^^^^«^ HISTORY OF THE SWEDES OF ILLINOIS TKe Uinne Monument, Ltncoln ParK. Chicago HISTORY OF THE Swedes of Illinois PART I EDITKM BY ERNST W. OLSON IN COLLABORATIllN WITH ANDERS SCHON and MARTIN J. ENGBERG ILLUSTRATED CHICAGO The Engberg-Holmberg Publishing Company 1908 1-550 S?o5 CopvriKllt 190S ■• ••• • . . . : by The Bngtitrs-HOlvfllif 'Ji*J'"'''"''''"B Conipunv 1;*. ' . i 'i' " . ! • . ••• ' — • — I— •^- ' I TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I Iiitrodnction 7 Chapter I. Summary of the History of Illinois 9 Chapter II. The City of Chicago 86 Chapter III. The First Swedes in Illinois 172 Chapter IV. The Bishop Hill Colony 197 Chapter V. Other Early Settlements 271 Chapter \T. The Swedish Methodist-Episcopal Church . . . 356 Chapter VII. The Swedish Episcopal Church 412 Chapter VI II. The Swedish Lutheran Church 423 Chapter IX. The Swedish Baptist Church 544 Chapter X. The Swedish Mission Church 583 Chapter XI. The Swedes in the Civil War 625 Chapter XII. Music and Musicians 705 Chapter XIII. Press and Literature 760 Chapter XIV. Art and Artists 843 Chapter XV. Organizations 888 Bibliographical References 916 Acknowledgments 918 Index 919 PART II Biographical sketches, Chicago 7 Index 409 PART III Biographical sketches, Counties at Large 5 Index 264 M24723 INTRODUCTION |W HEN in tlu> forties of the last (•cntiiry the great intiux of Swedish iiimiigraiits to the United States began, l)y far the largest nunil)er settled in Illinois. Even at that early period Swedes had begun to form sporadic settle- ments in the territory to the north and west, but these were of little eonsequenee as compared to the populous Swedisli com- munities that sprang up in the soil of the Prairie State. The Swedes of Illinois, therefore, rank as the pioneers of this great migr'atory movement. In later years they have been out- numbered by the Swedes of Jlinnesota, and nearly all the western and many of the eastern states now have each a very considerable Swedish population, yet the Illinois Swedes retain pre-eminence from a historical point of view. Illinois was the central point from which the Swedish population spread in various directions, chiefly to the west and the northwest. The Swedish settlements in the eastern states and on the Pacific slope are of more recent date and have no direct connection with the pioneer history of Illinois. In intellectual culture as well as in material development the Swedes of this state led the way for their countrymen in other parts. In Illinois we meet with the first properly organized Swedish churches — the mother churches of no less than five distinct denominations. In Illinois was founded the first Swedish-American newspaper of permanence, and the great bulk of the Swedish publishing business in this coiuitry has always been done here. In Illinois was foiuided the first Swedish-American institution of learning, followed in later years by a score of others, but still remaining the foremost educational institution among the Swedish people of the United States. In Illinois were put forth their first endeavors in the literary field, which, although modest, yet formed the nucleus of a distinct literature. In the cultivation of the fine arts of music and painting as well as in manufacture, craftsmanship, invention and industrial art, the Swedes of Illinois also led, and in the succeeding pages will be foimd the names of Swedish pioneers in a variety of fields. In public life Swedes have been active in this state principally after the close of the Civil War. In that conflict large numbers of them fought as volunteers, contributing skillful commanders and brilliant tacticians as well as gallant soldiers in the ranks. Their 8 military history goes back not only to the Civil and Mexican Wars, for there were Swedes also among the Illinois troops in the War of 1811'. Ill the polities of this state a Swede made his mark while Illinois was still a territory. Chicago being one of the first points settled by the Swedes and having graduall.y grown to be their greatest center of population, also became the center of cnlture. and this city is, in a figurative sense, the Swedish-American capital. Illinois having thus become, from the first, the seat of culture as well as the fonntain-liead of material development among the Swedish- Americans in general, it is fair to assume that the Swedes of this state ill the ])ast sixty years have exerted an appreciable influence not alone ii]ioii their fellow-countrymen elsewliere. but also uimn the civic life of the state and the nation. The story of the Swedes of Illinois, showing the part they have played in tin' inalcinir of this commonwealth, is here told for the first time in the Enirlish language and thus placed within ready access of the general public. 4^44 CHAPTER I Summary of the History of Illinois Early French E,xplorations in North America ■ OT long after the discovery of the West Indies by Christopher Columbus, in 1492, and the successive dis- coveries of Central and South America, those regions were explored and settled by Europeans, while the colonization of the North American continent was accom- plished only by slow degrees. Although re-discovered in 1497 by John Cabot, after having been found originally by Leif Eriksson and his Norse followers about five hiuulred years earlier, and explored during the first half of the sixteenth century by parties landing here and there on the southern, eastern and western coasts and penetrating into the interior, it was not until Jie early part of the seventeenth century that the European nations obtained a firm foothold iii this part of the New World. So slow was their westward progress that the discovery of the Pacific coast was practically without results \ip to the latter part of the eighteenth century, when finally the first successful colonies were founded. The Spani-sh, the French, the English, and to a slight extent, the Dutch share the credit for the discovery and exploration of the variovis parts of the North American Continent. The Spaniards directed their energies principally to the South, the Southwest and the West, the French traversed and colonized the extreme eastern part, the region of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi, the English settled the eastern coast from Maine to South Carolina and the Dutch a limited area on the Hudson Kiver. Sweden also claims a chapter in the colonial history of this country. Through the colony of New Sweden, founded in 1638, extend- ing over part of the present territory of Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and conquered by the Dutch in 1655, Sweden contributed lO HISTORY OF ILLINOIS a noteworthy sharo toward the earliest development of North American civilization. The iliscovery and iiriniary colonization of the territory now forming;: the state of Illinois was the work of the French explorers and pioneers. Before narrating these events, let us view, in retrospect, their causes and the historical factors leading up to them. As earlv as 150-t the French began to frequent the banks of New PoundJand btti'act'ed by the abundance of fish in these waters. These fishins; expeditions Lave continued to this day, and but for them the I'rehch governnnint nnght never have had its attention directed to this part of America. King Francis I., in 1524, sent an Italian traveler, John Verrazaui, to explore these regions. He sailed along the coast from the present site of \Vilmington, North Carolina, to Nova Scotia and, without founding any colonies, took possession, in the name of the French crown, of the entire territory termed New France. Ten years later, in 15;i4. a I'"'renclnuan l)y the name of John Cartier, discovered the St. Lawrence River and on his second expedition sailed up the river as far as the present city of ilontreal. On his third expedition, in 1541, he founded Quebec, a fort which formed the center of a penal colony, recruited from the French prisons. In 1541 a French nobleman by the name of Francois de la Roque had been appointed viceroy of New France. He arrived and took up his duties two years later, but finding his province a wilderness and his subjects deported criminals, he returned to France within a year. During the ticxt fifty years the i)ublic mind of France was entirely engrossed witli tlir .strife between the nobility and the royal house on the one hand and the eciually bittei- conflict between the Calvinists and the Catholics on the other; meanwhile the colonial interests in the New World were well-nigh forgotten. Not until the beginning of the seven- teenth century the project was revived. Sanuiel Champlain, a noted naval officer, having explored anew the shores of the St. Lawrence (1603), Sieur de Monts, a Calvini.st, received a large portion of this territory as a grant from the government. Two years later he founded Port Royal, which rapidly grew lo be a large and flourishing settlement. In the meantime the cause of converting fhe Indians of New France to the Christian faith was taken up in the mofher country, and innner- ous missionaries, many of fhem Jesuits, were sent anu>ng the natives, gaining great prestige among them in a short time, owing to their judicious methods. Missionaries, fin- traders, settlers anil soldiers soon found a l)asis of (ipcratinn in the settlement of Q\ieliec (KiOS) and that of Montreal ( 1(>41), froiTi wiiirli points they gradually pu.shed on along flio Si. I,a\vi-i'iiee K'iver, iiitii tile re'.'ioii of the (!re:it Laki's. and through MARgrirrnc and joMirr II the IMississipiii hiisiii. phmtiiig the ("jitlii)lir slaiKhird f)f the Cross and the flag of tlie tlciu' di' lis in tho Iiidiiui viliaircs as i'ar down as the Mississippi delta. In a shcnl lime Fi-ance laid elaiiii not oidy to all of Canada, but to ]\Iainc. \'ei-inont. New York, the two ('arolinas. as well as the entire territory between the Alleghanies and the Mississipj)!. It was during this gradual conquest of the West and the South that Illinois was fir.st seen and traversed l)y white men. As early as 1641 P'reneh missionaries had penetrated to the outlet of Lake Superior, and in K)58 traders had visited the western end of the lake. Among French missions founded in these distant regions after the year 1660 was one at Green Bay, Wis., established in KiBit, and named after St. Francis Xavier. The French learned through the Indians at this and other missions that a journey of several days would bring them to the banks of a great river, known among the natives, on aeoount of its size, as the Jlissis- sippi, the Father of Waters. Tliis fact was reported to the French governor at Quebec, who determined to take possession of the river and adjacent regions. In oi"cler to carry out this enterprise without molestation, it w'as necessary to obtain the friendship and co-operation of the tribes dwelling along its banks. For this purpose Nicholas Perrot was dispatched westward in 1671, with instructions to assemble the surrounding tribes in council at Green Bay. After this meeting Perrot set out with an escort of Pottawatomie Indians on his journey south- ward, traversing what is now Illinois and visiting, among other points, the present site of Chicago, then included in the territory of the Miami Indians. Perrot is said to have been the first European to have set foot on Illinois soil. In the following year two Jesuit fathers, Claude AUouez and Claude Dablon, left the Green Bay mission on a journey to western and northern Illinois, visiting the Fox Indians along the Fox River and the Mascjuotin tribe that dwelt at the mouth of the Milwaukee River. These missionaries claimed to have extended their explorations as far as Lake Winnebago. Explorations of Marquette and Joliet Father Jacques Rlarquette and Louis Joliet, a fur trader, were subsequently commissioned to continue the exploration of the ]\Iissis- sippi and the territory through which it flows. In the spring of 1673 they entered upon their task, accompanied by five other Frenchmen and two Indian guides, and supplied with two canoes. Starting from the St. Ignaee mission, opposite ilackinaw Island, they followed the north shore of Lake Michigan, They soon reached Green Bay and the St. Francis Xavier mission, the