Sterling Township (part 5 of 5)

In the Odd Fellows section, which for years was separate, we find Joseph Rundlett. 81, whose widow is living at the home on Fourth street at 92. C. C. Buell, the soldier, farmer, educator, public citizen. Isaac Reed, 86, of Empire, and his son, Daniel, a soldier. The Greenough family have a huge rock of rough granite, and the Golders a shaft with red panel. Manning, Headley, Stambaugh, all soldiers. The latter died at 59. Joe liked nothing so well as to march with his sword at the head of the boys. Headley, too, was an enthusiastic soldier.

Crossing the shallow ravine by the vault, we come to the tombs of Samuel Hoover, 1859, aged 66, and Elizabeth, his wife, 1870, aged 71. He was called Cash Hoover, because he paid promptly in coin when money was scarce. W. C. Robinson, 1835-1883, captain Co. A, 34th Illinois. John Gait, 1863, aged 65. Sarah M., his wife, 1898, who lived to 93, and busied herself about the house to the last. David M. Crawford, 1883, at 53. From a boy in a store, ond Gait and Crawford was a familiar firm for thirty years in the city. His father, Thomas Crawford, 1854, aged 70. He once kept tavern in Georgetown, and met many of the great men of the Clay and Webster era in Washington. John G. Manahan, 1897, only 60, a brave soldier of the 13th Illinois, and lawyer of high standing. Win. Manahan, 1886, 80, his father, sheriff of Whiteside, and early emigrant. Jonathan Stevens, 1870, 71. A prominent family. Major Wallace, Empire pioneer, who died in 1861 at 53. His tombstone is broken into three pieces. The major was a hunter and liked game. His wife, Elizabeth A., was a member of an aristocratic family in Pennsylvania, the late A. J. Cassatt, president of the great railway, belonging to the same. She died in 1886 at 75. Here is another of the old Sterling set, Hugh Wallace, who died in 18'34 at 62. His wife, Mary Gait Wallace, lived much longer, 1809-1895. A woman of remarkable power and hospitality. She was born in the same year as Lincoln, Gladstone, Darwin. This is Capt. Woodburn, 1872, aged 75, who was among the early crowd, and this doubtless is his mother, Mary, wife of George Woodburn, 1797-1846. Here is a name that the present Presbyterians know nothing about, Rev. George Stebbins, 1798-1891. He was the first pastor of the church, 1844 to 1856. His daughter, Miss Saide, now resides in the city. Major Bnshnell, 13th Illinois, killed at Ringgold, 1863. Col. R. L. Wilson, red Scotch granite vault, is the only memorial of that style on the grounds. Lot. S. Pennington, 1812-1906. Joel Harvey's tall shaft, 1875, aged 63. Near is the column of John S. Miller, whose son, John, is a prominent member of the Episcopal church.

For years there was an early burial ground in the eastern part of the town, but under no systematic control. Feb. 16, 1865, the Sterling Cemetery Association was formed with Samuel S. Patterson, T. A. Gait, W. A. Sanborn, B. C. Coblentz, S. P. Gait, James Gait, Robert A. Gait as organizers. S. S. Patterson was made president, B. C. Coblentz secretary, W. A. Sanborn treasurer, and James Gait superintendent. Originally, L. S. Pennington and James Dinsmo >r appear as president and secretary. At this time forty acres of beautiful rolling woodland running to the river were purchased and plotted. The sites in the new addition were so picturesque that lots were rapidly in demand, and in the last forty years the loved and lost of the Sterling homes are resting in the southern slopes. Adjoining the main cemetery on the west was the small and elegant burial enclosure controlled by the Odd Fellows, and in May, 1886, that society made arrangements by which the order entered into possession of the entire cemetery; and both grounds placed under their direction. Walter Stager, Alfred Bayliss, H. S. Street, M. M. Rover, G. G. Keefer, were the board of managers. H. S. Street, president; Dr. Rover, treasurer; Walter Stager, secretary; Geo. Keefer, superintendent. At present the officers consist of S. S. Kehr, president; Judd Decker, secretary and treasurer; D. L. Miller, superintendent; Michael Rutt, sexton. The new Mennonite church, with its sheds, is on the northwestern corner of the cemetery, but own their share of the grounds.

