History of Chicago. From the earliest period to the present time, Part 47

Author: Andreas, Alfred Theodore
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 1340

USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > History of Chicago. From the earliest period to the present time > Part 47

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But as difficulties precede the accomplishment of any great undertaking, so they seem to have a faculty of following ever in its wake. Navigation through the canal was seriously impeded during the early part of the season by the paucity of the water supply. The Calumet feeder, seventeen miles in length, was not completed until the fall of 1849; consequently the supply for the upper end of the canal was obtained from the lake, by means of the pumping works at Bridgeport, from the Desplaines and Dul'age rivers. The eleven miles of canal from Joliet to the DuPage proved leaky, also, owing to the porous nature of the soil, and upon this division, in spite of the utmost exertions on the part of the engines, the level could only be raised at the rate of one inch in twenty-four hours. Then, during the winter

of 1848 and spring following came the disastrous fresh- ets and ice jams, which injured the works quite seriously. Many claims for pre-emptions under the act of 1843 were also being pressed against the board of trustees for settlement. Among them were several for lands and town lots in Chicago and neighborhood, for quite extensive amounts. The trustees were the judges or commissioners on these claims, and according to their interpretation of the law, they awarded to each claimant in the proportion of two blocks for each 160 acres. Many of the claimants were dissatisfied and souglit re- lief through the courts, but the action of the trustees was sustained in 1851. The trustees had scarcely un- burdened the canal of these vexatious suits before the Illinois River took it upon itself to fall so low as to re- fuse the passage of first-class boats to LaSalle. Second and third class craft only could navigate its waters. In August, 1852, Congress applied $30,000 toward the work of dredging its channel. The next year the pas- senger traffic of the canal showed so marked a falling off, because of the building of the Rock Island Railroad, and the running of a daily line of boats, in connection with it, between St. Louis and LaSalle, that, during the early part of 1854 the canal management were obliged to reduce their tolls. Another season of remarkably low water in the Illinois River, during 1856, suspended navigation for some time, and reduced the canal revenue nearly $60,000. The feeders failed to supply sufficient water and the pumps of Bridgeport were worked vigor- ously for nearly four months. It was becoming evident that, even with their aid, the "shallow-cut" plan had, unfortunately, been forced upon the State by considera- tions of economy.

These checks, however, seemed but slight draw- backs when compared with the really grand results which had followed the completion of the canal. The semi-annual sale of lands had been prodigious, bringing large sums of money into circulation, and lift- ing the whole State into financial prosperity. Of the seven millions of dollars which the trustees had received during the decade following the opening of the canal, about half of that amount was derived from the sale of lands. Chicago, especially, profited by this new order of things. Annual land sales were held in that city, and immigration poured into her borders. Thousands of dollars were put into circulation, outside of what was thrown into the channels of trade from the sale and transfer of real estate. The canal tolls at this point alone, aggregated over a million dollars in ten years. More than five and a half million bushels of wheat, twenty-six million bushels of corn, twenty-seven million pounds of pork, five hundred and sixty-three million feet of lumber and fifty thousand tons of coal were sent through the canal during the same period. This was certainly a good record for an enterprise of ten years' standing.

During this decade there had been several changes in the management. Charles Oakley, the State trustee, died January 1, 1849. His successor was J. B. Wells. W. H. Swift and David Leavitt were again chosen trus- tees for the bond-holders, in May, 1849. In February, 1852, Josiah McRoberts was appointed State trustee by the Governor, and the election by the bond-holders in May resulted in retaining Messrs. Swift and Leavitt in office for another term. The loan of $1,600,000, with interest, was paid in 1853. As stated, Captain Swift and Dawid Leavitt were appointed trustees by the bond- holders under the provisions of the act of 1842-43, and held their office from that time until the canal was com- pleted and the entire debt paid off in 1853. They then

173

THE ILLINOIS & MICHIGAN CANAL.

surrendered the works and the unsold lands to the State of Illinois. Soon after they went into office Isaac N. Arnold was appointed the attorney of the board of trus- tees, and acted in that capacity until the trust was exe- cuted.

From 1848 to 1853 the subscribers to the $1,600,000 loan had received no less than $2, 111,794.78. In April, 1854, E. B. Talcott, general superintendent of the canal, resigned his position, after a connection with the enter- prise of eighteen years. William Gooding, engineer (and later secretary), for the same length of time was chosen for that position. John B. Preston was ap- pointed general superintendent in April, 1855. In 1857 Charles H. Ray, of Chicago, was appointed State trus- tee, and Messrs. Swift and Leavitt were continued in office.

