Ford County, Illinois - The whole text, 1908 (part 1 of 9)

The Aborigines

It is clearly demonstrated by the numerous and well authenticated accounts of antiquities found in various parts of this county that a people civilized, and considerably cultivated, at least as compared with the Indian, occupied this great land before its possession by the red man of later history, but their "day and generation" lie buried in the deepest obscurity.

Nature, at the time of the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492, had asserted her original dominion over the land ; the forests were in their full luxuriance - the growth of many centuries, and nothing remained to point out who and what they were who once lived and loved, labored and died on the continent of America.

This race with an unwritten history is known as the Mound-Builders. The remains of the works of this people form the most interesting class of antiquities discovered in the United States.

Were the Mound-Builders the ancestors of the Indians or who were they? What were their customs? Whence came they? What is their history? The oblivion which has closed over them is complete, and only conjecture can be given in answer to these questions.

Mr. Breckenridge, who examined the antiquities of the western country in 1817, says : ' ' The great number and extremely large size of some of them may be regarded as furnishing, with other circumstances, evidences of their antiquity. I have sometimes been induced to think that during the period when they were constructed there was a population here as numerous as that which once animated the borders of the Nile or Euphrates or of Mexico. The most numerous, as well as considerable, of these remains are found in precisely those parts of the country where the traces of a numerous population might be looked for, namely, from the mouth of the Ohio on the east side of the Missis- sippi to the Illinois river, and on the west from the St. Francis to the Missouri. I am perfectly satisfied that cities similar to those of ancient Mexico, of several hundred thousand souls, have existed in this country."

To describe these mound-builders is now impossible. We onlj^ know the red men, who occupied this country when the French, English and Spanish came to visit the land and trade for peltries, and had not even a tradition of them.

It is generally conceded that whatever the uses of these mounds - whether for homes for the living or burial places for the dead - these voiceless landmarks of the silent past were built, and the race who built them disappeared from the face of the earth ages before the Indians occupied the land, but their date must probably remain as a sealed volume of history. The names of their mighty chieftains, their deeds of valor, their marches with faithful followers to a

Early Discoveries

The good father persuaded them to abandon their preparations for war. He then erected the chapel which he named the "Mission of the Holy Ghost," at the place since called "Lapointe du Saint Esperit, " and began his work as missionary.

To this spot came the roving Pottawattamies, Sacs, Foxes, the Kickapoos, the Illinois and Miamis, prompted by curiosity, and here they first heard the preaching of Christianity.

In Father Allouez, they beheld a champion of human rights, and to him they narrated their griefs by first speaking of their former grandeur, and then of their diminished numbers from hostile visitations from the Sioux on the west and the Iroquois on the east. The gentle and pious Marquette three years later took the place of Allouez.

Just previous to this time, hoAvever, possession of the country was taken in the name of the French government. For this event Allouez and Joliet summoned the chiefs of no less than fourteen tribes and bands at St. Mary'&

It was well known that a great river crossed southward through the country. The first white man who set foot on the soil of this state was Nicholas Perrot, a Frenchman. lie was sent to Chicago in the year 1671, for the purpose of inviting the western Indians to a peace convention at Green Bay. One object of this meeting was to form a plan for the discovery of the Mississippi river. This river had been discovered by De Sota nearl}^ one hundred and thirty years before, but his nation left it without further explorations.

Their route late along the north shore of Lake Michigan, and the west bank of Green Bay. They passed through the waters of Lake Winnebago and thence accompanied by Indian guides, continued up the Fox river to the carrying place across to the Wisconsin. Here their Indian guides refused to go farther, and returned whence they came. Down this stream they passed amid the silent grandeur of its forests, and under the cedar-crested precipices of solid rock. No mark of human life was apparent along its shores.

On the ITtli of June, 1673, they found themselves on the broad surface of the ^Mississippi. The banks were less precipitous than the bold headlines of the Wisconsin, and as they passed down the stream, the country looked more promising. Herds of buffalo were seen grazing on the open prairies.

Not until they neared the mouth of the Des Moines did they discover any evidence of human beings. Noticing footprints on the river's banks they left the canoes in charge of the five men. INIarquette and Joliet fearlessly took the Indian path, and after two leagues' travel, came in sight of their villages. The meeting proved a friendly one. The Indians were of the Illinois tribe. They gave the missionaries a dinner of fish, roast bufi'alo and hominy. They resumed their journey but did not meet with any more Indians luitil reaching what is now the state of Kentucky. Landing on the left bank of the river, just below the mouth of the Ohio, they met with what was evidently a roving band of warriors from the far distant borders of civilization on the Atlantic coast. They were armed with guns, but were peaceably disposed, and received the voyagers kindly. The adventurers passed down the river till the mouth of the Arkansas was reached. Here again they met Indians, savage as nature could make them. The young men showed a disposition to take the lives of our little party of travelers at once, but were restrained by the older men of the tribe. Finally a friendly meeting was had. From their new hosts, they ascertained that the mouth of the Mississippi was but ten days' travel distant. The intense heat of the month of July and fears of being picked up by Spanish adventurers caused them to conclude their explorations at this point. They had passed below where De Sota had discovered and crossed the Mississippi in 1541, which was one hundred and thirty-two years previous. No trace, not even a tradition of De Sota's work remained. The object of Marquette and Joliet's expedition had been fulfilled. They had discovered the great river and determined whether it emptied into the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean.

On the 17th of July they took leave of their doubtful friends and turned their canoes up stream. It is difficult for any person not familiar with the current of a great river to comprehend the task before them. Patient toiling at the oar finally brought them to the mouth of the Illinois river. Here they met with the Kaskaskias, who offered to conduct them by a more convenient route, which proved to be by the Illinois, the Des Plaines, and the Chicago rivers.

On the Illinois river, especially along the shores of Peoria lake, were the principal villages of the Illinois. There were also bands of the same tribe in the vicinity of Starved Rock, near the present site of Utica.

Marquette preached to these warriors, who manifested a commendable interest in what he had to say to them. When the little company of adventurers passed on to Chicago, a large delegation of the Indians accompanied them, where they arrived in September. The Indians attached much importance to the little inlet stream called Chicago, and these French voyagers were eager to see the river, and still more eager to look upon the lake whose waters would afford a new route to their friends in northern Wisconsin.

On the 25th of October, of the following year, Marquette, with two companions, Perre and Jasques, and a band of Indians, started on their mission to preach the gospel to the Illinois. Accomplishing his mission he started on his return to Canada in the spring of 1675, his health having failed because of exposure to the winter storms. Arriving at Sleeping Bear Point on the eastern shore of the lake, he had become too much prostrated to proceed farther. His two companions built a hut of bark and did all they could to make

In 1679, La Salle, a French explorer, sailed to Green Bay and from there his party proceeded in canoes to the mouth of the St. Joseph river, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Here he established a trading-post with the Miamis. He then ascended the St. Joseph, crossed to the Kankakee and sailed down until he reached an Illinois village.

He formed an alliance with the tribe, and early in 1680 began near tlie present Peoria a post which he called Fort Crevecoeur. His chief object was to trade in furs. Accompanying him were several priests, and among them was Father Hennepin, who, with two companions, started to explore the upper Mississippi, and were taken prisoners by the Sioux. After an extended experience with the Indians, he was permitted to return to Green Bay. La Salle was finally assassinated after his second visit to Illinois, while exploring the lower Mississippi. The first mission in Illinois, as we have already seen, was established by Marquette. The first military occupation of the state was at Fort Crevecoeur, by La Salle. There is, however, no evidence that a settlement was commenced at those early dates.

The first settlement of which there is any authentic account was commenced with the building of Fort St. Louis, on the Illinois river, in 1682, but this was soon abandoned. The oldest permanent settlement, not only in Illinois, but in the valley of the Mississippi, is at Kaskaskia, situated six miles above the mouth of the Kaskaskia river. This was settled in 1690, by the removal of the mission from old Kaskaskia, or Fort St. Louis, on the Illinois river. Cahokia was settled about the same time.

Illinois came into full possession of the French in 1682, and was a dependency of Canada and a part of Louisiana. During the period of French rule in Louisiana, the population probably never exceeded ten thousand.

To the year 1730 the following five distinct settlements were made in the territory of Illinois, numbering in population one hundred and forty French families, about six hundred ''converted" Indians, and many traders: Cahokia, near the mouth of Cahokia creek and about five miles below the present city of St. Louis; St. Philip, about forty-five miles below Cahokia; Fort Chartres, twelve miles above Kaskaskia; Kaskaskia, situated on the Kaskaskia river, six miles above its confluence with the Mississippi; and Prairie du Rocher, near Fort Chartres. Fort Chartres was built in 1718, and was for a time the headquarters of the military commandants of the district of Illinois, and the most impregnable fortress in North America. For about eighty years the French retained peaceable possession of Illinois. For more than a hundred years peace between the white man and the red man Avas unbroken, and when at last this reign of harmony terminated, it was not caused by the conciliatory Frenchman, but by the blunt and sturdy Anglo-Saxon. During the century now under consideration, no regular court was held by the French occupants. In 1765, the country passed into the hands of the English. As early as 1750, there could be perceived the first threes of the Revolution, which gave a new master and new institutions to Illinois.

The Indians

The opinion prevails that the inhabitants of North America who followed the mound-builders were those who reared the great cities, the ruins of which are found in Central America. It is undoubtedly true that this people was far more civilized and advanced in -avta than Avere the mound-builders. If we are to judge of these cities by their ruins of broken columns, fallen arches and crumbling walls of temples, palaces and pyramids, which in some places bestrew the ground, thej^ must have been cities of great extent, magnificent and very populous. Then to consider the time required to bring them to their present ruined condition we must conclude that the date of their building was far in the past.

The Indians, believed to be the third race inhabiting North America, are distinct in every particular from the former two. Their origin is also enveloped in mystery. Neither had they any traditions respecting their predecessors. They knew absolutely nothing about them, consequently they must have been successors of a race which had entirely passed away before the Indian made his appearance on this continent. There are several widely different opinions expressed at length in the various histories of the North American Indian as to their origin, but as already stated, mystery surrounds their beginning as a race, and the opinions expressed are largely a matter of speculation. A quite common supposition, well expressed in Chapman's history, is that "they are a derivative race and sprang from one or more of the ancient peoples of Asia.

"In the absence of all authentic history, and when even tradition is wanting, any attempt to point out the particular location of their origin must prove unsatisfactory. Though the exact place of origin may never be known, yet the striking coincidence of physical organization between the oriental type of mankind and the Indians point unmistakably to some part of Asia as the place whence they emigrated, which was originallj^ peopled to a great extent by the children of Shem. In this connection, it has been claimed that a meeting of the Europeans, Indians and Africans on the continent of America, is the fnltillnient of a i)roi)he('y as rcccn-chMJ in Genesis, ix. 27: 'God shall enlarge Ja})heth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem ; and Canaan shall be his servant.' Assuming the theory to be true that the Indian tribes are of Shemitic origin, they were met on this continent in the fifteenth century by the Japhethic race, after the two stocks had passed around the globe by directly different routes. A few years afterward the Ilamatic branch of the human family were brought from the coast of Africa.

"During the occupancy of the continent by the three distinct races, the children of Japheth have grown and prospered, while the called and not voluntary sons of Hani have endured a servitude in the wider stretching valleys of the tents of Shem."

Ridpath, in his history of the ITnited States, says: "The origin of the North American Indian is involved in complete obscurity. That they are one of the older races of mankind cannot be doubted. But at what date or by what route they came to the western continent is an unsolved problem. The notion that the Indians are the descendants of the Israelites is absurd. That half-civilized tribes wandering from beyond the Euphrates should reach North America, surpasses human credulity."

No doubt all of us, having in our school days read the stories of Indian wars, were under the impression that the various tribes peopled this country quite densely, so that wherever the pioneer might travel in this newly discovered land, the red man with bow and arrow, tomahawk and scalping knife, glared upon him from every thicket and steathily glided through the tall grasses of the prairie watching the white man's course.

But it is the opinion of the best authorities that when America was discovered in 1492, the whole continent was thinl>' populated, as compared with the present time, by roving bands or tribes of Indians.

The number of Indians in this country, when permanent settlements began to be made, is not known, but pi'obably amounted in all the vast territory, as estimated by w^ell informed writers, to only a few millions - perhaps two or three.

As almost every one know^, these were called Indians by the Europeans from the erroneous idea of Columbus and the men of that age, that there was only one continent; and that they had reached the eastern shore of Asia when America was discovered.

The whole region comprising our country was in the possession of a great number of these tribes. They divided the country between them in an indefinite way, war and hunting being their chief occupations. They, generally speaking, attempted a very little cultivation of the soil.

The settlements of Indians were as indefinite and movable as their boundaries, and they attached very little value to land. Territory was acquired from them partly by force and partly l)y i)urchase.

The last was usually made for a nominal sum and with little comprehension, on their part, of the importance and future effects of its alienation. Historians have classified the Indian families or nations as follows :

2. The Algonquins, who occupied the country extending from Nova Scotia south of the James river, thence west to the mouth of the Ohio, and thence northward along the east side of the Mississippi and on to Lake "Winnipeg, excepting that portion which was occupied by the Huron-Iroquois, as hereafter described.

3. The Huron-Iroquois, a powerful nation. occui)i('d a tract of country within that of the Algonquins. Their borders extended over the country reaching from Georgian bay and Lake Huron to Lakes Erie and Ontario, south of those lakes to the valley of the upper Ohio, and eastward to the river Sorel.

5. The Dakotas, called by the French Sioux, occupied a district of country west of the Mississippi and north of the Missouri and Platte rivers.

G. Tlie Shoshones, occupying the country south and west of the Dakota^. It will be understood that these nations were again divided into many tribes each, speaking different dialects of the common language, by which the main group was distinguished. As a general rule, Indians, when asked their name, gave the term. Men or Real Men. Each tribe had a name, generally that of the nnimnl or object which was 'the totem of the tribe. By referring to the foregoing description of the territory occupied by the Algonquins, it Avill be observed that our state was, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, under the jurisdiction of that nation. The Algon(iuin tribes occupying the western part of the country thus allotted to this nation, were the several tribes of the Illinois and Miami confederacies, the Pottawattamies, the Kickai)oos and scattered bands of Shawnees and Delawares.

The Illinois

From the aceouuts, the Illinois seems to have laid claim to quite an extensive tract of country, the eastern boundary thereof being the ridge that divides the waters that flow into the Wabash above the headwaters of Saline creek, from those flowing into the Illinois river, the northern limit being a line from the mouth of the Des Plaines river westward beyond the Mississippi. On the north, the Illinois for a long time contested their boundary line with the Chippeways, Winnebagoes, Sacs and Foxes. Afterward, the Sacs, Foxes and Kickapoos. assisted by the Pottawattamies, became the successful invaders of the land of the Illinois. On the east came the Miamis, who in language and manners much resembled the Illinois, with whom they originally bore a close affinity.

General Harrison stated that ''the Illinois confederacy was composed of five tribes: The Kaskaskias, Cahokias, Peorians, Michigans and the Tamarois."

It is authoritatively stated that the Algonquin language, as spoken l)y the Ojibways, was regarded as the court language, so, if a person fell among a strange tribe, whose language he did not understand and spoke this language, they were bound, as a general rule, to furnish some one who could communicate with him in that language. It was through tliis language that iNIarquette spoke M'ith all the tribes, and so it was with all the early French travelers. Of all states in the Union, the following have Indian names : ]\Iassachusetts, Connecticut, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Illinois, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, the most of these being derived from great rivers or other waters.

The first accounts we have of the Illinois are given by the Jesuit missionaries. In the "Relations" for the year 1655, it is stated that the Illinois are neighbors of the Winnebagoes; and again, the following year it was reported "that the Illinois nation dwell more than sixty leagues from here, and beyond a great river, which as near as can be conjectured, flows into the sea toward Virginia. These people are warlike. They use the bow, rarely the gun, and never the canoe." At this time the Illinois and Miamis were living west of the IMississippi, the reference being to this river. While the Illinois were like their brethren of a roving nature, they were not so much so as other tribes.

Their favorite portions of the state seemed to be along the Illinois river, and on the Mississippi from the Kaskaskia to where Cairo now stands. Beckwith, in describing them, says: "In form they were tall and lithe. They were noted for their swiftness of foot. They wore moccasins prepared from buffalo hides, and a small covering extending from the waist to the knee. The rest of the body was entirely nude."

The male children were earl.y taught the use of the bow and arrow. They were as carefully trained in hunting and Indian warfare as are the boj^s and girls of our time in the elements of reading, writing and arithmetic.

The dwellings were simple and rude in character. A pleasant spot Avas selected by the river or near a spring, and here they raised their groups of A^igwaras. constructed chiefly of the bark of trees. The skins of animals sorvod for beds and wearing apparel. Depending principally on the chase for subsistence, this being, somewhat uncertain, they were led to cultivate small patches of corn.

Commerce or an interchange of articles being almost unknown, every family did everything necessary within itself to provide food and comfort.

When disputes or dissensions arose, each Indian relied upon himself to adjust the difficulty. Blood for blood was the rule, and the relatives of the slain man were bound to obtain bloody revenge. The result of this was bitter feuds and wars of extermination.

"War was the Indian's glory and delight; not war after the civilized rule, but war where individual skill, endurance, gallantry and cruelty were the prime requisites. During the intervals of his more exciting pursuits the Indian employed his time in decorating his person with all the refinement of paint and feathers, and in the manufacture of his arms and of canoes.

The main drudgery and labor of Indian communities fell upon the women. They planted, tended and gathered the crops, made mats and baskets e-^rried the burdens on the march - in fact they were but little better than slaves to the "braves."

The area of the country orginally claimed by the Illinois was reduced by wars with their neighbors. The Sioux forced them eastward, and the four tribes already named encroached upon them from the north, and war parties from the Iroquois on the east rapidly lessened their numbers.

The misfortunes of the Illinois drew them so kindly to the priests, the coureurs des bois and soldiers, that the friendship between the two races never abated.

The fatal dissolution of the Illinois rapidly proceeded, and their territory was largely appropriated by the Sacs. Foxes, Kickapoos and Pottawattamies.

By successive treaties, their remaining lands in this state were ceded to the United States, and they were removed west of the Mississippi. In 1872, there remained of them but forty souls - men, women and children all told.

Thus has disappeared the people who at one time occupied the larger part of Illinois and portions of Iowa and Missouri. In the year 1784 their single village at La Salle's colony could muster twelve hundred fighting men. When they were prosperous, at one time they nearly exterminated the Winnebagoes, and their war parties have penetrated the country of the Huron-Iroquois as far as the Mohawk and Genesee.

The country of the Miamis, as has already been stated, extended west to the watershed between the Illinois and Wabash rivers, forming the eastern ])oundaries of the Illinois tribes. To the north of the Miamis were the Pottawattamies, who were steadily encroaching upon the territory of the Miamis.

In regard to the Pottawattamies, it is stated in an official letter to the secretary of war, March 22, 1814: "So long ago as 1795, at the treaty of Greenville, the Pottawattamies notified the Miamis that they intended to settle upon the Wabash." They made no pretensions to the country, and the only excuse for the intended aggression was that they were tired of eating fish and wanted meat. And they did come. They established villages upon the north and west bank of the Wabash and its tributaries fiowing in from that side of the stream above the Vermilion.

They, with the Sacs, Foxes and Kickapoos. drove the Illinois into the villages about Kaskaskia and divided the conquered territory among themselves, the Sacs and Foxes choosing that part to the north and west of the Illinois river. It is said that by the other tribes they were called squatters, who justly claimed that the Pottawattamies never had any land of their own and were only intruders. They were, however, foremost at all treaties and were clamorous for the lion's share of presents and annuities, particularly where the price given was for other's lands rather than their own. They also had villages upon the Illinois and Kankakee rivers.

valley of the Wabash, it was mutually agreed between them and the Miamis that the river should be the dividing line, the two first-named tribes to occupy the west side of the stream.

The Pottawattamies and Kiekapoos were among the last to leave their i)()ssessions in Illinois and Indiana, and it was the people of these tribes with whom the settlers of this section of the country came, principally in contact. They ceased hostilities at the close of the war of 1812. The Pottawattamies owned extensive tracts of land on the Wabash, also on the Tippecanoe and other western tributaries of the Wabash, and elsewhere in northwestern Indiana, eastern Illinois and southern ]\Iichigan. The greater part of these reservations were retroceded to the United States, in exchange either for annuities or lands west of the IMississippi. As has already been noted, the Indians became greatly attached to the French. An Indian reservation on the Des Plaines river, in Cook county, was occupied by a band of Pottawattamies, whose chief was Alexander Robinson, the son of a Canadian voyageur and a Pottawattamie woman.

His place was generally lively with Indians in the declining glories of their latter days. Groups of blanketed squaws, with their papooses slung on their backs, and an equal number of braves, bedaubed with paint and ornamented with feathers, hung around his home in listless dalliance. During the summer season their numbers were increased by visiting braves and their families from other reservations.

Being half Indian and having a wife of the same race, he was shut out from civilized society generally, l)ut his character for integrity and his reputation for excellence in those qualifications which make up the model citizen were Avidely published. When his tribe was removed, after carefully weighing the matter, he chose civilized life, considering this for the children's best good. He continued to live on the reservation and became a farmer, esteemed by all who knew him.

The final emigration of the Pottawattamies from the Wabash took place in the summer of 1838, and in 1846, the various bands of this great tribe were united west of the Mississippi, except a few scattered bands like the one mentioned, who remained long after the departure of their brethren.

In 1863, the tribe numbered two thousand two hundred and seventy-four men, women and children, which was an alarming decrease from the census of 1854, owing, no doubt, largely to two reasons - the return of many to their former home east of the Mississippi, and many of the younger men going west to the buffalo grounds.

The Pottawattainics attested tlieir fidelity to the i^overnmeiit l)y the vohinteering of seventy-five of their young men to service in the war of 1861.

The Kickapoos

The Kiekapoos, when first met by the whites, inhabited the state of Wisconsin, but with the Sacs and Foxes gradually moved southward until they came in contact with the Illinois. Then unitiiiti' with the Pottawattamies in a warfare upon the Miamis and Illinois, they steadily drove these two tribes from a great portion of the territory occupied by them.

The Kiekapoos early incurred the displeasure of the French by committing depredations upon the missionaries and others. It is said of this tribe that they were not inclined to receive religious impressions from the early missionaries.

Prior to 1718, the Kiekapoos had villages upon the banks of the Rock river and the Illinois. They are described as a clever people and brave warriors. Their language and manners strongly resembled those of the Foxes. "They catch deer by chasing them, and even at this day (1718) make considerable use of bows and arrows."

Their progress south and west was no doubt largely owing to the fierce attacks of the Sioux, who were pressing on them from the northwest. The Kiekapoos and the Foxes, meditating a migration to the Wabash as a place of security from the Sioux, the French became alarmed lest their tribes should effect a junction with the Iroquois and English. The matter was adjusted by the French conciliating the Sioux, and for a number of years the Foxes and Kiekapoos remained upon their old hunting grounds in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. The theory has been advanced that the Mascoutins and Kiekapoos were bands of one tribe, first known to the French by the former name, and subsequently to the English by the latter, under which name alone they figure in our later annals. This theory has been adopted for the purposes of this sketch. Another noticeable fact is, that with one exception, the Mascoutins were never known as such in any treaty with the United States, while the Kiekapoos were parties to many. In warfare, the Kiekapoos were inferior to the other tribes in movements requiring large numbers of men, but in predatory warfare they were preeminent. Their war parties usually numbered from five to twenty-five persons. The boldness and daring of these small parties were very great. They would sometimes push out hundreds of miles from their villages and attack a feeble settlement or an isolated cabin,

Their principal enemies seemed to be the Illinois, and after driving the latter into the southwestern part of the state, it is related that as late as 1789 to 1796, their war parties kept the white settlements and the Illinois tribes in the vicinity of Kaskaskia in a state of continual alarm. During the time stated, they killed and captured many of that tribe, as well as a number of the whites.

After the close of the Pontiac war, the Kickapoos and Pottawattamies almost annihilated the Kaskaskias, a band of the Illinois, at a place called Battle Ground Creek, between Kaskaskia and Shawneetown. The principal towns of the Kickapoos were on the left bank of the Illinois, near Peoria, and on the Vermilion of the Wabash, and at several points on the west bank of the Wabash. On the prairie they also had villages west of Charleston, Illinois, and in many of the groves scattered over the prairies in the section of country bounded on the north by the Kankakee river, on the east by the Wabash, and on the west by the Illinois, extending south to the Kaskaskia. The most notable were their towns at Elkhart Grove, twelve miles north of Bloomington, and at Oliver's Grove in Livingston county, Illinois. Consequently that tract of country of which Ford county is a part must have been the hunting grounds of the Kickapoos after the removal of the Illinois tribes.

These people became greatly attached to the country drained by the Vermilion of the Wabash and its tributaries, and General Harrison had much difficulty in securing their consent to cede it to the general government.

The Kickapoos were at the battle of Tippecanoe in considerable numbers, and fought with frenzied courage. During the war of 1812, they sided with the English, and sent out numerous war parties that kept the settlements in Illinois and Indiana territories in constant danger.

When the latter war closed, the Kickapoos ceased active hostilities upon the whites, and within a few years afterward disposed of their lands in this state and Indiana, and with the exception of a few bauds, removed west of the Mississippi.

Beckwith, an excellent authority, says of them: "As compared with other Indians, the Kickapoos were industrious, intelligent, and cleanly in their habits, and were better armed and clothed than the other tribes. The men, as a rule, were tall, sinewy and active; the women were lithe, and many of them by no means hu-kinti' in beauty. Their dialect was soft ami li(]uid, as with the rough and gutteral language of the Pottawattamies. They kept aloof from the white people as a rule, and in this way preserved their characteristics, and contracted fewer of the vices of the white man than other tribes. Their numbers were never great, as compared with the Miamis or Pottawattamies; however, they made up for the deficiency in this respect by the energy of their movements."

Thus we have attempted to briefly sketch the red man as he once lived upon these prairies and in the groves but the space for this subject in a work of this character is necessarily quite limited.

To summarize: We first find the Illinois and Miamis occupying this section of the country, wdth their dividing line running north and south, nearly identical with the range line of our county. Following them came the Kickapoos and Pottawattamies, the former taking the place of the Illinois tribes, except that the Kickapoo villages and hunting grounds extended further east, including the Vermilion of the Wabash and its tributaries.

The Indian came to this country, and now he has left it to return no more. He left the country no better as far as we can judge for having been here.

We find the arrowheads and spearheads, saws, flesh-scrapers, hammers and spades made from stone, and all demanding great patience in their manufacture, because of the lack of suitable implements or machinery to produce them.

It has been stated that the maize or Indian corn which they cultivated to a limited extent, and tobacco are the only contributions made by them to us in the way of products of the soil.

The Northwest Territory

As early as 1784, Thomas Jefferson, then a member of congress, submitted a plan of government for all the territory from the southern to the northern boundary of the United States, all of which was expected to be ceded by the states claiming the same. By this plan seventeen states were to be formed from this territory.

slavery nor involuntary servitude in any of said states, other than in the punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted." This provision was rejected, not having seven states in its favor.

This rejected provision was again proposed by Rufus King the following year. The proposition again failed. The ordinance of 1787, embracing in part the plan submitted by Mr. Jefferson in 1874, Avas reported by Nathan Dane.

The legislative, executive and judicial powers were vested in a governor and three judges, who with the secretary were to be appointed by congress - the governor for three years, the judges during good behavior.

The laws of the territory were to be such laws of the original states as the governor and judges should think proper to adopt. These laws were to be in force until disapproved by congress. When the territory shoukl contain five thousand free male inhabitants of full age, there was to lie a legislature, to consist of two branches - a house of representatives, the members to be chosen from the several counties or townships, for the term of two years, and a legislative council of five persons, who were to hold their offices for five years and to be appointed by congress out of ten persons previously nominated by the house of representatives of the territory. All laws were recpiired to be consistent with the ordinance, and to have the assent of the governor.

The ordinance concludes with six articles of compact between the original states and the people of the territory, to be unalterable except by common consent.

The first secured entire religious freedom; the second, trial by jury, the writ of habeas corpus, and the other fundamental rights usually inserted in bills of rights ; the third provided for the encouragement and support of schools and enjoined good faith toward the Indians; the fourth placed the new states to be formed out of the territory upon an equal footing with the old ones both in respect to their privileges and their burdens, and reserved to the United States the right to dispose of the soil; the fifth authorized the future division of the territory into not less than three nor more than five states, each state to be admitted into the Union, when it should contain sixty lliousand inhabitants; the sixth was the anti-slavery proviso introduced by Thomas Jefferson in 1784, so modified as to take effect immediately.

This ordinance, which left the territory south of the Ohio (then not yet ceded) subject to future regulation, received the unanimous vote of eight states present.

military governor, and in the following snninier began his duties at ^larietta. In the year 1800, a line was drawn tlirough the northwestern territory from the mouth of the great ]\Iiami river to Fort Recovery, and thence to Canada.

The portion west of this line was organized under the name of the Indiana territory. Vincennes was made the capital, and General William Henry Harrison received the appointment of governor. Indiana was admitted into tlie Union in 1816, near the close of JMadison's troubled administration.

The Illinois territory was established February 3, 1809, and it included "all that part of the Indiana territory which lies west of the Wabash river and Post Vincennes due north to the territorial line between the United States and Canada."

John Boyle was appointed governor, but declined to serve. Ninian Edwards was then appointed. He served from April 24, 1809, to December 6, 1818, when he was made United States senator for the new state of Illinois.

Monroe's administration was noted for the great number of new members which were added to the Union. In 1818, Illinois, the twenty-first state, embracing an area of more than fifty-five thousand square miles, and extending through more than five degrees of latitude, was organized and admitted. Two years later, when the general census was taken, Illinois ranked twentyfourth as to population. From that time up to 1880, her advancement was rapid, and we noAv find only two states which outrank Illinois in population and wealth. Population of Illinois territory. 1810, twelve thousand two hundred and eighty-two ; population of Illinois state, 1820, fifty-five thousand one hundred and sixty-two ; population of Illinois state, 1880, three million seventyeight thousand six hundred and tliirt\'-six ; population of Illinois state, 1900, four million and five hundred thousand. Under the Constitution of 1818, the elective officers were the governor and lieutenant governor, who held office for four years. The other state officers were appointed by the governor or chosen by the general assembly.

General Description

Geographical Position - Illinois is bounded on the north by Wisconsin, on the east by Lake ]\Iichigan, Indiana and Kentucky, on the soutli l)y Kentucky and Missouri, and on the west by Missouri and Iowa by the Mississippi. It lies betw^een 37 degrees and 3 minutes and 42 degrees and 30 minutes north latitude, and between 10 degrees and 30 minutes and 14 degrees and 25 in in- utc's longitude west from Washington. Tlie greatest breadth of the state from east to west is two hundred and ten miles, and its extreme length from north to south three hundred and seventy-eight miles. The general form of the state is that of an ellipsoid, truneated at its northern extremity. The superficial area is about fifty-five thousand five hundred and tliirty-one square miles, or thirty-five million five hundred and thirty-nine thousand eiglit hundred and forty acres.

Face of the Country - The surface of the country is generally level or gently rolling, although in the southern part near the large rivers it is quite broken and hilly. Illinois is properly termed the prairie state; for, in no other part of the country are there to be found such vast expanses of level prairie as here. To the eye of the observer they mark the plane of the horizon in every direction, and seem limitless as the ocean. As a general rule they occupy the higher grounds. The timber is principally confined to the lower lands, along the breaks and valleys of the streams. The highest lands in the state are in the extreme northwestern part, and are known as the mounds, which are about eleven hundred feet above the level of the sea. From Freeport southward there is a gradual descent through the entire length of the state, except where it is broken b^^ a ridge crossing from east to west through Union, Johnson and Pope counties. This ridge attains an elevation of about nine hundred feet above the sea, while the elevation at Cairo is but three hundred and fifty feet.

Rivers - The general slope of the watershed is to the southAvest, and nearly all the principal streanLs, after a general course in that direction, flow into the Mississippi. A few in the southeast portion of the state empty into the Wabash, while some small ones in the extreme south find their outlet in the Ohio. The largest river flowing through the state is the Illinois, which is formed by the junction of the Des Plaines and Kankakee, the former rising in Wisconsin and the latter in Indiana. The Rock and Kaskaskia rivers are streams of considerable importance, the first running through the northern and the latter through the southern portion of the state. More than three-fourths of the circumference of the state is bounded by navigable rivers, the Wabash on the east, the Ohio on the south, and the Mississippi on the west. The two last named are among the largest of the world, and afford transportation for all classes of steamers. The Mississippi, the great "Father of Waters," extends along the western boundary a distance of over five hundred miles.

ural lakes or ponds. A few small ones only are found in the northeastern and southwestern parts of the state. There is, however, a coast line of about sixty miles, extending along Lake Michigan, one of the largest of the five great North American lakes.

Soil and Climate - As an agricultural state, Illinois stands without an equal. Possessing a soil of unsurpassed fertility, and a climatic range of five and a half degrees of latitude, it yields a greater amount and variety of botanical production than any other state in the Union. No large tracts of worthless lands, such as characterize the topography of all the other states, are to be found here, but the farmer in all portions of the commonwealth obtains a rich reward for his labor. In the northern and central portions of the state are raised in abundance nearly all those plants which are common in the north temperate zone, while in the vicinity of Cairo, both the animal and vegetable productions partake of a semi-tropical character. The amount of rain which falls each year is fully one-half greater at the southern extremity of the state than at the northern, and the average difference in temperature is about ten degrees Fahrenheit.

Minerals - No natural deposits of gold or silver are known to exist; yet the mineral productions of the state are not unimportant. Fire clay, potter's clay, and valuable ci[uarries of building stone are found in various localities. Rich mines of lead exist in the vicinity of Galena, and iron ore in considerable quantities is obtained in the southeastern part of the state. Coal is the most valuable mineral in Illinois. The coal fields are destined to gaow more and more important, as their resources are developed, and their value can hardly be overestimated. The coal-bearing strata covers more than two-thirds of the entire surface of the state, and the mines are believed to be inexhaustible.

Illinois was originally a part of Florida. In 1543 it became a Spanish colony. Northern Illinois was included in the territory granted in 1620 to the Plymouth Company by King James, and was therefore claimed by Great Britain. In 1673 the Mississippi river was discovered by Marquette and Joliet. In the same year they ascended the Illinois river; and in 1679 Robert Cavalier De La Salle made further discoveries, descending the Kankakee to its mouth. Kaskaskia and Cahokia, the oldest towns on the Mississippi river, were settled by the French in 1682. Illinois at this time contained but few white inhabitants. In 1699 it became a part of Louisiana, and so remained until 1763, when it was ceded to England. The white population now numbered about three thousand, mostly French, the principal settlements being at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Peoria, Prairie Du Rochor, Prairie Du Pont and Fort Chartres. In 1778 Kaskaskia, Cahokia and other settlements were captured by four companies of Virginians, under Colonel Clarke, and in October of the same year an act was passed by the Virginia legislature, establishing the "County of Illinois," which embraced all of Virginia northwest of Ohio. In 1784 it was ceded by Virginia to the United States, and in 1787 congress passed an ordinance for the government of all territory northwest of the Ohio river, Arthur St. Clair being appointed the first governor. In 1803 Indiana, including Illinois and "Wisconsin, was erected into a separate territory, and six years later, the present state of Illinois became a territory by itself. In 1812 it passed from the first to the second grade of territorial government, and sent a delegate to congress. The right of suffrage was at this time extended to the people, without regard to property qualifications. On the 3d of December, 1818, Illinois was admitted into the Union as a sovereign and independent state. One section of land in each township was at once donated for school use, and two townships in the state for the use of a seminary. Since that time, the growth of Illinois has been astonishingly rapid, and it now ranks the fourth state in the Union in wealth, population and importance. The number of its white inhabitants in 1800 was only about 3.000. In 1810 the number had increased to 12, 282; in 1820 to 57,000; in 1830 to 157,000; in 1840 to 476,000; in 1850 to 851,470; in 1860 to 1,711,951; in 1865 to 2,141,510; in 1870 to 2,539,891; and in 1880 to 3,077,871. Chicago, its largest city, contains a population of over 2,000,000. The foreign population of Illinois is largely composed of Germans, Irish, Welsh, Scotch, French, Swiss, Swedes, Danes and Poles. Of tlie American born, the north part of the state is settled principally from New York and New England, the central from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and the southern from Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas.

Internal Improvements - The works of art compare favorably with those of the older states. It has not been a century since Illinois was admitted into the Union, yet the number and value of her internal improvements already completed are immense. Many thousands of miles of railroad lines are in successful operation and more are in the process of construction. The number and character of the splendid edifices which have been erected for courthouses, humane institutions, seminaries of learning and churches, and the other public works which adorn the state, bespeak at once the enterprise, intelligence and moral worth of the people.

Politics - Illinois is at present a republican state. The northern part is almost exclusively controlled by the dominant party, while the central is generally democratic, and the extreme southern - familiarly known as Egypt - is about equally divided between the two parties.

Explanation Of Government Surveys

All the surveys of Illinois are made from three established lines, known as the second, third and fourth principal meridians. The second principal meridian runs due north from the mouth of the Little Blue river in Indiana. The third principal meridian, due north from the mouth of the Ohio river. The fourth principal meridian starts at the mouth of the Illinois river, follows up the stream to a point opposite Beardstown, and runs thence due north.

Townships lying west of the third principal meridian and the Illinois river number nortli and south from a base-line which runs due west from Beardstown. All the other townships number north and south from a baseline which runs through the center of St. Clair county.

Ranges number from the fourth principal meridian west to the IMississippi river and east to the third principal meridian and the Illinois river, and from the third principal meridian west to the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.

Ranges east of the third principal meridian and north of a line passing through the center of Kankakee county number from said meridian east to the state line. The other ranges number from the third principal meridian, east to the eastern line of range eleven, and west from the second principal meridian to the same line.

Each township is six miles square, and is divided into sections, which number from one to thirty-six ; number one being in the northeast corner of the township. Each regular section contains six hundred and forty acres. Fractional townships are occasioned by inaccurate surveys. Fractional sections' are due to the same cause, and are usually found on the north and west side of each township. Correction lines, running east and west, are established at distances of about thirty miles apart, for the purpose of preventing such errors as would naturally be occasioned by the curvature of the earth.

The Economic Resources Of Illinois

Of the varied economic resources of Illinois, only those whicli are of supreme importance to the state as a whole, such as agriculture, mining, bank-

Agriculture is one of the greatest industries of the state. The large yield of those crops for which the state is adapted make ample amends for whatever deficiency there may be in the variety of products. In 1900, out of the total acreage of thirty-two million seven hundred and ninety-four thousand and seven hundred and twenty-eight acres in the state, twenty-seven million six hundred and ninety-nine thousand two hundred and nineteen acres were improved land. In the value of farm property, Illinois leads the list of states with a total value of two billion four million three hundred and sixteen thousand ("iti'ht hundred and ninety seven dollars. In the value of farm products, Iowa takes the lead ^\'ith an annual product of three hundred and sixty-five million four hundred and eleven thousand five hundred and twenty eight dollars in comparison with three hundred and forty-five million six hundred and forty-nine thousand six hundred and eleven dollars for Illinois. The improved acreage of the state in 1905 was divided among the various leading crops as follows: "Wheat, one million four hundred and forty-seven thousand seven hundred and sixty-four acres ; oats, three million two hundred and forty-two thousand seven hundred and sixty-two acres ; corn, seven million seven hundred and forty-three thousand three hundred and sixty-one acres; hay, two million five hundred and sixteen thousand seven hundred and ninety-three acres; rye, eighty-seven thousand four hundred and thirty acres ; barley, twenty-nine thousand six hundred and sixty-three acres, with four million two hundred and eighty-six thousand two hundred and ninety-six acres in pasture.

Although in acreage of cereals in 1900, Iowa ranked first with sixteen million nine hundred and thirty thousand and ninety-five acres, and Illinois second with sixteen million seven hundred and sixty-nine thousand and ten acres, yet Illinois ranked first in the Union in value of all crops, the valuation being two hundred and twelve million two hundred and seventy-six thousand eight hundred and sixteen dollars, Iowa and Ohio following in order. In value of cereals, Illinois again led with a production valued at one hundred and sixty-four million seven hundred and eighty-four thousand four hundred and thirty seven dollars, Iowa and Ohio following as in the value of all crops. Among specific products, Illinois produced three hundred and ninety-eight million one hundred and forty-nine thousand one hundred and forty bushels of corn, enough to place her fifteen million beyond her nearest competitor in 1900. In the production of oats, the state was likewise twelve million bushels in advance of any other state, with a total production of one hundred and eighty million three hundred and five thousand six hundred and thirty hushels. In 1900. Illinois produced sixty million six hundred and sixty-five thousand five hundred and twenty pounds of the ninety million nine hundred and forty-seven thousand three hundred and seventy pounds of broom corn produced in the entire United States. The number of tons of hay and forage crops, three million nine hundred and forty-eight thousand five hundred and sixty-three tons, placed Illinois in the sixth place, and in rye, the state ranked eighth. Two hundred and fifty-six thousand two hundred and thirteen acres were devoted to the growing of vegetables, which were produced to the value of ten million three hundred and forty-six thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven dollars. In the number of apple trees, Illinois ranked third among the states, with a production of nine million one hundred and seventy-eight thousand one hundred and fift.v bushels apples. These figures show the importance of agriculture in Illinois, and the high position which the state takes among the states of the Union in agricultural products.

Next in importance to agriculture in the natural products of the state is coal. Only one state in the Union surpasses Illinois in value of coal produced. All the coal that is found in this state is bituminous, differing in value at the mines from one dollar and thirty-seven cents per ton for lump coal to fifty-six cents per ton for pea coal. The total output of the state for 1904 was thirty-seven million seventy-seven thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven tons compared with fifteen million six hundred and sixty thousand six hundred and ninety-eight tons in 1891, an increase of nearly twent.v-two million tons, or over one hundred and forty per cent. The number of mines in 1904 was nine hundred and thirty-two, an increase of fourteen since 1891, and the number of hands employed in the mines had increased from thirty-two thousand nine hundred and fifty-one to forty-nine thousand three hundred and sixt.vone. The total value of the coal at the mines was forty million seven hundred and seventy-four thousand two hundred and twenty-three dollars. In respect to the distribution of the industry over the state, Sangamon county led with a production of four million five hundred and sixteen thousand three hundred and fifty-eight tons, St. Clair county second with three million four hundred and eighteen thousand four hundred and seventy-nine tons and Vermilion county was third with a production of three million one hundred and fourteen thousand and sixty tons. It is a significant fact as sliowing the extent of the distribution of coal in the state, that out of tli(> one hundred and two ('ounti(>s, fifty-four are coal producing.

City Hall, Gibsox City

witliont something being said of the banking business. Banks are so essential to tlio l)usiness world of today, that the volume of their transactions are a fair indication of the business life of the state. During the last few yeai-s, Chicago has passed Ixith Philadelphia and lioston in the amount of her clearinghouse transactions, the amount of clearances for 1904 being eight billion eight hundred and eight million ninety-three thousand tAvo hundred and sixty-eight dollars. The number of national banks in the state in 1904 was three hundred aiul twenty-four with a capitalization of forty-eight million eight hundred and eleven thousand dollars, and a surplus of twenty-two million two hundred aiul eighty-nine thousand dollars. The number of state banks for the same year was two hundred and eighty-five with a capital of thirty-eight million nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars and a surplus of twenty-five million six hundred and thirty thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven dollars. Of the two hundred and eighty-five state banks, one hundred and nineteen were operating savings departments and thirty were exercising trust powers. The inimlxT of private l)aii]\s in 1!)()2 was six hundi-ed and thirty-eight, capitalized at thirteen million twelve thousand one hundred and fifty-three dollars, and having a surplus of two million five hundred and fifty-seven thousand three Inindred and two dollars. There were fortv-three trust companies in 1904; of this number thirty were operating under the State Banking Act of 1887, three were or'^'anizcd under the Trust Company Act of 1887, with a capital of five million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars and a surplus of one million one hundred and eighteen thousand four hundred and four dollars, and ten were foreign corporations qualified as trust companies. This makes a grand total of one thousand two hundred and sixty banking institutions in the state with a capital of one hundred and six million five hundred and twenty-three thoiLsand one hundred and fifty-three dollars, and a surplus of fifty-one million five hundred and ninety-five thousand five hundred and thirty-three dollars. These figures when compared with those of 1890 show what an enormous development has taken place in the banking business during the last fourteen years. In 1904, as stated above, there were three hundred and twenty-four national banks; in 1890 there were one hundred and seventy-seven. In 1904, there were two hundred and eighty-five state banks; in 1890 there were forty. In 1902 there were six hundred and thirty-eight private banks; in 1890 there were one hundred and sixty-four. In 1904 there were thirty-three trust companies; in 1890 there were only seventeen. In 1890 there was a grand total of three hundred and eighty-eight banking institutions in the state with a capitalization of twenty-eight million two hundred and sixty-five thousand three hundred and sixty-three dollars and a surplus of nine million seventythree thousand four hundred and thirty-two dollars; in 1904 the number was one thousand two hundred and sixty, the capitalization one hundred and six million five hundred and twenty-three thousand one hundred and fifty-three dollars, and the surplus fifty-one million five hundred and ninety-five thousand five hundred and thirty-three dollars, an increase in each of these items of over two hundred and seventy-five per cent. Such increases show not only the increase of banking transactions, but also the great development of all kinds of business to the needs of which the banks respond.

