Logan County, Illinois - Chapter 1: Descriptive, 1911

Chapter 1: Descriptive

Logan County is situated at the very heart of Illinois. It is the core of the commonwealth and, within a few miles of its southern boundary line, is found the geographical center of the state. It is bounded on the north by the counties of Tazewell and McLean; on the east by Macon and DeWitt; on the south by Macon and Sangamon; and on the west by Sangamon, Mason and Menard. It contains 618 square miles. It is rectangular in shape, save for a half congressional township given McLean County on the northeast, and a half congressional township and ten sections given to Sangamon and eight sections to Menard on the southwest. It is 24 miles in extreme width, east and west, and 28 miles in extreme length, north and south. If wholly rectangular, it would contain 672 square miles, but 54 square miles are taken off and given to the counties, as aforesaid. The third principal meridian forms its eastern boundary line, for the county's entire length.

The Fortieth degree of latitude passes east and west, through the county, and the county lies between the Eighty-ninth and Ninetieth degrees of longitude. To be exact, the City of Mt. Pulaski is situated on the Fortieth degree of latitude, north, and its longitude is 89 degrees and 19 minutes, west. The relative position of the county, upon the globe, is evidenced by the fact that the same Fortieth degree of latitude passes close to Philadelphia, through Columbus, Ohio, forms the northern boundary line of Nebraska, runs slightly north of Denver, and half way between San Francisco and California's northern boundary line. In the Old World, it passes near Lisbon and Madrid, the Island of Sardinia, Mt. Olympus in Southern Italy (site of the thunderbolts of Jove), Constantinople, Mt. Ararat (harbor of the Ark), Pekin, China, and Tokio, Japan. The Ninetieth degree of longitude hits Guatemala and Yucatan.

The surface of the country is a gently undulating prairie, covered here and there with beautiful groves and belts of timber. The latter are mostly situated on the borders of streams and they were the places first selected by the early pioneers, as locations for their homes. The soil is generally of a rich, brown, vegetable mold, the most productive on earth, and its products are as diversified as the wants of man. Along the streams and on the high plateaus, it is thinner and mixed with clay. In an average year, the county produces about two million bushels of oats, a half million bushels of wheat and over eight million bushels of corn. According to its area, it contains a larger proportion of tillable land, than any county in the state. Without regard to area, only one other county reports a less number of acres of improved land; and without exaggeration, it can be said that Logan County contains no waste land. In all essential natural elements, for the cultivation of the products of the soil, Logan County is unsurpassed by any section of equal extent in the world. The natural undulations of its surface presents landscape scenes of varying beauty, while the grandeur of its prairies, horizon-fenced on every side, eclipse the wonders of the Arabian nights and defy the painter's brush or the poet's pen to half depict their glories.

Hydrography

The principal streams of the county are Salt, Sugar, Kickapoo, Prairie and Deer Creeks and the Lake Fork of Salt Creek. These, with their numerous lesser tributaries, drain every township in the county. Salt Creek is the main stream of the county and itself is a tributary of the Sangamon River, into which it flows. In fact, Salt Creek is in reality the north fork of the Sangamon. From its confluence with the Sangamon to its rise, it is longer and drains more territory than the Sangamon does, from its rise to the mouth of Salt Creek. At the time of the settlement of the county, Salt Creek was a much wider stream than now. Ferdinand Ernst, a distinguished German who visited Central Illinois in 1819, and who, on his return to Germany, wrote and had published, in 1823, his observations of his trip, speaking of Salt Creek, which was called by the Indians, "the Onaquispasippi,"' says of it: "We continued our journey northward and soon reached the charming banks of the Onaquispasippi Alas, this river was too high to be crossed on horseback. It is still a more beautiful river than the Sangamon, for it has all the characteristics of the latter but in a higher degree. It is likewise navigable for medium sized vessels. These two rivers - the Sangamon and the Onaquispasippi - will not only open up a market for all produce in the direction of St. Louis and New: Orleans, but their proximity to the Illinois River will, in time, furnish this region with another very promising prospect, by the lakes, to New York City, by means of the canal now in progress, connecting that city and Lake Erie. It is also a very easy thing to unite the [linois with Lake Michigan by a twelve mile canal, - even now, in case of high water, the transit there now is made." The context of this extract would indicate that the point where Ernst viewed the raging "Onaquispasippi," in 1819, was west of where the Salt Creek bridge now stands, west of the Lincoln Chautauqua grounds, southwest of Lincoln, and all this was said about a stream, across which a man may now almost walk dry shod, for nearly half of every year.