uttermost outpost of Frcncli civilization 12 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS The Departure of Marquette ami Joliet on Their First Voyaj;e to Illinois westward and southward. Here the party rested until June, and then pressed on into the wilderness. They traveled up the Fox Hiver as far as the ridge forming? the Wisconsin watershed, and. earrying: their canoes across, proceeded down the Wisconsin Kiver to their soupht-for goal, arriving the 17th of June on the banks of the majestic Jli.ssi.ssippi. Enraptured liy its grandeur, and niindfid of the divine ])rotection of Jactjui-.s Mnrquctle l.ouis Joliet the Virgin throughout his perilous journey. Kallirr .M,iri|uelle in lier honor named it Conception liiver. The exploring parly look a shorl rest on the lianks of Ihe great river, hut soon emharkcd, more eagei- than ever. Floating down with the curi-inl. Ilii'v had on cillicr hand vast slretclu-s of prairie, where the liison roamed in courilless herds, hul nut a human being did they see. Il was like traveling tlirough a mvslerious land whose iidmbilanis MARQrivTTE AND JOLIICT 13 i " We art" Illiiii " soinc straiiii'i' power had .si)iiMti'il away. The mouth of the Dcs .Moines Kiver was reaelied June 25th. On these sliore.s huiiiau footprints were diseovered at hist. Following up the tra(dvs for about two leagues, the party eanie Ti])on three Iiulian villages, lieautifuUy located iiu the banks of the },h i. belonging to the Peoria tribe. As soon as the natives noticed the strangers, four cliiefs set out to meet them. "Who are you?" demanded Father ^larquette, in the Algonquin dialect. "We are Illini," one of the chiefs replied. The Peorias belonged to a coalition of tribes, including also the I\Ioingwenas, the Kaskaskias, the Tamaroas and the Cahokias. The name Illini meant simply men, and had been adopted by these tribes to distinguish them from their hereditary foes to the eastward, the Iroquois, whom the.y abhorred on accomit of their cruel and bloodthirsty disposition, deem- ing them no better than brutes. In course of time the name Illini was altered by means of the French suffix -ois, and finally this name was applied not only to the Indian tribes but to all the newly discovered region. When in recent years this tract was made a territory of the United States, this name was made official, and later on naturally jiassed to one of the states pai'celled out of the territory. The fearless little band still pressed on, arriving in July at the junctiou of the Missouri and Mississippi. They shortly passed the mouth of the Ohio River, reaching the confluence of the Arkansas River and the ^Mississippi a few days later, and found there several Indian villages. From that jioint tlie mouth of the great river was to be reached in a short time, yet ^Marquette and his party hesitated to pro- ceed farther, fearing a conflict with the Spaniards, who laid claim to all the surrounding territory by right of discovery by Ferdinand de Soto in 1541. Geographically, further progress was imnecessary, Marquette being already convinced that the ^Mississippi emptied neither into the Atlantic, nor the Pacific, but into the Gulf of Mexico. On July 19th, therefore, he turned back, retracing his coiirse as far as the mouth of the Illinois River, which he entered and continued up this waterway. HISTORY OF ILLINOIS The Death of Marquette At OIK- of the villages of tlu' Kaskaskia Indians, near tlie present site Utica, La Salle county, the party halted. The French named the village La Vaiitinii. and before de|>ai-tinfr. ^rarqiiette l)apti7.i'd the villajre ehief Ca.s.sagoae, together with several leadiuir tribesmen. Continuing up the entire length of the Illinois, the party entered its tributary, the Des Plaines Kiver. earried tlieir canoes across the wati'rsbed l)etween this and the t'liicago River, and finally by way of the soutii branch of the latter reached Lake Jlichigan. Here they rested for several days, then pursued their way along the west shore northward to Green Hay. returning thither before the end of September the same year. Thus was the Illinois River traversed for the first time by whites, and the sur- rounding territory brought within the sphere of civilizing influences. Joliet immediately returned to Quebec in order to report to Fron- tenac, then governor of New Fi-ance. the results of the expedition, while Jlarquettc was coiiipclled by ilhu-ss to rcnuiin at the (ireen Bay mission. In spite of ill heallli .Maniuette a year later, on the 2'ith of October. 1674, revisited the Kaskaskia village, accompanied by two young Frenchmen. Pierre and Jacques, together with a nmuber of Indians. Retracing the course of the ,iy 7i o l8 HISTORY OI- ILLINOIS palisades and known as Fort Miami. They waited until December for the return of the Grifiin, but were disappointed, the vessel having gone ashore on its way back to Niagara. Then they prepared to continue their voyage. There were two routes between Lake ilichigau and the Illinois River, used by the Indians from time out of mind, the one being that taken by Marquette and Joliet on their return, the other leading up the St. Joseph Kiver to the turning-point near South Hend, Ind.. and thence across the watershed to the Kankakee and down that river to the Illintiis. La Salle chose the latter. His company consisted of Tonti, Hennepin, two Franciscan monks, l)esi command at Fort St. Louis, wliicii was cliecrfuiiy rcliuquisiied by Tonti. Aitiiougii deprived of tiic connnand. Tonti scion afterwards bravely beat back a .savage attack l)y the Iroquois. A better loeatiim than Starved Kock the experienced frontiersnnin could scarcely have found for the building of a fiu-t. It consists of an isolated and almost inaccessible rock l:$0 to 140 feet in height. Tiic side facing north toward the Illinois Kiver is almost perpeiulicular, the opposite side forming a steep slope. The rouinled top has an area ot tlirec-foiu'tiis of an acie. Altont a mile to the southward was the nuiin village of the friendly Illinois Indians, called La Vantum and number- ing at that timi- ri.OOO or 7.0(1(1 iniiabitants. With these he exi)ecfed to earry on a prolitablc Iratlc. wliiie depending upon tln'm to assist in repelling the attacks of tlicir nnitual enemies, the Iro<|uois. Fiu'ther- niore. a fort at tills point woulil t'orin tlie strategic key to tliis part of tlic lower Illinois valley as well as tlic Mississippi valley. Fort St. Louis consisted of eartliworks and palisades, siu'roinidiug a storelionse and also a liiockhonsc. serving liu' dtnible ptu'pose of trad- ing station and barracks for the garriscni. By means of a wiiidla.ss watei' was hoisted from the river. Two small bra.ss cannon, mounted on the breastworks in sucii a position as easily to dominate both the river on the north and the i>lain on Ihe south, completed tiic armament. The fort was soieimdy dedicated by one Father Mendire and soon became the favorite n'lidezvous <<{' liic natives id" La Vantum ami Ihe siirroiniiliiiL' i-inuitry. .