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The township lies partly in the valley of the Okaw and Ambraw Rivers, being drained by both, the water-shed, or dividing line, run- ning nearly parallel with the Illinois Central Railroad on the west side thereof. Owing to the flat nature of a large portion of the land much money has, from time to time, been expended in the making of artificial ditches with laterals draining into them. Particularly is this true of the valley of the Okaw, where the Two Mile Slough drains nearly the west half of the town. It will naturally be inferred
from this that the town is of exceeding fertil- ity; and one, looking upon it now, would readily say that it was not exceeded in the beauty of its cultivated fields or in its· produc- tiveness by any equal territory within the State of Illinois.
Until the construction of the Illinois Central Railroad there was no sign of improvement within the territory now forming the town, except a few settlements along the timber which borders the main branch of the Okaw, which runs near and parallel to the west line of the town. Here the first settlements were made, some of which date back more than fifty years. Aside from this the town was wholly unsettled fifty years ago. The coming of the Illinois Central Railroad, and the estab- lishment upon the line of the station of Peso- tum which, for some years, remained but little more than a station, invited and brought to the town a large inflow of immigrants who were not slow to understand and appreciate the value of its rich prairies. A few years after the war every tract within the town was taken, and now not a single lot of any size remains unbroken and all is in a state of thorough cultivation.
Reference must be had to what has been said in the chapter detailing the settlement of the Sadorus Grove, for the particulars of the early settlement of some of the lands of this town, particularly those toward the north- west corner.
Among those who may be named as early settlers were Squire Lee, Henry and William Nelson, Paul Holliday, S. L. Baldwin, John Meikle, Josiah Merritt, Charles Johnson, C. L. Batterman, S. D. Kelley and Benjamin F. Boggs. The latter, on first coming to Illinois, settled upon land near the Douglas County line, but subsequently built his permanent home across the line and became a citizen of Douglas County. Among those who, in later years, have been most prominent in the affairs of the town, and have, perhaps, contributed more to its success than others, may be named Jehu Davis. D. Gunning, the brothers, A. H. and W. E. Fletcher, Philip Gorman, T. O. Darrah, Arthur Rice, C. B. Carpenter, David Cooper, Henry T. Sadorus and B. F. Merry. A large German settlement located along and near to the Two Mile Slough near the western part of the town, which, by the
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
well known industry and enterprise of its members contributed largely towards the con- struction of the artificial ditch along that val- ley, which has so materially increased the value of the lands in that vicinity.
Taken altogether, the Town of Pesotumu, although slow in its original settlement, has promptly come abreast of the best towns of the county, and its lands are now sought for at the highest prices.
At an early day in the history of the set- tlements in this town, religious meetings were held in the various school houses, especially along the south border of the town, from which have grown influential churches, partic- ularly at what is called Nelson Chapel, and at the Village of Pesotum. The German set- tlement, already referred to, has been influ- ential in the building of two German churches in the village of Sadorus. A Catholic church has recently been completed in the village. The population may be well regarded as a highly moral, law-abiding people.
The town is divided into ten school dis- tricts, either wholly within the town or as' union districts in connection with the terri- tory embraced in other towns. These schools, one of which is located within the village of Pesotum, are of the very best character, and afford the rising generations the best of oppor- tunities for mental improvement.
PHILO.
This town is constituted from the entire area of Township 18, Range 9, and owes its name to Philo Hale, who entered the first land within the bounds of the township. As early as 1837 Mr. Hale saw and appreciated the nat- ural beauties of the land led, perhaps, with a view to being on or near to the line of the proposed railroad called the "Northern Cross Railroad," which was then projected by the State of Illinois, to pass from Springfield east to Danville. The road failed to come accord- ing to program then, but did come in 1856 within one mile of this entry, but across and through other entries made by Mr. Hale about the same time.
