USA > Illinois > Union County > History of Union County > Part 10
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As the use of land increased in Union County and good land became less and less available, new methods of providing for more and better crops were improvised. In the "Bottoms" three drainage districts were organized to reclaim the land that was swampy and to drain the numerous small lakes which existed there.
The first attempt which was made to organized the citizens of this area to carry out the above project failed and was super- ceded by another organization. The second time the project was orgnized, 1913 to 1916, the plans were carried through.
Three drainage districts were established, Preston, Clear Creek and Miller Pond. Directors of each district were elected by the land owner. Each land owner had so many votes per forty acres so that a man owning 400 acres was allowed ten times as many votes as a man owning 40 acres. Preston district which com- prised 8,806.18 acres of land elected Mr. Tom Rixleben, Mr. Will J. Rendleman and Mr. Harry Verble, directors. Clear Creek com- prising 17,313 acres, elected Mr. Dan Davie, Mr. James Reynolds and Mr. Russell Corlis, directors, and Mill Pond which comprised 4200 acres elected Mr. Ed Karraker, Mr. Henry Sifford and Mr. John Lingle directors. The citizens then petitioned the court to recognize these men as duly authorized commissioners to represent the land owners of their respective districts in all business trans- actions.
Part of the minutes of the meeting petitioning the court were as follows: "The lands aforementioned, lying within the boundaries and comprising the territory hereinafter mentioned and described, are exceedingly fertile and productive in character and thereby are well adapted to all purposes of agriculture which can be employed and utilized in this latitude and locality, nevertheless, they are of the character and description known as 'bottom' lands, are of gen- erally low elevation and be adjacent to the Big Muddy and Missis- sippi Rivers, in consequence of which they, to a large extent, are subject to overflow and inundation from said streams in time of flood, by reason of which their tillage in their natural unprotected state is rendered precarious and cannot be undertaken and present- ed with safety or assurances of ability to mature and garner crops grown therein. Moreover, a large portion of said lands are swampy, covered by small lakes and ponds in which the surplus water from floods and surface water from rains and melting snow and ice col- lects and remains standing and stagnant during the greater or less portion of every year, whereby is produced noxious weeds and rank vegetation, which in decaying, causes vile and noxious vapors, mos- quitos and other poisonous and disease bearing insects also breed and thrive because of stagnant and noxious vegetation. By reason of all which the lands require a combined system of drainage and protection from overflow, which, as the petitioners believe and
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allege, can be accomplished within the limits of reasonable cost and expenses.
After the districts were set up, taxes of approximately twenty-two dollars per acre were levied to carry on the project. This money was to be paid in partial payments over a period of several years.
An engineer was then employed to survey the territory and make plans for ditches and levees. Then the work was completed. By this means approximately 30,000 acres of land was reciaimed for use in agriculture.
The bonds have been retired and the project has been suc- cessful in a way but the ditches have not been maintained as was originally planned and in many places they have been filled by soil erosion and growth of brush until now there is need for another project in oil reclamation.
The Federal government made an appropriation in 1934 of $300,000 for the repair of the back levee along the Mississippi in Preston and Clear Creek Districts but so far the directors have not petitioned the government for the use of the money and if this is not done within a definite period the money will revert to the treasury.
Some of the farmers were forced to sell their land in order to meet the cost of the drainage project but in most instances this was due to the fact that the land was heavily encumbered before the assessment for drainage was made.
Three destructive floods occurred, 1922, 1925, and 1927, which broke the levee and did much damage to the land. Much sipe water soaks through under the levee when the river is high which still prevents the use of some of the land.
The present commissioners of the district are: Preston, Mr. Tom Rixleben, Mr. W. J. Rendleman and Mr. Ralph M. Springs; Clear Creek: Mr. Dan Davie, Mr. James Reynolds, and Mr. Russell Corlis. Mr. John Lingle is the secretary of these two districts. The commissioners of Miller Pond district are Mr. Edwin Lingle, Mr. Ed Karraker and Mr. A. M. Wilson and Mr. Perl Zwahlen is secre- tary.
