Full text of "History of Iroquois County"

UNIVERSITY OF

ILLINOIS LIBRARY

AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

Jtt.LINOIS HiSTOR.CAL SURVEY

64'

C/5
O

O
+->

COVER PICTURE

The picture on the Front cover is of the Old
Courthouse in Middleport. Planning for this build-
ing began in 1843 and construction completed in 1847.
It was 40 feet square, two stories high and made of
brick. All that remains of the Old Courthouse today
is the square on which it stood, which is one block
west of W'estside school.

Two official seals are also displayed in the cover
design. One is the Iroquois County Seal that is
placed on all official documents of the County. A
replica of this seal is on the west wall of the center
hallway above the spiral staircase in the old court-
house on Cherry Street in Watseka.

The other seal is the official Illinois Sesquicen-
tennial Seal and used throughout Illinois during 1968.

auNois nsTQBiCAi mm

Price - $2.00 Per Copy

History of
Iroquois County

Compiled by
JOHN DOWLING

Social Studies Teacher
Watseka Community High School

Af^:

Published by

Iroquois County Board of Supervisors

ROBERT R. HOLDEN, Chairman

Table of Contents

Pages

Introduction 3

Acknowledgements 4

Map of Iroquois County ^

Iroquois County Board of Supervisors 6

Picture of Iroquois County Board of Supervisors 7

Historv of Iroquois County - 8-23

Historv of Individual Townships - ----- 24-121

Artesia - -4

Ash Grove - - - -5

Ashkum - 27

Beaver - 29

Beaverville - — 34

Belmont - - 38

Chebanse - -- - -- - - 44

Concord - 48

Crescent -- - 51

Danforth - - - - - 53

Douglas 54

Fountain Creek - 59

Iroquois - - 62

Loda - - - - 65

Love Joy - - - .- 69

Martinton - - -- 74

Middleport - 78

Milford - - 84

Milks Grove - 87

Onarga ..- .- 88

Papineau - - 93

Pigeon Grove -- 98

Prairie Green - - - - 104

Ridgeland 107

Sheldon - - -.- - 110

Stockland 115

Picture of Old Court House 121

Iroquois Countv' Historical Society 122

Picture of Officers of Historical Society - 122

Historical Photo Album 123

Introduction

The Iroquois County Board of Supervisors presents this History of
Iroquois Countij to the citizens of Iroquois County as part of our observ-
ance of the Ilhnois Sesquicentennial.

Each township supervisor was responsible for the history of his town-
ship. For the most part the individual township histories are the result
of these articles WTitten by different individuals. The responsibility of
this writer was to edit these histories to bring about some uniformity
among them. Deletions were necessary in some cases, and, where addi-
tional information was felt necessary, Beckwith's History of Iroquois County
was the primary source used to provide this material. We have tried to be
as factual as possible and hope we have made the minimum number of
errors possible in a publication of this nature.

Much of the material in the general history of Iroquois County was
taken from The History and Geography of Iroquois County, a booklet pre-
pared by Mr. Ralph Moore of Watseka in 1956.

Acknowledgments

This author is indeed grateful to the Iroquois County Board of Super-
visors for making this pubHcation possible. It has been a rewarding and
educational experience. A special thanks goes to the Sesquicentennial Com-
mittee of the Board of Supervisors which included Cecil Hamilton as
Chairman and Bernard Fleming, Robert Holden, Mrs. \Mlliam Fox, Ernest
Ross, and Robert Sproull.

Others who have contributed their efforts are Mrs. Vera Jacobs, \\ho
proofread the material, Miss Sue Dubble and Miss Judy Stutsman, the
typists, and my wife, Reta, for her cover design and her patience and assist-
ance in the trials and tribulations in preparing this manuscript.

Persons contributing townships histories were; Mrs. John Crist, Mr.
Robert Holden, Mr. C. Walsh, Mrs. Charles Healev, Mr. Harrv Swanson,
Mrs. Tylla Landes, Mrs. Theodore Pierce, Mrs. Clara Cerman, Mr. T.
Landes, Mrs. Mae Gelmers, Mrs. Bertha Reeves, Mrs. Rella Boyden. Mr.
Ralph Moore, Mrs. John Bartell, Mr. G. M. Buchan, Mr. Henry Schleef,
Mr. Bernard Fleming, Mr. Gil Johnson, Mr. William C. Merkle, Mrs. Mar-
vin Craig, Mr. Robert C. Brouillette, Mrs. Vincent Poskin and Mr. Francis
Lareau. Countv Clerk Herb Lietz prepared the material pertaining to the
Board of Supervisors and Mrs. Marvin Craig contributed the article on
the Historical Societv.

ljAg<^

:- IB 0010 IS COUXTW^ILL

^m-^ — ji,&Miaie

FOBD RIOE

CU R14WVE.^MiUttN

. M t i9 [1 1' J » j ** »

RIIW

<-(ii RKW

Population of Iroquois County
By Townships — Census 1960

TOWMSHIP POPULATION

Artesia 1411

Ash Grove 997

Ashkum 1514

Beaver 680

Beaverville 832

Belmont 2262

Chebanse - 2530

Concord 741

Crescent 844

Danforth 993

Douglas - 2248

Fountain Creek 667

Iroquois .- 640

Loda 1147

Lovejoy 694

Martinton 1094

Middleport 4505

Milford 2240

Milks Grove 389

Onarga 1987

Papineau 559

Pigeon Grove 1258

Prairie Green 803

Ridgeland 534

Sheldon 1648

Stockland 701

Total 33562

Iroquois County Board of Supervisors

The members of the County Board of Supervisors are the respective
Supervisors of each of the 26 townships comprising Iroquois County.
Each Supervisor or assistant acquired this position by an election held
in the township. The County Board is the legislative body of the county.
Their duties are varied and many.

The County Board is required by Statutes to provide two meetings
each year; a regular meeting to be held the fourth Monday of June, and
the annual meeting the second Tuesday of September, all other meetings
are recessed sessions. The Iroquois County Board was organized Feb-
ruary 26, 1833 and has been active since that date.

Each year in April the Board is required to reorganize. By this it
is meant, that they hold an election to elect one of their members to be

chairman. The chairman is responsible for making appointments of
members to the \arious committees to function in their respecti\'e ca-
pacities. At the present time there are 27 separate committees. These
committees make reports to the Board. No action can be taken on county
business without approval of the board. Board members are not salaried,
thev are on a per dav pav while on county business only.

The Board is responsible to have a complete audit of all county
funds expended. This audit must be conducted by an outside Certified
Public Accountant or audit firm, and the audit is published and also a
certified copv supplied to the State Auditor of Public accounts as re-
quired by Statutes.

The follo\\ing picture is of the Iroquois County Board of Supervisors,
Countv Clerk and Superintendent of Highways, Mr. John De\ine.

Iroquois County Board
of Supervisors— 1968

LIST OF SUPERVISORS, A.D. 1968

Robert R. Holden Chairman

Herbert W. Lietz - Clerk

PostofFice
Town Name Address

Artesia Clarence A. Gehle Buckley

Ash Grove John F. Salmon Cissna Park

PostofFice
Town Name Address

Ashkum Harold F. Lawson Ashkum

Beaver Bernard J. Fleming Donovan

Bea\'er\'ille Glen M. Buchan Beaverville

Belmont Ernest L. Ross Watseka

Chehanse Louis F. Wilking Clifton

Concord Gilbert Johnson Watseka

Crescent Henry D. Schleef Crescent City

Danforth William C. Merkle Danforth

Douglas John H. Gelmers Gilman

Ft. Creek John Crist Milford

Iroquois Roy M. Storm Crescent City

Loda Harry E. Swanson Loda

Lovejoy Robert R. Holden Wellington

Martinton Charles L. Hathawav Martinton

Middleport Martha A. Fox Watseka

Middleport Cecil Hamilton, Asst Watseka

Milford Bertha M. Reeves Milford

Milks Grove Morey Wadleigh Herscher

Onarga Donald C. Morgan Onarga

Papineau Robert C. Brouillette Martinton

Pigeon Grove Albert Seggebruch Cissna Park

Prairie Green Ruth Cowan Milford

Ridgeland B. L. Eshleman Thawville

Sheldon Robert Sproull Sheldon

Stockland Chas. Wilhams Milford

History of Iroquois County

Iroquois CountN- is the onh' county in the United States having the
name "Iroquois," a name originally applied to a confederation of tribes
of North American Indians. "According to tradition, a band of Iroquois
Indians was once surprised and defeated upon the banks of the river now
known as the Iroquois, bv a \\ar party of Illinois Indians, hence the name
of the county and the river.

Iroquois Countv is bounded on the north by the county of Kankakee,
on the east bv the State of Indiana, on the south by Vermilion and Ford
Counties, and on the west by Ford County. Iroquois County in area ranks
third in the states, being 35 miles long and 32 miles wide, and containing
1120 square miles, onlv 130 square miles less than the state of Rhode
Island. This count^■ is exceeded in size only by McLean and LaSalle
Counties in Illinois. Watseka, the county seat, is located a few miles east
of the center of the county.

The surface of Iroquois County slopes from the south, east and west
to the center and north of the county. Across the southern part of the
county is the Bloomington Moraine and across, the northwestern part of
the countv is the Marsailles Moraine. In the northeastern and eastern
part of the count^' is the Iroquois Moraine which is an eastern and south-
ern extension of the Marsailles Moraine system.

The lowest point in Iroquois Countv is along the north boundary
where the Iroquois Ri\er enters Kankakee County. The elevation there
is 610 feet above sea level. The highest point in Iroquois County is in the
southeastern part of the county, 2 miles east and i/ mile south of Greer.
The elevation there is just over 810 feet above sea level. The land in
the moraine areas is genth' rolling to hilly. The land bet\^'een the moraines
is usuallv rather flat. In these flat areas the land was swampy until it
was drained by the early settlers. The largest swamp area was in the
northwestern part of the county around the headwaters of the Vermilion
River. It was called the Vermilion Swamp.

Iroquois Countv is drained mostly by the Iroquois River and its
tributaries. In the northeastern part of the county a small area is drained
by the Vermilion Ri\'er and in the southeastern part of the count\' b)' the
North Fork River.

When the first settlers came to Iroquois County the streams were
clear with sand and gravel bottoms. As the land was placed under cultiva-
tion soil erosion began and now the streams are turbid with eroded ma-
terials. In manv places in the countv the small natural watercourses hax'e
been extended, deepened and straightened by dredging.

Manv thousands of vears ago huge sheets of ice were pushed down
from the north and northeast to form the surface and soil of Iroquois
Countv. As these ice sheets, or as we call them glaciers, moved forward
they leveled off the land and pushed huge piles of earth, rocks, sand, and
gravel before them. During a cold era the glacier would ad\ance south-

M aid and then as a warm era de\elopcd the glacier would melt gradualy
back to the north. As it melted the materials it had pushed before it
were left in ridges at its farthest ad\ancc. These ridges are called moraines.

The last of these glaciers, the late Wisconsin, advanced from the
northeast across Iroquois Coimty to a line through Paris, Charleston,
ShelbvA'ille, Pana, jacksonxille, Macomb, Galesburg, and Rockford. Then
as it melted and receded it left \\'hat we now call the Shelbvville Moraine.
Again it ad\anced and this time it extended to Fo\\ier, Indiana; Hoopes-
ton; Champaign; Bloomington; Peoria; Princeton; and DeKalb. It melted
and left ^^'hat we now call the Bloomington Moraine. A third time it
advanced and this time extended to St. Anne Pontiac, Marsailles, and
Elgin. This time as it melted it left the Marsailles Moraine. A fourth
and last time it advanced to \'alparaiso, Indiana; Chicago Heights; Joliet,
and east of the Fox River. As it melted it left the Valparaiso Moraine.
The Iroquois Moraine is an eastward extension and southern extension
of the Marsailles Moraine and joins the Bloomington Moraine near Fowler,
Indiana.

As these glaciers melted a large lake was formed betw^een the moraine
and the retreating glacier. The one formed behind the Marsailles Mor-
aine was called Lake Kankakee. It drained out through the Beaver
Creek \alley across central Iroquois Countv to the Wrmilion River near
Chats\\orth. A belt of sand that extends from the Iroquois Moraine east
of \\'atseka to the Bloomington Moraine southwest of Chatsworth is the
shoreline of this drainage area.

The earth, over the bedrock of the county, was brought down by
the glacier. It is called "glacial till. " Its average depth over the county
is about 100 feet. It is deepest at the south part of the countv and shal-
lowest in the northern part. Boulders and large rocks were rolled down
by the glaciers and man^' of these can be found along the edge of the
Iroquois Moraine northeast and east of ^^"atseka. This tvpe of deposit
is called "boulder till.' Throughout the glaciated area are beds of gravel.
In these may be found large balls of clav that were rolled up by the
glacier. Some of them are 4 feet in diameter and are called bv the
geological term "Rotelboden." This is a German meaning "round
ball." Most of this glacial soil in Iroquois Countv is black earth and is
found in the prairie areas. On the moraines the soil is of a lighter sandy
type. A thin gray timber soil is foimd in areas where the land w^as cleared
of trees for farming. A few spots of peaty soil are found in the old
swamp beds.

The bedrock underlying Iroquois Countv is of limestone and forms
a shallow saucer-like basin. This type of formation produces artesian,
or as we sometimes call them "flowing wells." These are found in the
central part of the county along the streams and are scattered over the
prairie area of the western and southwestern part. The first of these
artesian wells was found about 2 miles east of Onaro;a in 1855.

The limestone formation comes to the surface north of Iroquois
10

County in Kankakee County and west in Livingston County. In these
areas are found limestone quarries. It lies too deep in Iroquois County
to be quarried.

In the eastern part of Iroquois County some wells are drilled into
this limestone formation. Most of these wells are over 300 feet deep.
Manv contain hvdrogen sulfide gas which makes them smell like rotten
eggs! This type of water is called "sulfur water." It can be removed
bv a special filter.

Most of Iroquois County is part of what is called the Grand Prairie.
This open land extended from the Tippecanoe River in Indiana to the
Mississippi Rixer. The trees found in this great area were in narrow
belts along the streams and in groves. The early settlers made their
liomes along the streams and in these groves. The trees were used to
build their homes, for fuel, and for fence rails. A few saw mills exist
in the county today to saw oak trees into railroad ties and rough lumber.

The count\' is underlaid with a thin coal deposit in the area west
and South of the Iroquois River. These deposits are only a few inches
thick and are therefore not commercially valuable.

As has been mentioned before there are gravel deposits from which
gravel for roads and concrete work is dug.

Since much drainage work had to be done to make the swampy
prairies usable for farming the layer of clay, under the black top soil, was
used to make tile. Neary every town in the county at one time had a tile
mill. The last of these closed at Woodland in the late 1920's. In the
earlv days of the countv brick was made of this cla\^ but it was too soft a
brick and was soon discontinued.

Test wells for oil have been drilled in the county but so far no oil
has been found.

Water power was used to operate grist mills at Milford and at Texas
by the earh- settlers. This source of power was later displaced by steam
engines. The flow of the streams of the county is not great enough for
modern hydroelectric power generation.

The greatest natural resource of Iroquois Count) is its rich soil.

Iroquois Countv averages about 35 inches of rainfall per year. This
is greatest in the western and northern part of the count)'.

The growing season averages about 160 days per year. In the south-
western third of the count)' the season will be a little longer.

Iroquois Count\' was first settled in the winter of 1821-22 by Gurdon
S. Hubbard, an Indian trader, then employed by the American Fur Com-
pany (John Jacob Astor & Co.). He was accompanied by Noel Vasseur,
who worked for him. Hubbard came from Mackinaw, coasting down
Lake Michigan in a boat of considerable size, and ascending the Chicago
River, crossed the portage to the Des Plaines. Floating down the Kan-
kakee and Iroquois Rivers, he reached the present site of Old Middleport,
a present-day part of \\'atseka. On the north side of the river, about
one mile above this point, at the east end of the bend, where there was

a small Indian \illage, he established his headqnarters and a trading
post. He stopped at this point onK one winter, from where later he
mo\ed up the ri\'er to a place afterward called Bunkum, the present
site of the \illage of Iroquois.

Like many others \\'ho foimd themsehes bevond ci\ilization and
among savages, Hubbard deemed it necessary to cement his friendship
with the Indians hv marrving an Indian woman, according to custom.
For a wife he selected \\'atch-e-kee, the niece of a Pottawattamie chief.

The first permanent settlement of Iroquois Countv was simultaneously
begun at two points— Milford and Bunkum, in the spring of 1830. The
Courtright brothers and John H. Miller, all from Fountain Countv, Indiana,
formed one party and came and settled in Bunkum. Hezekiah Eastburn
then came here from Ohio. \\'illiam Hana, Elizali Xewcombe, and the
widow McCulloch came with their families also. A taxern was kept at
this place on the south side of the rixer bv a Dr. Timothv Lacev, in 1831.
Probably this \\as the first house of entertainment opened in the count)'.

Montgomery, an early settlement, as laid out for the proprietor,
Richard Montgomery, May 9, 1835, b)- James H. Rees, who was deputized
by Dan Beck\\'ith, county superxisor of Vermilion Countw It was sit-
uated on the south side of the ri\er. Concord was also surveyed by
Mr. Rees as deputy of Jonas Smith, surveyor of Iroquois Countv, in May,
1836. Henry Moore was the proprietor. This was the north bank opposite
Montgomery. The localit)', including these tAvo places, has always been
known as "Bunkum."

In the spring of 1830 the follo\\'ing persons settled in the vicinity
of Milford: Samuel Rush, Hiram Miles, James Singleton, Daniel Barbe,
Abram Miller, Joseph Cox, Joseph Reading, and a colored man. These
people stayed but a short time. In the fall other families came including
William Cox and \Mlliam Pickerell and their families. These people were
Quakers. In the spring of 1831 this little congregation of Friends built
the first house of worship ever erected in Iroquois Countv. It was used
for a school house as well as a church. Shorth' after his arrival, Pickerell
built a corn-cracker, dignified with the name of a mill, and until laid
out in 1836, the place was called Pickerell's Mill, thus the name of Milford.

Early in 1834, a new settlement was begun on Upper Spring Creek
in the xicinitv of Del Rev, south of present-day Onarga. Ash Grove was
settled in 1834 by Lewis Roberts, brother of Bishop Roberts, and his
son-in-law John Nunemeker. Also on the rix^er the to\xn of Plato was sur-
veyed and platted in May, 1836. This \xas when the internal improvement
craze was at its peak. Extravagant and delusive expectations were formed
concerning this enterprise. It was advertised in glowing colors in the
Chicago and Lafavette papers; immense maps and posters were dis-
tributed in eastern cities, showing the whole landing of "Harbor Creek"
lined x\'ith boats unloading and receiving merchandise. Lots were sold
at fabulous prices, many persons in New York Citv investing in them.
The proprietor nearly realized their ambition to secure the countv seat when

it was removed from Bunkum. James Smith, an accomplished gentleman,
\\ho li\ed on Upper Spring Creek, was the chief promoter of this scheme.
He died suddenly in September, 1839, at the age of thirty-two. The
death of Smith was likewise the death of Plato.

The law made it the duty of the judge of the Circuit Court of Ver-
milion Count\-, whene\'er he should be satisfied that the new county had
350 inhabitants, to grant an order for an election of three county com-
missioners, one sheriff, and one coroner to hold office until the next gen-
eral election. The special election for first officers was on Monday, Feb-
ruary 24, 1834.

Legislation was enacted that called for a three-man committee from
outside the county to determine the location of the county seat. This
decision was reached on April 15, 1837, a twenty-acre tract adjoining
Montgomery count\' was selected. The locators called the site "Iroquois."
Count\- buildings A\ere nexer built on this site but were rented in Mont-
gomerx' for the short time the county seat was located in Iroquois.

The territory included within the present boundaries of Iroquois
County was subjected to \arious stages of pohtical evolution before the
present count\- organization was perfected. Under the charter of 1609
supported bv General George Rogers Clark's request, Virginia laid claim
to all the country north and west of the Ohio River and organized it as
the countN- of Illinois. In the year 1784, Virginia surrendered her claims
to the territor\- to the Government of the United States. This vast domain
after\\ard became kno\\'n as the Northwest Territory. \Miile the Illinois
countr\- was still a part of the Northwest Territory, in the year 1790, we
find Iroquois Count\' a part of the county of Knox and so continued until
February 3, 1801, when it became a part of the count)' of St. Clair, belong-
ing to the Indiana Territory. The Illinois Territory was established by
act of Congress on February 3, 1809.

This countx- continued to be a part of St. Clair County until the 14th
of September, 1812, \\'hen upon reorganization it became a part of Edwards
Countv'. In the vear 1816 the Iroquois country became a part of Craw-
ford County and there remained until Illinois was admitted into the Union
in 1818.

\\'hen Illinois was admitted as a state, she had but fifteen organized
counties. One, Crawford County, embraced all the part of the state
lying north of a line running east and west near the present site of Louis-
ville"^ Illinois, the county seat of Clay County. It also included the area
east of the third principal meridian, which runs due north from the mouth
of the Ohio River.

March 22, 1819, the territory included within the present limits of
Iroquois Count\- became a part of Clark Comity. In 1823 Edgar County
was organized and what is now Iroquois County was attached to Edgar.
It remained thus until the countv of Vermilion was organized in 1826,
after which it continued until the formal organization took place February
26, 1833.

Guidon S. Hubbard, while a representative from Vermilion County
in the 8th General Assembly of Illinois 1832-1834, was instrumental in
procuring the passage of the act creating Iroquois County. The county
embraced all that territory lying north of its present south line and east
of its present west line and extended north, forming a rectangle and about
one-third of what is now Will County. As then established, Iroquois
County extended from the north line of Vermilion to the then south line
of Cook County.

Will County was created in the year 1836 and extended south to the
Kankakee River. The river, except for a short distance at the northwest
corner of the county, became the northern boundary of Iroquois County.

In the year 1853 Kankakee County was created from territory which
had belonged to the counties of Iroquois and Will. Thus Iroquois was
limited to its present boundaries.

In 1835 the town of Montgomery offered the county 20 acres of land
on which to locate a permanent county seat. This land was located just
east of Montgomery and was platted as a town site in 1836 under the
name of Iroquois. The offer was accepted and the county seat was es-
tablished at Iroquois. No buildings were erected so space was rented
for count)' offices and a courtroom in Montgomery. As no town ever
developed at Iroquois the plat was later vacated.

There was o;eneral dissatisfaction with the countv seat so far from
the center of the county. In 1838 an act was obtained from the Illinois
legislature to relocate the county seat. The town of Middleport offered
the county 52 lots to locate the county seat there. The offer was accepted
and Middleport became the county seat in 1839.

In 1858 the Peoria & Oquawka Railroad was building its line east
from Peoria to the Indiana state line. The route was surveyed through
Middleport but a dispute arose in regard to the town donating land for
the depot grounds. A group of land owners to the southeast of Middle-
port offered a proposition to the railroad. This offer was accepted and
the route ran south of Middleport. A new town, called South Middleport,
came into being about a mile southeast. The name \\'as changed in 1865
to ^^'atseka and upon incorporation of Watseka, Middleport became a part
of that town. The old courthouse in Middleport was abandoned and a
new one built in ^Vatseka.

About the years of 1836-37 the people of the state lost their heads
in a rash of speculation. A great system of public improvements had been
drawn up by the state legislature. Railroads were to be built, canals were
to be dug, and the rivers would be cleared for navigation. A rash of
"paper" towns broke out. Plats were filed and lots sold and resold. Many
sales were to investors in the East. Iroquois Count)' did not escape this
madness. The following towns were platted in 1836-37: Middleport,
Milford, Concord, Iroquois, Burlington, Savanna, Plato, Point Pleasant,
Texas, and Iroquois City. Of these ten towns only Middleport, Milford.
Concord, and Burlington were developed. Of the rest nothing remains

but some plats filed in the office of the county recorder. Burlington was
platted just east of Milford and became part of that town. Savanna was
located 2 miles north of Milford, Point Pleasant was located at the mouth
of Spring Creek, and Iroquois City across the river from Texas. Plato and
Texas remain as place names in the county and Iroquois has become
the name of Concord.

After the establishment of the county seat at Middleport, the first
count\- building to be erected was a jail. It was made of he\\'ed logs and
was 16 X 20 feet in size. It cost the county $159.30.

