Bureau County, Illinois - Chapter 1: Introductory, 1906

The discovery, settlement and progress of the American continent stands without a parallel in the annals of history. Beginning with its discovery until now it has been one grand march of civilization, a civilization that stands for the upbuilding of human society and the elevation of the race.

Our forefathers landed on a barren and roekbound coast, the deep blue ocean rolled behind them and an unknown landscape was spread out before them, but they were not disheartened, for they brought with them a fortitude that could penetrate the primeval forests and an indomitable will and a personal courage that could and did transform those dark and forbidding wilds into fields of wealth and plenty. The leafy forests fell before the axe of the pioneer and in its place the hamlet, town and city came into existence.

American history is based on two civilizations. One had its foundation laid at Jamestown and the other at Plymouth Rock. The former was built upon an aristocracy governed by Shiveley, and tlie ruling thought that work was beneath tlie dignity of gentlemen, and that caste was permissible even in the new world. The other was made up of a people who believed that true dignity consisted in doing whatsoever came before them as duty in a courageous and heroic manner.

No work was considered menial that had for its purpose the betterment of themselves and the progress of the world. This latter civilization extended its strong right arm of development over our country and in its pathway schools, colleges and churches sprang into existence, supported by the sturdy yeomanry of the period of the past, until this matchless inspiration of our fathers has evolved a citizenship that stands as a mighty force for the elevation and Christianizati(m of mankind. No State has added more to this advance civilization than our own beloved Illinois. Her history must ever stand in the fore front of modern progress.

Illinois can feel a just pride in the wonderful strides she has made in almost every phase of her history. In men she can point to a Lincoln, a Douglas, Logan, Yates, Ogiesby and a long list of illustrious men who have their names written upon the historic page and the memory of whose lives are enthroned in the hearts of the people. In agriculture, commerce, manufacturing, railroads, mineral productions she stands the peer of any country on the globe. Out of this rich territory Bureau county was organized and she stands as a high average in all that goes to make a wise and great people.

Illinois, of which Bureau county forms an important part, is the keystone of all this great compact of States. Her western border is laved by the great "Father of Waters" for more than four hundred miles ; her northern Ijorder touches the extreme southwest portion of the great chain of lakes whose waters find their way to tlie ocean by two distinct channels and there on the soil of Illinois stands that great imperial city, which perhaps may become the metropolis of the world, with her miles of shipping and with great railroads ramifying in every direction, bringing in and carrying out the products of our great civilization. With such a location and with such surroundings Illinois must ever be the pivotal State of this Union.

It is not our purpose to enter into any lengthy discussion of the topography or geology of Bureau county. According to the geological investigation there have been three different times when glaciers or ice sheets have covered more or less of the State of Illinois, in consequence of which nearly all of the surface of the State is covered with soils of glacial formation. The first glacier covered nearly all of the State as far south as St. Clair county. Wherever the drift or debris left from this first glacier still remains the surface is called the Illinoisan glaciation.

The experimental stations for the purpose of soil investigation have divided this Illinois;m glaciation in three areas berause of the marked dlference in the agricultural values and properties of the soil. These three areas are called the Lower Illinoisan Glaciation, the Middle Illinoisan Glaciation, and the Upper Illinoisan Glaciation. The second glacier covered only three or four tiers of counties, from the north line of the State. Where the drift from tliis second glacier is now the surface it is termed lowan glaciation.

