, compels it to drop its hard- earned prize, which tiie eagle siezes and carries to its eja'ie, where it feasts on its illgotten treasure. The traditional nobility of the eagle, like that of the red man, fades out on close acquaintance, and a more fitting emblem might take its place as the insignia of the great Republic. Mankind makes indiscriminate warfare on the hawk family, for the reason that they sometimes take a chicken, but they destroj" immense numbers of insects, mice, moles, rabbits, and reptiles, and with few exceptions are our benefactors. Family Catiiartid.e, Vultures. — The well-kuown turkey buz- zard is the only specimen of this family. It is a filthy, gluttonous bird, yet entirely harmless, and useful as a scavenger. Family Columbid,e, Pigeons. — The wild pigeon are only vis- itors here, their breeding places are in the dense forest. They come and go as food serves; like all wild birds and mammals, they congregate where food is most plentiful and most to their taste. The turtle-dove, or mourning-dove, are numerous, and remain with us through the year. Their plaintive note in a minor key, though not musical, is not unpleasant, and would be seriously missed from the usual sounds of the summer day. The numerous varieties of the tame pigeon claimed to have descended from some of the wild varieties, by their divergence from the parent stock, furnish the strongest proof of the Darwinian theory of development. Family Meleagrid.e, Tubkeys. — The wild turkey was found Fauna of La Salle County — Birds. 529 here hy the first settlers, and still holds its own, or is probably in- creasing, owing to the better protection furnished by the increase of timber. Family Tetraonib^, Gkouse. — The pinnated grouse, or prairie hen, was once very numerous, congregating in flocks in the fall to the number of two or three thousand, and when the flock rose on the wing the noise resembled distant thunder. They were shot and taken in traps in any amount wanted. The attempt to protect these birds by game laws has resulted in their rapid extinction; hunting is prohibited till the chicks are nearly grown, consequently the birds are tame, and with trained dogs, when a covey is started, the last bird is killed, the slaughter is literally murderous. The rulfed grouse, or partridge of New England, are not com- mon here, a stray one is occasionally seen, and the peculiar drum- ming sound for which this bird is noted, is heard from the thick timber but seldom. Quail— Partridge of Virginia, Bob White.— These pretty and useful birds have largely decreased since the settlement of the country. The practice of every boy that can carry a gun for mere sport shooting the little innocents should be discountenanced. The amount of food obtained is a small equivalent for a life taken, and is it not barbarous to live on the life blood of innocent beings v Is man a beast of prey? he is — but should he be? Family Charadrid.e, Plover. — A numerous family, containing nearly a hundred species. The prairie was formerly the favorite haunt of a number of species, but they now give us but a passing call as they go and return from the breeding grounds farther north. Family Scolapocid.e — Snipe, Woodcock, etc. — American woodcock, a favorite bird for sportsmen, plenty in some localities. Long-billed curlew, once numerous on the prairie, called prairie snipe, now gone to a newer and wilder region. The sandpiper, godarts, tattlers, are sometimes seen; these last are all shore birds and waders. Family Ardeid^, Herons. — The blue heron is common. The white heron is quite numerous at certain seasons, and a conspicu- ous object; standing midway in the stream, perfectly motionless, he watches for his prey. Bittern, Indian Hen, Stake Driver, Pumper. — Once numer- ous, are still found about the ponds of water on the prairie. Blue Bittern. — This bird has been injured by a vulgar name ; its long l^gs and neck are not ungiaceful. 