USA > Illinois > Shelby County > Combined history of Shelby and Moultrie Counties, Illinois : with illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 8
USA > Illinois > Moultrie County > Combined history of Shelby and Moultrie Counties, Illinois : with illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 8
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8 and 17, its course is due south. The stations on the line of this road in Shelby county, are the flourishing town of Moawequa, in the north-west corner of the county, and Oconee in the south-west part of the county, from which point considerable shipping is done.
The Chicago Branch of this road traverses a little over four miles of the south-east corner of Shelby county, passing through the village of Sigel in Big Spring township. In September, 1850, Congress passed an act, and it was approved by President Fillmore, granting an aggregate of 2,595,053 acres to aid in building this road.
The act granted the right of way, and gave alternate sections of land for six miles on either side of the road. The grant of land was made directly to the state. On the 10th of February, 1851, the legislature of Illinois granted a charter to an eastern company, represented by Rantoul and others, to build it, with a capital stock of $1,000,000. The legislature, in granting the charter, and trans- ferring to the corporation the lands, stipulated that seven per cent. of the gross earnings of the road should be paid semi-annually into the treasury of the state forever. This wise provision, in lieu of the liberal land grant, yields a handsome annual revenue to the state. This road has a total length of 706 miles, connecting Cairo with Chicago and Dunleith, or from Cairo to Centralia 112 miles, and from Centralia to Dunleith 341 miles. This road is one of the great trunk lines of Illinois and the Mississippi Valley ; its principal leased line in this state is the Gilman and Springfield road, and with its Iowa division, running from Dubuque to Sioux city, serve to mark it as one of the principal roads of the west, and connects Chicago with St. Louis by the Vandalia road. The first ground broken toward the building of this road in this county was in 1853. And the cars were running the following year, and then Moawequa and Oconee stations were located.
Indianapolis and St. Louis Railroad.
(Formerly the Terre Haute, Alton and St. Louis railroad). Its general offices are located at Indianapolis, its eastern ter- minus; and St. Louis being the western termini, the length of track from either termini is 261 miles. The road-bed is of sub- stantial build, well ballasted, tied and ironed. It enters the state of Illinois in Edgar county, and the principal towns which it passes through in this state, are Paris, Charleston, Mattoon, Shelby- ville, Pana, Hillsboro, Litchfield, Bunker Hill, Alton and East St. Louis. The line of the road is laid through a very fertile district of the state, and it receives a fair proportion of the traffic.
The act passed by the Legislature of Illinois to incorporate the Terre-Haute and Alton railroad company went into effect January 26th, 1851. An extension from Alton to St. Louis was subsequently built, and the road was then for several years known as the Terre- Haute, Alton & St. Louis R. R. It strikes Moultrie county first on section twenty-four, Whitley township. Summit, a station in this township is about a mile and a half west of the county line; the general direction of the road through Shelby county is slightly south-western, passing through Windsor, Richland, Shelbyville, Rose, and Tower Hill townships. The principal station in the latter county is Shelbyville. At Windsor it crosses the line of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific R. R., and at Tower Hill it furnishes communication with the north and south, through the O. & M. road. The I. & St. L. and O. & M. run on parallel lines about three miles-from Tower Hill to the west line of the county. This is by far the most important road in Shelby county. It was completed same date as the Illinois Central.
Peoria, Decatur and Evansville R. R.
The first effort made to build a railroad through Moultrie county,
03
HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES. ILLINOIS.
was that in connection with the Shelbyville and Tolono road, but only a survey of the line and a little grading was done when the project failed.