War Of 1812-15

Over* 150 soldiers of the civil war are buried in Riverside, with suitable memorials over the graves. Resting here, also, are the following noble boys of the

Spanish-American Avar Calvary Cemetery

North of Riverside on the west line of the Freeport road is this sequestered place of burial. There are five acres, purchased about 1890 from Clark Powell for $250 per acre. The ground is level, and wide alleys run north and south between the tombs. A variety of evergreen*, spruce, pine, arbor vitae, form a pleasing contrast with the cold marble and granite, and give an air of cheerfulness and immortal hope to the grassy mounds that hold the dust of the cherished dead. When the writer visited the spot on a balmy day in later April the first violets were in bloom, and meadow larks were warbling their sweet notes in an adjoining pasture. For a new cemetery the number of elegant monuments is surprising. As usual, the names are numerous of the persons one was used to meeting on the street from town and country. Many aged people. Bridget Colford, 1900, aged 81. Wm. Mooney, 1816-1892. Patrick Clavin, 76. Thomas Higgins, 1807-1895, and Mary Higgins, 1815-1869. He was the father of the builder of the street railway. Catherine McCormick, 1898, aged 68. Morris Morlarty, Ireland, 1820-1907. Patrick Healey, 1820- 1904, and wife, Ann, 1824-1905. One of the most elaborate memorials is that of Martin Mee, with columns at the corner, 1824-1891. Several of the family . on the lot. Another handsome one, Martin Costello, 1814-1883, and his wife, Mary, 1821-1879. Gaffey, Grady, Durr, Sullivan, Lawler, Ryan, Drew. On this tomb:

This is Hannah O'Neil, 1815-1888, for years the faithful housekeeper in the mansion of Mrs. Mary Wallace. John Horn, soldier, Co. G, 1st Penn. Healy, Burke, Connell, Rourke. Crosses are a favorite device, and the sacred initials, I. H. S. Buckleys have a rough block of gray granite and five small head stones. B. J. Buckley, Co. E, 6th 111. Inf., Spanish-American war. Julia Kilroy, a bright girl, 1865-1894, teacher in Second ward school. Conlin, Devine, Sheehan, Kelly, Curtin. John Houlihan, soldier, 1847-1863. A very pretty design is the monument of Bernhard Hodgins, 1839-1838, and Margaret, 183'3-1903. The red granite of the upper block forms a fine contrast with the gray of the base. Kannally family has a huge mass of gray granite and seven head stones. Here lies a devout churchman: M. Dundon, 1885, aged 69. "Fortified with all the rites of the holy church, on whose soul sweet Jesus have mercy, Amen."

The Water Supply

Although not a city man, Joel Harvey was the first person in Sterling to appreciate the convenience and healthfulness of a better source of water than that furnished by the old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, the mosscovered bucket that hung in the well. He owned a tract of land in the northern part of town, sufficiently high to send a stream of water into the second and third stories of most of "the buildings. Here he started an artesian well in 1873, and continued the bore until it reached a depth of 1,652 feet, and struck a current that gave a flow abundant for all purposes. Wooden pipes were laid in the main streets, and for several years Harvey's water was in extensive use. The pipes gradually rotted, needing constant repair, and the need was urgent for a more substantial and enlarged system to meet the demands of the growing city. The Sterling Water Company was organized, and in 1885 the first well was bored to a depth of 1,435 feet and mains laid throughout the city. Then followed a second well. 1,626 feet deep, and a third, 1.816 feet deep. The present flow is one million gallons every 24 hours. There are two pumps with a capacity of five million gallons, and three boilers of 125 horse power each. Fire is kept constantly under two, and the third is hanked for instant service. The consumption of coal, a mixture of nut and slack, is four tons daily. A. W. Wilson, Worcester, Mass., formerly a railway engineer, has been in charge of the machinery for 21 years. An analysis of the water made at the University of Illinois shows 18 per cent mineral matter in a gallon, carbonate of lime and carbonate of magnesia preponderating. This is an unusually small amount of mineral substance for wells so deep. Cool, fresh, and delicious for drinking, and not too hard for ordinary washing. While the stock is owned principally in Portland, Maine, the parent office is in Sterling, according to the laws of Illinois. Judd Decker, superintendent and secretary, has shown commendable efficiency in the discharge of his duties.

Our Two Greenhouses

Fronting on Eighteenth avenue is the brick office, cheerful with living color, of the Sterling Floral Company, Robert Lundstrom, proprietor. He is a Swede, and has really inherited the trade, as his father was a gardener on a great estate. There are eight greenhouses. Two are devoted exclusively to carnations, three to carnations and mixed stocks, one to roses, one to palms and ferns, one to propagating. The heat proceeds from a seventy-horse power tubular boiler. To furnish requisite heat, 250 tons of coal per year are consumed. The Bride, a white rose, is extensively grown, so much in demand for funerals. Also of the beautiful red, the Bridesmaid. In fact, strange as it may seem, it is the sorrow of the home, the casket, and the cemetery with the decorations of the grave, that supports the floral business. A bad wind that blows nobody good. Nine-tenths of his products, Mr. Lundstrom says, are taken in Sterling and vicinity. The temperature necessary for these delicate creations varies with the season, higher in winter or dull weather, than in mild days or bright sun. Higher at night than during the day. An average temperature for carnations is 50 to 55 degrees. No one variety is allowed to monopolize a long raised wooden bed for the year. For example, pansies are started in the late winter and as they cease to bloom, succeed geraniums, chrysanthemums, and perhaps lettuce, or some quick -growing vegetable. The soil, of course, is replenished and enriched. Who use the violets? Young men for their Dulcineas. He showed the writer a circular mass of blossoms just picked, two hundred, to meet an order from a luxurious mansion where they would exhale their perfume.

To manage the business Mr. Lundstrom requires the aid of two or three hands and a bookkeeper. All extra product is sent to Chicago or St. Louis.

J. A. Swartley And Son

These grounds are on the corner of East Fifth street and Seventeenth avenue. The residence, a white frame, on the west, and the four greenhouses, the largest three hundred feet long, occupying the rear of the lots. The business was started in 1901 in a humble way, and has rapidly grown to its present proportions. The front office of concrete is a cozy reception room with a glass case of various trimmings and numerous curiosities picked up by Mr. Swartley in his southern trips : stuffed snakes, minerals, fox skins, and a huge alligator hide twelve feet long. A seventy-five horse power boiler furnishes heat for the buildings. Two large houses are necessary to meet the call for carnations. This seems to be the reigning flower. Much used in churches on Sunday with asparagus for pulpit decoration. It was McKinley's favorite. No other flower keeps its freshness so long. To supply transient customers, jars of cut flowers are kept in the damp cellar. Besides the retail trade at home, shipments are made east and west. Among the latest species of fern is the delicate Whitman with its exquisite leaves. Mr. Swartley is assisted by his wife and son, Ernest, who both have made a study of the lovely floral world in all its departments.

The Parks

There are three pleasure grounds for the people, Lincoln Park in the east, Wallace in the west, and Central in the heart of the city. This is kept in elegant condition by Phil Kereven, Gettysburg veteran. The lawn is smooth and luxuriant, trees throw a grateful shade, and flowers and shrubs make the spot cheerful and attractive. Here are held all affairs of public interest, Fourth of July celebrations, Memorial Day exercises, religious and temperance meetings. Iron settees are placed at convenient points for comfort. It already has associations of genius. Here General Howard gave a reception,, and here echoed the eloquent voices of Collyer, Hillis and Gunsaulus.

The ornament of Central Park is the Soldiers' Monument of granite, which rises from a mount of turf to the height of fifty or sixty feet, crowned by an infantry volunteer in heroic size. On the south side are "Shiloh, Stone River, Vicksburg, Atlanta." "The patriotic people of Sterling and vicinity have erected this monument to the memory of the soldiers and sailors who were willing to die that the Union and Liberty might live" on the east side. On the north, "Petersburg, Wilderness, Gettysburg, Appomattox." On the west, "This stone is a reminder of the cost and value of the Union of the States." The base is thickly engraven with the names of departed heroes, and as a soldier dies his name is added to the roll of honor. The monument cost about $5,000, and was unveiled July 4, 1890, with imposing ceremonies.

Mineral Springs Park

Not a mile from the east limits of the city is a charming bit of woodland writh its grassy slopes, shade of young forest trees, meandering stream, and spring of sparkling water. It was purchased from the late Samuel Albertson, and is controlled by the park association. Much outlay has been made to make the resort attractive. As the Northwestern Fair holds its annual meet- ings here, a race track and amphitheater have been constructed. A small hotel furnishes good accommodations for all who wish to remain a day or a week. A favorite resort for the Sunday schools of the city in their yearly picnics.