In 1917 the Farm Bureau was organized to help the farmer take advantage of the benefits in education and other constructive projects carried on by the United States Department of Agriculture through the University of Illinois. Part of the expenses of the bureau was to be paid by the Department of Agriculture and the remainder the fees collected for membership in the county. Exten- sion work was put into the county with the understanding that a farm adviser would be appointed.
The first meeting of a temporary organization was held October 19, 1917. It was known as the Union County Improvement Association and the officers elected were: Charles Ware, president; Claude Rich, vice-president; L. G. Richardson, secretary and Rooney Dillow, treasurer.
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The first meeting of the permanent and present organization was held March 1, 1918. This organization became known as the Farm Bureau of Union County. The officers elected were: A. A. Fasig, president; Claude Rich, vice-president; L. G. Richardson, secretary; and Clyde Harris, treasurer; with C. F. Keist, E. B. Walton, O. J. Penninger, L. L. Casper and W. W. Davie serving on the executive committee.
The present board is made up of Ernest Vincent, president; Ralph Williams, vice-president; Charles Eddleman, secretary and treasurer, and Ray Guthrie, Ed Wiggs, N. M. Gurley, T. D. Dillow, Ernest Newbold, O. H. Clutts, Mark Otrich, Elbert Miller, D. L. Miller and Ike Knight serving as directors.
The first farm adviser, Mr. C. E. Durst came to Union County early in 1920. In June, 1920, he was succeeded by Mr. Doerschuk, who remained until February 15, 1923. Mr. E. A. Bierbaum, the present adviser worked with Mr. Doerschuk as assistant adviser in 1921. Mr. Foote became adviser in February, 1923 and was fol- lowed by Mr. Fager in April, 1925. He was followed by Mr. Brock, June 4, 1927 and in 1929 Mr. Bierbaum returned, this time as ad- viser and has remained since that time.
The Farm Bureau was primarily organized as a farm organ- ization to sponsor agriculture extension work in the county but since the time of organization it has taken under its supervision other activities. The Farm Bureau now acts as liason betweat the acti- vities of the Illinois Agricultural Association. From year to year new activities have developed in this organization and have become available to the local unit. Under the educational activities of the I. A. A. comes the Information and Publicity Department, which keeps the membership informed by means of I. A. A. records and news releases. This was established in 1919. Next comes the Cor- porate Secretary who is responsible for the corporate records of the I. A. A. and affiliates. Under the Corporate Secretary comes the Department of Safety, established in 1935 to encourage farm, home and highway safety, and the Department of Soil Improvement, estab- lished in 1937 to encourage and develop soil building, and the De- partment of Office Management which supervises 300 employees.
The third department of the I. A. A. is the Treasury which is responsible for the funds of the I. A. A. and nine affiliates. Within the department is the Assistant Treasurer whose respon- sibility is to supervise all investments for the I. A. A. and affiliates, 'established in 1935. Next comes the comptroller, which supervises budgets and accounting for the I. A. A. and affiliates. This was established in 1927 when the organization had developed into a large corporation.
The fifth department is that of Field Secretary -- bich main- tains organization relations with farm bureaus and affles. Within this department are the department of organization, etc.blished in 1919 to assist with membership acquisition and maintenance; the de- partment of young people's activities, established in 1936 to develop
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future leadership; the department of grain marketing, established in: 1920 to develop cooperative grain marketing; the department of pro- duce of cream marketing, established in 1921 to develop crop pro- duce and cream marketing; the department of livestock marketing established in 1920 to develop cooperative livestock marketing; the- department of fruit and vegetable marketing, established in 1921 to develop cooperative fruit and vegetable marketing; the depart- ment of milk marketing, established in 1920 to develop cooperative milk marketing.
The sixth department of the I. A. A. is the Field Service established in 1937 to assist county Farm Bureaus with special pro- jects. Next comes the Department of General Counsel established in 1921 as legal adviser. Under the Department of General Coun- sel comes the Legal Department, established in 1919 to give legal service to the organization and its affiliates, and the Transportation Department, established in 1919, which oversees transportation and utility matters.
The Taxation and Statistics Department, established in 1921, handles tax problems and economic studies.
