USA > Illinois > Kankakee County > Pilot > History of SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Pilot, Illinois : with an historical sketch of Sacred Heart Church, Goodrich, Illinois, and St. James Church, Irwin, Illinois, at one time forming one parish; prefaced by a general local history. > Part 2
USA > Illinois > Kankakee County > Irwin > History of SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Pilot, Illinois : with an historical sketch of Sacred Heart Church, Goodrich, Illinois, and St. James Church, Irwin, Illinois, at one time forming one parish; prefaced by a general local history. > Part 2
USA > Illinois > Kankakee County > Goodrich > History of SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Pilot, Illinois : with an historical sketch of Sacred Heart Church, Goodrich, Illinois, and St. James Church, Irwin, Illinois, at one time forming one parish; prefaced by a general local history. > Part 2
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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Gazette published extras that sold for 10 cents.
The
Gazette is still published today as The Kankakee Daily News. All deeds, etc., had to be made out at Danville.
Every other section was railroad land and sold for $7.50 per acre. Government land sold at $1 per acre.
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POST OFFICES.
The first post office in Limestone township was established on the Nichols place, near the LIMESTONE Kankakee river, in 1849. It was called 1844 "Rinosa," a modification of the Spanish name "Rinoca", on the suggestion of a young man who happened to be spending some time in the neighborhood and who had previously spent several months in a town of that name in Mexico. Roswell Nichols was the first postmaster and served until 1868. The mail was brought once in two weeks or at even longer intervals, if the river could not be forded, coming from Chicago via Joliet and Wilmington by horse. The mail carriers of that time were styled "starriders." The total receipts in a year amounted to about one or one and a half dollars, the postmaster in those days receiving no pay. The cost of sending a letter by mail was 25 cents. In 1868 Franklin Nichols was appointed postmaster, which office he kept till 1875, when it was discontinued, the farmers of that district being obliged to get their mail from Kan- kakee.
At one time a post office was established on the farm of J. T. Smith, one and a half miles north of
SALINA Bonfield, called the "Salina" post office, and discontinued about 1865. The mail was brought from Kankakee in a sulky. In 1865 or
thereabouts the post office was removed to the poor farm, A. B. Henry being appointed as postmaster until about 1870, the office being then again removed one and a half miles north, with R. H. Hawker as postmaster until 1891. At one time there was also a post office established in the farm of Job Williams, about one and a half miles east of Bonfield.
In 1868 a post office was established on the McDowell farm, the present site of Bonfield. After BONFIELD the Big Four railroad, Seneca branch, was constructed in 1882 the office was called "Bonfield" with George M. Walter as postmaster until closed in 1895. George Walter was born in
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Steinfurth, duchy of Baden, (Germany). He settled in Bonfield in 1861. Prior to 1882 the mail had been distri- buted from Salina and taken to Bonfield twice a week.
The first post office in the district of the present town of Union Hill was established on August
27, 1861, on the farm of John E. Scho-
UNION HILL 1861 bey, who was the first postmaster; then
removed to John Pratt's place; from thence to Ed. Alberts' place, and finally to the station of Union Hill, at the completion of the Indiana, Illinois & Iowa railroad in 1883. The postmaster received his pay by the cancellation of stamps. He had to do community work by staying home and neglecting his work in the field.
Prior to 1883 the mail was at first distributed from Kankakee every Saturday, then twice a week, by a mailman of the name of St. Louis, who kept his office for a number of years. The trip was made in a sulky, a light two wheel- ed carriage for a single person. The mail was carried from Kankakee to Salina post office, then to Chatsfield's post office and from there to Schobey's post office, where the horse was changed. The mailman went then to Pilot Center post office and returned to Kankakee, making a trip of about fifty miles. The mailman's task was some- what difficult, roads being almost impassable with no bridges or culverts. Often the trip had to be made on horseback and sometimes on foot, at least for a certain dis- tance.