The first person to make a home and erect a dwelling within the town of Philo was Giles F. McGee, who in 1853, having before then entered the northeast quarter of Section 1, built thereon his home and lived there until
the time of his death, which occurred about a year since. Another early settler whose com- ing very nearly corresponds in time with that of Mr. McGee, was William M. Hooper, who erected a very small residence upon the north- west quarter of Section 3, and lived there a year or two, when he removed to Urbana, and finally to the State of Minnesota.
Not until about 1856 did the town of Philo receive additions to its population, and, from that time on until every quarter-section was taken up and under cultivation, its settlement was rapid and always from the best quality of people. About 1856 there came a number of settlers from New England, who purchased lands in Sections 9 and 10 and other contigu- ous sections, and thereon erected their homes. The name of "Yankee Ridge" was given to this neighborhood on account of the section of country from which its inhabitants came. Among those who formed that colony may be named David and Lucius Eaton, with their families; George and E. W. Parker, Asa God- ding, Dennis Chapin and J. P. Whitmore. Others from the same section of country came from time to time, thus giving to this neigh- borhood a distinctive character which it has always maintained.
Hon. C. R. Griggs, who came in 1860 and remained here for some years, and whose name figures very conspicuously in other chapters of this history, was one of this com- pany and invested to a considerable extent in the lands of the town. Later there came the Meharrys (William and Jesse), who settled upon lands entered by their father some years before. David Silver and his sons, Wallace and John L., were also large land-owners in the town. Wallace became a citizen here, remaining so for many years until he removed to Urbana to spend the evening of his life.
Among other large land-owners in the town may be named James Johnson, Frederick Pell, H. A. Miller, H. J. Nash, J. C. Reed, D. Craw- ford, Charles F. Cole, John Cole, John N. V. Burr, Frank E. Burr, Samuel Van Brunt, E. H. Dick and Samuel Grove.
Philo was originally entirely bare of trees except one small grove called the "Towhead," situated upon the northeast quarter of Section 15, and which may have had something to do with influencing the entry of that land by Mr. Hale in 1837. It was a land-mark for many
V
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
years, and could be seen for many miles. It has now, however, yielded to the axe and no trace of it remains.
Philo is noted as being one of the highest points in the southern part of the county, the village being built upon the ridge where the same is crossed by the Wabash Railroad. It is reported as having an elevation of 727 feet above sea-level. The town lies mostly in the valley of the Ambraw River, being drained by the main stream and by what is known as the Black Slough, both of which cross the town from north to south. Some portion of the eastern part of the town, however, dis- charges its waters into the Salt Fork by con- fluents which enter near Sidney. The lands along the Ambraw are flat but well drained and very productive. Those lying along the ridge, which enters the town from the north and runs diagonally across it to the southeast, are high and rolling with excellent natural drainage.
The village of Philo was established as a station on the then Great Western (now Wabash Railway), about 1858, and until which time there was no stopping place for trains on that road between Tolono and Sidney. The settlements of the town, up to that time, were such as to induce the railroad authorities, upon the petition of the people of that neigh- borhood-which was then called "The Sum- mit"-to establish this station, and since then it has afforded shipping facilities for the entire town and adjoining country. The vil- lage is beautifully situated, well provided with grain elevators, excellent stores and two banks. The promoters of the village-who were the heirs of Philo Hale-made provis- ion for a handsome park on the town site, and this has been so improved as to become now a place of much beauty and attractiveness.
The first physician who practiced in that vil- lage was Dr. B. C. Morris, an early resident of Urbana. He also erected the first hotel for the village. He was followed by Dr. J. M. Bartholow and Dr. J. D. Mandeville, both of whom served the people for many years, and are now living, one in Urbana, the other in Champaign. Dr. R. L. Jessee has succeeded Dr. Bartholow in practice.
The town is divided into eight school dis- tricts, all of which, with but little exception, have within their bounds four sections of land.
One (that of the village school) has in it eight sections of land, and the school belonging to this district stands high among the educa- tional institutions of the county. All of the schools of the township are of an exception- ally high character.
RANTOUL.