Organizations which have become corporations growing out- of I. A. A. activities are the Illinois Agricultural Service Company, which provides management service for affiliated companies respon- sible to the respective boards of directors including: (1) The Illinois Farm Supply Company, established in 1927, which serves 138 farm cooperatives and paid dividends of $1,418,800 in 1938; (2) the Illi -- nois Farm Bureau Service Association, established in 1924, which serves 87 county Farm Bureaus and paid dividends of $62,000 in 1938; (3) the Illinois Agricultural Auditing Association, established in 1924 which provided 470 audits at cost for 353 cooperatives in 1938; (4) the Illinois Grain Corporation, established in 1930, a statewide marketing cooperative for local elevators; (5) the Illinois Producer's Creameries established in 1930, having nine member- creameries which produced 7,000,000 pounds of butter in 1938; (6) the Illinois Livestock Marketing Association, a statewide agency for cooperative livestock marketing, established in 1931; (7) the Coun- try Life Insurance Company established in 1928 which is a company having 83,000 policies with a value of $133,000,000 in force; (8) the Illinois Agricultural Holding Company which holds all capital stock of the Country Life Insurance Company; (9) the Illinois Agricultural Mutual Insurance Company which has 80,000 policies of auto employer's liability, accident and 4-H Calf Club; (10) the Farmer's Mutual Reinsurance Company which has in force $231, -. 000,000 worth of fire, wind and hail insurance policies.
A second affiliated organization is the Illinois Fruit Growers Exchange established in 1921. Through this fruits and vegetables were marketed in 18 states and Canada during 1938. Another agency is the Illinois Milk Producer's Association with 23 members doing cooperative marketing of $3,700,000 worth of milk annually.
Through the Farm Bureau all the above services are avail-
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able to its members.
The Farm Bureau also works with the Farm Security Ad- ministration, the Soil Conservation Administration and the Farm Credit Association, three departments of the Federal government ' which loans or grants money to the farmer. The farm security . administration will be discussed in a later chapter on Relief in Union County.
Soil Conservation is a large program in this county. It is organized under the Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act passed by the Federal government in 1936 and revised in 1938. Its purpose is (1) to conserve the natural resources of the soil, (2) · control production, and (3) help the farmer obtain his fair share of the national income.
The first program of this type was established in 1933 and was known as the corn-hog-wheat program and its purpose was to pay the farmer's benefits for reducing hog and corn production to ·get rid of surpluses, to stabilize the market and to increase the price. This program was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States. The committee which supervised the corn-hog-wheat program were Charles Eddleman, Odie Bridgeman, John Orr, J. R. Montgomery, Guy Johnson and Fred Dillow.
The first committee administering the soil conservation pro- gram was J. R. Montgomery, chairman, Dan Davie, vice-chairman . and secretary, and L. L. Flamm. The present committee is Dan Davie, chairman, L. L. Flamm, vice-chairman, P. D. Dillow and Elaine Rushing, secretary, treasurer and office manager. This com- mittee distributes the allotments paid by the Federal government · to the farmers for conforming to the program of soil conservation.
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CHAPTER XXV THE CITY MARKETS OF COBDEN AND ANNA THE HORSE AND MULE MARKET
As agriculture developed and as new modes of transportation. became available, the shipper's association and various civic and. farmer groups became interested in developing new modes of mar- keting produce.
As long as only rail and water transportation was available for shipping, produce was sent to distributing centers such as Chi- cago, Memphis, New Orleans, etc. Brokers had headquarters in these centers and bought most of the produce which came in to sell to the retailers in various parts of the country. The farmer paid for the packing and shipping of the produce to these centers and frequently when there was a market break the additional loss of these handling charges served a hardship on the farmer.
With the advent of hard roads and trucks the picture of marketing changed.
In Anna, in 1934, a Municipal Market was constructed where- the farmers could bring their produce to be sold directly to brokers: or other buyers. This project was the result of efforts of the Union County Farm Bureau to provide a place for cooperative marketing. The Anna Chamber of Commerce became interested and donated $2,000 toward the construction of the market. The City of Anna donated $500, and $17,500 was obtained from the Civil Works Ad- ministration, making a total of $19,800. The $2500 provided most of the material used and the C. W. A. allowance provided for the labor and part of the material.
