USA > Illinois > Cass County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Cass County, Volume II > Part 35
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streets were again covered with water a foot deep or more. This time, however, the water in the streets was caused by the backing of the sewers. Hundreds of men were employed night and day by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad com- pany, to keep their tracks from washing out along the low lands east of the town, where the river. in former years. would always endeavor to take a short cut for St. Louis. The method employed to hold the embankment was to fill sacks with sand and place them along the track.
It took thousands of sacks of sand, and ener- getic labor with eternal vigilance, to keep back the swirling waters until the floods subsided.
Man may guard against the ill effects of freshets and overflowing streams by building embankments ; he can even keep ont the waters of the sea by those methods, as he has done effectively by dikes in Holland and Belginm; and he can protect himself and his honsehold against the rainfall by covering his humble cabin with clapboards or his hewn-stone man- sion with a slate roof, unless he belongs to that " type found by the traveler in Arkansas who did not shingle his house because when it was not raining he did not need a roof on it, and when it was raining it was too wet to work at it. No means, however, have yet been discor- ered whereby the downpour of rain can be checked, or that man can protect his land and crops from the drenching precipitation when nature gathers her vapors in superabundance and "drops her garnered fullness down."
On August 25, 1912. at about 6 o'clock P. M., two large black clonds, one from the sonth and one from the northwest, came together over Cass County, and then began one of the heaviest rains ever seen in this part of the state. It was a steady downpour without any accom- paniment of wind, and by 10 o'clock at night all the creeks were out of their banks, and rapidly widening. It seemed to be general all over the county, as all the water courses, large and sinall, became raging torrents and washed away bridges and fences and anything else that was found in their paths. Thousands of dollars of damage was done to the bridges on the high- ways. Some of the most substantial iron bridges, with concrete abutments, were washed out, and travel was impeded for weeks on some of the roads. No such rain has been experienced in this part of the state within the memory of any living person. It was not a cloud-burst, as has often given heavy downpour, in certain localities for a short period, but was a steady rain in great volume. spread over the entire county ; reports of the storm showing but little difference in various sections of the county, and the territory adjoining. It did not raise the water level even in the lower lands to high water stage, as it ran off in a short time. the damage done being mainly confined to destruc- tion of, bridges and fences.
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
CYCLONE OF 1911.
Cass County, although it has had its share of storms, electrical displays, wind, rain and snow, had been extremely fortunate in the small amount of damage done to property, and to life, until the fearful cyclone of 1911. Even that calamity was confined largely to the central portion of the county, and fell most heavily upon the city of Virginia, and its immediate neighborhood. It will be remembered by those who were in its midst, and those who stood on the outer edge of its dreadful path and wit- nessed the feartul onslaught upon the peaceful little city, that late autumn day, as long as memory availeth them, or the roar of thunder and flash of lightning are heard and seen. The grass was an emerald green from the late rains and many leaves of the deciduous trees yet clung to the branches. All nature in its deca- dent beauty seemed to welcome the dreamy, hazy Indian summer. It was the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of the new century, November 11, 1911. A light, gentle breeze came up with the autumn sun that morning and ruffled the carpet of golden leaves upon the ground, and brought with it from the south the breath of spring. The few remaining migratory birds sang as blithely as though they had but just returned from their winter home. The sunlight was warm, and as the day wore on the warmth increased to heat. The gentle morning breeze grew into a strong wind. By mid-day the heat was intense, and the strong wind had become almost a hurricane. The air was filled with dust from the streets and high- ways, and with leaves from lawns and fields ; whirling and dancing hither and thither, cir- cling high, then dropping low, piling up upon the ground, lying quiet as if listening to the dismal moan of the wind in the bare tree tops ; then a sudden depressing stillness. The rays of the sun beat more fiercely, the birds ceased their singing and stood with wings uplifted, panting for breath as in the scorching heat of summer. A light shadow overcast the sun. The barnyard fowls walked about uneasily, and turned their heads, casting their eyes towards the sun. The cattle and swine were restless ; the children who played joyously with the whirl- ing leaves, lost their interest. Their shouts and merry laughter were silenced. The men and women came out of their houses, or stopped their toil where they were, and looked at the
