History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 247

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875

USA > Illinois > Cook County > History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time > Part 247

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The town of Riversile, as now constituted, was organized in 1870, the first action to this effect being taken at a meeting held September 24, 1820, on a petition of the legal voters of Sections 25, 26, 35 and 36, Township 39 north, Range 12 enst. At this meet- ing it was asked that the above mentioned sections be set off as a separate township from the town of Proviso, to be known as Riverside; the petition was granted and the first town meeting was held on the 22nd of November of that year. At the first election, thirty- nine votes were polled, resulting in the selection of the following officers: Thomas Wright, Supervisor ; Joseph E. Ditto, Assessor ; J. H. Best, Clerk : T. G. Kinnan, Collector ; M. Fox, L. Y. Schermerhorn and A. Egerlon, Commissioners of Highways; C. G. Caso and S. R, Cole, Justices; W. P. Harris and George Nigg, Constables. Those filling the principal offices of the township from 1871 to the present time will be found in the subjoined roster, compiled from official sources : Supervisors,-T. G. Kimman, 1871-44; Charles Coryell, 1874-75; H. F. Jennison, 1875-76; George Chambers, 1876-81 ; John Q. Wells, 1881-84.

Assessore,-Joseph E. Ditto, 1871-63 ; T. G. K:man, 1873-74; E. L. Sherman, 1874-81; C. D. Sherman, 1881-84.

Clerks .- J. H. Best, Jr., 1871-73 ; J. B. Ditto, 18:3- 74 ; A. C. Blayney, 1874-83 ; Fred K. Crowe, 1883-84.

Collectors .- Joseph E. Ditto. 1871-73; J. HI. Best, Jr., 1873-74; T. G. Kinman, 1874-75; E. P. Teale, 1875-84.

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HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY.

Justices .- E. P. Teale and L. Y. Schermerhorn, 18:3-77; Thomas W. Blayney, 1877-85; George S. Collius, 1881-85.

RIVERSIDE.

In 1868 David A. Gage was the owner of a beanti- ful tract of land of nearly 1.200 acres, lying on the Desplaines River and only some four miles distant from the city limits. The natural beauty of the locality, its proximity to Chicago und its cousequent desirableness, as a place for suburban homes, soon attracted the attention of certain prominent Chicago gentlemen, and a company was speelily formed for the purpose of planting here on the hanks of the Des- plaines, the model suburb of Chicago. Accordingly in April, 1869, the Riverside Improvement Company was organize:) under a special charter granted by the State of Illinois, to carry the above klea intoexecution, i. e. to prepare a town aul depend upon people to live in it, wlien it was completed. The company was com- posed of the following well-known men: 'Emery E. Childs, Leverett W. Murray, Henry E. Seelye, David A. Gage, Alphens C. Badger, George M. Kimibark, and William T. Allen. The first step of the new organiza- tion was to secure 1,600 seres of land, in which was included the traet belonging to Mr. Gage, known as "Riverside farm," and containing 1,800 acres, finely woo.led and with many charming features of rural scenery. The next thing was to improve it in such a manner as to combine the conveniences of the city, such as gas, water, macadamized roads, walks, and drainage, with all the beauties of landscape gardening and the essential udvantages of the country. To accomplish this truly desirable result, the company seenred the services of Freil Law Olmsted, a noted landscape architect, who made a patient and thorough topographical survey of the property and furnished the plan upon which the village has since been built. The methods of construction were entrustol to L. Y. Schermerhorn, civil engineer, under whose superin- tendency the roads, walks, drainage and planting were exceuted, as were also the plaus for gas and water works. In their preliminary report to the Company the architecta, Messrs. Oliusted, Vaux & Co., speaking of the disposition of a finely wooded tract, said : "The people of Chicago, in common with those of our large cities, are just beginning to wake up to the value of public pleusure grounds ; they will, during the next five years, be educating themselves by enustant discussions to better understand the real elements of their value. They will gradually realize that, while pleasing grounds and drives of a certain kind may be obtained by them near the city after sev- eral years, a great deal of what constitutes the charm and gives the value of parks elsewhere cannot be acquired by Chicago-at least in the present genera- tion, if ever. If then you can while they are thus eager for it, aud while they are aggravated by the natural difficulties of their position, present them with a complete park, comparing favorably with any exist- ing towu park in respect to beauty, and rich in those elements in which the Chicago parks are, and for the next fifty years will be, most provokingly deficieut, you will be sure to attract to Riverside a degree of atten- tion, admiration and appreciation which you could do iu uo other way. Your wooded district referred to is so happily furnished by nature that it would be practi-

cable, we think, within a year to form a park at Riverside which will surpass the New York or Brook. lyn parks -a park to which a citizen of Chicago might, therefore, take a citizen of New York, er eren London, with pride aud satisfaction." After some deliberation the Company adopted the suggestions embodied in the above report, and appropriated this wooded district for a park. It contains nearly 160 acres, lying on both sides of the river, and is cou- nected by bridges for the use of vehicles and pedestri- ans. The entire area is covered with a fine growu forest of oak, ash, linden, hickory and black walunt.