This town has been somewhat fully described in connection with the settlement made at an early day at the Mink Grove, which lies mostly within the bounds of the town, and in this grove, it was said, that Archa Campbell built the first dwelling within the town, which was subsequently occupied by George W. Terry and wife for some years.
An idea is given in the chapter where these details find place, of the utter loneliness and the great distance from neighbors of these pioneers, who immured themselves in the silence of that region for years, before any neighbors came to cheer them, nearer than from six to eight miles in any direction.
The town is made up partly from three con- gressional townships. Besides including Town 21, Range 9, it also includes two quarter- sections from the township north, and twelve sections from the township east, giving to the town of Rantoul 4812 full sections of land; so that it is one of the largest towns in the county.
With the exception of Mink Grove the town is entirely prairie; and, while it has a slope from north to south, and the west part toward the west, it is made up practically of flat lands. Of course, these lands are of a very rich quality. The larger part of the town drains into the Salt Fork, and the drainage has been materially helped by expensive ditches dug along the course of the waterways. No better lands are found within the county or anywhere else.
Until the coming of the Illinois Central Rail- road. which divides the town from the north to the southwest, the lonely cabin at the Mink Grove was the only human habitation within its bounds, and but a small part of the lands of the town had passed to private own- ership. The coming of this means of trans- portation was the signal of the coming of population, and it did come in great numbers, and the town was rapidly settled up by men from the East and from the South. A large
,
824
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
colony came about 1857 from Northern Ohio, and settled about the village of Rantoul and in the adjoining town north; and another large colony came from Kentucky and settled in the southern part of the town, so much so as to give the name of the "Kentucky Settle- ment" to this part of the town.
The town, as a civil division of the county, was established in 1861 at the adoption of township organization by the people of the county, and owes its name as a town to the village of Rantoul, which before then had been established as a station upon the Illinois Central Railroad. It received its name from Hon. Robert Rantoul, a member of Congress from the State of Massachusetts, who was also one of the stockholders and promoters of the Illinois Central Railroad. Among other earlier settlers who came, were Lewis L. Hicks, of Vermilion County, Ind., who became a large land-owner. John W. Dodge, of Ohio, bought lands mostly in the town north, and early became a resident of the village of Rantoul, where he lived and died. James Fitzpatrick was an early settler upon the lands in the southern part of the town. John and Guy D. Penfield came to Rantoul from Michigan about 1856, accompanied by quite a number of other neighbors as residents of the town. Among those of the Ohio members who came with Mr. Dodge may be named J. T. Herrick, C. F. Post and others.
Besides the village of Rantoul, the village of Thomasboro, established on Section 28, affords shipping facilities and a convenient trading point for the farmers of the southern part of the town. The village of Rantoul is regarded as one of the most enterprising and progres- sive of the villages of the county, and is well supplied with stores of the first class, with two banks, two elevators, two printing offices, and all necessary shops. Rantoul is the cross- ing place of the Rantoul branch of the Illinois Central Railroad, and is the center of a large trade for many miles around.
The town is divided into ten separate school districts, the one which includes the village of Rantoul being supplied with an excellent school house, and a school which is the equal of the best in the county. Citizens of the town and village are of a high moral character. Within the town are five churches. There are
also two churches in the village of Thomas- boro.
RAYMOND.
This town is comprised in Township 17, Range 10, and in physical characteristics may be described as mostly flat prairie lying within the valley of the Ambraw River, which, with its confluents, drains the entire town. The east branch of that river has been dredged the entire length through the town, and all the lands, some of which were flat and wet in their natural condition, have been fully reclaimed, and, by good cultivation, have become highly productive.
This town was originally organized as a part of the town of Sidney, but to meet the demands of an increasing population was passed to a separate organization. Its name was given in honor of N. Raymond, father of Hon. Isaac S. Raymond, who was, at the time of the organization of the town, a prominent resident and one of the largest land-owners. His son, Isaac, at his father's death, succeeded to his holdings and has, for many years, rep- resented the town upon the Board of Super- visors.