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skies. They searched the horizon and the arch above, but there was nothing but the horizon and the distant blue sky to see; nothing to hear but the occasional sigh of the wind that had become almost as gentle as the breeze of the early day. Yet in the very warmth there was a chill as of a seeming dread of approaching danger. The sun had passed the zenith and was hurrying towards the close of day, yet pouring down its heat with unabated force. The clocks on the mantels had struck the hour of four, and were ticking on unconcerned ; they had nothing to do but point to man the passing of time. Then there was a rumbling in the south and west, a slight shiver among the trees, then a louder rumble, and a flash of lightning, scarcely visible above the glare of the sunlight. This was followed by a fiendish roar as of a multitude of fierce wild animals clutching their prey, mingled with the frantic, despairing shrieks of the victims. Trees were torn into shreds, and huge pieces of their mighty branches were hurled through the walls of houses whose roofs were already whirling and crashing through the air. Children were screaming in wildest terror for father and mother; men and women were crouching in fear beneath any object that offered protection against the infuri- ated, demoniacal elements. A darkness as of midnight swooped down upon the earth. Vehicles were overturned in the streets, and the horses drawing them were dragged down among the crashing debris of electric wires and poles and falling timbers. Cattle broke from their en- closures and rushed about in sheer madness of fright. mingling their discordant bawling with the roaring and screeching of the storm. Soon it was gone, as suddenly as it came, leaving utter and awful destruction in its wake.
WORST STORM EVER ENCOUNTERED HERE.
The storm struck the city of Virginia at its southwest corner, just grazing the west side of the high school building. and passed on to the northeast, demolishing everything in its path of nearly a quarter of a mile wide. It seemed to rise after it reached the northern edge of the town, and passed out over the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railroad depot, then reached down and tore up the large ice house, on the edge of Henderson Lakc. Its fury was not yet satiated, as it turned on the row of beautiful shade trees along the highway to Walnut Ridge cemetery,
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
and ruined the most of them, and greatly dam- aged the houses and other buildings along the eastern side of the road. Then, lifting again slightly, but still running low enough to destroy many trees and buildings upon the farms for several miles along its path to the northeast, taking about the same direction as the cyclone of 1858, it went its way. The disastrous storm did not terminate with the passing of the cyclone, for a heavy downpour of rain set in that soon turned to a blizzard of snow, which made the work of rescue that had begun as soon as the cycione passed, extremely difficult and disagreeable. The temperature rapidly dropped, and the streets, covered with wreck- age, became a glare of ice. Every man in the town, however, and many of the women, began the search for the missing, and in a short time it was ascertained that no one had been killed, and very few injured, the only one seriously disabled being Mr. Otis Middleton, who had suffered a broken arm and collar bone, and two fractured ribs. The escape of many seemed almost miraculous. The three small children of William Whitaker, who lived in a two-story frame house in that part of town where the storm first struck, were in the second story of the building, and when found after the sub- sidence of the cyclone, were in the basement under furniture and bedding that had fallen with them in such a way as to protect them from the falling walls and timbers of the house, which was utterly demolished. Like all cyclones, this one was freakish. When it reached as far north as the center of the city it seemed to stretch out a long right arm and clutch the Methodist church, four blocks east, and the Mann hotel and livery barn, across the street south. The church was torn to pieces, leaving only a part of the north wall and the founda- tion standing. The large pipe organ, back of the pulpit near the center of the west side of the building, was uninjured. The third story of the hotel was blown off and the livery barn stripped of its covering. Roofs of several of the business houses were blown off, and a num- ber of the shade trees in the City and Court House parks destroyed. Very little damage was done to any other buildings in that part of the city. George Leonard, who had been in the Literberry cyclone in 1883, was now living at
Virginia, and being in the pathway of the storm again suffered, having his roof torn from his house and blown so far away he was unable to find any part of it. The chimney top went along with the roof, but this time he lost none of his household goods or wearing apparel.
The cyclone district presented a desolate sight the next morning, with the temperature down near zero, and the streets and yards filled with a strange mixture of household goods, broken windows, pieces of wagons, harness and bug- gies pinned under limbs of trees, twisted, shat- tered and splintered. How any human being passed through it all without injury is beyond comprehension. It was a sad day for many. The most of the destruction was among the smaller homes belonging to those who had struggled with adverse circumstances and con- ditions in life, and had finally secured for their waning years a small home, only to have it snatched away and ground to splinters in a moment without warning. These people were hopeless and in despair, with scarcely enough courage left to make them thankful that their lives had been spared. Aid was at hand. Homes were thrown open to those who had lost all or who were without shelter; and every man and mechanic who could wield a trowel or drive a nail proffered his assistance, and large contributions of money were made by sympa- thetic citizens and fraternal organizations. In a short time the wreckage was cleared away, homes were rebuilt, and although but a few years have passed since then, scarcely a trace is left of the most dreadful and most destruc- tive storm ever experienced in Cass County.
