History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 28

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

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CHICAGO FROM 1833 TO 1837 .- The close of the year 1833 found Chicago a legally organized town. Its population at the time has been variously estimated at from one hundred and fifty to one thousand. No record of any enumeration of the inhabitants is extant, and all statements as to the actual population at that time are estimates, based on the whims, impressions, or rumors of the time. It required a population of 150 to form a corporate town organization, and it is not probable that Chicago had more than the required number. Based on the number of voters (twenty-eight) at the first election, and allowing a population of five to each voter, the resident population was 140 in August, 1833, at the time the first election was held. The influx drawn in during the Indian treaty, in September, added largely to the permanent population of the town, as many who came here at that time re- Inained. The population on January 1, 1834, was not far from 250.

The new town of Chicago as organized in the fall of 1833, although as small in population as the law would allow, had al the required elements of civilization within itself.

The village was built along the south side of Water Street and westerly toward the settlement at the forks. There were scattered shanties over the prairie south, and a few rough, unpainted buildings had been impro. vised on the North Side between the old Kinzie house and what is now Clark Street. All together it would, in the light of 1883, have represented a most woc-begone appearance, even as a frontier town of the lowest class. It did not show a single steeple nor a chimney four feet above any roof. A flagstaff at the fort, some fifty feet high, flaunted, in pleasant weather and on holidays-a weather-beaten flag, as an emblem of civilization, patri- otic pride, national domain, or anything else that might stir hearts of the denizens of the town. The buildings of the fort were low posted, and none of them exceed- ing two low stories in height. Approaching the village by land from the south, one would see on emerging from the oak woods, near Twenty-third Street, a good stretch of level gråss, the lake on the right, woods along the borders of the main river, and, lying on the back- ground of the green woods, only a thin cloud of smoke from the shanty chimneys, a line of almost indefinable structures, and the flag over the fort, if perchance it was flying. A brown path, where the grass had been trod- den out, led to the fort, and another, better trodden and wider, led across the prairie towards the forks where the Sauganash Hotel then flourished. A letter from Charles Butler, a brother-in-law of William B. Ogden, written from New York December 17, 1881, is here given as relevant to a description of the town at this time. The letter somewhat anticipates the history as

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regards its subsequent growth and development, and brings Hon. William B. Ogden upon the stage before his time, but is given entire, nevertheless. It reads as follows :

" In the winter of 1832-33 I was spending some time with my friend Arthur Bronson in New York as his guest. Among other topics we discussed that of a visit to the Western country the fol. lowing summer for information and pleasure. The recent occur- rence of the Black Hawk War (which took place in 1832, the previous summer) had directed attention to that region of country west of Lake Michigan (where it had taken place) in the northern part of Illinois and southern portion of the then Territory of Wis- consin. We decided on the plan of a journey to Chicago, the ensuing summer. My residence was then at Geneva, in Ontario County, in the western part of the State of New York, and it was arranged that Mr. Bronson would leave New York in June follow- ing and I would join him at Geneva. Having settled upon this plan, we directed our attention to obtaining some information in regard to that region of country and the methods of traveling. General Scott, who had charge of the campaign against the Black Hawk Indians,* and who had but recently returned from the West. was a friend of Mr. Bronson's and he applied to him for informa- tion on the subject. General Scott had been very much impressed by his visit, with the extent, beauty and attractions of that portion of the United States, and he expressed the opinion to Mr. Bronson that Chicago in the future settlement of the country, would be likely to become an important town. in further prosecution of his inquiries he was advised to apply to Mr. Daniel Jackson, then a leading merchant of this city (New York), who was engaged in the business of furnishing Indian supplies, and Mr. Bronson had re- course to him. On going to the store and stating the object of his visit to Mr. Jackson, the latter responded to his application with interest, and said that he would then introduce him to a man from Chicago, who at that moment happened to be in his store making purchases of Indian goods. This was Robert A. Kinzic, and Mr. Bronson was introduced to him. The result of this interview with Mr. Kinzie (from whom Mr. Bronson obtained all the information needed for the journey) was a voluntary offer on the part of Mr. Kinzie to Mr. Bronson, that, if the latter and his friend had in view the purchase of any property in the West, or if they should desire to purchase any when there, he had an interest in some land in Chicago which he would sell to us, and he gave Mr. Bronson a description of the property, stating the quantity, terms, etc., with the privilege of considering it and of deciding whether he would take It or not, after we should have seen it. The laifel thus offered was one-fourth interest in the north fractional half of Section ten( to). in common and undivided, on which Kinzie's addition to the town of Chicago was afterwards laid out-Mr. Robert A. Kinzie as one of the heirs at law of his father being entitled to one-fourth part thereof.