The P. D. & E. road is a consolidation of the Pekin, Lincoln and Decatur, and the Decatur, Sullivan, and Mattoon railroads. The former of these two roads was chartered in 1861, and the charter was amended in 1865. The road was constructed in 1871, from Pekin to Decatur, 67 miles. and was leased by the Wabash. The (D. S. & M.) was chartered the same year (1851), and in 1872 was completed from Decatur to Mattoon, a distance of 43 miles. Subsequently these two roads, as before stated, were consolidated and now form the P. D. and E. R. R., which secures to the county a north-western and south-eastern line of transportation ; the north- ern terminus being Peoria, and the present southern, Parkersburg, making the road, as extended, 192 miles in length. Through the efforts of some of the enterprising citizens, they united with the people of Decatur and Mattoon, and aided by Mr. W. M. Stanley, then representative in the legislature from this district, procured a charter for the D. S. & M. R. R, and the Board of Supervisors of Moultrie county subscribed $80,000 in bonds. These bonds were issued December 31, 1872, bearing interest at the rate of 8 per cent. per annum, and to mature January 1, 1883. All but about $6,000 of these bonds have been paid, and the whole amount will be cancelled before the date of maturity. This road enters Moul- trie county in Dora township at Dalton City, and it traverses the county in a south-easterly direction, through Dora, Marrowbone, Sullivan, and East Nelson townships, and passes out at Coles station, in the north eastern corner of Whitley township. The most important station is Sullivan, at which place it crosses the line of the Wabash, St. Louis, and Pacific.
Illinois Midland R. R.
Which is a consolidation of the Peoria, Atlanta, and Decatur and the Paris and Decatur railroads. It was constructed in the year 1872, from Peoria, via Decatur to Terre Haute Indiana, Peoria and Terre Haute being the termini, and the entire length of the road is 176 miles, of which 168 are in Illinois. This road enters Moultrie county from the west, in the northern part of Dora township, on the line dividing the sections ten and fifteen, and extends due cast to Lake City, where it diverges from a straight line in a south-east direction to Lovington, at which thriving and enterprising town it crosses the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific R. R. Here again its course changes and it traverses the balance of the county due east, crossing the county line at Arthur on Section 25 in Lowe township. Lake City, Lovington, Williamsburg and Arthur are the stations in this county, Lovington being the most important.
Moultrie County has done much to foster and encourage her railroad system. Her people have been liberal, having donated the right-of-way, and voted moneys to aid in the construction of the roads.
The total railroad bonded indebtedness of the county is at present, $281,000, as follows :
$6,000 of the subscribed $80,000 to the P. D. & E. R. R.
$75,000 donated by vote to P. D. & E. R R.
$200,000 Chicago & Paducah, now W. St. L. & P.
$281,000 Total.
The $75,000 was issued in one thousand dollar bonds, November 1, 1871, drawing 8 per cent. interest, and the $200,000 in one thousand dollar bonds, issued May 27, 1872, bearing ten per cent. interest. Inasmuch as there is believed to have been some irre- gulnrity in the manner in which the latter donations were made,
the constituted authorities of the county propose to contest the legality of said bonds. In addition to the above there is a town- ship railroad indebtedness of $42,000, viz: Sullivan tp. $30,000, Lowe, 812,000. These bonds are also in litigation.
Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific R. R.
( Formerly Chicago and Paducah R. R.) This road was built through Moultrie and Shelby counties in 1873 and '74. It has sinee passed into the hands of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific. Believing it will be interesting to our readers. we give a brief description of this great corporation, whose future prosperity is so intimately intertwined with the growth and development of these counties. Great Western, whose name has since been successively changed to Toledo, Wabash and Western and Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific, the last of which it still bears The Great Western was an extension of the Northern Cross Railroad, and was comple- teel to Bement, north of Moultrie county, and the cars running in April, 1854. More than to any other this immediate section of the state owes the subsequent rapid development of its agricultural and other resources. Its line passes through some of the finest portions of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. It soon became the popular high- way of travel and traffic between the East and the West. Under its new name-Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific-and management, it has rapidly extended its lines east and west of the Mississippi river, comprising at present two great divisions, the eastern and westeru.
Total miles cast of the Mississippi river, 1381 miles. 777 66 west " 66
Grand total Eastern and Western Divisions, 2158 miles.
