Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 125

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Short, William F., 1829- 4n
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286

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TOLUCA, a city of Marshall County situated on the line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé Railroad, 18 miles sonthwest of Streator. It is in the center of a rich agricultural district; has the usual church and educational facilities of cities of its rank, and two newspapers. Population (1900), 2,629.

WEST HAMMOND, a village situated in the northeast corner of Thornton Township, Cook County, adjacent to Hammond, Ind., from which it is separated by the Indiana State line. It is on the Michigan Central Railroad, one mile south of the Chicago City limits, and has convenient ac- cess to several other lines, including the Chicago & Erie; New York, Chicago & St. Louis, and Western Indiana Railroads. Like its Indiana neighbor, it is a manufacturing center of much importance, was incorporated as a village in 1892, and has grown rapidly within the last few years, having a population, according to the cen- sus of 1900, of 2,935.

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PART I.

GENERAL COUNTY HISTORY.

CHAPTER 1.

EXORDIUM.

GEOLOGICAL PERIOD-PRE-HISTORIC PERIOD-DISCOV- ERY PERIOD-SETTLEMENT PERIOD-COLONIAL PERIOD-TERRITORIAL PERIOD-STATEHOOD PERIOD.

A statement of the Geological Formations of Illinois is given under that head on pages 197- 200 in the preceding part of this work. (His- torical Encyclopedia of Illinois.) A further brief account of that subject of a more local character may be instructive and interesting to many persons.

Agriculture has been the distinctive pursuit of the people residing in Morgan County-a second Garden of Eden in the richness of its natural resources, and in the abundance and variety of its products-and this will doubt- less continue to be the chief occupation of its citizens in all time. That industrial circum- stance is due to its geological character, which is the source of its remarkable fertility of soil. How came this vast store of wealth to exist? When and how was it produced? These are matters that may well interest every possessor of a foot of its territory, and every one who enjoys the pleasure of its rare and valuable products. This inquiry will take us back to "the beginning" of an indeterminate period and process. . It is worthy of grateful admission that the latest and most trustworthy theories regarding the science of geology perfectly har- monize, in all material particulars, with the Divine Record of the creation of the earth in its successive stages. Geology is able to point out, in the different strata of the earth's crust, the several distinct steps in the process of crea- tion, as given in the Book of Genesis, and a reasonable account of the origin of the elements composing and surrounding it.

There is abundant evidence that the sun, and the whole planetary system, existed once in a gaseous state. In the course of time mo- tion was communicated to this vast nebulous and formless mass. With the diminution of heat the gaseous elements would assume a fluid and plastic form, and, separating from the original and common mass, would be formed into separate bodies. These, on becon- ing cooled and condensed, would throw off sec- ondary portions in the form of planets and satellites. These bodies would naturally take and continue the motion and direction of the parent body. Their substance being mobile and plastic, their rapid rotary motion would de- press, or flatten their poles, making their equa- torial diameter greater than their polar. Among the elementary gases generated in this planetary segregation of particles were oxygen and hydrogen, which united in the formation of the water of the earth, existing in a boiling temperature, as was all the matter of the planet. As this mass began to cool it would necessarily contract, and in this way a crust would begin to form. As the crust thickened it sometimes would settle down into the in- terior molten mass, or, by the eruptive internal forces, would be broken and lifted up. While this process of cooling. contracting, and subsi- dence was going on, the crust would wrinkle. just as the skin of a decaying vegetable, pro- ducing the broken and varied form of the earth's surface. It is observed that mountains are found adjacent to seas and oceans with their steepest sides fronting the waters from which they were uplifted. The inconceivable power that raised these vast mountain ranges is due to the contraction of the earth's surface by cooling, and the pressure of the great con- tiguous bodies of water, aided by the law of . gravitation, and, possibly, by some chemical in- fluence of which we are yet ignorant. Possibly

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the last great subsidence of the earth's crust was that which made a place for the water of ocean, sea and lake, where they were finally collected for the abode of their inhabitants and for the commercial benefit of the human race. Their immovable boundaries being thus formed, upon their prison walls are inscribed, "Thus far thou mayest come; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed." Thus draining vast portions of the earth's surface, great valleys, and plains and mountain ranges came into existence, to be- come a suitable abode for man, the highest form of created being. .

