USA > Illinois > Cook County > History of Cook County, Illinois : being a general survey of Cook County history, including a condensed history of Chicago and special account of districts outside the city limits : from the earliest settlement to the present time, volume I > Part 30
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313
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
By October 13 the crib of the water works was nearly com- pleted. A new pest house 24 by 48 feet, two stories, twenty-four rooms, and costing about $12,000, was ordered in October. Late in September a dummy engine began to run between Camp Fry and Graceland cemetery. On October 21 the City Council in a train of three cars drawn by a dummy engine rode to Camp Fry, thence to Graceland, where all were dined at the residence of S. H. Ker- foot. Though the dummy was reported to be a success, its use was soon discontinued. On October 30 the Council formally named the lake front "Lake park." By November 17 over 1,000 feet of lake tunnel had been excavated. Ambrose & Jackson's famous res- taurant stood on Clark opposite the courthouse ; it was probably the best here at this time. A big jail delivery was thwarted in Novem- ber. In November negotiations to transfer to the Fort Wayne Railroad company that part of West Adams street between the river and Canal street were under way. In November a London fog of thirty hours' duration settled down upon Chicago.
During the winter of 1864-65 Randolph street cars left the Garrett block on the stroke of each hour and every ten minutes thereafter for the city limits, each car consuming thirty-two minutes on the trip. Intermediate cars ran half as far as the others. This arrangement provided a car every five minutes.
Before the Civil war a small cemetery on Eighteenth street was used for a few years, but later the bodies were removed. A small graveyard on Chicago avenue was used for about ten years and was then vacated before the advance of residences. It was sup- posed that all bodies were removed to the city cemetery, but such was not the case, because on December 3, 1864, while workmen were excavating a sewer on Chicago avenue near Wolcott ten additional coffins were exhumed; they were reburied in the city cemetery. Washington, Central and Ogden skating parks were open in December. At this time the artesian well on the West Side was sunk; water was struck at a depth of a little over seven hun- dred feet. The water rose a few feet above the surface, contained a little sulphur, was about sixty-five degrees temperature, and flowed several hundred gallons per minute. It was sunk by the Chicago Oil company, the hope being that oil would be struck. It is yet flowing at Chicago and Western avenues. This was the period of greatest oil excitement.
The year 1864, despite the drain of the war, was one of almost unexampled prosperity to this city. Among the important build- ings erected were Chamber of Commerce, Crosby's opera house, Chicago University, the observatory tower, Smith & Nixon's Music hall at Clark and Washington, Lumbard block in Monroe, Custom- house block, and the blocks of Cobb, Magie, Gellatry & Dimmick, Wicker, Miller, Hempstead & Armour, Fullerton, Justice at Clark and Randolph, Andrews, Otis & Engle's Adair Allen & Parker,
4
314
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
Honore & Waites, Tyler's bank, Reed's bank, etc. Metropolitan hall had been raised to grade and improved at a cost of $40,000. Four of the buildings of 1864 were worth over $100,000 each. In the spring of 1864 property owners waked up one morning (this. is almost literally true) and found that their lots had doubled in value over night. Inside improved rental property had about doubled in value since the preceding summer. Among the other improvements of 1864 were the following: Four and a half miles of sewers were laid; Lake street from the river to Halsted was paved with Nicholson blocks; the old West Side brick two-story market was removed; nearly thirteen miles of water pipe were laid ; the lake tunnel was completed a quarter of a mile ; the crib two miles out was ready to be sunk; the 400 additional feet to the North pier were well advanced; there was dredged from the Chi- cago river mouth 53,413 cubic yards of sand; the State street bridge was finished and was continued over the railway tracks on the North Side; the new bridge at Randolph street was well advanced, and so was the fire alarm telegraph system. The con- tract for the latter was let to John F. Kennard & Company of Boston. There were established thirty-five districts of postal dis- tribution, all city mail being delivered by carriers.
A stock exchange was established in January, 1865, with J. C. Hilton as president, and a membership fee of $1. A proposed new city charter was discussed at this time. The following were the largest private incomes here December 31, 1863: Potter Palmer, $333,485; J. V. Farwell, $197,152; P. Schuttler, $103,731; Wil- liam B. Ogden, $87,509; C. H. McCormick, $67,449; W. Munger, $59,473 ; A. E. Kent, $47,050; W. L. Newberry, $34,558, etc. The Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago company agreed to pay $100,000 for Adams street from the river to Canal street, but the city re- served the right to tunnel the river there and to build a bridge there under certain conditions. In January, 1865, the Potter Palmer estate, the largest in the Northwest, united with other inter- ests and became the Field, Palmer & Leiter company. Field & Leiter had begun business here in 1856, but not as a firm. After several changes they united with Palmer as above. The opening of the Clinton bridge over the Mississippi in January, 1865, was an event of importance to Chicago commercial circles. The inaugura- tion of the Railway Postal System in 1864 was also of great im- portance to this city.