Tlie third and last glacier covered aijproxiniately the northeast quarter of the State, and this area is called the Wisconsin glaciation. By carefully testing the action of these dilTerent glaciation.^; upon plant life our experimental station.s have been able to tell what is lacking in the diiferent soils for the different kintis of plant life. It has also been able to tell what should l)e used upon the various soils as fertilizers. Some of the soil is lacking in one ingredient and some another, and some plants need one kind of nutrition and some another, so in order to get the best results it is necessary for the farmer to understand the nature and the needs of the ground lie cultivates. In Bureau county the prairie land is of the Wisconsin glaciation formation and thi.s formation, is a black and productive soil. This kind of soil is adapted to legumes in crop rotation and is somewhat deficient in phosphates and lime. The time has arrived when to cultivate and get the best results one must do something more than to plow the land and sow the seed. In a soil that has been under cultivation as many years as that of Bureau county it necessarily lo.ses some of its natural fertility and this loss needs to be replaced, and the question that every farmer should ask when he finds his crops are growing less year by year is, what is it that the .soil needs that should be replaced. Is it nitrogen, |)otassium. phosphorus or lime, or is it deficient in more than one of these ingredients? It should always be borne in mind that some of our crops exhaust more of the needed elements than others. While one kind needs an abundance of one ingredient another can do with less, so it has become a matter of expediency for the tillers of the soil to give due heed to many of the useful suggestions that emanate from our experimental farm stations. The writer makes no claim that he is able to instruct the Bureau county farmer in his lino of work, but he does claim that he has been somewhat of a student in reviewing the reports that have been issued from time to time from the various experimental stations and has become fully convinced that to obtain the highest and best results in soil culture attention must be given to the scientific principles developed by actual and honest investigations. We throw out these suggestions trusting that they may catch the eye of some of the young and progressive farmers and lead them to a closer contact with the very efficient experimental stations of our State. There has been on the part of quite a large number of the farmers of Illinois a spirit of indilference in regard to scientific cultivation, but we venture this assertion, that in the future he who gives thought and attention to the facts brought to light in regard to scientific agriculture will be the successful man.

So far as known the Indians were the first inhabitants of Illinois. The discoveries made in regard to prehistoric man indicate that at some remote period a race of people lived on this continent that was more advanced in civilization than the American Indian, but who they were, where they came from or what became of them is a scaled book. In many places through the middle west unmistakable evidences have been found of a civilization that is now e.xtinct. What seems to be the ruins of old forts and places of defense have been unearthed at different times and places, indicating that whoever occupied them were a warlike people. The many kind of mounds that have been found through Illinois demonstrate to a certainty that these people whoever they were once held dominion here. When that time was and how long this country was under their rule probably will never be known. So with the American Indian. Many theories have been advanced in regard to their origin, but it is only a theory, for all we have is naught but vague tradition and all we can state as a historic fact is that they were here in Illinois in 1673 when Marquette, Joliet and others discovered it.

Mar(|uette and Joliet on their arrival at the village of the Illinois Indians in IGTS, found it in possession of the Kaskaskia tribe, a branch of the Illinois confederacy. The Illinois confederacy (known as the lllini) was made up of five tribes, namely: Mitchigamis. Kaskaskias. Peorias, Cahokias and Tannnarois. The Jlitchigamis really belonged west of the Mississippi, but had become a iiart of the confederacy by adoption. The name of the lake and State of Michigan was derived from the name of this tribe. The Kaskaskias occupied the country between Lake Michigan and Lake Peoria, and from their tribe came the name of the river Kaskaskia. The Peorias were located in the region around Lake Peoria and from them the city and lake received its name. The Cahokias lived upon the .\merican bottoms along the ^lississippi River. From this tribe came the name of the village, creek and mound Cahokia. The Tamniarois lived in southeastern Illinois and impressefl their name upon the town of Tamaroa. These were the tribes of Indians that lived in Illinois at quette, but the reader will remember that it was the time of its discovery by the explorer Marnearly one hundred and seventy years after that before the first white settler appeared in what is now Bureau county and these tribes had all disappeared, either driven away, exterminated or joined other bands. When the first settlers of this county came the Indians of this locality were a small remnant of the once powerful tribe of Pottawattomies that originally occupied the lower peninsula of Michigan; they were also allied with the Ghippewas and Ottawas. All of these tribes belong to that all powerful Algonquin family that once extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. Space forbids any extended discussion upon this very interesting topic. We have simply tried to give the reader a few facts that might direct his investigation if he is interested along this line of thought. Volumes have been written upon this subject and still there is room for more. We have been writing in this volume about the first settlers of Bureau county, but who can tell but the very soil we tread upon is not impregnated with the ashes of a vanished race, who once built their altars and their temples amid groves and bowers long since extinct. Surely "God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform."