History of Chicago. From the earliest period to the present time, Part 1

Author: Andreas, Alfred Theodore
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 1340

USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > History of Chicago. From the earliest period to the present time > Part 1

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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION

ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01071 3078

Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2009 with funding from Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

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"URBS IN HORTO."

HISTORY

CHICAGO.

FROM THE

EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME. .

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOLUME I .- ENDING WITH THE YEAR 1857.

BY A. T. ANDREAS.

CHICAGO: A T. ANDREAS, PUBLISHER. 1884.

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1814946

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AN IMAGINARY VIEW OF THE SITE OF CHICAGO IN 1779, (THEN CALLED ESCHIKAGO), SHOWING THE CABIN OF JEAN BAPTISTE POINT DE SAIBLE, (COLORED) THE FIRST PERMANENT SETTLER,-SEE PAGES 70-72.

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PREFACE.

IN presenting the first volume of the HISTORY OF CHICAGO to the public, the Publisher desires to define the plan upon which the work has been arranged.

Much care has been taken with the compilation of the opening division of the work, and the subjects of original occupation and early exploration have received thoughtful attention. Wherever allusion to the indefinite region of "Chicagou" has been made in the reports of those venturesome and self- sacrificing men who formed the little bands of exploration, their words have been intelligently weighed, the trustworthiness of their records considered, and the local value of their labors regarded. In concise form, so much of the accepted history of their adventures as serves to give to the Chicago of to-day a location and a name, has been preserved within this volume.

When the period of tradition and speculative possibilities is past, the reader will discover that the primary quality of our plan is detail; and the further advanced the work becomes the more apparent does this fact grow. One of the most serious obstacles encountered by the historian in the pursuit of his vocation is scarcity of reliable data. Whenever the patient searcher for historic truth is rewarded by the discovery of some forgotten script or volume, the world of letters hails the treasure with delight ; and it needs no argument to convince the intelligent that had not men failed to realize that the trifles of to-day become the vital elements of the historic works of the future, this deficiency would not exist. It is the purpose of this History to combine the scattered items of fact into convenient form, and, at the hazard of too great redundancy, preserve all that can be found descriptive of the past of Chicago.

Much more material was obtained than could be placed between the covers of a single volume. It therefore followed that the History must be made in several books. How this could be accomplished was one of the most serious problems requiring solution; for the history of a city differs widely from that of a nation in its scheme of treatment. While that portion which may be termed the narrative history was susceptible of epochal division, the succeeding years being taken up after each closed volume without detriment to interest, those more detailed chapters, which we speak of as topical history, could not be left unnoticed until the later volumes. The narrative of events must of necessity be cursory. It would suffice to say that, from such a year to such a year, the commercial. the religious, the educational, and the political affairs were thus and so; but when the reader, whose taste directed him toward one particular factor in the city's measure of prosperity, sought for the detailed history of his favorite theme, he would look in vain for that explicit recital of events needed for his enlightenment. A general history might tell of the condition of Chicago from year to year; but the elements which produced that condition demand a more exhaustive treatment. The contemporane- ousness of events had also to be borne in mind. It was, therefore, determined to exercise arbitrary powers, and select some period which marked an epoch in the general history at which to end the first volume, bringing both narrative and topical subjects to an end there.

The year 1857 was made memorable in the calendar of the city's history by the most serious financial crisis experienced since its founding, twenty years before. Not only were commercial circles gravely involved; the pecuniary stress exerted controlling force upon the social world as well, checking growth in every direction. Municipal operations were impeded, religious undertakings stopped by the failure of pledges, educational plans thwarted by the curtailment of necessary funds, and in all directions was felt the enforced economy which pervaded the social fabric. No more appropriate period could be found than this to bring the thread of history to a temporary end. With few exceptions-and

PREFACE.

those so minor as to be easily explained in the proper places-the topical sections of the work are closed at 1857, to be resumed in subsequent volumes.

The advantages of this plan are obvious. Each volume is made thereby complete in itself, as a work of reference, while the only serious disadvantage is temporary in its character; since the incompleteness of the several topics will be amended by the issuance of the succeeding volumes.

This History is the product of many hands. The assertion is often made that none save those who have participated in early events are capable of writing intelligibly or correctly of them, but experience has convinced the Publisher that it is better to entrust the labor of compilation to men who are wholly unbiased, and who have acquired practical methods in the work of arranging and stating facts. It is a curious fact in psychology that the faculty of memory is as eccentric as it is treacherous, and history based solely upon human recollection is scarcely worth the reading. When one individual, who was a witness of scenes which afterward became historic, attempts to give his version of the events, his statement is generally brought into dispute by another witness of the scenes, whose recollection is materially different. Members of the legal profession will agree with us in saying that were it not for this freak of the mind - involving men of equal honesty in questions of positive veracity - the practice of the law would be much less remunerative than it is. To illustrate this point, we cite two cases out of many similar ones that claimed the attention of our writers. One was the upsetting of

an old resident's statement as to the day of his arrival in Chicago-our investigation proving that he had always erroneously given the date until we convinced him of his mistake; and the other, that of a prominent banker, who declared, that his early bank was organized a year subsequent to the actual date of its establishment. In both instances these intelligent and reliable men, whose memories were proverbially good, sought to convince us, by contemporaneons happenings, of our "error," and in both instances we were able to demonstrate that, although the attendant circumstances were right in point of sequence, the dates were wrong. This allusion is made for the sole purpose of showing that the best of memories may be, and often are, at fault. Unless sustained by written confirmation, arbitrary assertion is generally not worthy of credence in a historic sense.

To the end that as full a measure of accuracy as is attainable might be reached, every available source of information has been sought out, and yet the result will doubtless prove inadequate to the desire of the Publisher, for absolute correctness can never be achieved by human agencies. As one evidence of the good intention of those engaged upon the work, it is stated that no less than eight thousand newspapers issued in Chicago between 1833 and 1857 have been carefully examined by them. Considering the fact that the fire of 1871 destroyed nearly all the records, printed and documentary, relating to the early days of Chicago, there remained no better authority for the establishment of dates than these newspaper files; and while the fragmentary character of the information therein is conceded. it must be admitted that the journals of the past afford about the only available means of settling disputed points during the period of their publication. In this connection it may with propriety be remarked that the reader is indebted to Mrs. John C. Calhoun, Hon. John Wentworth, Hon. William Bross, Hon. Andrew Shuman, Hon. E. M. Haines, of Waukegan, Dr. Lots Pennington, of Sterling, and to the proprietors of the several newspapers of this city, as well as to the Chicago Historical Society, the Chicago Public Library, and the Calumet Club, for the acts of courtesy which enabled our writers to gain access to these valuable files. There are not known to be in existence now more than two or three numbers of all the issues of the two or three journals published here between June, 1837, and April 9, 1839. The hiatus has been filled as well as it could be from the volumes of the Milwaukee Sentinel, and from the numerous collections of letters possessed by the Chicago Historical Society. A complete file of the leading journals between April, 1843, and August, 1844, has never been found. With these two exceptions it is believed by us that the writers on this work have read the newspaper record of events happening in Chicago from the issuance of John C. Calhoun's Democrat, November 26, 1833, to the close of 1857; the period from March, 1837, to the close of 1857 representing a daily issue.

The amount of labor expended upon this volume is much greater than a casual reading would

PREFACE.

indicate. The almost total destruction of official records, of private diaries, of the innumerable quantity of memoranda, which generally furnish the historian with easy and satisfactory means of accom- plishing his work, in this instance proved a well-nigh insuperable barrier to progress. The few documents and books that survived the great calamity of 1871 were of so desultory a character as to afford little practical aid. Because of the lack referred to, and which we have attempted to compensate for by calling upon individual memory to serve instead thereof, errors have undoubtedly found lodgment here ; deficiencies in all probability will be noted ; and personal opinions may be apparently treated with indifference. But we assure the reader that prejudice has not biased even so much as one statement herein made, nor have the writers willfully neglected to give what seemed due credit to every assertion that bore the die of truth. As many a base metal may be stamped with the coinage of honesty and bear the similitude of worth, so may many an ancient legend become, because of seeming probability, an accepted tenet in the historic creed of men. The writer who detects the inaccuracy of such current fictions must expect to encounter disapproval ; for of nothing is one so fondly tenacious as of the delusions of memory and the folk- lore in which some thread of association with one's own life can be traced.

The task of searching for, arranging, weighing and preparing all that could be construed to have interest or value in an historic sense was begun in October, 1882, and after January following the corps of writers numbered from ten to twelve, until the completion of the work in February, 1884; while, were we to count the number of friendly and voluntary co-laborers who have given transient assistance, the force would be increased to many hundreds. It is believed that the assignment of subjects was made with a view to congeniality of topic on the part of the several writers, most of whom have had years of experience in this line of work.