A Chautauqua under the management of H. M. Holbrook has been held here for four successive seasons, the summer of 1908 making the fifth. The usual program of lecture, music, and mixed entertainment. The star performers have been Bryan, Col. Bain, Mrs. Logan, Billy Mason, Billy Sunday. A season ticket is two dollars, single admission 25 cents. A three-room tent is furnished for five dollars. Many of the Sterling people, and others from a distance, find tent life for ten days an agreeable relief from the routine of the residence. The street cars run only to Powell's corner, where omnibuses are ready to meet passengers. A half-mile walk for pedestrians. A spur from the main car track would be a great convenience. The president of the park association is J. T. Williams; secretary, J. N. Harpham.

Cement In Building

For years cement was found to be valuable for curbs and sidewalks, but very suddenly it has bounded into general use as a material for houses. First for basement or cellar walls, now the whole residence is constructed of the solid blocks. They have all the effect of stone in an old Norman castle, and are much cheaper than pressed brick, and more durable in not showing the marks of age. Not only the walls, but the arches, columns, all parts of an edifice, can be constructed of cement, by means of molds adapted to the design. The stone quarry will levy no more tax on our builders.

An enormous quantity of cement was consumed in the two cites in 1907. The records show that 177 cars of the article were shipped in. The total amount used was about 28,320 barrels, having a retail value of $56,640. This is equal to 177,000 sacks. The heaviest consumers in 1907 were the United States in the government dam and the Hydraulic Company in the piers of the power house, using thirty carloads. Much was required by the Gail Borden milk plant, and by some of the new factories. A number of carloads were used by F. L. Johnson, the Rock Falls Cement and Stone Company, the Sterling Concrete Company, the Rock River Concrete Company and George Hall, all manufacturers of cement blocks. Cement in large amounts was also used by Dennis O'Hare, Peter O'Hare, Henry McFadden, W. D. Praetz and others, the last named being cement sidewalk makers and curb builders.

The cement block manufacture has in a short time grown to large proportions. Fred Johnson has the credit of starting the business in 1903, and who in 1904 erected a stable of the material at his residence on Fourth avenue. Already in 1907 about 150.000 cement blocks of the 18-inch size were made in the two cities. Many of the new dwellings in Sterling and Rock Falls are constructed of these blocks, having a substantial and pleasing appearance. The crowning exhibition of the fitness of cement in architecture is the Fourth Street M. E. church, which from ground to pinnacle is constructed of the blocks, molded in every form to suit the fancy of the builder. Dr. Hill's home on Locust is the richest private example in the city.

Two Historic Women

At her old home on Fourth street and Sixth avenue, Mrs. J. C. Rundlett reached the ninety-second milestone of her long pilgrimage. No celebration. Her daughters were by her side, flowers from thoughtful friends cheered the sitting room with their fragrance and beauty, and various tributes of affection were received from relatives at a distance.

Both by association and descent, Mrs. Rundlett is now the grand old lady of our city. In early life at Newburyport she often saw Hannah Flagg Gould, the poet, author of that familiar poem :

She dwells fondly upon old Newburyport, next to Boston richest of all New England towns in antiquarian suggestion. This was the home of William Lloyd Garrison, and here is the Old South or First Presbyterian church, 1746-1896, in whose crypt was buried George Whitefield, that naming apostle of eloquence, 1770. His coffin is still shown, and once the skull could be sesn.

The family have a large book, called the Lowell Genealogy, containing several hundred names, and tracing the Lowells to their first coming to New England in 1639 from the old country. There were numerous branches, James Russell Lowell belonging to one, and Mrs. Rundlett's kindred to another.

Except a bodily weakness which makes a reclining position . most comfortable much of the day, Mrs. Rundlett's faculties are in excellent preservation. A bright eye, face with scarce a wrinkle, voice clear, and memory that is quick to recall anything she once knew. Always cheerful, glad to meet her friends, and it is pleasant to see her happy expression as she lies on her couch surrounded by devoted daughters, who are quick to anticipate the slightest wish.

On Second avenue between Fifth and Sixth streets, in a neat brick cottage, the home for over fifty years, reside Mrs. Martha Barrett and her daughter Mattie. Although not old, being only seventy-five, Mrs. Barrett has seen Sterling expand from a village at her arrival in 1855 to a young metropolis, and has also sadly witnessed the departure one by one of the early generation she knew so well.