The earth's crust is supposed to have a thick- ness of from thirty to forty miles, covering an internal sea of fire. During a vast period of time the earth's surface was covered with boil- ing masses, and being enveloped in a poison- ous atmosphere, was uninhabitable by any form of vegetable or animal life. That period has been designated as the "Azoic"-without life. Yet, on the basis of recent discoveries, it is claimed there have been found evidences of vegetable life in Azoic rocks. The conclusions drawn from geological research have been that vegetable life existed before animal life; but it has not been positively proven. The geologi- cal period, in which the first forms of life ap- pear, has been named the Palæozoic-sometimes the Laurentian-the earliest forms of incipient life being discovered in the Laurentian beds or strata. This discovery of life has been regarded as one of the greatest achievements of geological science, as it extends the evidence of the exist- ence of life through fossil remains, although in a low form, backward over a great period of time.

A full account of the clearly marked succes- sive geological eras in the formation of the present condition of the earth's crust, in which the myriad forms of vegetable and animal life appear-always advancing from a lower to a higher type, until man is seen coming on the stage, the master work of the Workman-is not the purpose of this narrative. Suffice it to say, that recent discoveries establish the be- lief that man has lived on this planet from an indefinitely remote period, possibly reaching much farther back than the labored chronolo- gies of men would teach us. His remains, and the product of his skill, show that he was con- temporaneous with the mammoth.

The formation of the soil of Morgan County is due to the geological and physical causes that have left their effects throughout the Missis- sippi Valley. This vast domain was, during long ages, a great sea of fresh water extending far into the polar regions. During the Glacial Pe- riod immense bodies of ice would break loose and float southward. In their passage they some- times would dredge great channels that after- wards became river beds. In some instances in their voyage they would hew their way through rocky beds, leaving high projecting cliffs over- looking the deep furrows. In their progress, as they reached the warmer latitudes, they de- posited their accretions; and their ponderous weight by attrition pulverized the underlying masses which settled and formed a sedimentary surface. Animal and vegetable organisms, ex- isting in inconceivable abundance, after the drainage of the waters from the valley, added their remains, thus creating the fertility of the soil. This process doubtless continued during a long-extended geological period prior to the occupancy by man. The wisdom, power and beneficence, so strikingly and impressively man- ifested in the production of our boasted natural estate-unsurpassed, if not unequalled, by any of our race in any part of the earth-would jus- tify the reverent prostration of every knee upon its surface in grateful adoration to Him who is both its and our Creator.

Pre-Historic Period .- It is a prudent business custom in the transfer of a parcel of real estate to require an abstract of title, showing the suc- cessive owners from its first possessor. A simi- lar interest should attach to the matter of the past occupants and owners of the territory now embraced in the bounds of Morgan County. It is now more than probable that this rich and beautiful domain existed, possessing all its nat- ural attractiveness and excellence, many, very many, centuries before it was looked upon with the eyes of the race now occupying it. There is abundant reliable evidence that, at different periods in the distant past, it was, in common with other parts of the Western Continent, the home of vast populations. Doubtless unrecord- ed events as great and thrilling as have ever occurred among later and civilized peoples, have here transpired. What victories and defeats; what happiness and horrors had their theater here, can only be inferred from the obscure

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records of their varied and immense earth- works and their contents. These matters should not only interest antiquarlans and archaeolo- gists, but also all who have come into the pos- session of so ancient an estate. It is the be- lief of those best informed on the subject that three distinct races of people lived in North America prior to the coming of the present population. These may be readily distinguished by the character of their work, as found in great abundance in the materials remaining in such preservation as to leave no obscurity or uncertainty as to their origin and antiquity.

The first of these primitive peoples seem to have attained a high degree of civilization. This is evident in the remains of their magni- ficent cities found in Central America. Among the ruins of these cities there are such works as arches, columns, temples, palaces and pyra- inids. These scattered fragments indicate the great extent of their cities, and their large pop- ulation. The erection of these massive works of solid masonry must have required a long period of time. They also bear evidence of a fine knowledge of art. The mind is bewildered in the contemplation of the long period of time that would be required in bringing these ruins to their present state of demolition. Compar- ing them with the ruins of ancient cities of the Old World, such as Baalbec, Palmyra, Thebes and Memphis, those of America were old be- fore the former were built. There once was here, therefore, a civilization that may have been contemporaneous with that of Egypt, and as advanced in art and science. Their origin and their disappearance are, forever shrouded in mystery. But their ancient possession and works give to our home the charm of antiquity and reverential awe.

The second race of inhabitants that occupied tlils country, as determined by their works, was the Mound Builders. Their remains exist in great numbers, not only over most of the territory included in the United States, but they extend into Mexico and South America. These earthworks represent a great number of objects, as ascertained by their forms and by the excavations of many of them, such as "vil- lages, altars, temples, idols, cemeteries, monu- inents, camps, fortifications, pleasure grounds," etc. In some of them their form was intended to represent animals of various kinds. In some instances they were built for purposes of de-

fense, extending long distances, with a space of four or five miles apart. The number of these amounts to many thousand. Some of them cover many acres, and have an altitude of about one hundred feet. In excavations im- plements of iron, copper and silver have been found. These show a knowledge of art and science that the Indian never possessed. In- struments made of copper, used in cutting stone, indicate that they possessed the lost art of hardening that metal. They seem also to have had considerable knowledge of the science of astronomy, as is clearly indicated in the construction of their great works. Jewelry, medals, bracelets, mirrors, far surpassing In- dian skill and ingenuity, are found. As to re- ligion they were manifestly idolaters. They seem to have practiced abominable religious rites. Who were they? Whence did they come? By what means did they disappear? Any an- swer to these questions can amount to nothing more than conjecture. On some evidence they seem to have come from Asia, and in different migrations. At what period they came is only a matter of speculation. There seems to be no sufficient ground to support the theory that they were the ancestors of our Indians. That they existed here for a long period, and in great numbers, is indisputable from the char- acter, extent and magnitude of their works. No wholly unenlightened and weak race could have achieved such marvelous results. The veil that shrouds their disappearance is as impene- trable as that which overhangs their origin. By whom and by what means were they ex- pelled from their long home? The monuments of their presence line the margin of the river that, in part, borders Morgan County, and im- part to it an antiquarian character and value. These were doubtless military signal stations. What vast campaigns these served to promote! What victories and defeats of mighty armies they witnessed within our borders!

The third distinct race that has dwelt, dur- ing an indefinite period, in North America, Is named Indian. This name was erroneously given to them by Europeans in the belief that they occupled the eastern portion of the Asiatic continent, or at least originally came from In- dia. Tradition gives no reliable account of their origin and settlement on the Western Hemis- phere. Ethnology, physiology, philology and theology are unable to furnish a satisfactory

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history of their ancestral origin. That they were of Asiatic stock seems to be the most reasonable probability, and that their residence here extends back not less than 3,000 years. The reader will find the subjects of the "Mound Builders" and "Indian Tribes" treated in fuller detail, and each under its appropriate title, in "The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois."

Discovery Period .- Advancement in geographi- cal knowledge has been as slow and incomplete as the progress in other branches of science. As far as any authentic information in our possession goes, during the first thousand years of the Christian era, the inhabitants of the Eastern Continent had no certain knowledge of the existence of the Western Continent. It was a terra incognita to the generations of the Old World. Great interest attaches to geo- graphical discoveries, as well as to those in other matters that have engaged human in- quiry. The results of such investigations have often been no less valuable to man than those relating to other particulars. In some instances it is not difficult to see an unmistakable provi- dential design in such discoveries. That this is certainly true in the case of our country could be easily demonstrated. Perfectly trust- worthy history records the fact that the first knowledge of the existence of the Western Con- tinent by white men was obtained by Norsemen in the year A. D. 986. Herjulfson, a Norse navi- gator, was driven in a storm to the coast of Newfoundland, and reported the discovery of new lands in the West. In the year 1001 Lief Erickson, an Icelander, explored the coast for a considerable distance, as far as Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and entered what is now New York harbor. These voyages by Norsemen were continued during three succeeding cen- turies. No permanent results, however, fol- lowed. Europe was ignorant of these discov- eries. After the discovery of America by Co- lumbus in 1492, other navigators quickly took up the work and reached the New World-Ves- pucius and Cabot, the former in 1499 and the latter in 1497; Balboa in 1510; Ponce de Leon in 1512; Cartier in 1535. These discoveries, ex- tending through a period of half a century, added the Western Continent to the geography of the world, and led to the greatest political, commercial and moral results that have oc- curred in the history of civilized man. Includ- ed in these results is the possession of the

priceless heritage of the fortunate citizens of Morgan County.

Settlement Period .- The period of discovery extended over five and a half centuries. Dur- ing that time little advantage had been taken of such discoveries in the way of permanent settlements. After the discovery by Columbus immigration from Spain, France and England began and continued for a hundred years, dur- ing which time permanent settlements were formed along the whole Atlantic coast. The Dutch came to Manhattan, New York, about 1609. Most of the first immigrants came for the purpose of enriching themselves by means of the fabulous mineral resources of the coun- try. The English, however, seemed to have a home as the object of their coming. During the period of French control, Illinois was a sep- arate dependency of Canada. So also were the settlements subsequently established on the lower Mississippi. In 1711 they were united as one province under the name of Louisiana, hav- ing its capital at Mobile. Dirou D'Artaguiette was appointed Governor General. On Septem- ber 27, 1717, the country of the Illinois, till then a dependency of Canada, was united to and incorporated with the government of Louisiana. Kaskaskia was made the capital, and continued so long as the French held it. The first settlement of which there is any au- thentic account was at Fort St. Louis, on the Illinois River, in 1683. It was abandoned in 1700. The oldest permanent settlement, not only in Illinois, but in the Mississippi Valley, was Cahokia, or Kaskaskia-both being set- tled about the same year (1700).1 Permanent settlements were made by the French as early as 1688 in the region later embraced in the Northwestern Territory, some of which were in what is now the State of Illinois.