The town consists entirely of prairie land, and not until the coming of the railroad era in the history of the county, did it attract inhabitants. It was near to the Linn Grove and not far from the timber along the Am- braw River-and so, convenient to settle- ments; but its lands attracted no one until John Starkey came from Indiana in 1853 and became its first inhabitant. Mr. Starkey, how- ever, did not come to stay, and invested no money in lands in the town, but became a squatter upon government land, the improve- ments on which he subsequently, in 1855, sold to William M. Shawhan, and left the county. So that Mr. Shawhan, with his large family- one of whom was our fellow-citizen, George R. Shawhan, so well known in all parts of the county-was really the first permanent resi- dent of the town of Raymond. He came to stay, and did stay on his land until his death, which took place on May 2, 1875. Mr. Shaw- han was followed by J. R. Southworth, James Bongard, Simeon Miner, Samuel Brown, J. W. Churchill, B. Shackleford, A. J. Paine, John Dundon, Nathan Raymond, Caleb Taylor, Wil- liam Wilson, David Danforth, John Warner
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
and many others, who, with those coming later, rapidly filled up the town. Miller Win- ston was an early settler in the north tier of sections, as was also Pleasant Mitchell, Jerry Gorman and Peter Edens with his sons. Of the others who became prominent in the south part of the town might be named: St. Clair Watts, J. D. Seltzer, W. C. Martinie, James Sullivan, Charles F. Newkirker and William Bergfield. The vacant lands, which were so long a striking feature of the landscapes, have all been taken up and put in thorough culti- vation until the town presents a gardenlike appearance everywhere.
The eastern part of the town-or much of it- was covered by the Sullivant estate, elsewhere spoken of, and for many years was not in the market for private purchasers; but at length, through the mutations of fortune, it was offered in small tracts and rapidly taken by an industrious and frugal population.
Mr. Shawhan, already named, was a min- ister of the Disciples Church, and very active and aggressive as a messenger of the Prince of Peace. He preached in the cabins of the early settlers, and went from place to place bearing and delivering his message. His influ- ence among the early settlers was very pro- nounced in favor of religion and morality. Besides him there were Rev. Benjamin Bar- tholow, of the Methodist Church, and Rev. Mr. McCorkle, also of the Disciples Church, who paid visits to the town and its settlements in early times, and preached to the people. As a result of this, the sentiment of the town has always been moral and the character of the inhabitants of the highest grade.
For many years there was within the town only one postoffice, of which J. R. Southworth was the Postmaster. After the coming of the railroads to the county the village of Long View was established near the south border of the town, with all the appurtenances of a country village in Illinois, where the grain of the farmers is bought and shipped, and where they get such supplies as they need for home use. Long View has two churches.
The building of the Chicago & Eastern Illi- nois Railroad across the southeastern corner of the town about twenty years since, gave a great impetus to industrial pursuits in that part of the town, and the building of another branch of the same railroad cutting off a por-
tion of the northwest part of the town, and establishing the station known as Bongard, has given additional encouragement to the property owners and dwellers in that portion of the town. It may be truthfully said that no better township of land can be found in Central Illinois than is Raymond.
The town is divided into nine school dis- tricts of four sections each, and in every case, except one, a school house occupies the center of the district. It need not be said that these schools rank with the best in the county.
SADORUS.
From what has been heretofore written con- cerning the settlement of the Okaw at the beginning of the settlement of this county, it would hardly seem necessary again to refer to matters connected with the history of that immediate vicinity, most of which is embraced within the town of Sadorus. So far as writ- ten, however, the history of the town refers only to matters which occurred before the coming of the railroad era, which has done so much for this town in common with all the towns of the county. It may not, therefore, be out of place to add some suggestions touch- ing the progress which has been made in later years. It is not expected, however, in so doing, that a complete history can be furnished of the town and of all those who have so nobly assisted in bringing it into the high state of cultivation which is now evident in every part of it. That story tells of the coming of Henry Sadorus and his family, of the coming of William Rock and of the O'Bryans, William Hixson, Zephaniah Yeates, William Ellers, and their contemporaries; but it remains yet to be told what use their sons, and those who have lived in connection with them, have made of the immense possibilities to which they became heirs.