Mrs. Barrett's early years were spent in Rushville, N. Y. Her mother and five brothers composed a noble family, one of whom has made the name immortal. Marcus Whitman, pioneer, missionary, explorer, was her mother's brother. She was twelve when he left for the west, and remembers Marcus as a tall, stout man with dark hair and earnest movement. He was ambitious, took a medical course at Berkshire institute, and in 1834 was appointed a missionary physician to Oregon.

After a short visit he came back, and with his wife and Rev. II. IT. Spanieling and his young wife, they crossed the continent in 1836. driving the first American wagon to the gates of Fort Walla Walla on the Columbia river. A church was established and a farm ope'ned. Only fifty Americans, 100,000 Indians. But the Hudson Bay Company aimed to secure the land for England. Whitman -scented the danger, the loss to the United States, and on Oct. 3, 1842, started to ride to Washington, accompanied by one guide and one white man.

That ride has no parallel. Paul Revere and Sheridan are trifling. Four thousand miles through the snows of the Rockies. He reached Washington, March 3, 1843, and saw Webster, secretary of state, who was unmoved. President Tyler was more impressed. Take a wagon train across the mountains and prove the truth of your claim. Whitman led a colony back in 1843 of 200 wagons and 1,000 settlers. That decided the policy. In 1846 the northwestern boundary line gave us Oregon.

And what was this Oregon, Washington and Idaho that the winter ride of Marcus Whitman, Mrs. Barrett's uncle, saved from England's grasp to our own domain? It is a small continent, equal to all New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia. It is our western empire with California, In 1842 considered worthless by the wise heads at Washington.

Then Whitman settled down to his work, but he was not permitted to long enjoy the fruits of his heroism. Nov. 29, 1847, the Indians surrounded the mission, slew Whitman, his wife and twelve companions. But his name endureth. Whitman seminary at Walla Walla and the shaft over his grave will keep his devotion ever glorious.

Speculation In Oil And Copper

A tornado swept through Whiteside in 18'60, and forty years later a species of brain storm in stocks of oil and copper. It was not surprising. Men have always been eager to make money. Holland, in 1637, had her tulip craze when worthless bulbs sold for their weight in gold. The South Sea Scheme in England in 1720 sent many a luckless investor into bankruptcy. California was a golden Mecca in 1849.

Since that time all sorts of mining schemes have occupied the attention of the American people. The rich mineral regions of Colorado and the Pacific slope have especially attracted adventure and capital. Then came the discovery of oil fields in Pennsylvania, and a dozen states. The Standard Oil Company grew to be a colossal concern affecting every household in the nation, in the world.

quiet citizens of Sterling, who heretofore had shown no desire to amass wealth except by gradual accumulation in the course of legitimate business. The first scheme was in the form of oil. A property had been secured in Texas, a company formed, officers elected and stocks offered for sale. The following advertisement appeared in the Sterling papers in 1901:

The Illinois Oil Company

Excitement for awhile ran high. A few dollars would purchase numerous shares, enough to assure a competence in old age. Rockefeller became a Croesus in oil, and he started in a very humble way. What became of the gusher Texas only knows, and the oil craze passed into a local bubble.

As the oil delusion was slipping off, the copper glitter was held before eager eyes. Oil was uncertain, wells gave out, but copper was solid, and there was a mountain of that metal in Idaho, waiting to be blasted, and floated down Snake river to Lewiston. Assays showed a richer yield than the world-famous Calumet-Hecla. Clark was king in the copper world, but his supremacy would not continue. This advertisement appeared in the Sterling dailies in 1902:

Eureka Mining, Smelting, And Power Company

People of Sterling and vicinity are offered for a short time only, a chance to buy shares in one of the richest copper propositions ever offered the public. So rich are the claims, the company could sell its entire holdings at more than the total capital stock, but declines to consider any such proposition as it is sure of making vastly more.

There were a president, secretary, treasurer, and a board of nine trustees. This appeal did the business. The stock sold like hot cakes. All ranks from the retired capitalist to the frugal clerk invested their dollars in a scheme that meant a palace on Fifth avenue and a regular winter in Europe. But the enterprise for a hundred reasons moved slowly towards princely returns. The boiler burst, the boat sank, the machinery failed to arrive, and the promoters after deluding the weeping stockholders with a few yearly reports, are in criminal obscurity.