530 History of La Salle County. Family Gruid^, Craxes. — The brown, or sand-hill crane has a body as large as a wild turkey, while their very long legs, neck and bill give them a majestic and commanding appearance. Their extreme height is four to five feet. Thej' feed mostly on grains and insects, frequenting the high and dry prairie, but building their nests on the margin of ponds or streams. The j'oung in color and appearance resemble a young goslin. They are a social, playful bird, collecting in groups on the prairie, where they were fre- quentl}' seen dancing cotillions. Some ten or a dozen would form a circle, lock their heads together, circle right and left, let go and each turn by a succession of hops and again lock their heads and repeat, occasionally stopping to utter their loud and shrill screams or whoop, which could be heard a long distance. Whether this indulgence is approved by the more staid and older cranes, or are the wild orgies of the young mad-caps, is not known ; or whether they learned from unfeathered bipeds, or the unfeathered learned of the cranes, has not been fullj"^ settled. They were once numer- ous here, and a conspicuous object on the prairie, and their shrill whoop one of the frequent and conspicuous sounds that greeted the early pioneer. But they seldom stop here now ; their scream is heard high in air, in spring and fall, as they go and return to and from their breeding places in the far North, away from civilization. Family Ballid^, Kails, Coots, etc. — These are a small class of birds that frequent swamps and marshes, and from the absence here of their favorite haunts, they are but seldom seen. Family Axatid.I!;, Geese, Ducks, etc. — The Canada, or wild goose, brant and ducks, once to some extent reared their broods and summered here, but with the exception of a few species of ducks, they all pass by for their summer haunts in a newer region, but they are plentiful in spiing and fall, as a supply of food tempts them to tarry. Gulls, pelicans, loons, swans, and other water fowl, are seen, some of them frequently in large flocks, along the Illinois river and other large streams, as occasional visitors, but none of them make this locality their home. REPTILES. The reptiles common to this latitude are not plenty, not- withstanding the wide circulation of the Illinois snake stories. Turtles. — The soft turtle is common about the large streams. Fauna of La Salle County — Reptiles. 531 The snapping turtle and speckled turtle are about all in tbat line. A few small lizards are seen, but very rare. Snakes. — Were once numerous but are fast disappearing. The yellow-banded rattlesnake, "Crotalus durissus," are occasionallj- met with, but have so far diminished as to cease to be a terror to the timid. The prairie rattlesnake, Massasauger, '* Crotalophous tergeminus," once so numerous, are only occasionally found. These two are the only venomous reptiles we have. The copper head is said to be found farther south, but it is not found here. Of harmless snakes, we have the water snake, the blowing viper or sissing adder, the bull snake, a very large and beautiful reptile, black snake, striped snake, and green snake. These are not only harmless, but useful. They destroy immense numbers of field mice and other vermin. One good sized bull snake is worth more than a dozen cats to destroy rats and mice, and yet nearly every one kills a snake, and in doing so the farmer kills his best friends. The immense increase of the field mice, "Arvicola riparia," so destructive to young trees, is mostly due to this senseless war on the snakes. The dread of a snake is not natural, but acquired and traditional. There is room enough in the world for these harmless reptiles and us too, and by relentlessly destroying them we break the harmony of nature's balance and do irretrievable injury. The dangerous poisonous reptiles should be destroyed, but the harm- less ones have a right to protection, and our best interest demands that- a senseless superstition should no longer mar the wisdom of nature's laws. Batkaciiia. — The warted toad is quite common. The tree frog may be heard from his perch whenever the increasing moisture in the atmosphere calls forth his thankful song. The bull frog is not common, and his deep bass is missed from the summer evening concerts of animated life. The green frog is found where the moisture and other surround- ings suit his taste, but less abundant than in the Eastern States. The peeping frog is found where water exists for any length of time, and it is singular how soon a pond formed on dry ground will develop this noisy little batrachian. Its familiar note in early spring shows that the icy chains of winter have broken and released him from his cozy bed at the bottom of the marsh, where in unconscious silence he has slept the winter away. THE COMMON SCHOOLS. School Commissioners and County Superintendents of La Salle County. Charles Hay ward, 1831 to 1833 ; David Letts, 1833 to 1835 ; William Stadden, 1835 to 1841; W. H. W. Cushman, 1841 to 1843 ; Lorenzo Leland, 1843 to 1849 ; Lucien B. Delano, 1849 to 1851; Wells Wail, 1851 to 1853 ; D. P. Jones, 1853 to 1857 ; Wells Wait, 1857 to 1863; J. M. Day, 1863 to 1869; Geo. S. Wedgwood, 1869 to 1872 ; R. Williams, 1872 to 1877. Number males in County under 21 years - - 17,236 Number females in County under 21 years.- 17,615 Total number persons under 21 years 34,851 Number males between 6 and 21 years 11,391 Number females between 6 and 21 years ., 11, 777 Total number between 6 and 21 years 23,168 Number of male pupils enrolled 7,983 Number of female pupils enrolled ... 8,349 Total number of pupils enrolled 16,332 Number school districts 298 Number districts having school 5 months or more 391 Number districts having school less than 5 months 7 Total number Public Schools sustaiued 347 Total number of months schools sustaiued 2,843.63 Average number months schools sustained 7.58 Grand total number days attendance 15,865.04 Number Graded Schools 19 Number months taught in Graded Schools 834 Number Ungrade I Schools -.. 282 Number mouths taught in Ungraded Schools 1,391.90 Number Public High Schools - 5 Number Male Teachers 216 Number Female Teachers 394 Total number Teachers - 610 Number months taught by Male Teachers 1,019.55 Number months taught by Female Teachers 2,021 75 Total number months taught 3,041.35 Number Private Schools - 16 Number male pupils in Private Schools. 639 Number female pupils in Private Schools 558 Total number pupils in Private Schools 1,197 533 Churches. 533 Number teachers in Private Schools - 27 Highest monthly salary paid to any Male Teacher |200.00 Highest monthly salary paid to any Female Teacher 70.00 Lowest monthly salary paid to any Male Teacher 20.00 Lowest monthly salary paid to any Female Teacher 15.00 Number of applicants examined for Teaching 521 Number of males rej ected - - - - - 21 Number of females rejected 61 Number Districts having Libraries - . 39 Number Vols, bought during year for District Libraries. 296 Total number Vols, in District Libraries 1,461 Number acres School Lands sold during year 43 Number acres School Lauds remaining unsold 593 Number School Houses built during year 3 Number Stone School Houses - -- 1 Number Brick School Houses -.- 21 Number Frame School Houses 280 Total number in County - - 302 Estimated vnlue of School Property $272,835.00 Amount of Receipts during year. 266,121.72 Amount paid Teachers . .