\it iiiiiigii anticipating siil)si'(|iiciit events, tiic history td" Starved \iitrk may as well iil tills point lie told to tin- end. Fnrt St. Louis was LA SAIJ pjaiTisoTi was witlidr'awii. As a tra85. off the Mi.ssi-ssippi delta, where Touti with twenty Frenchmen and thirty Indians awaited his arrival. The expedition, however, by some miseal- culalioii, sailed past the mouth of the river, and when La Salle dis- covered the mistake, he was unable to persuade Beaujeu, the command- ing officer of the fleet, to turn back. He obstinately held to westward until they reached the Matagorda Bay, where they landed in boats. When the vessels subsequently entered the bay, the supply ship stnick a shoal. Part of the cargo was landed during the day, but the following night a severe gale wrecked the vessel and scattered the great bulk of its cargo over the waves. To add to the disa.ster. the Indians of the surrounding i-cgion flocked to the shore, intent on plundering the stores saved from the wreck. A fight ensued in which several natives were killed. Two of the remaining ships innncdiatcly set sail for France, leaving La Salle and 2150 Frenchmen behind, "\o shift for themselves as best they might," according to the obstinate Beaujeu. After having searched the region in all directions willumt finding any of the channels of the .Mississippi delta, La Salle determined to found a colony with fortifications on an eminence west of Matagorda Bay. The purpose was acconiplishcd ami the settlement namctl St. Louis. The stores Imidcd would iiavc sufliced for several years, had the colonists been industrious, provident and peaceful among them- selves. Being quite the reverse, the colonizing scheme thus forced ui)on La Salle by circumslances proved a complete failure. FRENCH MISSIONS 23 In December, 1685, La Salle iiudertook auother expedition in search of the ^Mississippi, but failed again. In April of the following year, accompanied by twenty men, he made an expedition to New Mexico in search of gold, but again Fortune frowned upon his undertaking. On his return the discouraging news awaited him that the colonists had been reduced to the nniuber of forty, the remaining ship lost, mid the last of the provisions consumed. .Still imdaunted, La Salle determined to bring recruits and pro- visions from Canada. On January 12, 1687, with a company of sixteen, he started on a march northeast through the boundless wilderness. In this party he had a stanch friend in a relative of his, a young man by the name of Moranget, but also two secret enemies, Duhaut and L'Areheveque, who held La Salle responsible for the loss of all their propei-ty, which they had risked in his enterprise. At one of the tribu- taries of the Trinity River these men killed Jloranget in a qviarrel, and then lay in ambush for La Salle himself, who on his arrival at the spot was .shot doAvn by Duhaut. The slayer and his accomplice then plun- dered the corpse and left it on the prairie, a prey to the wild beasts. Thus ended the strenuous career of a brave and illustrious explorer. Shoi'tly after the foul deed the murderers and the rest of the party became involved in a fight among themselves, in which Duhaut fell, whereupon his sympathizers joined an Indian tribe. The remnant of the expedition, a small group, numbering seven men, reached Canada after an arduous journey, replete with privation and peril. The colony thus founded by La Salle in Texas, though originally intended for Illinois, was destroyed soon afterward by Spaniards from Mexico, who invaded this region and established their claim on Texas territory. French Missions and Colonies in Illinois Marquette's visit to the Kaskaskia Indian village, near the present site of Utica, and the baptism of Chief Cassagoac Avas the first step towards christianizing Illinois. During his second visit in 1675, this zealous missionary of the church established the mission of the Im- maculate Conception and built a chapel of logs and bark, the first house of worship in Illinois. This missionary work was resumed April 27, 1677, by the aforesaid Jesuit priest. Father Claude AUouez, who in 1686 took up permanent residence at the mission. He died in 1690 and was succeeded by Father James Gravier who in 1693 succeeded in establish- ing the mission post on a more permanent basis. A small French settle- ment grew up gradually on the outskirts of the Indian village. When the French in 1699 founded a settlement at Biloxi in the present state of ilis^iissippi, several Indian tribes of Illinois prepared 24 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS to move there and locate in the neighborhood of the colony. Among those that actually broke camp were the Kaskaskias who, however, traveled southward tlie French colonies were attracted to southwestern Illinois is sujjposed to be a desire to locate near the thoroughfare between the French settlements in Canada and those at the mouth of the ^Mississippi. Travelers ajid traders alike iiad now practically abandoned the route via Lake ^lieliigan and the Ciiieago Kiver for the one along the Fox and Wisconsin rivers to the Mississipi>i. Kaskaskia. in its most prosperous days, about the middle of the eighteenth century. numbered 