Livingston County, Illinois - Chapter 8, 1909

Chapter 8

RAILROADS 240 MILES - LIST OF LINES AND STATIONS - BANKING HISTORY - LIST OF NATIONAL AND STATE BANKS - THEIR FOUNDERS AND PRESENT OFFICERS - EARLY MAIL ROUTES - RURAL FREE DELIVERY - TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE LINES.

There are 240 miles of railroad in Livingstpn County, more than any other county in the state, with the exception of three. There is not a place in the county that is over six miles in a direct line from a railroad track, or over eight miles from a station.

The Wabash railroad has the largest mileage in the county, sixty-five and one-half miles, of which thirty-six and one-half miles are on the Chicago branch and twenty-nine miles on the

Streator branch. The Chicago branch enters the county at the northeastern corner and crosses the entire eastern portion of the county. The stations along this line are Campus, Cardiff, Emington, Scovel, Saunemin, Wing, Forrest, Risk and Strawn. The Streator branch extends from Streator to Fairbury, from which point the trains use the road-bed of the T. P. and W., connecting with the main line at Forrest. The stations on this branch are Manville, Cornell, Rowe, Pontiac, McDowell, Lodemia, Fairbury and Forrest.

The Illinois Central has sixty-two miles of its road in Livingston County. The Kankakee branch, or Middle Division, extends through the center of the county from east to west, thirty-six miles. The stations on this line are Flanagan, Graymont, Rooks Creek, Pontiac, Swygert, Rugby, Eylar, Spires, Scovel and Griswold. This line joins the Bloomington branch at Kempton Junction, near the county line. The Bloomington branch runs in a southwesterly direction through the southeastern part of the county, twenty-six miles. The stations in the county on this line are Cullom, Charlotte, Chatsworth, Risk and Rosalthe.

The main line of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, crosses the county in a southwesterly direction from Dwight to Chenoa, twenty-nine miles. The Peoria branch runs along the northern edge of the county from Dwight to Streator. Twentytwo and three-fourth miles of this branch are in this county. The stations on the main line in the county are Dwight, Odell, Cayuga, Pontiac and Ocoya. The stations on the Peoria branch are Nevada, Blackstone and Smithdale.

The Indiana, Illinois & Iowa Railroad, a short line running from Streator, Ill., to South Bend, Ind., passes through the county from Streator to Reddick. Thirty miles of its line Its stations are Missal, Budd, Adams, Sunbury, Dwight and Wilson,

The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad, passes in almost a due east and west line through the southeastern part of the county, a distance of eighteen miles. Its stations in this county are Fairbury, Forrest and Chatsworth.

The line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad crosses Livingston County diagonally in the northwestern part, passing through the townships of Reading and Long Point, the total length of its main tracks in the county being fourteen miles. Its stations in Livingston County are Reading, Ancona and Long Point.

Prior to 1871, Pontiac had one private bank, but there was urgent need of a national bank in the county, and in the spring of 1871 several of the citizens of Pontiac made an application to the bank department for starting a national bank there, under a new law to equalize the distribution of currency. The permit was granted, after some skirmishing as to who should have control of it. On the 24th of April, 1871, the organization was effected by the election of the following directors: Elbridge G. Keith, J. L. Woodward, and Henry Greenebaum of Chicago; Joseph M. Greenebaum, John Dehner, William B. Lyon, Stephen C. Crane, Joseph F. Culver and Jacob Houder of Pontiac. At a subsequent meeting of the directors, Elbridge G. Keith was elected president; Joseph M. Greenebaum, vice-president; Henry G. Greenebaum, cashier, and D. C. Eylar, teller. The eapital stock of $50,000 was all paid in and on Monday July 3, 1871, having received their currency from Washington, the Livingston County National Bank opened its doors to the public. All of these officials, with the one exception of D. C. Eylar, are dead. In time, Mr. Eylar became president of the bank and served as such until 1908, when he was superseded by Curtis J. Judd, of Dwight, who now holds the majority of the stock. The present officials are: Curtis J. Judd, president; J. M. Lyon, cashier; Erastus Hoobler, vice-president; board of directors: E. Hoobler, D. M. Lyon, C. J. Judd, A. C. Norton, A. Fischer, J. M. Lyon and James A. Hoover.

During the years 1872-73, business of all kinds was good in Pontiac and the surrounding country. Some of the leading business men of the community got together and circulated a petition to start another national bank. The capital stock was soon all subscribed for and at a meeting of the stockholders held on Tuesday, March 24, 1874, for the purpose of effecting a permanent organization, elected the following officers :

P. Bourland. All of the first officials of the bank, with the exception of two, O. P. Bourland and S. E. Holtzman, are dead. On April 8, 1874, the National Bank of Pontiac opened its doors to the public. O. P. Bourland has been with the bank from the day it opened its doors and is now president, James T. Croswell is vice-president; C. R. Tombaugh, cashier; board of directors: O. P. Bourland, J. T. Croswell, 8. A. Rathburn, H. Landauer, C. A. Rollins and C. R. Tombaugh.

Pontiac State Bank

The Pontiac State Bank was the first bank organized in Pontiac to receive its charter from the state of Illinois. The organizers were among the leading financiers and business men of Pontiac, which assured its success from the start. The bank was organized In January, 1899, with a capital stock of $30,000, the stockholders all residing in Pontiac. At the first meeting of the stockholders David S. Myers was elected president; C. W. Sterry, vice-presldent; W. F. Van Buskirk, cashier, and the following board of directors: C. W. Sterry, D. S. Myers, Harriet Humiston, A. M. , O. Y. Legg and W. F. Van Buskirk. Since the bank was first organized but two changes have been made in the officials, A. M. Legg being elected vice-president on the death of C. W. Sterry, and William J. Butler advanced to cashier on the resignation of W. F. Van Buskirk, in 1907. The present officials are: D. S. Myers, president; A. M. Legg, vice-president; W. J. Butler, cashier; Charles E. Myers, assistant cashier; board of directors: Mrs. H. Humiston, C. E. Legg, A. M. Legg, John S. Murphy, D. S. Myers, S. F. Slyder, Dr. Charles H. Long.

Illinois State Savings Bank

The pioneer bankers of Pontiac were Duff nd Cowan, who commenced business in the early '60s, In 1870 this firm met with reverses and the bank was closed. James E. Morrow was appointed receiyer, and a few years later settled with every depositor in full.

Joseph F. Culver and his brother, Charles, were also among the pioneers in the banking business in Pontiac, commencing business in the early '70s. During the panic of 1877, the firm closed its doors, and shortly afterwards an amicable settlement was made with the creditors.

Since 1877 there has not been a bank failure in Pontaic. During the panic of 1893-94, there was not a dollar withdrawn from the bank, and its effects were in no ways noticeable in this community. During the financial flurry of 1907-08, the people had no fears as to the safety of their money and every bank in the city paid every check in full, not one of the four banks putting a limit on the amount to be withdrawn, as was done in many places all over the state of Illinois. All four banks are conducted along conservative lines and have the confidence of the entire community.

Early Mail Routes

Prior to the advent of railroads in this part of the state, mail was received in the post offices established in the home of one of the settlers in each township. The principal mail routes in an early day were the ones from Danville to Ottawa and from Danville to Bloomington. What few mails were then brought to this part of the country were brought on horseback, and though postage was three to five times what it is now, the mails were carried for a very small salary. The postboy, with his fleet horse and shrill horn to apprise the community of his approach, has become almost legendary, his place haying been usurped by the steam horse and his fiery driver.

Among the first to carry the mail on the Danville-Ottawa route was William K. Brown, who came to this county in 1836 and located in the northwest corner of Esmen Township. It took him a week to make the trip. The only post offices in this county at that time on his route were New Michigan, Sunbury, Pontiac, Avoca ` and Oliver's Grove. He died on the old homestead in 1850.

Martin A. Newman was the first mail carrier _ on the Ottawa-Bloomington route. This was as early as 1837. At that time he was living in Ottawa. The country between these two places was but sparsely settled, there being but two post offices in this county on his route at that time, one at Pontiac and one in Newtown Township. He moved to this county in 1850 and in June of that year laid out the town of New Michigan, where he erected a store and engaged in merchandising, later moving onto his farm in Newtown Township.

George W. Rice, who located in Esmen Township in 1847, was also carrier on this route for many years. He moved to Pontiac in 1872, and since that time has been engaged in the furniture business.

In June, 1869, a mail route was established from Pontiac east to Clifton, Iroquois County, the post offices supplied in this county being Owego. Saunemin and Sullivan Center. Jeremiah Sylvester was the first carrier, leaving Pontiac on Tuesday and Clifton on Wednesday.

James H. Nichols was postboy from 1851 to 1854, starting in at the age of fifteen years. He carried the mail from Ottawa to Oswego, Peoria and Bloomington, by way of Pontiac and Indian Grove. He did not become a resident of this county until 1875, when he removed to McDowell.

Rural Free Delivery

It has been but a few short years since the rural residents of Livingston County have been placed in touch with the city through the medium of rural free delivery of mail, yet the new order of things has grown so rapidly into the every-day life, that it would be difficult, indeed, to readjust their affairs and manner of living to the old system, were the postoffice department to suddenly order the discontinuance of rural free delivery. The first route established in Livingston County was in 1900, out of Fairbury, William E. Smith, being the first carrier, who made his initial trip September 1. Fifteen days later, Ford B. Johnson started out of Pontiac, covering a route of twenty-five miles, and at present there is scarcely a rural home in the entire county that is not reached every day by the rural letter carrier, placing the farmer who resides twenty miles from a postoffice on an equal footing with the resident of the county seat, so far as keeping in touch with the affairs of the world are concerned. The introduction of rural free delivery has had the effect of discontinuing a few minor postoffices in the county, but the volume of mail handled through the postoffice department for farmer residents has been vastly increased. Put into plain figures, it is hard to grasp the vast growth of the rural free delivery system of the county since its establishment eight years ago.

Telegraph And Telephone Lines

Following railroad construction, came the construction of telegraph lines, partly as an al- "most indispensable and, in railway operation, largely as a commercial enterprise. Now all railroad towns and some towns remote from railways have telegraph service. From the first introduction of the telephone in Livingston County in 1884, its growth, considering the great advantages to be derived, was slow, indeed. The first exchange was established in Pontiac, but was a failure, and the system was abandoned. It was owned by local capitalists, who sold the plant at a sacrifice. About 1890, the Central Union Telephone Company secured control and commenced to install its system, and had full control of all the lines in the county until 1900, when the different farmers' lines were organized. The Independent Telephone Company was given a franchise in 1906, and one year later commenced the installation of their system, which was completed and ready for service during the month of March, 1908, Pontiac being the only point at present where both the Bell and Automatic phones come in competition. Commencing in 1900, the development of the farmers', or rural lines, has been rapid. Lines now cover the entire county, penetrating even to otherwise isolated neighborhoods and affording immediate communication between sequestered farm houses and the centers of trade, finance and manufacture. The telephone has brought about a merging of city life and country life, that has materially benefited the towns and brought the people of rural districts into touch with the best elements in the commercial, financial, social and intellectual life of the cities