USA > Illinois > Stark County > History of Stark County, Illinois, and its people : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 1
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LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
977.351 H14h v. I
ILLINOIS HISTORICAL SURVEY
1
JUH
STARK COUNTY ILLINOIS AND ITS PEOPLE
A RECORD OF SETTLEMENT, ORGANIZATION, PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENT
J. KNOX HALL SUPERVISING EDITOR
ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME I
Chicago THE PIONEER PUBLISHING COMPANY 1916
15 7℃
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
PHYSICAL FEATURES, GEOLOGY, ETC.
LOCATION AND BOUNDARIES-SURFACE-RIVERS AND CREEKS-GENERAL CILARACTER-NATIVE VEGETATION-ANIMALS AND BIRDS-GEOLOGY -THE COAL MEASURES-SECTIONS OF MINING SHAFTS-EXTENT OF THE COAL DEPOSITS-BUILDING STONE-THE GLACIAL EPOCH-HOW STARK COUNTY WAS FORMED-CHARACTER OF THIE GLACIAL DRIFT- THE WATER SUPPLY. 9
CHAPTER II ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS
MOUND BUILDERS-FIRST NOTICE OF MOUNDS IN THE UNITED STATES- CHARACTER AND STRUCTURE OF THE MOUNDS-EARLY INVESTIGA- TIONS AND THEORIES-WORK OF THE BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY-DIS- TRICTS IN THE UNITED STATES-WHO WERE THE MOUND BUILDERS -- MORE THEORIES-RELICS IN THE COUNTY OF STARK-ADAMS AND .22 SILALLENBERGER'S WORK.
CHAPTER III INDIAN HISTORY
DISTRIBUTION OF INDIAN NATIONS AT THIE CLOSE OF THE FIFTEENTHI CENTURY - THE ILLINOIS - SUBORDINATE TRIBES - THE SACS AND FOXES-THE BLACK HAWK WAR-DEATH OF BLACK HAWK-THE POTTAWATOMI- THIEIR VILLAGES IN STARK COUNTY-SHAB-BO-NEE -TREATIES WITH THE POTTAWATOMI-THEIR CHARACTER-TIIE WINNEBAGO-INDIAN NAMES. 31
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1109481
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER IV
THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION
EARLY EXPLORATIONS IN AMERICA-SPANISH, FRENCHI AND ENG- LISH CLAIMS TO TERRITORY IN THE NEW WORLD-TIIE JESUIT MISSIONARIES-DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI-MARQUETTE AND JOLIET-LA SALLE'S EXPEDITIONS-LOUISIANA-CROZAT AND LAW -THE MISSISSIPPI BUBBLE-CONFLICT OF INTERESTS-FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR-ILLINOIS A BRITISHI POSSESSION-THIE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION- CLARK'S CONQUEST OF THE NORTHWEST-ILLINOIS UNDER VARIOUS JURISDICTIONS-ADMITTED AS A STATE-EVOLUTION OF STARK COUNTY-RECAPITULATION 45
CHAPTER V SETTLEMENT OF STARK COUNTY
AN OLD TRADING POST-EVELAND AND ROSS-ISAAC B. ESSEX THE ORIG- INAL PIONEER-FIRST CABIN IN STARK COUNTY-LIST OF SETTLERS EACII YEAR TO 1839-PIONEER LIFE AND CUSTOMS-THE HOUSE RAISING-FURNITURE AND UTENSILS-SWAPPING WORK-AMUSE- MENTS AND PASTIMES-MARKING ANIMALS-THE OLD TRAPPER'S SOLILOQUY 58
CHAPTER VI STARK COUNTY ORGANIZED
TIIE MILITARY LAND GRANT-FORGED TITLES-FIRST COUNTIES IN THE ILLINOIS VALLEY-STARK COUNTY-THE ORGANIC ACT-FIRST ELEC- TIONS-THE COUNTY SEAT-CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT-THE COURT- HOUSE-THE ANNEX-THE COUNTY JAIL-SHERIFF MURCHISON'S REPORT-THIE POOR FARM-HOW THE COUNTY WAS NAMED. .70
CHAPTER VII TOWNSHIP HISTORY
ORIGIN OF THE TOWNSHIP-FIRST TOWNSHIPS IN THE UNITED STATES --- JUSTICES' DISTRICTS IN STARK COUNTY-ESTABLISHMENT OF CIVIL
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CONTENTS
TOWNSHIPS IN 1853 -ELMIRA-ESSEX-GOSHEN-OSCEOLA -- PENN -TOULON-VALLEY-WEST JERSEY-JHLITARY LAND ENTRIES IN EACH-HOW THE TOWNSHIPS WERE NAMED- EARLY SETTLERS - PRESENT DAY CONDITIONS-RAILROADS-SCHOOLS-POPULATION AND 87
WEALTH.
