Grundy County, Illinois - Chapter 13, 1882

AU SABLE TOWNSHIP - LOCATION AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS - ITS EARLY SETTLEMENT - ITS NATURAL ATTRACTIONS - DRESDEN - MJNOOKA - CHRUCHES AND SCHOOLS.

with a black swamp soil, with murky tendencies. It is a fine gi-nzin<^ country, and is largely used for this purpose, though the staple grains of tliis section are not overlooked by the farmers. It was here that some of the earliest settlej's made their home.

AU SAIjLE township forms the north, east corner of Giundy County', and presents some of tlie finest natural scenery in this region. It is princi])all3' a fine rolling prairie, with a fringe of timber along the Au Sable Creek and the Illinois River. The eastern line is marked by a high rise of ground, which forms a watershed of limited extent, the drainage flowing in an easterly and westerly direction from this line. The termination of this ridge at the head of the Illinois is well worth going some distance to see. The high land continues almost to the river brink, affording an outlook over the low land of Feli.x and the country south for miles. The scene here presented, with its picturesque views along the river and the low meadows dotted with grazing herds, is found nowhere else in this county, and forms the object of many a pleasant drive. The northern tier of sections has a good elevation also, and that part of the town west of the Au Sable Creek. The valley of this creek, which flows a southwesterly course through the township to the northem line of section 30, and then makes a sharp turn to the east and another south to the Illinois in section 32, is low and wet. The soil of the upland is considerably mixed with sand and with a clay substratum, while ihe lowlands are characterized in the vicinity. It was a favorite winter resort of the Pottawatomies, and the favorite hunting ground of both white and red man. Marquis, though having his cabin at the mouth of the Mazon, could not resist the attractions of this side of the river, and partly to utilize a high and clear piece of ground, and partly to be nearer the natives, spent his summei-s at the mouth of the Au Sable Creek. In the winter he found the sheltered nook on the Mazon more comfortable. But Marquis could not properl}' be called a settler, as his purposes in the county weie temporarj-, and he made no permanent improvement in either place. W. H. Perkins, although not the first settler, was one of the earliest to explore the township with that in view, and so well did he like it that as soon as he sought to build up a home of his own, he came back and took up liis claim. He was a native ot Oneida County, New York, and recognizing that the West was the only place for a young man without capital to get a start, came out, after some delay's, to Chicago, in 1833. He was accompanied by Levi Hills, and arrived there September 23, 1833, and found characteristic evidence of the newness of the country in a camp of five thousand Indians, who liad been gathered on the west side of Chicago. That night these travelers rested at Beaiibien's hotel, which, as lie expressed it, was kept "like one hell, and made money like dirt," and his guests had no reason to doubt the correctness of the statement in either particular. In the town Perkins met J. D. Caton, James II. Collins and a Mr. Snell, all from Oneida County, New York. On the next day Snell and Collins accompanied Mr. Perkins, all proceeding on foot, to explore the country. On noon of the 26th they reached the cabin of Chester House, located where Seward now is, in Kendall County. Here Mr. Perkins found an old acquaintance of liis father, who had come out and settled in the previous May, and gladly volunteered to take his team and pilot the party in a prospecting tour of the vicinity. Under the guidance of Mr. House the party went south across sections 4 and 9, township 34, range 8, and returned. The next day they took the same route, going further south, but finally making an abrupt turn to the west, went to Ilolderman's grove. Here Mr. Perkins entered into an arrangement with Mr. Holderman to work some of his land. Here for two years, with no company but his three yoke of oxen, he plowed and planted. In 1835, having secured a wife, he came to An Sable and settled on the northeast quarter of section eight. The first actual settler was Salmon Rutherford, a native of Xew York. He came in Ma}', 1833, and settled on section twenty-six.

He was a man of an impulsive and determined disposition, and became a leading s])irit in this township. He built an early hotel, the first one in the county, and gave its location the name of Dresden. An early stage line made this spot of some imjiortance for a time, but it soon died out, the withdrawal of the staijes giving- a final blow to any pretensions it may have had.

Following Mr. Rutherford, came three families from Delaware County, Ohio, Henry Cryder, Zach. Walley, and N. II. Tabler. Mr. Cryder was a native of Virginia and came early to Ohio, from whence he came with Walley and Tablei', his sonin-law, and a family of unmarried children. Their goods were packed on a large wagon drawn by three yoke of oxen, while two two-horse wagons furnished the conveyance for the three families, and with these and eight or ten head of cattle, they made the journey across the country. The}' were not unacquainted with the exigencies of frontier life, and made little difficulty in performing the journey. The attractions of the " An Sable country" were known for miles around, and its praises began to be sounded as soon as they reached the " Wabash country." Of course one wagon, liowever large, could bring only the barest household necessities for three tamilies, but among these were the carpenter's tools of Mr. Cryder who was a mechanic. Arriving on the ground the men lost no time in erecting a temporary shelter. Logs were cut and a slied of three sides put up and covered with shakes, while along the open side a huge fire was maintained. These families readied their chosen home in October, and though late in the season for such rude accommodations, they found no troul)le in making tliejnselves comfortable witii leaves for beds and logs for chairs and tables. (Cabins were put up at once for each of the families, Cryder's on the southeast quarter of section eight, Tabler's on the north half of this quarter, and AValley's on section seventeen. Tliis latter location proved unhealthful, and was subsequently changed for a site on the no;-thwest quarter of section eight. These cabins were made in the usual style, with shake roof, puncheon floors and stick and clay chimneys. The floor of the loft was made from lumber which had to be procured at, and hauleil across the prairie from Plainfiekl. The furniture was the product of such skill as the men possessed, and the timber of the basswood trees found here. A section of a good sized log, smoothed with a broad ax and furnished with a rough back and legs, supplied the absence of chairs. Rude bedsteads with the cords brought from Ohio, and " ticks" filled with leaves made a comfortable place to sleep. The manufacture of these household belongings occupied the small part of the tall, which remained after the cabins were completed. The winter proved a remarkably mild, open one, and very favorable for the new settlement.

About the same time with these families came John Beard* and settled on section thirty, where he was soon afterward joined bv his son-in-law and his family. In the spring of 1834:, Rodney House located on the northeast quarter of section nine, and in the same year three men by the name of McElroy came from Washington County, Vermont, and located on the southeast quarter of the same section. About this time I). M. Thomas caine here from Uiiio, and Leaniler Cross, marrying a daughter of Chester House, settled on the northeast quarter of section thirteen. William Lewis and his brothers were the next settlers, coming very soon after Thomas. Of the three brothers, William was a piiysiciau and located his claim on section twenty-flvo, Joseph on the southeast quarter of section thirteen, and Samuel on the s(nitheast quarter of section fourteen, now owned and occupied by William Walter. In 1835. I. W. Rutherford, a physician, settled on the northeast quarter of section tweiitv-two, and commenced his im]3rovements in the following year. Samuel Randall was an earh' settler, coming in with Salmon Rutherford as a young man. lie afterward married and made a home here where he died. Thomas Carl was another settler who came in about 1S36. The towtiship was not slow in flUing up. The work on the canal attracted a good many to this vicinit}-, and when the work stopjied many without other resource t<^)ok up the land which was unoccupied. These were chiefl}' natives of Ireland who had come from Canada in the employ of a canal contractor, and who now hold the political control of the township.

The land here was one literally "flowing with milk and honey." The great sweep of prairie which extended toward tlie northeast to the verge of the horizon was tjie resort of thousands of deer, chickens, and wolves ; the river furnished fish in abundance, and the timber echoed with the lively clatter of the small game to which it gave a precarious shelter. Tlie honey bee, the harbinger of civilization, preceded the early settlers here some six or eight yrars, and liad made the river bluffs famous lor tlie stores of sweetness found in hollow tree-; along the streams. The Indians were very fund of this delicacy, and never failed to rille a bee tree of its contents when they discovered it, but from tl»e lack of proper lucilities or the number and industry of the bees, vast stores of honey were accuuiuhited to garnish the homely fare of the pioneer.

The winter of 1833-4 was very mild, and in January the weather came off warm and spring-like during the day, but with sharp cool weather at night. The bees deluded bv the inviting warmth of the sun sallied from their hives, and becoming <jhilled, fell dead upon the light covering of snow which lay upon the ground. The new-comers were not at loss to read the meaning of this sign, and the Cryder settlement alone found thirtv-three trees and secured their contents. There was, of course, nothing about thee pioneer establishments in which to store this vast amount of honey, and great basswood troughs were made for the purpose and tilled. While this raid did not exterminate the bees of this section, the continued ravages of the settlers soon made these "rich finds" mucli less frequent, and those who enjoyed the sport united pleasure and profit in bee-hunting. An experienced linnter would go out in briglit warm da}' in -winter or late fall, and burn some honeycomb, which seldom failed to attract the game to the honey which was provided for them. Loading up with this, the bee would rise circling into the air and then fly straight to its tree, and it was the hunter's business to follow the fleet-winged insect closely and thus discover its secret. To do this required an expert, and there were but few who were marked for their success. Sometimes a numberof bees from a single tree are attnu;ted, and the going to and from the bait by these insects makes the line plain enough to be easily followed, but this is rare. In o'her cases, the best that can be done is to discover the direction of the bee's flight, and taking this - against the sun if possible - to stumble along with upturned gaze, scanning every tree for the toll-tale knothole or crack in the tree. I)\it when the tree was found, the battle was i>ut half won. The tree must be felled and the occupants were often found to be no feeble folk. When the hollow of the tree extended down to the point where the ax must penetrate it, the hunter was often obliged to decamp in hot haste as soon as the blows had aroused the swarm. David Bunch, of Norman, was noted for his success as a bee-hunter, and was greatly assisted by a dog which, in some incomprehensible way, had learned the secret of bee-hunting. Indeed, so keen was the animal's interest in the sport, tliat he occasionally found a tree entirely alone calling his master to the spot by his barking. The bee was easily domesticated, and many of tiie settlers captured swarms, placed them in a section of a hollow tree, and in a short time had a constant source of supply for the table and the market. In many cases this was the principal resource for the sweetening used in the culinary work of the cabin, and was the basis ot a favorite drink. " Metheglin" was made of steeped honey comb and honey fermented. It was counted an excellent drink and much preferred to cider, and when strengthened by age, became a powerful intoxicant. This, however, has passed away with many other of the homely joys of jjioneer days.

The bees, too, have suffered by the advance of tlie civilization whicli they seem everywhere to nslier in. Tlie destruction of the prairie llowers and tlie ravages of the bee moth have almost resnlted in their aniiihi lation, and it is only by the strictest care that domestic swarms can be profitably maintained.

Tiie earliest settlers in An Sable fonnd themselves completely isolated, and thongh in a country abounding in the riciiest provision of nature, fonnd it necessary to go long distances for such things as the country did not provide. Their first flour was secured at Reed's Grove. A small settlement had been made here a year or two before, and flour had been brought from the Wabash country. Here the Cryder settlement sent for the winter's supply. For their stock they bought some thirty bushels of corn of Marquis, but tiie open winter allowed the cattle to feed on the prairie most of the season. There was a fall of snow which lay on the ground from early in January to the 10th of February. The cattle had found a choice piece of pasture south of the ox-bow bend of the Au Sable Creek, which they refused of their own will to leave during this snow. They were driven up to the cabins and fed some corn, with the hope that this would 'reconcile them to the prairie )iay which had been provided the previous fall, but in the morning they were found again at their old feeding sround. A considerable band of Indians was encamped at the moutli of the Au Sable, and the cattle feeding in the track of their Indian ponies found plent}' to eat where they had pawed off the snow. About 1835 or '6, a log flouring mill Was put up on the Desplaiues Kiver, near Channahon.

The point at which Salmon Rutherford settled early took on the importance and name of a village, though there was little to warrant these pretensions. His log iiouse was very early replaced by a large framed structure, and Rutherford took out the first license for keeping an inn. The stage line which ran in opposition to Frink & Walker's line made this a point for changing horses, and gave Dresden the ])resti£re of a post-office and an occasional glimpse of the outside world. The sharp competition between the rival stage lines, however, diverted the route to a shorter line further north, and the final withdrawal of the stage altogether, left this point with a hotel and a name only. During the construction of the canal, a few temporary buildings gathered about the old hotel and kept it coni])any for awhile, but these ])assed away with the laborers, and the place lapsed into its original rural simplicity. Tiie building of the Rock Island & Pacific railroad confirmed this decree of fortune, and built up a substitute in the northeast corner of the town.

