Wataga, Illinois

Asaph DeLong and Luman Field, from Vermont, and Wm. M. Heath from New York, settled on section 31 in 1836. Julius DeLong came from Vermont in January, 1838, and settled on the south half of the southwest quarter of section 31, the present home of his son, Hon. M. P. DeLong, who has represented his township at different times in various offices from the very first organization. He has been an active member of the Knox County Agricultural Society for fifteen years; was its president three years during that time; has served as Justice of the Peace three terms of four years each, and is now in the fourth term; was elected and served as Supervisor of his township in 1874, when the farmers were organizing into farmers' clubs and granges throughout the Northwest, which in time became national, for the purpose of counter-balancing the influence of the giant monopolies of the railroads which existed ax, that time. We will refer to these organizations again farther along in the history of this township. The prairie fires in the early settlement of the township were something to be dreaded. The broad, wide-spreading prairies for untold years had lain beneath the sun and the showers, gathering richness, until the vegetable growth was something marvelous, and the tall native grasses would in places hide man and beast. And when a fire chanced to start in this waving ocean of dried and inflammable material, it was a sure messenger of death to every living thing or creature in its relentless course, unless due precaution had been previously exercised to guard against it. The roar of the flames when driven by a strong wind could be heard two and three miles away, as was the case one night when these early settlers were awakened by Miss Maria Field, daughter of Luman Field, and sister of the late Hon. Loyal C. Field, of Galesburg. She, living with her parents near where Center Point now is, awakened about midnight, and discovering the danger of the settlement, ran from house to house, and gave the alarm. A fire had started at Red Oak, in Henry Co., 111., and now was rushing southward, two miles wide, before a furious wind from the north, with a terrible roar that will never be forgotten by those who heard it. Fortunately the citizens in this township being forewarned, were fore-armed and prepared to give battle when the fire came. Trenches and " back fire " and wet blankets were used to save the buildings, fences and stocks; and even then the heavy wind would carry wisps of burning grass so far that a continual effort was required until the billow of fire had passed.

Passage source: History of Knox County, Illinois : Together with Sketches of the Cities, Villages and Townships; Record of Its Volunteers in the Late War; Educational, Religious, Civil and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons and Biographical Sketches of the Subscribers; History of Illinois; Abstracts of the State Laws, Etc., Etc., Etc. ; Illustrated, published 1878.

Mr. Robson, the present supervisor, owns 500 acres of land. The Robson Bros, have been extensive shippers of stock. William Robson came to his present home in Sparta township in 1863, and he has made single shipments from Wataga station amounting to $35,000. He has also introduced short-horn cattle, Poland China and Berkshire hogs.

Passage source: History of Knox County, Illinois : Together with Sketches of the Cities, Villages and Townships; Record of Its Volunteers in the Late War; Educational, Religious, Civil and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons and Biographical Sketches of the Subscribers; History of Illinois; Abstracts of the State Laws, Etc., Etc., Etc. ; Illustrated, published 1878.

Niles Bros., whose residences are located on sections 21 and 19, are from Chatham, Columbia county, New York. They were proprietors of the Wataga mill for seven years before turning their attention to farming. They introduced the short-horn cattle on their farms in the spring of 1874 - 30 head that year - at a cost of from $100 to $500 each.

Passage source: History of Knox County, Illinois : Together with Sketches of the Cities, Villages and Townships; Record of Its Volunteers in the Late War; Educational, Religious, Civil and Political History; Portraits of Prominent Persons and Biographical Sketches of the Subscribers; History of Illinois; Abstracts of the State Laws, Etc., Etc., Etc. ; Illustrated, published 1878.

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 Sparta Township - it names this place 5 more 5 times.