- 135,634.84 Total Expenditures for the year 212.274.13 CHURCHES. ■NT nf Cost of Organized. Members ^'•"""cli Adams- M«°^^"^' Edifice. Lutheran 1847 200 Norwegian M.E 1853 20 Methodist Episcopal.. I860 71 $4,500 Baptist 1847 40 4,000 Catholic 1862 Allen- Allen Chapel, M. E 1871 40 2,500 Protestant German 1870 15 3,000 Brookfield — Presbyterian, of Ottawa 1833 Transferred to Brookfield 1840 30 1,500 Bruce — Streator Catholic Mission 800 Presbyterian, as the Galloway Church. 1858 Transferred to Streator 1870 119 Cumberland Presbyterian Protestant Episcopal 1878 Methodist Episcopal Baptist 1873 United Brethren 1873 Oerman Evangelical 44 2,500 300 7,500 74 4,500 534 History of La Salle County. ■vf- -- Cost of Organized. v,e^Jirs Church Deer Park— '**^™*'^'^'- Edifice. Baptist 1848 42 $2,000 Methodist--- 1,200 Eagle — Catholic 500 2,000 Earl— Methodist Episcopal 1842 ... 3,500 Congregational 1867 Presbyterian- - 1852 60 Universalist -- -- 1867 60 15,000 Baptist-- --- - Eden — Tonica Congregational 1857 140 3,500 Baptist, organized at Vermillionville . 1836 Removed to Tonica 1856 76 2,500 Methodist Episcopal- 1855 70 3,000 German Evangelical 1870 100 Cedarport M. E - 1848 1,800 Fall River- Hickory Point M. E 50 3,000 Farm Ridge — Protestant Episcopal, St. Andrew's.-. 1851 35 1,200 Lutheran - 1859 42 2,000 Methodist, built bj"^ the Lutherans 1854 1,500 Presbyterian, at Grand Ridge 1856 103 1,850 Freedom — Methodist Episcopal..- 1835 50 4,000 German Methodist .. 50 2,000 Baptist 1842 out of use. Presbyterian, at Gouldtown 1846 1,200 Grand Rapids — Catholic Church .-. 300 4,000 German Protestant Methodist 50 3,000 YaleM. E _ 80 2,800 Cumberland Presbyterian 1855 110 2,500 Groveland — Congregational (Rutland) 1854 35 2,800 L Methodist Episcopal . 1864 40 2,000 jSTew Rutland - Adventists 1865 40 2,000 ( Christian - - - . . 1866 70 3,800 Hope — f Catholic 1875 100 2,800 Lostant P^P'^'t ^^^^ ^^ ■--- ^"^^^°M Methodist 1869 40 [Catholic - -. 1868 140 La Salle — Catholic— St. Patrick's Cathedral 1838 4,000 75,000 Protestant Evangelical 1863 200 1,200 Congregational 1852 80 Methodist Episcopal- -- 200 12,000 Churches. 535 ,, ,. 0'-g«°i-«<>- Member. Manlius — CongregatiouaL I860 212 Baptist -- 1866 112 Protestant Episcopal 1867 Universalist - 1859 40 Methodist Episcopal 80 Mendota — Methodist Episcopal --- 1853 200 Baptist 1854 286 Catholic --- 1854 550 Presbyterian 1855 169 Congregational.. 1855 45 German Catholic. 1856 110 German Lutheran 1858 88 Evangelical Association 1867 85 United Brethren 1875 52 Miller- Lutheran, at Norway 1840 C'ng 400 Mormon 1844 40 Mission Lutheran 1840 C'ng 600 Protestant Methodist 1845/ ^q Church built 1855, removed to Sheridan 1870 f Universahst.... 1877 12 Methodist Episcopal being organized. North ville — Methodist Episcopal at Asbury Ottawa — A Mission in 1838, Catholic, St. Colum- ( -j^g^^ .^ ^^^ bia.. .--ii" ' A church costing $45,000 was burned. The First Congregational 1839 ) The Plymouth Church 1858 - 274 The two united. 1870 ) Baptist --- 1811 269 Protestant Episcopal 1838 110 Presbyterian... 1869 100 Methodist Episcopal 1830 210 German Evangelical Association 1865 60 St Francis, German Catholic 1858 750 German Lutheran 1855 35 Otter Creek — Hopewell Chapel, United Brethren. -. 1866 13 Peru — Catholic and German Catholic 1840 2,000 Methodist Episcopal 1845 40 Presbyterian, organized at Rockwell 1837 then 5 Removed to Peru 1839, made Congre- gational ....(Parsonage, $3,200).... 1853 70 Cost of Church Edifice. $4,000 2,500 2.000 7,000 18,000 8,000 4,800 3,000 9,000 6,000 3,000 2,000 4,000 600 7,000 1,500 1,200 1,200 6,000 35,000 10,000 14,000 22,000 15,000 2,400 families 1,300 15,000 3,300 10,000 536 History of La Salle County. •Kn r,e t'OSt Of Oi-gauized. Members ^"*'"''<=*> Seneca- Member.. Edifice. Catholic, St. Patrick's 1868 1,000 $15,000 Methodist Episcopal -. 