Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 128

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

USA > Illinois > Morgan County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County > Part 128

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The Loess, the most recent of the geological formations after the Alluvium, occurs in Mor- gan County along the Illinois River bluffs, in which it attains a thickness of from sixty to eighty feet. Back from the bluffs it rapidly thins out, and is seldom seen extending more than a mile or two up the side ravines, and indeed it frequently disappears entirely within a much less distance. The Loess material is generally an ash or buff colored, marly sand, containing fossil fresh-water shells of existing species, here, as elsewhere, forming high con- ical bluffs which constitute a peculiar feature in the landscape. So resistant is this material to atmospheric influences that many of the bluffs are crowned by steep mural escarpments of compacted sand, which preserve their shape from year to year, despite the wearing action of the frosts and rains.

The deposits of the Drift extend over nearly the whole surface of the county; their thick-

Whas A Barnes.

633

HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

ness ranging all the way from twenty to eighty, or even to one hundred fect; and at Jacksonville its thickness attains to one hundred and forty- seven feet. The material of this formation ( Loess) is generally a blue or yellow clay, with occasional seams or strata of quicksand or gravel. Good sections of this formation are, however, rarely met with, both on account of the infrequency of shafts or wells of sufficient depth, and of the frequent lack of reliable in- formation in regard to those wells which have been sunk. In general, however, the brown clays are uppermost, and are underlaid by bluish clays and hard-pan. The older geological formations which appear in the surface expos- ures of Morgan County are the Coal Measures, and the St. Louis Limestone. The Coal Meas- ures underlie nearly the whole county-the only portion in which it is not the uppermost rock, being a comparatively limited area along the Illinois bottoms and bluffs. Considerable difficulty is experienced in forming a correct idea of the details of this formation in the county, on account of the wide separation and varying character of the outcrops. The aggre- gate thickness, however, may be set down as not less than three hundred feet, and probably more. Within this thickness there are at least three, and most probably four, beds of coal of sufficient thickness to be profitably worked. Sur- face outcrops of the Coal Measures are found in nearly all parts of the county. The several beds have been considerably worked, either by drifts or by means of shafts sunk for that purpose. The coal beds have rarely been found to exceed three feet in thickness, and are usually much Icss. Near Prentice, in the northeast corner of the county, a shaft has been sunk in the beds of the Coal Measures and the overlying Drift, to the depth of about two hundred and twenty feet, and was continued by boring over one hundred feet more. It passed through three veins of coal, none of which are three feet in thickness. At Jacksonville a number of bor- ings were made at different points, two shafts were sunk and coal was mined to a considerable extent. The bed of coal was struck at a depth of two hundred feet, and was thirty inches in thickness. The Drift at Jacksonville is over one hundred and forty feet in thickness. At least four or five different beds of coal appear in the surface outcrops and artificial excavations of the county, several of which have been more or less extensively worked.

Clays .- Some of the under clays of the dif- fcrent coal seams in Morgan County will fur- nish a good material for fire-brick, tile or pot- tery. The clay beds under the different coal seams, however, generally appear at the sur- face only along the sides of the high bluffs, or in the bottoms of deep ravines, and have not as yet been turned to economical account. Good clays for ordinary brick making are found in the beds of the Drift, under the surface soils in all parts of the county.

Building Materials .- The sandstone in the northwestern part of the county has been worked to some extent, and, in some instances, appears to answer the purpose well, and when a proper selection is made of this material, it has proved durable. The stone abutments of a bridge over Indian Creek at Arenzville, which were built for the Rock Island & St. Louis Railroad, are of this sandstone, quarried within the limits of Morgan County, and after many years of exposure, they appear as whole and sharply cut as when first laid. The sandstone worked on Willow Branch is probably near the same geological horizon. It is very similar in appearance, being a light brown or gray sand- stone, weathering to a rather lighter color than that from the previously mentioned locality. It is quite easily worked when first quarried, but hardens on exposure.

On a fork of Apple Creek, in the southeast part of the county, heavy exposures of a mas- sive brownish or reddish sandstone are ob- served in the side of ravines, running from the northward, having probably a total thick- ness of over thirty feet. A similar sandstone is said to occur some two miles above this point on the creek.