The Italian Murder

On the night of July 14, 1907, Mrs. Isadoro Gennetti was murdered in a frame house near the river in the first ward. Suspicion strongly pointed to two of her country folk, Luigi and Cristina Randi; they were arrested and placed in Morrison jail, in November, tried and found guilty, and sentenced, Luigi to twenty, and the wife to fourteen, years in the penitentiary. Judge Graves presided. Judge H. C. Ward, counsel for prisoners, made a motion for a new trial, but it was overruled.

Officers Of The City Of Sterling

Mayor - John L. Janssen. City Clerk - M. E. Wilger. City Attorney - Carl E. Sheldon. City Treasurer - F. A. Caughey. Chief of Police - Chris. Baker. Chief of Fire Dept. - S. A. Stull. City Collector - E. H. McGrath. Supt. of Streets - J. L. Harrison. Health Officer - Dr. A. H. Harms.

Sterling claims a population of 10,000, and it is believed in the two cities of Rock Falls and Sterling there are 13,000 people. The vote on April 7, 1908, in the local option contest, was 2,043, the largest cast in the history of the township.

Whiteside In General

Alfalfa is receiving more attention every year, as it is found to be valuable for feeding stock. The seed is a staple at feed stores with clover and timothy.

Wild animals linger about their early haunts. Ralph Mayberry, while out hunting near Rock Falls recently, killed a large coon, weighing fortytwo pounds. Andrew A. Tofte, of Rock Falls, also killed an opossum in his hen house. Large coons have also been shot near Coleta in Genesee.

Concrete is the coming article for building. Lumber is high, stone is scarce, but concrete can be made anywhere. It is a boon to farmers. A farmer lately completed a barn which is built of concrete from base to roof. It is a solid mass, built in a form not of blocks. A concrete floor in basement, and another overhead, so that it is fireproof. Nothing but the crop stored inside can be destroyed. In its construction, 500 sacks of cement were used. The work was all done by the farmer and sons. In a similar way, all the new bridges in various parts of the county, have concrete piers and approaches, with the prospect in the future of concrete floors. Planks decay, and steel rusts.

Within twenty years a marked improvement in roads. Hills leveled, low places filled, sloughs drained, culverts installed, and- many of the main highways graveled. Travel is now as easy even after rains as on the turnpikes in the east.

Farmers have discovered that it takes no more time, no more feed, to rear good stock than inferior grades. This change is especially noticeable in swine. The University of Illinois is encouraging the movement, by purchasing the best animals for its own herd.

The University of Illinois h'as recently added three Berkshires to its herd at the total cost of $1,050.00. Besides Berkshires, the University is also breeding Poland Chinas, Duroc Jerseys. Chester Whites, large Yorkshires and Tamworths. In driving past our Whiteside fields, specimens of these highgrade animals may be found leisurely feeding.

Orchards are not flourishing in some parts of the county. Severe winters killed varieties of apples, and the rows are not filled up. Apples are not perfect as in early years, and regular spraying is necessary for desirable fruit. Even farmers buy imported apples at the grocers for winter use. Peaches spring up spontaneously, and in favorable seasons, yield abundantly. Wild plums still flourish in timber that has not vanished. Small fruits do well. In good years, plenty of strawberries, blackberries, currants, raspberries. No finer melons are raised anywhere. Our markets well supplied with all kinds of vegetables in season.

One winter diversion of the weary farmer is the public auction held at various places towards spring. These are either regular cattle sales, or sales of implements and stock by men who intend to move or retire. Terms cash for sums under ten dollars, over that amount twelve months credit without interest, or seven per cent afterwards. Always a free lunch of meat, bread, pie and coffee at noon. One generous fellow set out oyster stews, which were received with applause.

The osage hedge in excellence varies with the locality. Some have been cut away and replaced with wire, which is really the best fence as it takes no room and wastes no ground. Here and there the hedges are quite thrifty.

It is gratifying in traveling over the county to notice the immense change in the farm buildings. What spacious barns, corn cribs, all the necessary outstructures, painted red, and then the neat residence, with piazza, lawn, concrete walk, and picket or iron fence. People in the country live as cosily as in town, and with telephone and rural delivery have all the conveniences of civiliza- lion. The raggedness arid isolation of the old log cabin or weather-beaten shanty have all disappeared. No more riding to town on the hard boards of a lumber wagon, but instead the cushioned seats of a two-horse surrey. Yes, the farmers today are not to be pitied with a bank account and cribs of corn they can hold for advance in market.

Another valuable help to farmers which they duly appreciate and encourage is the yearly institute held in so many districts. One was held in Sterling in December, 1907, and one in Coleta, January, 1908. At these meetings, which continue two days, there is a varied program of music, readings, and addresses by practical men on topics of timely importance: injurious insects, soils, machinery, poultry, selection of seeds, putting in crops, education for the boys and girls, most profitable stock to raise. These affairs attract large crowds, occurring as they do at leisure times, and awaken great enthusiasm. Prizes are offered for best displays of fruit and grain.

It does seem that the climate of Whiteside is changing. In earlier years there were heavy falls of snow, blocking the roads, and often lingering till spring. About 1861 or '62 there were three months of sleighing, a rare luxury these degenerate days. The last deep snow was in 1881 when remains of drifts were visible in April. Fifty years ago, winter began in November, and in January retired for a thaw and a mild southwest breeze, but after a week's indulgence, broke dreams of spring, with terrific blasts from Esquimaux land. Our coldest weather of late is in February, and ice men who have begun to despair, find their best crop made by the zero in that month.

Within forty years land has rapidly increased in value. Land that sold for ten or twelve dollars an acre at the close of the war in 1865, now readily brings one hundred. With good improvements, $150. Much, of course, depends on location and buildings. Farms, indeed, are becoming a favorite form of investment. The cash rent is five dollars or more per acre. But the main consideration is safety. Factories burn, stocks depreciate, stores fail, but the soil, like the flag in the "Star Spangled Banner," is still there. You always know where to find it. You are sure of not being penniless on rising in the morning.

Timber is not as abundant as formerly. The beautiful groves that gladdened the eyes of the pioneers are slowly vanishing. The land is too valuable for shade or sentiment or beauty. The Coe grove in Jordan, Round Grove in Hopkins, the. woods at Empire, the fine trees along the streams everywhere, are yearly showing the ravages of the ax. It is a pity, and nothing is done to replace this early growth except a windbreak or a grove near the house. Trees are not only charming in the landscape, but an important element in modifying our climate, and regulating the water supply.

More attention is given of late years in the rural districts to the regular functions of social life as are found in the towns. While spelling schools at an early day or an occasional sermon were the only occasions to draw out the scattered people, now almost every school house has its Sunday school or church service, while the good ladies of the township enjoy frequent reunions with their aid societies and other organizations. Sometimes all classes, young and old, parents and pupils, unite in forming a lyceum at a central place,

Farm hands are becoming scarcer, although wages are higher. So many young men flock to the cities, and seek more attractive employment. At present the minimum price paid for hired men is twenty-five dollars per month, and the farmers in addition to paying this sum of money, also keep a horse and buggy for the help. There are a number of farmers who are paying as high as thirty dollars a month for men, and in addition to this sum also keep a horse and buggy for the help. This high price also includes board and washing, which is worth at least twenty dollars a month, and the horse cannot be fed for much less than ten dollars a month at the present high price of horse feed which would bring the salary of a thirty dollar a month man to sixty dollars a month.

A peculiar feature of the pay received by help this year is in the fact that it includes the month of March. Usually the amount paid for the month of March is about one-half of the amount paid during the farming months of the season.

Investigation reveals the fact that two Meredosia men ship to London each year the hides of over 150,000 fur-bearing animals, worth $100,000. As most of these pelts come from Illinois the extent of the trapping carried on within the confines of this state is somewhat surprising. The early name is French, Marais de Ogee, and means marsh, and much of the big slough lies in the southern flats of the county.

County Clerk W. C. Stikon has paid out $1,956 for bounties on ground hogs and crows in Whiteside county since the law went into effect, July, 1907. Up to the present 7,595 ground hogs have been killed and 577 crows.

The tax books of Whiteside for 1908 called for a total of $500,100, an increase of $60,000 over 1907. This is due to the revision of values made by the board of review the year before.

No more reckless hunting is permitted by careful farmers. They have at last discovered that these idle freebooters wi'th dog and gun, banging away at straw stack or cattle or poultry, have no business on private property. One of our county weeklies published this card :

Warning To Hunters

We, the undersigned, hereby warn all parties against hunting, trapping or trespassing on lands owned or controlled by us, under penalty of the law.