OTHER METEOROLOGICAL EVENTS.
Until February, 1914, the great snowfall of 1830-31 was the most noted historical meteor- ological event in Illinois, but in the former year it was equalled if not surpassed. Washington's birthday, 1914, ended with the beginning of a fierce and prolonged snow storm. The winter had been unusually mild until the latter part of January, and even from then on, it was not regarded as being more than the ordinary win- ter weather of this latitude. The day did not give evidence of the approach of an extraor- dinary storm. The temperature from morning
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
until 2 o'clock in the afternoon ranged at about 15 degrees Fahrenheit, but about that time the wind whirled from the west to the north, then to the northeast, and blew a perfect hurricane of snow. By sunset it was a most terrific bliz- zard, which continued the whole night long. When morning came there was no relief in sight, for there was no cessation of the storm. No sun appeared to warm the atmosphere. It seemingly kept out of sight and reach of the howling, screeching, crashing, shrieking, mani- acal wind, filled with biting, freezing, tearing pellets of icy snow. All through the lengthened day it drove, with unabated fury, its icy pellets into every crevice of the houses and barns, sheds and sheltered nooks. On and on as if it never would and never intended to cease, it raged. On the morning of the third day, the sun rose bright and clear, looking down, how- ever, upon a strange scene in Cass County, one the like of which it had not seen since the win- ter of 1830-31. The roads were full of snow from 4 to 6 feet deep. The road commissioners were obliged to employ a large force of men to literally cut the road open before there could be travel of any sort. For weeks the only roads were narrow driveways just wide enough for a team and wagon, with the snow banked high on either ' side. Railroad traffic was blocked. No mails came into the towns and villages of Cass County for many days. The railroad train on the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis road was snowbound in the prairie about a mile south of Virginia, and there remained for several days. Other engines brought to pull the train out, only found themselves stuck fast in the snow. On the Baltimore & Ohio South- western road, three trains got into Virginia and were unable to go further until the road was cleared of the lieavy fall of snow, and that was a herculean task that took several engines and many men working night and day for nearly a week. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy road had similar trouble, but got through much sooner, as did likewise the Chi- cago & Alton, in the eastern part of the county. Had the conditions been similar to those of the "deep snow" and could a comparison have been made, it would have shown the snow of Febru- ary, 1914, to have been of greater depth on a level, and a fiercer, more disagreeable storm than that of the early days about which early settlers delighted to talk, and historians loved to write.
CHAPTER XXIV.
MISCELLANEOUS.
A RECENT BIRTHDAY-CENTURY OF WONDERFUL PROGRESS-DEVELOPMENT FROM PRIMITIVE LIFE TO THE HEIGHT OF MODERN CIVILIZATION-SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY HAVE JOINED HANDS-DRAINAGE- SUBMERGED LANDS-THOUSANDS OF ACRES UNDER WATER-NO PRIVATE DRAINAGE METHODS POSSI- BLE - FORMATION OF DRAINAGE DISTRICTS BY STATE - SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE ADOPTED - SANDY SOILS UTILIZED TO GROW MELONS- COW PEA PLANTED-SUPPLIES NEEDED NITROGEN TO SOIL-ALL THIS LAND OF GREAT VALUE-CUL- TURAL INTERESTS-PEOPLE SOBER, COMFORTABLE, CONTENTED AND HAPPY-A POPULATION TABLE.
A RECENT BIRTHDAY.
Cass County was seventy-eight years old March 3, 1915, it having been created March 3, 1837. Twenty-three years prior to that time, or one hundred and one years ago, there was not a white man's dwelling. nor a white man living anywhere in the territory now comprised in the boundaries of Cass County. What sim- ilar progress in the way of civilization is there known to the present generation, or which may be exhibited to future generations by the pages of history, or in any manner, than that evinced in the remarkable record of this past eentury in Cass County.
