Illinois, Crawford County historical and biographical, Part 59

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1058

USA > Illinois > Crawford County > Illinois, Crawford County historical and biographical > Part 59

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proposed road extending from Cairo to Dunleith in the northwest corner of the State, with a branch to Chicago, which bill passed the Senate in May of the same year and the House in September, and became the basis of the Illinois Central Rail- road Company as it exists to-day. Previous to the passage of this act, however, the Cairo City & Canal Company had been induced to execute a full surrender to the State of its rights and privi- leges under the "Holbrook charter." This was

followed in February, 1851, by the act of the Legislature incorporating the Illinois Central Railroad Company, and assigning thereto (under specified conditions) the grant of lands received from the General Government. This grant covered alternate sections within six miles of the line, or the equivalent thereof (when such lands were not vacant), to be placed on lands within fifteen miles of the line. The number of acres thus assigned to the Company was 2,595,000, (about 3,840 acres per mile), which were con- veyed to Trustees as security for the performance of the work. An engineering party, organized at Chicago, May 21, 1851, began the prelim- inary survey of the Chicago branch, and before the end of the year the whole line was surveyed and staked out The first contract for grading was let on March 15, 1852, being for that portion between Chicago and Kensington (then known as Calumet), 14 miles. This was opened for traffic, May 24, 1852, and over it the Michigan Central, which had been in course of construction from the east, obtained trackage rights to enter Chicago. Later, contracts were let for other sections, some of them in June, and the last on Oct. 14, 1852. In May, 1853, the section from La Salle to Bloomington (61 miles) was com- pleted and opened for business, a temporary bridge being constructed over the Illinois near La Salle, and cars hauled to the top of the bluff with chains and cable by means of a stationary engine. In July, 1854, the Chicago Division was put in operation to Urbana, 128 miles; the main line from Cairo to La Salle (301 miles), completed Jan. 8, 1855, and the line from La Salle to Dunleith

(now East Dubuque), 146.73 miles, on June 12, 1855-the entire road (705.5 miles) being com- pleted, Sept. 27, 1856 .- (FINANCIAL STATEMENT.) The share capital of the road was originally fixed at $17,000,000, but previous to 1869 it had been increased to $25,500,000, and during 1873-74 to $29,000,000. The present capitalization (1898) is $163,352,593, of which $52,500,000 is in stock, $52,680,925 in bonds, and $51,367,000 in miscel- laneous obligations. The total cost of the road

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HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

in Illinois, as shown by a report made in 1889, was $35,110,609. By the terms of its charter the corporation is exempt from taxation, but in lieu thereof is required to pay into the State treasury, semi-annually, seven per cent upon the gross earnings of the line in Illinois. The sum thus paid into the State treasury from Oct. 31, 1855, when the first payment of $29,751.59 was made, up to and including Oct. 31, 1898, aggregated $17,315,193.24. The last payment (October, 1898), amounted to $334,527.01. The largest payment in the history of the road was that of October, 1893, amounting, for the preceding six months, to $450,176.34. The net income of the main line in Illinois, for the year ending June 30, 1898, was $12,299,021, and the total expenditures within the State $12,831,161 .- (LEASED LINES.) The first addition to the Illinois Central System was made in 1867 in the acquisition, by lease, of the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad, extending from Dubuque to Sioux Falls, Iowa. Since then it has extended its Iowa connections, by the construction of new lines and the acquisition or extension of others. The most important addition to the line outside of the State of Illinois was an arrangement effected, in 1872, with the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern, and the Mississippi Central Rail- roads-with which it previously had traffic con- nections-giving it control of a line from Jackson, Tenn., to New Orleans, La. At first, connection was had between the Illinois Central at Cairo and the Southern Divisions of the system, by means of transfer steamers, but subsequently the gap was filled in and the through line.opened to traffic in December, 1873. In 1874 the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern and the Mississippi Central roads were consolidated under the title of the New Orleans, St. Louis & Chicago Railroad, but the new corporation defaulted on its interest in 1876. The Illinois Central, which was the owner of a majority of the bonds of the constitu- ent lines which went to make up the New Orleans, St. Louis & Chicago Railroad, then acquired ownership of the whole line by foreclosure pro- ceedings in 1877, and it was reorganized, on Jan. 1, 1878, under the name of the Chicago, St. Louis & New Orleans Railroad, and placed in charge of one of the Vice-Presidents of the Illinois Central Company .- (ILLINOIS BRANCHES.) The more im- portant branches of the Illinois Central within the State include: (1) The Springfield Division from Chicago to Springfield (111.47 miles), chartered in 1867, and opened in 1871 as the Gilman, Clinton & Springfield Railroad; passed into the hands of a receiver in 1873, sold under foreclosure in 1876,

and leased, in 1878, for fifty years, to the Illinois Central Railroad: (2) The Rantoul Division from Leroy to the Indiana State line (66.21 miles in Illinois), chartered in 1876 as the Havana, Ran- toul & Eastern Railroad, built as a narrow-gauge line and operated in 1881; afterwards changed to standard-gauge, and controlled by the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific until May, 1884, when it passed into the hands of a receiver; in December of the same year taken in charge by the bondholders; in 1885 again placed in the hands of a receiver, and, in October, 1886, sold to the Illinois Central: (3) The Chicago, Havana & Western Railroad, from Havana to Champaign, with a branch from White- heath to Decatur (total, 131.62 miles), constructed as the western extension of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western, and opened in 1873; sold under foreclosure in 1879 and organized as the Champaign, Havana & Western; in 1880 pur- chased by the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific; in 1884 taken possession of by the mortgage trustees and, in September, 1886, sold under foreclosure to the Illinois Central Railroad: (4) The Freeport Division, from Chicago by way of Freeport to Madison, Wis. (140 miles in Illinois), constructed under a charter granted to the Chicago, Madison & Northern Railroad (which see), opened for traffic in 1888, and transferred to the Illinois Central Railroad Company in January, 1889: (5) The Kankakee & Southwestern (131.26 miles), constructed from Kankakee to Bloomington under the charters of the Kankakee & Western and the Kankakee & Southwestern Railroads; acquired by the Illinois Central in 1878, begun in 1880, and extended to Bloomington in 1883; and (6) The St. Louis, Alton & Terre Haute (which see under its old name). Other Illinois branch lines of less importance embrace the Blue Island; the Chicago & Texas; the Mound City; the South Chicago; the St. Louis, Belleville & Southern, and the St. Charles Air-Line, which furnishes an entrance to the City of Chicago over an ele- vated track. The total length of these Illinois branches in 1898 was 919.72 miles, with the main lines making the total mileage of the company within the State 1,624.22 miles. For several years up to 1895 the Illinois Central had a connection with St. Louis over the line of the Terre Haute & Indianapolis from Effingham, but this is now secured by way of the Springfield Division and the main line to Pana, whence its trains pass over the old Indianapolis & St. Louis-now the Cleve- land, Cinciunati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway. Between June 30, 1897 and April 30, 1898, branch lines in the Southern States (chiefly in Kentucky

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and Tennessee), to the extent of 670 miles, were added to the Illinois Central System. The Cairo Bridge, constructed across the Ohio River near its mouth, at a cost of $3,000,000, for the purpose of connecting the Northern and Southern Divisions of the Illinois Central System, and one of the inost stupendous structures of its kind in the world, belongs wholly to the Illinois Central Railroad Company. (See Cairo Bridge.)

ILLINOIS COLLEGE, an institution of learn- ing at Jacksonville, Ill., which was the first to graduate a collegiate class in the history of the State. It had its origin in a movement inaugu- rated about 1827 or 1828 to secure the location, at some point in Illinois, of a seminary or college which would give the youth of the State the opportunity of acquiring a higher education. Some of the most influential factors in this move- ment were already citizens of Jacksonville, or contemplated becoming such. In January, 1828, the outline of a plan for such an institution was drawn up by Rev. John M. Ellis, a home missionary of the Presbyterian Church, and Hon. Samuel D. Lockwood, then a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State, as a basis for soliciting subscriptions for the organization of a stock-company to carry the enterprise into execution. The plan, as then proposed, contemplated provision for a depart- ment of female education, at least until a separate institution could be furnished-which, if not a forerunner of the co-educational system now so much in vogue, at least foreshadowed the estab- lishment of the Jacksonville Female Seminary, which soon followed the founding of the college. A few months after these preliminary steps were taken, Mr. Ellis was brought into communication with a group of young men at Yale College (see "Illinois Band") who had entered into a com- pact to devote their lives to the cause of educa- tional and missionary work in the West, and out of the union of these two forces, soon afterwards effected, grew Illinois College. The organization of the "Illinois" or "Yale Band," was formally consummated in February, 1829, and before the close of the year a fund of $10,000 for the purpose of laying the foundation of the proposed institu- tion in Illinois had been pledged by friends of education in the East, a beginning had been made in the erection of buildings on the present site of Illinois College at Jacksonville, and, in Decem- ber of the same year, the work of instruction of a preparatory class had been begun by Rev. Julian M. Sturtevant, who had taken the place of "avant- courier" of the moveinent. A year later (1831) Rev. Edward Beecher, the oldest son of the inde-

fatigable Lyman Beecher, and brother of Henry Ward-already then well known as a leader in the ranks of those opposed to slavery-had be- come identified with the new enterprise and assumed the position of its first President. Such was the prejudice against "Yankees" in Illinois at that time, and the jealousy of theological influ- ence in education, that it was not until 1835 that the friends of the institution were able to secure a charter from the Legislature. An ineffectual attempt had been made in 1830, and when it was finally granted, it was in the form of an "omni- bus bill" including three other institutions, but with restrictions as to the amount of real estate that might be held, and prohibiting the organiza- tion of theological departments, both of which were subsequently repealed. (See Early Col- leges.) The same year the college graduated its first class, consisting of two members-Richard Yates, afterwards War Governor and United States Senator, and Rev. Jonathan Spillman, the composer of "Sweet Afton." Limited as was this first output of alumni, it was politically and morally strong. In 1843 a medical department was established, but it was abandoned five years later for want of adequate support. Dr. Beecher retired from the Presidency in 1844, when he was succeeded by Dr. Sturtevant, who continued in that capacity until 1876 (thirty-two years), when he became Professor Emeritus, remaining until 1885 -- his connection with the institution cover- ing a period of fifty-six years. Others who have occupied the position of President include Rufus C. Crampton (acting), 1876-82; Rev. Edward A. Tanner, 1882-92; and Dr. John E. Bradley, the incumbent from 1892 to 1899. Among the earli- est and influential friends of the institution, besides Judge Lockwood already mentioned, may be enumerated such names as Gov. Joseph Dun- can, Thomas Mather, Winthrop S. Gilman, Frederick Collins and William H. Brown (of Chicago), all of whom were members of the early Board of Trustees. It was found necessary to maintain a preparatory department for many years to fit pupils for the college classes proper, and, in 1866, Whipple Academy was established and provided with a separate building for this purpose. The standard of admission to the col- lege course has been gradually advanced, keeping abreast, in this respect, of other American col- leges. At present the institution has a faculty of 15 members and an endowment of some $150,000, with a library (1898) numbering over 15,000 vol- umes and property valued at $360,000. Degrees are conferred in both classical and scientific

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courses in the college proper. The list of alumni embraces some 750 names, including many who have been prominent in State and National affairs.

ILLINOIS COUNTY, the name given to the first civil organization of the territory northwest of the Ohio River, after its conquest by Col. George Rogers Clark in 1778. This was done by act of the Virginia House of Delegates, passed in October of the same year, which, among other things, provided as follows: "The citizens of the commonwealth of Virginia, who are already set- tled, or shall hereafter settle, on the western side of the Ohio, shall be included in a distinct county which shall be called Illinois County; and the Governor of this commonwealth, with the advice of the Council, may appoint a County-Lieutenant or Commandant-in-chief of the county during pleasure, who shall take the oath of fidelity to this commonwealth and the oath of office accord- ing to the form of their own religion. And all civil offices to which the inhabitants have been accustomed, necessary for the preservation of the peace and the administration of justice, shall be chosen by a majority of the citizens of their re- spective districts, to be convened for that purpose by the County-Lieutenant or Commandant, or his deputy, and shall be commissioned by said County-Lieutenant." As the Commonwealth of Virginia, by virtue of Colonel Clark's conquest, then claimed jurisdiction over the entire region west of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi, Illinois County nominally embraced the territory comprised within the limits of the present States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wiscon- sin, though the settlements were limited to the vicinity of Kaskaskia, Vincennes (in the present State of Indiana) and Detroit. Col. John Todd, of Kentucky, was appointed by Gov. Patrick Henry, the first Lieutenant-Commandant under this act, holding office two years. Out of Illinois County were subsequently organized the follow- ing counties by "order" of Gov. Arthur St. Clair, after his assumption of the duties of Governor, following the passage, by Congress, of the Ordi- nance of 1787, creating the Northwest Territory, viz .:

NAME COUNTY-SEAT DATE OF ORGANIZATION

Washington

Marietta

July 27, 1788

Hamilton

Cahokia

Prairie du Rocher April 27, 1790

Knox

Post St. Vincennes Kaskaskia

Oct. 5, 1795

Washington, originally comprising the State of Ohio, was reduced, on the organization of Hamil- ton County, to the eastern portion, Hamilton

County embracing the west, with Cincinnati (originally called "Losantiville," near old Fort Washington) as the county-seat. St. Clair, the third county organized out of this territory, at first had virtually three county-seats, but divi- sions and jealousies among the people and officials in reference to the place of deposit for the records, resulted in the issue, five years later, of an order creating the new county of Randolph, the second in the "Illinois Country"-these (St. Clair and Randolph) constituting the two counties into which it was divided at the date of organization of Illinois Territory. Out of these events grew the title of "Mother of Counties" given to Illinois County as the original of all the counties in the five States northwest of the Ohio, while St. Clair County inherited the title as to the State of Illinois. (See Illinois; also St. Clair, Arthur, and Todd, (Col.) John.)

ILLINOIS FARMERS' RAILROAD. (See Jacksonville & St. Louis Railway.)

ILLINOIS FEMALE COLLEGE, a flourishing institution for the education of women, located at Jacksonville and incorporated in 1847. While essentially unsectarian in teaching, it is con- trolled by the Methodist Episcopal denomination. Its first charter was granted to the "Illinois Con- ference Female Academy" in 1847, but four years later the charter was amended and the name changed to the present cognomen. The cost of building and meager support in early years brought on bankruptcy. The friends of the insti- tution rallied to its support, however, and the purchasers at the foreclosure sale (all of whom were friends of Methodist education) donated the property to what was technically a new institu- tion. A second charter was obtained from the State in 1863, and the restrictions imposed upon the grant were such as to prevent alienation of title, by either conveyance or mortgage. While the college has only a small endowment fund ($2,000) it owns $60,000 worth of real property, besides $9,000 invested in apparatus and library. Preparatory and collegiate departments are main- tained, both classical and scientific courses being established in the latter. Instruction is also given in fine arts, elocution and music. The faculty (1898) numbers 15, and there are about 170 students.

ILLINOIS FEMALE REFORM SCHOOL. (See Home for Female Offenders.)

ILLINOIS INDIANS, a confederation belong- ing to the Algonquin family and embracing five tribes, viz .: the Cahokias, Kaskaskias, Mitcha- gamies, Peorias and Tamaroas. They early occu-

Cincinnati Jan. 4, 1790

St. Clair

( Kaskaskia

June 20, 1790

Randolph

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pied Illinois, with adjacent portions of Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri. The name is derived from Illini, "man," the Indian plural "ek" being changed by the French to "ois." They were intensely warlike, being almost constantly in conflict with the Winnebagoes, the Iroquois, Sioux and other tribes. They were migratory and depended for subsistence largely on the sum- mer and winter hunts. They dwelt in rudely constructed cabins, eacli accommodating about eight families. They were always faithful allies of the French, whom they heartily welcomed in 1673. French missionaries labored earnestly among them-notably Fathers Marquette, Allouez and Gravier-who reduced their language to grammatical rules. Their most distinguished Chief was Chicagou, who was sent to France, where he was welcomed with the honors accorded to a foreign prince. In their wars with the Foxes, from 1712 to 1719, they suffered severely, their numbers being reduced to 3,000 souls. The assassination of Pontiac by a Kaskaskian in 1765, was avenged by the lake tribes in a war of ex- termination. After taking part with the Miamis in a war against the United States, they partici- pated in the treaties of Greenville and Vincennes, and were gradually removed farther and farther toward the West, the small remnant of about 175 being at present (1896) on the Quapaw reservation in Indian Territory. (See also Cahokias; Foxes; Iroquois; Kaskaskias; Mitchagamies; Peorias; Tamaroas; and Winnebagoes.)

ILLINOIS INSTITUTION FOR THE EDU- CATION OF THE BLIND, located at Jackson- ville. The institution had its inception in a school for the blind, opened in that town in 1847, by Samuel Bacon, who was himself blind. The State Institution was created by act of the Legis- lature, passed Jan. 13, 1849, which was introduced by Richard Yates, then a Representative, and was first opened in a rented house, early in 1850, under the temporary supervision of Mr. Bacon. Soon afterward twenty-two acres of ground were purchased in the eastern part of the city and the erection of permanent buildings commenced. By January, 1854, they were ready for use, but fif- teen years later were destroyed by fire. Work on a new building was begun without unnecessary delay and the same was completed by 1874. Numerous additions of wings and shops have since been made, and the institution, in its build- ings and appointments, is now one of the most complete in the country. Instruction (as far as practicable) is given in rudimentary English branches, and in such mechanical trades and

avocations as may best qualify the inmates to be- come self-supporting upon their return to active life.

ILLINOIS MASONIC ORPHANS' HOME, an institution established in the city of Chicago under the auspices of the Masonic Fraternity of Illinois, for the purpose of furnishing a home for the destitute children of deceased members of the Order. The total receipts of the institution, dur-\ ing the year 1895, were $29,204.98, and the expenditures, $27,258.70. The number of bene- ficiaries in the Home, Dec. 31, 1895, was 61. The Institution owns real estate valued at $75,000.

ILLINOIS MIDLAND RAILROAD. (See Terre Haute & Peoria Railroad.)

ILLINOIS RIVER, the most important stream within the State; has a length of about 500 miles, of which about 245 are navigable. It is formed by the junction of the Kankakee and Des Plaines Rivers at a point in Grundy County, some 45 iniles southwest of Chicago. Its course is west, then southwest, and finally south, until it empties into the Mississippi about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Missouri. The Illinois & Michigan Canal connects its waters with Lake Michigan. Marquette and Joliet ascended the stream in 1673 and were probably its first wliite visitants. Later (1679-82) it was explored by La Salle, Tonty, Hennepin and others.

ILLINOIS RIVER RAILROAD. (See Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad of Illinois.)

ILLINOIS SANITARY COMMISSION, a vol- untary organization formed pursuant to a sug- gestion of Governor Yates, shortly after the battle of Fort Donelson (1862). Its object was the relief of soldiers in actual service, whether on the march, in camp, or in hospitals. State Agents were appointed for the distribution of relief, for which purpose large sums were collected and dis- tributed. The work of the Commission was later formally recognized by the Legislature in the enactment of a law authorizing the Governor to appoint "Military State Agents," who should receive compensation from the State treasury. Many of these "agents" were selected from the ranks of the workers in the Sanitary Commission, and a great impetus was thereby imparted to its voluntary work. Auxiliary associations were formed all over the State, and funds were readily obtained, a considerable proportion of which was derived from "Sanitary Fairs."

ILLINOIS SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE AND .

MANUAL TRAINING FOR BOYS, an institution for the training of dependent boys, organized under the act of March 28, 1895, which was in .

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effect a re-enactment of the statute approved in 1883 and amended in 1885. Its legally defined object is to provide a home and proper training for such boys as may be committed to its charge. Commitments are made by the County Courts of Cook and contiguous counties. The school is located at Glenwood, in the county of Cook, and was first opened for the reception of inmates in 1888. Its revenues are derived, in part, from voluntary contributions, and in part from pay- ments by the counties sending boys to the institu- tion, which payments are fixed by law at ten

dollars per month for each boy, during the time he is actually an inmate. In 1898 nearly one-half of the entire income came from the former source, but the surplus remaining in the treasury at the end of any fiscal year is never large. The school is under the inspectional control of the State Commissioners of Public Charities, as though it were an institution founded and main- tained by the State. The educational curriculum closely follows that of the ordinary grammar schools, pupils being trained in eight grades, sub- stantially along the lines established in the public schools. In addition, a military drill is taught, with a view to developing physical strength, command of limbs, and a graceful, manly car- riage. Since the Home was organized there have been received (down to 1899), 2,333 boys. The industrial training given the inmates is both agricultural and mechanical, -the institution owning a good, fairly-sized farm, and operating well equipped industrial shops for the education of pupils. A fair proportion of the boys devote themselves to learning trades, and not a few develop into excellent workmen. One of the purposes of the school is to secure homes for those thought likely to prove creditable members of respectable households. During the eleven years of its existence nearly 2,200 boys have been placed in homes, and usually with the most satisfactory results. The legal safeguards thrown around the ward are of a comprehensive and binding sort, so far as regards the parties who take the children for either adoption or apprenticeship- the welfare of the ward always being the object primarily aimed at. Adoption is preferred to institutional life by the administration, and the result usually justifies their judgment. Many of the pupils are returned to their families or friends, after a mild course of correctional treat- ment. The system of government adopted is analogous to that of the "cottage plan" employed in many reformatory institutions throughout the country. An "administration building" stands

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Illinois, Crawford County historical and biographical, Part 59

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1058

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1058