Resident sites at Riverside are of the most liberal dimensions, the smallest lots being luid off no less than 100 feet front by 200 feet deep ; thus affordling sufficient ground for spacious lawns, the cultivation of trees, shrubs, flowers, small fruits, etc. ; besides allowing space for barns and out buildings remote from the dwellings. These advantages in muldition to the fact, that out of the 1,600 acres comprising the village plat, 700 acres were set apart forever for roads, borders, walks, recreative grounds and parks, served to make the place doubly attractive to seekers of ideal suburban homes. So energetically in fact, dil the company push the work of improving und beantifying Riverside, that within two years from its founding they had constructed ten miles of rowls, seven miles of walks, sixteen miles of drains and sewers, planted 47,000 shrubs, 7,000 evergreens and 32,000 deciduous trees; 2,500 of the latter were large shade trees, some of them nineteen inches in diameter and eighty feet high. Gas works had also been constructed and over five miles of gas mains laid ; the roads and driveways of the village, as well us the stores and private residences being supplied with gas at city rates. "Au artesian well was also sunk to the depth of 735 feet, from which a constant supply of pure and healthful water sufficient for a population of ien thonsand people, is still obtained. A substantial water tower of stone and brick, itself an elegant bit of architecture, was erected, into which the water is forcel by a steam pump and from thence distributed through mains to all parts of the village. This tower is 108 feet high, and from a balcony some 70 feet from the grond, reached by winding stairs within, a fine view of Riverside und its surroundings may be had. In ad- dition to the gas and water works buildings, the com- pauy had within the same time built and completed a handsome stone chapel (now the Presbyterian Church of Riverside) at a cost of nearly $10,000, a neat mid imposing block of stores and offices, constructed of red and Milwaukee brick and which were theu occupied as a market, supply store, drug store and post-office. They had also erected a beautiful building, on the banks of the Desplaines, with broad verandas overhauging that picturesque stream ; this was known as the Refrectory and Billiard Pavilion ; while built at the same time, and situated a little east of this and connected with it by an elevated walk, was another strikingly handsome edifice, the Riverside Hotel. This building, which was originally designed for a summer resort hotel, is con- structel in the shape of an E, with two courts 52x83 feet, open to the south. The length of the main build- ing is 260 feet, with at the wings 104 feet, length of verandas 1,042 feet, and 15 to 20 feet wide, length of balconies to think story 368 feet. The rooms were all large, light and airy, supplied with running water and lighted with gas, with a grate und chimney to each, thus remlering it equal in its arrangements und ap- pointments to any of the hotels in the city. In the construction of the building, Mr. Jenney, the architect,

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adopted the Swiss style of architecture, as that being the best alapted for a rura; hotel ; giving as it does, opportunities for broad verandas, overhanging roof, shaded balconies, and many pleasing though compara- tively inexpensive details. 'U'ntil 1879, the hotel was kept by Hf. M. Kinsley : when ut that date, it not proving a profitable venture. the i lea of keeping it as a public house was abamlouel. It has since been oven- pied us a tenement house. The gromels about it how- ever have been well kept up and it is still a beautiful place.

To complete the enterprise, and to afford the best possible facilities for reaching the village from the city, other than by steam cars, a fine boulevanled drive or parkway was proposed, to connect Riverside with Chicago ; and its construction was undertaken by the latter city and town of Cicero, through which the road was to pass. This parkway is one hundred and fifty feet wi ie, and is divided into a eentral roadway forty feet wide, the drive proper and used only for pleasure vehicles, a bridle path ten feet wide, enclosed between two borders of turf eight feet wide, and aven- ues of trees ; then on the other side is a walk, and out- side of these are roads on each side, twenty-five feet wide, for heavy traffic ; the cost of the road was nearly *40,000 per mile, or a total of $480,000.