Mr. John E. Schobey was instrumental in originating the name of Union Hill. The country was intensely agitated by the war of Rebellion in 1861. Mr. Schobey was determined to embrace the word "union" in propos- ing a post office, meaning by it the union of the north and south. Several names were proposed to the post office department at Washington, among them Union Grove, the first grove planted on Mr. Schobey's place, but this was rejected, another office in the state bearing the same name. Finally Union Hill was adopted, alluding to a slight elevation or hill on the farm land.
The mail between Limestone and Essex was carried
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ESSEX by Almont Hawkins. When Horse creek was swollen enough to prevent crossing, a strong cord was fastened to a washtub and a stone to the other end of the cord. The stone was then tossed across and the tub pulled in, the mail being safely landed. The first post office was established at Daniel B. Reed's, section 11, in 1850. Jonas Harper at one time carried the mail from Middleport, Iroquois county, to Joliet once a week, coming down the south bank of the Kankakee river and stopping at Nichols' settlement. The office was afterwards removed to Will county and then back to Foot's Place (Essex). Later on it was discontinued and an office established, as stated above, at Union Hill, with John E. Schobey as postmaster. In March 1880 the first post office was established in the village of Essex with C. A. Albert as first postmaster.
The first post office near the present site of Herscher was established in 1865 on the A. Buck farm, called Pilot Center. As already
HERSCHER 1865 mentioned the mail was distributed from Kankakee to Salina post office, Mc- Dowell's post office, Union Hill post office and thence to Pilot Center. The first settlers southeast of the present Lehigh station went to Bourbonnais after their mail and those south of Irwin to Chebanse.
RAILROADS.
Although not directly concerned in our historical sketch we mention the ILLINOIS CENTRAL R. R. first railroad in Kanka- 1852 kee county which was built in 1852, and known the Illinois Central railroad via Chicago to Kensington, 14.27 miles; in 1853 Kensington to Kankakee, 41.34 miles; and in 1854 Kankakee to Ludlow, 52.38 miles.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL BLOOMINGTON BRANCH
In 1878 it was extended from Otto to Chatsworth, 36.70 miles; in 1879-1880 Chatsworth to Colfax, 22.42 miles, and in 1882 Buckingham to Tracy, 9.51 miles.
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STATIONS.
Dickey's Siding, located in the district of some of our pioneer settlers, was named after DICKEY'S SIDING S. B. Dickey, who owned the land where the railroad was built. In 1880 an elevator was built and a small store kept there by his son. S. B. Dickey continued to cultivate his farm (720 acres) until his retirement. Later the elevator was operated by Carrington, Hannah & Co., Inkster Bros., and Albert Siedentop.
The first house in Irwin was built in 1878 by Libert, at present occupied and owned by Jerry Graney.
IRWIN In 1876 Edward Francoeur opened a black- smith shop, which he kept until 1886. The first store was built in 1878 by Mary Irwin on Main street, south of the railroad, and later occupied by Ferris. The first elevator was built about 1879 by Marshall & Capen, and afterwards owned by William P. Harvey & Co., Carrington Hannah & Co., Robert S. Cummings and Ferris Bros. The second elevator was built about 1897 by Thomas Ferris, and afterwards owned by Ferris & O'Connor, Ferris & Kern and Ferris Bros.
John Herscher was instrumental in giving his name to the station and is to be considered as
HERSCHER the real founder and promoter of the town. He was born in Alsace, France, near Colmar in 1842; came to America in 1851, and moved to Pilot township in 1854. In 1878 the first ele-
vator was built by him. Subsequent owners as oper- ators were Burke Bros., Bartley Gulshen, Cooley & James, Rumley & Cooley, Inkster Bros., John Karcher and John Karcher & Son. A second elevator was built in 1878 by Johnson, then owned by Burke Bros. It was afterward taken down and rebuilt by Inkster Bros., and owned by Fred Siedentop. A third elevator was erected in 1878 by Sam Larrigan and afterward owned by Burke Bros. About 1894 it was destroyed by fire.