Still this is not so strange, when one is told, that in the issue of the Cincinnati Gazette of Jan. 19, 1832, there appeared this advertisement: "The splendid upper cabin steamer, Talisman, J. M. Pollock, master, will leave for Portland, Springfield, on the Sangamon River and all intermediate points and landings, Thursday, Feb. 2. For freight or passage, apply to Captain Vincent A. Bogue.' Portland was on the south side of the Sangamon, near Springfield, between where the bridges of the Chicago & Alton and the Illinois Central railroads now span that river. Later, on March 29, 1832, the Sangamo Journal felicitates the citizens of Springfield, on the arrival at Portland, opposite the town, of the 150 tons burthen steamboat, the Talisman. It says: 'When Capt. Bogue located his steam mill on the Sangamon River, twelve months ago, and asserted his determination to land a steamboat there, within a year, the idea was considered chimerical by some and utterly impracticable by others. The experiment has been made and the result has been as successful as the most enthusiastic could expect. The boat experienced some difficulties from drifts and leaning timber on the shore, which made her trip somewhat tedious. But the result has clearly demonstrated the practicability of navigating the river, by steamboats of a proper size, and by the expenditure of $2,000 in removing logs, drifts and timber, a steamboat of 80 tons burthen will make the trip, in two days, from Beardstown to this place. Springfield can no longer be considered an inland town!" The story has to be spoiled by telling that the Talisman's first trip was her last. The river going down, the boat was unable to turn around and had to back out. She never made the trip again, but was burned to the water's edge, in April of the same year, at St. Louis. And Springfield has ever since been an inland town. Still the incident goes to show that the Sangamon River and Salt Creek (Onaquispasippi) were once streams of great importance and carried immensely greater volumes of water than they do now.

Salt Creek has its rise in the southeastern portion of McLean County, near the DeWitt County line, traverses the latter county in a southwesterly direction, runs near the town of Kenney and enters Logan County at the eastern boundary line of Aetna township. It then traverses Aetna, Chester, Broadwell and Corwin townships. After leaving Logan County, it becomes the boundary line between Menard and Mason Counties, until it enters the Sangamon River. Sugar Creek takes its rise near the City of Bloomington, in McLean County, runs southwesterly to the Logan County line, enters Logan County at the north- east corner of Eminence township, flows southwesterly through Eminence, West Lincoln and Sheridan townships, entering Salt Creek at the northeast corner of the county of Menard. Kickapoo Creek rises in Old Town township, in McLean County, flows in a southwesterly direction, out of McLean County, into DeWitt County, traverses the northwest corner of the latter county, near Waynesville, enters Logan County at the southeast corner of Atlanta township, traverses Atlanta, Oran, Eminence, East Lincoln and West Lincoln townships and enters Salt Creek in the northwestern portion of Broadwell township. Lake Fork of Salt Creek runs westerly through Lake Fork and Mt. Pulaski townships, then flows in a northerly direction through Elkhart and Broadwell townships, entering Salt Creek in the latter township. Deer Creek rises in Oran and enters Salt Creek, near the boundary line of Chester and Broadwell townships. Prairie Creek traverses the township of the same name, touches Sheridan township slightly and empties into Sugar Creek, in the southeast corner of the County of Mason.

Flora

Logan County has most of the botanical characteristics common to the timbered and prairie regions of the state. According to its flora, Illinois has been divided by botanists into three parts: The heavily tim-_ bered regions of the south, whose dense vegetation is remarkable for its variety; the central portion, which, except in the vicinity of the water courses, is mostly prairie and is noted for the great number and variety of its grasses and other indigenous plants; and the northern section, which is about equally divided between woodland and prairie. Logan County lies in the heart of the central portion and within the great prairie belt, a region famous for the fertility and depth of its soil and the luxuriance of its flora. Plants, like animals, are greatly influenced in their growth and development by surrounding circumstances. As man and the domestic animals have driven many species of the native animals from this region, so numerous kinds of indigenous plants have disappeared before the onward march of civilization. Hence, we find today in the fields and meadows, few of the grasses and other plants that flourished here in their native beauty, fifty years ago.

Timber has always been found along the numerous streams of the county and occasionally a grove, in an isolated position. The principal kinds of timber found are the varieties of the oak, hickory, walnut, maple, etc. On the creek bottoms, sycamore, elm, ash, etc., are abundant and, where the soil is lighter, scrub oak and black jack abounds. Of the oak, there is the burr oak, white oak, post oak, laurel leaf, jack oak, pin oak, chestnut oak, scarlet and red oak; of the hickory, the shell bark, white heart, swamp and the pignut; of the maple, rock maple, sugar maple, and soft maple; the white and black walnut; the white, green, black and blue ash; the red and white elm; the rose, black, cane and brittle willow. Among other trees and woody plants are the hornbeam, serviceberry, hackberry, red bud, dog wood, red thorn, coffee nut, cottonwood, mulberry, wild plum, wild cherry, crab apple, sumac, elder, sassafras, slippery elm, prickly ash, paw paw, red birch, hazel nut, black and honey locust, spiceberry, box elder, Virginia creeper, hawthorn, witch hazel, woodbine, prickly ash, ivy, prairie and wood rose, elder- 'berry, bass-wood, wild grape, black currant, greenbrier, trumpet creeper, blackberry, raspberry, gooseberry, etc. Everywhere throughout the county, groves of shade trees and orchard trees have been set out, near or around farm dwellings and greatly beautify the landscape. There is considerable cultivation of fruit trees in the county. Apples and peaches are not always a sure crop owing to recurrent freezes. The smaller fruits, however, grow abundantly. Grapes are produced lavishly and are of an excellent quality, while raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, gooseberries, currants and the like, do exceedingly well.

Indian corn is the first crop in importance and value. Corn is king in Logan County and his dynasty is eternal. Wheat is raised in large quantities. Oats afford a prolific crop. The soil is wonderfully adapted to the production of timothy, blue grass, clover and all other grasses, and these afford an inexhaustible source of pasturage, besides their great value when made into hay. Blue grass seems to be indigenous. The cereals of minor importance, as rye and barley, are cultivated in small degree. The root crops of the county are abundant, and include such varieties as Irish and sweet potatoes, turnips, onions, carrots and the like. Cabbage, lettuce, peas, beans and other vegetables are raised in large quantities and melons, pumpkins and squashes grow to a large size.

An interesting incident in connection with the cultivation of corn in Logan County was the attempt, in 1893, of John Buckles, a well known old settler of Mt. Pulaski township, to ascertain just how much corn could actually be raised on an acre of Logan County ground. He selected, for the undertaking, the most fertile piece of ground on his farm.. The ground was underlaid with water pipes, so that in case of a drought, it might be easily and conveniently irrigated. The ground was divided into four equal divisions, each being a few inches over one hundred and four feet square. The rows of corn were planted two feet apart and the hills ten inches apart, with one grain ina hill. There were in all ninety-two rows. Each square contained over 6,000 hills, thus making about 24,500 hills to an acre of land. Allowing one ear to a stalk, a very fair estimate, and 110 ears to the bushel, it would have yielded about 220 bushels to the acre. The corn was planted May roth, and during the next two months, it grew rapidly, developed perfectly and met all requirements, surpassing all expectations. During these two months, the corn was inspected by many practical farmers, who came to view it, and all pronounced the growth remarkable and predicted a yield even exceeding the estimate before made. The time for its maturity was eagerly waited for, when on the tenth day of July, a heavy rain storm, accompanied by a violent wind, blew the mammoth stalks to the ground. It had been Mr. Buckles' intention to exhibit the corn, when matured, at the World's Fair at Chicago, held that year, but the unfortunate incident of the storm prevented him from so doing. Nevertheless, he sent to the Fair some prairie grass that was nine feet long and some blue grass that was four feet in length, that was raised on his farm.

The Prairies

A peculiar feature of this section of the state, which excited the amazement of the early explorers, was the vast extent of the prairies or natural meadows. The origin of these has been attributed to various causes, such as some peculiarity of the soil, absence or excess of moisture, recent upheaval of the surface from bodies of water, the action of fires, etc. In many sections, there appears little to distinguish the soil of the prairies, from that of the adjacent woodlands, that may not be accounted for by the character of their vegetation and other causes, for the luxuriant growth of native grasses and other productions has demonstrated that they do not lack in fertility, and the readiness with which trees take root, when artificially propogated and protected, has shown that there is nothing in the soil itself unfavorable to their growth. Whatever may have been the original cause of the prairies, however, there is no doubt that annually recurring fires have had much to do with perpetuating their existence, and even extending their limits, as the absence of the same agent has tended to favor the encroachments of the forest. Grasses grow in a single season, and when dry, furnish sufficient fuel to effectually burn up or destroy any young timber sprouts that might exist. Trees require a large number of years growth, to enable them to withstand even a moderate fire. Thus rich soil, exposed to annual fires, produced an annual growth of grass, while lighter soil, growing too little grass to sustain a fire, or localities sheltered and protected from fires, would grow trees. Narrow strips of land between streams and branches of streams were generally timber land. At the date of the white settlements, the timber had retired to the banks of the streams, to the thinnest soil or the low bottoms and in most cases was still retiring. As proof of this, it was noticed that in many instances the extreme points, the outposts or picket lines of timber, had retired and left roots and stumps burned to or under the surface, yet in reach of the plow, mementos of its former status.

Fauna

At the time of its first settlement, Logan County was remarkably prolific in the variety and abundance of its fauna. Here once roamed, almost unchecked and in countless numbers, the buffalo, roebuck, hind, stag and different kinds of fallow deer, panther, wolf and wildcat. The creeks were covered with swan, geese, ducks and teel. Wild turkeys were greatly abundant. Beaver, otter and mink interested the trapper. Foxes, squirrels, racoons, opossums, rabbits, weasels, moles, wild pigeon, prairie chicken, brant, quail, varieties of birds, snakes, insects and bees, were all common. Frederick Ernst, in his recollections of his travels of 1819, states that in the prairie north of Elkhart mound, he found many rattlesnakes, mostly small and of gray color. Most of the wild game which formed a valuable and necessary means of subsistence for the early settler has been exterminated. The buffalo, with, his beaten track through the prairies and groves, the elk and the deer, and other large species of game, have long since disappeared, with the Red Man, himself a superior kind of game, before the all-conquering invasion and greed of the white man; but the smaller game such as rabbits, opossums, racoon, quail, prairie chicken, duck and the different varieties of fish in the streams, many of them protected by law during certain seasons of the year, continue to exist in varying numbers.

Wolves were so numerous and troublesome, in pioneer days, that bounties were offered for their scalps. The records show that wolf scalp bounties were paid as late as 1885. Among the wolf scalp bounties paid in recent years were the following: 1872, James Young; 1873, Samuel McGarvey, John Flick; 1874, William E. Jones, Jasper N. Atteberry, Oliver Weaver, William Evans, J. A. Hoffman; 1875, John B. Garnett, John D. Gillett, John H. Bell, J. W. Heckard, William Young, J. A. Thorp, H. L. Walden; 1877, John Buchanan; 1878, Joseph A. Uhr; 1881, William Evans; 1882, John McCormick, J. W. Smith; 1883, J. W. Smith; 1884, O. F. Mittendorf, William S. Beaver; 1885, James S. Randolph (four scalps), H. L. Pierce (five scalps). Most of these wolves were captured in the timber, along the creeks, in Eminence and Corwin townships. A few were secured in Elkhart, Broadwell, Atlanta and Chester townships.

Deer were so abundant in early times that they furnished fresh meat for the early settlers, taking the place of beef today. Colby Knapp, at one time, aroused a herd of forty deer on the site of the present court house in Lincoln. The Indians frequently went out on deer hunts and forays and would round up and kill as high as two hundred deer. Their manner of hunting deer was to surround a certain scope of country and gradually close in on the game. As they advanced nearer together, they would commence a series of yells and vociferations, which would thoroughly frighten the deer, who would run from one side of the ring to the other, only to hear the same outcry, and if sufficiently near, a shot would be fired at them by some of the hunters. These being mounted on ponies, and riding at a furious gait, would be uncertain in their shots and seldom brought the deer down until within closest range. The hunter did not always seem to care as to the result of his shot, as the excitement of the chase was to him quite enchanting, and he often prolonged it to gratify himself. Deer was quite abundant, even as late as the fifties. John Buckles, in his life time, often told of a deer hunt, participated in by himself, Leonard Scroggin and others, in the winter of 1852. The snow had been falling lightly in the morning before the day of the hunt, but by noon it became warmer and the snow was converted into a slow, drizzling rain, which continued until nightfall. During the night, it turned suddenly cold and by the morning of the day of the hunt, the snow was covered with a thick crust of ice. The hunters saddled their horses, collected their hounds and made for the Illiopolis prairie. This was an excellent place for deer, for in the long prairie grass, they could easily conceal themselves from the hunter. The party had just separated to go in different directions, when a large buck jumped up in their midst and started across the prairie. Then began the exciting chase, as the pack of hounds, followed by the hunters, started rapidly in pursuit of the fleeing game. On account of the ice, the deer's hoofs were soon broken, and then it fell an easy prey to the hunters. Before the close of that eventful day, ten deer were slain. Venison, following this day's hunt, was a common dish for a while on the table. In the fall of 1858, Joe Bruner killed eleven deer and William Atteberry ten, on the Bloomingdale prairie, north of Lincoln.

Today, in the family of Rodentia, or Gnawers, are the red squirrel, woodchuck, gray rabbit, moles, Norway rat, muskrat and the common house and field mouse. Among the Reptilia are the various species of turtle, the lizard, the black snake, rattlesnake, water snake, moccasin, copperhead, garter snake, house snake, joint snake, blue racer, spreading viper, hissing adder; the bull frog, marsh frog, wood frog, common toad, tree toad, water newt, and mud puppy; the white, black and striped bass, catfish, pike, gar, goggle-eyed perch, sunfish, chub, croppie, sucker, buffalo, etc.

Among birds are the various species of hawk, black bird, king bird or bee martin, crow, red bird, scarlet tanager, oriole, pewee or Pheobe bird, kingfisher, humming bird, whippoorwill, various species of swallow, woodpecker, sap sucker, various species of owl, buzzard, prairie hen, partridge, quail, turtle dove, wild pigeon, plover, snipe, killdee, woodcock, brant, wild duck, mocking bird, bluebird, cat bird, brown thrush, chickadee, brown creeper, nuthatch, wren, cedar bird, grosbeak, meadow lark, blue jay, butcher bird, thistle bird, cowbird, black bird and many others. Of recent years, various new species of birds have made their appearance, from time to time, greatly increasing the number and variety of the gay songsters of the trees.

Altitude

The following elevations in Logan County were taken by U. S. Government engineers in 1909, under the direction of the State Geologist, and markers were placed at the points designated: Court house square, two feet north of post, at southwest entrance, 590.856 feet; Chesnut, 8.1 miles southwest of and 600 feet north of Pleasant Grove church, at the southwest corner of the turn in the road, 611.45 feet; southeast corner of southwest quarter of section thirty-five, in Mt. Pulaski township, about three miles north of Mt. Pulaski, 613.326 feet; southwest corner of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section thirty, in Chester township, 584.96 feet; twenty-one feet southeast of the center of section eighteen, in Chester township, 591.335 feet; three hundred feet east of the west line of section 36, and 300 feet east of the railroad, in West Lincoln township, 593.14 feet; northeast corner of the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section thirty-three, at the southwest corner of the crossroads, 615.411 feet; thirty feet west of the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section twelve, about thirty feet southwest of the intersection of a private road, south, with an east and west road, 595.6 feet.

Census Returns

The population of Logan County, as reported by the United States Census Bureau, in its Census Reports for the several decades, since the county was established, is as follows: 1840, 2,333; 1850, 5,128; 1860, 14,272; 1870, 23,053; 1880, 25,041; 1890, 25,489; 1900, 28,680; I9I0, 30,216. The census of 1850 contains the following items as to the county: Foreign born residents, 246; births during the year, 216; marriages, 55; deaths, 62; families in the county, 844; dwelling houses, 835; number of residents unable to read and write, 167; number of improved acres of land, 46,694; number of unimproved acres, 67,925. The only town or village population given in the census of 1850 is that of Mt. Pulaski, which is reported as 360. The census of 1860 divides the population into precincts, as follows: Atlanta, 2,379; Elkhart, 918; Lake Fork, 1,283; Lincoln, 5,700; Middletown, 1,474; Mt. Pulaski, 800; Prairie Creek, 761; Sugar Creek, 957. The urban population in 1860, is given as follows: Lincoln, 1,679; Postville, 311; Atlanta, 1,140; Mt. Pulaski, 634; Elkhart, 120; Broadwell, 107; Middletown, 320; Lawndale, 84. Acres of improved land, in 1860, were 191,035;