The Chicago and Paduenh branch of this road enters Moultrie county in the north-east corner of Lovington township and its general course is almost due sonth. It traverses Lovington township, crossing the Illinois Midland R. R. at thetown of Lovington. It passes on through Sullivan tp .. and at the City of Sullivan crosses the line of the P. D. & E. R. R. Thenee through the north-west corner of Whitley tp., and erosses the section lines between Whitley and Windsor townships, when it enters Shelby county, and at the town of Windsor erosses the I. & S ;. L. R. R., and passes on down through Richland and Prairie townships. The stations below Windsor are Strasburg, Hebron, and the thriving village of Stewardson. The road crosses the south line of Shelby county on Section 15, (tp. 9-5), Prairie township. By this road and the I. & St. L . the two counties are linked together by bands of iron. The W. St. L. & P. is the most important road in the two counties, and is the great North and South line, connecting with the principal northern and southern eities. The principal lines of this road have steel rail tracks, well ballasted road-beds, and altogether constitute one of the greatest railroad systems in the West.
Springfield Division of Ohio and Mississippi R. R.
This road enters Shelby county on the west line of Seetion 19, Tower Hill township, and its course is due cast until it reaches the village of Tower Hill, which is the most important station on the line of this road in Shelby county. Here the line diverges from an eastern to a south-eastern course, and traverses the townships of Tower Hill, Cold Spring and Dry Point. The stations in this county are Tower Hill, Lakewood, Cowden and Holliday-the latter village is on the dividing line between Shelby and Fayette counties. This road was formerly known as the Springfield and Pana R. R., afterwards as the Springfield and South-eastern R. R. and on the first of April, 1875, it was sold to the O. & M. R. R.
5
34
HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
Company. It was built under a charter obtained in 1865, and completed in 1870. The first construction train to run from Pana to Springfield was on the 28th of October, 1869. The first through train from Beardstown to Shawneetown, was run on the 28th of March, 1872. This road does a fair business, and its influence has been greatly felt in developing the resources of the south-western portion of the county.
We append some statistics relative to the above described roads which will doubtless be of interest to the reader.
A Statement of miles of track and assessed value of R. R. property of Moultrie and Shelby counties.
MOULTRIE COUNTY.
Name of Roads.
Main track inclu- Side or turnaut Total value af R. diny night of way. track. Length. Length.
Miles.
Feet.
Miles.
Fect.
R. property as- scared by the State Board of Equalization.
Illinois Midland.
15
4515
1 1029
$49,407
Indianapolis and St. Louis.
5
1235
31,363
Peoria, Decatur and Evansville.
23
2794
76,051
Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific.
22
3218
5215
118 867
Total,
66
2453
2
4993
$275,688
SHELBY COUNTY.
Indianapolis and St. Louis R. R. Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific. Ohio and Mississippi.
27
1
5071
$135,501
19
1
1094
51,517
Illinois Central R. R.
16
Pay no tax.
CHAPTER IV.
GEOLOGY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES.
BY PROF. J. PIKE, M. A
SHELBY COUNTY.
OPOGRAPHY .- About two-thirds of the area of this county is prairie; the northern part being flat, or very gently undulating, and pos- sessing a rich soil.
The principal streams are the Little Wabash river and the Kaskaskia ; the former running through the south-eastern portion of the county, the latter and its tributaries being in the cen- tral and western portions.
Among the less important streams are Green, Mitchell's, Beck's, Robinson's, and Mud creeks, the last two being sluggish streams, with muddy banks, flanked by wide bottoms, and low hills, whose height does not exceed fifty feet.
The hills along the Kaskaskia are generally about seventy feet high, and the country, back from the river for a di-tance varying from a half mile to a mile, is rather broken. The bottoms vary in width from a quarter of a mile to three-quarters of a mile,
The timber on the ridges, hills, and uplands is chiefly white oak,
* For some of the data in the preparation of this chapter, we are indebted to the State Geological reports of Prof. A. H. Worthen, its editor.
black-oak, shell-bark, hickory, burr-oak, and sassafras, while the bottoms produce pine, oak, elm, ash, hackberry, buckeye, maple, and sugar tree.
The river bottoms and the adjacent hills afford an abundant supply of good timber.
GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS.
Quaternary .- In digging a well on the Kaskaskia bottom, two miles below the mouth of Jordan's creek, the first five feet were found to be soil and dark clay, and the next eleven feet sandy material containing some pebbles.
The Shelbyville hills show about fifty feet of sand and clay, on which are found rounded pebbles of mica, slate, sienite of various colors, several kinds of granite (including graphic granite), quartzite, greenstone, and chert.
Three miles above Shelbyville, a drift bluff is exposed, at an old well, and shows sand and pebbles partially united, forming discon- nected layers of firmly cemented conglomerate.
On the Wabash, below the forks, the drift exhibits about twelve feet of chocolate and buff colored clays, the lower part being sandy and containing a few small pebbles
A well on J. Gallagher's farm was dug to a depth of seventy- two feet, the first thirty-eight feet being through clay. At that depth was found muddy sand, in which were leaves, sticks, and one log. From the depth of fifty-two feet to seventy-two feet, the well was bored through sand to a stiff clay.
Coal Measures .- About 175 feet of the upper Coal Measures appear in this county, and in the whole thickness there are only two workable coals, grades No. 14 and No. 15, numbered 16 and 8, respectively, in the following condensed sections of the various beds :
FT.
1. Limestone, dove-colored, 4
2. Fire clay,. 2
3. Shales passing into sandstone, 30
4. Limestone,
5. Shales at top, changing into argillaceous limestone, 55
6. Sandstone, 4
to 40
7. Shaly bituminous limestone and bituminous shales, } to 4
8. Coal, No. 15, 14 to 3
9. Fire clay, . 1} to 5
10. Limestone, 0
to 4
11. Shales and sandstone,
15 to 30
12. Shales, .
13. Calcareous shales, 4
14. Shales,
15. Calcareous and bituminous shales, 2
16. Coal, near Pan,
1} to 15-6
17. Fire clay, 5
18. Sandy limestone 5
At a mill on Sand creek, about five miles from Windsor, No. 1, extends across stream for about 200 feet.
Four miles north-east of Shelbyville, on the river, are found about four feet of limestone, the upper part of which is sometimes shaly and fossiliferous, containing Spiriferina Kentuckiensis, Spirifer lineatus, spirifer cameratus, Productus punctatus, Athyris subtilita, Hemipronites crassus, and crinoid stems. The lower part contains very few fossils.
Just beneath the fire clay, in the same vicinity, are found 20 feet of sandy shales, and occasionally along the river there are beds of buff sandstone, which make the entire thickness of sandstone and shales (No. 3) amount to 30 feet. In No. 4, which is a tough and very coarse dark gray limestone, are found the fossils, Myalina subquadrata, Pinna per-acuta, Prod. Prattenianus, Nautilus occidenta- lis, Allorisma subcuneata, Aviculopecten occidentalis.
17
2912 3866 2640
3549
79,494
35
HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, ILLINOIS. 1198171
About five miles up the Kaskaskia river from Shelbyville, No. 4, is found sticking out of the river bank, three feet above low water, is easily recognized, and affords good fossils. Below the limestone just mentioned, and including Nos. 5, 6 and 7, there are about 96 feet of sandy and argillaceous shale sandstone, and argillaceous limestone, with calcareous and bituminous shale. The upper part is principally argillaceous shale, but the lower part consists of beds that are not at all persistent. Near the railroad, one mile west of Robinson's creek, the argillaccous shale is 30 feet thick ; its beds are very irregular, and the fracture is conchoidal and smooth. The thinner beds are shaly.
The sandstone (No. 6) also is changeable. Sometimes it is absent entirely, its place being occupied by sandy shales, as on the Little Wabash river; at others, it is a thin-bedded sandstone. Two miles south-east of Shelbyville, it changes rapidly to a shale, again to a sandstone, and again, baek to a shale. Sometimes it rests on the coal, then again it is separated from the coal by bituminous shales, which begin at 0, and rapidly inerease to a thickness of 1} feet.