Among those who were the first residents of River- side, and who built for themselves homes within its favored shades were : David A. Gage. E. E Chills, HI. C. Ford, 1. Y. Schermerhorn, John C. Dore. E. F. Nexsen, E. T. Wright, Charles Gladding, J. P. Merrill, W. W. Chandler, 11. F. Jennison, Telford Burnham, J. Il. Hollister, David Blakely, D. F. Chase, Horace Enos and John A. Rice. Of the above none are at present living in the village. Those who located here at the same time and who still remain are: W. T. Allen, I .. W. Murray, Watts De Goyler, W. L. B. Jenney, 1I. E. Seelye, Rev. II. Trowbridge and others whose names are not now at hand. Among those deceased are: George M. Kimbark, E. L. Sherman und George (tilbert. The present estimated population of River- side is nine Imnulred.

Riverside Presbyterian Church clinice was built orig- inally by the Riverside Improvement Company, and was for several years used as a union chureli, services in it being conducted uwler the anspices of the Union Christian Association of Riverside. The present society was organized September 15, 1872, with the following named persons as its principal members. 11. E. Seelye, W. T. Allen, E. F. Nexsen, George Gil- bort and J. C. Cochran. Rev. James H. Trowbridge has been the pastor of the Church from its organiza- tion to the present time. The present membership of the society is fifty-six. Shortly following the organi- zation of the church on a denominational basis, the new society purchased the building from the Improve- ment Company, but in 1879 had the misfortune to see it almost completely destroyed by fire, only the bure walls remaining of a structure which had originally cost nearly $15,000. Nothing dannted by this calamity, the congregation immediately began rebuilding, and within a year following, the present edifice was com- pleted and ready for occupaney. The present Trns- tees are W. T. Allen, B. F. Ives, C. O. Gregg. E. F. Hollister and E. R. Spear.

The Episcopaliuns have also had an organization here for the past ten years bnt have, as yet, no house of worship. Late in the full of 1883, however, they began the erection of a church edifice, on Parkway Road, a few blocks north of the depot. which will be

completed by the summer of 1884. Among the lead. ing members of this organization may be mentioned W. A. Havemeyer, John Q. Wells, Mrs. B. W. Sher- mun and N. W. Mundy. The present pastor is Rev. Mr. Lewis, of the Episcopal Church at Lagrange.

'The first public school was established in Riverside in 1874-25; the school building, a frame structure, having two rooms, being completed aud opened in the winter of the former year. The first teachers were Professor W. Il. Downing and his sister, Miss Down- ing us assistant. A few years ago the house was enlarged by building an additional room to meet the increased attendance of the school. The present teachers are professor V. Butler, principal, Miss Nora Boyne and Miss Mary Maserve, assistants, The nun- ber of pupils now in attendance is ninety-eight. A new graded school building, to be built of brick, und of a size suitable to the demands of the place, is now contemplated, and will, in all probability, be erected during the present year.

In closing this brief sketch of Riverside, it is a mat- ter of regret to have to say that it has never met the expectations of its founders. Notwithstanding the vast amount of money expended and labor bestowed to make it a place attractive to those seeking suburban homes, it has, for some reason, brought only bitter dis- appointments and heavy financial losses to those who originated and carried ont the ideal plans upon which it was built. During the last ten years the place has made but little progress. Litigation, financial embar- rassments, and reports widely circulated concerning its unhealthy character, have done much to retard a growth, which otherwise, it might have enjoyed. How- ever, its prospects are improving ; and in the near future, the chances are, that Riverside will assume a more favorable position in the confidence of the pub- lie, and rise to the eminence of being conuted among the most popular of Chicago's many suburban towns.

RIVERSIDE BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

VALOIS BUTLER was born in Poultney, Rutland Co., Vt., but at an early age was transferred to the somewhat classic grounds of old Chautauqua, western New York, where on the soft side of a slab seat, he first encountereil the intricacies of Webster's spelling book. Daboll's arithmetic, and the primitive architecture of the "old Ing school-house." At the age of about fourteen years he enme West, locating with his parents near Kenosha, Wis., in the high school of which place he received the larger part of his educational training. Mr. Butler has Iwen identified with educational matters since 1834, when he took charge of the North Ward Grammar school in Kenosha. which he taught five years. At the expiration of this principml- ship, he was elected to take charge of one of the Ward schools at Ottawa, this State, but before receiving notice be hud accepted the principalship of the Waukegan Central School, which he taught for four years with great success. In 1863, upon invitation, he took charge of the schools of Warsaw, Hul., and was in a few months elected to the County Superinten- deney of Kosciusko County, and three years after to the super- intendency of the schools of Elkhart County in that State, fill- ing the office in all, about ten years, during which time. he was honored with the Presidency of the State A-sociation of County Superintendents. In the year 1873 he was invited to the charge of the schools in Benton Harbor, Mich., where he taught four years, semiling out from his graduating classes some of the best teaching talent now in that State. Mr. But- ler took a rest from hisarduous duties as principal and returned to Indiana, where he taught county Normal schools for Hunt- ingilon and Kosciusko counties. lle accepted an invitation to Riverside in the spring of 1880, at once taking charge of its schools, where his labors are giving universal satisfaction. Ile was a member of the teachers' associ ions of Indiana, Michi- gan and Wisconsin, and was one of the associate editors of the first educational journal published in Wisconsin, and now is a

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member of the Cook County Teachers' Association, and of the Illinois State Teachers' Association. He has devoted his life to educational works, and has won an enviable reputation in his honorable calling.

JAMES LYMAN CONGDON, M. D., was born in Elkhart County, Ind., In 1841, and was educate ] in the schools of that place. In the fall of 1861 he enlisted in, and was appoinled hospital steward in the 9th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serv- ing two years. On leaving the army, in 1863, he went to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and then attended lectures at Rash Medical College, Chicago, graduating therefrom In the class of 1864-65. After his graduation he began the prac- tico of his profession ut Br.stol, Elkhart Co., Ind .. and con- tinueil there about eight years, In the fall of 1873 the Doctor came to Cook County located at Riverside, and at once estab- lished himself in the practice of medicine. lle purchased a drug store here in April, 1883, and wasin the summer of that year appointed Postmaster. Ilis drug business is managed by Dr. Van L'oyıl. Dr. Congran Is the only physician practicing here. HENRY J. DANCASTER was born at Alvesford, England, in 1846, and sinee 1860 has followed the business of butcher. In 1868 he immigrated to Chicago and opened a ment market in that city, which he enrried on up to the summer of 1879. then moving to Riverside Ile became employed in the meat market of John B. Gage at this place, and in 1875 pur- ehaserl the business from him, Mr. Dancaster has the only meat market in this locality.

HUDSON D. NORTIL, merchant, is a native of Beloit, Wis., and at the age of nineteen years came to Cook County and located at Riverside, in 1874. In June, 18;7, he engaged in mercantile business as the firm of Long & North, begin- ning in a small way, with a stock of some #2,000, and building up a nico business In 1870 Mr. North purchased his partner's Interest, and hes since carried on the concern alone. Hle has a good trade and carries a large stock of general inerchandise, and does also considernbie business in fariners' produce.

JAMES D. RAYNOLDS is a native of Massilon, Ohio, and came West to Chicago in 1833. lle is by profession a elvil engineer and a graduate of the Polytechnic Institute of Troy, N Y. Mr. Reynolds enme to Riverside in 18;1, and entered the employ of the Riversido Iimprovement Company, with whom ne remained about a year. During the time he maile a survey of the work already laid out, and placed the machinery of the present water works. Shortly after his arrival here, he purchased some property and engaged in the cultivation of

roses as a recreation; and finally, about four years ago, he enlarged his premises, and has since given his sole attention to the management of his hot-houses and gardens. Mr. Ray- nolds has the largest rose garden In the West, over half an aere being devoted to its cultivation. He has 25,000 square feet of glass in his hot-houses, and produces about 150,000 roses per annum. He has all the latest improvements for heating. In his houses are propagated some 10,000 new plants every year.

CHARLES REISSIG, wholesale and retail florist, was born in Hamburg, Viennany, August 20, 1818, and after leaving school was employeil for n short time at the trade of boiler- maker. In 18:16 he went to Rio Janeim, South Amerien, and entered the employ of the Brazilian Government as boiler- maker, which position he filled two years, and was subse- quently employed In the Brazilian Government Nary Yanils for two years, afterward for five years in the employ of the Brazilian Steam Packet Company as a boiler-maker. "In Feh. ruary, 1847, he left Itio Janeiro for New York, and from there went to tieneva, Wis. Not finding an opening there for his business, he walked to Chicago, arriving in the spring of 1845. Two years later he opened a steam boiler and engine factory, and built up a very large business, giving employuient to some 200 men. Hle built the stand-pipe for the city waler-works erected in 1834; also built, in the same year, for the water- works a large reservoir on Adams Street, and in 1838 erected one on the North Side and another on the West Side, besides considerable other publio work. In 1869 he disposed of his manufacturing business, Mr. Reissig In 1856 built a small green-house at his home, on West Sixteenth Street, and began to eultivate plants for his own pleasure, but gradually enlarged his premises, and in 1800 embarked in the wholesale mul retail plant business, and now has extensivo business premises in Chicago. In 1873 he built five large green-houses at Riverside, and Transferred his plants to that place, lle bas tens large green-houses, in which are 50,000 square feet of glass, 16,000 feet of four-inch pipe, and $700 worth of fuel Is required annually to keep the atmosphere In these buildings at a proper temperature. Ilis place is known throughout the surrounding country as " Reissig s Exutic Gur- dens." Mr. Reissig in former years took an active interest in the political matiers of Chicago. The subject of this sketch was married in Chicago, in 1872. to Mary Becker, and the union has been blessed with five children-Flora, Rose, Lily, Charles and Daisy.

HISTORY OF LEYDEN.

Loyden Township is bounded on the north by Maine and Norwood Park, on the east by Norwood Park and Jefferson, on the south by Proviso, and on the west by Adilison Township in Du Page County. Originally this township was for the most part prairie, the excep- tion being a strip of timber averaging about a mile in width extending from north to sonth along both sicles of the Desplaines River, but mainly on the cast sido of the river. The largest trees in this timber were white oak, and were about two feet in diame- ter. The area of the timber at present is about seven-eighths what it was originally. As in other portions of the county, the soil of the timbered portion of this town is clay, while on the open prairie tho soil is black loam and the subsoil clay.

Leyden is the township of reservations, there being by the treaty of Prairie du Chien, mado in July. 1829, two large reservations set apart for two half- breeds, Alexander Robinson and Claude Laframboise.

The reservation of Alexander Robinson comprised two sections of land, lying ou both sides of the Des- plaines River. Being granted in 1829, before the Government survey of the lands in this township (40) and range (12) was made, it could not have been expected that this reservation, or that of Laframboise, would correspond in outlino with section lines as determined by the survey. And as ineither of these reservations does correspond in fact with such lines, their location can be given only approximately. The north section of Robinson's reserve comprised tho south half of Section 10, except a narrow strip on the east side of the southeast quarter of the section, but a narrow strip of equal arca on the cast side of the southeast quarter of Section 9 was included in the reservation ; and also the north ltulf of Section 15, except a narrow strip on east side of the northeast quarter section, and a fraction of the northeast quarter of Section 16. The south section of this

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reserve comprised very nearly the cast half of the southwest quarter of Section 15, the southeast quarter of the same section, and the west hall of the south- west quarter of Section 14; also the west half of the northwest quarter of Section 23, the northeast quar- ter of Section 22, and the cast half of the northwest quarter of the samo section.

The Laframboise reservation may for convenience of description be divided into two parts, the north portion a rectangle and the south portion a triangle. The north portion comprised the southeast quarter of Section 22, and the southwest quarter of Section 23; the south portion was bounded on the suntheust by the Indian boundary line, and on the west by thio half-section line running north and south through Section 27.

It was four years after the treaty by which these reservations were set upart to Robinson and Lafram- boise, respectively, before any settlement was mado on either of thent, or in the township of Leyden, by a white man. In 1833 David Everett came here, with his family, from St. Clair County, Ill., and purchased the triangular portion of the Laframboiso reserve. Ile was the first settler in Leyden Township. Mr. Everett was a Methodist, and for some years after his urrival, preaching by Methodist ministers, among them Mr. Everett himself, was carried on at his honse, which was a log one, formerly used as a trading post. Settlers from considerable distance were accustomed to meet here to attend mpon religions services. Mrs. Everett was a daughter of Rev. Jesse Walker, one of tho earliest Methodlist ministers in Chicago. John Everett, a son of David and Mrs. Everett, is now a resident of Leyden Township. Few if any other set- tlers came into the township in 1833; but in 1834, Mr. Brooks (father of F. T. Brooks) and Mr. Sher- man sottled on Section 3, Mr. Higgins settled on Section 4, William Rowley and Aldrich Rowley, his brother, settled in Section 14. In 1835 Ezra Ellis settle I on Section 10, William Ellis on Section 9, and Samuel and Abel Spencer on tho Laframboise reserve, cast of the river, buving a portion of Divid Everett's purchase. In 1836 Mr. Hewitt, father-in-law of William Rowley, settled on Section 12. William Draper settled on Section 22 in 1837, at which time, according to his recollection, there was no honso between him and Dunklee's Grove. In 1843 Henry Boosenberg settlel on Section 28. J. G. Frye on, Section 16, Henry Rounge and Henry Hartman on Section 20. M. L Dunlap settled in 1814 on Section 18, and from this tinte on the township received gradual aud constant accessions to its population.

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History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 247

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900 Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas Number of Pages: 875

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875