2,00U to 8.000 inhabitants. Toward the end of the century this nundjer gradually lessened, amounting in 17G5, when the town was taken by the English, to only 450. Of the fate of this town we will liMVc occasion to speak in subsequent pages. A few months prior to the founding of the new Kaskaskia. certain French Jesuits establi.sbed nearby, at or near the present location of Cahokia, St. Clair county, a mission, around which there sprang up a settlement wiiicb has the distinction of being the earliest permanent French colony in Illinois. In 1701 the mission work here was left in the hands of priests educated at the French .seminary in Quebec. These eventually limited their endeavors to the French settlers, leaving the si)irilual care of the natives to the Jesuits. They contiinied their work at Cahokia until that point was surrendered to the English. After that event this old town also began to deerea.se in poi)nlation and im- portance. Farther on in the com-.se ol' the narrativi- it will again claim our attention. After tlu' destruction of Fort Crevecieur. friars of the Recollect Oi'der began a mission on the same site, but the work was soon aban- doned. In 1711 we find, however, a French missionary station located on the western bank of the river and surrounded by French settlei-s. These were the first iidndtitants of the jiresent city of Peoria. It is positively know that there was a colony at this point in 172;"). Other French colonies grew up around the (.rigiind three heretof«ire mentioned. snlace so completely blockaded that no provisions could be smuggled in. Fort Pitt was similarly besieged until General Bouquet, about the time of the relief of Detroit by Bradstreet, came to the rescue. Nothing more remained for the English to do to fulfill the terms of the protocol but to capture Forts Vineenncs and Ouatanon and subdue Illinois. Four years had elapsed since the signing of the protocol, and still tlie Englisli made no show of peiu'trating into the wilderness, hesitating, no doubt, on account of the vast areas of forest and jilaiu which sti'etehed ijetween the English colonies in the East and tlie French settlements in Illinois. Their lir.st attempt was the sending of a numer- ous expedition by boat up the Jlississippi in order to pi-eelude attacks by Indians with French .sympathies. The expedition, numbering HIK1 men, was led by Major Loftus. In flat-bottomed boats they left the Enirlish fort. Bayou JIanchae, on the Gulf, aiul proceeded up the river. Tliey were, nevertheless, soon attacked by natives of the Tonica tribe, encamped on both sides of the river, and Major Loftus had no recourse i)nl to return. Meanwhile, peace had been declared between France and Engbind. also otiier iiartieijiants in the Seven Year's W'nv. and the treaty w obstacles in the way of the final ratilii-ation of the peace treaty, for as soon as this was don<' th( I'-nglish tradi-rs would supersede the French and the commerce wouUl seek a channel over the (ireat Lakes insteatl of the Mississippi, and England deemed th<' Indian trade of Illinois of so irreat importance that Sir William Johnson, superintendent ol' ilie Itriiish Indian Uureau. was authorized to secure coiifi-iil of it at once. To gain tills end. Sir William Johnson I ! Till-; iCNCi.isii riCRioi) 29 appointed George Crogaii, an aeeoiiii)li.slirleasure known in a way that unmistakably presaged a coming uprising, long l)i'fore any revolutionary tendencies could In' discerned in Boston and Pliiladclphia. Captain Hugli Lord seems to have been the last of the English governors of Illinois, and no more troops were sent there. The popu- lation, now made up of half-breeds as well as French and Indians, was left to govern itself under tlie direction of I'liilippe Francois de Hast el. Chevalier de Rocheblave, in the capacity of military commander, terri- torial governor and .indge of the provincial council. Rocheblave was till' las) connuander in Illinois inidcr British sovereignty, contiiniing in that cai)acity until the Americans claimed possession. F'ort Chartres remained the seat of government initil 1772, when one side of the f(H-1 was destroyed by a Mississippi llood. On a hill near llie Knskaskia River, opposite the town of the same name, the English erected Fort Gage the same year, making this the administra- tivi! Iiea(li|uarters. Fort Gage was built enlirely of wood, being in- ferior to the former stronghold now left to fall into ruin. The river floods have Ioiil' since completed the work of diMuolilion. leaving no vestige of this wliiliun prmid mid forbidding citadel. The American Occupation The Continental Congress, made up of represeidatives of the thirteen colonies, assendiled in IMiiliidelphia Sept. 5, 1774. This eon- Till- AMKRICAX OCCri'ATION 31 gress soon set about forming an American home govcM-nnient to take the place of tlie British, which had became oppressive and odious. On June 13th of the following year throe Indian departments were instituted, viz., the Soutliern, the Nortliern and the Central, tlie last named end)racing Illinois. As its officers were chosen Benjamin Frank- Brigadier General George Rogers Clark lin and James Wilson of Pennsylvania, and Patrick Henry of Virginia. Owing to the remoteness of the territory under their supervision no practical benefits accrued to it, the plan simply denoting the first official act in the acquirement of the western territory. On April 10, 1776, Col. George ]\Iorgan, a former trader at Kas- kaskia, was appointed Indian Agent for this department to succeed HISTORY OF II.MNOIS 32 ,. , .- 1 w;u,.n II.- rcsKl.-a at Fort Pitt, but his office reiiuired r^::;:^^ In In-r^f t,. we. for the purpose of befr^nd^ 1, " ,[;..;,; The British agents, however, had already obtatned the.r friendship, and Mortrau-s eff..rts pn.ved needless. ,,-,„. n the meanthne the revolutionary n,oven,ent made great .s nd s^ Among its most entlntsiastie promoters, and those who ,na.le h teatest sacrifices in its support, were the people on the N .rgn m fron er Prominent among them was Col. George Rogers Clark h ms a Virgitnan. He was one of a number of men who had fotmded s nJnts in Kentucky, but had returned Oct. 1. 