The vilkijje of Minooka was laid out by Ransom Gardner in 1852. He owned some five hundred acres of land at this point, and labored assiduoush' to secure the location of the line near his property. The little town grew slowly for a year or two, and business was not attracted here until about 1858. Three years previous to this Christo]ilier Tucker put up a store building and brought in a stock of general merchandise, but the venture proved a losing one, and he left the place in the following spring. The most convenient place for making purchases at this time was Chaniiiihon, and when, in tlie fall of 185(5, Joseph Lewis rented the old Tucker store, he found the people numerous and willing enouj;;h to make a profitable bu<ineis. In tlie spring of 1S57, Leander Smith, a brotherin-law of Gardner's, came to Mino(jka and erected the second store in the village. This was located on the corner and is now occupied by Martin Kaffer. In the following year C. V. Hamilton ])ut uji a number of business buildiiiirs which are now owned l>v George Comerford and occupied by Wheeler & Saddler, and Barker & Stauffer. Hamilton at the same time erected the tirs-t liotel which was known for some time as the Hamilton House, but is now owned by Thomas Sheick. In 1S5S a grist-mill was also erected, Gardner & Ileiner originating the enterprise. This was a good structure with three run of stone, and proved a great convenience to the farmers about, who gave it a liberal patronage. It stood until 1SW6 wlien it was destro^'ed by lire, and its site subsequently occupied iiy the elevator which is now the chief business attraction of the place. The first elevator was built in 1868 by Knapp & Griswold, which was burned down in 1880. In the following year A. K. Ivnapp built the present fine structure, which has a capacity of 100,liOO bushels, at a cost of $15,- OUO. Its dimensions are 36 by 70 feet foundation, with an altitude of seventy feet; has a car shed and is jirovided with all the modern improvements. It is now leased by Henry McEwen, of Morris, who has liandled upward of 450,000 bushels of grain. In connection with this business, Mr. McEwen carries on a lumber yard where he has sold some 500,000 feet of lumber in the past year. Connected with the lumber yard is a planing mill, built in 1873 by A. K. Knapp & Griswold, run by McEwen. A hay press is also run by the power of the mill, where about a thousand tons of hay have been handled in a single season. Tliis combination of enterprises makes Minooka a busy little town in the proper seasons, and makes a convenient market for a good many miles ai'ound. The village was incorporated December 14, 1860, and now claims about six hundred inhabitants. In the fall of 1870 a considerable tire destroyed four or five business buildings which were replaced duriiiff the following winter and siiring, improving the appearance of the business quarter. Minooka bears a quiet air of prosjjerity, which betokens a steady and profitable patronage, if not a large one. The business part of the town is considerably diversified, and numbers three general stores, a drug store, grocery, market, barber shop, pump shop, two blacksmith shops, two wagon shops and two church edifices. The Catholic church of St. Mary's parish is the stronger organization in Minooka. It was early organized at Dresden where a buildiner was erected and services held for some years. In 1862, the church decided to follow the tendency of business and public interests and removed to Minooka. The Comerfords, Kinsellars anil George T. Smith were the leading members who took an active part in there-establishment of the church. The membership at that time was about fifty, which has since been nearly doubled. The church edifice is a neat wooden structure 40 by 100 feet foundation, with an altitude of 100 feet, and was erected at a cost of about $6,000.

Tlie fii'st Methodist Episcopal Ciairch was organized in 1856 witii some nineteen nienibers. Among these were J. G. Smitli, Henry Pendleton, S. and A. C. Worthing, Michael Ketchain and their wives. The first sermon was jjreached in Ferguson's store by Rev. T. L. Olmstead. After this, meetings were held in the school-house until the present place of worship was erected. Mr. Henry Pendleton was an active worker in securing the new church home, which is a pleasant wooden building, 20 by 56 feet. The Sunday school was early established and is still maintained tlie year round, and has an average attendance of fifty pupils. Tlie church now numbers some fiftj' members.

The An Sable Methodist Episcopal Church, whose place of worship is situated on section seven, is really tlie older organization of the two Methodist churches. It was early organized by Rev. John Devore, an itinerant from the Fo.x River Mission, at the residence of Henry Cryder. Meetings were held at first in private houses, and later in the school-house as soon as it was built. In 1878 the neat wooden structure on the northern line of section seven was erected at a cost of some §2,500. It is a little out of the ordinary style of rural church architecture, has stained glass windows, and is in every way a credit to the to which it belongs. Some of the early members were Henry Cryder, Z. Walley, and their wives, John Craig, D. M. Thomas and others. The church now has a membership of some seventy members.

Cryder's energy. The first session was taught by a daughter of Rev. Mr. Ashley, from Plainfield. This sufiiced for the demands of the little community for some eight or ten years, when a second school house was erected on land belonging to Israel Cryder. This was a log building, and served as a meeting house for some time.

Minooka Lodge of F. and A. Masons, No. 628, was organized in the winter of 1867, and worked under dispensation until tiie full of 1808, when the lodge was chartered, with G. Dahlem, A. K. Knapp, G. C. Griswold, Jno. T. Van Uolfson, G. S. Correll, Sam'l Adams, W. H. Smith, E. W. Weese, Jacob Gedelman, John Colleps, Phaley Gedleman, J. E. McClure, C. V. Hamilton and W. A. Jordon as charter members. The first officers were G. Dahlem, W. M.; A. K. Knajip, S. W.; G. C. Griswold, J. W., etc. Tlie lodge is now in a flourishing condition, and holds its meetings on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, in their hall in the third story of Coiiierford's block.

An eflbrt was made in the fall of 1881 to organize the temperance sentiment of tlie township for efl'ective work against what was felt to be a growing evil. William Walley was jiromiiient in this movement, and is president of the organization. Members were not required to be residents of the township, and many from Saratoga joined the movement. Since its inauguration, however, the society has taken on a political character, and become pledged to the prohibition party. This organization holds regular meetings in the Methodist meeting house, and numbers about 120 members.