It has been found impracticable, under the plan, to follow the usual custom of enumerating topics by chapter captions. This change, however, is one which violates no . more serious a matter than precedent.

Biographical sketches of those men who were identified with early Chicago are given as a neces- sary part of history; the interest attaching to their public work exciting a commendable desire to know somewhat more fully their personal records. We maintain that the biographical sketches form one of the most valuable features of the work, and in the forthcoming volumes will appear individual mention of many who, although residents of Chicago prior to 1858, did not attain their greatest prominence until a later date. Their sketches will be given in connection with the topics with which they were identified.

It is impossible to reconcile all traditions and legends that have, from that dignity which a venerable age often imparts to non-deserving things, grown to be a part of the accepted history of Chicago. It is safe to assert that fully as much inoney has been expended in the pursuit of lights which ultimately proved to be ignes fatui, as in the establishment of those truths which are worthy of preservation.

The writers of this volume have adopted the rule of ignoring even favorite stories whenever their origin was shown to be indeterminate, their importance minor, and their character apocryphal. We can see no good excuse for perpetuating errors merely because they are clothed in the form of a neatly-told story ; or because they have gone uncontradicted for years. In fact, few have escaped contradiction, in one form or another ; for the argus-eyed early settler is always on the lookout for some alleged historic event to dispute, and it is equally true that no version is permitted to go unchallenged by some one. We have endeavored to state as fact only those points which are susceptible of substantiation.

The mechanical work upon the volume was performed in Chicago; even the greater portion of the illustrations were designed or executed here. It may be properly termed a Chicago product, and an evidence of the advancement of the mechanic arts in the West. The types from which the book is printed were made and purchased expressly for it. The form of the volume was determined on with a view to the subse- quent volumes, which will of necessity contain much more letter-press and many more illustrations than this. In order to obviate the difficulty which attends the handling of a large volume, the page is made to contain nearly three times as much reading-matter as is commonly given in historical works. The wisdom of this decision will be recognized hereafter.

PREFACE

The succeeding volume will commence with a chapter containing a resume of what is herei .. published, with such emendations as later information or further historic research may demand to render the history complete.

Among the numerous authorities consulted during the preparation of the history of early French explorations of the region were: Prof. C. W. Butterfield's monograph on Jean Nicolet; the historical works of Francis Parkman ; Shea's " Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi Valley;" " Proces Verbal of Taking Possession of Louisiana, by La Salle, 9th April, 1682," (French's Hist. Coll. La., Part I); Tonty's Memoir, (French's Hist. Coll. La., Part I;) Shea's "Charlevoix;" Du Pratz's " History of Louisiana;" Coxe's "Louisiana;" " Historical Magazine " (Shea); the Wisconsin Historical Society's Collections ; " Early Voyages Up and Down the Mississippi " (letters and reports of French Catholic Missionaries), 1699-1700, reprints by Munsell and Shea ; " Account of the Proceedings of the Illinois and Ouabache Land Companies," Philadelphia, 1796; etc.

Relating to Indian occupation of this section there were consulted, among the many volumes, the books and papers of Isaac McCoy ; the letters of Dr. Lykins, Rev. Robert L. Simmerwell, Rev. Jotham Meeker, and numerous other men who spent their lives among the Pottawatomies, Miamis, and tribes formerly identified with the history of the Chicago Region, and whose letters are now in the possession of the Kansas Historical Society.

Important letters from Ramsey Crooks pertaining to the history of early Indian traders and United States Factors at this point, were furnished by Mr. Gurdon S. Hubbard, and access to the posthumous .papers of Hon. Ninian Edwards, and many other valuable manuscripts, was obtained through the courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society.

Invaluable aid on the latter portions of this volume has been received from the publications of Mr. Henry H. Hurlbut ("Chicago Antiquities "), Rufus Blanchard (" Discovery and Conquests of the Northwest, with the History of Chicago "), Robert Fergus, consisting of historic addresses, letters, biographies, etc., furnished by leading citizens of unquestioned ability, and possessing personal knowledge of the topics on which they have written ; a most valuable series of sketches published in the Chicago Times in 1875-76, entitled "Bye - Gone Days ;" the writings of Mrs. Juliette A. Kinzie ; the historical works of Hon. William Bross, Mr. Elias Colbert and Mr. James Sheehan. The Publisher is under obligation to Mr. Albert D. Hager, Secretary of the Chicago Historical Society, for assistance rendered during the prosecution of this work.

It is not claimed that, from this profusion of historic matters, a complete compilation has been made ; but it has been the endeavor of those entrusted with the work to so set in order the material as to give the reader a more comprehensive, connected and accurate account of events as they transpired, than has been undertaken by any single writer of the many to whom the publishers are indebted, and to whom they hereby make unqualified acknowledgments for the merit of their work, and the aid they have rendered in this latest attempt to write Chicago's history.

The topical history has been carefully compiled from every special source accessible, which it was believed could render the treatment of the subject elaborate and accurate ; and the copy of this department of the History has been invariably submitted for criticism, correction and final approval, to citizens who from their personal knowledge were recognized authority, and whose approval should be a guarantee of the correctness of the work.

A. T. A.

GENERAL INDEX.

Page

ORIGINAL PROPRIETORS OF THE SOIL.

The Miamis 33-34 The Pottawatomies 34-37 ORIGIN OF THE WORD CHICAGO 37-38 EARLY EXPLORATIONS.

John Nicolet. 35-41

The Jesuits 41-46

Jacques Marquette 42-46 Louis Joliet. 42-43 Lalime Homicide. 164

EARLY CHICAGO AND THE NORTHWEST. (By Albert D. Ilager.)

Marquette-Maps and Journals 46-49 Joliet and Marquette's routes (Ex- pedition of 1673) 49-50 Marquette's route to the Illinois Mission (1674-1675) 50-51 The Grand and Little Calumet 51-54

The Kaskaskia Mission 55

La Salle-The Miamis 56 Louis Joliet 56

EARLY EXPLORATIONS (Continued). La Salle-Expeditions to the Illi- nois River 61-63

La Salle-At the "Chicagou Port- age " 63-64

Henri de Tonty -- De la Durantaye -Henri Joutel-St. Cos:ne-De Courtemanche and others at "Chi- cagou," (1680-1700). 63-67

Iroquois and Foxes in Northern Illinois 68-69 William Murray's land purchase ... 69-70 MODERN CHICAGO AND ITS SETTLEMENT. Baptiste Point De Saible 70-71 Indian Traders 72

John Kinzie 72-76 Pottawatomies in the War of 1812. 76-79 Fort Dearborn-The Massacre. 79-83 Chicago after the Massacre S.4 Postal' affairs 139-141 THE RAILROAD SYSTEM.

Jean Baptiste Beaubien 84-86

U. S. Indian Agents and Factors 86-91

Fur Trade and Traders. 92-96 The Kinzie Family 96-99 CHICAGO FROM IS16 TO 1830.

Chicago as seen by visitors in 18 17, 1820, 1822, 1823, 1325, 1827, 1523

Taxpayers in 1825 100-101 The Clybourne family. 101-105

David Mckee-The Mirandeau and Porthier families-The La- lime homicide-Stephen lf. Scott and family-Mark and Madore B. Beaubien and Russel E. Heacock. 105-IOS

Three friendly Chiefs, Alexander Robinson, Billy Caldwell and Shawbonee IOS-100 Gurdon S. Ifubbard, the oldest living resident of Chicago. 110-III CHICAGO IN IS30-33- Survey of the town (1830)its residents and appearance -- 111-114 Religious germs-first l'ost-office -Canal lots 114-116 Becomes the County Seat-First County roads-First public land sale-Early amusements .. 116-117 . Black Hawk War-The cholera_ _ 117-121 New permanent settlers -- Ilarbor improvements 121-122 Indian treaty of 1533 122-125

Chicago incorporated as a town, (1933)

125

Page

GOVERNMENT APPOINTEES. 147-148 United States Land Office 145-149

Annals of Chicago 1837 to

1857 150-159 Late Threads of Fort Dearborn History 160-162

Roster of Officers Serving at the Post 163

THE ILLINOIS & MICHIGAN CANAL. Idea of a canal connecting Lake Michigan with the Illinois · River first suggested by Joliet in 1673. 165

First scientific exploration of route by Major S. Il. Long-Survey of routes (1823-1824). 166-167

Incorporation of Illinois & Mich- gan Canal Company - Land grants-Inauguration of work -Expense of construction to 1842-Suspension of work ____ Renewal.of work (1843)-Formal opening of canal, April. 1848 .. 169-171 Difficulties of carrying on the work -- Expenditures and re- ceipts of company from May, I845, to November, 1843 ... - 171-172 The canal from 1348 to 1857 -. 172-173 CORPORATE HISTORY:"

Incorporation of the town of Chi- cago - Elections - Improve-

ments-Population (1533-1837) 174-176 Town limits-Officials-Appear- ance - Churches - Hotels -

Citizens, etc., in IS33 J28-133

The great land craze 133-135 Minor annals of the town 138-139 Snowhook 239-244

Wharfing privileges-Fire De- partment-Cemeteries - Town credit and growth 141-143

Sketches of early residents. 143-146

CREATION OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO. Corporate Limits-First election -The municipality- First cen- sus (1837)-City and County buildings-Finances-Real es- tate-Panic of 1837. 176-183

Growth and standing of the city. (1537-1557)-Koster of city of- ficers (1837-IS57)- I83-185

Water-works-The river 185-192

Street improvements and nomen- clature 194-197 Plank roads-Ferries and bridges 197-200 The flood of IS49 .. 200-201

POLICE DEPARTMENT 202-204 EDUCATIONMI. DEPARTMENT.

Early schools and teachers (1316- IS17)-Sale of School section 16-First school districts, school buildings and school inspectors. 204-205 Ke-organization of school system under city charter-Report of commissioner of school lands at close of 1530, when school fund was transferred to new manage- ment 203-210 RELIGIOUS HISTORY.

First Board of Inspectors of Chi- cago city school -- City organ- izel into districts-Schools es- tablished-School-house, erect- ed-Teachersand sdaric -- Rc-

ports of School Inspectors (1840- 1850)-School and teachers conventions 210-213

Public schools from 1851 to 1857 -Sangamon, Franklin and Moseley schools- Office of Su- pcrintendent of Public Schools created (1853)-Schools, teach- ers and salaries paid in 1854- John C. Dore, Flavel Moseley and William Harvey Wells ____ 213-216 Schools, teachers and salaries paid at 'close of 1857-Number of pupils-School fund-Evening schools-Industrial and reform schools-Officers of Board of Education (1840-1857)-De- velopment of Chicago schools by years ( 1837-1357). 216-217 CHICAGO VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT, (1837-1855).

167-169

First fire ordinance-First fire and fire company - Chicago Fire Department organized ___ 220-222

Sketches of Chicago fire com- panies and rosters of early of- ficers- Firemen's Benevolent Association 222-232

HARBOR AND MARINE.

Chicago harbor-Work of im- provement 233-238 Wharfing privileges 238-239

Local marine interests-Early vessels at Chicago-The light- house-Early steamers - Chi- cago ship-yards-Custom house and collectors-William B.

Preparatory steps. 244-245 Galena & Chicago Union Rail- road 245-251, 256-257 Illinois Central Railroad 251-256

Chicago & North-Western Rai- Iroad 257

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad 258

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad 25S-259 Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana Railroad 259-260 Michigan Central Railroad .. 260-261 Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chi- cago Railroad 261-262

Railroad system of Chicago in 1857 262-263 TELEGRAPIE AND EXPRESS 263 EARLY MILITARY HISTORY.

Fort Dearborn militia-Winne- bagro War_ 264-267 Cook County militia -- Black Hawk War 207-274 Independent military companies prior to 1347 -. 275-276 Chicago in the Mexican War 270-284 Local military companies from 1845 to 1560. 284-286 Pre-church period. 297-289 Pioneer Protestant ministers 25 -- 29)

CATHOLICISM.

St. Mary's Church-Sketch of Bishop William Quarter .. 299-204

Page

GENERAL INDEX.

Page.

St. Patrick's Church-St. Peter's Church

294

St. Joseph's Church -- St. Michael's

Church 295 The Jews 348

St. Louis' Church

296

Church of St. Francis D'Assisium -Church of the Holy Name .. 297 The University of St. Mary's of the Lake ... 298-299 Sisters of Mercy-Catholic Or- phan Asylum. 299

PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS. First Presbyterian Church 302-305

Second Presbyterian Church 305-309

Westminster Presbyterian Church 309

North Presbyterian Church 310

South Presbyterian Church 310-312

Reformed Presbyterian Church .. 312-314

Olivet Presbyterian Church 314-315

First Baptist Church 315-319 Tabernacle Baptist Church. Edina Place Baptist Church. 319-321 Union Park Baptist Church-Sa- lem Baptist Church 322

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History of Chicago. From the earliest period to the present time, Part 1

Author: Andreas, Alfred Theodore Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas Number of Pages: 1340

Author: Andreas, Alfred Theodore
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 1340