If it were not proven by historical facts such advancement as has been made would seem incredible. Cass County, one hundred years ago, was an unbroken wilderness; now it is one of the garden spots of the world. Then it had nothing that civilization requires; now, with few exceptions, it has all that goes toward pro- ducing the most advanced conditions, in any part of the world. Science and industry have joined forces and Illinois can well be proud of the result.
DRAINAGE.
One of the most remarkable changes the years have brought, is the reclamation of what were once considered useless swamp lands, into
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
some of the most productive sections of the county. To be sure, Cass County is not alone in this reclamation work, but it has done its part well and is reaping vast benefits from this form of progressiveness.
Along the Sangamon and Illinois bottoms, when the county was first settled and up to within a very recent time, there were to be seen a large number of lakes and marshes, sup- plied with water by the animal overflow of the rivers and also by the waters from the creeks coming down from the hills. These made mag- nificent fishing and hunting resorts, but the land lying under the ponds and lakes was thought by people in general not to be of suffi- cient value for it to be reclaimed. In fact, it would have been utter folly for private owners to have made an attempt to redeem it. A new era came with the passage of the amendment to the state constitution which permitted the for- mation of drainage districts. Since that time many drainage districts have been formed in Cass County. and thousands of acres of land formerly overflowed and thought worthless, have been reclaimed and the whole face of nature, as it werc, has been changed and beautified. Productive farms now flourish where formerly lived only the mosquito. and but rushes and wild onions could be grown.
SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE.
Many acres of the more sandy lands in the Illinois bottom were thought to be even more worthless than the submerged lands. It did not seem possible that anything could be grown upon them. A man came from the East, one who had some experience in cultivating similar soil, and he taught the people of Cass County how to raise garden truck for the market upon this land, which was found to be especially adapted for watermelons, muskmelons and sweet potatoes. Later the cow pea was introduced, and was found to be a very valuable crop not only for the market, but in building up the soil so that after a year or two of raising cow peas and turning under the foliage and straw of the plant, the land would produce fairly large crops of corn and oats. Thus by drainage and scien- tific cultivation, lands that had been worthless and sold for taxes, were redeemed, and have advanced in value until they are now held at $200 per acre.
CULTURAL INTERESTS.
Schools have been so developed that illiteracy is at a minimum and all classes have an equal opportunity for securing an education. The charities of the people are broad. Religious teaching and sentiment predominates and sec- tarian dissension and bitterness have largely disappeared. Citizens are no longer so closely bound by political party ties that they can see no good or merit in those holding different opinions from their own, Drunkenness and even intemperance is passing away. Taking conditions as a whole, the requirements of good citizenship are upon a much higher plane than ever before, and as far as local conditions go comfort, content and happiness are almost uni- versal.
A POPULATION TABLE.
The following table gives the population of Cass County by decades from 1840 to 1910 :
1840
2,981
1850
7,253
1860
11,325
1870
.11,580
1SS0
14,494
1890
.15,963
1900
17,222
1910
17,372
CHAPTER XXV.
ARENZVILLE PRECINCT.
FIVE MUNICIPALITIES IN CASS COUNTY-ARENZ- VILLE PRECINCT NAMED BEFORE CASS COUNTY WAS FORMED ARENZVILLE INCORPORATED AS A VILLAGE IN 1893-GRISTMILL BUILT IN 1821 BY JAMES SMART-PURCHASED IN 1832 BY FRANCIS ARENZ-LAND BOUGHT AND PLATTED-FIRST OR- GANIZATION OF TOWN IN 1853-FIRST BOARD OF TRUSTEES-FRANCIS ARENZ FIRST PRESIDENT- CHANGES IN AREA AND VALUES-EARLY SET- TLERS-FRANCIS A. ARENZ-ADDITIONAL ENTER- PRISES-ESTABLISHES FIRST NEWSPAPER-THE BEARDSTOWN AND SANGAMON CANAL COMPANY- ELECTED TO THE LEGISLATURE-BUSINESS DIRECT-
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
ORY OF 1860-RAILROAD IN 1870-DISASTROUS FIRE IN 1913-PRESENT PROSPERITY-NO CRIM- INAL ELEMENT.
FIVE MUNICIPALITIES IN CASS COUNTY.