CHAPTER VIII CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES
SPECULATION IN EARLY DAYS-NUMEROUS TOWNS PROJECTED-LIST OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES IN STARK COUNTY-CITIES OF TOULON AND WYOMING-INCORPORATED VILLAGES OF BRADFORD AND LAFAYETTE -MINOR VILLAGES-HISTORICAL SKETCH OF EACH-PRESENT DAY CONDITIONS-POSTOFFICES AND RURAL MAIL ROUTES. 111
CHAPTER IX MILITARY HISTORY
WAR OF 1812-BLACK HAWK WAR-WAR WITH MEXICO-WAAR OF 1861- 65-CONDITIONS LEADING UP TO THE WAR-THE SLAVERY QUESTION -COMPROMISE LEGISLATION-KANSAS-NEBRASKA BILL-POLITICAL CAMPAIGN OF 1860-SECESSION OF THE SLAVE STATES-FALL OF FORT SUMTER-CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS-WAR MEETING AT TOULON-ILLI- NOIS' RESPONSE-EARLY ENLISTMENTS-BRIEF HISTORIES OF THE REGIMENTS IN WHICH STARK COUNTY WAS REPRESENTED-ROSTER OF STARK COUNTY COMPANIES-MISCELLANEOUS INFANTRY ENLIST- MENTS-CAVALRY SERVICE-ARTILLERY-SOLDIERS' MONUMENT- THE WORK AT HOME . 135
CHAPTER X INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
EARLY CONDITIONS IN STARK COUNTY- DIFFICULTIES OF EARLY TRAVEL -INDIAN TRAILS-PUBLIC HIGHWAYS-KNOXVILLE & GALENA STATE ROAD-FIRST ROAD DISTRICTS AND SUPERVISORS-PETITIONS AND VIEWERS-MODERN HIGHWAYS-STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION -- STATE INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS-ILLINOIS & MICHIGAN CANAL-
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CONTENTS
ACT OF 1836-LARGE APPROPRIATIONS FOR RIVER IMPROVEMENTS AND RAILROADS-THE RAILROAD ERA-WESTERN AIR LINE-AMER- ICAN CENTRAL-CILICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC-CHICAGO, BUR- LINGTON & QUINCY-CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN-VALUE OF RAIL- ROAD PROPERTY IN THE COUNTY. . 162
CHAPTER XI FINANCE AND INDUSTRY
PUBLIC REVENUES-PROPERTY VALUES-PRINCIPAL FUNDS RAISED BY TAXATION-BANKING INSTITUTIONS-GENERAL HISTORY-EARLY BANKING IN ILLINOIS-STARK COUNTY BANKS-AGRICULTURE- CROP AND LIVE STOCK STATISTICS-STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE- FARMERS' INSTITUTES-COAL MINING-MANUFACTURING-TELE- PHONE COMPANIES 177
CHAPTER XII EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CHARACTER OF THE EARLY SCHOOLS-SCHOOLHOUSE AND FURNITURE- TEXT-BOOKS-SPELLING SCHOOLS-THE THREE R'S-PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM-STARK COUNTY SCHOOLS-PIONEER TEACHERS-EDUCA- TIONAL PROGRESS BY TOWNSHIPS-THE SEMINARY-TOULON PUBLIC SCHOOLS-TOULON ACADEMY-WYOMING PUBLIC SCHOOLS- SCHOOL OFFICERS-TEACHERS' INSTITUTE-TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION-THE PRESS-BRIEF HISTORIES OF THE VARIOUS NEWSPAPERS-EXTINCT NEWSPAPERS-PUBLIC LIBRARIES -- WYOMING - TOULON - LAFAY- ETTE- BRADFORD -ELMIRA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION-SCHOOL LIBRARIES. 194
CHAPTER XIII THE BENCH AND BAR
PURPOSE OF THE COURTS-THE LAWYER AS A CITIZEN-EARLY COURTS OF STARK COUNTY-FIRST JURORS-SKETCHES OF EARLY JUDGES -- LIST OF CIRCUIT JUDGES SINCE 1839-CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS CONCERNING COURTS-PROBATE COURT-COUNTY COURT AND JUDGES -STATE'S ATTORNEYS-UNITED STATES COURTS-TIIE BAR-CONDI- TIONS OF EARLY DAYS-SKETCHES OF OLD-TIME LAWYERS-THE BAR OF 1915-CRIMINAL CASES-A STRAY INCIDENT. 219
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER XIV THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
MEDICINE AN OLD PROFESSION-HOME-MADE REMEDIES-CHARACTER OF THE PIONEER DOCTOR-HIS METHODS OF TREATMENT-HARDSIHIPS OF FRONTIER PRACTICE-STANDING OF THE DOCTOR AS A CITIZEN- STARK COUNTY DOCTORS-BRIEF SKETCHES OF OLD-TIME PHYSICIANS . -STARK COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY-REGISTERED PHYSICIANS IN .236 1913.