The first store was moved to Herscher in 1878 from Pilot Center, standing near the "town house" owned by
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Buck Bros. For some time it served as a post office. John Herscher built and owned the first store in the town in 1878, now standing on the southeast corner of the intersection of Main and Kankakee streets. In the fall of 1878 John Griffin built the first dwelling house, owned by James Brazier.
In 1868 the American Central railroad was projected to pass through Kanka- NEW YORK CENTRAL R. R. kee, but after repeated 1881 failures the project was abandoned. General Cass encouraged Mr. Thomas Bonfield and Mr. James Mc- Grew to organize a new enterprise for a road from Henne- pin to the state line to connect with a like enterprise in Indiana, running to Plymouth, Ind. Mr. McGrew be- came president of the corporation called the Kankakee and Illinois River Railroad company, which was subse- quently consolidated with the Indiana road, called the Plymouth, Kankakee and Pacific (P. K. & P.). The road was surveyed in 1870 and graded the same fall. This road was intended to be a belt line, principally for hauling freight. An amount of $100,000 had been voted.
Limestone township voted $11,000, Pilot $12,000, and Norton $12,000. Mr. McGrew was president of the new company. Grades, culverts, bridges rapidly appeared, but not enough money could be realized to lay the rails. Everything came to a standstill, especially after the Chicago fire and the panic of 1873. Then in about 1874 Dr. C. W. Knott undertook to build an independent road from Kankakee to Gardner, passing through Goodrich. A good share of the grading had already been done when the enterprise failed.
Some years after, about 1881, a new company was or- ganized by F. M. Drake, the founder of Drake college, Des Moines, Iowa. He secured the right of way of the Plymouth, Kankakee & Pacific railroad and built the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa railroad. The new company- the so-called Three I-extended the old road east and west
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of Kankakee. The road was laid and equipped from Momence to Knox, Ind., in 1883-1884. This railroad was taken over by the Lake Shore and M. S. on December 12, 1902, and reorganized and named the C. I. & S. railroad (Chicago, Indiana & Southern). It was again taken over by and made a part of the New York Central system on December 27, 1914.
The first station which concerns us is Lehigh, pri- marily called Cagwin, and afterwards Carrow.
LEHIGH In 1864 or thereabouts the land (80 acres) through which the railroad passes was oc- cupied by James Crowley, who built in about 1862, a stone house contiguous to the log house which he found on the place, the present and only stone house in Lehigh. The house nearby in the field west was built by Jos. Caron Sr. long before.
The stone quarry on the north side of the present track was opened by Jos. Caron Jr. about 1884 and oper- ated by him until 1906, when he sold thirteen acres to the Lehigh Stone company, of which M. J. Edgeworth is presi- dent. In 1918 the company moved the plant about a mile southeast. Amede Couture, a young man, was drowned in the quarry north of the track in the 1890's. While the quarry was operated by Joseph Caron Jr. he was postmaster for some years. Originally a dump house was built when the railroad was opened for traffic, and in 1888 the first elevator was erected.
Goodrich is named after J. L. Goodrich. The first building was a farm residence built by
GOODRICH Nathan Lewis, with an addition built afterwards by Dr. C. W. Knott for a summer residence, with a dance room equipped with un- der-floor springs. The station at Goodrich was built in 1882. In 1883 Geo. Bentz built a residence south east of the present station and in the fall of 1883 a store was built south of the track by Henry Christophel which was sold to Joseph Provencal. In 1892 a parcel of land was grant-
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ed to the railroad company north of the track by J. L. Goodrich of Chicago, with the stipulation that a station and telegraph office be indefinitely maintained, and that every passenger train was to stop. A post office was established in the store with Henry Christophel as first postmaster.
At first a dump house was built by S. C. Bartlett & Co. of Peoria, Ill. The first elevator was erected by Wil- liam P. Harvey & Co. and afterwards the interests were owned by the following companies: Carrington Hannah & Company (1888 to about 1903), Carrington, Patton & Company (1903-1911) Bartlett, Frazier & Carrington, Bartlett Patton & Company and Bartlett Frazier company.