At Lilly's mill, a calcareous shale overlies the coal which in a distance of 200 feet thickens from 0 to 3 feet ; it is divided, after running a short distance, by 2 feet of elay shale, and the upper part becomes a firm bed of limestone. But few fossils are found in these beds, the most important being Sigillaria and Calamites, in the sandstone, and Cordaites, in the shales.
The fossils in the caleareous shales are much crushed, still the following ean be distinguished ; Athyris subtilita, Spirifer Kentuc- kiensis, Prod. Prattenianus, and Bryozou.
An examination of the outcrops of coal in various places gives the following scetions, from which may be seen the changeable character of the adjacent rocks :
On Copperas ereek west of Nioga, at J. Young's coal bank-
1. Drab and bluc slale, 3
fı.
2. Bituminous coal. 14 4
3. Fire elay, 3
4. Slope, . 10 ft. to 15 4
5. Chocolate and drab-colored arenaccous limestone, 21 4
6. Slope, 5
7. Sandstone, hard and rough, 10
On Little Wabash, one.mile above the mouth of Copperas creek :
1. Clay and drift, 25 ft.
2. Clay shale, 14 "
3. A little black slatc.
4. Bituminous eoal, 0 " to 22 in
5. Fire elay at top for a few fect, then elay shales, with nodules of ironstone, etc., . 18
A mile up stream the coal is four feet above the water, and a quarter of a mile further it is two feet above, and eapped by 12 feet of gray shale, passing into thin beds of sandstone.
At Lilly's mill, in section 1, T. 9 N., R. 3 E., the following seetion is shown :
1. Slope gentle, . . fı. 60
2. Drift clay, sand and pebbles, 10 «
3. Ash-blue clay shale, . . 1
4. Caleareous shale, changing to shaly limestone 0 " to 3 fr.
5. Coal,
1 5-6 fr.
6. Fire clay, 3 ft.
7. Hard and soft shales, shaly and thiekly bedded gray and grayish blue, very changeable within a short distance, . 20 “
At a coal bank on Robinson's creek, in section 21, T. 11 N., R. 3 F .-
1. Gray sandstone, 25 ft.
2. Ferruginous bed, 0 4 5 in
3. Black shalc, 10 "
4. Coal,
One hundred yards south of the last locality-
1. Limestone with thin laminæe of coal, traversing the lower part,
2. Ochrey ferruginous stratum, 0 " 5 in.
3. Blue and dove-colored elay shales, 0 .. 4 **
4. Coal, .
The hills at this place are about fifty feet high.
In section 30, T. 12 N., R. 3 E , on Brush creek,
1. Soil and buff elay 8 ft.
2. Sofi buff sandstone . 8 4
3. Thinly laminated light-blue shales. 4 "
4. Bituminous coal 1 " 6 in.
5. Fire elay
6. Coarse rougli nodular calcareous sandstone
On the land of J. Armstrong, in section 35 of the same township, there are, over the coal, four or five fect of firm gray or brown sandstone containing plants.
On Mrs. Sides' land. one and a half miles south of the railroad,
1. Sandstone, at one place very hard; at another, soft. . . 5 ft.
2. Ferruginous shales passing into conglomerate . 3 to 1 "
3. Lead-blue calcareous shales .
4. Coal . about 1} =
5. Fire clay
Near the railroad in section 17, T. 11 N., R. 3 E., at William Howard's.
1. Sandstone .
2. Dark gray calcareons shale thinning out . 2 ft.
3. Coal 1 " 6 in
At Minto's, a short distance north,
1. Sandstone .
2. Ferruginous conglomerate . 1 in. 10 4 in.
3. Dove-colored clay shales . 16 44
4. Coal 18 .
5. Fire elay 15 -
6. Hard limestone 24 "
One hundred and fifty yards further up,
1. Sandstone .
2. Calcareo-bituminous shale . 4 fr.
3. Coal . 1 " S in.
4. Fire clay
In section 6, T. 9 N., R. 4 E.
1. Olive elay shales 4 ft.
2. Bituminons coal 1 " 6 in.
3. Fire elay .
4. Buff limestone, fracture gray
At the mouth of Long Branch in section 10, T. 10 N, R. 3 E.