For three decades, Illinois has led in miles of railroad. With abundant supplies of bituminous coal throughout the state, mining, manufacturing and railroads have developed together. There were in 1904 in Illinois eleven thousand six hundred and thirty-six miles of main line and enough more in branches, second, industrial and yard tracks to make the total mileage twenty thousand and sixty-five. In 1900 there were nineteen and sixty-five hundredths for every one hundred square miles of territory. The only states approaching Illinois in amount of mileage are Pennsylvania and Texas, Pennsylvania having slightly more miles per one hundred square miles and Texas but oneseventh as much per one hundred square miles. The number of employes of the railroads in Illinois in 1904 were one hundred and fiftpen thousand four hundred and seven, to whom wages to the sum of seventy-two million seventyeight thousand three hundred and ninety-seven dollars were paid. The number of passengers carried in Illinois was fifty-three million five hundred and forty-seven thousand two hundred and ninety, and the number of passengers carried one mile was one billion seven hundred and fifty-four million nine hundred and nine thousand, three hundred and twenty-six. The number of tons of freight carried was one hundred and twenty-three million five hundred and eighty-four thousand and seventy-eight, a total of twelve billion five hundred and seventy-eight million two hundred and se-^^enteen thousnnd i^vo ]^m^<^ro(} and eighty-six ton-miles. From the passenger service thirty-eight million eight hundred and forty-five thousand five hundred and twenty-two dollars was derived and from the freight service eighty-eight million four Inindred and six thousand five hundred and fortA-two dollars earnings were received, the total earnings and income for the railroads in Illinois for the year 1904 being one hundred and forty-one million four hundred and fifty-four thousand, four hundred and fifty-nine dollars. In 1890, fourteen years earlier, although there was nearly the same amount of main track in Illinois, only twenty-four million nine hundred and ten thousand eight hundred and twenty passengers were carried, over seventeen million less than in 1001. The inunl)er of passengers carried one mile has increased nearly one hnndred per cent in the short interval of ten years. The tons of freiolit had increased from forty-eisfht million in round ]niin))crs to eiyhty-eiglit million dufiii<;- the same period. The total income had increased from seventy-three million to one hnndred and eij?ht million dollars. These figures show that railroad building is pretty well advanced in Illinois, that new construction is proceeding slowly, as it should, but that greater use is being made of existing facilities.

It is in manufactures that the great expansion of the state's energies is now taking place. This accounts in some degree for the unusual increase in the urban population of the state. The high rank of Illinois as a manufacturing state as stated in the census of 1900 is due primarily to its transportation facilities. The communication with the east afforded by Lake Michigan has made Chicago the great distributing center for eastern products to all points in the middle west, while the Mississippi affords communication with the entire Mississippi valley. The importance of railroads has already been touched upon. As a result of these facilities and because of her great natural resources, Illinois is only surpassed by New York and Pennsylvania in the value of her manufactured products, according to the census of 1900, being one billion two hundred and fifty-nine million seven hundred and thirty thousand one hundred and sixty-eight dollars ; an increase of over three hundred per cent since 1880. In the amount of capital invested in manufactures, Illinois ranks fourth among the states, with an investment of seven hundred and seventy-six million eight hundred and twenty-eight thousand five hundred and ninety-eight dollars in contrast with one hundred and forty million six hundred and fifty-two thousand and sixty-six dollars invested in manufactures in 1880. In the number of wage-earners dependent upon manufacturers, Illinois ranks fourth with a total of three hundred and ninety-five thousand one hundred and ten wage-earners, to whom one hundred and ninety-one million five hnndred and ten thousand nine hundred and sixty-two dollars was ])aid in wages. The cost of materials used was seven hundred and thirty-nine million seven hundred and fifty-four thousand, four hundred and fourteen. The per capita production of manufactured goods for the state exceeded two hundred and fifty dollars in 1900.

In value of manufactured goods in specific industries, Illinois ranks first among the states in the manufacture of agricultural implements, bicycles and tricycles, steam railroad cars, glucose, distilled li(iu()rs. and wnlchcs, and in tlie products of its slaughtering and meat packing establishments. It ranks second in the manufacture of factory furniture, men's clothing, soaps, and in printing and publishing, l)<)th in Ijooks and in joh work. Forty-one and onehalf i)er cent of all the agricultural implements of the country are manufactured in the ninety-four plants of Illinois, employing twenty-two thousand three hundred and ninety-four men. The importance of the slaughtering and meat packing industry is well known. There are sixty-four plants in the state, employing twenty-seven thousand eight hiuidred and sixty-one men and turning out products to the value of t^vo hundred eight^'-seven million nine huiulred twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-seven dollars. It is this industry in addition to many of lesser importance, which has made Chicago the second manufacturing city in the world.

In the production of iron and steel, Illinois ranks third, Pennsylvania and Ohio taking the lead. There are twenty-six plants in Illinois, having a capital of forty-three million three hundred fifty-six thousand two hundred thirty-nine dollars, employing sixteen thousand six hundred forty-two men, paying in wages nine million six hundred forty thousand seven hundred sixteen dollars, and turning out a product valued at sixty million, three hundred three thousand one hundred forty -four dollars. Besides these larger industries, there are numerous carriage and wagon factories, ship-building establishments, locomotive works, papermills, flourmills, canning factories, clothing factories, malt liquor establishments, which turned out products to the value of nineteen million seven hundred thirty-three thousand eight hundred twenty-one dollars in 1900, distilleries, manufactories for chemicals, finished leather, and numerous other products whose total annual value exceeds one million dollars.

Because of its significance, the printing and pul)lishing industry deserves separate attention. In the state there are one thousand seven hundred fifty-five regular publications, having an aggregate circulation per issue of ten million four hundred twenty-nine thousand three hundred and sixty-eight, and an average circulation per issue of six thousand seven hundred thirty-seven.

From the al)ove brief statistics and comparisons, it is seen that Illinois with fifty-six thousand scjuare miles of territory and ahnost fi\-e million inhabitants is a state with truly imperial resources. Her innnense coal fields widely distributed, producing thirty-seven million tons each xcar; iiei- twenty-thousand miles of railroad, making a netwoi'k of ii-on over the state; her rail and water couanuuication with tlie east and the whole Mississippi valley afi'ording unri\ale(l means of transportation ; her mow than twelve hundred banking institutions, possessing a grand total of one hundred and fifty million dollars capital and surplus ; her twenty-seven million acres of improved land producing an anniuxl product valued at three hundred fortj^-five million dollars; her thirty-eiglit thousand manufacturing establishments, using materials valued at three-quarters of a billion dollars and turning out a product valued at one and one-cpiarter billion dollars; all these resources combine to give Illinois a proud position among the sisterhood or states.

Within a short time after the organization of Illinois territory, two counties St. Clair and Randolph, were formed. These two counties have been gradually subdivided until now there are one hundred and two comities within Ihe boundaries of this state. Ford was the last county organized. To show whence we came as a county, the following letter is inserted:

Dear Sir - Your communication of the 8th inst. at hand, and in response thereto, have to say that the following named counties comprised the state of Illinois in the year 1818, to-wit :

Franklin, organized January 2, 1818. Vermilion county was organized by an act of the general assembly, ai)proved January 18, 1826, and embraced all that tract of country within the following bounds, to-wit : Beginning on the state line between Illinois and Indiana, at the northeast corner of Edgar county; thence west with the line dividing townships 16 and 17, to the southwest corner of township 17 north, range 10, east of third principal meridian; thence north to the northwest corner of township 22 north; thence east to the state line ; thence south with the state liue to the place of l)eginning.

Edgar county was organized January 3. 1828. and at that date the territory now embraced in Vermilion county was attached to the county of Edgar.

The territory attached to Vermilion county embraced all the country now occupied by Champaign, Iroijuois and Ford counties; two tiers of townships on the east side of Livingston; two-thirds of the width of Grundy county south of the Kankakee, and nearly one and one-half congressional townships in the southwest corner of Will.

Iroquois county was formed February 26, 1833. Champaign county was formed February 20, 1833. Livingston county was formed February 27, 1837. Grundy county was formed February 17, 1841. Will county was formed Januarj^ 12, 1836. Ford county was formed February 17, 1859.