In 1843 it \\as decided to build a courthouse. This was to be a two-
storv brick structure, 40 x 40 feet square. The downstairs was to be the
courtroom with offices for the county officials upstairs. To defray the
cost of the new building the sum of $1506 was appropriated for county
funds. To this was to be added the receipts from the sale of the remain-
ing town lots gi\'en by Middleport for locating the county seat there.
Still another source of funds was anticipated. The county owned some
land along the Salt Fork River west of Danville. This land had salt springs
on it and was part of some similar land given by the federal government
to Vermilion Countv before Iroquois County was formed. It had been
hoped that the salt springs would be developed commericially and the
income \\'as to be used to build a bridge over the Vermilion River at
Dan\'ille and the Iroquois River at Montgomery. The land was never
developed so Iroquois County retained a share of either 40 or 80 acres
( the record is not clear ) . It was decided to sell this land and a represen-
tative was sent to Danville to dispose of it. The best offer he could
obtain was in trade for a horse. The trade was made and the horse
taken to Chicago and sold. The records do not sav how much this trans-
action added to the court house building fund. The new building was
completed in 1847.

In 1865 Middleport became a part of Watseka and it was decided to
abandon the court house in Middleport and build a new one in Watseka.
Until the new building was completed the county offices were located
in a building just east of the present Concord Loan Co. On October 16,
1866 about 2 o'clock a.m. the building caught fire and many county records
were destroved. It was thought that the fire was set by disgruntled citi-
zens of Middleport over the removal of the court house to Watseka. The
new court house was completed in 1866. Additions were made to it in
1881 and 1927.

All that remains of the old court house is the square on which it
stood. This is now a small park located one block west of the West
Watseka School. A picture of the court house appears in the large
painting on the north wall of the present circuit court room.

The new court house had the county jail in its basement. One of
the original cell blocks can be seen there today. A new jail and sheriff's
residence was built in 1893.

The 240-acre countv farm was purchased in 1857 for S3100.

In 1851, a movement was begun in Kankakee to form a new county
out of the north part of Iroquois County and the south part of Will
County. Most of the area proposed to be taken from Iroquois County
wished to remain at it was. However, in an election held in 1853, the
formation of the new county was approved. It uas said that the votes
of the laborers constructing tlie Illinois Central railroad carried the election.
At this time the present boundaries of Iroquois Countv were set.

In 1856 a movement was begun to form a new countv from that
part of Vermilion County that extended around the southwest corner and
along the west side of Iroquois Count\'. This movement included a plan
to detach the southwest part of Iroquois and include it in the new countv.
This scheme originated in Loda, which was to be the new countv seat if
the plan was successful. Great opposition developed in the remainder
of Iroquois County and in Prospect City (Paxton). The move was de-
feated and onlv the Vermilion Countv area became Ford Countv in 1860.

Before the building of railroads in Iroquois Countv the farmers had a
difficult time marketing their livestock and grain. It had to be taken to
either Lafayette or Chicago.

Gurdon Hubbard's pack trains had made a route from Vincennes
through Danville to Chicago. This route was known as "Hubbard's Trail."
Later a state road was surveyed from Danville to Chicago which followed,
with a few slight changes, the old trail. Another route was laid out in 1830
by Ben Butterfield of Danville. It left Hubbard's Trail just south of
Hoopestown and went northwest across thes prairies to Spring Creek.
It followed Spring Creek and then turned north to pass through Bour-
bonnais Grove and Lockport to Chicago.

After the formation of the county roads were surveved but the\- were
few and bad. The thoughts of the people then turned to water transpor-
tation. In 1847 the Kankakee and Iroquois Navigation and Manufacturing
Company was organized. Its purpose was to promote the development of
water transportation on the Kankakee and Iroquois Rivers. Sandbars and
snags had to be removed and a wav found to cross the limestone ledges
that blocked the rivers at Wilmington, Rock Creek, and Momence on the
Kankakee and at Sugar Island and L'Erable on the Iroquois. A lock
was built at \Mlmington that summer and fall but it washed out in the
spring flood the following year. Before more work could be done the
building of the railroads stopped all development of water transportation.

In 1851 the Illnois Central Railroad Companv was chartered. It was
to build a railroad from Cairo to Freeport, from Freeport to Chicago, and
from Chicago to Centralia. To help defrav the cost of construction the
federal government granted the companv the even-numbered sections
of land for a distance of six miles wide and each side of the proposed
route. By 1853 the line was completed from Chicago to Del Rev in
Iroquois County. In 1856 it was completed to Centralia. Onarga was the
first railroad station in Iroquois Countv.

In 1857 a railroad, called the Peoria & Oquawka Eastern Extension
16

Railroad, was completed to Gilman. By 1859 it was completed to the
Indiana State line. It was later called the Logansport, Peoria & Bur-
lington; then the Toledo, Peora & Warsaw; and finally the Toledo. Peoria
& ^^'estern. It stopped its passenger service about 1928 and is now a
freight road. It runs from Burlington and Keokuk, Iowa, through Peoria,
to Effner on the Indiana State line. At Effner it connects with the Penn-
sylvania svstem.

In 1860 a railroad was projected across Iroquois Countv from La-
favette, Indiana, LaSalle, Illinois. It entered the countv about five miles
southeast of Sheldon and passed through Watseka and Ashkvmi in a north-
westerh- direction. This railroad was never built.

In 1871 the Illinois Central built a line from Gilman to Springfield.
Later this was extended to St. Louis.

The Chicago, Danxil'e & Vincennes Railroad Company built a line
from Danville to Chicago in 1871. The line was originally sui"yeyed
through Sheldon and Iroquois but due to vigorous action by the citizens
of \\'atseka, its route was changed. In 1877 the name was changed to the
Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad.

In 1872 the Cincinnati, Lafayette 6c Chicago Railroad Compan\- built
a line from Lafayette, Indiana, to Kankakee, Illinois. It was later pur-
chased bv the Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad Com-
pany (better known as the Big Four). During the 1930's the line was
purchased bv the New York Central svstem. The road runs from Cin-
cinnati to Kankakee and over the Illinois Central line from Kankakee to
Chicago.

In 1882 the Strawn & Indiana State line Railroad Compan\' constructed
a line from the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad just north of \\'elling-
ton to Cissna Park. It was taken oxer bv the Chicago & Eastern Illinois.
In 1956 the tracks were removed from the junction north of \\'ellington
to the Hickman Elevator.

In 1901 tlie Chicatjo & Eastern Illinois constructed a line from a mile
south of Milford through Stockland to Freeland Park, Indiana. This line
was removed a number of years ago.

In 1902 the Chicago & Eastern Illinois constructed a line from a mile
south of ^^'oodland to southern Illinois and to St. Louis.

The last railroad in Iroquois Countv to be built was the Chicago,
Terre Haute and Southern. It was built to haul coal to Chicago from
Brazil, Indiana. This railroad was built in 1905 and is no\\- part of the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul svstem.

For almost one hundred years after Hubbard's Trail was laid out the
roads of Iroquois Countv were bogs of mud in wet weather, beds of dust
in dr\' weather, and frozen ruts in winter. The coming of the Model-T
Ford in 1912-13 and the increasino; number of automobile owners led to
a demand for all-weather roads. Three state hio;hwa\s were laid out
across Iroquois Countv for future development. The first of these, Illinois
Route 1, was called the Dixie Highway; the second, U. S. Route 45, was

called the Egyptian Trail; and the third, U. S. Route 24, was called the
Cornbelt Route. They were marked by symbols on fence posts and tele-
phone poles. The s\mbol of the Dixie Highway was a bale of cotton on
a red background with the \\'ord "Dixie" above and the word "Highway"
below the cotton bale. The Egyptian Trail symbol was a black pyramid
on a yellow background with the letter "E" on the left and the letter "T" on
the right sides of the pyramid. The symbol of the Cornbelt Route was two
ears of yellow corn standing on end on a white background. By following
these symbols a traveler could get across country on fairly good roads.

Beginning in 1920 the State of Illinois embarked on a program of
building concrete highways. The first one constructed in Iroquois County
was the Dixie Highway followed by the Egyptian Trail and the Cornbelt
Route. Later U. S. 52'aind Illinoisll6, then Illinois 49, and finally U. S.
54 were built.

With the building of the state highways came improvement of the
rural roads. Oil, gravel, crushed rock, and concrete pavement now en-
able one to drive almost anywhere in the county in any kind of weather.

The early industries of Iroquois County were those of any pioneer
area. There were grist mills at Milford and Texas, sawmills at Middleport
and Texas, and every town had a blacksmith shop. Later there were dis-
tilleries at Middleport and Loda, wagon factories at Watseka and Milford,
flax seed processing mills at Buckley and Gilman, and many towns had
creameries and cheese factories.

\\^hen the prairies were settled there was a need for tile to drain the
sloughs and swamps. Since a good quality clay was easily obtainable
in most places in the county, tile mills and brick yards sprang up in
many towns. The last of these to suspend operation was the one at Wood-
land. It closed down in the late 1920's.

There were at one time two canneries operating in the county, one
at Milford and one at Onarga. The Onarga cannery closed in the 1930's
leaving the one at Milford the only one in operation. It cans sweet corn
and asparagus.

\\'ith the invention of the telephone and the electric light many
to\\'ns had local telephone exchanges and power plants. Those are now
mainly in the hands of large companies.

Following World War I, a number of small industries located in
the county. Some of these soon faded out. Of these a dress factory
remains in operation at Gilman. Later three companies located plants at
\A'atseka. They are the TRW, Inc., Uarco, and the Electronic
Components Co. The first manufactures radio condensers, the second
business forms, and third fluorescent light ballasts and starters. There
is a corn drying plant located at Gilman, hybrid seed corn plants at
Gilman and Milford, and a poultry processing plant at Loda.

After building houses the next building usually erected by the early
settlers was a schoolhouse. This building might also serve as a church on
Sunda\s. The teacher might be the minister, the doctor, or anyone who

had had some schooHng. Occasionall)- the teacher might ha\e attended
an academy or a college. The typical school of the time was the "sub-
scription school" with each family paying tuition for children who at-
tended school.

Laws in regard to the establishment of school were enacted by the
Illinois legislature in 1825, 1827, 1845, and 1870. There must have been
a number of schools established in Iroquois County under the law of
1845, as a map of the count)' in 1860 shows six rural schools. The law of
1845 provided for the establishment of schools and for the levying of a
tax to support them, if at least two-thirds of the \oters of an area approved
the action. The law of 1870 made the formation of school districts and
the le\ving of taxes for their support mandatory. Compulsory school
attendance also came into being. This was the beginning of the era of
the one-room rural school. By 1914 there were 232 elementary school
districts in Iroquois County and 209 were of the one-room type.

After 1870 a iew of the elementary districts, of the larger towns,
extended their schools upward to include two, three, or four years of high
school. By 1914 this practice had spread to include about 20 towns of
the county. In 1914 legislation was passed permitting the formation
townships into township high school districts. This was the beginning
of a dual system of schools in the county. Under this law township high
schools were established at Milford, Stockland, Wellington, Donovan,
Loda, and Onarga. In 1918 the legislature provided for the formation
of areas that were not townships into community high school districts.
Under this law communitv high schools were established at Gilman, Dan-
forth, Ashkum-Clifton, Chebanse, Martinton, Iroquois, Sheldon, \\'atseka,
Cissna Park, Bucklev, Thawville, and Crescent City. Some of these schools
were onlv two or three vears schools.

In 1859 a law was enacted that permitted two or more school dis-
tricts to consolidate if the voters so wished. No advantage was taken of
this law in Iroquois County until about 1940. By that time decreasing
enrollments and increasing costs had caused the closing of a number of
rural schools. In these cases the district organization was retained and
tuition paid for the pupils at a nearbv school. After 1940 there were a
number of consolidations of rural schools \\ith a town elementary school
to form communitv consolidated grade school districts. There was one
consolidation of high school districts, Gilman and Danforth. One area,
Stockland, consolidated its high school and elementary school districts to
form a 12 grade communitv consolidated district.

In 1947 legislation permitting the formation of unit districts was
passed. These districts included all 12 grades and might cover an area
of more than one town. Eight such districts were organized in Iroquois
Countv: Onarga, Gilman, Central, Donovan, Sheldon, Cissna Park. Well-
ington and Bucklew The following are the towns they included:

Onarga— Onarga, Del Rev, and Ridgeville

Gilman— Gilman, Danforth and LaHogue

Central— Ashkum, Clifton, and Chebanse

DoiKnan— Dono\an, Iroquois, Martinton, and Beaverville.

Sheldon— Sheldon and Effner

Cissna Park— Cissna Park and Claytonville

\^'ellington— Wellington and Greer

Bucklev— Buckley and Loda

At present there are 19 school districts in Iroquois County. Besides

the eight unit districts they are:

Communitv Consolidated (8 grade)— Stockland

Community High School— Watseka and Crescent City

Cit\- Elementary— Watseka

Board of Director Districts— \Vest ^^'atseka

Township High School— Milford

Commr.nity ConsoHdated Grade School-Milford, Bryce-Ash Grove,

^^'oodland, Crescent City, Middleport (Pitt\vood).

In 1863 the Methodist Church established an academy at Onarga
calling it the Grand Prairie Seminary. This was a coeducational school
of high school level. \\'ith the organization of public high schools it grad-
ually declined until it was closed in 1916. In 1917 it was opened again as
the Onarga Military School.

The Lutheran Church (Misouri Synod) had four elementary schools
operating in Iroquois County. These were located at Buckley, Wood-
\\orth, in rural Ash Grove Township, and at Chebanse. The Roman
Catholic Church had a grade and high school at Beaverville. They were
named as follows:

Bucklev-St. John's Chebanse-Zion

\N'oodworth-St. Paul's Bea\erville-Holy Family Academ\-

Rural Ash Grove— St. John's

The first church established in Iroquois Count)' was a Friend's
Church at Milford. Another Friend's Church was established at Mont-
gomer\' and a Methodist Church in the Belmont Community. The first
Presbyterian Church in the county was established in Middleport. \<'\\\\
the coming of the French, Roman Catholic Churches were established
at L'Erable and St. Mary (Beaverville). The Germans and the Swedes
brought the Lutheran Church. With the Apostolic Church (New Amish)
to Cissna Park and Claytonville. The Dutch, at Danforth, established the
Reformed Church. Other churches were established until today they
number as follows:

Methodist-22 Jehovah's Witnesses-1

Roman Catholic-9 Congreiiational-2

Lutheran (Missouri Synod)— 10 Episcopal— 2

Lutheran (American Synod) -5 E\angelical United Brethren-3

Presbyterian-4 ' E\angelical Lutheran-2

Friencls— 1 Evangelical and Refonned— 2

Christian-10 Se\enth day Adventists-1

Church of God-1 Reformed- 1

Church of the Nazarene-.5 Apostolic Christian-2

Pilgrim Hohness-1 Union (non-denominational)— 2

Baptist-2

Every town in the county has at least one church and there are 10
rural churches.

The Iroquois Hospital at \\'atseka was built in 1914. An addition was
made in 1950 and another addition is now being constructed. At one time
there were hospitals in Milford and Gilman. There is also a hospital in
Clifton.

Before the presidential campaign of 1856 the people of Iroquois
County were mostly Jacksonian Democrats. There were ^'er^' few ^^^higs.
In 1856 the new Republican Party found many supporters for its first
campaign in Iroquois County. A big rally was held at Middleport and
delegations from all parts of the county paraded and listened to political
speeches. The parade was led by the Momence Brass Band.

In 1873 a "farmers' and laborers' " part\' attempted to break off the
regular Republicans but they were badly defeated at the polls. With the
exceptions of the presidential elections of 1932 and 1936 the county has
regularly gone Republican. Few Democrats haye been elected to office
in Iroquois County.

Politics and newspapers seem to go together. Many of the early
papers published in the county had strong political coloring. The first
newspaper published in the county was the IROQUOIS JOURNAL which
began publication at Middleport in 1851. It was a weekly paper. Other
papers soon appeared in other towns of the county. It seems that a paper
was published in each town at some time or another.

At present a daily paper, THE IROQUOIS COUNTY TIMES, is pub-
lished in ^^'atseka. The following weeklies are published in the county
at present:

\\'atseka-THE REPUBLICAN Milford-THE HERALD-XEWS

Clifton-THE AD\^OCATE Onar<;a-THE LEADER AND REVIEW

Cissna Park-THE NEWS Sluklon-THE JOURNAL

Gilman-THE STAR
Loda-THE TIMES

At the time of its organization Iroquois County was governed by
three county commissioners. \\'ith the inrrease in population a demand
for a more representative government arose. In the fall of 1855 an election
was held at which time the people of the county voted to go imder town-
ship organization. A committee of three men was appointed to divide
the count)' into townships. This was done and eleven townships were
organized in 1856. They were as follows:

Ash Grove Chebanse Middleport

Bea\er Crab Apple ( Stockland ) Onarga

Belmont Loda Wygant (Papineau)

Concord Milford

The following is a table of township organization:

Artesia— 1864 (from parts of Loda and Onarga)

Ash Gro\e-1856

Ashkum— 1861 (from Cheban.se)

Bea\er-1856

Bea\er\ille— 1916 (from parts of Beaver and Papineau)

Belmont- 1856

Chebanse— 1856

Concord- 1856

Crescent— 1877 (from Belmont and first called Grennard)

Danforth— 1877 ( trom Douglas and Ashkmn )

Douglas— 1861 (from Onarga)

Fountain Creek— 1869 (from Ash Grove)

Iroquois— 1858 (from Middleport)

Loda-1856

Lovejoy-1868 (from Milford)

Martinton— 1857 (from Papineau and first called Buchinan)

Middleport- 1856

Milford- 1856

Mills Grove-1872 (first called Wygant)

Onarga- 1856

Papineau— 1856 (first called Wygant)

Pigeon Gro\e— 1876 (from Loda and Fountain Creek)

Prairie Green— 1858 (from Stockland)

Ridgeland-1878 (from Onarga)

Sheldon-1868 (from Concord)

Stockland- 1856 (first called Crab Apple)

The people in Iroquois County are for the most part law-abiding
citizens. However, the first murder trial and execution in the county wa?;
the trial and execution of a man for a murder committed near Chicago.
His lawyers asked that the case be tried in some other count}' than Cook
so it was held in Iroquois County at Montgomery. The man was found
guilty and hanged from an oak tree on the north bank of the Iroquois
River across from Montgomery. This was in 1836.

In 1862 John McDowell murdered James Hare in Ashkum and was
tried and hung in the court room of the old court house in Middleport.
In 1865 Francis Harper was tried for the murder of D. \\'. Nelson, near
Gilman, and hung in the court house yard.

The county had one lynching. In 1871 a Martin Meara, who lived
between Gilman and Onarga, beat his eleven year old son so badly that
the boy died. Meara was arrested and taken to the county jail in W'atseka.
A mob took him from the jail on July 5, 1871 and hung him from a tree
along Sugar Creek west of Watseka.

There is no record of anv Iroquois County men serving in the Mexican
War of 1846-48. However, in the Civil War the county furnished over
2,000 men for the Union army. Most of these served with the \\'estern Army
in the Mississippi campaigns. In the Spanish-American war of 1898 there
were a few Iroquois County men in the service. In World Wars I and II,
the county furnished many men and some women for the armed forces.

In 1833 Iroquois County had a population of 350, in 1860 a population
of 16,000, and in 1950 a population of 32,348. Fifty-one per cent of the
population is found in incorporated towns and forty-nine per cent in the
unincorporated areas. Iroquois County ranks 41st among the 102 counties
of the state in Illinois in population.

The following table gives a list of the towns platted in Iroquois County,
their tvpe of organization and population:

Aslikiim— platted 1855

\illae;e organization

1950 population 420-1960-601
Bairdton-platted 1863

became a part of Loda
Bryce-platted 1904

never incorporated
Buckley-platted 1862

village organization

1950 population 554-1960-690
Burlington— platted 1836

became part of Milford
Chebanse— platted 1854

village organization

1950 population 739-1960-995
Cissna Park-Platted 1882

village organization

1950 population 660-1960-803
Cla\'ton\ille-platted 1882

ne\er incorporated
Clifton-platted 1861

\illage organization

1950 population 734-1960-1,018
Crescent— (Crescent City p.o. )

platted 1869

village organization

1950 population 324-1960-533
Danforth-platted 1872

village organization

1950 population 385-1960-394
Darrow-platted 1907

never incorporated
Dawson Park-platted 1901

ne\er incorporated
Del Rey-platted 1856

never incorporated
Dono\an— platted 1873

village organization

1950 population 327-1960-320
Effner (platted as Haxby-platted 1868

never incorporated
Fountain Creek— platted as Hopwood—

platted 1905

never incorporated
Gilman— platted 1858

citv organization

1950 population 1602-1960-1704
Goodwine— platted 1882

never incorporated
Iroquois— platted 1836

plat vacant
Iroquois— (platted as Concord)— platted

1836

village organization

1950 population 232-1960-231
Iroquois City— platted 1836

plat \'acated
LaHogue-platted 1871

ne\er incorporated
Leonard-platted 1899

ne\cr incorporated
L'Erable— platted 1857

never incorporated
Loda-platted 1854

\illage organization

195() population 559-1960-585
Martinton— platted 1873

\illage organization

1950 population 292-1960-314
Middleport-platted 1836

became a part of W'atseka
Milford-platted 1836

citv organization

1950 population 1648-1960-1699
Montgomerv— platted 1835

plat \acated
Onarga— platted 1854

\illage organization

1950 population 1455-1960-1397
Papineau— platted 1871

\illage organization

1950 population 157-1960-169
Pittwood-platted 1873

never incorporated
Plato-platted 1836

plat \acated
Point Pleasant-platted 1837

plat \acated
Ridge\ille— platted 1871

ne\er incorporated
St. Marv's (Beaverville P.O. )-platted

1859 '

\illage organization

19.50 population 383-1960-4.30
Savanna— platted 1837

plat \'acated
Sheldon-platted 1860

\illage organization

1950 population 1114-1960-1137
Stockland-platted 1901

ne\er incorporated
Te.xas-platted 1836

plat vacated
ThawN ille-platted 1872

\ illage organization

19.50 population 267-1960-246
Trumamille— platted 1901

plat vacated
W'atseka (platted as South Middleport)-

platted 1860

citv organization
19.50' population 4235-1960-5219
Wellington-platted 1872

village organization

1950 population 300-1960-3.34
Woodland-platted 1876

village organization

1950 population 3.34-1960-344
\\'oodworth— platted ?

never incorporated

Artesia Township

Artesia tow nship is the second from the southern Hne of the counts'
in the western tier of townships. Spring Creek runs nearly through the
center of the township. The IlHnois Central Railroad also travels through
the center of the township through Buckley.

The township of Artesia received its name from the Artesian wells
located in the townships. The Indians referred to these flowing wells as
living water.

The earlv settlements of Artesia were along the thin belt of timber
along Spring Creek. The early settlers were mainlv interested in the
raising of cattle. Mr. Jacob Hill appears to be the earliest followed by
Mr. J. S. Clove and Mr. J. A. Drake. Other settlers soon followed who
were also in the stock raising business, but they also pursued other agri-
cultural interests.

Artesia Township, organized on March 17, 1864, had originally been
a part of Loda and Onarga townships. The principal officers elected for
the township at this time were J. S. Pusey as Supervisor; W. C. Riggs as
Clerk; and E. L. Gibson as Assessor.

The agricultural development of Artesia Township can be traced to
an agreement by George A. Tallman of Utica, New York to purchase
thousands of acres here at $1.00 per acre. He drained the land at his own
expense, and the result of this project is an area that is cjuite valuable
agriculturallv.

The town of Buckley was founded by Mr. Ira A. Manley in 1856.
He signed a contract with the Illinois Central Railroad for the land where
Buckley is todav. After planning a shipping point between Onarga and
Loda, he built a station to handle the business and named it Buckley
after a relative in Philadelphia. He was joined in the following year by
VIr. Franklin Pierson. Both Manley and Pierson were responsible for
the early building that took place in Buckley.

W. J. Riggs, of Chester County, Pennsylvania came to Bucklev in
1859 and opened the first store there. In the same vear Mr. Manlev
signed his contract for the land to John A. Koplin of Philadelphia. Koplin
secured a post office and changed the name of the town temporarily to
Bulkley instead of the present Buckley.

On Januarv 2, 1871, the residents of Bucklev voted to incorporate.
A short time later five trustees were elected to govern Buckley— Eli Strawn,
E. D. Hartsharn, J. B, Merserve, J. G. McClave and E. Luther. At the
first meeting of the trustees Eli Strawn was chosen president.