This was signed by fifty farmers. It is hoped that similar notices will be posted all over the county. Our native birds and denizens of the woods are already too scarce. These fellows are trespassers. If they are hungry for game, let them rush for the Rockies.

Local Option In 1908

One of the greatest election contests Whiteside county ever experienced over the saloon issue was that of Tuesday, April 7, 1908, and the result shows a majority of the voters went on record as opposed to the licensing of saloons.

The "wet" towns are, Sterling, by one majority; Coloma (Rock Falls), by eight majority; Fulton, by seventy-five majority; Montmorency, by nineteen majority; Hopkins, by eighty majority; Erie, by eleven majority.

One of the saddest sights to be met here and there in a tour of the county is an abandoned church. Solitary and neglected, it is a mute reminder of happier days and departed worshipers. The following notice in the Morrison Record is an illustration:

White Church For Sale

The old Methodist church, known as the "White Church," at Garden Plain, and the lot upon which it stands is offered "For Sale." The building is 32x49 feet, 16 foot walls. Sealed bids will be received for church and lot or for church alone, fell bids are to be sent to H. J. Simpson, Albany, 111., by the 20th of May, 1908, the trustees of said church reserving all rights to accept or reject one or all bids.

Just as a college or university student feels an ambition for a prize at commencement, so the pupils in the various school? of the townships look forward to the results of the yearly examinations. Out of the one hundred and forty-seven pupils from the rural schools who took the final examinations which were held on April 25 in the Sterling, Prophetstown and Morrison high school buildings, seventy-nine passed the required average. The class which consists of fifty-eight girls and twenty-one boys graduated at Morrison on Saturday, June 6. The highest rank was made by Miss Mndge Jones of Sunnyside school, Tampico, Miss Hettie McCracken, teacher, and was 94 4-7 per cent. The second rank was made by Miss Clara Hickey, Mt. Hope school, Garden Plain, and the third by Miss Bertha Grater, Malvern school.

As Rock river and several creeks, Elkhorn, Sugar, Buffalo, Spring, Rock, traverse the county, the erection and maintenance of bridges is an important item. In 1908 a contract was let for the repair of the river bridge at Prophetstown, and bids received for two new bridges in Hopkins to cost $7,000. Concrete is now used largely in these structures, as although more costly at first, it will be more enduring. Schools and bridges are the two heaviest factors in shaping the amount of the rural tax-payer.

Although wolves are almost extinct in the thickly settled districts, they still linger on the outskirts of prairies and woods. The Tampico Tornado says the champion wolf hunter in Bureau or Whiteside counties lives six miles south of Tampico and his name is I. S. Hayes. Mr. Hayes recently shot aii old wolf and killed seven young ones, which makes a total of 164 wolves that he has killed during the past twenty years. Bureau county has paid Mr. Hayes a large sum in bounties and ought to put him on the pension list for ridding the country of so many troublesome animals.

An indirect benefit of the Hennepin canal and feeder is mentioned by Major C. S. Richie, chief of engineers in charge of the canal: "As a highw&y for the conveyance of material for the improvement of the middle state roads, which are for the most part in a wretched condition, the canal is unsurpassed. If this improvement of the roads by the utilization of the canal were taken up by the farmers the roads up and down the canal on either side for a radius of many miles could be brought to a desired modern and improved standard." This would apply, of course, to the east and west roads in Whiteside and beyond that cross the feeder. Firm, substantial highways that can be traversed at all seasons, with heavy loads, are among the pressing needs of rural happiness.

Fish in Rock river have become so scarce owing to the activity of two generations of Izaak Waltons that steps have been taken to restore the lazy diversion to its early attraction and profit. Congressman Lowden, in response to an application by Fish Warden W. F. Mangan, has promised a consignment of game fish which have by this time been placed in the lake east of the government dam. The fish club will do all in the power of its members to protect the young fish until they are large enough to be eaten. In less than ten years it will not be necessary for our anglers to explore the Columbia river for salmon, the streams of the Adirondacks for trout, or of Wisconsin for ba=s.

Board Of Supervisors In 1908

The election Tuesday, April 7, 1908, made no change in the members of the board of supervisors in Whiteside county, for each of the present incumbents whose term of office had expired was up for re-election. The board is now composed of the following representatives of the respective towns as named: