Lockport Township

Lockport Township

Lockport village is situated on the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad and the Illinois & Michigan Canal, about thirty-three miles southeast of Chicago and four miles north of Joliet. The towfi site for Lockport was chosen by the Canal Commissioners, and the village laid out by them. It was selected with a view of making it their headquarters, and soon after its selection, they erected their Canal office here, which has ever since, with some improvements, been used for that purpose. The village was laid out under the supervision of William B. Archer, by a surveyor named Wampler, and the first sale of lots took place on the 22d day of November, 1837, and lots sold to the amount of $6,000. The Canal office was the first building of any importance erected in the town, and doubtless had considerable influence in inducing the first settlers of the village to come to the place. The Canal Commissioners, as well as many other persons of intelligence, probably over-rated the advantages of this locality for a commercial and manufacturing town. Joliet, only four miles south of the site selected for Lockport, had at that time been laid out and established as the county seat, and the natural advantages of its position, with the agricultural and mineral wealth surrounding it, would preclude the existence of other towns in such close proximity. Lockport, with all her wealth, must eventually become a part of Joliet. It was laid out with much care, and fine taste exercised, as will be seen from its broad and regular streets. The residences are built with regard to beauty as well as utility, many of them being surrounded with tastefully laid out and highly ornamented grounds. With its eligible location and romantic site on a sloping hillside, and withal its healthy condition, it is very favorably adapted for, as it no doubt will some day be, a suburban retreat of Chicago.

The first store was established in Runyontown town (now North Lockport) by a man named Kellogg, and was but a sort of grocery store, a rather small affair. Goss & Parks kept the first dry goods store at the same place, and at the layingout of Lockport proper, removed within its limits, Goss and Stephen Gooding opening a store in partnership, and Parks likewise opening one on his own hook. After the retirement of Stephen Gooding, Oliver P. Gooding took charge of this, and soon other mercantile establishments were opened, and Lockport grew rapidly. The first building of any pretensions erected, was the Canal office, as already stated. There were, however, several cabins and huts put up within the present limits of the village, by the early settlers, long before it was laid out as a village. The first tavern was built by Horace Morse, but Mr. Runyon, we believe, kept travelers before this tavern was built, though he did not pretend to keep a regular hotel. The first post office was established in 1836, over on the west side of the river, at the stone mill, and Edward P. Bush was the first Postmaster. The office remained at the mill until 1839, when it was removed across the river to the East Side, where it has ever since remained. While at the mill, the mail came once a week, and was brought on horseback. In 1839, coaches were put on the Chicago and Ottawa route, and the mail then came that way, which was considered, in that early day, quite an improvement, and a considerable advance toward civilization. The first representatives of the legal profession were Gen. James Turney and John W. Paddock, both long since dead. At present Messrs. L. S. Parker and W. S. Myers, men of ability, constitute the "learned in the law" of Lockport. The first village schoolhouse was built in 1839 ; a small frame building, about 18x32 feet, and cost perhaps $200. It was used for schools, religious services, townhall, and anything else that happened to come along. The present handsome stone building, with its fine clock, was erected a few years ago at a cost of $30,000 - quite a contrast to the little shanty built for school purposes forty years ago. The present building would be an ornament to any town. The following is the record of the school for the present year : Prof. D. H. Darling, Principal ; Misses Paxson, Gooding, Devine, Parker and Herron, Teachers.

Before Lockport proper was laid out, and as early as 1836, Armstead Runyon laid out North Lockport, or what was long known as Runyontown, but now called Runyon's Addition to Lockport. West Lockport was laid out by William Gooding, Lyman Hawley, William Rogers and Eli Prescott, the parties that built the stone mill. At one time this was the most flourishing part of Lockport, but both it and Runyontown have been merged into the village proper. Lockport was incorporated under especial act of the Legislature, approved February 12, 1853, and signed by J. A. Matteson, Governor. At the election for adopting the village charter, the vote was 86 in favor of and 55 against the charter. The first Board of Trustees elected were Isaac H. Steward, Henry Torrey, S. S. Chamberlain, D. C. Baldwin and Chauncy Doud. Henry Torrey was chosen President of the Board, I. H. Stewart appointed Secretary, and Chauncy Doud, Treasurer. The following is the present Board : David C. Baldwin, William Shields, Samuel Matthews, John Ryan and Jacob Lotz. D. C. Baldwin is President of the Board ; William Shields, Clerk ; F. F. Stowe, Police Magistrate ; William A. Johnson, Police Constable, and James Wright, Jr., Street Commissioner.

Lockport has always been the headquarters of the Canal Commissioners, and the General Superintendent, Mr. Thomas, has his ofiice here at this time. Without going into a detailed history of the Canal, which has been thoroughly given in another department of this work, we will mention one little anecdote especially pertaining to this section and to Lockport. The first boat that passed through the entire length of the Canal after its completion, was the " General Thornton," and made the passage in April, 1848. But the first that fioated on its Bridgeport-tainted waters was the " General Fry," named for one of the Canal Commissioners. It was built near where the depot now stands, and as it was an event of importance, unprecedented in the history of Lockport, everybody went down to see it launched. As it gently "slided" from the stocks into the " raging canawl," Dr. Daggett rode in on it, and the boat, seemingly conscious that it carried more than Caesar and his fortunes, acquitted itself handsomely, by dropping into the water "right side up." When the Canal was completed and opened to Chicago, in March, 1848, this boat was the first to make the trip to that city. It was the occasion of a grand excursion for the purpose of celebrating an event of great national importance. A magnificent reception was given the excursion, as Chicago, even then, knew how to entertain her country cousins. The boat was met at Bridgeport by a propeller and a large number of citizens, who took the excursionists on through the river, and for a lide out on the lake. The river was lined with people on both sides, to see the first excursion that had come through the Canal. They were taken in and "dined and wined," and a general good time had all round. There are those (Blue or Red Ribbonists, perhaps) who remarked with some emphasis, that the entire excursion got gloriously drunk. But doubtless this is a sort of " stretch of conjecture," and should be taken with all due allowance for illnatured remarks.

Lockport is a grain market of considerable importance. Trade in grain began here on the opening of the Canal in 1848. Hiram Norton, the father of the present grain dealer, J. L. Norton, John Milks, Jenkins, and Geo. Gaylord, were the first who entered the business. Gaylord & Co., with the exception of from 1852 to 1863, have been in the trade ever since, and handle annually from 300,000 to 400,000 bushels of corn and oats exclusively, all of which is shipped by the canal. Gaylord was the first man to buy grain at legal weights, and had a hard fight with the other dealers to maintain it, but eventually carried the day. Since buying the Martin property, Gaylord & Co. have storage and cribbing capacity for more than 200,000 bushels of grain. Their elevators have improved steam-power, and are provided with grain-dumps and all modern conveniences for handling grain. Norton & Co. are the only other firm in the grain business here at present. They handle, including the wheat used in the mill, perhaps between 800,000 and 900,000 bushels annually. With an extensive and well-appointed warehouse and steam elevator of large capacity, they are well prepared for the grain business in any form or shape. George B. Martin, at one time, was a heavy grain dealer at this place - too heavy for the financial benefit of many of his patrons. He commenced business here in 1849 - 50, without capital it is supposed, and by dint of energy and good business ability worked up an immense trade, gaining the fullest confidence of the entire community. There are, perhaps, few cases on record of a more complete betrayal of confidence. Many hard-working people had deposited their savings with him, and it is even said that washerwomen had money deposited in his hands, when, without warning he failed most disastrously, to the amount of $200,000, a failure aggravated in its nature and sad in its results ; scarcely equaled in the distress it wrought among the working people, by Spencer's State Savings failure or Myer's "busted" Beehive, of Chicago. He is said to have been of most excellent family, was not a fast man nor high liver, but is supposed to have managed badly, paid too much interest, and traded too high on borrowed capital. One bad move he made was in establishing a grain point at Romeo, a few miles north of Lockport, which took considerable trade from him, which, otherwise, he would have secured at this place. William Shields and Anderson are now buying grain at Romeo for Norton & Co., and do quite a large business for a country station.

The first Fourth of July celebration in Lockport was an old-fashioned barbecue, which was gotten up in 1839. Whole animals, such as muttons, pigs and poultry were roasted, and the primitive board groaned under the bountiful supply of eatables. Hiram Norton was President of the celebration ; Gen. James Turney, a lawyer of considerable ability, was the orator of the occasion ; Edward B. Talcott read the Declaration of Independence, and Dr. Daggett marshaled the grand procession. It was a general good time - a day of rejoicing - and everybody enjoyed it to the utmost, winding up in the evening with a grand ball at the Canal office, then the most capacious building in the place, which had been put in "apple-pie order" for the occasion. Fiddlers were rather a scarce article in the country at that time, and the only one of any note was living at St. Charles, Kane Co. Dr. Daggett was appointed a committee of one to procure his services. Of course about the "Fourth," the old fellow's musical accomplishments were in demand ; Daggett found him with several propositions before him for consideration, and the only means of securing him was to outbid all others. He offered him $60, and being the longest pole, it "knocked the persimmon." Daggett brought him over to the scene of action, but as he was extremely fond of the "wine when it is red," before midnight he was blind drunk. So went their $60, and they were forced to find some one who could make a noise on the catguts, about as harmonious as the filing of an old saw, in order that the dance might go on as laid down in the programme.