CHAPTER XV CHURCH HISTORY
DIFFICULTIES IN WRITING CHURCH HISTORY-JESUIT MISSIONARIES- THE METHODISTS-PEORIA MISSION-THE BAPTISTS-THE PRESBY- TERIANS-THE CONGREGATIONALISTS-LATTER DAY SAINTS-CIIRIS- TIANS OR DISCIPLES-THE UNIVERSALISTS-UNITED BRETHREN --- THE CATHOLICS-HISTORIES OF THE VARIOUS CONGREGATIONS- MISCELLANEOUS RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. 246
CHAPTER XVI SOCIETIES AND FRATERNITIES
MUTUAL PROTECTION SOCIETY- ITS AIMS AND OBJECTS-AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES AND FAIR ASSOCIATIONS-OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION- THE LOG CABIN - OLD SETTLERS' MONUMENT - LETTERS FROM PIONEERS-MASONIC FRATERNITY-ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR- INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS-DAUGHTERS OF REBEKAH- GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC-TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES-MISCEL- LANEOUS SOCIETIES 266
CHAPTER XVII MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY
PURPOSE OF THIS CHAPTER-FIRST THINGS-PRICES AND WAGES-LIN- COLN AND DOUGLAS AT TOULON-THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD --- FOUNTAIN WATKINS TELLS A STORY-A RESOLUTION-THE FIRST POLITICAL CAMPAIGN-INDIAN RETALIATION-HUNTING IN EARLY DAYS-THE MORMON PROPHET-A POLITICAL HERO. 286
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CONTENTS CHAPTER XVIII
STATISTICAL REVIEW
POPULATION AT EACH UNITED STATES CENSUS-CONSTITUTIONAL CON- VENTIONS-CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS-GENERAL ASSEMBLY-HOW STARK HAS BEEN REPRESENTED IN THE LEGISLATURE-OFFICIAL ROS- TER-LIST OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS SINCE 1839-VOTE FOR PRESIDENT AT EACH ELECTION SINCE 1840-SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE COUNTY'S HISTORY . .305
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA
J. KNOX HALL
History of Stark County
CHAPTER 1
PHYSICAL FEATURES, GEOLOGY, ETC.
LOCATION AND BOUNDARIES-SURFACE-RIVERS AND CREEKS-GENERAL CHARACTER-NATIVE VEGETATION-ANIMALS AND BIRDS-GEOLOGY -THE COAL MEASURES-SECTIONS OF MINING SHAFTS-EXTENT OF THE COAL DEPOSITS-BUILDING STONE-THE GLACIAL EPOCH-HOW STARK COUNTY WAS FORMED-CHARACTER OF THE GLACIAL DRIFT- THE WATER SUPPLY.
Stark County is situated northwest of the center of the state, its western line being about fifty miles from the Mississippi River at Keithsburg, and its northern boundary is eighty-seven miles from the Wisconsin state line. On the north it is bounded by the counties of Bureau and Henry: on the east by Bureau and Marshall counties: on the south by Peoria County, and on the west by Knox and Henry counties. It embraces Congressional townships 12 and 13 north. Range 5 east: townships 12, 13 and 14, Range 6; and townships 12. 13 and 14, Range 7. As each of these townships contains thirty-six square miles, the total area of the county is 288 square miles.