" In the summer of 1833, in accordance with the arrangement previously made in the winter, as above stated, Mr. Bronson and I proceeded on our Western journey. We stopped at Niagara Falls, to which place we were accompanied by our respective families, from whom we parted there, and went on to Buffalo, where we took a steamer for Detroit. We duly arrived at Detroit, where we remained some time. Arrangements were then made for the jour- ney to Chicago. The country between Detroit and Chicago was then a comparative wilderness, and the route to Chicago was by what was known as the Indian Trail, which traversed the southern portion of the Territory of Michigan in a southwesterly course from Detroit through Ypsilanti to White Pigeon l'rairie, where it approached the northern boundary line of the State of Indiana, and passing through South Bend and LaPorte Prairie (the Door prairie) to Michigan City. Preparatory to the journey, we provided a wagon and pair of horses and two saddle horses, and arranged with a young man, named Cholson Kercheval, who was familiar with the route, having been connected with the Indian agency at Chicago, to accompany us all the way from Detroit to Chicago; we laid in supplies, provisions and groceries, such as we thought might be needed on the way. The journey occupied several days. On arriving at White Pigeon Prairie, where there was a settlement, we were so attracted by the beauty of the country that we stopped several days there and made short excursions in the vicinity. At LaPorte they were just then establishing the site of the county town, now the city of LaPorte, and a Government agency for the sale of lands. It was about this time that this portion of the State of Indiana was brought into market by the Government for sale.

" We arrived at Michigan City late in the evening. There was but a single house there at which we could stop. It was kept by General Orr. We there met with Major Elston, of Crawfords-

. Is is well known that General Scott did not reach the ground until hos- tilities were over.

ville, who had become the purchaser of the section of land on which Michigan City was laid out, and he had just then completed a survey and map of the town, which he exhibited to us, and offered to sell us lots. It was a great novelty to us, this map of Michigan City, and in the morning, when daylight came, and we could look out upon the land around us, the novelty was still more striking. for a more desolate tract of sand and barren land could hardly be conceived of. There was scarcely a tree or shrub to distinguish it, much less any houses ; it was literally in a state of nature. Major Elston had been attracted to it by the fact that it was the only place on Lake Michigan, within the territory of the State of Indi- ana, where it might be possible at some future time to establish a commercial port in connection with the navigation of the lake; and this distant vision of possibilities attracted his attention at this early day, and the first step towards its realization had now been taken by him in the survey and map just then completed of Michigan City.

"From Michigan City to Chicago, a distance of about sixty miles, the journey was performed by me on horseback, There was but one stopping place on the way, and that was the house of a Frenchman named Bayeux, who had married an Indian woman. At Calumet River, which was crossed on a float, there was an en- campment of Pottawatomie Indians, There were some trees on the westerly bank of the river, and in some of these the Indians had hammocks. In making the journey from Michigan City to Chicago I followed the shore of the lake nearly the whole distance.

" I approached Chicago in the afternoon of a beautiful day, the 2d of August, (1833) ; the sun setting In a cloudless sky. Or. my left lay the prairie, bounded only by the distant horizon like a vast expanse of ocean ; on my right, in the summer stillness, lay Lake Michigan, I had never seen anything more beautiful or captivating in nature. There was an entire absence of anunal life, nothing visible in the way of human habitation or to indicate the presence of man, and yet it was a scene full of life : for there, spread out before me in every direction, as far as the eye could reach, were the germs of life in carth, air and water. I approached Chicago in these closing hours of day, 'So calm, so clear, so bright,'-and this was the realization of the objective point of my journey.