The charters of the three street railway companies permitted them to use the streets for twenty-five years, of which, by January, 1865, about six had expired. These roads now asked to have the time limit extended to ninety-nine years. It was a plan to make a good thing better. Almost everybody except those interested in the railways opposed the time extension; but the railways pressed the subject until finally a mass meeting of the citizens to disap-
315
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
prove the bill that had corruptly passed the Legislature was held on January 24 at Metropolitan hall. The following resolutions were passed : "Resolved, by the citizens of Chicago in mass meeting assembled, That it is the firm and deliberate conviction of this meeting that ninety-nine out of ever one hundred of the residents and property holders of said city are earnestly and unalterably opposed to any extension of the franchises of said corporations and to any further legislation on the subject; Resolved, That we hereby most firmly and decidedly censure and reprobate the conduct of such of our representatives as voted for this most obnoxious monopoly." Of the Cook county delegation in the Legislature, William Jackson, representative, was the only one to oppose the measure to the last. He was publicly thanked by this meeting.
The act of February 13, 1865, incorporated the Union Stock Yards and Transit company with the following men named as incorporators: John L. Hancock, Virginius A. Turpin, Roselle M. Hough, Sidney A. Kent, Charles M. Culberton, Lyman Blair, David Kreigh, Joseph Sherwin, Martin L. Sykes, Jr., Joseph Sherwin, George W. Cass, James F. Jay, John F. Tracy, Timothy B. Blackstone, Joseph H. Moore, John S. Barry, Homer E. Sar- gent, Burton C. Cook, John B. Drake and William D. Judson. They were authorized to locate, construct and maintain in con- venient proximity to the southerly limits of Chicago and west of Wallace street a union stock yards, together with the necessary enclosures, buildings, barns, pens, sheds, planking, fences, tanks, wells, pumps, streets, cottages for employes, railway switches, etc., for the care and safe keeping of live stock, etc .; capital stock, $1,000,000. The yards were begun in June, 1865, in a marslı and embraced 345 acres; the buildings alone cost $350,000, the Hough house there costing $125,000. The total cost was over $1,000,000.
Early in 1865 a committee of thirty was appointed to report on the best method of discharging the filth of the river and how to obtain pure drinking water. One plan proposed was to dig a canal 100 feet wide and ten feet deep from the head of navigation on the South branch to the mouth of the Calumet river. In Janu- ary, 1865, the City Limits Dispatch company began to deliver parcels, etc., to every part of the city. In January, 1865, there were four principal stock yards-Pittsburg & Fort Wayne, Michi- gan Southern, Cottage Grove and Sherman's. There was no con- nection between the yards, and it was the rule that quotations on the same article varied considerably. It was customary for dealers to get together each night and compare notes. Early in 1865 Isaac N. Arnold, congressman, succeeded in getting through the House a bill for a $5,000,000 ship canal; but the bill died of inanition thereafter. Buying and selling stocks on commission and other- wise had grown to enormous proportions. Early in 1865 the old
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316
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
fire offices of chief engineer and assistant engineers were abolished and marshal and assistant marshals substituted therefor. A city ordinance passed in the fall of 1864 provided that all the streets should be numbered; this was done during the winter of 1864-65.
By January 27, 1865, the street car tracks on the South Side extended south on State to Twenty-second, thence to Cottage Grove and thence to the city limits, and a branch extended from State on Archer road as far as Raber's residence. The West Side lines extended on Randolph from State to Union park, thence to Lake and thence to the city limits; on Madison from State to the city limits; on Halsted from Madison to Blue Island avenue, thence to Sixteenth street; on Halsted from Randolph to Milwaukee avenue and thence to Chicago avenue; on Market from Randolph to Madison; on Clinton from Randolph to Van Buren, thence on Van Buren to Jefferson, thence on Jefferson to Twelfth. The North Side lines were as follows: On Clark from Kinzie to North, thence on Green Bay road to the city limits; on Chicago avenue from Clark to the river; on Division street from Clark to Clybourn and on Clybourn to North; on Sedgwick street from Division to North.