The general surface of the county is slightly undulating, or roll- ing. except in the vicinity of the Spoon River and at some places along Indian Creek, where it is more or less broken. More than nine-tenths of the 184,320 acres responds easily to cultivation, and the remaining tenth is by no means waste land, though its cultivation is attended by greater effort. Natural drainage is afforded by the Spoon River. Indian and Walnut creeks, Cooper's Defeat, Camping Run, Jack Creek, Mud Run, Jug Run and a number of smaller streams.
The Spoon River is composed of two branches. The East Fork rises in Bureau County and the West Fork in Henry County, the former flowing in a southwesterly direction and the latter toward the Vol 1 -1
9
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
southeast until they form a junction in the northeastern part of Tou- lon Township, Stark County. From this point the main stream fol- lows a general southerly course through the townships of Toulon and Essex. It finally empties into the Illinois River near the town of Hlavana, Mason County. The Indian name of this stream was "Maquon," which in the. Pottawatomi language means "Feather," certainly a more euphonious name than the one adopted by the white people.
Indian Creek, the second largest stream in the county, has its source not far from the town of Galva, Henry County. It enters Stark County about two miles west of the northeast corner of Goshen Township, and follows a general southeasterly direetion until it empties into the Spoon River a short distance above the old settlement known as Slackwater. This ereek takes its name from the fact that when the first white men came to what is now Stark County they found a few Indians living along its banks.
Walnut Creek, so named beeause of the number of walnut trees that once grew along its course, rises near the little village of Nekoma, Henry County, whence it flows southeast until it enters Stark County a little south of Lafayette. Its course is then almost south through Goshen and West Jersey townships until it mingles its waters with those of the Spoon River in the northwestern part of Peoria County.
The ereek known as Cooper's Defeat begins in the southern part of Bureau County. Its general course is westward and it finally emp- ties into the East Fork of the Spoon River in the southwest corner of Osceola Township. About three miles above its mouth it bends south- ward into Penn Township, where William and Jeremiah Cooper were frozen to death in the severe snow storm just before Christmas in 1831, from which ineident the ereek takes its name. A further account of this event will be found in another chapter.
Some seven or eight miles south of Cooper's Defeat and flowing in the same general direction is Camping Run, or Camp Creek, as it is sometimes called. It has its beginning a short distance east of Camp Grove, in Marshall County, and joins the Spoon River about a miłe and a half west of the little village of Stark. Before the advent of the railroad emigrant parties frequently eneamped in the grove near the headwaters of the ereek, from which eustom it took its name.
Still farther south is Mud (or Muddy) Run, which rises in Mar- shall County and flows westward through the southern part of Valley Township until it empties into Camping Run about half a mile from the mouth of the latter. Its name indieates its character.
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
Jack Creek rises near the western boundary of Elmira Township and flows in a southeasterly direction through that township and Tou- lon, finally falling into the Spoon River a short distance below the village of Modena.
Jug Run parallels the course of Jack Creek about two miles farther south. It is a short stream and is all in Toulon Township. Of the smaller streams the most important are Fitch Creek, which rises in Knox County and touches the northwest corner of Goshen Township; and Silver Creek, a tributary of the East Fork of the Spoon River in the northeast corner of Osceola Township.
GENERAL CHARACTER
Originally the greater part of the county was prairie, with groves of timber interspersed in such a way that none of the prairies eon- sisted of more than a few square miles. The largest prairie was be- tween Cooper's Defeat Creek and Camping Run, in what are now Penn and Valley townships. The absence of timber upon the traets of land ealled prairies has been the subject of considerable specula- tion among geologists, geographers and botanists as to the cause of the vast, treeless plains in the Middle West and the smaller tracts of sim- ilar character in other parts of the country. It is a notable faet that no prairies existed east of the State of Ohio. Professor Whitney. who made some observations on this subject, says:
"The eanse of the absence of trees on the prairies is due to the physi- eal character of the soil, and especially its exceeding fineness, which is prejudicial to the growth of anything but a superficial vegetation, the smallness of the particles of the soil being an insuperable barrier to the necessary aeeess of air to the roots of deeply-rooted vegetation, such as trees. Wherever, in the midst of the extraordinary fine soil of the prairies, coarse and gravelly patches exist. there dense forests oeeur."
Dr. Charles A. White, who held the office of state geologist in Iowa for several years in the early '70s, made a somewhat extended investigation of the subject and reached a different conclusion from that of Professor Whitney. After calling attention to the fact that prairies are found resting upon all kinds of bed rock, from the Azoic to the Cretaceous ages, and that all kinds of soil-alluvial, drift and laerustral, including sand, elay, gravel and loam-are frequently found upon the same prairie, he says:
"Thus, whatever the origin of the prairies might have been, we have
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
positive assurance that their present existence is not due to the influ- ence of the climate, the character or composition of the soil, nor to the character of any underlying formations.