In population Ford county numbered as follows: 1860, 1,979; 1870. 9.103; 1880, 1.505; 1900. 18,259. At the date of the last census there were twenty-six counties in this state containing a less iunnl)er of inhabitants than Ford.

of Illinois (if the adiiiinisti'ation of W. L. D. Ewing, covering sixteen days, is to be counted as a term, otherwise Governor Ford's would be the seventh).

Thomas Ford was born in UniontoAvn, Pennsylvania, in the year 1800. His father was killed by the Indians when Thomas was but two years old. In 1804, his mother, with her large family of children, removed to St. Louis, IMissouri, and two years later settled in IMonroe county, Illinois.

This mother was a good manager, energetic, and determined that her sons should become good citizens. Governor Ford's boyhood was mostly spent in earning something for the family support, attending an occasional session of the county school, and one term at the Trans^dvania University. He then studied law with Daniel P. Cook, a congressman, and soon thereafter commanded a remunerative class of clients.

Afterward he served two terms as circuit judge, one term as .judge of the circuit court at Chicago, and one term as judge of the supreme court. In 1837 the financial panic then sweeping over the country visited Illinois with the most destructive effect. The state had become embarrassed as a consequence of loaning her credit to various projects of internal improvements, notably that of building railroads, and for the purpose of establishing a state bank and branches. The panic came, the internal improvement plans collapsed, the banks failed, the state bonds experienced a heavy decline, public confidence was lost, credit disappeared, and biLsiness of every kind was completely prostrated. This unfortunate condition of affairs continued for a period of several years. In 1842, Thomas Ford was chosen governor; the state debt then amounted to fourteen million dollars. It was during his able administration, and chiefly upon his recommendation, that a series of wise financial measures were brought forward in legislature. The fallen credit of the commonwealth was restored, confidence reestablished, and a fresh impetus given to trade and agricultural enterprise.

In his first message, he says: "We must convince our creditors and the world that the disgrace of repudiation is not countenanced among us, that we are honest and mean to pay as soon as w^e are able. ' '

When Governor Ford delivered the reins of government to his successor, instead of a domestic debt for the ordinary expenses of the state amounting to almost one-third of a million dollars, we find it reduced to thirty-one thousand two hundred twelve dollars, with nine thousand two liuiidred sixty dollars in the treasury.

Governor Ford in his personality is described as ' ' short in stature, slender, dark eomplexioned, heavy dark hair, deep set eyes, sharp nose and small mouth. ' '

He sa^'s in his valedictory message: "Without having indulged in wasteful or extravagant habits of living, I retire from office poorer than I came in, and go to private life with the full determination not to seek again any place in the government. ' '

Section 1. Be it enacted by the people of the state of Illinois represented in the general assembly, That all that portion of Vermilion county lying and being within the following boundaries and described as follows, to- wit:

Beginning at the northeast corner of Champaign county, running thence north of the south line of Iroquois county, thence west to the southwest corner of Iroquois county, thence north to the northwest corner of Iroquois county, thence west to Livingston county, thence south to the southeast corner of Livingston county, thence west to McLean county, thence south to the northwest corner of Champaign county, thence east to the place of beginning, be and the same is hereby created into a new county, to be called the county of Ford : Provided that a majority of all the- legal voters of said county of Vermilion voting on the (Question shall vote for said new county, at an election to be held in manner hereinafter provided.

Sec 2. The qualified voters of said county of Vermilion may at a special election to be held in the several towns in said county on the first Tuesday in April next, vote for or against the creation of said new county of Ford by ballot upon which shall be written or printed or partly written and partly printinl 1h(^ words, "For the new county," or "Against the new county."

Sec. 3. The clerk of the county court of said county of Vermilion shall give notice of said election in the several election districts of said county in the same manner as notice of general or especial elections are given in counties which have not adopted township organization as nearly as may be, and the judges and clerks of election in the several election districts of said county shall keep a list of the voters polled at said election, and conduct the same in all respects and make return thereof to the clerk of the county court in the same manner as is provided by law for general elections. All vacancies in the bt)ar(l of election shall be filled in the same manner as is provided by law in other cases. The clerk of said county court shall within seven days after said election, or as soon thereafter as said returns shall be received, proceed to canvass the returns of said election in the same manner as in general elections, and shall within five days thereafter make return of said vote to the secretary of state.

Sec. 4. If it shall appear that a majority of all the voters in said county of Vermilion voting upon the question, have voted in favor of the creation of said new county of Ford, then there shall be held a special election in the several towns and precincts within the limits of this act described for said new county of Ford, on the first Monday in June next for county officers. In case of fractional towns or precincts which have become detached by the boundaries of the said new county the voters thereof may at the first election for county officers vote within such town or precinct within said new county as they deem most convenient. The said election to be conducted by the judges of election then in office under appointment or election in said county of Vermilion, and to be held at the place of holding the last general election. In case of vacancy in the board of election, or non-attendance, said vacancy or place of any absentee shall be filled in the same manner as is provided by law in other cases of election. At which election the qualified voters of said county of Ford shall elect all county officers for said county except such as hereinafter are excepted who shall be commissioned and ciualified in the same manner as such officers are in other counties in this state, and who shall continue in office until the next general election for such officers and until their successors are elected and cpialificd, and who shall have all the jurisdiction and perform all the duties which are or may be conferred upon such officers in other counties of this state.

Sec. 5. All the justices of the peace, constables or other town or precinct officers who have been heretofore elected and qualified in said county of Vermilion whose term of office shall not have expired at the time of said election and whose residence shall be embraced within the limits of said county of Ford shall continue in office until their term of office shall expire, and until their successors shall be elected and qualified.

Sec. 6. For the purpose of fixing the permanent location of the county seat of said county of Ford, the voters of said county shall at said election for county officers vote for some place to be designated upon their ballots for a county seat, upon which ballots shall be written or printed, or partly written written or printed the name of the place intended for the county seat. The place receiving a majority of all the votes cast upon the question shall be the county seat of said county of Ford, but if no one place sliall receive a majority of all the votes cast upon the question, then it shall be the dut}' of the t-ounty court of said county to call another election within thirty days thereafter at the several places of holding elections in said county, at whirh election the voters of said county shall proceed to vote as before, but shall choose from the two places having the greater inimber of votes at the former election, and the place having the majority of all the votes cast at the second election shall be the permanent county seat of said county of Ford.

Sec. 7. The notice of said election for county officers shall be given hy the clerk of the county court of Vermilion county in the same manner as in cases of general elections; said notice shall specify that a vote will be taken upon the location of the county seat. The returns of said election for county officers shall be made to the clerk of said court, who shall cause the same to be opened and canvassed and returns thereof made in the same manner as is provided by law in other cases.

Sec. 8. All suits and prosecutions that have been or may be commenced in said county of Vermilion, including all the proceedings in the county court, in matters of probate before the organization of said county of Ford, shall not be affected by this act or the operation thereof, l)ut all such suits, prosecutions and proceedings shall be prosecuted, and conducted to their final termination in said county of Vermilion, and the officers of said county are hereby authorized to execute all writs that may be necessary for the completion of said suits, prosecutions or proceedings within the limits of said county of Ford, and all judgments that may have heretofore been obtained, or that may hereafter be obtained in said county of Vermilion before the organization of said county of Ford, shall have the same lien upon all property within the limits of said county of Ford as if the said territory had not been created into a separate county.

Sec. 9. As soon as the county officers shall have been elected and (pialified as aforesaid, the said county of Ford shall be considered organized. The oath of office may be administered to the several country officers by any person within the limits of the new county authorized by law to administer oaths, and as soon as said county is organized, the clerk of the circuit court shall give notice thereof to the judge of the circuit in which said county may be embraced, who shall thereupon hold court at such place in said county of Ford as the county court thereof shall designate until the county seat of said county shall become permanently located as heretofore provided, which court shall be holden at such times as the judge of said circuit shall appoint until otherwise provided

Sec. 10. The school funds, if any, in the hands of the school commissioners of Vermilion county belonging to the several towns or parts of towns embraced within the limits of said county of Ford, shall be by said commissioners paid over to the school commissioner of said county of Ford, so soon as he shall have given bond and been qualified on demand- made.

Sec. 11. The county court of said county of Ford shall at some term of said court, by an order to be entered upon their records, appoint some competent i^erson a commissioner for the purpose hereinafter expressed, who shall take an oath of office before some officer of said county authorized by law to administer oaths, said court shall at the same time provide a sufficient number of well bound blank books, and deliver the same to said commissioner, who shall receipt the same to the clerk of said court, and as soon as the same shall be delivered to said commissioners he shall record in each book a copy of the order of appointment and oath of office, and shall thereupon proceed to transcribe into such books all deeds, mortgages and title papers of every description, with the acknowledgments and certificates in relation thereto, of lands lying in the said county of Ford, which have been recorded, or may hereafter be recorded, before the organization of said county, in the recorder's office of said county of Vermilion. Such commissioner shall be allowed by said county court such sums as his services shall be worth, to be paid out of the county treasury. Said commissioner shall note at the end of each paper he shall transcribe, the book and page from which the same was transcribed, and shall make a correct double index of said records, and on the completion of his duties, said commissioner shall return said books to the clerk of the circuit court of the said county of Ford, whereupon they shall be taken and considered to all intents and purposes as books of records of deeds, mortgages and title papers for said county of Ford, and copies of said records certified by the officer having custody of the same shall be evidenced in all courts and places in the same manner that deeds and title papers regularly recorded in the recorder's office, an evidence and with the same effect.