A law of 1864-65 provided for deepening the summit of the canal so that the water thereof could be used to cleanse Chicago river. Col. R. B. Mason and William Gooding were added to the Board of Public Works and Chicago was authorized to issue $2,000,000 in bonds as a second lien upon the canal, to be used to lower the summit so that lake water could be forced through to the Illinois river. In this bill was a fee clause-put in at the last moment and forced through-a $25,000 steal, it was claimed.
The street car companies took advantage of the hard times to raise their fare to 6 cents. Two new bridges were proposed for 1865-at North avenue for $3,700 and at Fuller street for $6,300. The city hospital building erected later in the fifties; in 1865 it was used as an eye and ear infirmary. The receipts of Chicago for the year ending April 1, 1865, were $2,034,610, the expenses $2,008,789, balance on hand $461,266.39. The Chicago Stock Exchange had rooms at 57 Dearborn street. It was said of Wabash avenue that "in wet seasons it was a sea of mud and in dry seasons a desert of dust." It was now proposed to pave it with Nicholson blocks. Bids for building the Washington street tunnel were called for in June; they varied from $200,000 to $314,000. On July 2 the water works crib was ready for sinking. It was determined to build a new bridewell in 1865. In August the 400-foot extension to the north pier was completed; the new channel was 150 feet wide, 600 feet long and fourteen feet deep. Dredging the channel cost $60,000 and building the new pier cost $75,000. During the year ending April 1, 1865, the fire department cost $119,028.72, the health department $6,678.57, the police department $97,734.90, the
317
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
fire alarm telegraph about $75,000, and the pesthouse $15,000. The Tribune of September 13, 1865, said: "Never was a city so lav- ishly parked as ourselves with so little benefit. We have had our parks laid out for years, and almost numberless complimentary allusions made to them in the shape of Council resolutions, munici- pal ordinances, newspaper notices, ward meetings, individual sur- veys, etc. Then, too, we have had Park Row and Park avenue and Park street and parks of artillery. We have talked and written park for years, yet we have not a park in our city." During the summer of 1865 the park on the north was named Lincoln; in September plans for its improvement were advertised for; the same of Union park. A real wheat corner was engineered here in Sep- tember by a few men and the price was forced up about 20 cents a bushel. A large meeting of laboring men at Witlowsky hall in September demanded the eight-hour system. By October 1 five different railway lines running west from Chicago hauled railway postal cars. Prior to this date the West and South Side street railway lines formed a junction at State and Randolph streets, but the North Side line did not. Now it was decided to permit the North Side cars to cross the State street bridge and form a junction with the other two systems.
In June, 1865, the following parks were in existence: Dear- born, Jefferson, Union, Lincoln, Washington and Lake Shore, and yet, according to the newspapers, the city did not have a park worthy of the name. At this time $5,000 was appropriated for the improvement of Union park, $10,000 for Lincoln park and $5,000 for the Lake Shore park. In 1865 the following salaries were paid : Mayor, $3,500; city treasurer, $2,500; comptroller, $3,500; cor- poration counsel, $3,000; city attorney, $3,000; city recorder, $3,000. The old postoffice building had been at 84-88 Dearborn street, and the new one was located at Monroe and Dearborn. Pos- tal money orders were first issued here in October, 1864. It was customary for the cattle dealers to meet on Sundays at Douglas grove and compare and square accounts. The State Fair of 1865 was held at Chicago Driving park, near Cottage Grove, between Indiana and State.
"Within the year now elapsed (1865) and the one preceding, two great changes have been instituted-the distribution of letters in the railroad cars while in transit, instead of delaying their jour- ney to sort them in the office, and the delivery and collection of mail matter in the city. Chicago is divided into about fifty, districts, which are regularly visited by the letter carrier from two to five times daily, obviating the loss of time heretofore experienced in visiting the postoffice for letters. The full benefit of the system will only be felt when the number of the buildings on the streets is completed-a consummation far in the future as yet."-(Tribune, January, 1866. )
1
318
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
On December 31, 1865, the debt of Chicago wasas follows :
Water debt.
$1,464,000
Sewerage debt
1,184,000
Funded debt, old issue .. 371,000
Funded debt, new issue.
956,500
School construction bonds
25,000
Police bonds.
6,000
Certificate of independent sanitary.