A second dump house was built in 1885 by the farmers of the surrounding district. In 1900 C. H. Risser rebuilt the dump house into an elevator. The interests went to the company of Risser & Rollins. This elevator was destroyed by fire in 1909. The large stately poplar trees along the road crossing the railroad tracks were planted by Ed. Lewis in the latter part of the sixties.
John E. Schobey, one of the first residents in this district, was instrumental in naming the
UNION HILL town of Union Hill as mentioned before. 1882 John Robinson erected the first building, a grist mill on the present site of Geo. Van Voorst's place, about 1882. About the same time a store was built by Schobey and another by G. P. Smith, both general stores. An open platform had been erected by Odell & Felton in 1882 to shovel grain into cars. Two years afterward an elevator was erected by A. G. Smith and operated for some years, then the interests were bought by the Farmers' Cooperative Grain association. About 1898 the present elevator west of Main street was built by A. G. Smith, the Farmers' Cooperative Grain association having dissolved partnership. The other ele- vator is in connection with S. C. Bartlett & Company, etc., as already mentioned.
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This road, a branch of the Cincinnati, St. Louis, In- dianapolis & Chicago KANKAKEE & SENECA R. R. 1882 railroad, or so-called "Big Four," was built jointly by the Rock Island and Big Four railroad companies, and opened for traffic July 1, 1882.
BONFIELD
Bonfield owes its name to Hon. Thomas Philip Bon- field, born in Canton, Ohio, 1827. He was president of the Kankakee & Seneca railroad during its construction. The site of this town was formerly called Holliday farm, after- wards Verkler, the name of the farmer who owned the
land. The first house was built by Elias Hosmer, the real owner of all the land around Bonfield, on the north- east corner of the intersection of Main and East streets. The first store was built and managed by Fenstermacher about 1882.
The first grain elevator or warehouse was built about 1882 by Chas. Johnson of Kankakee. Some time after- ward it was operated by R. G. Risser, Risser & Rollins and in 1911 by Eugene Schmidt. It was destroyed by fire in 1916.
The second elevator was built in 1905 by the Bonfield Grain & Lumber company, Geo. Van Voorst president. In 1910 Henry & P. H. Gauss bought the interests.
It may be of interest to know that Andrew Seiler was one of the pioneers in Bonfield. He came from Lemont, Ill., and was induced by Frank Emling to locate there. A. Seiler lived in a shanty 12x12, which had been moved to that location. He returned to Lemont, where he died in the nineties. His brother Anton with Peter Geiger and Frank Emling had also settled in Bonfield but did not own any land.
The stone quaries south of the railroad track were opened and operated by Verkler and afterwards owned by C. D. Henry.
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The first store was built in 1879, owned by Donald
Rankin and located on the north side of Main
ESSEX street. In February, 1880, C. E. Albert opened up a general store on the west side of the Wabash tracks.
The first elevator was built in 1880, opposite the Wabash depot, and owned by Wm. Odell. Its subsequent owners and managers were Joel Poal, Fred Swift, Bur- gess & Eversole, Chas. F. Skinner and Dunn & Son. A second elevator was erected on the Kankakee & Seneca railroad.
PROPOSED RAILROAD LINE.
In 1870 a road was projected between Chicago and Decatur, called the Decatur and State Line. The piers in the Kankakee river were built about the same year, but the enterprise failed on account of the financial panic in 1873.
HANFORD'S LANDING.
Before 1870 the farmers near the Kankakee river were obliged to haul their grain many miles to the nearest towns-Wilmington and Kankakee. Soon the situation was bettered, for in the spring of 1873 or 1874 Stephen A. Hanford, a wealthy farmer of Wesley township, decided to construct a grain elevator and general store (the latter built about 1879) for the accommodation of the farmers on the south side of the river. A store was also built on the opposite north side of the river. Subsequently he secured a site of four acres of land owned by Elizabeth Seybert in section 34, Custer township.