1863 36 Baptist - - 1866 25 Sereiui — Seventh Day AcWentists... 1874 60 1,200 French Protestants 1873 50 1,000 Union Church... 1877 ..-- 4,000 United Brethren 20 _ South Ottawa — Presbyterian.. 1849 .... 1,800 Troy Grove — German Catholic - .... 500 12,000 Lutheran -... 30 1,500 Presbyterian 20 3,500 Bethel ---- 3,000 Utica — Catholic... 1852 3,000 10,000 Baptist 1876 75 Yermillion — Congregational 1837 .... 2,000 Prot'nt Methodist occupy the Church. Waltham — Presbyterian 1849 .... 8,000 Baptist (near Utica) 1,200 WEALTH AND RESOURCES OF LA SALLE COUNTY. The following statement of the assessment of real and personal estate of La Salle county for 1876, and of the taxes for all purposes assessed for that year, is the annual statement made by H. A. Mc- Caleb, County Clerk, and is correct, but in one particular gives a very erroneous impression of the value of the property of the county. The law requires the assessors to assess all property at its cash value, but the tendency has ever been to yearly run the price down, till for the year here given it is scarcely 50 per cent, of the real value. The assessed price of land for 1877 is, for im- proved land, $26.25 per acre; for unimproved, $13.73; average, $24.79; while the actual value is twice that. Horses average $46.33, mules $46.69, cattle $15.82, sheep $2.09, hogs $3.14, pianos $95.55, parlor organs $42.50. A glance at this list will make it apparent that the aggregate of the assessed valuation should be doubled at least to show the true amount. Assessment and Taxes. 537 Tc'ira 1^ CO CO rr -^ t^Oi^ai -r^ cc'^otai trTirt'o co od io^ I ,"* ■•■t^-. 1.- U.W 1 I -ST IJW ■— ' Nl ^^ VI. ■■*/ 'jt » ' '-t^ i»t V*J 'jx t»x i.*ij ••» •— ■•■^ V .■. t— t— l— -VJ- v,^ TJ1 l^i U.J l^T^ OQOQOcoc^iO(Wa:cocD^t-o*y^a:lX'3:l-;c:cc^^-OQCO■^l0^o:Dccoo:»I:Jloa:t^o QOQO'N^CiOt'f-'t-'riT-iCtOO ri-\ ri-s 1-y, ( — - ^^ ^^v» 1^* /v^ ■— M -r^ .-r- , j-/-i o « €^ C* T-i o" 1— ' co'c-'c^"' lo^ofco :o^:d t- ■f-Tcd co oo c^'^co :o' u^a^ co co'co o"»-r^(yf ^c'-r-Tt-^i-H" c:c-ot-oGQOO^t-co^a;^cot-aicocx)coa:cr. oc:0(7>»ocO'^iao»r:iTt • -3: O lO 00 O O ' 05 CTi I— "^ iO O I ITS O IC 'W C*' ^"^ , iO C*» QO :D 00 »-i ^03 — ir CO'O o^- .ot-o I (?* :o »c 'COQOt- ■ O O O O iO :o I (TJ 35 ' 00 rH CO t-w CO 1 1-1 05 40 CO 00 :c I 'N :c t- o — CO t 00 W^t- 00^ ?0 iO ! irT-^od ©"r^co* I ;o (?* 00 02 ^ r-( I ;o r-l lO iOlO OOr- — 'O » ' ooo ■ (N lO lO ■ C0_^0 l- lOOOOlN^D I (W CO iO :doo5 ' 00 ^ CO ^ ^^ t- o »n (N I 00 O t'- 00 Tf lO ,' OO^OD o"cO t- . 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Er_. r^ i*^ •"1 . 1 i? do" Ms 4, '2 s gS £.i: Ah OS ■ ;so •a Oh ■3 ^ - S" S t- — o K r/-. cfi -^ fl ■ • Sag History of La Salle County. »^ <^» /-*i ^f«s .-r\ ^\.i vM ./-I >■_ •« —. t-n r^ (•^^ '^^ r(^ m^ ^^^ o rt p3 TT ^ OS c- 1-« o T— c: (W -^ ;D • »o CO '^» «o Ti» o m o (r< (Ti o; CO a; o 3^ (N T-i co c* cc t- cc go Tf lO "^ t~- O TJ* ir3 ^^ ▼-< ^ »o o OOT lO t- o O »-> iO tOi-iO C". :c OS to f-H as I «e 0) H o .^ 1-H ;0 31 TT G0TOU^W00t-C0»-«Tj«O'Ni0-?'t- ^ '^ »-t *-« T-l (N (N C*« T-* T-t r-1 ■?-( I-H iioa;io-^cc>oao:sooo>t-coc*'MoTfO'*' »-• 00 ■^ O "X^ — • '-^^'?* O O ■^■^ ^ ^*^ "^ t^ 00 «© 1-H CO :o -T* 1 ^- c »r: 00 o t- G* :d i-t oi lO a: o ^ ;d CO^TfT^OO '0005»aD»-HOCCCO*0*OTriO»OQCJV 1-1 l-QO'i-ti-H T-tT^Oi i~t 0-000(7*l00005QOt--;D■T--'Xl0^lOt'•i--»OC::DOC;'0'^*■•-^iO iCC0C»TrciOO'--'Oir-W0i'^-^K)'T»C000XiOc-Tf'i--"i--"3^c0C0-TOC0^Q0OC0»nf--(?* CC^^»-^»O -rf^ /N^ «^ '-^ r^ /*\ F.n rvi F^T r-.-. rv. fv. rh rh ^ != O " l! O c! * «> ''^•" o a. •7. o ■^ l 29. 11 1 1 30. [I II 30. 4 I April 1. IL II 2. CI II 5. II 1 1 5. II i( 7. II CI 9.