20,000
Floating and bills payable
205,245
$4,231,745
Debt of Chicago December 31, 1864, was
3,836,795
Increase
$ 394,950
98-02 0 ммему
1
POLITICS OF COOK COUNTY 1823-1866
A S early as September 2, 1823, the Fulton County Commis- sioners' court issued an order for the election of one major and the necessary company officers at Chicago, the polls to be opened at the house of John Kinzie. One of the first official recognitions of Chicago was in 1825 when what is now Cook county was attached to Peoria county. On September 6 of that year the authorities of Peoria county constituted the following precinct : "Ordered, that the first precinct contain all that part of the county east of the mouth of the Du Page river where it empties its waters in the Aux Plaines river, and that the election be held at the agent's house or Cobweb hall." The latter was the Cobweb Castle at Chicago occupied by Dr. Alexander Wolcott, Indian agent. Soon after this, Doctor Wolcott was commissioned justice of the peace here. Connected with the above order was another appointing Archibald Clybourn constable in this precinct. As early as 1826, it is claimed, Billy Caldwell, or Sauganash, the Pottawatomie chief, was a justice of the peace for Peoria county at Chicago. As early as 1825, also, Mr. Kinzie was a justice of the peace here. On December 8, 1829, John B. Beaubien, Archibald Clybourn and Samuel Miller were appointed first trustees of the school section at Chicago. Clybourn in 1831 became one of the first justices of the peace of Cook county. His big brick house, erected in 1836 on the North branch, was long a familiar landmark. At an election for a justice of the peace held at the house of John Kinzie on July 24, 1830, fifty-six names were enrolled; at another election for a justice of the peace held on November 25, 1830, twenty-six names were enrolled. At the latter election Stephen Forbes received eighteen votes and Rev. William See eight votes. Mr. Forbes had taught school in the Dean house the previous spring. Later he opened a private school.
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As early as 1825, Governor Edwards in a letter to Henry Clay said: "A favorite object and, indeed, a political hobby that super- sedes all others in this state and Missouri, is a canal to connect Lake Michigan and the Illinois river. Nothing could sustain the administration or its friends in these states so effectually as to coun- tenance this measure. Nor do I venture too far that it might be very advantageous to the President to introduce in his measure to Congress some sentiment favorable to the connection of our Great Lakes with the Atlantic and Western waters." Daniel P. Cook,
Vol. I-19.
321
322
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
for whom the county was named, in an address delivered October 28, 1825, also stated that the canal question was a political one and the most important affecting the future of Chicago. At the elec- tion of the first five trustees for the town of Chicago, held on August 10, 1833, at the hour of 11 A. M., at the house of Mark Beaubien, the following vote was polled: T. J. V. Owen, twenty- six votes; George W. Dole, twenty-six votes; Madore Beaubien, twenty-three; John Miller, twenty; E. S. Kimberly, twenty. The voters were as follows: E. S. Kimberly, J. B. Beaubien, Mark Beaubien, T. J. V. Owen, William Ninson, Hiram Pearsons, Philo Carpenter, George Chapman, John Wright, John T. Temple, Mat- thias Smith, David Carver, James Kinzie, Charles Taylor, John. S. C. Hogan, Elia A. Rider, Dexter J. Hapgood, George W. Snow, Madore Beaubien, Gholson Kercheval, George W. Dole, R. J. Hamilton, Stephen F. Gale, Enoch Darling, W. H. Adams, C. A. Ballard, John Watkins, James Gilbert-28.
The trustees of the town of Chicago held their first meeting at the clerk's office on August 12, 1833. The limits of the corporation were fixed as follows: "Beginning at the intersection of Jackson and Jefferson streets, thence north to Cook street and through that street to its eastern extremity 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 chan- nel until it intersects the eastern boundary line of the town of Chi- cago as laid out by the canal commissioners; thence southwardly with said line until it meets Jackson street; thence westwardly along Jackson street until it reaches the place of beginning."