There are five municipalities in Cass County, organized as cities and villages, under the gen- eral law or charter, according to Act of 1872 of the Legislature. These are: Arenzville, Ash- land, Beardstown, Chandlerville and Virginia, and will be taken up in the order named. They were all platted and organized and chartered by the legislature under special acts, for that was the method of incorporation prior to the Act of 1872. However, the many advantages accruing under the' latter act were carly recog- nized by each of the municipalities, and they soon discarded the original charter and re-incor- porated under the general law.
ARENZVILLE.
Arenzville is organized as a village, under the general law, but as a hamlet or unincorporated town it has been in existence for many years. About 1821 James Smart found his way into that part of Morgan County, and seeing the need of a gristmill in that locality, and also being impressed with the natural advantages offered for water power on Indian Creek, erected a small mill which was a boon to the people scat- tered along the Illinois valley, and on the upland prairies to the east. On October 31, 1827, Mr. Smart entered the east half of section 31, and on April 6, 1829, the west half of the same section, and continued running his mill until August, 1831, when he sold his land to Bennet Smart. On July 30, 1832, Francis Arenz pur- chased the southeast quarter section, together with the mill, and operated it together with his other business interests, with very indifferent success, until about 1853 when he sold to Her- man Engelbach and Peter Arenz.
In the meantime, Francis Arenz had laid off a few lots and sold them to settlers who formed the nucleus of the future thriving village. In 1852 Mr. Arenz had John Craig, the county surveyor of Cass County, survey and plat, together with the lots already sold, a part of the southeast quarter of section 31, township 17, range 11, for a town, to which he gave the name of Arenzville, although that part of Morgan County had been designated Arenzville Precinct
for some time before Cass County was formed. Mr. Arenz certified to the plat and acknowl- edged it before his brother, John A. Arenz, a justice of the peace, June 26, 1852, and filed the plat for record on July 30 of the same year. Mr. Arenz died in 1856, and his executors, in the next year, made an addition to the town. naming it the "Addition of the Executors of Francis Arenz," and recorded the plat. In 1876, Thomas V. Finney, for a number of years cir- cuit clerk of this county, made a complete plat of Arenzville, and the additions, which was recorded October 22, 1876. On May 22, 1878, the trustees of the village adopted thie plat by ordi- nance, as the limits of the town. The first organization of the town was July 9, 1833, and a board of trustees elected. The first president of the board was Francis Arenz, while the clerk was Dr. Julius Philippi, the treasurer was Her- man Engelbach, the supervisor was John Goebel, and the town constable was Charles Heintz.
CHANGES IN AREA AND VALUE.
When Arenzville Precinct was established it extended to the Illinois River, with the voting place at the town of Arenzville, but in 1857, the west part was cut off and made into a voting district or precinct, and named Indian Creek. There are three water courses traversing the precinct, Indian Creek the largest, which enters the county from Morgan County, just south of the village of Arenzville, and making a great bend north of the village runs in a westerly course, bearing a little northi, and empties into the Illinois River; Clear Creek, which runs westerly across the center of the precinct into Indian Creek ; and Mud Creek, which is a small tributary of Indian Creek, running from the south line of the precinct ncar Arenzville, north- westerly for about six miles. Both Indian Creek and Mud Creek overflowed badly and kept the lands west of Arenzville in a wet and unliealth- ful condition, and rendered it unfit for cultiva- tion except in an unusually dry season. The land was too valuable to be left in that condi- tion, and the enterprising farmers who owned it and had purchased it at a very low price, organized a drainage district about 1899 and have reclaimed the land, and now have hun dreds of acres of excellent soil, produeing abun- dant crops annually. Being now free from the fear of overflow and destruction from high waters, the farms have been well improved, and
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
the lands that formerly were scarcely saleable at any price, are now worth from $150 to $200 per acre.
The eastern portion of the precinct is very much broken until the prairie is reached about three miles from Arenzville. From that on to the east line of the precinct there is a fine open expanse of more or less level farming land of the highest value. The village is situated on the easterly side of Indian Creek, nestling against the high bluffs which terminate at the very edge of the eastern corporate limits. From these bluffs may be had an excellent view of the entire village, which presents a picturesque appearance, with its churches and school houses of architectural beauty, neat cottages and hand- some residences, splendid business buildings and wide, clean, well-shaded streets and parks.
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