The Methodist Church was organized by Reverend Thomas Cotton
about 1860. Mr. \\'. G. Riggs was a very valuable ally to Reverend Cotton
in the establishment of this church. During the Ci\'il War Rev. Cotton
served in the Union Arm\'.

As earlv as 1866 a number of German families mo\ed to Buckley
primarih' from Downer's Grove in Cook County. These people, members
of the Lutheran Church, officialK' oro;anized the Lutheran Church in 1869.

Ash Grove Township

The present boundaries of Ash Grove Township were estabhshed
on September 15, 1868, and political headquarters established at Glen-
wood, which is now known as Pitch-In in the southern part of the township.

Most of the land in this area was deep black loam with plenty of
moisture; there was some swamp land with possibilities of drainage. The
value of this soil ^^•ith its great possibilities was recognized by the first
settler Robert R. Roberts, in 1833. He was a Methodist minister with
deep religious con\ictions. He contracted with the go\'ernment for
eightv acres of this land for $1.25 an acre.

Soon other settlers followed: Henrv Skeels who settled near Spring
Creek, John Hemmel and John Nunemaker both came in 1835, John
Henr\' who came from Lawrenceville, Indiana, and settled on 80 acres
one and one-half miles east of Glenwood. He started a sawmill and also
ground grain for the settlers, following were other settlers, Lewis Brock
and son, Allen and \\>slev Harvey.

In the autumn of 1838 more settlers arrived. Joseph Nunemaker was
the first white child born in this township in 1835. The first wedding
was at the home of Lewis Roberts, whose daughter Sara was married to
Henry Skeels in 1838.

The first pioneer school was raised on March 4, 1841, one-fourth
mile west of Glenwood. This school was run on a private plan with each
pupil paving the teacher, Lewis Roberts, SI. 50 for each three-months' term.
Fourteen pupils attended the first term. Later this school was merged
into a public school.

The first Post Master was John Nunemaker, who handled the mail
from his home, having received his commission from the government in
1849. The mail was brought from Milford bv horseback once a week
for the sum of $25 a year. Later the post office was in the general store
owned by Mr. Nunemaker. Mr. Harvey was responsible for having the
name of the post office changed to Ash Grove. The mail came three times
a week by horse and buggy from Milford. Henrv Childs, the mail carrier,
was eqiupped with a two seated open buggy with plentv of horse blankets
and robes to protect the passengers he was permitted to carry. The route
he took was to Queen Cit\' (which is now Schwer), then to \^'oodworth,
then to Ash Gro\'e. In case there was no mail for Queen Cit\', he omitted
that stop and went directlv to \\'Oodworth, sa\'ing mileage.

The name Ash Grove was chosen because of a real big old ash tree
that had fallen across the creek. There were no other ash trees any where
in the grove and the peculiarity of this tree being where it was produced
the name Ash Grove. Ash Grove-Pitchin had about 150 residents in 1871-
1880. The village followed the road north and south. Running from north
to south on the west side were houses of Silas Brock, John Herman,
the general store, the Herman blacksmith shop. Dr. L. D. Hackett, Bill Scott,
and Henry Childs. On the east side were the Harvevs, the Koglers, the
Turner Drug Store, the Hotel, the Methodist Church, and the parsonage.

Going east was the Hamilton home on the south side of the road, and
the Hill and Xebekers on the north side, and at the edge of the village was
the Henneike farm. During development of Ash Grove a C & E I railroad
spur was brought from \\'ellington to Cissna Park in 1882. This was
bad for Ash Grove, as a booming town was going up just six miles away.
Manv citizens began to move to that town including Isaac Miller Ham-
ilton, Turner, Young, Brock, Harvey, Bishop, Herman, Dr. Hackett and
others. Gradually tliey moved away. Today, 1968, all that is left of the
former village is the Harvev home, the Turner home, the Herman home,
the Hackett home, and the Hamilton home.

While Ash Grove was growing, another small town was developing.
It was Woodworth located on the northwest corner of the August Luecke
farm. It began with the blacksmith shop of Fred Kruger who located
there in 1874. In 1875 Fred Meyer opened a store; soon after Fred Hart-
man, a wagon maker, came; several years later Wm. Becker opened a har-
ness shop; then a Post Office ^^'as acquired. It was named \\'oodworth to
honor Mr. Woodworth of Milford who assisted in its procurement.

Then more settlers came to this area mostly from Crete, Beecher, and
Eagle Lake all in Will county. They were Missouri Synod Lutherans and
built a church which was later enlarged as the congregation grew. There
also was an Iowa Svnod Lutheran Church.

Then there was the village in the northeast part of the township,
which was named Queen City (soon known as Schwer). John Schwer
came from Chicago where he had been working in a store. Soon after
he opened a store, a blacksmith came as well as a wagon maker and
shoe maker.

The religious side of the early settlers was evident by their churches.
In Ash Grove there was the Methodist Church; in the west side of the
township was the societv of Quakers who numbered 300. The northwest
comer had a Missionary- Baptist church which was moved into Cissna
Park in 1891 and is now' the Union Church. The St. John Lutheran (Mis-
souri Synod ) was built near the center of the township, and two miles east
is the American Lutheran Church.

Ashkum Township

Ashkum Township is situated near the northwestern part of the
county, with Milks Gro\e and Chebanse townships north of it and the
Iroquois River for its eastern boundary. The Ilhnois Central Railroad
runs across the township a little east of its center, and on the railroad
propertv- is the \illage bearing the name of the township.

Ashkum received its name from the Chief of the Pottawatamie Indian
tribe which lived in what is now Indiana. The true meaning of Ashkum
is found in the vocabulary of the Algonquin Indians. In their dialect it
means "more and more."

In 1857 Mr. William M. Ross, a merchant with interests in New York
and Chicago, purchased land one mile west of Ashkum station. Another
early land owner in the township was Dr. W^ilson, of Washington, Tazewell
County, Illinois. Dr Wilson purchased his land from Mr. George C. Tall-
man of New York, the original owner of the land. Mr. Tallman was
responsible for much of the early drainage activities in this township
and its neighbors. This drainage was needed because of the swamp
characteristics of this part of Iroquois County. Dr. Wilson's family and
that of Mr. Artes Yates were among the first who made permanent settle-
ments in Ashkum Township. Mr. John Wilson and Mr. Thomas Yates,
sons of Dr. Wilson and Artes Yates. Both moved to Iroquois Township
and played important roles in developing that township.

As early as 1850 French from Canada beo;an to settle in this town-
ship. Soon there were enough of these people to establish what is now
L'Erable. W^illiam La Bounty is believed to be the first of the Canadians
to immigrate, settling here around 1850. This settlement was given the
name of L'Erable because of the great number of sugar trees planted
by the early settlers. A chapel was built in L'Erable in 1854. In 1875
the present church was built. The French people who settled here
were nearly all of Canadian birth and attached to the Roman Catholic
Church.

Ashkum Township was organized in 1861, at which time Thomas
Stump was elected the first supervisor; H. R. Cornell, clerk; and A. J.
Lake, assessor.

The village of Ashkum was laid out on railroad land. Messrs. Ogden
and Dufee purchased this section of land for $20,000 from the railroad
and in 1856 laid out the town. By 1867 the population of Ashkum had
grown to 1,200. It had a grain warehouse, one grain mill, two sorghum
mills, one hotel and eight presses. The four schools in the village had
200 pupils.

A meeting was held on January 20, 1870 to vote on incorporation
of the village of Ashkum. The vote was favorable, and the first election
was held on January 27th. In 1872 Ashkum incorporated under the Gen-
eral Act of that year.

Ashkum Bank, M. R. Meents & Sons, then later Farmers Trust & Savings. Built in 1899.

i»

Beaver Township

In the eaih^ davs of history, Beaver Township was a small nniden-
tified area five by six miles, approximately eighty miles south of the
southern tip of Lake Michigan.

As surveyors began to plat the State of Illinois, County of Iroquois,
and divide this unit into townships, Beaver Township extended to the
Kankakee River. When Kankakee County was formed in 1853, Iroquois
Count)' gave up the land area south of the Kankakee River to the ex-
isting Iroquois County line; however, Beaver Township was organized
and Beaver Township gave up the area to provide for this new township.
Since 1921, Beaver Township has held to its present boundaries.

Before the division of Beaver and Beaverville Townships, the people
who settled in the northern part around St. Mary (which was later re-
named Beaverville) were predominantly French. The pioneers in the
Beaver area were, for the most part, Swedes, many families migrating
directh' from Sweden

In the days when the area was thinly populated and before the
da\'s of the railroads, the main artery of travel between Danville and
Chicago was the Hubbard Trail. This wagon trail entered Beaver Town-
ship just east of the crossing of the Milwaukee and Big Four Railroads,
south of Donovan. Buckhorn Tavern was a stopover at the southeast
corner of what is now Donovan. This building was of log construction
and stood about fifty feet southeast of the house now occupied by the
Everett Fieleke family. The Hubbard Trail followed the high ground
north\\'est toward Beaverville and on to Momence and Chicago.

The only village in Beaver Township was founded in 1871. The land
on which Donovan was built was acquired from the government in 1849
hv Joseph Donovan and was given as a town site by his son, John L.
Donovan, in memory of his father, Joseph Donovan. The first dwelling
house built in Donovan is still in use, occupied by Mrs. Emma Carlson.
\\Mlliam Creutz was the first baby born in Donovan in 1873.

In 1871, The Big Four Railroad was started. At first, only slow
freight service was available, but later, in 1875, the depot was built and
passenger and mail service were added. Some of the early freight bills
record shipments of hay, ear corn, hides, and flax, along with shelled corn
and oats. About 1902 the John R. Walsh Railroad was built across Beaver
Township about one-half mile east of Donovan. This railroad was built
especially for hauling coal and Bedford stone and was of no great benefit
to the town.

The congregation known as the Church of Christ of Donovan was
organized in a school house west of town in the year 1856. There were
twentv-five charter members. These people continued using the school
house as a place of worship until 1871, when, under the ministry of a
preacher-carpenter, they erected the building at the site where the church
now stands. The lumber for this building was the first material brought
into Donovan over the newly completed Big Four Railroad. The congre-

2»

gation grew and in 1908 the building was remodeled. A basement and
classrooms were added to accommodate the membership of ninety-two.
Today this church has a membership of about one hundred fifty members.
The Swedish Methodist Church was organized May 4, 1854. There
were thirteen charter members. This small congregation met in a log
building used also as a school and located in section 12. This Beaver
Church was the second congregation organized in the Chicago District
of the Central Swedish Conference of the Methodist Church. The First
Methodist Church of Chicago was organized a year earlier. In 1860, a
new church building was erected on a little knoll on the east side of
the same section, and in 1863 a parsonage was built. By this time about
thirty families had settled in the Beaver Community. In 1871 the church
was moved to the southeast corner of section 14, a more central location.
In 1880, ten acres across the road from the church was purchased and a
new parsonage was built there. In time there was increased evidence
of the damage the church suffered in the moving, so in 1890 a new build-
ing was constructed to replace it at the cost of $3000. This rural church
did outstanding work in the Swedish Conference and was host to both
District and Annual Conferences. Its centennial birthday was celebrated
in 1954. On June 12, 1964, a bolt of lightning struck and the building was
completely destroyed by fire. A marker has been placed at the corner
where Beaver Church served the community so well.

In 1882, John L. Donovan and his wife, Anna, gave the land for a
Methodist Church in Donovan. (This church was built with great sac-
rifice and hard work.) The Rev. S. W. Abbott was pastor during the
erection of the building. The church has been remodeled since that time
and in 1962 was completely modernized. After the fire destroyed the
Beaver Church building, this congregation worshipped with the Donovan
congregation. On June 1, 1965 these two groups merged to become the
Donovan Methodist Church. December 20, 1965, the minister moved to
town to occupy the house next to the church that had been purchased and
remodeled for a parsonage.

There was also a Lutheran Church many years ago in Beaver Town-
ship, but little is known of it now except the location on the east side of
section 23 on land now in the Carrie Swanson farm. The Lutheran par-
sonage was sold and moved to Donovan where it is now used as a
dwelling.

One of the worst storms Beaver Township ever experienced took
place in the late Sunday afternoon on April 21, 1912. The killer tornado
traveled from southwest to northeast across the township. Just before
leaving the township one-half mile north of Beaver Cemetery, a complete
set of buildings was destroyed. The Rice family and one farm worker
were killed, seven people in all. This family was the father, mother, wife,
and daughters of Edgar Sam Rice of baseball fame. These storm victims
are buried in the Beaver Cemetery.

Federal authorities in 1785 dealing with the Northwest Territory

stated the teriitor\' being surveyed into townships would be six miles
square and the sixteenth section of each township be reserved for schools.
In the year 1818, the State of Illinois joined the Union. In compliance
with this order, section sixteen of Beaver Township was reserved for
school purposes and anv earnings therefrom were to be used to help
defra\- expenses of operating the schools. As time passed the land was
sold with the monev being loaned to local people and interest used for
schools. Still later these monies were turned over to the consolidated
unit school district.

Beaver Township had seven one-room one teacher schools. Inde-
pendence School, organized in 1862, was located in the northwest corner
of section 11. The building was made of logs, the windows were greased
paper, and benches were used instead of desks. The building was also
used for spelling bees, threshing meetings, and church. Mr. Oscar Kenny,
the first teacher, received $20 per month for his services.

Maple Grove's first school was made of logs. It was built by men of
the district in 1862 on the north boundary of section 12. In 1865 a new
schoolhouse was built twent\' bv twenty-four feet. The school had a two
months' fall term and two months in the spring. Students from five to
twenty years of age enrolled. Later a full eight month school term was
begun with reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, grammar, geography and
histor\' comprising the curriclum. Money to buy equipment for the school
was raised by social events, of which the box supper was the most popular.

College Corner School was located in the northeast corner of section
21. In addition to being used for school, like many other schools, the
building was used for neighbor gatherings and was one of the last schools
to be sold and moved away as consolidation took over. The schoolyard
became farmland again.

^^>st Union School is located in the northeast quarter of section 36.

The building still stands and has been remodeled into a home and is now

owned by A. Clark Duzenbery.

Salem School, located in section 24, was organized in or about 1883.
Records reveal some of the early teachers: O. E. Brow, 1884; Anna Tulles,
1885; Libbie Sweet, 1886; and' Mary Willard, 1887. In 1932 the Salem
Reunion was started. This continued for many years and was very popular
with former students and teachers who had worked together. A grove of
maple trees still marks the place where Salem School served the community.

Pleasant Valley School was organized in 1862. The first teacher was
Jane L. Paur who received a monthly salary of $23. In 1881 a new building
was erected on a site purchased from Mr. E. J. Barnlund, the first treasurer.
This building was located on the east boundary of section 27, and served as
a community center.

The first school in Donovan was- begun in 1878 on land purchased
from J. S. Donovan and was used until 1902 when a new four-room brick
building was completed. Mr. Morrual was the first teacher and also held
the first eighth grade commencement in 1903. A ninth grade was soon
added and later a two-year high school was adopted.

Tliere were other schools outside Bea\'er Township which some Beaver
Township students attended. In the 1930's two country schools had closed
due to the shortage of students. Transportation was furnished by Donovan
Township High School, and students attended District 48 in the village of
Donovan. In the earlv 40's, partly due to World War II, a teacher shortage
became exident and moves were made to consolidate. In this new plan
students would be taken to Donovan by buses. There was much discussion
and communitv conversation concerning this new concept in educating
voung people. The new district was consolidated as District Number 262
and plans were completed to open in the fall of 1945. Grades one through
six were housed in the Donovan Grade School, with the seventh and eighth
grades meeting in the high school. This system continued until 1949 when
further consolidation became necessary, and Beaver Township became a
part of Unit District Number 3. At this point Beaver Township school his-
tory becomes a part of a new era in education. Although the District Unit
high school and grade school buildings are within the boundaries of Beaver
Township, the school program extends to the boundaries of Unit Number 3.

The turn of the century and the years that followed was the period of
greatest growth for the village of Donovan. During this period this small
countrv town could boast of having two banks, two grocery stores, two grain
elevators, a lumber yard, two garages, a newspaper, harness shop, telephone
office, tailor shop, bakery, drug store, barber shop, blacksmith shop, a hotel,
a liverv barn, and for a short time a movie theatre.

The heartbeat of this industrious community centered around the
railroad whose depot was open twenty-four hours daily. With this artery
of travel, supplies were easily accessible, and the Sears Roebuck catalogue
was a household necessity. With better highways and more efficient auto-
mobiles, the old way of life began to change and these businesses began
to disappear from mainstreet one by one. In the early 30"s, Route 52 was
built across Beaver Township bringing with it a steady change from rail
traffic to auto and truck transportation. Filling stations became new busi-
nesses replacing the horse and buggy needs. This trend continued until
in 1966; the old depot which was built in 1875 was dismantled and mo\'ed
away. This seems to mark the end of an era which belonged to the pioneer
people who founded this early community.

Main Street— Donovan, Illinois 1912

Beaver Swedish Methodist Church originally built in 1854 and destroyed by fire in 1964.

One room, one teacher school in Beaver Township

Beaverville Township

Beaverville Township, the youngest township in Iroquois County, was
organized in 1921. The area to create this new township came from
Papineau and Beaver Townships and consisted of thirty-nine sections in
the northeast corner of Iroquois County.

The majorit)' of the pioneer people who came to this area were French.
Many famihes came from Canada, their famiHes having come earlier from
France.

The town of Beaverville was first called St. Mary's. When the rail-
roads were built and mail service became commonplace across the state,
it was discovered there was a town in Jasper County by the same name,
so the name St. Mary's was changed to Beaverville. The post office, how-
ever, has always carried the name Beaverville. About five and one-half
miles east of Beaverville there was another post office by the name of Rose.
This building was located where the Nick Rheude home stands today.
Every work day a man would carry the mail in a locked pouch on horse-
back from Beaverville to this little country post office. Across the road
from Rose and about forty rods west was a blacksmith shop. This business
was operated by a family by the name of Denton. This crossroads village
was short-lived as people became willing to go further for more services.
After a few years, about 1890, Rose was closed.

In 1921, Beaverville Township was organized and a new government
was set up to accommodate this new unit. It is interesting to note the way
in which this was done. The Nourie schoolhouse had been used for elections
and towTiship meetings. This school was located one mile south and one
and one-half miles east of Beaversville in section 5, which was a central
location before Beaver Township was divided. About the only inventory
recorded, (besides money), was road equipment. At the time the
boundaries were changed, there were eight road commissioners and the
equipment consisted of eight road drags, eight slip scrapers, and two wheel
scrapers which were listed as good. The slip scrapers were listed as fair and
the road drags as poor. On a give-and-take basis this equipment was
divided to the satisfaction of all concerned and Beaverville Township
started their new township with four road commissioners.

There was one grain elevator in Beaverville and one at North Hooper,
located on the Walsh Railroad in section 4. In addition to a blacksmith
shop and other businesses necessary to a farming community, Beaversville
had a tile factory. This enterprise was started by H. L. Lambert, however,
the exact time is unknown. The pit where the clay was mined is still in
evidence in the northeast part of town. At one time the factory had six
kilns where the clay products were dried and baked. Some of the field
tile produced here were used locally. Bricks were also manufactured and
some of the buildings on the west side of the main street were built with
bricks from this factory. Also produced was terra cotta, a light building
block used for wall partitions. It found a favorable market in Chicago.

As time passed and more modern equipment became available, however,
this factory was abandoned and the operation moved to St. Anne. This
business in its most productive years furnished employment for about
twenty-five men.

Since the time the first settlers came to the Beaverville area, the church
has been the center of society. In 1856 a plot of groimd was cleared on
which was to be erected the first St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church of
Beaverville. Two men cut down trees and joined them together so
that they could be used as uprights and sills for the new church which
was made of wood and stood just south and east of the present church.
The parish was organized in 1856, and Mass was offered in different homes
and a country store until 1857. The present church was completed in 1911
at which time the old building was moved to a farm northwest of town.
This church is one of five buildings of this particular architectural design
in the United States. The roof is self-supporting and the dome is ninety-
five feet above the floor, and 63 feet in diameter. The original organ,
which is still a part of the church, was donated by the Rockefeller family
and was valued at $12,000. The total cost of this most unusual church
building, including equipment, was in excess of $100,000. The Bedford
stone, of which the building is made, came from Indiana and was shipped
over the Big Four Railroad. The huge blocks were loaded onto heavy
wagons by hand-operated winches and lifted into place at the church
with a horse power arrangement. Much of the labor was donated by
men of the parish.

The Holy Family Academy of Beaverville was for many years a co-ed-
ucational elementary school and girls' high school. The school opened in
1895 and continued until 1966 when the elementary school was discon-
tinued and the pupils were transferred to classes in Community Unit No. 3.
The high school is still in operation with students from the township and
surrounding area enrolled, and also students from distant places, even
outside the United States. The Provincialate and the Novitiate of the
Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary were for many years located at Beaver-
ville but have been transferred in recent years to Kankakee and Batavia re-
spectively. Beaverville Township had seven one-room public schools which
were discontinued at the time of consolidation.

The northeast part of the township was thinly populated. The soil is
sandy and in the early days was used mostly for pasture. The higher
ground was covered with trees, and the old timers referred to this area
as the big woods. In the late 1850's, in section 23, the Francis Besse family
operated a general store. Groceries and other supplies were hauled by
wagon from Kankakee. Cord wood provided a pay load on the return
trip, and the Illinois Central Railroad bought the wood for fuel. As time
passed and farmers learned new methods of drainage and good soil
management this sandy soil is today most productive. Three sections of
this area are owned by the State and used for hunting and recreation.

Depot and Main Street in Beaverville. Note handcar In foreground. This building destroyed
by fire in 1921.

Tile factory in Beaverville in 1912.

Laying cornerstone for St. Marys church in 1909.
The original church is in the background.

i j^^^

Completed St. Marys church in Beaverville in 1911.

Belmont Township

Belmont Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, consists of congressional
Township 26 North, Range 12 West of the 2nd Principal Meridian. The
area is traversed from south to north by Sugar Creek with its tributaries,
Coon Creek and Jefferson Creek, entering from the east and west. The
area along the creeks is timbered and the remainder is prairie. The land
is gently rolling due to the intrusion of the Iroquois Moraine into the
eastern part and an east-west line of sand ridges and dunes across the
northern third. These are the remains of the ancient shoreline of the
latter stages of glacial Lake Watseka. The soil varies from sand to sandy
loam and prairie loams.

By the year 1900 Belmont Township had been settled for almost seventy
years. The people came from southern Indiana and Ohio, from the middle-
Atlantic states and a few from New England. They were mainly farmers
and agriculture was and remains the chief industry of the township.

The city of Watseka, the county seat of Iroquois County, lies on the
northern boundary, just west of center, of the township. That part of
the city south of Mulberry Street being in Belmont Township. Just south
and west of the center of the township lies the village of Woodland. Wat-
seka was incorporated in 1867 and celebrated its centennial in 1967. Wood-
land was platted in 1876 and incorporated about 1898. Four unincorporated
areas have been platted in the township since the early 1950's. They are
Breezy Acres, located on the Dixie Highway, Belmont Acres, located on
the Watseka- Woodland slab, Oppyville, in the northwest corner of the town-
ship, and an unnamed area a mile south of Belmont Acres. There has been
a steady growth of the area of Watseka, south and east, into Belmont
Township.

The Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad crosses the northeastern
corner of Belmont Township and traverses the area just above the northern
boundary through Watseka and west across Iroquois County. Until the
late 192()'s the railroad operated both passenger and freight service across
the state. Now only the freight service remains. The railroad was ac-
quired, in the late 1950's, by the Santa Fe and Pennsylvania systems and
used to route freight around Chicago.

The Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad crosses the township from
north to south throucrh \\^atseka and Woodland. About a mile south of
Woodland is Woodland Junction where the line divides. The main line
swings southeast through eastern Illinois and western Indiana to Evansville.
The other line swings southwest to southern Illinois and to St. Louis. By
1967 passenger service had been reduced to two trains daily on the main
line and was discontinued in the middle 1950's on the southern Illinois-St.
Louis route. With the coming of diesel-electric locomotives the coaling
station at Coaler, located about two miles south of Watseka, was abandoned
and now stands a lonely monument to progress. In the early 1960's the
double-track main line was converted to single-track from Woodland Junc-

tion to Danville. The destruction of the Woodland depot by fire in the
early 1900's resulted in the use of an old passenger coach as a station
until the construction of a new depot about 1915.