There was great diversity of opinion as to the comparative ad- vantages to be derived from a railroad or a canal. The people demanded one or the other and public opinon was pronounced in favor of the canal. However, a considerable number preferred the railroad at a public meeting held here in 1833, of which Colonel Owen was chairman and Doctor Kimberly secretary. Resolutions asking the governor to convene the Legislature to secure the passage of a law providing for the construction of a railroad were passed. Governor Reynolds said: "I am much pleased to know that you are ardently interested in accomplishing the greatest improvement in all the West. There is no improvement which would be of such advantage to the whole valley of the Mississippi as that connecting the lakes with the navigable water of the Missouri valley and which would at the same time cost us little." However, he did not call a special session of the Legislature for that purpose, nor did he favor the railroad. The Chicago American of December 24, 1833, asked : "What has become of the host of noisy politicians that have in by- gone days been riding as a hobby, and many of them successfully,
323
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
too, the Illinois and Michigan canal or railroad ?. They have all gone into retiracy or they have effected their purpose and have no further use for their hobby." At an adjourned meeting held at the Eagle hotel on February 15, 1834, when Col. R. J. Hamilton pre- sided and P. F. W. Peck served as secretary, it was "Resolved, That the delegate from Chicago to the convention to be held at Ottawa be instructed to vote for no individual to represent this district in the next General Assembly, who is not known to be in favor of the immediate construction of a communication, either by canal or railroad, between Lake Michigan and the Illinois river." This was the position taken by all citizens of Cook county at this time. The canal question was the most important and was made the hobby by the representatives of all parties. But the representa- tives sent to the Ottawa convention did not do in all respects as they were instructed.
At the Ottawa convention Cook county was represented by John D. Caton, Reason Zarley and Theron Parsons. Maj. James B. Campbell was chosen as candidate for senator and Dr. Edmund S. Kimberly as candidate for representative for the Northwestern Senatorial district for the General Assembly. On motion of Mr. Caton a committee of five was appointed to draft resolutions and an address to the electors of this Senatorial district. George B. Willis, John D. Caton, Thomas Hartsill, A. H. Howland and Theron Parsons were appointed such committee. David Walker was chairman of the convention. John D. Caton and Theron Par- sons were leaders of this convention.
Besides the canal question, other important ones in the spring of 1834 were: Improvement of the judicial system and reconstruc- tion of the road law. In the spring of 1834 John W. Reed was a candidate for sheriff; so also was Russell E. Heacock. Nehemiah King was a candidate for county commissioner from the Chicago precinct. George W. Snow was also a candidate for sheriff.
At the election of July 12, 1834, for a justice of the peace in Chicago, John D. Caton received 182 votes and Dr. Josiah C. Good- hue forty-seven votes. The candidates for county commissioners in 1834 were Isaac Scarrett of Fountaindale, Cook county, James Kinzie and Hiram Fowler of Naper Settlement. Ashbel Steele was a candidate for coroner. In July, 1834, Mr. Hamlin of Peoria, candidate for representative, came here on an electioneering tour. Silas W. Sherman was also a candidate for sheriff. At this date, viz., July, 1834, there were only four election precincts in Cook county, as follows: Chicago, Naper's Settlement, Walker's Grove and Hickory Creek. Naper's Settlement was the present Naper- ville and vicinity, Walker's Grove was near Joliet, and Hickory Creek was the present Joliet and vicinity. Nearly all of the present Cook county was in the Chicago precinct.
The Democrat of August, 1834, said concerning the August elec-
324
HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY
tion: "The candidates for senator and representative to the Gen- eral Assembly were not run with reference to their political princi- ples, but were supported entirely with respect to their known views in favor of the Illinois and Michigan canal, although both are Jackson men. The other officers below were supported without respect to party. The following is the vote in Cook county. Those marked thus * are Jackson men :
FOR GOVERNOR.
Whole Vote. Chicago's Precinct.
Joseph Duncan.
309
199
*William Kinney.
201
148
*R. K. Mclaughlin
10
9
James Adams.
8
1
FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR.
*James Evans
190
158
*Alexander M. Jenkins
190
150
William B. Archer
105
23
FOR REPRESENTATIVE TO CONGRESS, THIRD DISTRICT.
*William L. May
325
242
Benjamin Mills
195
115
FOR STATE SENATOR.
472
327
Augustus Longworthy.
12
FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE.
Edmund S. Kimberly
432
310
John Hamlin ..
44
24
Nehemiah King
32
12
FOR SHERIFF.
Silas W. Sherman
241
180
James W. Reed.
208
152
George W. Snow.
62
17
Russell E. Heacock.
2
1
The following is the district vote at the same election :
STATE SENATOR-
Stephenson. Langworthy.
-- STATE REPRESENTATIVE -- Kimberly. Hamlin. Ring.
Peoria county ... 156
49
34
171
8
Jo Daviess county 336
41
73
314
0
Cook county ....
472
12
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