The limestone beds of the Coal Measures, and their use as a building material, have been inainly local and limited, and from the re- stricted nature of the exposures in the sides of the high bluffs or bottoms of ravines, and the general inconsiderable thickness of the strata, it seems probable that it could not well be other- wise. The sandstone beds of the Coal Measures. when sufficiently resistant to atmospheric in- fluences, are likely to afford the principal home supply of building material in this county. The sandstones of the St. Louis group, which out- crop in this county, have also been used to some extent, but no such quarries as are found in this group in the adjoining counties, have as yet been opened in Morgan County. Some of

634

HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

the limestone beds in this county appear suit- able for the manufacture of quick lime.

Water Courses .- The Illinois River forms the boundary of a portion of the northwestern part of Morgan County. The principal creeks are the Indian, Mauvaisterre, Sandy and Apple Creek. All these streams run to the west and southwest. Some of these attain considerable dimensions and afford valuable water facilities. All of these, in the early settlement of the county, were used for water power for grinding and saw-mills.

Fauna .- At the time of its first settlement, Morgan County was remarkably prolific in the variety and abundance of its Fauna. Here once roamed, almost unchecked and in countless numbers, the buffalo, the roebuck, hind, stag and different kinds of fallow deer, the bear, panther, wildcat and wolf. The rivers were cov. ered with swan, geese, ducks and teals. Father Gabriel Marest says: "One can scarcely travel without finding a prodigious multitude of tur- keys, who keep together in flocks, often to the number of ten hundred." And for trapping, there were the beaver, otter and mink. There still remains evidence of the existence of great herds of buffalo at one time, in their trails or paths, the great excavations about the places where they congregated for water and "licks," and their fossils found in the vicinity of such rendezvous. Deer, wolves, foxes, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, rabbits, minks, weasels, moles, wild turkeys, wild pigeons, prairie chick- ens, wild geese, brant, ducks, quail, cranes, many kinds of birds, snakes, insects and bees- nearly all the varieties of these, and many others, were common, and some varieties were in innumerable abundance. Some of these which formed a valuable and necessary means of subsistence for the early settler have been exterminated. Of these great flocks and herds, roaming at will over the prairies, Col. George Crogan says: "At any time, in half an hour, we could kill all we wanted." But al- though there are yet left the squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, opossum and pigeon, inviting the sportsman to the wood and field, the great flocks of geese and ducks which formerly nested within the State, now pass over it, and the prai- rie chicken, whose wild fields have been taken from it, has been exterminated or has flown to other regions farther west. A few wolves and foxes are still left to prey upon the farmer's sheep

and fowl, but the buffalo, with his beaten track through the prairies and groves, the elk and bear, have long since disappeared with the red inan, himself a superior kind of game, before the all-conquering invasion and greed of the white man.

Flora .- Morgan County is very rich in its na- tive Flora. When the country was first dis- covered, the richness of its flora rendered it an expanse of beauty to the eye. Most of the large oak, hickory, walnut, maple, ash and elm families abound. Also the beech, birch, sassa- fras, catalpa, hackberry, cottonwood, sycamore, redbud, plum, cherry, mulberry, crabapple, haw, paw-paw, persimmon and a great variety of grapes, and other kinds of woods and vines. Corn, wheat, rye and oats are produced in great abundance. Potatoes, melons, beets, cabbage, tomatoes-indeed, all kinds of vegetables-are grown in vast quantities. The soil is wonder- fully adapted to the production of timothy, blue grass, clover and all other grasses, and these afford an inexhaustible source of pasturage, be- sides their great value when made into hay.

Indian corn is the first crop in importance, abundance and value. The prairies of Morgan County, underlaid and enriched by a liberal store of natural elements, produce a stock eight or nine feet high (frequently even twelve feet high), which carries an ear breast high to a man, that will measure nine to twelve inches in length. Wheat is also raised in large quanti- ties. Oats afford a prolific crop. Blue grass is highly prized as a pasture grass. Fruit grow- ing is carried on extensively and profitably. All the large and small varieties are produced in great abundance and yield a profitable income. The following paragraph from the Congres- sional Report of Forestry, for the State, is mainly applicable to Morgan County:

"The native flora of Illinois is as diversified as its soil is prolific and its climate varied, trom the deciduous cypress and cane of the South to the juniper and tamarack of the North. Six species are found peculiar to the northern part of the State, sixteen to the southern, and sixty-one common to the whole-in all eighty- three varieties, as against thirty-four in Eu- rope. The oak family is represented by twelve varieties, the hickory by six, the ash by five, the maple by three and the walnut by two. In addition to these there are the tulip, cucumber, beech, birch, sassafras, catalpa, elm, poplar,

635

HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

hackberry, cottonwood, sycamore, pecan, cy- press and redbud. Of wild fruit trees, the State produces the plun, cherry, mulberry, crab and thorn apple, haw, paw-paw and persimmon, be- sides the grape vine in endless variety and profusion."

Osage Orange Hedge-Plant .- The origin and use of the Osage Orange as a hedge-plant is due to Professor Jonathan B. Turner, formerly of Illinois College, Jacksonville, Illinois. During college vacations, touring on horseback and on foot through this then sparsely settled com- monwealth, he concluded its vast timberless prairies would remain undeveloped so long as the people were without the means of enclosing their farms. This led him to the study of some device as a substitute for timber for tences. In his experiments in this public labor he ex- hausted his means and effects, and was repaid by the silly jeers of the incredulous. He tried various plants with little success for a long time, until he found the Osage Orange: and this, for a considerable period, was always spoken of as "Professor Turner's Folly." But at length, by the force of successful experi- ments, incredulity was compelled to give way and the great benefit of his discovery was ad- mitted. The cultivation and sale of the Osage Orange as a hedge-plant, and its successful in- troduction in Illinois and other Western States, where the absence of timber rendered some substitute a necessity for fencing purposes, is due to that honored citizen of Morgan County, and for a long time was of incalculable value to the people of a large section of the Western States.

Agriculture,- The agricultural history of Illi- nois covers nearly two centuries of time, the first of which is hardly less mythical than that of its savage predecessors. During the last century the State has come to the lead in agri- cultural productions in the United States. Geo- graphical position has had much to do in secur- ing that pre-eminence. Agriculture has con- stituted the chief pursuit of the people of Mor- gan County from the earliest settlement, and will doubtless continue to be in the future. The absence of the natural and necessary facilities for manufactures on any considerable scale, and the great abundance of favorable elements for agriculture will insure the continued ascend- ency of agricultural pursuits. In 1870, 50.7 per cent. of the people of Illinois were engaged

in agricultural pursuits. The geological forma- tion of the county, and its peculiarities of cli- mate, naturally determine that result. All the Geological Periods worked intelligently and continuously to concentrate here the rocks that should supply the necessary earthy and chenii- cal materials for the formation of a durable soil, and later ages took care that they should be finely pulverized and well distributed. With this foundation agriculture may be developed to any desirable extent. This industry is the base of the social and business structure. Man's first and constant necessity is food. With an insufficient measure of this in any region, all other activities must be put in motion to col- lect it from more favored localities. Wherever it is produced in unrestrained abundance the wealth of other regions must flow. The pres- ence of animal and vegetable life in such pro- fusion in this section of our country for such immense geological periods of time, also col- lected in the forming rocks most valuable ina- terial to enrich vegetable growth when they were worn down and spread abroad as soil. The finer, and lighter, and richer parts of this material remained long in suspension in the waters that once covered all the Mississippi Valley, and was thus diffused over the surface of Morgan County. The shallow lakes on the prairie levels received and deposited it. Some- times, by the damming up .of streams, wido- spreading lakes would be formed where this material was brought in such abundance as to fill them with this valuable Loess, or bluff soil. The shallow lakes became marshes and grad- nally filled up with a rich loam supplied by its decaying vegetation. This preparation was completed by long centuries of vegetable growth and decay, by the life and death of innumerable herds of animals, large and small. This formed a rich, often deep, surface mold, which made the county a garden for productiveness when the civilized farmer came to cultivate it. No region in the world can show a soil more care- fully prepared, through vast geological times, with all the most valuable mineral and chem- ical supplles for plant-life, and these so well mixed and widely distributed. Add to this the remarkable climatic conditions of the county. tempered by the high lands and plateaus of Central America and Mexico: modified by the great lakes, and influenced by the mountain ranges east and west-all tending to secure de-

636

HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

sirable features of climate, either to moderate extremes or to render them a special benefit. That inexhaustible store of providential pro- vision of fertility and climate the farmers of Morgan County have seized and applied to their great enrichment and happiness. Branches of manufacture, lines of commerce and trade, and the valuable products of mining are sub- ject to fluctuations, because they may be over- worked or find competitors with great readi- ness. As a source of income they have not the steadiness of agriculture for this reason, and because they deal more largely in the sup- ply of the secondary and artificial wants of mankind. These, indeed, by habit seem soon to become necessities of life; yet, when finan- cial pressure arises, the primary demands of . life are undistributed, while these acquired wants retreat into the background, and disaster and distress spread through the classes whose income depends on the prosperity of the indus- tries which supply them. No people can be poor with whom the most solid fruits of the soil are abundant. Experience soon shows them that they can be comfortable on what the earth produces, and whatever excess of this produce remains to them is fairly sure of a market. This excess of agricultural products in Mor- gan County can scarcely be said to have any conceivable limit. The measure of results from the cultivation of the soil has been as yet ex- ceedingly small compared with its absolute ca- pacity under improved cultivation. The State, having passed through the pioneer period when hunting and Indian fighting were the principal occupations of the population, and through the pastoral period when herds and flocks, running at large on the wild lands, were the principal source of agricultural wealth, may be now said to have fairly entered upon field culture or agriculture proper. This is still of the exten- sive form rather than of the intensive and scientific kind of cultivation, and shows no such yields per acre as may reasonably be ex- pected when a larger amount of capital and intelligence shall be profitably invested in pro- duction.

Maize (Indian corn) is the first crop in Mor- gan County, both in importance and chronology. Its origin, like that of wheat and barley, is lost in the twilight of antiquity. Bonafous, who wrote long ago, and is still regarded as the best authority on the subject, was of the opinion

that Indian corn was indigenous both in China and in southwestern South America. Mr. B. F. Johnson, of Champaign, Illinois, says: "Testi- mony gathered from geological investigation in South America, and from ancient tombs, shows conclusively that Indian corn was there culti- vated at a period long anterior to the dynasty of the Incas, which commenced in the twelfth century." Humboldt, whose testimony is of great value, if not entirely conclusive, says: "There is no doubt in the minds of botanists that Indian

corn is a truly American plant, and that the new world gave it

to the old." No cereal accepts the modifications of soil and climate so easily and quickly as Indian corn. The first settlers of the prairies now included in Mor- gan County, grew this cereal in considerable quantities and hauled it to St. Louis in wagons, or shipped it thither by the Illinois and Missis- sippi Rivers. It furnished their chief article for bread, and when ground in the old mill, or grated in the grater, and baked, as only women of those days could bake it, made an excellent food. Corn has continued to be the chief grain raised by the farmers on the prairies of Mor- gan County, and is as staple a product as cot- ton in the South.

Wheat, although not an aboriginal grain in Illinois, was introduced at an early day, and in Morgan County came to be an important crop in yield per acre, and in quality. The culture of oats has always been considerable in the county. The cereals of minor importance, as rye, barley and buckwheat, have been culti- vated in a small degree. A number of grasses are grown with much success in Morgan Coun- ty. The most commonly cultivated is timothy. Red and white clover grow luxuriantly. Blue- grass seems to be indigenous, and the yield is excellent in quantity and quality. It is highly prized as a pasture grass. The root crops of the county are abundant, and include such va- rieties as Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, tur- nips, carrots and onions, and the yield is often very large. Cabbage, lettuce, beans, peas and other vegetables are produced in large quanti- ties. Melons, pumpkins and squashes, some- times of immense size, are grown. A large variety of fruits abounds. in the county, includ- ing apples, peaches, cherries, grapes, plums, gooseberries, strawberries, currants, blackber- ries, raspberries and other kinds. In some

Min. D. E. F. Barnes

637

HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

cases these are cultivated in considerable quan- tities and find a profitable market.

From the foregoing statement, which is only a mild and conservative account of the natural resources of Morgan County, it will be seen that it is justly entitled to the distinction of "A Modern Garden of Eden."

Morgan County Agricultural Society .- Morgan County has always kept in the advance in agri- cultural pursuits. The earliest settlers were men of ability, and kept abreast of the times in the interest of their calling. In 1851 the Morgan County Agricultural Society was or- ganized, and its annual expositions were con- tinued with great interest and advantage for many years. The records from 1851 to 1854 are somewhat obscure. It appears that there were two ·societies in existence, one of which held a fair on Wednesday and Thursday, 22d and 23d of October, 1851. Of this society the officers were Joseph Morton, President; W. L. Sargent and S. T. Matthews, Vice-Presidents; and Wil- liam G. Johnson, Secretary. This Fair was held on the poor-house grounds, then in the eastern part of Jacksonville. At that fair stock alone was exhibited, a rope being stretched around the enclosure where the stock was shown. At the close of each day a hat was passed around and a collection was raised to aid in defraying the necessary expenses. About the same time, or a few days after, an exhibi- tion of textile fabrics and home manufactures was given in the public square, the fancy ar- ticles being attached to ropes stretched about the grounds. It is probable these exhibitions were the first of the kind in the county. No records of any prior to this exist, nor do the recollections of any of the older citizens fix on any dates before this accurately. Some aver that fairs were held as early as 1838 or 1840; others at various dates from 1840 to 1851, but no one can state definitely what occurred during this period, or give any accurate de- scription of such exhibitions. There may have been a few small exhibits held, and probably were, but no definite record is at hand of any fair under an organized association before the one of which mention has been made.

About the year 1852 or 1853 the two organi- zations appear to have united, and on Novem- ber 11, 1854, a charter was received by the "Morgan County Agricultural Association." The first officers of this association were Judge

Stephen Dunlap, President; James Green and Col. Joseph Morton, Vice-Presidents: Cyrus Matthews, Treasurer; and Austin Rockwell, Secretary. Soon after this the society pur- chased of Col. George M. Chambers fifteen acres of land situated in the southeastern part of the city of Jacksonville. There annual exhibitions were held until the year 1858. On the 20th of February of that year these grounds were sold to Mr. Henry Saunderson, for five thousand dollars, and thirty acres of ground, a mile and a half west of the public square, were purchased of Col. James Dunlap. That was a more suit- able location, and continued to be used for many years, until the final discontinuance of an- nual exhibitions by the Association. The As- sociation secured the location of the State Fair on their grounds for the year 1860, which was largely attended from all sections of the State.

CHAPTER IV.

CLIMATOLOGICAL.

METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENON-THE DRY SEASON OF 1820 - WIND STORM OF 1821 - CYCLONE OF 1825-THE DEEP SNOW OF 1830-31 - SHOOTING STARS OF 1833-THE SUDDEN FREEZE OF 1836- LITTLE INDIAN CYCLONE OF 1845-SNOW STORM OF 1855-CYCLONES OF 1855, '56 AND '59-THE WARM WINTER OF 1877-CYCLONE OF 1880-THE CREAT SLEET-STORM OF 1883-GREASY PRAIRIE AND LITERBERRY CYCLONES-THE COLDEST DAY. 1884-MEMORABLE HAIL STORM OF 1884-THE HOTTEST DAY, 1869.

The climate of Morgan County is character- ized by great variability due to natural causes. Located in the great Mississippi basin, with the distant Rocky Mountains on the west and the Appalachian range on the east, an unob- structed course is open to the hot and cold blasts of summer and winter. The trade-winds from the Gulf of Mexico, during the summer and autumn, also largely affect the temperature. Carefully recorded observations show the mean temperature of the county annually to be about 50.78 degrees. The mean temperature, from observations covering many years, is found to vary but little, the greatest difference being found to be only 3.58 degrees in 1843. On January 28, 1873, the temperature fell to 40)

638

HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY.

degrees below zero throughout the central por- tion of the State. Periods of extreme heat have also been experienced, the temperature sometimes having risen to 100 degrees and above. During the thirty-five years from 1842 to 1877. the annual rainfall varied from 41.37 inches to 35.82 inches.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 128

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