"There seems to be no good reason why we should regard the for- ests as any more natural or normal condition than are the prairies. Indeed it seems the more natural inference that the occupation of the surface has taken place by dispersion from original centers, and that they encroached upon the unoccupied surface until they were met and checked by the destructive power of fires. The prairies doubtless existed as such almost immediately after the elose of the glacial epoch."
Doctor White's statement, that the prairies are not due to any character or composition of the soil, is borne out by the fact that in the towns that have been built up on the prairies, and in the artificial groves around many of the farm houses in the West, trees have grown with as much vigor as though the surface had onee been covered by a growth of native timber. But, no matter how the prairies originated, the pioneers of Stark County found upon them a soil-a dark loam in structure-that when properly drained and rightly cultivated is unsur- passed in produetiveness.
Along the streams the first settlers found belts of timber, varying in width, the principal varieties of native trees being oak, maple, lin- den, hiekory, black walnut and elm. Smaller and less important spe- cies were the dogwood, hawthorn, red bud, wild plum, crab apple, etc. The soil of the timbered lands is lighter in color than that of the prai- ries and not so deep, but with the right kind of care and cultivation it can be made to produce excellent erops.
Before the plow and the spade of civilization disturbed the native vegetation of the prairies the land was covered with flowers of various hues. First in importance was probably the tall plant known as "Queen of the prairie," which often grew to a height of six feet and hore at the top a large eluster of flowers resembling the blossoms of the peach tree. Then there were the white, yellow and purple lady slipper, the golden rod, the buttercup, the May apple, the blue bell, the forget-me-not. several members of the phlox family, the best known of which was the modest little flower known as the sweet wil- liam, and numerous others, all of which have disappeared except in very rare instances.
Along the banks of the streams and around the ponds could be found three or four species of water lilies, the cowslip, the cat tail and blue flags, various kinds of mint, etc. In the woods the wild mari-
.
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
gold, the bell flower, the yellow honey suckle, anemones, the elematis, the trumpet ereeper and the modest violet grew abundantly, and some of these flowers are still to be seen in a few secluded places, where the ravages of civilized man have not yet encompassed their destruction.
In the early days, before the physician and the drug store had become established institutions, many herbs were gathered and pre- served for their medicinal properties. Foremost among these were the horehound, boneset, pennyroyal, catnip, wild garlie, barberry, vel- low water dock, burdock, wild senna, gentian, lobelia, and a species of wormwood. A few straggling specimens of these plants may be seen, but where they once grew in profusion are now the cultivated fields of the thrifty husbandman.
ANIMALS AND BIRDS
Time was when the bison, or American buffalo, roamed in great herds over the prairies of Illinois. At several points along the Spoon River, within the limits of Stark County, large quantities of the bones of these animals have been found. It is supposed that these bone heaps are due to the buffaloes seeking shelter in the timber along the river from some violent storm, and that here the whole herd perished. What the storms failed to accomplish toward the extinguishment of the bison the rifle of the pioneer and the encroachments of civilization did accomplish, and they have gone, never to return.
The Virginia deer was also once plentiful in what is now Stark County and venison formed a considerable portion of the meat supply for the family of the early settler. Occasionally a black bear could be seen prowling about some frontier settlement, but when some pioneer "drew a bead" on him with the long barreled rifle his tenure of life was limited to a few seconds at most, and then the family would feast on bear meat for a short season.
Although not so plentiful as the buffalo or the deer, the elk was one of the native animals of the Spoon River Valley. The beaver, otter, mink, raccoon and muskrat were the best known of the fur- bearing animals and in early days were trapped in large numbers for the revenue that their skins would bring. The beaver and otter have joined the buffalo, bear, deer and elk in oblivion and only on rare occasions are any of the others to be seen.
Among the predatory animals, or beasts of prey, the prairie and timber wolf. the lynx, the panther, the catamount, the wildeat. the gray and red fox were those most common. Of these the wolves were
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
probably the most troublesome. In March, 1844, the county com- missioners offered a bounty of $1 for the scalp of each big wolf and 50 cents for that of each prairie wolf "six months old killed in Stark County during the year 1844." As late as December 18, 1884, a large wolf was killed a few miles west of Toulon, and on May 23, 1885, the county clerk paid E. HI. Bates, of Osecola, $24 on fourteen young wolf scalps. There are still living in the county persons who can remember how, when they were children, they were wont to cuddle more closely together in their beds as the mournful howl of some wolf. engaged upon his nightly foraging expedition, came to their ears in the lonely cabin on the frontier.