In 1900 the roads of Belmont Township had no surfacing other than
dirt. They were a quagmire of mud in wet weather and gave off clouds
of dust when it was dry. With the coming of the automobile in 1910-1911
there was a demand for better roads. A gravel road was constructed
from the city limits of Watseka to the Count)' Fami. Later this road was
extended as a concrete slab to the Sheldon town line. A slab was also
built, east and west across the township, through Woodland and from the
Body Cemetery north to Watseka at Second Street. Later a slab was
extended south from a point \\'est of the Body Cemetery to Bryce.

The State of Illinois embarked on an ambitious network of state
highways in 1918. The first of these, tlie Dixie Highway or Illinois Route
1, was completed, north and south through the township, in 1921. The
construction of U.S. 24, first known as Illinois Route 8 or the Cornbelt
Route, was completed along the northern boundary of the township in
1924. In the early 19.50's the Dixie Highway was widened, a new bridge
built over Coon Creek, several sharp curves were eliminated and the
grade raised.

In other highway improvements the early slabs were widened to
accommodate 2-lane traffic. In 1965 a new bridge was built over Sugar
Creek at \\'oodland. This structure replaced one built in the early 190O's
which was the first steel-reinforced concrete bridge built in the United
States. By 1967 all roads in the township had been surfaced with gravel,
black-top, or concrete except for a short stretch north and east of the
Belmont Cemetery and a few little-used strips along the east and west
town lines.

Belmont Township, in 1900, contained six one-room rural schools.
They were Oak Ridge, New Athens, Point Pleasant, New Victor, New
Salem, and Longshore. There were also elementar\' schools at Watseka
and Woodland as well as a high school at Watseka. In 1946, Oak Ridge,
New Athens, Point Pleasant and parts of New Victor and Longshore
united with the W^oodland Elementary School to form the Woodland
Community Consolidated Grade School district. The remainders of New

Victor and Longshore and New Salem were added to the W^atseka Ele-

mentary School.

The W'atseka High School was in operation in 1900 as a part of the
Watseka Elementary School. In 1906 a new building was erected on
South Third Street and the old building razed. This new building housed
both the elementary and the high schools. The Watseka Community
High School district was organized in 1920. An addition for the use of
the high school was made in 1916 and in 1936 a gymnasium and several
classrooms for the high school were added. A new high school building
was constructed in 1949 on Belmont Avenue. To this building an addi-
tion was made in 1961. Blake Field was given to the high school in 1937.

In 1956 a wing of classrooms and an office area were added to the
Watseka Elementary School building. The name "South Side School"
was given to this building complex as the district also operated a school
in the north part of Watseka. The 1906 building and the 1916 addition
were razed in 1966 and a new wing of classrooms and a playroom were
constructed. Also another elementary building, the Wanda Kendall
School, was constructed east of the high school the same year.

In 1901 a new school building was erected in Woodland. Two years
of high school were added to the elementary school and later increased
to three years. In 1943 the high school was discontinued. A gymnasium
was added to the building in 1936 and a lunchroom and several class-
rooms in 1956. The 1901 building was razed in 1966 and new classrooms
and a new gymnasium added to give the community a modern elementary
school building.

Woodland had two churches in 1900, Christian and Methodist. The
Belmont Methodist Church was located in the country about four miles
northeast of Woodland. There were, at that time, no churches in the
part of Watseka included in Belmont Township.

The Woodland Christian Church disbanded about 1914 and was
later used for a short period by the Nazarenes. It was then converted
to a chicken raising operation and was finally binned in the early 1940's.
The Methodist Church in Woodland is unique in that it was built in con-
junction with the Odd Fellows Lodge. The lodge still occupies the upper
floor of the building. A community room was added to the church in 1937.
For many years the same minister served both the Woodland and Belmont
Methodist churches until the latter burned in 1946. The Woodland min-
ister now serves the Methodist Church at Crescent City.

About 1951 St. Paulinus Episcopal Church was established in Watseka.
Services were held in a house at the corner of South Sixth Street and
Lincoln Avenue for a number of years. In 1961 a church was constructed
on the County Farm Road. The Society of Friends had occupied a
church on South Second Street near the old Court House. In 1953 they
built a new church on South Third Street. The organization disbanded
in 1966 and the building was purchased by the newly organized Cen-
tennial Christian Church. In 1964 the Faith Lutheran Church, American
Synod, was built on Lincoln Avenue.

In 1900 the Iroquois County court house and jail were located just
outside the northern boundary of Belmont Township. Proceeds from a
gift of land to the county were used in 1964 to construct a new court
house and jail on a site just inside Belmont Township at the eastern edge
of Watseka.

Other public improvements were the construction of a new building,
in 1917, at the Iroquois County Farm to provide living quarters for the
superintendent and the inmates. This was the third building constructed
for such a purpose as the second building burned in 1915. The original
building, erected in 1866, was razed in 1967. In 1946 a cemetery asso-

elation of the eemeteries in Belmont and Middleport Townships was or-
ganized. This organization, by a tax levy, provided for the care of all
cemeteries in both townships. A fire protection district that covered the
south two-thirds of the township was organized at Woodland in 1950.
The Iroquois Hospital was built in Watseka from proceeds of a gift in
1914. In 1951 an addition was made to the original building and in 1958
a residence home was constructed. At present another addition to the
hospital is being planned. Improvements at Woodland include a new post
office built in 1961 and a new village building erected in 1962.

The Legion Park in Watseka had its beginnings as Fowler's Park in
the early 1920's. A swimming pool and a dance pavilion were constructed
and furnished recreation for the area for a number of years. The pool
was closed in the 1930's but the pavilion operated as a skating rink until
it burned in the early 1940's. In 1955 the American Legion Post of Wat-
seka acquired the Fowler property and with other land established one
of the finest parks in this area.

Electricity came to Belmont Township at Watseka in 1891 and to
Woodland in the early 1900's tlirough local power plants in each com-
munity. In 1914 the Watseka plant was taken over by the Central
Illinois Public Service Company and about 1920 the same company
brought service ot Woodland. The rural area received electricity through
the Rural Electrification Association in the late 1930's.

One of the oldest industries in Belmont Township was the Woodland
Clav Company. In the early days the prairies of the township were
swampy and tile was needed for drainage. The company at Woodland
supplied much of the tile used for this purpose. In the 1920's it began
the manufacture of clav building block but the decreasing need for tile
and the coming of concrete building block brought about the closing of the
factory in 1934. A sawmill, operated by the same family since early
days, is in operation in the Woodland area. At Watseka a fertilizer appli-
cator equipment company is engaged in manufacturing at Oppyville and
an electronic components company is located on West Mulberry Street.

Agriculture was and still is the chief industry of Belmont Township.
Since 1900 farming has moved from four-legged horse-power to horse-
power on wheels. The more or less self-contained farm which produced
its own meat, milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables is gone. The farmer now
buys these from the supermarket. From being satisfied with a corn yield
of thirtv-five bushels per acre they now grumble if it falls below one
hundred. From stable manure to commercial fertilizer, from the dinner
bell to intercoms on the tractors and from oats to soybeans the changes
have been steadv and immense. Farming is now specialized in such areas
as grain production, livestock feeding, dairying and broiler or egg pro-
duction. Today the production of grain is the chief type of farming in
Belmont Township. With specialization and mechanization the size
of farms have increased while rural population has dropped. The former
hired-man now lives in town and works in a factory. The isolated farm

house of the past is gone and the modern farm home stands in its place.
Thanks to the automobile, good roads, the telephone, TV and modern
schools the farmer lives as we'l and is as well educated as his city cousin.

Such has been the history of Belmont Township since 1900. He who
reads can see the tremendous progress made in the past seventy years.
We cannot foretell the future but with such a past the future cannot be
but good.

Woodland Bank in 1910, Woodland, Illinois

Main Street in Woodland around 1900 looking north to south.

Old South Side High School in Watseka, Illinois, 1908.

Chebanse Township

Chebanse occupies a position on the northern border of Iroquois
County, with Kankakee County to the north of it. The Iroquois River
on the eastern boundary, Ashkum Township to the south, and Milk's
Grove Township to the west, complete the Chebanse boundaries. The
Illinois Central Railroad runs very nearly through the center of the
township from north to south. Chebanse, sixty-four miles from
Chicago, and Clifton, sixty-nine miles from Chicago, are both on this
mainline of this most important railroad.

Langham Creek, early known as "White Woman's Creek," winds
through the township from west to east. Early settlers were drawn to
this land area by reports of the richness of the land and the obvious beauty
of the landscape thereabouts.

Chebanse Township, a political township, is composed of portions of
a number of congressional townships. The area includes the northern
one-third of town 28, range 14, the northern third of all that is west of
the river in range 13 west of the second principal meridian, and sections
6 and 7 of the fractional township, range 11 east of the third principal
meridian, four sections of town 29, range 11, and the southern two-thirds
of town 29, range 14, and is west of the river in the southern two-thirds of
range 13, making in all some sixty-two sections of land. The rolling land
which extends west almost to the Illinois River in Township 29 begin in
Chebanse Township.

Long before railroads were built in this area much of the township
was already under construction. The old "Butterfield Trail," which was
the highway of travel from all the country around the upper Sangamon,
the Okaw, the Embarass and the Big Grove passed through here. This
latter was the route followed by the Illinois Central Railroad. Little is
known about the settlers along this route or how it received its name,
but it is known that this was one of the greatest hog and cattle routes
in Illinois. This route commenced immediately after the Black Hawk
War of 1832. The Funks and others, who ranged all over central Illinois,
buying all the cattle and hogs that could be bought, started driving the
stock to Chicago instead of Galena, the early market in extreme north-
western Illinois. This change in traffic traversed through Chebanse
Township.

In 1843, B. F. Brady, and his two brothers, Joseph and WilHam,
came from Attica, Indiana, to settle in sections 33 and 34 near the mouth
of Langham Creek. Purchasing this land from the state, the Brady
brothers built a log cabin on section 33 and, while living there, engaged
in raising cattle and hogs which they drove to Chicago to be sold. B. F.
Brady was one of the first justices of the peace in this part of the county,
and was elected to the second board of supervisors.

In 1954 Adolph Poncelot, the Belgian consul in Chicago, purchased
some land from William Farmer, an early settler. Mr. Poncelot put a Mr.

Harbaville on the land he bought and began an attempt to get some
of his countrymen to settle in this area. He was successful and a number
of Belgian families came to the township in 1856. Ancestors of these
people still reside in the township as well as Ashkum. These early settlers
were Catholics and with the French of similar faith, founded the first
Roman Catholic neighborhood in this county. Father Chiniquy came and
began services in the home of Mr. LaBounty.

The names of manv of the towns aloncr the Illinois Central Railroad
have Indian origins. Chebanse and Ashkum were not known in the
Indian history of Iroquois Count)'. Mr. R. B. Mason, the chief Engineer
at the time the Illinois Central was built, authorized the use of these
names. They probably originated in the Indian history of the eastern
part of the United States.

The township of Chebanse was organized in 1856. Jesse Brown
was elected the first supervisor. The village of Chebanse was laid out
bv the railroad compan\' in the center of the northeast quarter of section
14, in 1854. Harrington and Spaulding were the first merchants in Che-
banse. They built a store on the east side of the track in 1854, which
was burned in 1858. Amos M. Fishburn built the next store on the same
side of the tracks.

Chebanse was incorporated as a towm in 1868. In the election later
in the same vear villao;e officials were elected for the first time. The
trustees elected were S. A. Robinson, H. Huckins, Robert Nation, R. S.
Laughlin. In 1874 an election was held to reorganize the town under
a village system, and by a close vote this change was made.

Milk's addition to Chebanse was laid out in 1868 and was located
across the county line in Kankakee county.

Clifton is the other village in Chebanse township located about five
miles southwest of Chebanse. The first settlers were principally from New
England. In the summer of 1855 W. B. Young, L. A. White, J. C. and
C. D. Howe came from Worcester, Massachusetts.

Mr. William Viets came to the area in 1857. A businessman from
Chicago, he believed this area was a good place for a town. He took
the name Clifton for the town from the name of the hotel in which
he stayed, the Clifton House. He got title to the land and had it laid
out in' 1858.

An election was held June 17, 1867, in which it was approved to
incorporate the town. The first trustees elected were C. O. Howe, S. B.
Walton, L. J. Millspaugh, A. B. Cummings and F. Cozeau.

These earlv settlers from New England brought their religions and
denominational preferences with them. A Congregational Church was
started as early as 1859. In the same year the Methodists also organized
themselves. The Roman Catholics began services in 1862 at L'Erable in
the home of the resident priest, James McGovern. Their first Church
was built in 1867.

Peter Madsen house in Clifton, built in 1857.

|g!g||aS8^-v

First depot in Clifton, built in 1860.

Clifton House, Nels P. Jensen, proprietor at that time.

North on Main Street in Clifton, Illinois in the early 1900's.

Concord Township

Concord Township formerly included Sheldon Township. The latter
was separated and placed under township organization in 1868. Concord
Township was surveyed by the United States Government in 1822, except
range ten, which was surveyed in 1834. Although it had its definite
boundary lines and was a definite political unit, it remained under the
commission form of government until the year 1856.

Concord Township, although one of the first in the state to change
its form of government, was not organized under township organization
until the year 1856. For this purpose a meeting was held in April of
that year by the resident voters.

The settlement of Concord Township during the succeeding period
of a quarter century was not rapid. Chicago was tlie nearest market for
the surplus products available. Pack horses or ox teams were the only
transportation. No roads, no bridges, but swamps and sloughs and rivers,
which were impassable except during the dry season.

To furnish education, public schools were established in the township
in the year of 1835. The first pubHc school was started and "kept" in a log
cabin on the hill on the north side of the river in a settlement then known
as Bunkum. The statement has been handed down by the old settlers
that the first two schoolmasters to preside in this primitive seat of learning
were Hugh Mewell and Benjamin Scott. The latter was also the first
school treasurer and the second sheriff of the county. In 1840 the first
school house was built in Concord Township.

It is claimed that Rev. S. R. Beggs was the first to preach in Concord
Township in the year 1832. In 1833 the first Methodist Church was
established. The first pastor assigned to this circuit was Rev. Essex who
held a series of meetings in the home of Benjamin Fry. This society
grew from the smallest beginning, Benjamin Fry himself being one of its
active members from the first. It met regularly at the Liberty School
House, and finally in 1872 erected a church just east of the township line
and named it Movies Chapel.

In 1850 a United Brethren society was formed in the Enslem school
house south of the river. The second Methodist society, organized in
1854 in the township, held meetings in the school house in Iroquois. This
society in 1875 erected a church edifice in the village of Iroquois. In 1870,
Samuel Warrick and ^^'illiam Brown were the promoters in the building
of the church named Prairie Dell near the west line of the township.

The third period of the history of the township begins about 1855. A
number of causes have contributed to the transformation of the new
county and its industrial development during this period. Grist mills
sprang up and were in operation. One was located at Old Texas, near
the southwest corner of the township. The railroads as a factor in building
up Concord Township cannot be overestimated, and the C. C. C. and
St. L. (Big Four) was completed in 1871.

The present village of Iroquois was plotted by Henry Moore, June 7,
1836, as the town of Concord, but was not incorporated until thirty-nine
years later. It originally contained fifty-two blocks, eleven streets running
north and south and five streets running east and west.

Montgomery, which was laid out a year earlier, lies just south of
the river and was first in point of settlement and prominence. It was also
built up on both sides of the Hubbard trail. The original village of Iro-
quois was surveyed about the same time as Montgomery.

The first county records were kept at the house of Isaac Courtright
three-fourths of a mile south of the village, the farm owned by R. F.
Karr. The first commissioners court was held in a private house located
in the village owned by a William Armstrong. The town was named
after the proprietor, Richard Montgomery. The first tavern in Mont-
gomery was kept by Timothy Locy in 1831. David Meigs, Richard Mont-
gomery, and John White followed as proprietors of the public inn. The
first white settlers to locate within the town were Benjamin Fry, George
Courtright, Richard Courtright, John White, the widow McCullock, and
sons, William and Solomon, and many others who were more or less
closely associated with the very early events of the twin villages of Mont-
gomery and Concord.

This group of towns at the beginning of their history were derisively
called Bunkum. The name in time grew so popular that they were not
generally known by their correct names. The town. Bunkum, has a well
authenticated origin. It originated from an incident in the Congress of

Winter scene of farmstead in Concord Township.

1819-21. A member from North Carolina delivered a lengthy oration
on the Missouri question, in the course of which he very plainly told those
who still remained Hstening that he was only talking for "Bunkum."

The government, however, never recognized the name and the post
office continued under the name of Concord. In 1875, when the town
of Concord was incorporated, the village was officially named Iroquois.
The government followed the precedent and changed the name of the
post office to Iroquois.

The first election held in the county was held in Montgomery in 1833.
The first white child born in the township was William L. Eastburn in
1834. The marriage of George Courtright to Agnus Newcomb is believed
to have been the first to take place in the county. The license was obtained
at Danville, and the ceremony was performed at the house of Isaac
Courtright, where the county records were kept.

i»

Crescent Township

Crescent Township occupies the most central portion in Iroquois
Countv'. It was originally entirely prairie land with a slight rolling topog-
graphy.

As far as records show John Johnson appears to have been the first
to make a home here. He arrived in 1846 and lived in this township
until his death eleven years later. In 1848 Joseph Myers bought the east
half of Section 1 from Mr. Thomas A. Norvell of Oilman. Other early
settlers were Moses Tullis, George W. Lovett, Nathan Harrison, Edward
Hitchcock and the Hutchinson family, Jacob, Isaiah, Daniel and John. The
first settler in the northwestern part of the township was Benjamin Wright
who arrived in 1849. Robert Clark and James Lewis settled in the ex-
treme western part of the township between 1852 and 1954.

In the summer of 1853 a Mr. Hoover moved into the southeastern
corner of the township. In the next two years Henry and Jedediah Cobb
and W'illiam Cunningham and his sons-in-law, Harvey Roll and Russell
Search claimed land in this part of the township also. This land was
controlled by persons out of Danville but after some legal activity these
settlers gained the land. Settlement was slowed up by the panic of
1857, however. In 1865 people of German origin began to migrate to
this township and greatlv influenced its development.

Crescent remained a part of Belmont Township until April, 1869
when it became separated and was named Grenard. This name was the
name of the first supervisor, E. Grenard. Two years later the name was
changed to Crescent, because the name of the station was Crescent City.
The first township officials were the aforementioned E. Grenard as super-
visor, David John, clerk; H. C. Boughton, assessor; Edward Hitchcock,
collector, and C. M. Potts and A. J. Harwood, justices of the peace.

As Iroquois Countv became settled between Watseka and Oilman
the railroads authorities saw the need for grain handling facilities to be
improved in this area. In 1866 the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad
built a switch and a station on the farm of Hiram Dunn, which is now
Crescent City.

Mr. Dunn was instrumental in getting a post office established here
and Mr. Riggles was appointed Postmaster. Mr. Dunn called the town
Crescent for the idea of the circular shape of the timber, which skirted
Spring Creek and the Iroquois River, in its curved stretch from section
six in Crescent Township to section six in Belmont Township.

About 1868 people of German stock began to come into this area.
Most of these people were engaged in farming. During the year of 1868,
Mr. J. D. Young opened a store in Crescent City and Samuel Crumpton
induced the railroad company to locate a switch and establish a station
there.

Crescent City was platted in 1869. Frederick March followed J. D.
Yoimg in locating a business establishment there. A. J. Harwood built

the first residence in this town and the first school was built in 1870. Also
in 1870 a hotel building was moved into town by a Mr. Short and was
later operated by J. B. Mounts. Later J. B. Grice built the hotel known
as the Union House and operated it until 1879 when it was converted into
a private residence. Mr. S. G. Staples built an elevator in 1869 and ran it
for some time.

There are four religious denominations related to the growth of the
Crescent Community. The First Congregational Church was organized
in 1869 by Reverend Joseph E. Roy. The Methodist congregation dates
back to 1865 when a class was formed by Reverend Thorp. The services
of the Roman Catholics began in 1869 on the arrival of Mr. J. D. Young.
In 1870, Father Fanning of Gilman was appointed to the Crescent City
parish and regular services were conducted.

As the result of the German migration into the Crescent area the
St. Peter's Lutheran Church was established in 1887. Their church was
built in Iroquois Township in the northern part of Crescent City. A large
number of Crescent Township residents also helped to organize and become
members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Woodworth in 1873.

/ •<

Main Street in Crescent City, Illinois about 1910.

Danforfh Township

During its early political existence, Danforth Township was a part
of Douglas Township. This township is the form of a parallelogram,
four miles wide by thirteen miles long.

About 1852, A. H. Danforth and George W. Danforth, of Washington,
Illinois, in Tazewell County formed a partnership to buy land in part
of Iroquois County. Between 1854 and 1860 they purchased from the
government and the Illinois Central Railroad nearly 50,000 acres of land.
George Danforth came to this part of the county during this time and
devoted his time to improving and selling the land. Much of the land
purchased by the Danforths was quite swampy and had to be drained
to increase its value. The closeness of various rivers and creeks made
such drainage quite practical.

Besides draining the land, the Danforths induced a number of people
to migrate from Holland to settle here. It is this action that accounts
for the Dutch influence in this township. For example, John Huizenga,
a native of Holland, was attracted to this area while he was working on
the Illinois Central Railroad near here in 1853.

Returning to this township after the Civil War, Huizenga, along with
a Mr. Heersema, purchased farmland here. After farming some time,
John Huizenga opened what was probably the first store in the township.

Practically all of the new residents were members of the Dutch Re-
formed Church. This denomination held services as early as 1869 in Dan-
forth and built their first church in 1872. St. John's Lutheran Church
began holding religious services in 1870 and built their original place of
worship in 1873.

In 1877, the residents of the northern part of Douglas Township
requested a separate township organization. In that same year, a division
was approved by the Board of Supervisors as to the area of the two
townships, Douglas and Danforth.

The first election of Danforth Township officers was held in 1878.
The following were elected: David Brunlack, supervisor; H. R. Danforth,
clerk; L. A. Benjamin, assessor; and Fred Kohl, collector.

The firm of A. H. Danforth and Company had been dissolved in
1873, and H. R. Danforth had arrived to represent the interest of his
father and his own. This firm had much more success in managing its
land holdings than did many similar companies and played an instrumental
role in the development of this township.

The village of Danforth was laid out in 1872, on section 18 and the
corner of section 17, which lay between that and the railroad. The switch
and station had alreadv been established in 1865.

Douglas Township

Douglas Township was named for Senator Stephen Douglas, It
lies in the western part of the center of Iroquois County, originally em-
bracing twice as much territory as it does now. It was divided in 1878
with the Illinois Central Railroad dividing it exactly in the center and the
Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw railroad dividing it almost in the center from east
to west. Spring Creek runs across the southeastern corner of the township.

The surface of the land of Douglas Township is generally level and
early in its history suffered greatly in the rainy years, but since drainage
the land is a rich black soil and raises an abundance of corn and all kinds
of small grains and beans and hay.

There were very few early settlers in this township; however, a Jacob
O'Feather settled near Spring treek in 1836. He had a fair education and
was believed to be the first school teacher in the lower Spring Creek Set-
tlement. He was also the first Douglas Township resident.

Douglas Township had three towns: Gilman the largest, LaHogue,
and Leonard (which has only a few houses left now).

We have no exact dates for the village of Leonard. According to
Anna Hallam Howard ( now 85 years old ) , she remembers when there were
a large general store owned by Herman Minhardt, a depot (flag stop for
T.P. & W. passenger trains), post office, school and telephone office. She
estimates the date from the 1850's to the early 1900's. These landmarks
vanished and were later replaced with an elevator, which burned down,
and now on the same spot stands a fertilizer plant. Leonard is in the
eastern part of the township.

LaHogue is in the western part of the township on the TP & W rail-
road, and again there are no exact dates but information was obtained
from Mrs. Winifred Meyers (79 years of age) whose father was the first
doctor of that village. Dr. Lockwood came there in 1881. The village
got its name from two men who brought in their hay press to harvest the
wild hay, a Mr. Laney and Hogue. The first resident was John Zea, who
was also the first ticket agent. In 1921 LaHogue had a hotel, bank, school,
two large grain elevators operated by Zea from the start, three grocery
stores, post office, and church, but with the coming of the highway one
mile south, nine houses were moved, and soon the other businesses dis-
appeared, leaving at present only one store which also houses the post
office and a few well kept homes.