The opening of the railroad (now the Wabash) was the beginning of a new history for Sadorus Grove. The organization in 1861 of the town as a civil division of the county, embracing Township 17, Range 7, and one section from the neighboring town on the east, were steps toward a higher civilization, and afforded greater opportunities for the sons than were ever opened to the pioneers who first broke the prairie sod of that time. It remained for those who came at the bidding
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
of these higher opportunities to subdue the expanse of prairie on both sides of the Okaw River; to turn up the black soil to the sun; to equip farms thereon; to make roads where only trails had before existed; to organize school districts, and build school houses where before these things were unknown; it remained for them to introduce the new methods of cultivation, the new implements in husbandry, better qualities of stock, and generally to keep pace with the march of events during the last half of the nineteenth century. The beginning of the twentieth century finds the town abreast of the events which have been marching so rapidly during the last fifty years. The thirty- seven sections embraced within the town now present many farms which would command the admiration of the most advanced agriculturist, and which do now command the highest prices in the real estate markets.
Where before 1854 was but a thin line of settlements along the Okaw River, whose in- habitants traveled many miles to secure milling privileges, and were compelled to resort to the county-seat to cast their ballots for offi- cers, State and National; who were without churches, schools, or comfortable homes in most cases, is now found what we have above at- tempted to describe-a civil town which elects its own officers, which casts its ballots at home, and at whose doors are to be found all the necessaries and conveniences made use of in civilized life.
The village of Sadorus, one of the best grain- markets in the county, has three elevators; four churches, well supported; a school the equal of any to be found in the country villages of Illinois, and two banks. In short, the town- ship forms a complete community in itself, de- pendent for very few of the necessaries of life upon those living outside its own borders. So, also, in the western part of the town, is the village of Ivesdale, one of the best towns in the county, and the center of an immense grain trade; also has its elevators, banks, shops and stores. Ivesdale has two churches. Both these villages have excellent district schools of a high grade.
These things have not come to this people by chance, nor without effort, and could only have come to any people where the climate, soil and the surrounding civilization which
they enjoyed, were there to serve as aids. It will be proper in this connection to name some of those who have contributed to bring about this condition, and who now enjoy what we have attempted to describe.
Prominent among these may be named An- drew J. Rock, the son of William Rock; Wil- liam and Henry T. Sadorus, sons of the first inhabitant with whom they came in 1824, and their sons; the O'Bryans, who were quite numerous; David and Arthur Rice; Hugh J. Robinson and his son, W. C. Robinson; John Ellers, a son of the pioneer William Ellers; David L. Campbell, H. Holtermann, Dr. J. G. Chambers, William Black, D. E. Harrison, John Concannon, Michael Maley, Albert Hixson, Henry Hartrick, Francis Munns, Charles Roughton, A. W. Hinds and many others who, with these, have conquered the prairie sod, dug the drains, erected the buildings and, in general, performed the excessive labors neces- sary in the progress of the town from its wild state to what we see today.
Sadorus was in the beginning, and is now, mostly a prairie town, with what is known as the Upper and Lower Groves along the Okaw or Kaskaskia River. Its soil is of the deepest and blackest variety-perhaps the best in the county-although, in this respect, it is hard to make comparisons between the character of the soil in different parts of the county. One peculiarity was noticed by the early comers here, which was not so prominent in other parts of the county, and that was the presence of the boulders or lost rock, supposed to have been left during the receding glacier period of the early ages. These rocks are evidently strangers in the country, as their origin can be traced to no ledge of rocks of the same character nearer than many hundred miles. The theory of the geologists, that they came here at an early day and owe their transporta- tion from the parent ledge to this point to glaciers, which were slowly pushed southward, is generally accepted.
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