Woodford County, Illinois - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 11 of those read), 1910

THE early means of communication and travel were very unsatisfactory. Whenever possible the rivers were taken advantage of for transportation and a great number of emigrants bound for the west made the journey as far as possible on the Ohio and other rivers. Travelers from the northeast came on the Great Lakes to Fort Dearborn, afterward Chicago, and completed the journey overland. The emigrant vessels presented a grotesque appearance, being loaded with chattels of the mover and his family. Others came in covered emigrant wagons, called prairie schooners. The occupants of these suffered many hardships in crossing the country. The narrow trails were difficult to follow and the tall slough and prairie grass which grew to great height presented a serious barrier to the traveler's progress. The journey was often made thru swamps and across rivers and streams that were without bridges.

It was many years before roads were laid out. Perhaps the first of these thru Woodford county passed thru Hanover and was followed by the stage coach that passed that way. It is said this was originally laid out by dragging a log across the prairie grass. The progress in the direction of laying out roads was very slow. The state took the matter up and the county was soon crossed by several socalled state roads. These were winding and sought the easiest places for fording streams and the parts of the prairie least apt to become impassible. Among the first of- fieial acts of the commissioners of the newly created county was a provision for roads. In accordance with a legislative enactment of the session of 1840- '41 a state road was laid out thru Woodford, extending from Oliver's Grove, Livingston county, to Peoria. It passed thru Bowling Green Versailles and Washington, being seventy-four miles in length, nineteen of which were in this county. A second state road was from Bloomington to Spring Bay, while still others included one from Peoria to Ottawa and one along the northern border of the county. These roads were not kept in very good condition, and it was many years before bridges were built. One of the oldest of these was across Walnut creek, near Mount Zion, and was known as Travis bridge.

The earliest provision made by the commissioners for the betterment of- roads was in 1841, when the county was divided into fifteen districts, in each of which there was a supervisor of roads. This number was increased as the needs of the county demanded. The first of these were as follows : Meredith Myers, Allen Patrick, James Richardson, Allen Hart, James Phillips, Wm. P. Atteberry James Mitchell, Peter Engel, Joseph Nelson, Thornton Parker, Jefferson Iloshor, John Foster, Jefferson Soward*, and Benjamin Major. The roads of the county were superintended by such supervisors until the division into townships in 1855, when each township chose its own commissioners.

The first public means of conveyance aside from boats on the rivers and lakes, was the stage coach. These were large, brilliantly painted vehicles, a little on the style of the 'bus of today. They were usually drawn by four horses and made what was considered at that period very good time. One of these lines ran thru Versailles and Bowling Green to Peoria, being ferried across the Illinois. Another line passed thru Hanover. Fred Hartman, for many years the bell ringer at Eureka College, was an old stage coach driver on the line thru Mackinaw. While living he was able to tell many interesting altho trying experiences passed thru by the early coach driver. It was sometimes necessary to pry the wheels out of the mud with a rail, and the passengers were called on to assist in the operation, before the coach could proceed on its journey. These coaches carried the mails, but these were small, consisting of a few papers and an occasional letter.

The pioneer did not need the stage greatly, as he usually walked or rode horseback. Many a settler made his tour of investigation on foot or horseback, going back to bring his family to his new found home. William Fisher, who came here from Vermont, walked back to that state for his wife. Elijah Marshall tells of walking from Detroit to Ottawa. They covered abor.t fifty miles a day. They would get supper and sleep at one place and would rise at daylight and walk until breakfast time, when they would get breakfast at another place. Rowland Davison, who later settled in Linn township, walked a great part of the journey from Troy, New York, to Groveland and return. Joseph Meek made his first trip to Woodford county on horseback.

The pioneer was accustomed to meeting and overcoming difficulties, and met and accomplished the long journey as he did all other tasks in his way.

It was not until 1851 that a railroad was built thru the county, but navigation on the Illinois was open and Spring Bay was quite a good point for many years. A carrier was employed to take the mail from Kappa to Spring Bay twice a week, George Taggart being employed in that position. He visited Metamora and Eureka on the route.

The building of the Illinois Central opened a new epoch in the history of the county. It passed thru the eastern part which was practically unsettled at the time of the construction of the road. This company received substantial aid from the government, being granted each alternate section of land for six miles on each side of the track. This gave the company thousands of acres of land in the besl region of the county. In return for this grant of land the company agreed to pay into the state treasury seven per cent of its gross income annually. The income to the state from this source from 1855 to the present time exceeds twenty-seven million dollars.

At the time of the building of this road it was possihle to ride for miles without seeing a single dwelling house, but, immediately upon the construction of it, the region began to be settled and is now one of the most populous parts of the county. Soon the entire aspect of the country was changed. Farm houses began to dot the prairies and several towns soon sprang up along the lire of road. Panola was one of the first of these. At that time the engines used wood as fuel, and had a wooding station near Panola. South of there a turntable was located in the early history of the road.

Four years later, in 1856, a second railway was built thru the county, known as the eastern branch of the Peoria and Oquakwa, later called the Toledo, Peoria and Warsaw, and now known as the Toledo, Peoria and Western. This road crossed the Central at right angles. As in the case of the building of the first line, it resulted in the establishment of several towns that have since become of considerable importance. It extended a mile north of the old town ,of Eureka, and had the result of locating the city a mile north of the original site. This road has since become an important line of travel between Peoria and eastern cities, and also has extensive Chicago traffic.

The same year that witnessed the construction of this road, saw the surveying of the Toniea and Petersburg line thru Metamora, but it was not constructed. In 1870 the St. Louis, Jacksonville and Chicago was built thru to Metamora and later was finished to Washington by the Chicago and Alton company, which had come into possession of the road. Metamora township bonded itself for $50,000, to aid in the construction of the road, and Cazenovia township also took stock in the company to the amount of #50,000. The orginal plan was to complete the road further south, but the work was not done. In recent years the trains on this road have run into Peoria over the Toledo, Peoria and Western.

On the completion of this line the Low Point post office and store, that were located a short distance from the persent site of the town, were moved to the town as it is now located.

In 1872 the Chicago, Pekin and Southwestern road was constructed. The various townships along the road subscribed liberally toward building the line. Minonk township subscribed $50,000. Clayton also pledged a like amount, but it was never paid owiT»g to a technicality that allowed the township to escape payment. Oho township voted $50,000, after a bitter contest. The road was never completed thru the township, altho the grading was finished. The completion of the road required the building of two expensive bridges. This, coupled with suits for damages incurred from grading, probably resulted in the abandonment of the plan, the T. P. & W. tracks being used instead. Roanoke township did not vote bonds, but donated $5,000 in private subscriptions on condition that a switch be put in near the present site of Roanoke. The road is now under the control of the Santa Fe. For several months during 1892 this branch was a link in a line from St. Louis to Chicago, operating what was known as the Red Express. During the continuance of this arrangement Eureka was the end of the division, a round house and turntable being located at the junction of the T. P. & W. and Santa Fe east of there. A number of men were brought to Eureka by this plan. The trains were discontinued because of the protest of the Passenger Association which charged the St. Louis end of the line with cutting rates.

In 1873 a line of road was constructed that was known as the middle division of the Illinois Central. It extends from Minonk to Kankakee, connecting with the Bloomington and Kankakee branch at Kempton, It enters Woodford a short distance south of Minonk and runs into that city over the main line of the Central. Minonk is made the terminal and has profited much from its construction.

The last road to be constructed thru the county was the Lake, Erie and Western thru Montgomery township. This was constructed in 1888 and has resulted in the establishment of Goodfield and Congerville. It has been a great convenience to the southern portion of the county and has given them a closer market for their grain and stock.

With the multipication of railways there come an increase in ease of communication. The mail service has been developed to a degree of perfection that was hitherto unthot of. One of the greatest advance steps taken in this department has been developed during the past eight years in rural mail delivery. The offices of the county each have from one to three carriers, who reach practically all the farm houses in the county. Their routes vary from 20 to 27 miles, and their lines are laid out so as to give service to the greatest number. ,

The telegraph has developed side by side with the railroads, but it is only within the past quarter of a century that it has become the popular means of newspaper service. News was often a week old before it was published in the dailies. As late as 1858 an account of the Douglas rally at Metamora on September 30th, appeared in the Chicago Daily Times, of October sixth. The county is now crossed by numerous wires of both the Western Union and Postal Telegraph Companies.

It is difficult to ascertain the date of the introduction of the first telephone in the county. Dr. N. B. Crawford had one in operation between his house and office at least twenty-five years ago. This was among the first used. Now the county is served by numerous telephone exchanges, that have telephones in hundreds of homes in the county.

The latest means of travel is the automobile, which has become very popular during the past five or six years. There are now several hundred in the county. The Meta- mora Herald speaks of a vehicle, built by Geo. Marsh and a painter named Smith, as the forerunner of the automobile. This was constructed in 1858 and was considered a marvel at that time, but it finally went into the scrap pile. The memory of it is only recalled by the recent introduction of the automobile and its adoption as a popular means of travel.