USA > Illinois > McLean County > Normal > History of Bloomington and Normal, in McLean County, Illinois > Part 13
USA > Illinois > McLean County > Bloomington > History of Bloomington and Normal, in McLean County, Illinois > Part 13
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business, until it is now a large and very convenient establishment. Here he manufact- ures a variety of medicines, mostly fever and ague specifies, balsams, cough-sirups, pills, etc., in all, about ten different remedies, and a number of essences and other prepara- tions. In their preparation, great care is taken to secure the purest and best ingredients, and the result is that his medicines rank with the best that are offered to the public. They are sold largely in the States of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, while there is a good demand in all the Western and Southwestern States. He has a team, with a fine wagon, in six of these States, and thus keeps a watch over the territory through salaried agents, while he has over six thousand local agents, mostly drug- gists and dealers, who sell his medicines on commission. He employs from twenty-five to fifty hands, according to the season. He has four printing-presses, run by steam- power, by which he prepares his advertising matter. In 1860, he got up 100,000 almanaes for his agents to circulate, and he now sends out 1,500,000 annually. He- consumes nearly fifty tons of printing-paper each year.
" Wakefield's Almanac" is thus one of the best known of any of Bloomington's pub- lications. At the present time, this carries the name and fame of Bloomington over a wider area than any other medium. It is printed in the English, German, Nor- wegian and Swedish languages.
This business is conducted in a straightforward, honorable manner, and is one of the instrumentalities by which our city is always favorably spoken of abroad. Such men as Dr. Wakefield are the ones who have built up the reputation of Bloomington ; and we are glad to see they are honored at home. He has always been one of our most liberal citizens, being among the foremost in all publie enterprises. The amount of capital employed in the business, including the building, presses, engine, the stock of medicines on hand here, and the very large amount in the stores of his 6,000 agents is over $150,000.
There are several manufactures of light articles such as brushes and overalls, and there are the usual variety of miscellaneous artificers to be found in our best Western cities. It is probable that, in the line of these light manufactures, Bloomington will in time become quite an important point.
In past times, our distilling interest was quite important, but the building, which stood on the bank of Sugar Creek, west of the fair ground, was destroyed by fire several years ago and has not been rebuilt.
The Bloomington Pork-Packing Company, now consisting of Van Schoick, Win- slow & Tryner, have been established since 1872. During the past season, they have- packed over 13,000 hogs, and given employment to over forty men. They have very materially advanced the interests of Bloomington. This establishumnent is one of the most important in Central Illinois.
We should also mention our breweries, which employ a large number of men. The tile-factory of N. B. Heafer & Co., situated in Bloomington Township, a mile southeast of the city, is one of our most important manufactories, and is rapidly extend- ing its business. It is one of the very few in the West with first-class facilities for dry- ing tile in the winter.
Besides the establishments enumerated above, there are a large number equally deserving of mention, but space forbids. There are also a very large number of small shops and establishments that employ in the aggregate many men, including the usual
variety of industries to be found in any city situated like this in a fine agricultural dis triet. Taken altogether, we have quite large manufacturing interests in Bloomington, which seem likely to grow with the growth of the West. Our coal is as cheap as can be found, water is easily obtained, and we possess an industrious and energetic people. Several of our manufacturing establishments are spoken of in our chapter entitled- " Incorporated Companies."
MIL.L.S.
The first mills in this locality were the old horse-mills, " corn-crackers" as they were called, followed or accompanied by the " nigger-head " horse-mills, for grinding wheat coarsely, which, when sifted, made a kind of flour, the " best to be had," und accepted as cheerfully as possible. Good flour was made only at distant water-mills, and Mr. James Allin and his associates in the new town of Bloomington, as late as 1532 and 18:3, longed for a good steam flour-mill. A wind mill, owned by Gridley & Covel, located near the corner of Oak and Market, is mentioned as among the carly institutions of Bloomington Steam sawmills were built here as early as 1835, several of which went the way of all saw-mills, upward in smoke. Steam grist-mills were not much more fortunate, several being burned from first to last. Among those burned, we will men- tion Myers' mill, on South Main street, and one owned by E. Rogers, which burned in 1864, situated just cast of the Hlinois Central Depot. Bloomington can now boast as fine mills as any in the West. The total capacity of all our flour-mills is about three hundred and fifty barrels per day.