During February and March of 1857, under the provisions of the act of 1847, a large amount of canal indebtedness or scrip was funded. It will be remem- bered that all except a few hundred dollars of these canal checks had been paid and retired from circula- tion. But large numbers of them appeared again, sometimes being presented to the secretary of the fund commission under different names, but all apparently by the same hand-that of Governor Joel A. Matteson, whilom contractor of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Mr. Matteson was the principal stockholder in the Illi- nois State Bank, and it was alleged that, having con- verted these checks into bonds, he presented them to the Auditor of State, as security for his bank circula- tion. During the next session of the Legislature it came to the knowledge of General Thornton, General Fry and Mr. Manning (the two first named having acted as State trustees, and the latter as secretary of the board of canal commissioners), that $50 and $too checks, which had been paid by the bank in 1839 but not can- celed, were again afloat, and were being funded by Governor Matteson. An investigation was at once commenced, and in February, 1859, a law was passed to "indemnify the State against loss by reason of un- lawful funding of canal indebtedness." Under its pro- visions Governor Matteson executed a mortgage and

an indemnifying bond to the State, to cover specified bonds into which the scrip had been funded by him. The legislative finance committee charged that the State Treasurer had paid him an amount of money equal to $223,182.66, on account of these canal checks. The indemnifying act passed, upon the recommenda- tion of the finance committee, authorized him to give security for the repayment of this sum within five years from the date of its approval, which resulted in the exe- cution of the mortgage and the bond. The testimony deduced by the finance committee seemed to conclu- sively prove that the uncanceled checks of the $50 and $100 denominations passed from the hands of the State trustee to Governor Matteson. The Grand Jury of Sangamon County, however, which sat in May, 1859, failed to bring in a true bill for larceny, although their first vote favored such a finding.

In the foregoing narrative it has been shown what twenty-one years of persistent endeavor was able to accomplish. From the commencement of work in 1836 to its suspension in 1843, its final completion in 1848, and to the gathering of the financial harvest of 1848-57, the canal enterprise presented' many new phases to the public. Intermixed with much honest endeavor must, of necessity, have been found some dishonesty and attempt at self-aggrandizement and purely selfish gain. Yet the men who carried forward the great work to a success- ful completion, and then conducted it with such re- markable profit to themselves, the bond-holders and the State, were not certainly the intellectual superiors of the men of 1835-39, who failed so signally in their efforts to give the new West a great water-way. The successful ones had the revival spirit of the times to help them on, the use of money which that spirit drew forth from its resting places at home and abroad to aid them, and the require- ments of the immigration epoch to support their enter- prise. It shared the fortunes of Chicago-or- rather Chicago shared its fortunes-and they both became great and prosperous. The canal even retained its prestige during the season of depression in 1857. Ref- erence to subsequent volumes of this History is here made for the work done since 1857.

CORPORATE HISTORY.

CREATION OF THE TOWN.

The few families who reposed within the shadows of Fort Dearborn first realized that civic authority ex- tended to their cabin doors in 1823. It was then that the officials of Fulton County, to which this unorganized region was attached, levied a tax of five mills to the dollar upon all personal property in the settlement, ex- empting only household furniture, as provided by law. Amherst C. Ransom, Justice of the Peace, served as Collector, and enriched the treasury by the sum of $11.42, thereby demonstrating that the total valuation of embryo Chicago was but $2,284. When Peoria County was created in 1825, Chicago came within its jurisdiction. Even at this time Chicago had but a mythical existence, the name applying sometimes to the river and again to a cluster of cabins on its marshy shores or sandy banks. But the Illinois & Michigan Canal having at length obtained its coveted and magnifi- cent land grant, the commissioners were authorized to lay out towns upon the sections which fell to them. Chicago was accordingly surveyed, and a plat of it pub- lished by James Thompson, a canal surveyor, on Au- gust 4, 1830. This date marks the birthday of Chicago as a town, and the " Fort Dearborn settlement " disap- peared. The section falling to the canal interest, upon which. Chicago was platted, was No. 9, situated immedi- ately north of School Section No. 16. The line be- tween the two sections was Madison, and their eastern boundary State Street.

East of State Street, extending from Madison Street north one mile, was the tract included in the Fort Dear- born Reservation and the Kinzie pre-emption, which afterward became additions to the town. The portion north of the river had been pre-empted by Robert Kin- zie, for the family, and the portion south comprised the Reservation. Section 15 was a canal section and was not surveyed for some years afterward. Section 9, "the original town," and to which all other surveys are additions, fortunately covered the ground along the main channel of the river and at the junction of its two branches. The original limits of Chicago were Madi- son, Desplaines, Kinzie and State streets, embracing an area of about three-eighths of a square mile. The pub- lie thoroughfares running east and west were, as re- corded on Thompson's map, " Kenzie," Carroll, Fulton, 'on the West Side, South Water, Lake, Randolph and Washington streets, naming them in their order from the north; while those lying north and south were Jef- ferson, Clinton, Canal, West and East Water, Market, Franklin, Wells, " La Selles," Clark and Dearborn streets, naming them in their order from the west. In- cluded within these brief limits were the hitherto inde- pendent settlements of Wolf Point, west of the river's fork, and the " lower village." on the South Side. Thus Chicago was no longer a " settlement " merely, and during the year succeeding its survey the young town received increased distinction by being designated as the seat of justice of the newly organized county of Cook. In June, 1831, the State granted to the county twenty-four

canal lots, which were not in one body, however, but the proceeds of which were to be used in the erection of public buildings. Sixteen lots were sold to pay cur- rent expenses. The eight remaining constituted the public square. The result of this generosity on the part of the State was seen in March, 1832, when, through the architectural skill of Samuel Miller, contractor,

much Miner

there arose upon the southwest corner of the square, the so-called "estray-pen." Although sometimes desig- nated and dignified as "the first public building ever erected in Chicago," the "pen " was a small wooden enclosure and quite roofless. Mr. Miller's bid for the work was Szo, but he accepted $12 from the commis- sioners; thereby admitting, as charged by the county authorities, that he did not do his work according to contract. During this year and the next, (1833,) general attention was called to Chicago by the valiant efforts which her citizens were making to obtain a harbor ap- propriation; and in addition to this mode of advertising the "canal enthusiasm " was spreading from Chicago all over the country. Many accessions were, therefore, made to her population, and some of the new arrivals were of that permanent character so valuable to a young community. The summer of 1833 saw Chicago with a population of about three hundred and fifty, and her citizens prepared to organize, under the general legislative act, for the incorporation of towns, passed February 12, 1831. By its provisions citizens of any town containing over one hundred and fifty inhabitants were authorized to hold a meeting, and decide whether they wished to become incorporated. If the aforesaid citizens favored the assumption of corporate dignity, then the clerk of the convention or meeting, was to give at least five days' notice that an election would be held to choose five Town Trustees, who were to hold office for one year. The Board of Trustees were endowed with the usual powers-to abate nuisances, gambling, dis- orderly conduct; to prevent fast driving and enforce police regulations; to license shows, control markets, take charge of the streets and sidewalks, and to provide the means for protecting the town against fire. The limits of the town were not to exceed one square mile, within which limits the Trustees were to have jurisdiction. They could call out any citizen to work on the public roads for three days in every year. The tax-levy was fixed at fifty cents on every hundred dol- lars of assessed valuation. The Trustces were denied the right to impose a fine of more than $5 for breach of any of their ordinances, and two-thirds of the quali- fied voters of the town, at any annual election, could dissolve the corporation.

Lat: in July, 1833,* a public meeting was held to decide whether incorporation should or should not be

" Brons's " History of Chicago,', p. 28. Colbert gives the date August 5. which is the date of the election notice now on file with the City Clerk.

174

175

' CREATION OF THE TOWN.

effected. The record of that meeting stands as fol- lows:

" At a meeting of the citizens of Chicago, convened pursuant to public notice given according to the statute for incorporating towns, T. J. V. Owen was chosen l'resident, and E. S. Kimberly was chosen Clerk. The oaths were then administered by Russel E. Heacock, a Justice of the Peace for Cook County, when the fol- lowing vote was taken on the propriety of incorporating the Town of Chicago, County of Cook, State of Illinois :

"For incorporation-John S. C. Hogan, C. A. Ballard, G. W. Snow, R. J. Hamilton, J. T. Temple, John W, Wright, G. W. Dole, Hiram Pearsons, Alanson Sweet, E. S. Kimberly. T. J. V. Owen, Mark Beaubien-12.

"Against incorporation-Russel E. Heacock.

" We certify the above poll to be correct. " Signed, T. J. V. OWEN, President. "ED. S. KIMBERLY, Clerk."

In pursuance with the requirements of. law, Dr. Kimberly, acting in his official capacity of Clerk, issued an election notice, which read thus :

"Publick notice is hereby given that an election will be holden at the house of Mark Beaubien, on Saturday, the Ioth day of August, at II o'clock in the forenoon of that day, for the purpose of choosing five trustees of the Town of Chicago.

"Chicago, August 5, 1833.

"E. S. KIMBERLY, Town Clerk. "N. B .- The poll will close at one o'clock."

An election was held at the time and place desig- nated. Twenty-eight electors were legally entitled to exercise their privilege as freemen, and of that number

Del.N. Owen

no less than thirteen consented to assume the role of candidates for office. The enrollment recorded the names of E. S. Kimberly, J. B. Beaubien, Mark Beau- bien, T. J. V. Owen, William Ninson, Hiram Pearsons, Philo Carpenter, George Chapman, John W. Wright, John T. Temple, Mathias Smith, David Carver, James Kinzie, Charles Taylor, John S. C. Hogan, Eli A. Rider,

Dexter J. Hapgood, George W. Snow, Madore B. Beaubien, Gholson Kercheval, George W. Dole, R. J. Hamilton, Stephen F. Gale, Enoch Darling, W. H. Adams, C. A. Ballard, John Watkins and James Gilbert. There were twenty-eight ballots cast. John Miller, being a candidate himself, refrained from voting.

The list of the candidates included the names of T. J. V. Owen, George W. Dole, Madore B. Beaubien, John Miller, E. S. Kimberly, R. J. Hamilton, James Kinzie, J. T. Temple, J. B. Beaubien, l'hilo Carpenter, John W. Wright, Robert A. Kinzie, and John S. C. Hogan.

The successful candidates were :

T. J. V. Owen 26

George W. Dole 26

Madore B. Beaubien 13

John Miller 20 E. S. Kimberly 20

The scattering vote was distributed as follows : Philo Carpenter, 1; John Wright, 2; R. J. Hamilton, 4; James Kinzie, 5 ; John T. Temple, 5; J. B. Beau- bien, 6 ; Robert A. Kinzie, 9; John S. C. Hogan, 3.

The first meeting of the Board was held two days subsequent to the election, and no record-book having been provided, the original proceedings were transcrib-

ed upon a large sheet of paper, by Mr. Hamilton, the Clerk pro tem. All the members were present, and re- ceived the oath of office from Mr. Hamilton, a notary public, and an organization was effected by the election of Thomas J. V. Owen President and Isaac Harmon Clerk. It was ordered by the Board that meetings should be held at the house of Mark Beaubien, on the first Wednesday in each month, at seven o'clock P. M., beginning with Wednesday, September 4, 1833.

At the first regular business meeting held by the Board, on that date, a free ferry was established across the river at Dearborn Street. George W. Dole was chosen Town Treasurer for one year.

At the time of the organization of the town its lim- its were defined as follows : Beginning at the intersec- tion of Jackson and Jefferson streets; thence north to Cook Street, and through that street to its eastern ex- tremity in Wabansia; thence on a direct line to Ohio Street in Kinzie's addition; thence eastwardly to the lake shore; thence south with the line of beach to the northern United States pier; thence northwardly along said pier to its termination; thence to the channel of the Chicago River; thence along said channel until it inter- sects the eastern boundary line of the town of Chicago, as laid out by the canal commissioners; thence south- wardly with said line until it meets Jackson Street; thence westwardly along Jackson Street until it reaches the place of beginning.

During the fall of 1833, the citizens felt that some- thing more metropolitan was required than the "estray pen." The log jail was therefore built on the northwest corner of the square. One set of contractors failed to build the jail, but the structure was finally completed, and Officer Beach, father of Dr. J. S. Beach, possessed the keys of authority. As offenders against the laws in- creased, an addition, in the form of an oaken cell, or jail, was built, separate from the first structure. Dr. Beach, then a boy, states that he had known this small building to contain as many as twenty-eight prisoners at one time. It was during these days that Benjamin Jones was appointed Street Commissioner, but on ac- count of ill-health resigned before his term expired, and was succeeded by O. Morrison and Silas W. Sherman. Isaac Harmon was chosen Collector. On December 4, George W. Snow became Assessor and Surveyor, and John Dean Caton, Corporation Counsel.

A code of local laws was adopted in November, 1833, regulating the ordinary affairs of the town. The Democrat, which made its first appearance November 26, was designated the official newspaper of the town.