Gilman, the largest town in Douglas Township, is located at the junc-
tion of the IC & TP&W Railroad. In 1847, Gilman's first resident, Matthew
Lynch, a railroad contractor and engineer came to live in what was
called the railroad or section house. By 1855 the IlHnois Central was run-
ning trains from Chicago to Del Rey'and in 1857 tlie Peoria Oquawka
(eastern extension) was opened from the west to this point and a com-
bined passenger and freight house was erected. The first passenger train
over the road was made up here and ran west to Peoria to the state fair,

the last of September. \Ym. B. Fleager came here also in 1857 as the first
station agent. That same year D. L. Parker became the first postmaster.
The first car of lumber and first residence was built by William P. Gard-
ner also in 1857, and later he built a two-story furniture and school
supply store. A large part of what is Gilman in 1967 was once under-
water overgrown with bullrushes, cattails, and overrun with beavers
and muskrats. After much work and drainage, Gilman was a reality.

In the year of 1858, three citizens and three Methodist ministers
donated half of their various holdings in land to the company of Cruger,
Secor, and Gilman, if in consideration they would run their railroad to
this point and make a town here. They had the right to name the town
which was named after one of the members of the company, Mr. Gilman.
This railroad was known in later years as the Springfield division of the
IC Railroad. Those giving the land were E. E. Hundley, John Chamber-
lain, Joseph Thomas, and pastors Walter C. Palmer, John Dempster, and
Joseph Hatwell.

The original town plat contained 77 blocks all north of the Peoria
Railroad. In 1866 Mosher and Dent purchased a tract of land south of
the Peoria Railroad and started improving it to make Gilman a thriving
town. Later there was the Mann addition. In April of 1867 the first
board of trustees was elected-Geo. Patter, E. S. McCaughey, Albert Dick-
erson, Ellias Wenger, ad Hiram Baker. In 1874 Gilman was incorporated;
Thomas Spalding the first mayor. The first hotel was the Gilman House
which burned down as did the next three hotels that followed.

Many of the Gilman business places were destroyed by fire over
the vears due to lack of fire equipment. First came the hand-pulled and
horse-pulled carts, then the fire engines, but as late as 1915 there was still
a fire tower and bell to be hand rung on the lot back of the present
Star office, a far call from Gilman's equipment of today. On July 5, 1883,
a whole block of large store buildings and offices were completely de-
stroyed by fire and never rebuilt.

The first religious services were held in the new IG station and pas-
senger room by a Rev. Osborn sent out from Chicago by the Illinois Cen-
tral to conduct the meeting. The first church of Gilman was the Cathohc
Church built in 1858, destroyed by fire in 1878, but replaced by a much
larger one. The first Protestant Church was the Presbyterian organized in
1858. They held their meetings in various places until their first church
was built in 1866; the Lutheran followed in 1867.

In 1866 Al Peck and his father ran the Hay press, probably Gilman's
first. That same vear this area (which was referred to as the Grand
Prairie of Illinois ) was hit by a big frost in August which killed everything
in the fields.

In 1865 there were just thirty-one buildings in all, but by 1965
Gilman had twice that number of business buildings and many times
that number residents.

The Journal was Gilman's first newspaper, published by Matthews

Custer in 1868, but it lasted two years. Then on May 21, 1870, the Gil-
man Star was born, a weekly paper which is still in operation ninety-
seven years later.

Gilman had increased in population until in 1870 there were 767; in
1920 the population was 1443; in 1925, 1700. In 97 years the population
has only increased a little over a thousand. Two big boons to Gilman were
the flowing wells in 1868 with a public fountain erected and electricit)' in
1898. The water was probably the biggest of the two. Gilman's first doc-
tor, it is thought, was Dr. Wenger who came here in 1865. Some other early
doctors were Dr. Brook, Dr. Dodge, Dr. Van Valkenberg, Dr. Snyder and
Dr. Miller.

Gilman in 1920 had two highways-the Egyptian Trail and the Corn
Belt— both cement paved. There were six Protestant and one Catholic
Church and a new $100,000 High School, a very modern up-to-date hos-
pital, a new high-powered fire truck, a good library with thousands of
books, two building and loan companies, two good banks, a model
creamery and ice plant, many blocks of paved streets, many first class
business houses, and a beautiful comfortable depot. The years have
brought many changes: Gilman now in 1967 has three highways, 24, 45,
and 54 running through the south edge of the business district with a
new super highway being built about a mile from town. Today there
are four Protestant Churches and one Catholic Church, seven taverns or
saloons, but now the taverns are twice as many as the churches. The hos-
pital has not been in operation for at least tweny-five or thirty years, and
the building was sold to Hitchings and Gelmers and houses Dr. Buckner's
office and two upstairs apartments. The first truck has been replaced with
newer equipment. There are now two fire trucks, an inhalator, and all
modern fire fighting equipment. One of the banks closed its doors and
went into receivership, so Gilman has only one bank and one Building
and Loan Association. It is still a big little town and one of the best small
business towns around.

The first club was the Dorcas Society started in 1859. Since the early
1900's many, many clubs of and lodges have come and gone, but many
such as the Masons, Oddfellows, Woodmen, Legions, Commercial Club,
Rotary and the Woman Auxiliaries have prospered.

One of Gilman's big prides is her Old Boys' and Girls' reunions held
every five years since March 21, 1886. Six high school boys met at that
time and decided to meet again each five years. These reunions bring
old timers from every point in the United States. At one time there were
so many Gilmanites in Chicago and Kankakee that they would charter
two railroad cars to bring them back home, but, like every thing else, the
autos have taken over, and the passenger trains are becoming a thing of
the past. The original signers are all gone, and although it is a big event
with parades, floats, and carnivals and probably will always be a cele-
bration, Gilman misses the old time zip and all night dances, hayrides, and
celebrations of the Oldtimers.

The Old Community Hospital in Gilman.

High School at Gilman before 1911.

Looking north on Central Street in Giiman.

Depot and hotel with freight house and water tower in Giiman.

Founfain Creek Township

Fountain Creek Township is the center of the southern tier of town-
ships in Iroquois County and is bordered on the south by Vermihon County.
Lovejoy is on the east, Ash Grove township on the north and Pigeon Grove
on the west.

The town of Fountain Creek was created following a petition signed
by twenty or more legal voters of the town of Ash Grove. The County
board of Supervisors heard the petition. After legal posting of notice
including legal description of the area to be included, all preambles, the
resolution was adopted by the board on Tuesday, September 15, 1868.

These pioneers used every effort to establish schools, churches, gov-
ernment, and improved roads. One by one churches were established,
moved, and united. The present United Brethren Church of Clay ton ville,
was dedicated December 21, 1912; the new Apostolic Christian Church
was dedicated October 23, 1949; Goodwine Methodist Church, the oldest
one in the area, was dedicated in 1872 and has been added to and im-
proved over the years.

Earliest history mentioned numerous one-room schools— Burden
School, Judy School, Carey School, Leemon School, Rudd, Fountain Creek,
and Goodwine School which was established in 1884 and continued in
use until 1960 when its closing made Iroquois County one of the first in
lUinois to abandon all one-room schools. The school districts have all
been absorbed into consolidated districts outside the township.

The first post office, established by the United States Postal Depart-
ment on November 23, 1874, in the home of Jehu Judy, was given the
name Seemly. The mail was brought by post rider from Wellington.
The old post office records kept by Mr. Judy show it was closed at the
end of the first quarter, March 31, 1883, following completion of the rail-
road branch. Post offices were established in Goodwine and Claytonville
with mail coming in by train.

The building of the Wellington to Cissna Park branch of the C & E I
railroad opened transportation in 1882 and was a great asset for ship-
ment of agricultural products to market. Then in 1903 when the Wood-
land to St. Louis line was opened from north to south, additional trans-
portation facilities were provided.

The greatest resources of this township are agricultural products.
There is excellent farmland, fine dairy and beef herds, hogs and sheep.
Grain farming has developed over the years, and with it the establish-
ment of elevators and grain companies to meet the needs of grain farming.

At present there are three elevators in operation— Fountain Creek,
Claytonville, and Goodwine. This last named grain company is the oldest
Farmers' Elevator in the state of Illinois that has been in continuous opera-
tion since it was organized and incorporated in 1889.

The once-swamp prairie land has been tiled by the owners and drain--
^ge districts established. The general slope of the land is toward the

north, with very Httle timber except a small belt along the streams. The
stream from which the township derived its name was once called Bussing
Creek, but one of the earliest settlers not liking the name changed it to
Fountain Creek, and since it has remained.

William Goodwine, for whom the village of Goodwine was named,
owned at one time around one thousand acres of land in the area. He
was active in organizing the township government and served in some
offices in it.

William Clayton, for whom the village of Claytonville was named,
owned many acres of land as well as an elevator in Claytonville.

Depot and grain elevator in Goodwine, Illinois in 1900. This is the oldest Farmer's Elevator
in Illinois that has been in continuous use.

General store in Claytonville, Illinois. This building was destroyed by fire in 1920.

The Goodwine Methodist Church erected in 1882.

Iroquois Township

Iroquois township is in the cential portion of the county and includes
an entire congressional township. The Iroquois River runs across its
northwestern part; Spring Creek passes across its western half from near
its southwestern corner in a northeasterly direction to its junction with
the Iroquois. So large a portion of the township was originally timber
that all requirements for early settlement were found here. The surface is
gently rolhng, and the eastern half of the township is decidedly sandy.

The earliest inhabitants migrated mainly from Ohio and Indiana, but
later many came from counties north and west of Iroquois County. John
Flesher and Levi Thompson seem to have been the first residents of this
township. Among other early residents were John Wilson, John Johnson,
Maurice Kirby, Alfred Fletcher, and L. D. Northrup. Northrup in 1836
laid out the town of Point Pleasant, located on the east side of Spring
Creek about eighty rods from the Iroquois River.

The next settlement made in point of time, and the first in point of
prospective importance, was Plato. A group known as the Plato com-
pany purchased land along the Iroquois River and prepared a platting of
land for a town that was quite atti'active. Plato was described to the |
prospective land buyers in the East as quite a metropolis. According to
them, Plato was at the bend of navigation on the Iroquois River with j
many steamboats trying to find room to dock at its wharves. The plat '
for Plato was to the south and west of the river. It was the expectation
of the proprietors to secure the location of the county seat here, and it was
advertised in New York and Boston as "one of the handsomest locations

Maple Grove School in Iroquois Township in 1916.

for a city in the world," and it might well have been just that. Lots were
sold at prices higher than lots sold in Chicago. Notes given for the lots
were to become due upon completion of the steam mill that was planned.
Largely because of the financial crisis in the nation in 1837, Plato lost
their bid for die countv seat, and with this the dreams of grandeur for
Plato.

The east side of the river was settled from about 1839 bv Samuel
Lyman, Thomas Yates and his father, Artes, Alexander Sward, James M.
Moore, the last of whom settled here in 1850.

An interesting chapter in the history of Iroquois Township is that
of the war between Dixon's Ferrv and another ferrv a short distance down
stream from it. Mr. John \\^ilson, who owned land leading to the second
ferry crossing, won the first legal battle over the issue, but this did not
solve the issue. Both ferries later continued to operate in competition with
each odier. Beckwith's history concludes that Dixon's Ferry was captured
and recaptured almost as many times as Harper's Ferry of pre-Civil War
fame.

The only railroad in the township is the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw,
which was built in 1858 and 1859, and runs along the southern boundary
line of the township.

The northern part of the village of Crescent City is in Iroquois Town-
ship, but this village was discussed in the chapter on Crescent Township.

Bargain store in Plato, Iroquois Township which was destroyed by fire in 1910.

Ferry boat crossing at Plato in Iroquois Township.

t»

Loda Township

Loda Township is located in the southwest corner of Iroquois county,
bounded on the southwest by Ford county, on the north by Artesia town-
ship, and on the east by Pigeon Grove township. It has good land, gently
rolling, easy tilling; however, few farms were brought into cultivation
until the lUinois Central railroad gave a market for products.

The first permanent settlement, so far as can be found, was in 1843.
In 1844 there was a disastrous rainy season during which crops could
neither be planted nor cultivated. The first settler was forced to fight
cholera, hunt wolves which killed his livestock, and tolerate the devastating
rains which seemed to recur every seventh year. At this time the nearest
mills were in Covington, Indiana, and at Myersvillle, Vermihon county.
The nearest market for eggs and chickens was in Chicago.

Loda Township was organized in 1856 and the population in 1875
was about 2,000. Loda Township's first school was in 1849. It was held
in one of the rooms of the first settler's home with about ten pupils at-
tending. Later a school was held in a small cabin nearby. Education
has progressed a great deal since 1879 when school was held for seven
and one-quarter months and a female teacher was paid twenty-nine dollars
a month. For many years the grade and high school students were
housed in a two-story brick building which has since been torn down.
Loda High School consolidated with Buckley High in 1952. In 1964
Loda and Buckley consolidated their grade schools in the Loda High
School building for the benefit of both schools.

The town of Loda was laid out by the Associated Land Company,
composed of those people who had interests in the railroad. It is not
known who was responsible for naming the place Loda. There was im-
mediate confusion with a place in Kane county called Lodi. Some per-
son of authority, noting this confusion, upon his return to Washington, had
the name of Loda's post office changed to Oakalla. He supposed the
name of the town would follow suit, but habit was strong. As young as
this place was, people never got over calling it Loda.

In 1855 there were only three houses, the depot, the freight house
and the section house. In this year, also, as soon as a building could
be put up, a real estate business was opened. Also in 1855 another man,
Adam Smith, one of great energy, business capacity, and unbounded expec-
tations came and purchased 16,000 acres of the railroad land. He put
men to work building, farming, and developing the country. He built
one of the largest houses in the country, which still stands in Loda and is
still considered one of the finest homes around. He spent thousands of
dollars on an extravagantly large mill; put up an extensive building for a
hay-press, built a hotel, stores and other buildings on a somewhat smaller
scale. He also put up on his farm a barn capable of stalling 1,000 head
of cattle.

The Loda distillery was built in 1858 and 1859 by a group of English-
es

men. While it was operating, business was good. Employing about 100
men, this was one of the largest distilleries in the state at that time. It had
eighteen fermenting tubs and a capacity for running 1800 bushels of grain
per day, making about seventy-five barrels of high wines per day and
feeding 1200 head of cattle and 2000 hogs in the summer. It required
four or five government officials in attendance when it was in full opera-
tion. The death of nearly all the people interested in it finally stopped
its operation, and shortly after it was burned to the ground. The ground
where it stood is now in cultivation.

Loda, which had reached a peak before 1875, began to decHne in
population soon after the destruction of the distillery. At this time the
building of new railroads which crossed each other at Hoopeston de-
prived Loda of the trade of a large region of country. The building of
the Gilman and Springfield Railroad cut off a portion of trade in that
direction. A number of Loda busianess men found locations elsewhere
and many of the houses were empty. What happened to the houses in
Loda that once were lived in by more than 1000 persons? The people in
the country who were making new farms found it cheaper to go to Loda
and buy a house rather than to build one, and many of these were hauled
out to the surrounding farms.

The first paper published in Loda or in the southern part of Iroquois
county, was started in 1856. Known as the Garden State, it was an inde-
pendent six-column paper devoted to local interests, literature, and home
affairs. The Loda Independent, published in 1866, continued for only one
year. The "News" was published for two years starting in 1872. The
"Register" was begun in 1875, and the "Times" in 1879. Publishing the
"Loda Times" for 93 years has been the Stevens Printing Co. in Paxton.

A meeting of citizens was held in June of 1863 to vote on whether
or not to incorporate the village. The meeting voted in the affirmative
for incorporation. Five trustees were elected and one was chosen presi-
dent. The boundaries of the town were fixed to include all of the original
town of Loda and all the additions which had been platted. In September
1873 the town voted to accept the general act for the government of
villages, passed in 1872.

One of the first religious organizations in Loda was the Baptist
church which was started in February of 1857. The original church was
built in 1864. A preliminary meeting of people desiring a Congregational
church was also held in 1857. The church was built in 1859 and 1860.
It had quite a library of 500 volumes and furnished five prairie schools
with libraries. This church was remodeled and rededicated in both 1893
and 1904. The building, sold to a Lutheran group in 1951, is known today
as Immanuel Lutheran Church.

The first Methodist meetings were also held in the year 1857. The
first organization was in 1859, and the church built in 1864-1865. The
Roman Catholic Church was gathered here about 1870 and a church
built in 1874.

Loda has its own public library. This memorial library which was
dedicated in 1897 is kept up by an endowment fund and run by a board
of trustees.

The only business of any size in Loda today is the Loda Poultry Co.
This business has been operating in Loda for over 85 years. It first trans-
ported chickens and eggs to live markets, grew larger and processed
poultry for many years and now is a distributing plant.

The newest development in Loda Township is Bayles Lake. It is a
private man-made lake located one mile west of Loda. The lake itself
is about two miles long and has nine miles of shoreline. The lake filled
early in the spring of 1953 and has grown so much that it is really a com-
munity in itself.

'^^i

Railroad depot in Loda, Illinois.

\^,

The old and new schools in Loda, Illinois.

s-^^s»t^^i

Library in Loda, Illinois.

Lovejoy Township

Lovejoy Township was first settled in the northern part of the town-
ship. The first building erected in the township was the "Red Pump,"
located on the Hubbard Trail or Chicago Road at the north edge of the
township. A well was dug at this location, and a log pump inserted
which was painted red. The well never failing to provide water, was
much in demand whenever it was possible to drive teams and herds of
cattle to Chicago. A tavern called "The Red Pump" was operated there
in the early days, getting its name from the well pump. The township
was sparsely settled in these early days.

Lovejoy Township was formerly a part of Milford Township lying
directly to the south of that township and was bounded on the south by
the county line of Iroquois and Vermilion counties. Lovejoy Township
was estabHshed by a vote of its people at the first election held in April
1868. The petition for separation was signed by thirty voters and pre-
sented to the 1868 February term of the Board of Supervisors and was
granted by that body.

At the first town meeting the people passed a resolution providing
for a survey of all the lands in the township. The expenses of the survey
were defrayed by a tax of so much per acre. On July 3, 1868 an election
was held for the purpose of deciding whether financial aid would be
given to the Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad in the amount of
$3,000.00. The vote was 23 for and 3 against. Lovejoy Township, in
addition to this amount, had assumed $60,007.12 of the railroad indebt-
edness of Milford Township, which had been voted before the division of
Milford Township. The people at first were quite enthusiastic about
giving aid to the railroad company, but as time passed, their interest
waned and there was considerable effort made to avoid payment of
this indebtedness. However, good transportation was desperately
needed for the movement of farm products to market, and the building
of the railroad in 1871 had much to do with the settlement and growth
of the area.

Prior to 1872, there was a small settlement of the town of Wellington
approximately one-quarter mile east of the present downtown area of the
village. After the railroad was constructed in 1871, Welhngton, the only
town in Lovejoy Township, was laid out in 1872 near the center of Sec-
tion 14 with the business area being built adjacent to the railroad. In
order to secure switches and a depot for the new town, J. L. Hamilton
and R. T. Race each donated 40 acres of land to the Railroad Company.
As a result of the location of the railroad and the laying out of the town,
many businesses began to operate in order to supply the needs of the
village area. Among them, in the early days, were grain elevators, a
livestock yard, general merchandise stores, a drug store, hardware and
implements business, lumber yard, harness shop, blacksmith shop, under-
taker, livery stable, hotel, draying and many other businesses and serv-

ices. Streets were laid out, houses built, local governmental units estab-
lished and the village and township were well on the way to becoming
a flourishing community.

For example, the principal business in Wellington in 1878-79 was the
buving and shipping of grain. It was estimated that in 1879 21,000 bush-
els of flax seed was shipped as well as 375,000 bushels of corn.

In 1878 a church building was erected by the Methodists in what was
then known as the southeast part of town, and cost $1500. First services
conducted in this building occurred after Christmas in the year 1878.
In 1904 the Methodists constructed their present church building on East
Main Street. Prior to 1900, the Presbyterians had a large church on East
Main Street, located on the land which is now a part of the village park.
Both churches thri\'ed in the early part of this century, but eventually the
congregation of the Presbyterian Church declined to such an extent that
it was disbanded in approximately 1928.

John Greer, a prominent land owner in Prairie Green and Lovejoy
Townships, upon his death on January 2, 1891, provided through his
will that a bequest be made to Lovejoy Township. He directed that a
town hall be erected for the sum of $2,000 and that an additional sum of
$2,000 be given to the township with the income from this amount to be
used for the maintenance of the building. In 1894 the town hall was
built, a brick building 66' x 22' containing an auditorium and stage.
For many years officials of the village and township have used it as
their headquarters and as a polling place. It was used extensively for
the first twenty-five or thirty years for many events such as school plays,
social activities, for the community, and for traveling shows of various
kinds. But as newer, modern school buildings were constructed, many
of the community's activities were transfen-ed to the larger building. A
Fire Protection District, composed of Lovejoy and Prairie Green Town-
ships was organized in 1954, and a new Fire Department Building was
constructed in 1955. Since then, the polling place for Lovejoy Township
has been located in this new building and meetings of the township and
village have been transferred from the old Town Hall to the newer build-
ing. The cash bequest left for the maintenance of the town hall is still
intact and invested, but the town hall has long ceased to be the center
of the communits^ activities.

After the first settlers of the land arrived in this area, it became nec-
essarv to provide schools for the children. Usually, every four sections
of land comprised a school district which supported a one-room school
house.

In the village of Wellington a large, square, frame school building
was erected, probably around the year 1881, wliich served until 1930.
The old building had two school rooms on each of two floors, and at
the time seemed more than adequate. There are many in the community
who attended school in this building, and no doubt, remember it as being
a larger building than it actually was. In 1930 tiie School Board, composed

of Alta Lockhart, Van Benbow, and Perry Parrish, supervised the con-
struction of a new brick building with gymnasium which still serves as
headquarters for the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades.

A high school building was erected in 1915 with a basement gym-
nasium and served the community well for many years. Interest in bas-
ketball was high during tlie 20's and 30's, and some very fine teams rep-
resented Wellington in area competition. In 1941 a very large and mod-
ern gvmnasium was built as an addition to the original building.

In the late 30's and early 40's much discussion was held in regard to
the discontinuance of the one-room school buildings. This consolidation
was accomplished, and bus transportation of pupils to a central point
became necessary. In 1947, consolidation of schools became popular and
tlie territory of Prairie Green and Lovejoy Townships banded together
into a one-unit school district. The one-room school houses soon dis-
appeared, and a new grade school building was erected at Greer in
Prairie Green Township. This building now accommodates the first and
second grades for the entire school district.

Prior to 1920, the township roads were taken care of through the
help of farmers who worked in their spare time with teams, wagons, and
scoops. The township itself also used graders with steam engines to pull
these machines. In the 20's rock was shipped in by railroad car, and
those persons owning teams and gravel wagons were paid to unload the
cars and transport the material to various roads. In 1936 a sizeable bond
issue was passed, and for the first time every farmer had access to an
improved gravel road to market.

In 1919 the Dixie Highway was constructed and a hard road was
built to connect \\'ellington with the new highway. This road to town
embraced the full length of Main Street to the east edge of town. In
constructing this road, a cement mixer, propelled by steam power, was
used. In order to provide water for this steam operation and for the
cement mixing, a pipe was laid along side of the road to a nearby creek.
A narrow gauge railroad track was built from the town to the road
building site, and material was hauled for road building by small freight
cars.

About 1881 a railroad spur from the main line was constructed from
a point about one and three-fourths miles north of town in a westerly
direction to serve the towns of Alonzo, Hickman, Goodwine, Claytonville,
and Cissna Park. A train accommodating both passengers and freight
made two round trips a dav from Cissna Park. This train did a con-
siderable amount of switching at all points along the way and served
a useful purpose for many years. Many high school students living along
this new line rode the train to attend high school at Wellington.

A large hotel in Wellington operated until 1920. It had twenty-five
rooms and catered to salesmen and others who came to town on business.
These early-day salesmen, in order to cover territory not served by rail-

roads, hired teams and buggies from the Uvery stable to make their
selhng trips to nearby towns.

The village had street lights in the early days, using first kerosene
lamps; later gas lights were used, and finally in 1920 electricity became
available to everyone.