Boats came from Chicago on the Illinois-Michigan canal through the Joliet channel on through the feeder dam about four miles below Wilmington. The water was from eight to ten feet deep. Below Wilmington the water was 10 to 16 feet deep, backed up by the piers. The boats carried lumber, hardware, machinery, dry goods and groceries from Chicago, and returned loaded with corn sold on ears or shelled near the landing place. Far- mers hauled their crops of corn from ten to twenty-five
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miles south-first come, first served. Teams from a great distance could be seen at the landing in the very early morning. Nearby was a blacksmith shop owned by Del- bert and Harney Seybert. The landing was abandoned when the ice broke the dam about 1882 and after the con- struction of the neighboring railroads. Grain was ship- ped to Chicago on a boat known as Mohawk Bell, owned by Ed. Small of Wilmington. An accident occurred in 1876 when the north wall of the elevator gave away and about three thousand bushels of grain dropped into the river. The boats were also used for excursions on the river (fare $1) and for dancing on special celebrations. The King brothers' steamboat and barges, called Atlantic and Menard, were owned by Hanford brothers. Capacity of the barges was five or six thousand bushels. The steam- boat could carry about four thousand.
POOR FARM.
The first county poor farm of Kankakee was located in Salina township on the east half of the northeast quar- ter of section 13, range 10. The patent was issued to John Sash by the Chicago land office on May 1, 1849, and soon after deeded to David Sash, then to Geo. W. Smith on October 1, 1853, who deeded it to Joel B. Hawkins on October 1, 1853, who then deeded it back to George B. Smith on October 16, 1854. Mr. Smith built a house on the land in 1854 or 1855 (16x10), hauling the lumber part- ly from Chicago and using for the frame wood he secured from standing timber. Later a few additions were built to it. Mr. Smith sold it to the supervisors of Kankakee county for $1,600. The county used it as a poor house until 1864 and then sold it to A. B. Henry for $1,200.
The first poormaster was Christian Koley, who oc- cupied the farm for a year or two. He was followed in that office by John White of Essex township who held the position until a change in the system of supporting the poor was made. The township system was adopted by the county and then the farm was sold.
Special Biographical Notes of Pioneer and Subsequent Settlers
JOHN HEIMBURGER-Born in Colmar (Alsace) France in 1824; came to America in 1854 and settled in Pilot township, Kankakee county. Trip on ocean oc- cupied forty days; from New York to Chicago on a freight car, eight days. Lived at first in a sod house, then built a frame house 12x16 feet; later an addition 12x14 feet. Occupied same for about fifteen years. Married to Theresia Frueh. Children: Elizabeth, Catherine, John, Michael, Mary and George. At first he took a claim of 40 acres in Pilot township, section 3, and in 1868 bought 160 acres in Pilot township, section 9, from Calele Dodge for $1920. Died on May 11, 1911, and was buried in SS. Peter and Paul's cemetery.
MICHAEL FRUEH-Born in Colmar (Alsace) France, July 4, 1821, and came to America and Pilot town- ship in 1854 with John Heimburger. Bought eighty acres of land at $1 per acre. Died in 1903 and was buried in SS. Peter and Paul's cemetery.
PHILIP KARCHER-Born in Colmar (Alsace) France, 1831. After having taught school in Alsace for some time he emigrated to America in July 1854, and settled in Pilot township. Spent fifty-six days on the ocean. Travelled in boxcar from New York to Chicago. Married to Mary Richert in 1851. Children: Mary, John, Emma, Sarah, Frank, Louis, Joseph, Philip. Bought 80 of land at about $8 per acre from Martin Kibby in 1863. Died in 1895, and was buried in Mount Calvary cemetery, Kankakee.
CARL RUDER-Born in Cappel am Rhein, Baden, Germany, on April 14, 1805, and came to America on May
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12 ,1855, settling immediately in Essex township. Was on the ocean 19 days. Married to Carolina Gaenshirt. Children: Fridolin, Erhard, Maria, Theresia, Wendelin and Caroline. Bought 80 acres of land from Illinois Central Railroad company in 1855 at $8 per acre. Died March 30, 1876. Roads being impassable at the time of death he was temporarily buried in a field near the home- stead and after two weeks the body was transferred to the cemetery in Wilmington.