Colonial Period .- The settlements established along the Atlantic border after the discovery of America by Columbus, took on colonial forms of civil government. The first Spanish colony was established in 1510, that of the French in 1541 and that of the English in 1583. From the time of the establishment of the first col- ony till the Declaration of Independence, 266 years had elapsed, and at that time they num-

(1)The most generally accepted theory, based upon the records of the early French missionaries, is, that the first settlement was made at Cahokia a few months earlier than that at Kaskaskia-by some it is claimed in 1699, and by others in 1700.

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bered thirteen, which, in accordance with the terms of that instrument, were incorporated as "Free and Independent States," under the name of the "United States of America." In' 1778-the Revolutionary War being then in progress-the country north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi came under control of the government of Virginia, as a conse- quence of Col. George Rogers Clark's expedi- tion, which resulted in the capture of Kaskas- kia from the British; and, in October of the same year, the Virginia House of Delegates formed this vast territory, for governmental purposes, into a single county, to which was given the name of Illinois County. This step was due to the fact that the State of Virginia, then under the governorship of Patrick Henry, furnished the men and the means which made the Clark expedition not merely possible but a success. This political relation to Virginia was continued for several years, in the mean- time there being considerable friction between Virginia and other States-especially New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut-which, by virtue of the original charters establishing them as colonies, claimed jurisdiction over the territory lying immediately west of them to- ward the Pacific, In 1781 New York took the initiative by offering to cede her claims over this territory to the United States, her ex- ample being followed by Massachusetts and Connecticut, and finally by Virginia, with cer- tain conditions, and on March 1, 1784, the proposition, with some immaterial modifica- tions, was accepted by act of Congress, the deed of cession on the part of Virginia being signed by Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Hardy, Arthur Lee and James Monroe. The next step taken was to provide a local government un- der authority of Congress, which resulted only in the adoption, in April following, of a resolution providing for organization of States by the people, but leaving to Congress the duty of providing "such measures for the preservation of peace and good order as might from time to time be taken." It was during the pendency of this question that Thomas Jefferson's famous resolution was presented. providing that, after the year 1800, "There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servi- tude in any of the said States, otherwise than in punishment of crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted." Although the prop-

osition failed at this time, three years later, shorn of its limitation as to time, it became a part of the "Ordinance of 1787," introduced by Nathan Dane, of Massachusetts, and passed on July 13th of that year by the votes, among others, of Representatives from Southern States.

Territorial Period .- The territorial relations of Morgan County have undergone numerous changes. By the Ordinance of 1787, already referred to, what became known as the North- west Territory was formally incorporated un- der the name of the "Territory Northwest of the River Ohio." This was the first step taken in the organization of a Territorial Govern- ment in the history of the United States, and while its methods at the present day seem crude, it contained several notable provisions. Besides providing for the appointment by Con- gress of a Governor, a Secretary and a court consisting of three Judges, and the election, after the population had reached a certain stage, of a Legislature, and prescribing the duties of each, it gave assurance to every citi- zen of religious freedom; of the right of trial by jury and protection of each law-abiding citi- zen in his right of liberty and property. Its most conspicuous and far-reaching provisions, however, were those recognizing "religion, mo- rality and knowledge" as "necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind," wherefore "schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged;" the declaration that the States formed from this territory "shall forever remain a part of the confederacy of the United States;" and that in it "there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servi- tude , otherwise than in the punish- ment of crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted." The region coming un- der the operation of this Ordinance included all the territory lying north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi River, and extending north to the northern limits of the United States, now embraced in the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and the part of Minnesota lying east of the Mississippi. On May 7, 1800. that portion of the Northwest Territory now included in the State of Ohio, was set off and named Ohio Territory. and the remainder of the Northwest Territory was formed into Indiana Territory, including Illinois. Vincennes was the capital, and Gen-

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 125

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Short, William F., 1829- 4n Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1286

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Short, William F., 1829- 4n
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286