Lovejoy Township as a township will be eHgible to observe its 100th
Anniversary in April of 1968.

c»

Steam powered threshing outfit in 1895 from Lovejoy Township.

Main Street in Wellington, Illinois looking east in 1913.

jjaifig^^

vfW'^^^^

Post Office and General Store on the north side of Main Street in Wellington, Illinois taken
in 1919.

Martinfon

This township occupies a position in the center of the northeast quar-
ter of Iroquois County. Papineau is on its northern boundary, Beaver to
the east, Middleport and Iroquois townships on its southern boundary,
the Iroquois River, its western boundary. The C & EI raih-oad runs by
the northeastern corner of the township.

The soil is chiefly the fertile sandy loam, common along the Iroquois
River. Originally nearly one-third of its surface was covered by timber.
Along its western border the timbers were quite thick and was used for
building fences and houses, as well as supplying fuel.

The first settlers to put up homes in the township are believed to
have been those who came to Bean's Grove, along the eastern side of
the township, between 1833 and 1840. Aaron Rush is believed to have
been the first settler and probably arrived around 1833. Mr. Rush moved
to Wisconsin forty years later. Other very early settlers were a Mr. Cot-
trell, Benjamin King, and James Williams.

In 1836 E. M. Hammond settled in this township. He was joined by
a Mr. Gillespie and John Merrily shortly thereafter.

Thomas Yates, known in Illinois as an important cattle raiser, was one
of the first settlers in the western part of Martinton Township. He and
his father later sold out their interests in Martinton and moved their
interests across the Iroquois River to what is now Iroquois Township.

In the years before the railroad, the old stage route from Bourbonnais
to Middleport traveled this township. Located on Beaver Creek was the
nearest post-office, called the Democrat Post Office, which dated back
to Congressman John Wentworth, the long-time editor of the Chicago
Democrat. The first post office built in this township came in 1871 after
the railroad was brought to the township.

Porter Martin, from whom the township received its name, arrived
in the area at about the same time the railroad was completed. Porter
Martin's family was originally from the state of Vermont.

Mr. Martin had four sons-James, John, \\'arren, and Barney-and
two daughters-Mrs. Stearns and Mrs. Burnham. James Martin began
a mercantile business with a Mr. Beckert at Old Martinton in 1856.
Martin and Beckett sold their store to other interests, and after a further
series of transactions, this store became the property of J. W. Stearns
and Co. This company moved the store to New Martinton when it was
laid out along the railroad.

A Mr. Carrean built a blacksmith shop in New Martinton. Mr. A. O.
Edison, a cousin of Thomas A. Edison, settled in New Martinton and
opened up a wagon shop, but later A. O. Edison followed the trade of car-
pentry and home-building.

Other early settlers were mostly from Indiana and Ohio, but a few
came in later from other eastern states besides Vermont. Later in the

nineteenth century French-Canadians from the settlements in Ashkum
and Papineau became residents in the township.

At the September meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Iroquois
County in 1857, the present town of Martinton was set off and named
Buchanan, after James Buchanan, the President of the United States.
The first town meeting was held at the Martin and Beckert store; in 1858
Thomas Maggee was elected the first supervisor of the township. Two
years later the name was changed to Martinton.

The village of Martinton was laid out when the railroad was built
on the land of Adam Wamba. Following the custom, Mr. Wamba con-
veyed the land to the railroad so a depot could be established there.
Later the railroad companv conveyed the land to John L. Donovan, who
platted the town, and through whom the titles of lots were received.
J. W. Stearnes was the first to start a mercantile business here, bringing
his stock from Old Martinton in the spring of 1872. Thomas Maggee Jr.
commenced buving for the Simon & Runvan Company during the winter
of 1872.

Dr. Collins, Dr. Tascher, and Dr. B. L. Evans were the first three
physicians in Martinton. Henry G. Stearnes was the first postmaster,
succeeded by Victor Peltier in 1875.

The village was incorporated in 1875. On September 24th of this
year the county court ordered an election to be held in the village as a
result of a petition requesting that it be duly presented. The election
was held on October 23, 1875. Isaac Pilotte, Peter Garmache, Barney
Martin, Samuel Lottinville, Levi Case, and A. Belgrade were elected
trustees. Pilotte was elected president of this growing body, V. Peltier
the clerk, and A. Belgrade the police magistrate.

Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad depot with elevator in background..

■ ,J^^i.^^a.^ v>» *#w''**<fc4i

Perry Bridge over Iroquois River in Martinton Township. It is a 300-foot span

Main Street of Martinton, Illinois looking west.

* ■ ^^^WtMBMJ.tkaWMW l

Looking northwest on the Main Street of Martinton, Illinois in 1912

«j

Middleport Township

At the turn of the Century Middleport Township had a population
of 2,955, with Watseka, accounting for 2,148. There were many fine
homes and farmsteads but no paved roads and no paved streets. The
C. & E. I. Railroad crossed the township north and south with some trains
stopping at Pittwood as well as at Watseka. Crossing the township east
and west, the T. P. & W. Railroad ran passenger trains each way three
times daily.

In 1900 Pittwood had two stores, a barber shop, a doctor, two churches,
a post office, a blacksmith shop, a lumber yard, a drug store combined
with a real estate office, a butcher shop, a grist mill, an elevator, a school
and a railroad station.

Watseka was a thriving community with fifty or more business houses,
two newspapers, two banks, five doctors, four dentists, two grade schools
in Middleport (one grade school and a high school in Belmont) and at
least ten attorneys at law. There were four hotels and several boarding
houses. Freight was hauled from the railroad station by horse drawn
drays and deliveries of food to homes were made by horse drawn de-
livery wagons.

The first movie theater was a "Nickelodeon," located on the south
side of Walnut Street between the C. & E. I. Railroad and Second Street.
Movies became a very popular means of entertainment and for many years
Watseka had at least two at one time and sometimes three.

The Iroquois County Fair Grounds at the east end of Locust Street
between Mulberry Street and the T. P. & W. Railroad was the scene of an
excellent county fair for many years, as well as for the high school football
games, the county high school track meets, and all of the circuses that
came to the community. Ringling Brothers, Wallace and Hagenback,
Barnum and Bailey, Sells-Floto, and Buffalo Bill included Watseka on
their summer itineraries.

The principal industry of the township in 1900 was farming. This
was a difficult occupation as the farmers used horse drawn single row
plows and walking, single row cultivators, also spring tooth rakes for
hay side delivery rakes came within a few years as well as riding cul-
tivators. Timothy, the primary hay crop, was used to feed horses. Other
crops were corn and oats with an occasional field of rye. Wheat was
grown in 1918 for the first time in any quantity. Meatless, wheatless,
sugarless days were widely accepted by the population during World
War I, and the farmer was encouraged to expand his production as well
as include wheat in his crop plan.

Limestone was introduced into the township by the first farm advisor,
Mr. Lewis W. Wise, who came to the county in 1912. Use of phosphate
and sweet corn as soil builders followed soon after limestone. Two-row
cultivators which came in the 1920's were considered a great help. The
steam-powered threshers were introduced before 1900 and used until
combines were widely accepted in the 1940's.

It was a great day for the farmer and every member of his family
when the thrashing machine, manned by three men, came down the lane.
The machine men had to be fed three meals a day, with lunches in be-
tween and were usually given a night's lodging.

Considerable livestock was raised on each farm. Disease was preva-
lent among farm animals, as well as humans. Home remedies were used
but sometimes not too effective. The first veterinarian. Dr. Stringer,
came to the township in 1905, and was soon the busiest man around. He
was followed in 1910 by Dr. Carl Yoder. Dr. J. V. Oltman, Dr. Scanton,
and Dr. R. M. Hampton followed. Dr. Oltman practiced here until his
death in 1950, and Dr. Hampton retired in 1962. Dr. Winkler was here
from 1952 to 1962, and Dr. A. J. Day came in 1961.

The corn was picked or "shucked" by hand. Once again the house-
wife had a big job as extra men were hired and given room and board as
well as so much a bushel for picking ( usually three cents in 1900, six cents
by 1930).

Haying also meant extra keep. Usually the neighbors came with their
hayracks and sometimes, an extra mowing machine or two. Bailing hay
by machine became general about the same time as machines were used
for other farm jobs. All of the machines followed the acceptance of the
tractor as a necessity.

Tractors and motorized trucks of all sizes came on the scene in the
1930's and revolutionized the whole farming system. Larger plows, larger
cultivators, a whole new method of harvesting— the combine and corn
picker— made it possible for one man to farm more acres than in the past.
This trend has continued down to the present.

A large creamery, the Watseka Dairy Products Company came to
the township in 1935, using the Volberding Ice Cream Company plant
on Ash Street in Watseka. This Company bought whole milk from farmers.
When the business was expanded and other plants operated in this sec-
tion of Illinois and Indiana, the name was changed to the Crystal Dairy
Products Company. A spice factory. The Crystal Food Products Company
was started on the same premises on Ash Stieet in 1959.

In 1928, a shirt factory. The Walton Duplex Company was built along
the north side of the T. P. & W. tracks east of Eighth Street, but this com-
pany did not stay long. The building was leased to Western Condenser in
1939. That Conipany was consolidated with T. R. W. and in 1967, em-
ploys 300 people from many parts of the county and is of great economic
value.

Uarco, Inc. came to Watseka in 1951 and built a plant on the nortli
side of the T. P. & W. tracks at the west city limits, almost on the banks
of Sugar Creek. It is a progressive and constantly growing plant, em-
ploying 650 people in 1967. It is a great asset to all of Middleport as
well as to the surrounding townships.

The American Telephone and Telegraph (A. T. & T.) Company
built a large Repeater station on the Cemetery Road in Middleport in

1926, with an addition in 1928. Operations such as this one have grown
more important through the years with the rapid advances in communica-
tions, radio, and television. It affects the daily hves of all in many ways.

The Iroquois County Farm Bureau was organized in the Old Court
House in Middleport Township in November, 1913. The Iroquois County
Home Bureau was organized in 1928. The name was changed to Home-
makers Extension. These two groups sponsor 4-H Clubs; Middleport has
4 Home Economics 4-H clubs and 2 agriculture 4-H Clubs in 1967.
The first clubs in the county were organized by high school Home Eco-
nomics teachers in 1926.

The public schools were constantly improved over the years. Mid-
dleport had a school at Pitt\vood, West Watseka, and the North Side grade
school in Watseka in addition to eight one room schools. Today, all of
the rural districts have been consolidated into a Middleport school at
Pittwood, West Watseka, and District #69 which has three buildings now.

The only private school in the township is the Welles School for Re-
tarded Children. This school was started in March, 1953 by Miss Nona
^^^est, county nurse. Seven families with retarded children met and or-
ganized the Iroquois Association for Retarded Children. By October,
twelve children were registered and the school was opened in one room
at the Lutheran school at Woodworth. By 1955, the Welles trustees be-
came interested, and the school was moved to the old Welles school
property on East Cherry Street west of the Presbyterian Church. Since
no funds from taxation were available at this time, the school was sup-
ported by parents and voluntary contribution. Children from all over
the county were enrolled, and the parents furnished transportation. After
seven years, the Welles property was sold and a new building constructed
on the Cemetery road at the northeast edge of Watseka by the Welles
trustees.

In 1962 a sheltered Workshop was opened in the building on Cherry
Street. A substantial donation in 1964 from the Sophia Steinhilber estate
made possible the construction of a new building adjacent to the Welles
school for the workshop. The workshop program is for young adults
sixteen or over who are not employable on their own. Work is solicited
from local industries or businesses, and the young people paid for their
work. The workshop requires close supervision.

In 1967, 33 children from age five through the workshop age are
attending Welles School. Some state funds are available today, with
about 50% of the required budget coming from taxes and 50% from do-
nations. This school is operated by a board of 9 members elected by
the association.

The Watseka Public Library on the corner of Cherry and Fourth
Streets was built in 1903 and ready for occupancy in 1904. Mr. George
H. MiUer, a Bloomington architect, designed the building. The contract
was let for $12,050 and $2000 was allowed for fixtures and furniture. The
second floor auditorium was to be for the use of Watseka Women's Club

and other organizations. In 1967 the Library contains 15,000 volumes
and has approximately 2000 borrowers, with an annual circulation of 18,500.

In the fall of 1907 all of the churches got together and built a huge,
rough board "Tabernacle" on the west side of Third Street between Cherry
and Locust. The seats were rough boards set on tile and the only heat,
a pot-bellied coal stove, in the front. The platform had a piano, a pulpit,
and room for a choir. Music was an important part of the service and
was led by a professional musician who was hired with the evangelist.
"The Old Time Religion" was belted out each evening to be heard for
blocks away. Many people confessed their sins and joined some church
during these meetings— some to remain faithful and others to "slip back
to their sinful card playing, dancing, and gambling." The churches active
in 1900 were Methodist, Catholic, Christian, Presbyterian and Friends.
Congregations were formed later by Episcopalians, Missouri Synod Lu-
theran, American Lutheran, Baptist and Church of Christ. Seven Day
Adventists met at the home of Mr. David Johnson, the barber, in the early
years. There were two churches at Pittwood, Christian and Seven Day
Adventists. The latter church was discontinued many years ago, as it
was in Watseka.

The first concrete or paved road crossed Middleport in 1915 when a
narrow road was built west of Watseka. Illinois State Route 1 was paved

Stanley house built in 1867 at the corner of Fifth and Cherry Streets in Watseka. Dismantled
in 1966.

in 1920 and U. S. Route 24 was paved in 1921. From this time until today
the roads of Middleport Township have been constantly improved until
there is a good netsvork of farm-to-market roads over the whole area.

Watseka Main Street in 1876. Looking northeast from Courthouse at Second and Cherry Streets.

Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad crossing Chicago and Eastern Illinois tracks in Watseka
Old railroad tower on right.

Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad depot with Iroquois Hotel in background taken in 1914.

Milford Township

The settlement of Milford began in 1830 along Sugar Creek, the area
taking its name from a ford by a mill on this stream. At the time of
this settlement it formed a part of Vermilion County and was the only
settlement, except Bunkum, now Iroquois, between North Fork and Chi-
cago. Milford is situated in the southeastern part of Iroquois County,
bounded on the north by Belmont, east by Stockland, south by Lovejoy,
and on the west by Ash Grove townships.

The earliest settlement in Milford of which any account can be ob-
tained was made in the timber on the banks of Sugar Creek. Early in
the year of 1830, Samuel Rush, Robert Hill, and Elisha Miles emigrated
from Indiana and settled upon land in the northern part of the Township.
Mr. Rush claimed that he was the first white settler, and it is said that
he was here in the fall of 1829. Mr. Rush drove his team of oxen
hitched to a covered wagon to a place near Sugar Creek. He removed
the cover from his wagon and used is at a cover on his first house. As soon
as he could, he built a three-sided house of logs with the roof and floor
of bark; a fire was kept burning in front of the open side. This house
was on the Rush homestead where Donald Theesfield now lives.

The only road in the country was what was known as the Hubbard
Trail, between Danville and the lake shore by the way of Bunkum. Mr.
Hubbard, who lived in Danville, had a trading post in Bunkum. As there
was no regularly laid out road, the route he followed was named after him.

The first Post Office in Milford, named Driftwood, was established
at the house of Levi Thompson, about the year 1833. Thompson was post-
master. The mail was usually carried on horseback, the carrier stopping
at Thompson's house over night. Previous to this time, letters were
brought from LaFayette, Indiana, or Danville by any person who might
by chance come to Milford. Asa Thomas built the first house in the

township south of Sugar Creek. The first marriage ceremony performed
was that of Ehzah Sapp and Miss Ally Thomas, daughter of Asa Thomas.
Sapp was obliged to walk to Danville, a distance of thirty-five miles for
the license.

The first adult person who died was Mrs. Singleton who was fatally
burned by falling into the fireplace in her home. Her grave was prepared
by first laying poles on the bottom and sides, then putting her body in
and covering it in the same manner.

March 3, 1874, the village of Milford was incorporated. July 1, 1874,
the Milford post office was made a mail order office. The postmaster at
this time was James Woodworth, father of Frank Woodworth. March 3,
1874, Citizens State Bank was organized by A. M. and E. S. Jones, twin
brothers, and their sister Priscilla Jones.

The first township election was held in the year of 1856. Fifty-one
votes were cast. Elected were Supervisor, Town Clerk, Assessor, Collector,
Overseer of the Poor, and Road Commissioner. September 5, 1859, the
people voted to levy a tax of 1% to pay for a new school. The building
contract was let at a cost of $320.00. It was to be 18' x 24', of good ma-
terial throughout, to be painted, and to include ten seats and a teacher's
desk. The new school was finished in March, 1860. The teacher's salary
was eighteen dollars per month.

In 1876, Donovan and Vennum Bank was called First National Bank,
with Horace Russell, cashier. This building was located where Milford
Township building is now situated. The Milford Building Loan Asso-

Meot market in Milford, Illinois taken in 1898.

elation was founded in 1883. Warren Davis spent seventy years in Citizens
State Bank and Milford Building Loan.

Edward L'Hote bought the Herald News in 1878; Warren Hart-
berg now owns and has operated tiiis paper since 1931.

In February, 1932, the Nazarene Church was organized; the Baptist
Church was organized in 1961.

In 1960, a census of Milford Township was taken. The population
was 2240, of which the population of the village of Milford was 1699. The
timbered areas and prairie have changed somewhat from the days of the
first settlement. Today the country side is a thriving agricultural region.
Milford is very proud of their industries and the new Citizens State Bank
building. Decker Sales Commission Co., Ritenour Concrete Products,
Reeves Brothers Construction Co., Howard Industries, and Jessie Machine
Shop.

iWi

Milks Grove Township

Milks Grove is the northwestern township in Iroquois County. It is
bounded on the north by Kankakee County, on the east by Chebanse, on
the south by Ashkum, and on the west by Ford County. Originally this
township was named "Hickory Grove" due to a well-developed grove
of hickory trees of about 300 acres in the center of this area. The name
of Milks Grove was given to the township because of the influence Mr.
Lemuel Milk had in its development.

Colonel William Howard of New York came to this area sometime
in the late 1840's. Colonel Howard's occupation was that of a drover,
buying cattle and driving them to market. Consequently, he never lived
in the township but did own land in it. Mr. Rutledge H. Enos came to
the township as Mr. Howard's representative. The area was known as
Enos' Grove as a result of this man's living there.

In 1850 Colonel Howard proposed that Mr. Milk buy out the Colonel's
interest in the Grove. Mr. Milk bought half interest and Colonel Howard
gave the remaining half of land to his son. With the death of Col. Howard
in 1853 Milk bought the interest from the Colonel's son.

Actually Lemuel Milk came to the area bearing his name in 1851.
He developed extensive land holdings in the area, but primarily he was
interested in raising first sheep, and later cattle. He developed quite a
cattle-feeding operation over the approximately fifty farms he owned.
Ranging in size from 80 acres to a section, these farms were not all in
this township.

The township grew in population until some years after the Civil
War. The first settler was Mr. R. H. Enos who had managed the Grove
Farm for Col. Howard and later for Mr. Milk. The township was first
organized in 1872. The first township officers were R. C. Munger, super-
visor; B. W. Gilborne, clerk; Samuel Walker, assessor; and C. W. Summer,
collector.

The early historv of Milks Grove Township is so much a part of
the life of Lemuel jSIilk that a few more facts about him seem to be
pertinent. Mr. Milk was a farmer, stock raiser, and merchant. By steadily
increasing his land ownership, he possessed 9,000 acres at one time. He
owned land in Kankakee County as well as other property in Kankakee,
Wilmington, Manteno, and Chicago and approximately 12,000 acres in
Indiana.

^3^

Onarga Township

When the first settlers came to what is now Onarga Township, they
were attracted by Spring and Shave Tail Creeks whose banks were sur-
rounded by timber and good land. The first white man to enter the
area was Gordon S. Hubbard, a fur trader. The first white settler was
Jesse Amos who came from Sugar Creek and stayed with the Indians
during the summer and fall of 1833. In may, 1834, the second settler,
John Miller, made his claim and built a shelter for his wife and four
children.

Ira Lindsey, Jonas Smith and son, James, and J. B. Grice left West
Virginia in 1834 and came to Illinois, accompanied by Abram Lehigh, who
had emigrated from New York to West Virginia, to Ohio and to Indiana.
Frederick A. Lehigh, born August 14, 1835, was the first white child
born on Spring Creek.

The nearest mill at this time was thirty miles away, the only market
eighty-five miles, and the closest doctor twenty miles away. Jonas Smith
was the first county surveyor. The first election in Spring Creek was held
in the home of James Smith in the fall of 1835. Judges appointed by the
county court were Levi Thompson, Ira Lindsey, and John Johnson.

Ira Lindsey, one of these judges, was the first to build a brick house
in 1834 and also a large barn. He was also the justice of the peace.

Other early settlers included James Martin who worked for Lindsey
and Ayers. Samuel Mason Ayers arrived in 1834. In the spring of 1835,
Col. James Frame settled in the area and operated a hand mill for
grinding corn. In the fall of 1835, Jonathan Wright arrived; the first wed-
ding on Spring Creek was that of his daughter, Louisa, who married Jacob
A. Whiteman of Bunkum. Several families settled in Spring Creek in
1836 including the Thomas Pangborns, the Caleb Jewetts, Oliver Millers,
Alexander Harpers, and the Reuben Skeels.

Thomas A. Norvell was keeper of the first hotel in Onarga. The
first blacksmith was John Shipley. The first business opened in Del Rey
in 1853 was by Frank Walker; Gardner and Pecks operated the first general
store. In 1854 the first United States post office opened in Del Rey with
an annual net income of $1.57. The Onarga post office opened in 1855
with an annual net income of $16.99.

After the Illinois Central Railroad from Kankakee to Spring Creek
(a distance of thirty-one miles) was opened December 2, 1853, many
families migrated to the area.

During the early days nothing but surface wells were dug. These
became dry during the summer months. Much of the sickness among the
settlers and loss of livestock was blamed on these dry wells. In 1854
Thomas Lindsey bored in the bottom of two wells. The railroad well
at Onarga hit a vein at one hundred feet. Samuel Harper, two miles east
of Onarga, struck a stream at eighty-five feet which was the first flowing
well in the county. It was estimated there were over 2,000 flowing wells
in the county at one time, most of them in the Onarga area.

At the time the Ihinois Central Raihoad reached Onarga in the fall
of 1853, there were only two or three houses and a freight-passenger
depot. A few pioneers lived on the banks of Spring Creek, but there
was not a house on the prairie west of the station for twenty miles. W. P.
Pierson occupied the first building in 1853; James Watts built a house
which he sold to Nelson Skeels in 1853; and the railroad built a boarding
house in 1853. When Pierson first arrived, he used the freight house as
an office, and in 1853 started the first business selling lumber, furniture,
hardware, farm implements, and household articles. ( In the crash of 1857,
Pierson's was the only business along the railroad that did not fail.)

Onarga was laid out in 1854 by David A. Neal, vice president of
the railroad. It is on a high ridge, twenty-three feet above Gilman at
the north and the creek bed three and one-half miles south. At a general
election in November, 1855, the township system of local government was
adopted with Onarga, one of the eleven townships created. It was twelve
and three-fourths miles east and west by ten miles north and south. In
1861 two tiers of sections were taken from Loda on the south and a
five and one-half miles strip from the north. In 1879 an additional strip,
four and one-half miles wide from north to south, was taken to create
Ridgeland Township. The present area is approximately eight and one-
half miles east and west and six and one-half miles north and south.

On April 1, 1856, at the first townsliip election, eighty-eight votes
were cast electing Ray W. Andrews, supervisor; Dr. A. N. Crawford, town
clerk; Dr. Lemuel Boyd, assessor; Nelson Skeels, collector; and Thomas A.
Norvell, Jacob Riner, and Daniel Wright, commissioners of highways.

Dr. A. N. Crawford settled in the area in 1854, later selling to Dr.
John L. Parmalee. A lumber yard opened in 1856, and a banking busi-
ness started in 1867.

An election on February 9, 1863, resulted in the incorporation of the
village of Onarga. The first trustees elected March 16, 1863 were Charles
H. Wood, G. G. Webb, Winslow Woods, Cyrus Austin, and Richard A.
Hungerford. March 30, 1876, it was organized under the general village
charter.