FILES.
October 16, 1855, occurred a large fire, where Phoenix Block and other buildings now stand. It swept over nearly the whole square bounded by Front. Main, Wash- ington and Center streets. The loss was estimated at from $50,000 to $120,000. The Melcan County Bank and the building adjoining, subsequently used by Dietrich & Bradner as a hardware store, both nearly new buildings at that time, were the only ones of importance that escaped. The four-story building now called Phoenix Block arose from the ashes very speedily September 5, 1856 a fire occurred on Front street, which destroyed property to the value of $50,000. In September, 1871, a large fire consumed buildings on the east side of Main street, north of North street, destroying property to the value of $60,000. October 31. IST, the Chicago & Alton Railroad Shops burned, a loss to the Company of at least $100,000. During the year 1877, the city - entire loss by fire was only $9.555 ; msured for $9,305
The following is an approximate statement of the debt of Bloomington
City Schools, about. $100,000
City, about
Township. I. B & W. Bonds, about
Township, lafayette, B & M., about. 19,000
Township, Jacksonville Branch, abont
Told
$151,500
From this there should be deducted a certain sam -whose value is unknown- bring the amount of back taxes that will actually be paid, which will be large enough to justify the statement that the net debt of Bloomington, city, city school, and township. does not much exceed $100,000, a sum that is large enough to be somewhat burdesome.
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but not so large as a " larger debt," to use Abraham Lincoln's homely illustration. May 1, 1867, the actual debt of Bloomington, exclusive of school debt, was only $6,497, but the votes for railroad aid taken in 1867, of themselves, added over $200,000 to the township and city debt in that year.
SEWERS.
When Bloomington was laid out, the low ground now known as the North Slough was properly named, it being wet and marshy, as was also the South Slough, now called Pone Hollow; but these were at the time, so far from the village plat as to be thought valuable for drainage, and were considered a long distance out of town. But the city spread itself in all directions, soon overleaped these obstacles, and then went back and occupied the low land, now become dry ground, through which meandered a little stream, with a deep bed and high banks. These water-courses have cut so deep that they have been sufficient to carry off the water without overflow, ever since the wet season of 1858. The land adjacent has been closely occupied by residences and manufactories for many years. The city has now commenced to build a sewer through each of these tracts. The northern one is now completed from Main street, nearly to its western outlet at the main branch, and the southern onc has been commenced. When these are finished, our whole city will be of equal value for building purposes.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
The Court House will be spoken of in the history of the county, and we will merely mention here that it is one of the best in the State, was commenced in 1868, and cost entire, furniture, sewer, heating apparatus, iron fence, sidewalk and all, in the neighborhood of $400,000. Prices were then very high, and it is probable the same would now cost about $250,000. The Jail is at the corner of Market and Center streets, and was erected in 1857. It should at once be replaced by a more suitable structure. The city owns two steam fire-engine houses, which answer all purposes, but are not particularly ornamental. During the year 1878, the new City Hall was erected at the corner of North and East streets ; total cost, building and lot, was about $14,000. It is a fine-looking structure, considering its small cost, and will be used as a City Hall and City Prison. The public school-buildings will be described elsewhere. They are the most important of the public buildings owned by the city. The Wesleyan Univer - sity, which may be considered as a public building, is really the most beautiful structure in Bloomington.
INCORPORATED COMPANIES.
Bloomington has never organized as large a number of incorporated companies as many Western towns have done in the past. There have been several failures, and there are several companies now in existence ; but, as a rule, our citizens have not depended on " by-laws " and " charters " for aid. There was a Bloomington Fire Insurance Com- pany, which comprised our best citizens, and was honorably and fairly conducted ; but, after doing business from 1867 down to 1870, it honorably withdrew from the field. We ought to mention the Bloomington & Normal Railroad Company, which has been of great benefit to the two cities connected, but never a paying venture to the company. The line was built in 1867, and its total cost has been about $60,000.
The Bloomington Manufacturing Company, which purchased Flagg's factory in 1865, after a successful general business, was succeeded in August, 1873, by the
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Bloomington Furniture Manufacturing Company This company has about sixty-five men in its shops, and furnishes employment to over one hundred men, women and children in this city who take materials to their homes, while it seud- abroad enough more to different reformatory institutions to keep busy about seventy five persons. The work sent out of the factory is the caning of the seats and backs of chairs, of which this firm makes about fifty different patterns. It manufactures over thirty five thousand chairs per annum, consuming about two hundred and fifty thousand feet of black wal- nut lumber, much of which comes from the groves of Melem County. Its capital is $60,000. This company is of great assistance to the laboring people of Bloomington, am mg whom it disburses about $100 per day. Though the wayes paid for outside work seems small, it must be remembered that most of those employed have no other avenue of employment open, and would otherwise remain idle. The President of the company is Peter Whitmer ; Secretary and Manager, I. P. Fell, who has been in office ever since 1873. The Directors are P. Whitmer, K. H. Fell, E. B. Steere, B. F. Hoopes, P. Folsom, C. Wakefield and 1. R. Krum. This company has been a success from the start, and appears to demonstrate Bloomington's ability to carry on manufact- uring at a profit.
The People's Bank is another successful company, which has built one of the finest buildings in the city. It has stood all the financial storms of the past ten years, and is strong in the confidence of the community. Peter Whitmer is the President, and William Ollis, Cashier.
The National Bank of Bloomington was organized soon after the passage of the national banking act, on the 23d of January. 1565, and has been in operation ever since. It is the successor of the Bank of Bloomington, which was organized in 1857, an institution with a proud record, having withstood the severe crash in 1861, and maintained its notes at par with gold. Its present President is D. M. Funk ; Cashier, E. Thorpe. Among the stockholders of this bank in the past we find the names of Isaac Funk, David Davis, J. H. Robinson, W. W. Orme and others well known in Bloomington history. Mr. Thorpe has been its Cashier ever since its organization as a national bank. Capital stock of the bank, $150,000 ; surplus and undivided protits, about $195,000, making the entire banking capital $345,000.
The National State Bank was started in the summer of 1575. Capital, $50,000. President, Frank Hoblitt ; Vice President, Jacob Funk ; Cashier, A. B. Hoblitt.
These three banks are incorporated, while the MeLean County Bank, and that of T. J. Bunn & Co., are private banks or partnerships. The entire banking capital of the city is estimated at nearly $1,000,000.
We can add to these the Bloomington Stove Company, which was organized m 1670, and has been one of the most successful institutions of the place. Its President is Dwight Harwood ; Superintendent. W. P. Brophy. Its stoves are sold all over the West, being of the most approved patterns, of one hundred and fifteen different styles. The company has in its employ from thirty to sixty persons, according to the season Its factory is located in the northwest part of the city, in the township of Normal. The Empire Machine Works ure also within the limits of the town of Normal, though generally classed as belonging to Bloomington.
The Bloomington Gas light and Coke Company was incorporated in 1956, works were soon created, and by the year 1557, n street was lighted extending all the way
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from the Illinois Central to the Chicago & Alton Depot, the latter then being near the machine-shops, north of the crossing of Chestnut street. There were also a few lamps around the public square. In 1867, the gas works at the corner of Market and Oak streets were abandoned, and entirely new ones built at the present location. Gen. A. Gridley had then become sole owner. He constructed very permanent buildings, extended the gas mains in every direction, and used every honorable means to induce the City Council to establish lamps on all well-settled streets. There are now about twenty miles of streets upon which there are gas-mains, and the city possesses about four hundred street lamps. Bloomington is a remarkably well lighted city.
CALIFORNIA EMIGRANTS.
Few of the rising generation have any idea of the excitement that ran through the country at the time of the "gold fever " of 1849 and 1850. For a long series of years-more than twelve-the nation had been passing through a period of the most terrible financial depression. Money had become almost an unknown quantity, and people had about settled into despondeney, when suddenly the wonderful stories of the gold discoveries in California flashed through the land. As soon as the truth was ascer- tained, and it was known that immense quantities of gold had been found, and it was seen that a new empire was to be founded on the Pacific Coast, the rush of adventure- ous spirits was sudden and enormous. Bloomington-always ready to make a move as quick as any other part of the world-sent a large company in the summer of 1849, who, with teams and outfits mostly gathered here, went the whole distance overland-a toilsome, tedious journey of several months duration.