One of the most important features in the business of Lockport is the industries of Norton & Co., who employ a large number of men in the several departments of their business. Their flour-mills on the west side of the Canal are the largest in the State, having the very best and most improved machinery, with twenty-eight runs of buhrs, under the superintendence of Robert Whitley, an experienced miller, and when employed at full capacity, will turn out from seven to eight hundred barrels of flour per day. The Winter wheat used at these mills is brought from the southern part of the State, while the Spring wheat is from the West. In connection is a cooper-shop, in charge of Henry Ripsom, who employs, usually, about thirty hands, making the barrels used at the mills. On the east side of the Canal, at the large warehouse and elevator, is the corn-mill, having five runs of buhrs, and used wholly for corn and for grinding wheat for their home customers. Albert Deeming is Superintendent of the store, carried on in connection with the mills and grain warehouse, and Jacob Lotz is the general shipping clerk and manager of the warehouse. The paper mills of this firm, known as the Lockport Paper Company, are an extensive establishment. About thirty men find employment in them, and they run day and night. The mills were built in the Fall of 1872, and make a specialty of board paper, which is manufactured from straw, using daily about six and a half tons - one and a half tons of straw to a ton of paper. To the efficient manager of the mills, Samuel Wilmot, we were indebted for a visit through the

The stone quarries in and around Lockport are quite an important branch of the business of the place, though in the immediate vicinity of the village the stone does not compare in quality with the quarries of Joliet and Lemont. J. A. Boyer opened a quarry here in 1869, but the quality of stone taken from it did not warrant the working of it, and it was soon abandoned. Mr. Boyer's quarries at Lemont are among the most extensive, and produce as superior a quality of stone as any quarry in this section of the State. He furnished from these quarries much of the material in the beautiful stone-front buildings recently erected on the West Side in the city of Chicago. He, also, has furnished the stone for the new Catholic Church in Lockport, by far the handsomest church edifice in the village. Though these quarries are not in this township, nor in Will County, yet their proprietor, Mr. Boyer, was born and reared in Lockport, where he still lives, and to omit mention of them here would be to leave out an important part of its history. He employs from one hundred to one hundred and fifty men, and has all the improved machinery and the best of shipping facilities - both on the Chicago & Alton Railroad and the Canal.

Oak Hill Quarry, now owned by Isaac Nobes, is one of the best in this section. Just south of Lockport village, conveniently located to both railroad and canal, has fine facilities for shipping. This quarry was opened by G. A. Cousens & Co., afterward passed into the hands of George Gaylord, and, in 1868, Mr. Nobes came into possession of it and has since worked it. He works about thirty-five men, and is supplied with all the modern machinery for working quarries and handling stone. He has one of the finest residences in the State, outside of the large cities. It is built of stone, and presents a very fine appearance. The large quarries of W. A. Steel are in Lockport Township, but were mentioned in the history of Joliet, where the owner of them lives. The first quarries worked in this section of the country, however, were opened by Dr. Daggett on the west side of the Canal, a little south of Lockport, and nearly opposite Nobes' quarry. He sold $30,000 worth of stone the first year he opened them, and that of an excellent quality. But he is not operating them at present, owing to the fact, perhaps, of there being so many others in the business that it does not pay as well as it did years ago. It is wonderful to contemplate the inexhaustible supply of stone in the hills, and bluffs of the Des Planes Valley. And the quality, too, the convenient ledges and layers in which it is found, and the easy access to it, is not the least wonderful item in regard to these vast quarries. It almost seems that the layers of stone had been purposely arranged fpr the convenience and benefit of man.

The history of the press dates back to quite a remote period in the history of Lockport. The first newspaper was established by one H. M. Fuller, in 1848, and was called the Will County Telegraph. During the year 1849, Judge Parks (now of Joliet) became the leading editor, while Fuller remained the publisher, until the Moon arose on the 23d of January, 1850, when it