Allen Pinkerton, the famous detective and founder of the Pinkerton
Agency, purchased a large tract of land (254.22 acres) in 1864. He left
it remain in its original condition of raw prairie for several years. He
later sold several small tracts of land including twenty-five acres for the
site of the Iroquois County fair, operated by the Iroquois County Agri-
cultural Society. In 1873 he began his idea of a prairie farm, "the acme
of western rural development," and after seven years of labor and great
expense, "The Larches" became the model farm of Iroquois County. Over
1000 evergreens, 85,000 larch and many maple trees were planted on the
grounds, and the orchard contained pear, quince, cherry, and 2000 apple
trees. A modern home resembling a southern mansion was built. In
addition there were two greenhouses, barns, stables, corn crib, ice house,
and fruit house, as well as a snuggery or wine cellar adjoining the resi-

dence. An artificial lake one hundred feet long was at the rear of the
house; marble and terra cotta vases further beautified the grounds. Al-
though time has caused much deterioration, the house still stands.

There are five known cemeteries in Onarga township. One is at Del
Rey, known as the Lehigh cemetery. The Onarga cemetery, organized in
1858, contains the graves of the Timothy Websters (father and son) shot
as Civil War spies and made famous by Allen Pinkerston's book, The
Spy of the Rebellion. In addition there are the Frame, Pangborn, and
Jefferson cemeteries.

The first school was organized in 1836 in the Lehigh cabin, with
neighborhood schools being added, until in 1880, there were thirteen.
The first village school was built in 1856. The present two-story brick
school was built in 1867; an addition with an unusual mansard roof was
built in 1872, and the gymnasium in 1937. As early as 1865, separate
schools for Negro children were organized, but were suspended and the
students attended the public schools. The first high school class, con-
sisting of five girls, graduated from the Onarga High School in 1880. The
first male graduate was F. L. Brodie in 1883, who had been born a slave
in Windsor, South Carolina. At the age of sixteen, he learned the alpha-
bet, entered the Onarga schools in 1878, and at the age of twenty-two,
studied at Biddle University. Ordained in 1888, he became a minister
and a teacher.

Private schools have also played an important part in the history of
Onarga Township. The Rev. John Thomas, pastor of the Presbyterian
Church, opened a select school known as the Onarga Institute in 1862.
Pupils numbered over one hundred. This school was suspended in 1872.

The educational convention of Middleport District of the Methodist
Church met in Onarga on June 10, 1863, and voted to establish a seminary.
Onarga was chosen as the location and the people of Onarga raised $7000
for this purpose. A three-story building was completed in 1864, costing
$11,100. The school achieved great renown as a "high grade seminary"
and continued until 1918, when it opened as a school for boys stressing
military training. The following year the school was leased to J. Edward
Bittinger, who, with his sons Leigh N. and Lyle M., operated the school
until 1952. Since then, it has operated under the management of the
Grand Prairie Seminary board with Col. Leshe E. Adams, superintendent.
The school consists of an office and dormitory, infirmary, class room
building, gymnasium and auditorium.

With the sale of shares at $5.00 and with the donation of one hundred
fifty books, a library association was formed in 1858. In 1863 a building
was erected in which the librarv continued operation until 1870 from
taxes assessed against the shareholders. The library was donated to the
village in 1872, and in 1907 the present Andrew Carnegie library was built,
now containing over 8000 volumes.

The first newspaper in the township was the Onarga Mercury first pub-
lished in 1859. Following this paper was the Onarga Advertiser in 1865

Auditorium of the Grand Prairie Seminary In Onarga, Illinois taken In 1911. This school k
now known as Onarga Military School.

which merged with the Grand Prairie Review in 1866. The Onarga Review
started pubhcation in 1865, and the Courier in 1870; in 1872 these papers
merged and have since been in continuous pubhcation. The present
owner of the Onarga Leader-Review, Marvin M. Craig, who purchased the
paper in 1939, is the oldest pubhsher in the county in length of continuous
ownership and operation of a newspaper.

First mention of church services was in 1835 when pastors held services
in the homes. Louise Wright taught a Sunday School in 1837. In 1838
a Methodist Church was organized with the services being held in the
log cabin schoolhouse. The church, built in 1856, was the first in the
county. The present Methodist Church was built in 1924.

The Presbyterians held meetings as early as 1856, and the church
was founded in 1857 with the edifice built in 1859. The Christian
Church was organized in 1877; the Methodist Church in Del Rey was or-
ganized in 1875. Other denominations who have had churches in the
township include the United Brethren, Baptist, Episcopalian, Society of
Friends, and Negro churches. Churches now holding regular services
are the Methodist, Christian, First United Presbyterian, Trinity Lutheran,
and two Pilgrim Holiness groups.

The 1960 census showed Onarga having 1397 residents. Two main
highways, state routes 45 and 54, pass through the town. Interstate 57

is under construction. The small settlement of Del Rey south of Onarga
is unincorporated.

Grain farming, livestock production and the nurseries are the prin-
cipal industries. In addition to many professions and businesses, the
other industries include the Louis Melind Company which manufactures
marking devices, the Ficklin Machine Company, the Electrical Com-
ponents plant, the Gibson Transfer Company, and the home office of
the Farmers Pioneer Mutual Insurance Company.

iWi

Papineau Township

Papineau Township is located directly south of the Kankakee-Iro-
quois County line. Beaver Creek runs through the center east to west.
The ground in the township is rather sandy and was not as strong as
found in the western and southern parts of the county. Now however,
that the latest means of fertilization and caring for the ground have been
obtained, it is very good land for growing corn, wheat, oats, and beans.
In the late 1800's, there were two railroads running through the town-
ship which made it fairly easy to insure a farmer's crops to market. This
is one of the many reasons why the settlers had chosen to settle here. At
that time, with the two railroads, the Chicago & Eastern, and the Cincin-
nati, Lafayette, and Chicago, running through the the township, the
farmers were certain to get the best price for their grain, with one rail-
road running straight through to Chicago, and the other to Cincinnati,
Philadelphia, and the East.

In the early 1840's, the first settlers were beginning to settle in the
area then called Weygandt by the Dutch settlers for a huge family of
Weygandts who lived here. The area around Weygandt was very nearly
covered with trees, and in addition the land along the creek offered much
needed protection against the violent winter winds. The trees were a ready
source of lumber to build their log cabins, and the acorns and berries in
the thick woods were quite adequate to feed the pigs and other animals
the settlers raised.

Henry Jones, the settlement's earHest permanent settler, arrived around
1837. Although he produced a very large family, many in the family
died, it is believed, as a result of the terrible scourge of cholera in 1855.
Nearly one-half of the residents in the area were killed by this dread sick-
ness, but Henry Jones' family suffered the greatest loss.

Located at a point just north of the creek, tlie first merchandise store
for the settlement was established by George Roush. Here, he sold "dry
goods" and "wet groceries," consisting of tobacco, gun powder, lead, flour
and baking goods, and a variety of pills and liniments.

Another of the very first establishments in the settlement of Wey-
gandt was the tavern called Democrat, named by "Long John" Wentworth,
of Chicago, representative in Congress at that time. Allen Rakestraw
owned this place for many years, and his brother William kept the post
office there.

Around 1850, the French Canadians, still bitter over the battle of
1837 and 1838, which they lost to Britain, began to settle around the area
of Weygandt. With them came many changes, one of the first being to
change the name of the settlement, from Weygandt, which their French
tongues could not pronounce, to the name Papineau, after their beloved
French Canadian General who led them in their fight for freedom from
the British in 1837 and 1838. It is said that these people idolized this
gallant general who single handedly recruited an army of patriots to
fight an impossible battle with the British. General Papineau was bom

The Stadt Blankenburg Hotel in Papineau, Illinois. This building is now a family dwelling.

Main Street looking northeast in Papineau, Illinois

October, 1786, and died September, 1871, after a lifetime of almost 90
years.

\\^ith the coming of the French Canadians in 1850, was a man named
Noel LeVasseur, fur trader and government agent, who settled around
Bourbonnais Grove. He was said to have been an extremely generous
man, and without his never-ending help, many of the settlers in this area
would not have made it. Many of the settlers lost their crops in the
heavy rains and floods that were known to come every seven years, and
LeVasseur was very good to these people.

One man that LeVasseur was known to have helped considerably was
a man named Anthonv Lottin\'ille, who with his wife and seven children
were aboard the ill-fated steamer, Atlantic, headed for Detroit, when it
collided with another ship and sank in 1851. Only 120 people survived
the collision, among them, Lottinville and his entire family. Lottinville's
good fortune was evident only with his family, however, as everything
he owned in the world went down with the ship. \\'hen the family
arrived in Bourbonnais, Noel LeVasseur gave him tiie money to make
a new start. Lottinville located himself on Section 22, range 12 on the
creek.

Lottinville was a self-educated man, and since there was no school
until ten years later, Lottinville taught his five sons at home. All of these
men became leaders in the communit)^ and their names are all mentioned
in the records of the township. They had very good business sense and
were verv much an asset to the communitv of tliat time.

Another of the first settlers of Papineau, was a man named Joseph
DeLude, who settled there in 1850. DeLude was certain that he could
become rich with a sawmill which he wanted to build on the creek. He
dammed the creek and built his sawmill but later sold it to Moses Lange-
Her and returned to Bourbonnais.

The first school in Papineau was believed to have been started in
1861 and was taught by a Miss Dilly. The first doctor to establish himself
near the settlement around 1871 was Dr. D. K. Cornell. Later he was
believed to have owned a considerable amount of land around die area.
The first coroner for the community was L. W. Critser.

The first church built around Papineau was the Mediodist Church in

1867, a structure 30' by 50', built at a cost of $3,300. In 1873, however,

the structure was leveled by a tornado and was replaced at a considerably

smaller amount of $350.

I When the Chicago, Danville, & Vincennes Railroad (now the C. &

E. I.) was built, there was some question as to what the town would

donate, but since there was no town plat and no organization, nothing

was done by the village. Later, a tax was voted on to tax the railroad

i on land it occupied, and the \'ote was passed 47 to 0, but, there seems to

i have been quite a job in collecting it. A few years later it was voted by

! the people of Papineau to give the same railroad, $6,350 in bonds to

[ maintain a permanent depot in the town; however, there is no record of

Coliseum in Popineau, Illinois which is in use today.

4HiaO GERMA^i t. :JTHt«AN CHV»CH. PAPJNEAU tLU

The German Lutheran Church in Popineau, Illinois which has been destroyed by fire.

this being done and so the records show the bonds were liquidated.

In the fall of 1870, Rice, Lottinville, & Co. built a depot for the rail-
road, north of Bea\'er Creek, erected a set of scales there and began buy-
ing corn and livestock. The next spring, the new depot and business
was moved to the new townsite.

In 1872, the Roman Catholic Church was built and the attending
priests were Rev. Rouquier of Beaverville, and Re\-. Lettellier of St. Anne.
The church had no priest of its own, and when several years later, this
church was nearly demolished by a severe gale, it was never restored,
according to the records.

The village of Papineau was incorporated as a village in 1874. In
the town's first election, Fabian Langdoc was president, Thomas Lottin-
ville, A. P. Shipley, Octave Laplante, Ezra Savoie, and John Massey, trus-
tees: C. P. Lottinville, Clerk; Joseph Laveaux, treasurer.

The first store erected in the newly incorporated village of Papineau
was put up by Savoie & Barney and carried a general stock of goods. The
next store was built by Hubert LePage. Soon he sold his store to Barney
& Companv. In 1874, Thomas Lottinville bought Savoie's interest in the
store, and in 1876, Charles and Henry, his brothers, were taken in as
partners, which venture proved to be a very successful partnership.

Today, the town of Papineau is very small, consisting of the post
office, a general store and locker, a coliseum which years ago was famous
for its square dances in the ballroom. There is still a grain elevator there,
but an implement establishment which burned a few years ago, as well
as a garage have never been restored. Also, there are a few individual
businesses. There are around 300 people in the township, many of
whom are descendants of the first settlers.

i»

Pigeon Grove Township

Pigeon Grcne Township is bounded on the north ]))• Ash Gro\e and
on the south bv Ford and X'erniihon counties. Pigeon Grove was the last
township in Iroquois County to be organized, in the year 1876.

It has ahvays been a guess as to why this area was so long over-
looked. It was not unknown because many different cattle raisers grazed
their herds on the rich prairie grass and then drove them to Chicago or
sent them by train to other places. The area lay between Fountain Creek
Township and Loda Township. An Indian trail which was a much tra\-
eled route ran through it from Blue Grove to Spring Creek at Buckley,
a distance of 25 miles. The Illinois Central Railroad, which was fin-
ished through Illinois in September 1856, became interested in this area
and helped to develop this township at this time.

Because of the keen business interests of the railroad, a plan was
evolved which brought cattle raisers into a mutual agreement by which
large herds of cattle were brought to Loda and Buckley, unloaded and
allowed to graze on the railroad right of way until they were ready for
market, then reloaded and sent into Chicago by I. C. Railroad. This plan
worked for some time, and if the cattle invaded other property, there was
no special fuss made about it. These cattle came from Texas and Okla-
homa, or Indian Territory, as it was then called. This plan worked until
a disease called Spanish Fever broke out among the Texas cattle. Many
died and it spread to the cattle belonging to the farmers around this area.
This loss of cattle greatly concerned the farmers, and legal help was
emploved. Thev were successful in stopping the shipment of cattle to
this area bv interstate legal intervention. Soon things settled down and
local farmers pastured their cattle wherever it seemed most convenient.

Then a firm named Milk, Burchard and Taylor, from Indiana bought
1700 head of cattle in Louisiana. This state had not been excluded in the
interstate legal battle which was supposed to be settled. The cattle were
unloaded at Loda and grazed on the Illinois Central right of way as well
as in the Pigeon Grove area. This time a disease called Milk Fever again
attacked the cattle, and the local cattle began to die. There was con-
sternation followed bv fights and battles and legal proceedings. The
local people hired Addison Goodell of Loda and John A. Koplin of Buckley
to represent them. Mr. Milk came with Attorney T. P. Bonfield of Kan-
kakee to represent him. There were many claims and Mr. Milk tried to
pay them all. There were even claims where cattle never were owned.
The "Cattle War" was a long tradition in that area and ended the impor-
tation of foreign cattle and also ended a certain discontent and disagree-
ment locally.

All this time Wm. Cissna, who came to this area in 1866 and who
with his brother Stephen had bought 1200 acres of land in the Pigeon
Grove area, was feeding about 700 cattle a vear besides about 500 hogs.
He was interested in the area and helped to organize this territory into a
township. He gave his support but he never wanted any part of politics.

In 1875 a petition was signed by 100 persons to organize a new township
between Loda and Fountain Creek Townships. Supervisor Carey pre-
sented the petition but it was turned down.

Another petition was filed asking that the new township be named
Grange, but it too was turned down. Finally another petition with 130
names and one from Fountain Creek To\\'nship signed by 62 members re-
quested the new township be named Pigeon Grove. William Flemming
and Moses Stroup worked hard to get the petition granted and it was
finally granted in 1876.

The first election was held in Zion school. William Flemming was
the first supervisor; Clark Martin, clerk; J. W. Gosslee, assessor; Myron
Cunningham, collector; J. \\'. Gosslee and Moses Stroup, justices of the
peace.

The name of Pigeon Grove was given because of the many pigeons
that inhabited the grove. There were hundreds of them and branches
could be heard breaking with loads of them. The township was soon
divided into farms, and in 1881 William Cissna who had been working
to bring a branch railroad to this area tried the Illinois Central. They
refused to consider his proposal. Then he with two businessmen and cattle
raisers, William Clayton and William Goodwine went to the Chicago and
Eastern Illinois Railroad. They must have pleaded their case very effec-

***

Park House Hotel which was located north of the Cissna Pork State Bank in Cissna Park.

tively, for their request was granted. The branch was built in the north-
east corner of the township, and on January 1, 1881, the silver spike was
driven in.

The next dav activities began, and WilHam "Uncle Bill" Cissna pro-
ceeded to build his town. The plat was made— a lot allowed for a park
right in the center of town. The hotel with thirty rooms was started on
the east corner of Second Street and Garfield Avenue. This was to be
his home and he called it the Park House. He lived there until his death
in 1897. Before this he had lived in the first house built in the grove.
The lumber for the house was brought from Chicago by his brother,
Stephen, who lived there. It is still standing in the small grove east of
Route 49, south of the town and belongs to the Farney family.

The first building to be completed was a restaurant on the corner
of Koplin Avenue and Third Street. Koplin Avenue was named for John
A. Koplin of Buckley who was Mr. Cissna's banker.

The next building to be finished was the store building on the corner
of Second and Garfield streets. This building was erected by Isaac Miller
Hamilton and Tunis Young, both coming from Ash Grove Township. The\^
ran a successful general store and after a few years decided to start a
bank. With the help of Uncle Bill Cissna and his patronage the business
became a big success. Other businesses started: Sylvester Rose erected a
hardware store that still stands and is the Masonic Hall now; an elevator

Pavilion in Village Park of Cissna Park in 1892.

100

was built across from the depot. It \\as the first one and was built by
James Busev. Business was on the way.

In the meantime the township was being settled. Owing to the
pro.ximity of the Lake Erie and Western Railroad that ran from Peoria
to Tipton, Indiana, travel was convenient and brought from the Peoria
area, Morton, and Gridley a clan of immigrants from Germany, France,
Switzerland and Ireland.' Many of them were Mennonites and brought
their customs with them. Land \\'as cheap and the new comers were
frugal and knew how to work. Their limited European way of life had
trained them to be frugal. The ponds were drained. A tile factory
built in 1884 bv George Songer made tile from a clay pit on the west end
of the village. It was a big business: t\\'enty men were employed, rolling
the mud into tiles and then burning them in kilns for 48 hours. There
was a great demand for them, and often wagons would be lined up a
half mile to get their turn at a load. Eventually the clay was exhausted
and another pit ^^■as dug south of the tile plant. This was exhausted and
after the factor\' burned down, Mr. Songer who had been the first mayor
and a verv respected citizen, moved to Hoopeston with his family. Later
thev went to Texas and made tile there.

Cattle raising still continued, and flax, oats, and corn were the prin-
cipal crops. Flax was soon discontinued because it took too much strength

Main Street in Cissna Park, Illinois in 1899. The man in the buggy is the late Dr. W. R. Roberts.

101

The Songer Tile Factory in CIssna Park around 1892.

from the soil. Schools were built. Cissna Park built a two-room school,
followed later by a brick school, and in 1940 b\' a Community high school.

The Young and Hamilton Bank remained in business. Mr. Hamilton
studied Law under Attorney Free P. Morris of Watseka and became an
attorney. Later he was State Representative. When Mr. Cissna died,
Isaac Miller Hamilton was appointed his executor with his bond set at
$500,000. Since there were no bonding companies then, he went through
the district to get all the signatures he could on his bond, and thirt\'-
seven farmers signed it.

In 1904 the Young and Hamilton bank sold to the Amsler Brothers,
Clyde and Art, of Broadlands. They were here only a short time when
they sold the bank to E. L. Weise of Broadlands. He brought with him
Sam O. Brown as cashier. Mr. Brown, Superv^isor of the township for a
number of years, was influential in bringing State Highway 49 through the
village. The bank closed during the depression but was brought back
into business by the Fredericks, a family of Paxton. Other supervisors
were Joe Burt, Dr. W. R. Roberts, Albert Zbinden, and Aaron Bauer since
1945.

The township has many rich farms. The buildings are well kept, the
land is well taken care of, and although it was the last to be organized, its
resources are tops in the county. Land that was bought from the govern-
ment for $2 an acre now sells up to $700 per acre. The revenue gained
from sales tax always rates above any other town of the same size anywhere.

The railroad still carries out much of the grain as well as trucks.
Livestock is being raised to a greater extent than it was twenty-five years
ago, and many of the smaller farms are being merged into larger ones.

Churches play an important part in the community's welfare. The

102

Apostolic Christian Church, \\hich is the largest located in Fountain
Creek township, holds a membership of over 400 members, and the ma-
jority of rural people ha^•e built this church. The Union Church has
stood on the corner of Church and Third Streets since 1891 and is inter-
denominational. Other churches include the Methodist Church on the
corner of Fourth and Koplin, the Lutheran Church on Fourth Street, and
the Christian Apostolic on Garfield.

«*

103

Prairie Green Township

Prairie Green Township is located in the southeast comer of Iroquois
Count)'. No creeks or rivers transverse this township; the north fork
of the Vermihon River cuts off the southeast corner, and just north of
this fork is a ridge. The water on the south flows south toward the
Wabash River.

The early settlers chose this high ground to take up residence, the
first settlers coming in the early 1850's. Robert Finch came and settled
in the southeast part of the township in 1853. Also at about the same
time, Abner Mitchell, Kendall Shankland, R. Adsit, and Mr. Pixley settled.

Prairie Green was at first a part of Crab Apple Township, now Stock-
land. The legal division took place in the winter of 1858. Kendall Shank-
land, Robert Finch, H. C. Smith, and a few others were the leading men
in obtaining the independence of Crab Apple and forming Prairie Green.

The very first settlers in the county settled near the streams and
timbers. Few pioneers were brave enough to squat out on the prairies
because many thought then that the prairies would never be completely
settled. The few that came found that deer were so plentiful that they
were never without venison. The settlers that lived here would mount
a horse bareback and indulge in the invigorating sports of chasing wolves or
running down a deer.

In 1857 John Greer began to break sod in the southwest corner,
although he did not live there until some years afterward. Breaking sod
in those days was a good business for the favored few who owned a
"breaking" plow. Designed for five or six oxen, the breaker was a large
plow cutting a furrow from twenty inches to two feet. The depth was
regulated by a lever, and considerable skill was needed when starting
the first furrow, often a half mile or more in length.

As soon as the first grass began to appear in the spring, the season
for plowing began and did not end until July. Such large farmers as
Finch and Shankland had one or more of these breaking plows running.
After doing their own work, they would break for their neighbors, charg-
ing three to four dollars per acre.

The teams were allowed to feed on the grasses they were plowing
under, usually being "coralled" after dark to prevent straying. No one
had the idea that the prairie sod could be plowed with horses This was
the reason that the prairies were not settled more rapidly at first. As soon
as it was discovered that two or three horses with a ten or twelve-inch
plow could turn nearly as much as an ox team, the prairies were soon dot-
ted with little shanties and neat cottages and the era of real improvement
began.

The first road was the old Attica road, running in a northwest di-
rection toward Milford. This road had to go around ponds, sloughs, and
marshes; therefore, the road ran along the higher ground.

John Greer owned about 1000 acres in this township, When he died,

104

in honor of his son, he willed the money for the erection of Greer college
in Hoopeston as well as an endowment of land to maintain it. In addi-
tion, he left money for the erection of Greer Hall at the cross road of the
township. A sum of money was left, the interest of which was to main-
tain the building. Greer Hall was erected in 1893. This was the voting
precinct until a few years ago when it was torn down and replaced by a
consolidated grade school. A fire station, erected across the road from it,
is used as the township building.

There have never been any stores or post office in die limits of Prairie
Green. A railroad trans versing the township north and south in the center
of the township, was built in the early 1900's. Formerlv the Wabash
Railroad, it is now known as the Milwaukee Road.

Among the early settlers were J. Crawford Pugh, a blacksmith, and
a miller whose mill was located in the east part of the township near the
Finch Place. Horse power was used to grind corn. He conceived the idea
of making a huge wheel to be turned by the wind. He gathered all the
men available to raise it. It was successful for a while, but, because of
the uncertaintv of the wind, it was a failure. He also kept a small stock
of groceries. The place acquired the quaint name of Goose Nibble.

Much flax was raised in the early days. In 1870 Samuel Hazel, who
owned a lot of land in the southwest corner of the township, raised
1000 bushels of flax seed. Upon dehvery of the flax to Danville, he
received two dollars a bushel. Agriculture and stock raising have always
been the chief industries in the township.

While speaking of industries in this area, mention must be made
of a broom factory of Robert Finch in the southeast part of the township.
His son, Fremont, was superintendent of the working force. The low price
of broom corn induced Mr. Finch to try manufacturing. Out of his crop
in 1879 he made about 350 dozen brooms. An expert Inoom maker, he
made his own machine.

Prairie Green township in the earl\- days was in the front rank
among educational interests of the county. In 1858 the township was or-
ganized into four districts. Prairie Green and Lamont School buildings
were built soon afterward. RoundTop a few years later. RoundTop be-
came more famous than all the others as here so many organizations were
organized. Also the First Church of Christ and the Methodist Churches
had their first meetings. RoundTop stood where the William Gurley
home now stands. It sjot its name because at a distance the roof had a
round appearance. The building was octagonal in shape as was the roof.

The Prairie Green Qaudrille Rand, organized in 1879, consisted of 12
instruments; three first violins, two second violins, three German flutes,
two flageolets, and two violcellos. The leader was R. G. Cowan; treasurer,
H. W. Cowan; and secretary, R. N. Renholm.

Later in the 1870's, there were seven school districts. RoundTop was
replaced with Maple Grove about a mile northeast. There were also
Victor, Prairie Green, Villow Brook. College Center, (nicknamed Frog

105

Pond) Lamont and Pleasant Hill. Old records which were found in
these schoolhouses reveal that school convened in September and closed
during the month of No\ember. December, January, and February, the
winter term, enabled older pupils to attend. Some were twenty-one years
old. Often there were as man)' as sixty attending. The spring term of
April, Nhiv, and June was attended mostly by the younger ones. Only one
school house now replaces the old ones built in 1950. The new school
house now stands where the old John Greer Hall stood and is used for the
t\\o first grades of Prairie Green and Lovejoy Townships. All other
grades, including high school, go to Wellington.

The religious historv of Prairie Green is perhaps similar to all other
communities of the area. A Methodist class was formed at Abner Mitchell's
home earh- in 1858. There was preaching around at the homes, but after
the school houses were built, meetings were held in them. Every winter
revi\'als of great interest \\ould take place in these school houses. A
Sundav School was organized in 1878 at the Maple Grove School. J. W.
Dixon was superintendent for a number of years, M. Garrison, secretary.
In the earlv 1880's the Pleasant Hill Methodist Church was constructed.
A small societv of United Brethren met in the ^^'illow Brook school. The
Prairie Green Church of Christ, organized about 1858, met at first in
homes, at BouindTop, and in 1875 a building, costing approximately one
thousand dollars, was erected on section 12. It was known at that time
as the Hope Church of Christ but later was changed to the Prairie Green
Church of Christ. The old school houses are gone and the Pleasant Hill
Church closed in 1964. Instead of the old Hope Church of Christ, a new
Prairie Green Church of Christ was erected near the crossroads at Greer.
This building, costing S103,000. was dedicated July 6, 1958.

«*

106

Ridgeland Township

Ridgeland Township occupies the western part of what was originallv
Onarc^a Township. At the annual meeting of the Iroquois County Board
of Supervisors in 1878. a petition was presented, asking diat a part of
Onarga Township be organized into a new^ township with the name of
"Ridge." This division was approved, and the first township election was
held in the Ridgeville school house in April, 1879.

The first officers of the township were Supervisor, A. R. Butler; town
clerk. F. R. Jameson; assessor, D. B. Moffat; and collector, William M.
Dinning. At the first meeting of the township board the name of the
township was changed to Ridgeland to avoid confusion with the township
of Ridge in Jackson county. Illinois.

This township \\as originalK' all prairie with a number of ridges ex-
tending east and west in direction. Spring Creek rising in Ford County
on the west, enters Ridgeland near its southwest corner, following irregu-
larlv in a northeasterh- course nearly to the center of the township where
it bends to flow southeasterly to lea\'e the to\\'nship on the eastern boun-
dar\'. Artesian wells were also a source of water in the to^^'nship.

Among the first of the settlers in this township was John Northrup
who arri\'ed in the earl\- 1850's. He built the first mill and made the
first brick that was made in the to\\nship. He also was one of the builders
of the old court house in Middleport.

Other early settlers included Benjamin P. Norville who came in 1854,
and Garner Olixer who followed shorth" after Norvalle. 01i\'er was re-

General Store in Thawville, Illinois.

107

sponsible for building the first blacksmith shop in the township. Ridgeland
Township grew rather slowl\- until the Illinois Central Railroad was built
through the to\\nship.

The Village of Ridgeville was laid out by Garner 01i\er and others,
five miles southwest of Gilman and three miles west of Onarga. It was a
shipping point on the Illinois Central railroad line going to Springfield.

The larger \illage in Ridgeland Township is Thawville. This \'illage
was named in honor of William Thaw, a prominent railroadman from
Pittsburgh. Penns\-lvania. Mr. Thaw was a large stockholder in the Gil-
man, Ciinton and Springfield Railroad that later became a part of the
Illinois Central Svstem.

Most of the land of Thawxille toda)' was originalh' owned b\' Mr.
Taylor John. Thawville was first platted about 1871. Although an at-
tempt to incorporate Thaw\ille failed in 1897, another attempt was suc-
cessful in 1903.

The Congregational Church \\as the first church organized in the com-
munit^^ The members of the congregation met in the home of Edmund
F. Hoover in the winter of 1859 and 1860. The early settlers were mostly
from Connecticut.

In 1879 a group of residents of the then \\'illow Grove School com-
munit\- became interested in organizing another church. These people
were Methodists and United Brethrens in denomination, but the Thaw-
ville Methodists became a reality as a result of these efforts. The Lu-
therans of Thaw\ille became organized in about 1887, holding their serv-

Homestead in Ridgeland Township.

108

ices in the Congregational Church until 1896. In that year they began
construction of their own structure which was first used the following year.

The first school in the township was built east of the present Route 54.
The first school building in Thawville was built in 1876. Any student
who wished to pursue an education beyond the grade school level provided
in the township could attend the Grand Prairie Seminary in Onarga.

^Wi

109

Sheldon Township

Sheldon Township was named after a village within its limits and
was organized on April 7, 1868, by the election of the stipulated necessary
officials. The number of votes polled at this organization meeting
was recorded as 99, and the assessed valuation of property was $120,000.
At the present time the registered voters number 927 and the last assess-
ment of real propertv reached more than $8,000,000.

Also embraced within the township is the unincorporated village of
Haxby located at the Illinois-Indiana state line and U. S. Route 24. This
settlement is more familiarly known as Effner for the railway terminal
located just east of the state line and south of the highway in Indiana. In
the southwestern portion of the township is Darrow Station, consisting of
a grain elevator, a church, and a residence. For many years another such
station existed in the north central portion known as Eastburn Station
consisting of an elevator, a church, and a couple of residences. During its
early historv this station had the distinction of having regular passenger
train services.

The timber was the scene of all settlements until 1848 when Zedic
Parks, who had been living near Iroquois, marched out into the sea of
prairie grass and pitched his tent on the road leading from Lafayette to
Chicago. Jesse Eastburn, Sr. and his family were the first settlers in
Sheldon Township coming from Adams County, Ohio, in 1832 when he was
sixty-two vears of age. He had nine children, four sons coming to Illinois
and settling near their father's homestead. The eldest son and family
had migrated to the prairies before his father and was one of the three
first settlers in Iroquois County.

The prairie swamps of Sheldon township, "the place that seemed unfit
for habitation of man," became a fertile countryside and, by 1870, was
dotted with prosperous farms and comfortable homes. The first road
within the township skirted the timber in the northwest portion. It led
to Chicago via Iroquois, following the Old Hubbard Trail. Another was
opened through the prairie from Lafayette to Chicago, also via Iroquois.
Owing to the late settlement of the prairies, there were few permannt
roads until the turn of the century. By 1880 the township had laid out
roads on all the section hues. Bond issues were floated for road improve-
ments. Sheldon township was the first community in Illinois to follow
this procedure. The road between the town of Sheldon and the village
of Haxby or Effner was built in 1904, and six years later (1910) the roads
running south from town were built. Since then improvements have been
made steadily until at the present time Sheldon township has approximately
seventy miles of all weather roads.

Three railroads cross the township. The Toledo Peoria and Warsaw
(TP&W) was completed during the winter of 1859-1860. In January,
1860 a switch was constructed and named Sheldon for an official of the
railroad by the same name. The road is now operated by the Pennsyl-
vania system. In 1871-1872 the Cincinnati, Lafayette and Chicago Rail-

110

road was built. Later it became the Big Four (CCC^STL) and is now
under tlie jurisdiction of the New York Central organization. These two
roads gave access to the markets in all directions. In 1905-1906 a third
s\'stem was constructed, transversing the township from north to south,
cutting it near the center.

This was known as the \\'alsh Road since it \\'as promoted by a finan-
cier bv that name. It connected Chicago and points south; its main pur-
pose was to move heav)' freight long distances, mostly loads of coal and
grain. It is now a part of the Milwaukee system.

Purely an agriculture community, the industries developed were
prompted bv the need to dispose of farm products. Five grain elevators
comprise the main industries of the township. Rated one of the top five
to\\nships in fertility of soil in the United States, grain storage has been
a prime factor in its development. Sheldon's first business man started
buving grain in 1859. His descendants have continued in that busi-
ness until the present day. The first steam ele\ator was built in 1870.
The Bishop Hominv Company, organized in 1881, continued in op-
eration until 1945 when it was purchased by the Farmers Cooperative
Ele\ator. It is interesting to note that five Bishop generations have lived
in Sheldon and engaged in the grain business. This business later formed
the nucleus of the Cleveland Grain Compan)'. Many additions and im-
provements have been made during the year. Since 1924 it has been
operated bv four nationallv known grain brokerages between Chicago and
Cincinnati. A small neighborhood elevator, built by A. M. Eastburn at
Eastburn Station in 1891, is still in operation, managed by a descendant
of the builder. Todav it has a capacity of approximately ten thousand
bushels. During the winter of 1896-1897 a company of farmers of the com-
munitv organized and started the operation of the Sheldon Elevator Com-
pan\'. The first corn was bought at sixteen cents per bushel and the first
oats at fourteen cents. Few communities had tried such a venture, and at

Corner of South 4th ond West Center in Sheldon, Illinois. The Opera House was upstairs in
this building.

Ill

■I j^wjw i ywflj i iltnHj^^

. i'-

Bishop Hominy Co., Sheldon, Illinois.

Main Street of Sheldon, Illinois in 1900.

112

first the infant industry received very little cooperation. But by 1901,
the old building was too small and a new one was constructed, paid for
out of the profits of the company. The growth has continued through
the years and the facilities have been enlarged, modernized, and the
services expanded. There has also been a reorganization in recent years,
and the enterprize is now known as the Sheldon Farmers Cooperative.
It is the oldest organization of its kind in Illinois. Shortly after the
building of the \\'alsh ( Milwaukee ) railroad an elevator was built south
and west of the \'illage by the Herron Patterson Grain Company. Located
near the Darrough famil)' homesteads, it became known as Darrow Sta-
tion. A few years later a group of neighboring farmers organized and
purchased the facilities. This organization has prospered and now exists
under the name of the Darrow Cooperative Grain Company. The newest
and most modern establishment of this type is a privatelv owned facilitv
built in 1950 with a storage capacity of 500,000 bushels of grain.

More recenth' three new enterprises have sprung up in the commu-
nitv. Two are definitelv farm or agricultural industries, and, in a manner
of speaking, the third could also be so classified. A. H. Hoffman Incor-
porated, manufacturers of fertilizers and plant food, has been operating
a packaging and distributing plant for several years. About three vears
ago a branch of Custom Farm Services, a company servicing farms with
large quantitv fertilizers of all kinds has begun operation. The third is
the Lectro-Loader Corporation, manufacturers of trailer and boat hitches,
which can also be adapted to use with certain farm implements.

From the beginning the settlers of Sheldon Township manifested an
interest in and lent great support to the establishment of schools. It is
recorded that as early as 1850 several terms of a "subscription" School
was held in a log building on the farm of Jesse Eastburn. At that time
there were onlv a half-dozen families living in the township. The first
district school in Sheldon Township was built in 1859 and took in most
of the southern area. A school, in a log structure, was conducted near the
east edge of the xillage about this same time. A small frame building
was the next building constructed in 1861 or 1862. After moving this
building to a different site, a new one was built in 1876, and a high school
course was added. The first class of six members graduated in 1878. In
1900 the construction of a brick structure was begun. With the com-
pletion of this building the high school curriculum was increased, and
the high school became accredited. In 1940 an election was held, and
the voters of the township voted to discontinue rural schools and to provide
transportation to bring school children into the town schools. The old
county school houses were abandoned.

As early as 1834 the United Brethren organization \\'as formed with
the first church building dedicated in 1875. About 1859 the Methodists
held the organization meeting of that denomination in one of the school
houses. The first Methodist Church was built in 1867. In 1886 the
Presbyterian Cliurch was organized. Prior to that time services of this

113

group had been held every two weeks in various places available. No^^"
the Methodist people offered to allow them the use of their building. The
first church building to meet the needs of this group was dedicated in
December 1894. In 1966 these three separate groups united and now
form the United Church of Sheldon. A movement for a Christian
Church of Christ was started in 1890 by a group of women who had at-
tended a missionary rally. The first services were held in the Opera
House, but in 1891 a building was erected and dedication services were
held in Tanuarv 1892. About 1912 followino; a "tent revival," a o;rouD of
neighbors in the vicinity of Darrow Station formed the Darrow Christian
Church. A building was erected the next year This group had been meet-
ing irregularlv in a nearbv school house. During the summer of 1950 a
group from Olivet College held a tent meeting in the interest of the Church
of the Nazarene. Further services were held in the town hall, and during
the fall the present church building was erected. At the present time
four active religious groups are active in the community.

«»

114

Stockland Township

Stockland Township is situated in the southeastern part of Iroquois
County, and is bounded on the north by Sheldon, on the east by the In-
diana state line, on the south by Prairie Green, and on the west by Mil-
ford. Stockland Township is nearly seven and a half miles in length
north and south, and seven miles east and west with an area of about
33,914 acres. The only important stream is Sugar Creek, entering the
township on the east side, in section 7. At first it flo\\'s west by north
until it has passed what was once Crab Apple Grove; then it bends more
to the south and continues in a somewhat southwesterly course, until it
leaves the townsliip near the line between section 18 and 19. The soil
is exceedinglv fertile and feed grain farming of corn, wheat, soybeans,
some oats and small grain is the principal industry. The Sumner estate
is the largest farm under one management, comprising several acres of
land which has been held in the family for over 100 years. Stockland
Township boasts approximately 25 farms which are in hands of heirs of
original owners for over 100 years. The township has many black top
roads and good bridges. Stockland Township boasts one historical bridge,
namely, the one o\er Sugar Creek, at Sugar Creek Cemetery. (Still at-
tracting the attention of many travelers), the iron work on this bridge
helped support the dome of the administration building at the Columbian
Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Electric lights came into Stockland Town-
ship through the Central Illinois Power System to a few farm families.
Later in 1938 the Eastern Illinois Power Cooperative came into existence
and rural electrification came bv degrees to farm homes until now, nearly
all have the facilities of electrical equipment and appliances.

This township \\as formerly called Crab Apple, from a large grove of
crab apple trees situated in the eastern part, and which at that time con-
stituted the greatest continuous extent of timber in it, its estimated area
being 70 acres. Just when the change of name was effected, or why it
was done, does not clearly appear. The record of the township gave no
accoimt of proceedings which led to the change. Suffice it to say, the
first record in which tlie name occurs is dated March 28, 1865, and as the
previous entry is dated in the spring of 1864 and the name Crab AjDple is
there used, it is presumed that the change was made at some time during
the year 1864, or between the dates above mentioned. The reason for
the change is quite difficult to determine. Upon the question of a new
name a great difference of opinion was manifested, until at length the
name "Stockland" was suggested, and at once adopted. It has been told
that Alba Honeywell, grandfather of Homer Beall Sr., suggested the name
on account of the stock raised.

The first settlement in what is now the township of Stockland was
made by Samuel \\'illiamson who settled in Crab Apple Grove in March
1832. As late as 1850, not more than a dozen families had settled in Stock-
land Township. Stockland was peopled with a class exclusively engaged

115

in agricultural pursuits with corn and farm stock being the principal
productions. There was no village in the township.

The people of Stockland Township were determined that their chil-
dren should not experiense the same neglect of a common school educa-
tion that thev had, so as the country improved, school districts were
multiplied and school houses built. The first school, a log building, was
built in 1850 on the south side of Sugar Creek west of the cemeterv called
"Brush College." The first teacher who taught in this school was
William \\'illiamson. Later in 1872, the township was divided into ten
school districts with a school house in each district. The population of
Stockland was estimated at 1200. This must have been the population

\.^!^^^w>rifl1^^^'^^''^^'^f**^

Stockland Methodist Church built in 1893 which was moved to Stockland in 1905 and is in
use in 1968.

116

in the year of 1880 (H. W. Beckwith book), but the population today,
1967, is only about one half of that.

The first post office was established in 1854 at the J. H. Jones' house.
The location of this place would be north\\est of the \illage of Stockland
and y,lY. Jones was postmaster. It flourished for a vear or two and then
was discontinued. There was a mail carrier between Lafayette and
Middleport \h\ Milford, and this route took in the abo\e post office; at
tliis time there was no \illage in Stockland Township. The first public road
located in this to^^■nship was the Ottawa and Lafayette State road, running
east through the central portion of the to\\'nship to Indiana State line.

Township organization was effected April 1, 1856. Prexious to this
time, what is no\\- known as Stockland formed a part of Milford precinct,
with a voting^ place at Milford. \Mien township organization was accom-
plished this township was named Crab Apple and together with Prairie
Green formed a political township. This relation existed for a short time,
and then the\' became separate townships. The first township election
in Crab Apple was held at the Gothic school house, but afterward they
were chano;ed to the Vienna school house. This school was located
within what is now the village of Stockland and \\"as directly north of
today's elevators and south of the consolidated school.

John H. Gillan, countv surveyor of Iroquois Countv, on August 27,
1901, at the request of \Villiam M. Dawson and Christopher Truman,
owners, subdivided and laid off into lots, streets, and alleys, 10 square
acres of land out of the northwest corner of the S. ^^^ quarter of Sec. 19,
T. 25 \. R. 10 ^^^ to be known as Dawson Park. The lots were numbered
from 1 to 46 inclusive. This small \ illage, bordered on the north by the
Freeland Branch of the C & EI rai'road, consisted of several homes, a

Bridge over Sugar Creek in Stockland Township that was purchased in 1893 at the close of
♦he Columbian Exposition in Chicago and moved to its present location where it is located today.

117

store, the United Brethren Church, a park, a corn elevator, and a raihoad
depot.

At the present time (1967) it consists of four houses, the small park,
and an elevator no\\' only used for storage. The original home built b)'
Mr. William Dawson still remains a part of Dawson Park. He was the
owner of a 200 acre farm joining tliis small village on the south.

The first religious societv organized was a class of United Brethren
in 1853. Six years later, this society succeeded in building a house for
public worship at a cost of SIOOO. Lumber for this building was hauled
from Attica, Indiana, and Onarga, Illinois. It was situated on the left
bank of Sugar Creek near where it was crossed by the state highwav in
the south half of section 17 and was named Sugar Creek Chapel.

The next church edifice to be erected in Stockland Township was
the Antioch Christian Church. This was situated near the Milford-
Stockland Township line in the extreme northwest corner of section 31.
This building was the result of the planning and labors of the society which
was organized in 1861. Meetings were held in the Cothic schoolhouse
until 1867, when the chapel was built at a cost of S1600. On Januarv 12,

Stockland Townhall in Stockland Township.

118

1892 this building \\as destro\ed b\- a tire caused bv an o\er-heated stove.
No sooner had "Old Antioch" burned than plans were being made for
the rebuilding of a place for Christian worship. A site was chosen one
mile east of where "Old Antioch" stood, at what is known as the Fairview
corner, located in the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of section
32, township 25, north range, 11 west. On September 25, 1842, a new
"Christian Church" was dedicated, but later this building was struck by
lightning and totally destroyed by the fire. Although the loss was keenly
felt throughout the community, the congregation decided to disband.
Most of the members affiliated with Milford or Stockland churches. A
group of trees surrounds the spot where the church building stood.

Another religious group, the Methodists, was organized by Isabel
Ta\lor, sister of Jennie Ta^'lor Summer. Judge Samuel Williams of
Woodland Methodist Church, knowing of their desire influenced them
to form a nonprofit corporation for the purpose of teaching and worship-
ping under the Methodist conference. In 1892 the first Sunday School
and church was held in the Samuel Nolin tenant farm house and later
moyed to the Mitchell school house and operated until the new Crab
Apple M. E. Church building was completed and dedicated in the fall
of 1893. This was located in section 9 between what is now known as
the Nolin bridge and "Cutmer" road (now leading to the popcorn plant).
This same church was mo\'ed to the present location in Stockland in 1905.
It was remodeled and rededicated in the fall of 1906 when it became offi-
cially known as the Stockland Methodist Church. The church building
has been remodeled several times, an annex of two stories has been added
to the main building containing modern classrooms and a reception room,
which ser\'es as a community center for all neio;hborhood activities. This
is the only church now in Stockland Township.

The first school in Stockland that has previously been mentioned
was the Vienna. Later a school house was built just a little south of
where the present school now stands. This building burned and in
1916-1917 the present brick building was erected. In 1940 the schools
in the township were consolidated. More room was needed, so in 1940
an addition was built and another in 1954. The Stockland Commimity
Consolidated Grade School has an enrollment of over 100 pupils at the
present time, (1967). School buses provide transportation for the pupils.

A Township High School unit was organized in 1907, and in Sep-
tember of that year seventeen girls were enrolled in the freshman class.

. o

The to\\'n hall was the school room until the brick building under con-
struction was completed. This was the first township high school in
Iroquois Count)' and the first commencement was held in June 1911 with
four graduates. B. A. Winans was the first principal.

The high school, because of its small enrollment, was ordered closed
May, 1961, and students for high school are transported to the neighboring
high schools in ^^^ellington, Sheldon, or Milford, tuition being paid by
home township.

119

Stockland Township High School organized in 1907.

General Store in Stockland, Illinois in 1906.

120

Old Iroquois County Courthouse

^fr

1866 to 1881 (before 1st addition)

«»

121

Iroquois County Historical Society

As a result of the growing interest in the history of Iroquois County
a County Historical Society was organized in 1967. This local interest and
the planning for the observance of the Illinois Sesquicentennial encouraged
a o-roup of citizens to make plans for the Iroquois County Historical So-
ciety. A charter to this organization was issued by the State of Illinois
in May of 1967.

The Society was quite active in the Centennial Celebration that was
held in Watseka in 1967 and has taken as a major project the restoration
of the Old Iroquois County Courthouse on Cherry Street in Watseka. Much
\'olunteer labor has caused this county landmark to become a site of his-
torical interest and cultural value. It serves as the home for the Iroquois
County Historical Museum as well as a center for community activities.

The present officers of the Historical Society are; President, Avery D.
Shepherd of Gilman; Vice-president, Edward L. Davis of Onarga; Sec-
retary, Mrs. Marvin M. Craig of Onarga; Treasurer, Mr. R. P. Roberts of
^^^atseka; Directors, Mrs. Robert E. Meyer, Mrs. Wilbur Disosway, Mr. Jo-
seph Kelley, Mr. Dale Nelson, Mr. Glenn Hamilton, Mr. Bernard Fleming,
Mr. Charles Lundsberg, Mr. Wayne Rosenberger, Mrs. William Fox, Mr.
John Bell, Mr. Kenneth Bauer, and Mrs. Warren Lockhart.

■/

officers of the Iroquois County Historical Society.
Seated: (left to right) Major Edward L. Davis, Vice-President, Avery Shepherd, President.
Standing: (left to right) Mrs. Marvin M. Craig, Secretary, and Mr. R. P. Roberts, Treasurer.

122

Board of Directors of the Historical Society.
Seated: (left to right) Mrs. Robert Meyer, Mrs. Wm. Fox and Mrs. Wilbur Disosway. Standing
(left to right) Mr. Glenn Hamilton, Mr. Joseph Kelley, Mr. Charles Lundsberg and Mr. Bernard
Fleming. Absent were Mr. John Bell, Mr. Wayne Rosenberger, Mr. Kenneth Bauer, Mrs. War-
ren Lockhort, Mr. Dale Nelson.

New German Lutheran Church in Papineau, Illinois.

123

Fording the Iroquois River at Old Texas.

• ^^

Looking north on Charles Street in Beaverville, Illinois.

124

Lambert Co. elevator and Big 4 Depot in Beoverville, Illinois.

An early threshing outfit in Iroquois County.

125

A single binder operating.

i»

I '.%

1.4 !$■

^ I.

A pair of binders operating in Iroquois County.

126

A one-row, horse-drawn corn picker.

^Wi

Woodland's first concrete bridge built in 1911.

127

Fourth and Walnut Streets in Watseka Looking West.

Northwest corner Fourth and Walnut Streets in Watseka, early 1900's.

128

'*«^*«-.;