Gridley, Illinois

On the sixth of March, 1829, the Messer family came to near where Lexington now stands, and in what is now McLean County. While he lived there the ruling passion came on him strongly, and he went to hunting. The two creeks down the Mackinaw below Lexington were named by him. While out hunting he found some turkey tracks near the first creek and called it Turkey Creek, the name it bears to-day. He went two miles farther on and wounded a buck by another creek, to which he gave the name of Buck Creek, a name it still retains. He lived near the present village of Lexington about five years and then moved to the north of the Mackinaw, in the present township of Gridley, where he has resided ever since.

Passage source: The Good Old Times in McLean County, Illinois : Containing Two Hundred and Sixty-one Sketches of Old Settlers, a Complete Historical Sketch of the Black Hawk War and Descriptions of All Matters of Interest Relating to McLean County, published 1874.

At one time Mr. Messer discovered the antlers of a deer in a pond and saw the nose. He fired, and the ball went up the nose and out at the eye ; but he was obliged to chase it ten miles, when it stopped at a spring to cool. He shot it several times from behind ; at last he came in front of it, but, instead of changing its course, it charged directly at him. A shot through the head ended its career.

Passage source: The Good Old Times in McLean County, Illinois : Containing Two Hundred and Sixty-one Sketches of Old Settlers, a Complete Historical Sketch of the Black Hawk War and Descriptions of All Matters of Interest Relating to McLean County, published 1874.

In 1880 he went to Owen County, Indiana, on White River, and there went to farming. January 5, 1832, he married Polly Hart. In 1835 he came to Mackinaw timber, McLean County, Illinois, where he arrived November 25. The journey was a hard one, as the roads were muddy and no bridges were built across the streams. He often mired down, and once got into a pond where he stuck fast for a while and was obliged to take all of his things out on horseback. When he and his family arrived at the head of Mackinaw timber, they were cold and wet and the snow fell and everything was frozen. Then old Squire Thompson took them in and built up fires and dried their clothes and gave them a good supper, a warm bed and a nice breakfast and refused to accept pay for his services. When Mr. Sloan arrived, he possessed very little of this world's goods. He put up a house of poles, and he worked at whatever his hands could find to do. He was acquainted with everybody in that section of country, as he had a social disposition. In 1843 he was chosen constable and served four years. He often had some unpleasant and dangerous duties to perform, but succeeded well in his office. When his term of service as constable expired, he was chosen justice of the peace, but served only one year, as he determined to move to Wisconsin, where he lived four years and then moved to the northwestern part of Iowa. There he had no very remarkable adventure. Game was plenty, particularly elk. During the winter of 1853-4 the elk came down into the cornfields at night and went out before morning. He once went out hunting elk with a party of six besides himself, taking dogs and horses. Three of the company had three guns and the rest were armed with clubs, corn cutters and hatchets. They had a horse and sleigh to bring home their game. They found a drove of about fifty elk and immediately one of their part}' went around on the opposite side of the drove, while the hunting party scattered out. The elk were frightened and ran in all directions. The hunters rode after the elk, shooting them, knocking them on the head with clubs and striking them on the back with corn-cutters and hatchets. The corn-cutter was the most effective weapon, as two or three strokes over the back of an elk, cutting the tendons, seldom failed to bring it down. Seven elk were killed, six by the men and one by the dogs. One of the elk, which had been struck by a corn-cutter, turned at bay. Mr. Sloan shot it, but it only shook its head, another shot was fired, when it again shook its head in a threatening manner. The sleigh soon came up and the elk made a charge at it. Three men in the sleigh beat it over the head with seat-boards and one man on horseback rode up and struck it over the back with his corn-cutter. The elk turned on the horseman and gave him a rake with its antlers, which tore his pants from the knee to the thigh ; but before it could do further damage it was shot and killed. An elk is not a fast running animal. It can trot fast and keep up the gait all day; but, when pressed into a run, it soon tires out. It never fights until wounded, but then it sometimes fights most fiercely. Mr. Sloan remained in Iowa only one winter and then moved back to Wisconsin, where he lived one or two years. But at last he concluded that Mackinaw timber, McLean County, Illinois, was the best place for a human being to spend his days and he returned to his old abiding place. In 1858 the township of Gridley was organized and Mr. Sloan and Upton Cooms were chosen the first justices of the peace. The former has been justice of the peace ever since. He has performed all the duties of his office with fidelity. He has during that time had onlj' two cases appealed and two writs of certiorari. His decision was sustained in one of the cases appealed, and the other was dismissed for want of prosecution. The justice's decision was sustained relating to the two writs of certiorari. During all the time he has been justice of the peace no one ever called for money, due him from the 'Squire, without receiving it. He has married a

Passage source: The Good Old Times in McLean County, Illinois : Containing Two Hundred and Sixty-one Sketches of Old Settlers, a Complete Historical Sketch of the Black Hawk War and Descriptions of All Matters of Interest Relating to McLean County, published 1874.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Gridley Township - it names this place 10 more 10 times.