Sec. 12. Of the swamp lands lying within the present limits of Vermilion county and of the proceeds of sales of said lands heretofore made, and which may hereafter be made before the organization of said county of Ford, after deducting all expenses paid by, and for which the said county of Vermilion may be liable. The said county of Ford shall receive and be entitled to a share in proportion to the number of congressional townships and parts of townships lying within the boundaries of said county of Ford, and the share of said county of Yennilion to said hinds and proceeds of sales thereof as aforesaid, shall be in proportion to the number of congressional townships and parts of townships remaining within the limits of said county of Vermilion after said county of Ford shall have been organized.

I, Henry D. Dement, secretary of state of the state of Illinois, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of an act to create the county of Ford and for other purposes now on file in this office.

In witness whereof, I hereto set my hand and affix the great seal of state (L. S.) at the city of Springfield, this 11th day of June, A. D. 1883.

Agreeably to tlie fourth section of the foregoing act, an election w^as held on the first Monday in June, 1859, in the new county of Ford, for county officers. At the same time, in accordance with the sixth section, the location of the county seat was determined by the selection of Paxton, the name of the town at that time being Prospect City.

County Government

An act for establishing county courts, approved February 12, 1849, and in force at the time of the organization of Ford county, provided for the elec- tioii of a county .I'ncl^'e. Also, that at the same time, "there shall be elected two justices of the peac(\ wliose jurisdiction shall be coextensive with the county, and Avho shall hold llicir officers for four years." They were to give bond, and have the same powers as township justices and "moreover, sit with the county judge, as meml)ers of the court for the transaction of the county business, and none other, and while sitting as members of the court shall have an c({ual vote with the comity judge on all (piestions and matters legally and properly before said ccmrt. The said judge wnth said two justices shall in all cases whatever, have, exercise and possess all the power, jurisdiction and authority heretofore conferred on the county commissioners court." To distinguish these county justices from those of the several townships they were termed associate justices. In probate and certain other matters, the county judge acted alone.

It is our purpose to give a list of the members of this court followed by a list of the township supervisors, dating from the adoption of township organization by this county. These supervisors, when met for county business, compose what is termed the board of supervisors, which takes the place of the county court, consisting of the county judge and associate justices.

The records of Vermilion county show^ that that portion which now comprises Ford county was organized as a township February 16, 1856, from IMiddlefork township and named Prairie City township. Its name was changed to "Patton" September 15, 1857, on account of there being another Praire City township in the state.

Drummer Grove township was organized from Patton, September 14, 1858, and included the present townships of Drummer, Dix, Peach Orchard and Sullivant. Stockton township was organized from Patton, March 15, 1859, and included the present townships of Lyman, Brenton, Pella, Mona and Rogers. Therefore, at the time of the organization of Ford countv, it consisted of three townships, viz. : Patton, Drummer Grove and Stockton, the former at that time including the present townships of Patton, Button and Wall. The first court after the election in June, 1859, for the transaction of county business, was held by David Patton, county judge; William Swinford and Andrew J. Bartlett, associate justices.

Board Of Supervisors

March 7, 1864 - The name of Grant was changed to Rogers, and Stockton at this time, comprising the present townships of Lyman, Brenton and Bella, was changed to Brenton.

December 16, 1873 - W. T. Morrison took his seat in place of R. N. Gorsuch, elected county superintendent of schools. N. M. Ward took his seat in place of H. P. Beach, elected county judge.

John Keesey was elected assistant supervisor for Patton township, it being the opinion that this townshij) had the population entitling it to two supervisors.

March 13, 1877 - Samuel J. LeFevre took his seat as supervisor, in place of J. H. Collier, elected to the general assembly. James Sheldon was elected chairman.

July 14, 1879 - The board decided that under the census of 1870, as provided by law, Patton township was entitled to but one supervisor. Accordingly Mr. Froyd withdrew.

Sheriff'S Residence And Jail, Paxtox

1897 - William Iloyt, Rogers; Winfried Scott, Mona; T. J. Sowers, Pell a ; John A. Montelius, Brenton ; J. P. Smith, Lyman ; James IT. Andrews, Wall ; Owen K. Boshen, Peach Orchard; Swen Anderson, Snllivant; Tim Ross, Drummer; Thomas Crowe, Dix; A. L. Laurence, Patton ; J. C. Kirkpatrick, Button.

Monuments To The Soldier Dead

At Gibson City, in "the soldiers' circle" of the cemetery, a one hundredpound Parrot gun and an eight-inch mortar from Fortress Monroe are mounted beside a pyramid of eight-inch shells and dedicated May 30, 1898, to the soldiers of the Civil war. The work w'as carried out under the auspices of the local G. A. R. post at a cost of about one hundred and twenty dollars.

At Paxton, in Glen cemetery, erected under the auspices of the G. A. R. and AV. R. C, a marble shaft, twenty-two feet high, surmounted by the figure of a private st)ldier, was dedicated IMay 30, 1901, "To the memory of the unknoAvn sokliers" of the Civil wjir. Cost al)out fifteen Inuidred dollars.

At Piper City, in tlic pu1)lie ])ark, there is a cannon and p\raniid of balls dedicated by the local G. A. R. post to the memory of the soldiers of the Civil war.

Even at the start. Paxton had her troubles in the way of obtaining for herself the capital of the county. Her success canic^ fi'om her environments and the tigliting (jiialities oF hev citizens. Tlie (|uesti()ii ol* tlic county seat sluinbei-cd, iiu'rely, for years. Gibson City was ambitious and ever east a eovetous eye toward the capital. The culmination of her aspirations came in 1905, when certain of her citizens made an offer of money (in notes) and a new conrthouse, as an inducement for the removal of the county seat to that place. The courthouse was to be built on "lot 8," not in the corporation. A vote was taken, after a warm and bitter contest, November 14, and Paxton won. Tbe vote is given, in tabulated forms, below:

So far as the principal county offices are concerned, the general arrangement and method of handling the public business is very much the same as in all of the states; but the offices are called by different names, and in minor details - such as transferring from one office to another certain minor lines of work - there are a number of points in which the method of county government in the various states differs. The names of the principal county offices are adopted, which are most common in the northern states, as in the southern and New England states there are scarcely any two states in which the names or titles of all the county offices are identical.

Generally the principal auditing officer of the county is known as the "county auditor" or ** county clerk." In Illinois, Kansas, jMissouri, Wisconsin and many other states the office is called "county clerk." In Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and others it is termed ' ' county auditor. ' ' In a few of the states under certain conditions tliis office is merged with some other county office. A notable example of this is in the state of Michigan, where they have one official, under the simple title of "clerk," who looks after about all the work which in most of the states devolves upon both the county clerk and also clerk of court. In all of the states a bond in a moderate sum is required of the county clerk or auditor, and he is paid a salary of from one thousand five hundred dollars to three thousand five hundred dollars per year, besides in some states being allowed certain fees, unless it is in a very large and heavilj' populated county, where the salary paid is of necessity much higher than this amount. No county treasurer or member of the county board is eligible to this office. In general terms it may be stated as a rule the auditor acts as a clerk or secretary of the official county board, although in a few of the states the court clerk is required to look after this matter. The clerk of the county board keeps an accurate record of the board's proceedings and carefully preserves all documents, records, books, maps and papers which may be brought before the board, or which the law provides shall be deposited in his office. In the auditing office an accurate account is kept with the county treasurer. Generally they file the duplicates of the receipts given by the county treasurer, charging him with all money paid into the treasury and giving credit for all warrants paid. The general plan of paying claims against a county is as follows: If the claim is one in which the amount due is fixed by law, or is authorized to be fixed by some other person or tribunal, the auditor issues a warrant or order which will be paid by the treasurer, the certificate upon which it is allowed being duly filed. In all other cases the claim must be allowed b.N' th(3 county board, and the chairman or presiding officer issues a warrant or order wliicli is attested by the clerk. A complete record of all these county warrants or orders is kept, and the accounts of the county treasurer must balance therewith. The above in general terms outline the most important branch of work' which the county clerk or county auditor looks after in most of the states, l)ut in all the states the law riviuires him to look after a number of other matters, although in these there is no uiiifoi'inity between the various states, and no general (l('S('ri])tion of tliese mitioi- or additional duties could be given that would apply to all the states.

County Treasurer

This is an office wliicli exists in all the states, and it is one of the most important of the various offices necessary in carrying on the business of the "onnty. It is an elective office in all of the states, and the term of office is usually either two or four years, ])ut a very common provision in the various states is that after serving for one term as county treasurer a party shall Ix' ineligible to the office until the intervention of at least one term after the expiration of the term for which he was elected. This provision, however, does not exist in all of the states, as in some of them the county treasurer is eligible for re-election for any number of terms.