" But what was the condition of this objective point, this Chi- cago of which I was in pursuit, to which I had come ? A small settlement, a few hundred people all told, who had come together mostly within the last year or two. The houses, with one or two exceptions, were of the cheapest and most primitive character for human habitation, suggestive of the haste with which they had been put up. A string of these buildings had been creeted with- out much regard to lines on the south side of the Chicago Kiver (South Water Street). On the west side of the South Branch, near the junction, a tavern had been Improvised for the entertainment of travelers, erected by James Kinzie, but kept by a Mr. Crook (?) ; and there we found lodgings. On the north side of the Chicago River at that time, there was but a single building, known as the Block House, I crossed the river in a dug-out canoe about oppo- site to it. My recollection is that the house which had once been occupied by Mr. Kinzie, the Indian Agent, on the North Side, near the lake shore, had been previously destroyed by fire. The Gov- ernment had just entered upon the harbor improvement of the Chi- cago River ; the work was under the charge of Major Bender. Fort Dearborn was a military establishment, and just at this time there was a transfer of a company of United States troops from Green Bay or Sault Ste. Marie to Fort Dearborn, under the com. mand, I think, of Major Wilcox, accompanied by the Rev. Jere- miah forter, as chaplain, to whom i had a letter of introduction. On the morning after my arrival, in walking out, I met a gentle- man from whom 1 inquired where he could be found, and on ex- hibiting my letter, he said he was the person and that he was then on his way to attend the funeral of a child, and he asked me if I would accompany him as it was near by, which I did. On going to the house, which was one of the kind 1 have described, new and cheap, we found the father and mother ; the dead child lay in a rude coffin. There was no one else present except the parents, Mr. John Wright, Dr. Kimball, Mr. Porter and myself, and it be- came a question how the remains of the child should be conveyed to the cemetery, which was on the west side of the North Branch of the river. I recollect that while we were attending this simple service, we were interrupted by the noise of a hammer of a work- man outside, who was engaged in putting up a shanty for some new-comers, and Mr. Porter went out and secured the assistance of this workman. We acted as bearers in conveying the remains of this poor child from the house to the grave and assisted in bury- ing it.

" Emigrants were coming in almost every day in wagons of various forms, and, in many instances, families were living in their covered wagons while arrangements were made for putting up shelter for them. It was no uncommon thing for a house, such as

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would answer the purpose for the time being, to be put up in a few days. Mr. Bronson himself made a contract for a house, to be put up and finished in a week. There were, perhaps, from two to three hundred people in Chicago at that time, mostly strangers to each other. In the tavern at which we staid, the partitions were chiefly upright studs, with sheets attached to them. The house was crowded with people-emigrants and travelers, Many of them could only find a sleeping-place on the floor, which was covered with weary men at night.

"The cast window of my bed-room Inoked out upon Lake Michigan in the distance, Fort Dearborn lying near the margin of the lake ; and, at this time, there was nothing, or very little, to obstruct the view between the inn and the lake, the fort and the buildings connected with it being the principal objects ; and those buildings were very low structures ; and I could, from my window. follow the course of the river, the water of which was as pure as that of the lake, from the point of junction to its entrance into the lake.

"A treaty was to be held in September, at Chicago, with cer- tain tribes of Indians of the Northwest, by Governor Porter, of Michigan, as commissioner on behalf of the Government, for the extinguishment of the Indian title to that region of country now forming that part of Illinois north of Chicago, and the adjacent territory now included in the State of Wisconsin. Preparatory to this, the Indians were gathered in large nuinliers at Chicago, and it was a eurious spectacle to see these natives in groups in their wig- wams scattered about on the prairie, in and around the town. chiefly near the junction of the branches of the river, some on the west side and some on the east side of the North Branch, This treaty was held in September, and by it the Indian title to all that region of country was extinguished, and the lands were subject to survey, and were afterwards (in May, 1835,) brought into market. The line of Indian territory, to which their title had been previously extinguished, extended about twelve miles north of Chicago. But these lands, including Chicago, had not yet been brought into market by the Government, and were not, therefore, subject to purchase by emigrants. They could only acquire a pre-emptive right by actual settlement, and it was in this way that the title to what is now called Kinzie's addition, was acquired. At this time, the patent for it had not been obtained, and the land lay in a wild state.

** It was on this visit to Chicago with Mr. Bronson, that we spent some time, and made the acquaintance of the principal men of the place. Among these, as I now remember, were Mr. Richard 1. Ilamilion, the Kinzies (John Il. and his brother Robert A.) and James Kinzie {the latter a half-brother to the former), Mr. John Wright, Dr. Temple, Gurdon S. Hubbard, Colonel Owen, and George W. Dole.

" The present condition and prospects of Chicago, and its future, and that of the country around it, was, of course, the subject of constant and exciting discussion. At this time, that vast country lying between lake Michigan and the Mississippi Kiver (which then seemed to be the natural boundary of the West.) and the country lying northwest of it, which now includes Wiscon- sin, Minnesota, and lowa, lay in one great unoccupied expanve of beautiful land, covered with the most luxuriant vegetation-a vast flower garden-beautiful to look at in its virgin state, and ready for the plow of the farmer. One could not fail to be greatly impressed with this scene, so new and extraordinary, and to see there the germ of that future, when these vast plains would be occupied and cultivated, yielding their abundant products of human food, and sustaining millions of population. Lake Michigan lay there, four hundred and twenty miles in length north and south, and it was clear to my mind that the productions of that vast country lying west and northwest of it on their way to the Eastern market-the great Atlantic seaboard-would necessarily be tributary to Chicago, in the site af which, even at this early day. the experienced ob- server saw the germ of a city, destined from its peculiar position near the head of the lake and its remarkable harbor formed by the river, to become the largest inland commercial emporium in the United States.

"Michigan was then a territory with a population of about twenty thousand people, occupying the eastern portion of the State. Its western half was a comparatively unoccupied wil- derness.

"Northern Indiana was in the same condition, and northern Illinois, including the country between Chicago and the Mississippi River, contained only a sparse population, confined to small set- tlements on the western water-courses.

" With this feeling of inspiration with regard to the future of Chicago, which pervaded in common the leading spirits of the place, we entered into plans to promote its future development, and among these the most important which was at that time dis- cussed was a project for the construction of a canal or railway to connect Lake Michigan at Chicago with the Illinois River at

Ottawa or Peru, a distance of about eighty or one hundred miles. A grant had been made by Congress to the Territory or State of Illinois, at an early day, of each alternate section of land in aid of the construction of a canal between Lake Michigan at Chicago and the Illinois River, but no steps had been taken to avail of this grant.

" New Orleans at this time was regarded as a market for the valley of the Mississippi, as it could be reached by the Mississippi River and its tributaries, so the construction of such a canal be- tween Lake Michigan and the Illinois Kiver would secure to Chicago the benefit of this western outlet to market by a continu- ous water communication, and this was regarded as an object of great importance for the future development of the country. The Icading men of Chicago were anxious that we should interest our- selves in the prosecution of this work; and so enthusiastie had we become in our views of the future of this region of country and of Chicago as its commercial center, that we entered into their views, and it was agreed that an application should be made to the legis- lature to incorporate a company for the construction of a canal or a railroad between Chicago and the Illinois River, to which com. pany the State should convey its land grant, coupled with condi- tions for the construction of either a canal or a railway within a certain time, and upon such conditions as might be imposed by the Legislature; and that certain persons who were then present at Chicago, of whom Lucius Lyon (afterwards the first Senator in Congress from the State of Michigant, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Kinzie, and Dr. Temple, I think, as a committee, were to take charge of this memorial and submit it at the next session of the Legislature of the State of Illinois. A memorial to the Legislature and a letter of instructions to the committee were carefully prepared by Mr. Bronson and myself, embodying our views and suggesting the terms and conditions upon which the company should be incorporated.

" The committee were to proceed to Jacksonville with the memorial at the next session of the Legislature. Whether this proposition was ever formally submitted to that body or not I am not able to state, but it is certain that the discussion caused by it had the effect to stimulate the Legislature at the session of t834-35 to avail of the liberal and yet dormant grant made by Congress for the purpose, and a bill was passed at that session authorizing a luan for the construction of the canal as a State work; and the work was soon after commenced and, though retarded by embar- rassments which overtook the State and for a time prostrated its credit, it was finally completed and remains to this day a monu- ment not only of the enterprise of the State, but of its integrity in the fulfillment of its peeuniary obligations to its creditors.

" It may not be amiss to say in this connection that, when the State of Illinois, in common with several of the Western States, failed to meet the obligations it had incurred in its efforts to carry out prematurely, having respect to its population and ability, a vast system of internal improvement-that the question, What can be done to arrest the ruin and retrieve the credit of the State? be- came one of vital importance not only to its citizens but to all who had any interest in the State. Of course Mr. Bronson and myself were deeply interested, and gave to it a good deal of time and thought - the result of which was the suggestion that the only feasible plan would be for the State to ask of its bondholders, who were chiefly in Europe, to make a further advance of money suffi- eient for the completion of the canal, for the payment of which the canal, its lands and revenues should be pledged, backed by the faith and credit of the State; and upon this basis the arrangement was finally made by the State which insured the completion of the canal.

" I am happy to avail myself of this occasion to record this brief tribute to the memory of my friend, Arthur Bronson, to re- mind the citizens of Chicago of one who was a friend of their State and city at that most eventful period in their history. No one but he who then lived, and fully understood the situation, can rightly appreciate the value of such aid and influence as Mr. Bronson rendered, affecting the honor and prosperity of a State.

" While at Chicago our attention was directed to the property which Robert A. Kinzie had offered us, viz .: his quarter interest as one of the heirs-at-law of his father, in the north fractional half of Section 10. This purchase was declined after a careful reconnois- since of the land by me in person, accompanied by a surveyor. mainly because the remaining three-quarters, being owned by other persons, their co-operation in the disposition of the property would be essential to a satisfactory management. It was ascertained that Major-General Hunter, then and now in the United States Army. had become the owner of one-half interest in the same property and that he also owned eighty acres in the adjoining Section No. 9. that is to say, the cast half of the northeast quarter of Section 9. now known as Wolcott's addition; and as the result of our consid- eration on the subject we concluded to open a negotiation with him for the purchase of his entire interest in Chicago, This negotiation

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was begun by correspondence with him. His engagement in the service of the country at remote military stations rendered com- munication with him difficult and slow, and the negotiation with him, though commenced in the fall of 1833. was not consummated until late in the summer of 1834, when a proposition was received from him offering the property, viz .; the half of Kinzie's addition and the whole of Wolcott's addition (and Block No, t in the town of Chicago, lying on the north side of the river) for the price of $20,000, at which sum it was purchased by my friend Mr. Arthur Bronson and his associates in the fall of 1834, and the title to it was taken in the name of his brother, Mr. Frederic Bron- son. For private reasons 1 took no interest in the purchase, al- though the negotiations up to the final offer of Major Hunter had been conducted in accordance with the original suggestion, for our joint account and interest. In the month of May following I purchased of Mr. Bronson the same property for the con- sideration of $100,000. While the title was in Mr. Bronson, arrangements had been made for an auction sale of the property in the month of June, following simultaneously with the Government sale of lands, which had been advertised to take place at Chicago in May, 1835-the first of the kind in that portion of the United States, the surveys for which had been completed and the Indian title to which had been ex- tinguished. It was expected that this would attract a very large con- course of people to Chicago, as it did, for it brought into notice and offered for sale lands in the most attractive and fertile portion of the United States. The sale of the lots in the property, which i had acquired by purchase from Mr. Bronson, was to follow after the sale of public lands; all the preliminary steps to effect it had been taken, and Frederic Bronson was then on his way to Chicago to superintend the sale. Of course all these proceedings were now subject to my control, and the disposition to be made by me in regard to it was under consideration. In making the pur- chase I had contemplated this condition, and had in view my brother- in-law, William B. Ogden, as the best person to take charge of the whole business. Ile was then a member of the legislature of this State, from the county of Delaware, during the memorable session of 1835. 1 wrote to him requesting that he would terminate his labor there at the earliest possible inoment, and go to Chicago to take charge of this property. This he consented to do, and in May, 1835, he went to Chicago and there met Frederic Bronson, who turned the property over to him as my agent. This was Mlr. Ogden's introduction to Chicago, and his first visit to the country west of Niagara. llc had been born at Walton on the Delaware River, in Delaware County, and had lived there up to this period of his life. llis father, who hul been a successful business man engaged in manufacturing industry and in the lamber trade, had been stricken down by paralysis and disabled from active business. when William, his eldest son, was about seventeen years of age; and in consequence. the responsibilities of the family and the con- duct of business had devolved mainly on him,

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History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 28

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