Among those who went in 1849, we have the names of Col. J. H. Wickizer, Levi Hite, Asa Lillie, Solomon D. Baker, Joseph Duncan, Hiram Baker, Samuel Ashton, J. Jackson, John M. Loving, Daniel B. Robinson, John Greenman, S. A. Adams and John Walker. Ont of this number there are now living here in Bloomington, Col. J. H. Wickizer, John M. Loving and John Walker. S. A. Adams lives in Missouri ; S. D. Baker in Virginia City, and Joseph Duncan in San Francisco; John Greenman, Capt. D. B. Robinson, Hiram Baker and Levi Hite are dead.
On the first of March, 1850, a very large company left Bloomington for Califor- nia, made up in part from the adjoining towns. At St. Joseph, Mo., they organized in military shape for protection against Indians ; there were about twenty-five wagons, and nearly one hundred men. Hugh Taylor was chosen Captain. The company had tolerably good luck until they nearly reached the gold-fields, when some of them were destitute, and their teams were badly worn down ; but on the whole it was a successful journey.
From Bloomington there were John D. Clark, Green B. Larrison, Lyman Ferre, Carey Barney, M. W. Packard, Hugh Taylor, William Hodge, J. R. Murphy, E. Parke, Robert Barnett, Robert L. Baker, John Owen, Isaac Strain, Dr. G. Elkins, William Elkins, W. P. Withers, T. S. Howard, Jesse Isgrig, W. Isgrig, Elijah Ellis, Lee Allin, F. M. Rockhold, E. Henry. Of these, there are now living in Bloomington or vicinity, G. B. Larrison, Lyman Ferre, M. W. Packard, Isaac Strain, J. R. Murphy, Lee Allin and Robert Barnett. Capt. W. P. Withers lives in Missouri ; T. S. Howard in Iowa, and Carey Barney in California. It is a remarkable fact that but two or three of the whole number made even a moderate fortune in California ; but the most of those who
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returned to Bloomington have been very succesful. These veterans of the plains can tell of some remarkable adventures
REMARKABLE WEATHER.
Those who find enough of interest in the state of the weather to furnish daily themes for conversation as they meet casual acquaintances, will do well to read this chapter, and forever after refrain from the common unmeaning remarks they so often drop in regard to the " remarkable weather we are now enjoying." The " Deep Snow." the "Sudden Freeze." and the " Great Hurricane" which the early settlers witnessed stand out in bold relief as the most wonderful phenomena of the times.
The great hurricane came on the 25th day of June, 1827. or, as given by several authorities, on the 19th of June. It struck Old Town Timber with fearful severity, and leveled large tracts of heavy timber. There were then no settlers on the prairie. no villages or cities to be leveled, no church-spires to be demolished, or the record of loss and damage would be larger. Some injury is recorded in Blooming Grove, where small traets of timber were leveled.
The fall of 1830 or 1831, was remarkably mild. Tobacco sprouts are said not to have been killed until December 2, which, if correct, indicates a wonderful state of affairs, as this plant is one of the most tender raised in this latitude.
December 29, 1830, occurred the heaviest fall of snow ever known in the West The first snow was nearly three feet deep, and there were more than a dozen storms sub- sequently. The full depth appears to have been about forty inches on a level, and this when several snows had fallen and become so compacted that in many places the crust would bear a man. The deer broke through, and wolves chased and caught them frequently, a very unusual circumstance. It was impossible for the pioneers to travel, and families caught without provisions suffered severely. In some settlements the supply of corn and hay was so small that cattle starved, it being impossible to move food any distance. Much of the stock was kept alive by felling trees, and the stock subsisted on the branches. Most families lived on meal obtained by pounding corn by hand. There were a few of the settlers who were caught away from home, and who nearly lost their lives in the toilsome homeward journeys.
The pioneers in Blooming Grove did not suffer much, but were compelled to keep indoors most of the time. Blooming Grove was then old enough to furnish plenty of provisions for such a siege, but those living in detached settlements, particularly new comers in small communities, suffered severely. When the snow went off, after about six weeks of intense cold, the streams were remarkably high, considerably higher, in all probability, than they have ever been since that event. It is probable that a similar winter now would cause immense suffering. Our prairie towns could not obtain coal, or even four and groceries, as in such a case the railroads would be totally unable to keep open for business.
A few extruets from experiences related in Prof. Duis' "Good Old Times in Mclean County " will illustrate the hardships caused by the " Deep Snow." From Robert Guthrie's statement, page 192, we quote the following
The winter of 18.0 31 is remembered as the winter of the deep snow Three days before the snow began falling, Mr Guthrie and Frederick Trimmer started for St. Louis with teams and wagons to haul goals for James Allin, who had opened a small store where Boom- ington tow 1s they intended to be gone only ten days of two weeks, but they did not see their
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families again for five weeks. They were obliged to leave their goods, wagons and Mr. Guthrie's oxen about fifteen miles the other side of Springfield, and came through with Mr. Trimmer's horses to break the way. During this time, their families were in a state of anxious suspense, and were obliged to live on boiled corn ; indeed, during the whole winter, they had very little to eat except pounded meal. During that winter, Mr. Guthrie sent his children to school, though they had to work their way for a mile through snow that reached nearly to their necks ; but when it became packed, they walked over the crust.
From the same work, page 219, we quote the words of one of our pioneers, who is now living in the city :
Jonathan Maxson states that during the winter of the deep snow (1830), he and his brother went out where it did not drift nor blow away and took a careful measurement of the depth of the snow with a stick and found it four feet deep. During the early part of that terri- ble winter, deer were very numerous, but when the deep snow came they were starved and were hunted by famished wolves and by settlers with snow-shoes until they were almost exterminated. Shortly after the snow fell, Mr. "Jesse Hiatt killed a very large deer, which he was unable to carry home. He buried it in the snow and covered it with his coat to keep the wolves away. But the snow afterward fell so deep that he was unable to visit the spot for two weeks. At last, he put a harness on one of his horses and went to drag it home. On his return with the deer, he killed three others and attached them also to his horse ; but the load was so hard to drag that he did not return until late at night, when he found the frightened neighbors collected at his house, about to start on a search for him. They had collected on horseback with trumpets and horns and various things with which to make unearthly noises, and were, no doubt, disappointed to find that there was no occasion for their fearful shrieks. The remainder of the night was spent in dressing the deer.
Some of their neighbors caught deer alive by putting on snow-shoes and running them down; but, toward the latter part of the winter, they were so poor and emaciated that they were hardly worth catching.
The fall of meteors November 14, 1836, though not exactly coming under this head, will be mentioned here. It was a wonderful sight. The heavens were full of shooting stars and meteoric phenomena, which, when witnessed by people living in scattered settlements, may well have caused a feeling of awe, wonder and astonishment.
December 14, 1836, occurred a very sudden change of weather. From a mild, thawy condition of the atmosphere, with the thermometer standing about forty degrees above, the change was almost instantaneous to twenty degrees below zero. The wind came from the northwest, with a howl and a roar, a perfect moving wall of eold, with its edges apparently square and perpendicular. It traveled at the rate of about thirty miles per hour. People were caught on the prairies at various distances from shelter, and quite a number of persons perished, some of them but a short distance from home. Cattle, hogs, and even wild animals were frozen to death. It is evident, from the accounts we have of the effects of the cold, that the thermometer fell much more than twenty degrees below zero, but we have no records of the degree of cold experienced. In mod- ern times, we have read of changes almost as remarkable, in Iowa and Minnesota, but none that will compare with this for suddenness. The people living in those States call these storms " blizzards," a term not invented in 1836. Our sudden freeze must have thrown a chill over the frontier such as we can hardly imagine.
June 23, 1837, a fall of snow surprised our pioneers. It was heavy enough to make the green-leaved trees look white, but no damage resulted.
November 7, 1842, there was another remarkable, sudden freeze, but, while start- ling in itself, it was not to be compared with its predecessor in 1836.
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The year 1811 is known to Western history as the wet season. It rained nearly all summer, only ceasing late in August, and erops were very light indeed. Traveling was a constant succession of wading and swimming, as most of the streams were desti- tute of bridges. This was the year when the river was so high nt St. Louis, and when the old town of Kaskuskia was nearly ruined by the overflow. Those of our pioneers who remained at home did not suffer particularly, except from the annoyances incident to constant mud and moisture.
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