During this month also the limits of the town were extended to embrace the tract bounded by the lake on the east and State Street on the west, Ohio Street on the north and Jackson Street on the south.

The corporate limits were again extended, by virtue of an act adopted February 11, 1834, so as to include all land lying east of State Street to the lake shore, from Chicago Avenue and Twelfth Street, except the milita- ry reservation, which lay from the river south to Madi- son Street.

The second election was held August 11, 1834, at which time J. H. Kinzie, G. S. Hubbard, E. Goodrich, J. K. Boyer, and John S. C. logan were chosen Trustees. The official roster for that year is: J. H. Kinzie, President; Isaac Harmon, Clerk and Collector; J. S. C. Hogan, Treasurer, resigned in June and suc- ceeded by Charles M. Pettit; James W. Reed, Super- visor of Roads and Bridges, resigned in November, and succeeded by E. E. Hunter, who in turn was succeeded by J. K. Boyer; N. C. Wright, Fire Warden; Edwards

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176

HISTORY OF CHICAGO.

W. Casey, Corporation Counsel, and, from November, Clerk and Collector.

The first financial obligation incurred by the town was for $60, borrowed in October, 1834, to drain State Street and redeem a large slough.

Several important measures were instituted during 1835. Among them were the establishment, in June, of a permanent Board of Health; the creation, in November. of a Fire Department; the borrowing, in June, of $2,000, with which to improve the sanitary condition of the place, as a preventive against the threatened invasion of cholera; and the adoption, in August, of a lengthy and comprehensive code of local laws. November 21, a seal was adopted by the Board, but neither the instrument itself, nor any impression made thereby remains; the few documents which sur- vived the fire of 1871 being without a copy from which a reproduction can be made for use here.

The increase of population and extension of corpo- rate limits suggested the enlargement of the Board of Trustees, and a vote was passed by the Legislature, fix- ing the number of members at nine.

The third election was held in July, 1835, and re- sulted as follows: H. Hugunin, President; W. Kimball,

Kangurin

B. King, S. Jackson, E. B. Williams, F. C. Sherman, A. Loyd and George W. Dole, Trustees; A. N. Fullerton, Clerk, who was succeeded by Ebenezer Peck, who also acted as Counsel; George W. Dole, Treasurer; John K. Boyer, Street Commissioner; O. Morrison, Collector and Constable; E. B. Talcott, Surveyor; A. Stole, Assessor; J. Bates and J. Haight, Measurers of Wood and Lumber. Minor changes occurred during the year in these offices.

During the fall of the year (1835,) a one-story and basement brick court-house was erected on the north- east corner of the square, on Clark and Randolph streets. The county offices were in the lower story ; the court-room, which was above, being one oblong apartment, capable of seating two hundred persons.

The fourth and last election under the town system was held at the Tremont House June 6, 1836. E. B.

This Is Milliam's

Williams was chosen to preside over the deliberations of the Board, the members of which were S. G. Trowbridge, Peter Bolles, L. P. Updike, A. D). Taylor, William B. Ogden, A. Pierce, T. G. Wright and J. Jackson. C. V. Dyer was elected Clerk, but resigned at once, Ebenezer l'eck assuming the duties of office, but he in turn was succeeded in September by James Curtiss. The official list comprised W. Mcclintock, Street Commissioner ; (. Morrison, Constable ; N. H. Bolles, AAssessor and Col- lector ; George W. Dole, Treasurer, and James H. Rees, Surveyor.

The era of internal improvement upon which this region had entered accelerated immigration, and in- spired with hopes of prosperity those who had made

Chicago their abiding-place. The canal was advancing along the line of completion ; a system of water-works was already inaugurated under the title of the Hydraulic Company, and, above all else, the hearts of the commu- nity beat high with firm faith in the ultimate fulfillment of a lofty destiny for Chicago. Actuated by a spirit of unequaled courage, the leading citizens of the town determined upon its incorporation as a city. On the ISth of November, 1836, the Trustees ordered that " the President, E. B. Williams, invite the citizens of the three districts of the town to meet in their respective districts and select three suitable persons to meet with the Board of Trustees on Thursday next (November 24.) and con- sult on the expediency of applying to the Legislature of the State for a city charter, and adopt a draft to accom- pany such application."

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History of Chicago. From the earliest period to the present time, Part 47

Author: Andreas, Alfred Theodore Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas Number of Pages: 1340

Author: Andreas, Alfred Theodore
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 1340