The following is a report of the committee in charge of the building of the market:
"At a cost of approximately $20,000, Anna constructed for the farmers of Southern Illinois, a market place that is second to none. The facilities offer to the producer an excellent and orderly method of disposing of his fruits or vegetables in season.
"The market fills a long needed facility," says Mr. J. L .. Fuller, one of the older and more experienced fruit growers of the. community, "a facility that offers direct selling with car loading and truck loading platforms and a fruit and vegetable shipping association which makes the way of disposing of products varied. and many enough to suit the most particular seller or buyer."
With $3,500 for materials and a substantially larger amount for labor in construction the community offers ideal surroundings. for fair dealings between buyer and seller.
Early in the development of the project a small committee. of Farm Ber au members met with their Farm Adviser and worked out skeletor :ed plans for the project but due to lack of ready capital, wet not able to have the project put under way with farm- er owned w .- tal. When the C. W. A. developed, the project merit-
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ed consideration by that administration and with funds from that source, later funds furnished by the Anna Chamber of Commerce, the project was completed and made ready for operation May 15, 1934.
Under the able management of Mr. Woodward, who had twelve years of experience in similar market facilities at Benton Harbor, Michigan, the project has proceeded with surprising success.
The actual operation of the market is under the direction of a market commission consisting of Mr. J. L. Fuller, Mr. P. M. West and Mr. R. L. Shannon.
The Illinois Central Railroad, seeing the advantage of such facilities to the growers of the territory spent some $8,000 in im- proving their car loading facilities adjacent to the market.
In short, the market offers ideal opportunity to all fruit and vegetable growers of Southern Illinois to dispose of produce on an F. O. B. basis.
The market employs a market master and checker. The local farmer is charged 10c per load for what he sells in the market. If a man comes from another state to sell his produce he is charged one dollar per load.
Several brokers and buyers pay $50.00 per year for stalls where they operate their business and day buyers pay $1.00 per day for the use of the market facilities.
In cooperation with the market, the City of Anna passed an ordinance prohibiting house to house peddling so that all produce can be sold thru the regular market channels.
The project has been self-supporting and a small surplus has been accumulated.
The Cobden market, called the People's Fruit and Vegetable Shipper's Association was built by the shippers of Cobden and donations solicited from other residents.
This market was built at a cost of $10,000 in 1935. It is maintained for approximately $150 per year. It serves the same purpose that the Anna market serves.
Mr. Melvin Caraker is manager of the People's Fruit and Vegetable Shipper's Association and Mr. Frank A. Rendleman is manager of the market. They work together at the market Fees are charged if the market sells produce for the farmer but any farm- er is allowed to sell his own produce there free of charge.
These markets in strawberry and peach marketing seasons are interesting spectacles. Almost any market day through the sum- mer finds them busy but these two seasons find them especially so. Both towns are over-run with trucks at these times which bear license plates from practically every state in the United States.
Another interesting market in Union County is the W. H. Bishop Horse and Mule Auction. This market is not the result of the expansion of horse and mule raising in the county but it could well be the cause of the development of the industry especially
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since so much of the Union County land is more adapted to pasture than to crop raising.
The Bishop Auction is rather, the result of the long exper- ience Mr. W. H. Bishop has had in the marketing of horses and mules. He felt that such an enterprise would be a paying business so he invested his own capital of several thousand dollars in the equipment to run this market. He began in 1933 with one barn where he carried on a retail business in horses and mules. By 1939 he had added two retail barns and the large building housing the horse and mule auction, the office and lunch room. This building is air conditioned, modern and convenient in every respect.
This is the largest industry in Union County owned and operated by one individual.
Every Tuesday buyers from all parts of the country assemble to bid on the horses and mules led into the auction ring. Animals are brought from all parts of the country to be sold here. There is established fees for the selling of each animal and regular fees are charged for keeping animals to be sold.
Assisting Mr. Bishop in his business are his brothers, John and Noble Bishop, his sister, Mrs. Mamie Biggs and his nephew, Luther Davis, Jr. Mr. Harry C. Kearney is the auctioneer.
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CHAPTER XXVI THE FORESTS OF UNION COUNTY THE REFORESTATION PROGRAM
Like all other parts of the United States when dense forests prevailed when the white man settled, our trees were cut and stumps pulled out so that we are no longer a heavily wooded area.
In the beginning the trees were cut and small spaces clear- ed to build homes and make available enough land to grow the crops necessary for family life. As population increased more land was cleared. Rail fences were built and later plank roads.
With the coming of the railroad the timber industry grew for two reasons, first the railroad provided a means of shipping the logs away and second the trains burned wood for fuel and used wooden ties and rails, that is a wooden rail with a piece of steel nailed to it, for a number of years. Large tracts of forest land were bought for the purpose of supplying this demand.
For many years the packages in which our produce was shipped away were made of native wood but now we have only itwe package manufacturers operating.
During the 1920's timber sold at a high market price so that during that time much timber was cut. At one time as many as as thirty-two saw mills operated in the county.
In 1929 the price of lumber was reduced to such an extent that the timber industry has been greatly reduced.
It is the one large industry in the country which employed nearly 500 people in the 1920's which now employs less than 100 people.
Aside from the people regularly employed in the various oc- cupations connected with timber, most farmers spent their winters cleaning woodlands and selling logs and cord wood. As soon as crops were gathered the hired men were put to work cutting wood and the farmer had an income from his wood of from fifty to five hundred or more dollars. Since this form of occupation has prac- tically disappeared in the county, many farmers do not employ labor during the winter months.
While our early homes were built of native wood and saw mills sold their products straight to the consumer in early days, that type of industry has disappeared. We now have our lumber companies which are jobbers. They buy the finished product from the manufacturer and sell to the builder. The same change has taken place in the fruit package industry. All but two of our fruit package dealers are now jobbers, buying their packages from manufacturers and selling to the farmer. More paper packages than were formerly used are now in use.
In order to prevent the promiscuous misuse of the forests and to conserve the young trees and to preserve forests in general the federal government purchased land and established forest preserves.
The United States Department of Agriculture gives the fol-
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lowing information regarding the work of the United States Forest Service :
"Forest depletion, which went on in the United States prac- tically unchecked for more than one hundred years received its first real curb at the turn of the twentieth century.
"The need for a conservation policy had been felt for a long time, but it was not until increasing demands of a rapidly expanding civilization sharply accelerated the rate of forest use-and misuse- and emphasized this need tremendously that public opinion called for Federal action to halt the destruction of the forest resources.
"It was apparent that things were happening to the forests. They were being logged without thought of future timber require- ments; uncontrolled fires and excessive cutting were destroying the remaining timber, preventing natural reproduction of trees, and stripping important watersheds of their protective covering. In short, it was clear that the public itself, through its Federal Government should take steps toward the proper management of areas of great- est influence upon public welfare and exert every effort toward ex- tension of sound principles to forest management and use.
"At this time also, it was evident that a great advance had been made in the development of scientific forestry. Public spirited citizens wished to apply this new knowledge in order to restore and maintain the usefulness of the country's forest lands.
"During the 15 years, beginning with 1890, the trend toward public forestry moved swiftly, culminating in 1905 with the creation of the United States Forest Service in the Department of Agri- culture. The forest reserves, as national forests were then called -. areas withdrawn from the remaining timbered regions of the west- ern public domain-were placed under the management of the Forest Service.
"The Secretary of Agriculture at that time commissioned the Forest Service so to manage these Federal properties that they would provide the greatest good to the greatest number of people 'in the long run.' This cardinal principle has been steadily adhered to in the': administration through the years.
"Forestry, as applied by the Forest Service, is concerned with the perpetuation and development of forests that they may continue their many benefits to mankind-furnishing wood and other products for man's use; preventing erosion of soil and regulating stream flow and water supply for irrigation; for power, for domestic use, and for control of floods; harboring wildlife; providing abund- ant opportunity for outdoor recreation. All these contribute to to what is perhaps most important of all-steady, gainful employ- ment for a sizeable portion of the country's population, resulting in stabalized communities.
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