Other wild animals that were common in the early days were the Maryland marmot-commonly called the woodchuck or ground hog- the rabbit, which is still found in considerable numbers, several species of squirrels, the skunk, the opossum, the weasel and a few others. The gray squirrel, the striped and spotted prairie squirrel have dis- appeared and the other varieties are found only in limited numbers compared with former years.
In October, 1867, Robert Church killed an American eagle near the bridge over Indian Creek on the road leading from Toulon to Lafayette. The bird was a magnificent specimen, measuring seven feet from tip to tip of its wings. So far as can be learned this was the last cagle killed in the county, where the bald eagle was once quite common and occasionally the golden eagle could be seen. Closely allied to the eagle in habits, but much smaller, are the hawks, several species of which were once quite numerous in Stark County. Those best known were the pigeon hawk, the sparrow hawk, Cooper's, the sharp-shinned, the red-tailed and the swallow-tailed hawks, while the fish hawk, the red shouldered hawk and the marsh hawk were more rare.
Of the owls, the most common was the ordinary screech owl. Next was the barred or barn owl. The long and short eared, the great horned owl and the snowy owl were to be seen in the smaller numbers, the last named being rather rare.
Game birds, or birds used for food, were abundant. The wild turkey, several species of wild ducks, the wild goose, the loon and the gull were the largest of such fowl. though some of the smaller varieties made up in numbers what they lacked in size. The most familiar of this class were the prairie chicken and some other members of the grouse family, the quail, the snipe, of which there were several kinds. the plover, and last, but not least in importance, the passenger pigeon. Prior to 1875 great flocks of wild pigeons numbering thousands of
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
birds would pass over the county during the migratory seasons. At night they would pause to roost in some forest and would perch upon the limbs of the trees in such numbers that often branches several inches in diameter would give way under the weight. Those were red- letter days for the sportsman and the birds were killed by hundreds, merely for the sport of the killing. In the early '70s the size of the floeks began to diminish and a few years later the passenger pigeon disappeared altogether. The question has been asked many times where they went or what beeame of them, as they have not been heard from anywhere. Their disappearance is still shrouded in mystery.
Other birds onee seen here in considerable numbers that are now entirely extinet or exceedingly rare were the turkey buzzard, the Caroline parrot, the whippoorwill, the cuckoo, the erane, the heron, the common erow. the turtle dove and quite a number of song birds, such as the thrush, the fineh family, several species of warblers, the oriole, ete. Then there were the swallows, of which there were several kinds. the bunting. the little wren, the titmouse, the chickadee, the native sparrows, the red throated humming bird, the meadow lark, the nuthatch, the fly catcher, the prairie skylark, the pewee. the blue bird and some others that have entirely disappeared or are extremely rare. The ax, the plow and the seythe destroyed many of their aeenstomed haunts and drove them to seek other quarters, and the pugnacious, worthless English sparrow has added to the destruetive work of man in driving ont many of the native birds. The wood- peeker, the black bird and the ubiquitous blue jay are still seen in the county. but in smaller numbers than formerly, and on rare occasions some of the other species mentioned above are to be met with, as though they had returned to mourn over the seenes of their by-gone happiness. It is to be regretted that greater and timely protection was not given to the song birds and inseet-eating varieties, which could have done so much toward adding to the cheerfulness of the human family and the protection of the farmers' erops.
GEOLOGY
Although America is called the New World, geologists believe that it is older than any of the continents of the Eastern Hemisphere. Professor Agassiz says: "Here was the first dry land lifted out of the waters; here the first shores were washed by the ocean that en- veloped all the earth besides: and while Europe was represented only by islands rising here and there above the sea, America already
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HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY
stretched in one unbroken line of dry land from Nova Scotia to the far West."
It is not within the province of a history such as this to discuss the methods by which geologists reached this conclusion, but other eminent authorities, as well known in seientific eireles as Professor Agassiz, are inclined to favor the same theory regarding the age of the conti- nent upon which we live. If their hypothesis be correct. Stark County may have been the home of the ereatures of the reptilian type belong- ing to the Jura-Trias and Cretaceous eras, while the so-called Old World was still under water.
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