1. Brown ash-elay, a few pebbles in the lower part . . . . 20 ft.
2. Bituminous coal, the upper one foot has thin bands of elay
-the lower part is good coal 3 "
3. Upper part fire elay, in middle are buff nodules of arcna- ecous limestone 16 4
On Mrs. Fancher's land in section 32, T. 10 N., R. 4 E ..
1. Argillaceous shales .
2. Coal .
22 in.
3. Fire clay 5 ft.
4. Sandstone in thin beds alternating rough, hard, with gray ripple inarked, and thicker brown beds . 15 .
1
36
HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
One mile south of Shelbyville.
1. Sandy sliales 55 ft.
2. Coal, thin seam 2 in.
3. Calcareous shales fossiliferous 1 to 2 4
4. Bituminous coal
Coal is at the water's edge.
In the south part of section 2, T. 10 N., R. 1 E.,
1. Mostly chocolate-colored argillaceous shales . . . . . 10 ft.
2. (=No. 14 of upper Coal Meas. Sec.) Calcareous shales containing Hemipronites crassus, Spiriferina Kentuckiensis, Lophophyllum proliferum, Zeacrinus, and a crinoid resem- bling Agassizocrinus 1 4
3. Blue and bituminous shales .
4. (=No. 16 of upper Coal Meas. Sec.) Dark blue calca- reous shales passing into a shaly limestone; abounds in Spirifer plano-convexus and Hemipronites crassus; also con- tains Orthis carbonaria, Orthoceras cribrosum, Pleurotomaria Sphærulata, Chonetes Flemingii, Productus costatns, Spi- rifer cameratus, Euomphalus sub-rugosus, Lophophyllum proliferum
5. Bituminous coal 20 in. to 22 in.
6. Fire clay, calcareous nodules in the lower part. . 5 ft.
7. Hard rough calcareous sandstone containing Productus Pratteinanus .
Besides the fossils named above, there are found on the Fayette county line the following : Productus Nebrascensis, Productus longis- pinus, Retzia punctulifera, Spiriferina Kentuckiensis, and Orthis carbonaria.
The rocks of the above section preserve a slight southerly dip for ten iniles ; and at the county line, where it crosses Beck's creek, they are found about the same distance above the creek ; but for four or five miles toward the north, they rise more rapidly.
ECONOMICAL GEOLOGY.
Coal Mines .- Two coal beds are worked in this county. The upper (grade No. 15), sometimes called the "Shelby coal," varies in thickness from one and a half to three feet, but is generally about twenty-two inches thick. It is generally a firm, good coal, and is tolerably pure.
The following are the principal places at which it has been worked : J. Young's, iu section 24, T. 10 N., R. 6 E ; on the west side of Little Wabash river, in the north half of township 10 north ; Wm. Rudy's, J. Gallagher's, Henry Allen's on Richland creek ; the railroad bank on Brush creek ; Elliott's, on the Terre Haute R. R., near Robinson's creek station. At Lilly's mill the chance to side drift is very favorable, aud there are many places within three miles of the inill at which coal crops out, and is generally easy of access.
The Beck's creek or Pana coal (grade No. 14) has been mined in section 15, T. 9 N., R. 1 E., and in section 31, T. 10 N., R. 2 E. At the latter place twenty-one fcet of shales and thin bedded sand- stone rest on two feet of bituminous shale at the water's edge, and coal has been taken out of the bed of the creek (Beck's). Six miles north of this place, the coal appears a few feet above the water in Coal Bank creek.
Building Stone .- The varieties of building stone are silicious limestone, argillaceous limestone, and sandstone. The silicious limestone on Copperas creek is excellent for heavy work. On the west side of the east fork of Little Wabash river, a great deal of sandstone has been quarried for the construction of culverts on the Illinois Central R. R. The stone is hard and irregularly bedded, but is very durable. Good gray sandstoue is quarried two miles south-cast of Shelbyville. Some of the sandstones of this county
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