MATTHIAS CLODI-Born in Sessenheim (Alsace) France, on February 24, 1812, and came to America in 1852. Sailed from Havre, France, to New Orleans in forty-two days. Settled in Dupage county, Illinois, and them moved to Salina township, section 16, about 1855. Married to Cecilia Borschneck. Children: Matthias, Jacob, Magadelena, Catherine, Michael (soldier in Co. F, 156th Illinois volunteer infantry, Civil war), Joseph, Louis,
Louisa, Mary. Bought 120 acres of land at $6 per acre from public school association. Died January 20, 1877, and was buried in SS. Peter and Paul's cemetery.
PETER GEIGER-Claims Rhenish Bavaria as the land of his birth. Born in Leimersheim, county of Ger- mersheim, in 1819, and emigrated to the United States in 1849, settling first in Naperville, Ill., where he was engag- ed in farming for six years, then moved to Salina town- ship on the Holliday farm in 1855, where he rented land for two years. Bought 80 acres in Pilot township from Illinois Central Railroad company for $640, in 1876, where he resided for twenty years before retiring to a home south of Herscher. Married to Apolonia Emling. Children: Martin, Mary, Sophia, Theresia, Carolina, Amelia, Peter and Elizabeth. His trip across the Atlantic occupied six weeks. Died in 1894 and was buried in the town ceme- tery of Herscher.
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FRANZ STUDER-A native of Switzerland, born in Visp on the river Rhone, county of Vallais in 1824. Came to America in 1850 and settled at Joliet, Ill. In 1855 he moved to Limestone township near the poor farm. After farming on different places in Limestone and Salina townships he settled in Pilot township in 1865, where he bought 40 acres in 1867 at $7 per acre. In 1880 he went to Rowlins county, Kansas, and bought land in what was afterwards called "Studer settlement." Married to Maria Josephina Studer. Children: Seraphina, Maurice, Frank, Julius, Louise, John, Barbara, Josephine, Catherine, Mary. Mrs. Frank Studer was a woman of a remarkable char- acter, reached the age of nearly ninety years and was mar- ried sixty-seven years. When Mr. Studer came to this country, he could have purchased a track of 40 acres in what is now the heart of Chicago for $240. Frank Stud- er died December 8, 1918, at St. Ann's home, Techny, Ill., and was buried in Hendron, Kansas, where his wife had been laid at rest.
ADAM FRITZ-Born in Schesslitz near Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany, October 23, 1830. On March 1, 1852, he embarked on a sailing vessel and crossed the Atlantic in five weeks, arriving at Baltimore on April 3, where he took a position for $5 a month. After the first month he worked in the country for $6 per month during two years, when he moved to Chicago, working in a brickyard for $20 a month. In the fall of 1854 he came to Kankakee, where he took up different kinds of work for six years. In the spring of 1860 he definitely settled in Pilot town- ship. He was married in 1854 to Margaret Biegle, also a native of Bavaria, who died after a few months. Later he was united in marriage with Mary Sieverding, a native of Hanover, in the district of Osnabrueck, Germany. Children: George, John, George, Henry, Edward, William, Joseph, Kilian and Margaret. In 1858 he traded his town property in Kankakee for 80 acres of land, Pilot township, section 17, which was owned by Matthias Burk- hardt and valued at $600. By his remarkable industry and thrift, Adam Fritz acquired an estate of more than
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1500 acres. His death occurred January 6, 1916, and he is buried in SS. Peter and Paul's cemetery.
FRANK EMLING-Born in Leimershein, county of Germersheim, Rhenish Bavaria, 1819. Crossed the ocean in 1849. Settled in Naperville, Ill., for some time and occupied with Peter Geiger the first house built in Bon- field, from 1855-1865, when he bought 80 acres in Essex township, section 25, for $1900 from Victor Henry in 1865. Died March 9, 1896, and is buried in SS. Peter and Paul's cemetery.
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