1TT<. to subm.t o Go en or Patrick Henry of Virginia a plan for the occupat.on of I h- nr After repeated representations the governor finally approved the nlan and Col. Clark prepared to carry it out. . . , , , 't utmost precauti..n was needed, for had the Unt.sh learned of th cnterprisl. they would have immediately scM,t troops fron. Detroit to interrupt the Clark expedition and prevent further progress and in all likelihood would have reinforced Fort Gage w.th a strong '" rri on The expedition entbarked at Pittsburg, followmg the Oh.o S :iwn to a iomt near its Junction with the M^s.ss.pp.^ whence it proceeded overland to Kaskaskia, then a town of about 1.0..0 u.- '"^"irlh,. evening of Jtdy 4. 1778, Clark and his n.cn "'•'•J^-^"'^ «* /•;;'^ Gage No Knglish were found there, only a handtul ol 1- rcnch don., garrison dutv under the connnand of Roeheblave. The ndmb.tants o S^kaskia were con,pletely taken by surprise by the Amencans a d no resistance was offered. A Pennsylvanuin who chanced to be an.on^ I occupants of the fort secretly admitted the Amer.cans at n , r So complete was the surprise that the ->'"'-;-l='"' .";'"'^':' .^^"^ ]"; bv the entering encn.y soundly asleep by Ins w.te s sale, and x as udelv awakened only to be put in irons, as were also " n-nber of h men. while the remainder of the population were f-'- :^-' '; / '", . thei houses, on penalty of being shot without mercy lo add to u am of the peL.ful citizens, the Anu-ricaus patrolhng he st eets : ;:;.ed ..acklnd .„..,, ,„aking nighf hideous by no.e >^ff^^^ Kn r ha.l porUaye.l the Anu-rican soldiers as a band ui unsd s. Clark, knowing this, .letcrn.incd to take advantage of the fact. Is purpose was at first to strike terror into the n.hab.tanls b> s h ,,,entless severity, ami afterwards gain th.-ir fr.endsh.p and confide u ,,, ,..,,..if.., and eonsiderate trcatn.ent. He succeeded admu-ablj liefore thev ha-l any inkling .d" his ptu-pose. the mhalnlanis sent a llHegation -headed by their priest. Father tiibauh. w.th a hum. le HMiuest that thev be pern.ilted to assend.le once nn.re at church to bid ,„..!, other a la.st farewell before being scattered in various d.ree lons. as Ihcv fean-d. Their r .est was irn.i.te.l on the spee.t.e cond.t.on THE AMERICAN OCCII'ATION 33 I o ►4 o - '^K*:.^^' fe V fo f 34 HISTORY Ol ILLINOIS that 110 one leave the town. After the meeting in the church Father Gibault and a eoniniittee ajrain railed on Clark, i)rayiiig that, a.s they were aliout to be exiled from their lionie.s, they might be i)ermitted to take with them provisions and other necessities, and that mothers might not be separated from tlieir children. Clark listened to their suppliea- tions witii visible sui-prise and then exi-laimed: "Wiiatl Do you take us for savages?" It were needless to say tliat tlie reverend father and his eom- l^anions were equally surprised and elated at this good-natured retort. Then this fierce colonel and his band of Americans had not come to drive tlieni from tlieir TA^desJ and depi'ive them of their property and religious f reedpiii .'^^ On the contrary, tliey had eome merely to institute the new government find place Illinois under its protection, the settlers learning imw for the first time and to their satisfaction that this government had been officially recognized by France. Cahokia and the other French villages in Illinois willingly recognized the authority of Clark, and Illinois had thereby all Init nominally ceased to be a British dependency. Clark's position was, however, rather precarious. Fort Pitt, the only point from which he could obtain reinforcements in an emergency, was situated five hundred miles away, with the French village of Vincennes and Fort Sackville, still held by the British, intervening between him and his military base of supplies. It was, therefore, of the utmost importance that this point be taken and that the British be prevented from sending reinforcements from Detroit. Father Gibault and one Captain Helm, together with a small number of men, offered to go to Vincennes and persuade the French to take up tlie American cause. Tlieir mission succeeded, and Captain Helm was made com- mandant at Fort Sackville, but all too soon the fears of Col. Clark were realized. On Dee. loth, Henry Hamilton, the English governor at Detroit, ajjpeared outside of Vincennes with a force of thirty British soldiers, fifty French volunteers and four hundred Indian warriors. At the fort Ca])tain Helm stood ready to lire what appears to have been the ordy cannon of the fort. When Ilaniilton and his soldiei-s had arrived within iiearing distance. Helm shouted a thundering "Halt!" To this Hamilton replied with a demand on Helm to capitulate. This Helm agreed to do, on condition that he might depart without the cu.stoniary military honors. Hamilton consented, and out marciied the commandant and the entire garrison — oiu^ lone soldier. This made Clark's jiosition more perilous than ever, but he proved himself master of the situation. Having been informed in January, 177II, that Hamilton had somewhat reduced the garrison at Fort Sackville by sending a small force to blockade the ()hio IJiver in orilor lo cut olV the retreat of the .\mericans, the fearless Col, Clark deter- THE AMI'RICAN OCCIPATIOX 35 O a; o 36 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS mined to take flie fort by surprise. Forming a company of French volunteers, which raised his fighting strength to 170 men, he marched on Fort Sai-kvillc. while a vessel luider John Rojrers' command, witli a crew of 4ti and a cargo of supplies, was dispatched down the ^lissis- sippi and up the Ohio and Wabash rivers to co-operate with the laud forces. It was only with the Rreatost difficulty that ("lark and his men succeeded in crossing the swollen Wabash. The vessel failing to arrive on time, he temporarily provisioned his forces at an Indian village and advanced bravely on Fort Sackville. They arrived Feb. 24th, and after a hard-fought battle of twenty-four hours, the fort surrendered. This was practically the only battle incident to the conquest of Illinois by the Americans. Previous to this battle, tlie Americans had made prei)arations for a system of government for the territory. The legislative a.ssembly of Virginia in October, 1778, resolved to institute a temporary govern- ment, and on this act Col. John Todd, second in command under Clark, based a proclamation, issued June 15, 1779, declaring the entire territory a county of Virginia, to be known as the comity of Illuiois. The same year a fort was erected on the east bank of tiie Jlississippi. a short ilistanee below the mouth of the Ohio, designed to i)rotect the territory against the Spanish, who. besides other extensive possessions in the Now World, since 1762 claimed the entire territory west of the Mississippi. Col. Todd fell in the battle of Blue Licks, Kentucky, August 18, 1782, and was succeeded by Timothy Montbrun, a Frencii- man, as eoniiiiandaiit of Illinois. An old li-adinfr post named Fort .Massac was established about 1700 by the French in soullnrii Illinois, on the Ohio Kivcr. In 1758 they rcl)uilt it as a bulwark ajrainst the Knglisli diirinjr the French and Indian War. After having been ceded to the Hritish in 17t!."). the fort was left imoccu|)ifd. This made it possible for Gen. Clark to float down the Ohio River unniolested. The fort was rebuilt in 17!U and was occupied by an American garrison until after tin- War of 1812, when it wa.s abandoned. As late as 1S4:{ it was decided to build an arsenal here, Imt this was instead established at Rock Island. Earthworks still mark the site of the fort, which is now a state park. In 1782 the first American settlement in Illinois was founded in present Monroe comity and significantly named New Design. Tiie settlers were .Jaiiies ]\Ioore, Sliadrach Hond, -lames Garrison, Robert Kidd and Larken Rutherford, the la.st two having served in Clark's little band of soldiers. In the summer of 17S1 these men came with their families acro.ss the Alleghany .Monnlains. boarded a river vessel in Pittsburg, and were carried down the Ohio to the Mississipjii, and up this river to the point selected for the selllenient. ily the treaty of Paris, Sejit. '.\. MS'.l, Kngland recognized the inde- TERRITORY AND STATE 37 pendeuee of the I'liited States. The territory thereby ceded to the new republic included Illinois, and after the ratification of the treaty of peace by the congress at Philadelphia, on Jan. 14, 1784, Illinois became an integral part of the United States and passed into a new ii|iiilation and importance. Today only a small groiiji of iliiiiiiidatcd Iniildiiigs bear evidence of its former dignity. A similar fate befell the still older eommuiiity of Cahokin. Both places havitig for a time siiared the functions of county seat in S?t. Clair county, ("aiiokia, after the organization of Handolph county, held TERRITORY AND STATE 4, that distiuctiou aloue until ISli, when Belleville became the adminis- trative center. This meant the passing of Cahokia. In 1890 the place had but 100 inhabitants, a considerable number of whom were descend- ants of the early French settlers at that point. Vandalia became, as stated, the capital of the new commonwealth. The first capitol building was a plain two-story frame structure. The first story contained a single room, used as the assembly hall of the House of Representatives. The upper story was divided into two rooms, the one occupied by the Senate, the other by the Council of Revision. For the use of the secretary of state, the treasurer and the state auditor individual ofSces were rented in the vicinity of the capitol. The state archives at the time of removal from Kaskaskia to Vandalia comprised a single wagonload of documents. The legislature at its first session in Vandalia resolved that this city be the seat of govern- ment for twenty years, beginning Dec. 1, 1820. This modest capitol building was destroyed by fire Dee. 9, 1823. whereupon a larger and more commodious brick edifice was erected at a cost of $15,000, the citizens of Vandalia contributing $3,000 towards this amount. Regardless of the resolution pertaining to the location of the capitol, agitation was begim the very same year in favor of selecting another capital city, owing to the fact that the northern part of the state had become so densely populated that Vandalia was no longer the central point. At the legislative election in August, 1834, the question was submitted to a popular vote, the city of Alton receiv- ing the largest niunber of votes, with Springfield second. One of the reasons urged in favor of a removal was that the capitol building, though little over ten years old, did not meet the growing requirements. The enterprising maj^or of the capital was opposed to the plan, and to stop all talk of removal on accoimt of the inadequacy of the structure, in the smnmer of 1836 set about tearing down the old building without reference to the will of the legislature, and subsequently put up a new building, utilizing the old and adding new material at a cost of $16,000. This coup proved of no avail, however, for on Feb. 28, 1837, the legis- lature, disregarding the popular vote of 1834, resolved to make Spring- field the capital city. The legislature assembled in the state house at Vandalia in December, 1838, for the la.st time, thereupon turning the rebuilt structure over to Fayette county for a courthouse g,nd school building. Remodeled in 1858-9. this same structure today serves as the county courthouse. For the capitol building in Springfield the legislature appropriated the sum of $50,000 and the city contributed an equivalent amount, whereupon the cornerstone was laid with appropriate ceremonies July 4, 1837. On the same day two years later the administration moved into the new statehouse, which, however, was not completed until 42 HIST«)RY OI- ILLINOIS 1853, when it had cost the state $260,000 or more than double the original estimate of $120,000. The building was considered a master- piece of architecture as well as a structure of extravagant magnitude, yet fifteen years after its completion the enormous growth of the .state had shrunk it into inadequacy. The legislature, therefore, on Feb. 25, 1867, resolved to sell it to the city of i^pringfield and the county of Sangamon at a price of .$200,000 and to erect a new capitol. the i i^l The- SlaU- Ca]>it()l at Springfield fifth in tlie history of the young state. The cost was fixed at a max- imum of three million dollars. The cornerstone wa.s laid Oct, .'», 1SG8, and twenty years Avere required to complete the building. It then represented an expenditure of about $4.r)00.000. During tliis long period the tax i)ayers had repeatedly fomul fault with the extreme laxity in building operations as well as the unwarranted waste of the funds of the state. At all events, a capitol worthy of the state was erected. It is a wortiiy monument to the enterprise of a eonunonwealth that had so suddenly sprinig from an isolated territory to become one of tiic most lloui-ishing and iMiUiential states of the Union. Among liie early problems tiiat. pressed for a solution was the question of im|)roved transportation facilities. The slate iiad a numbi'r of inivigablc waterways, sueh as liie .Mississippi, the Ohio, the Wabasii. TERRITORY AND STATE 43 the Illinois and the Kock rivers, yet the vast stretelies of prairie that intervened were traversed only with great difficulty. The old commer- cial route, leading from Lake Michigan along the Desplaines and Illinois rivers to the Mississippi, again came into extensive use as the white population increased, but carrying merchandise in canoes and on horseback was now considered too slow a mode of transportation. The idea of connecting the Mississippi with Lake Michigan by means of a canal suggested itself, and the first step in the realization of the plan was the organization of the Illinois and Michigan Canal Association in 1825. The following year a memorial Avas sent to congress by the legislature, requesting a grant of land Ijy the government toward de- fraying the expense to be incurred by the project. In 1827 congress appropriated 224,322 acres of land for this purpose. In 1836, nine years later, the work of digging was begun, and twelve years later the canal was completed. This waterway remained for many years one of the principal transportation routes in the state. During the construction of the canal, an epidemic of speculation raged throughout the state. Villages, towns and cities sprang up — on paper, and lots sold rapidly at exhoi-bitant prices. It proved the golden age of the real estate agents and promoters. Finally, in 1836, the fever spread to the legislature itself. The lawmakers devised a plan for the improvement of transportation facilities which, in point of extensive- ness, challenges comparison. Bills were passed looking to the building of no less than 1,300 miles of railways crossing one another in every direction. Large amounts were set aside for the improvement of rivers and the building of canals. Counties not affected by these public enterprises were set at rest by means of an appropriation of $200,000 to be parcelled out among them. The legislature was in such a state of excitement that it gave orders for beginning work at both ends of the projected railroads simultaneously. The appropriations for the enormous enterprises amounted to a grand total of $12,000,000 and commissioners were sent out to negotiate loans to that amount. Con- sidering that the railway was still in its infancy and was looked upon as the greatest of luxuries, that there were entire counties that could scarcely boast a single settler's cabin, and that the entire population of the state numbered less than 400,000, the legislature of the young state certainly expended a tremendous amount of energy in its efforts to develop the resources of the commonwealth. Meanwhile the legis- lature established new state banks, the earnings of which were to be used to defray part of the expense for the new lines of transportation. This forced and abnormal development was soon followed by the inevitable crash. This came in the form of the great financial panic of 1837 which, while it affected the entire country, yet caused the most serious disturbance in this state. Business was practically stagnant and ^^ HISTORY OF ILLINOIS all public enterprises had to be abandoned for. the time being. The state banks discontinued cash payments, and the credit of the state was still further impaired during: the next few years by a vigorous propaganda in favor of repudiating the public debt. So great was the financial embarrassment that state bonds offered at 14 cents on the dollar went begging in the money markets. Taxes and state revenues narrowly sufficed to defray current ex])enditures. After August. 1S41. no fui'ther efforts were made to pay the interest on the state debt, and in the early part of the following year the stati- batiks went out nf bus- iness entirely. The state debt at this time amounted to $14.00(i.(Ml(i. an enormous smn for a young state with a small population and with its natural resources still iuid('vclo])cd. In 1842 Illinois thus stood on the verge of bankruptcy. From such a catastrojilic it was saved by Governor Thomas B'ord, an energetic man, through whose <>n(leavors a plan for the jiayment of the state indebtedness was formed and successfully carried ont. This marked the beginning of a gradual improvement in the finances of the state. Long before the Illinois and ^[ichigan Canal was o])ened for traffic, the first steamboat had appeared on tiic Illinois Hiver. This was in 1826, but several years elapsed before steamboats came into general use for river traffic. In the late thirties railway building wiis begun in Illinois as well as in the eastern states. The first railway in the state was the Northern Cross, with Jacksonville and Meredosia as its terminal i)oints. This stretch of road, which ])roved the beginning of the great Wabash Kailway system, was completed in IS'-iiK tiie fii-st locomotive having been imported the foregoing year. This railway wa,s built at state exj)ense. In 1847 work was begun on the first railway out of Chicago, namely, the Galena and Chicago Union, wiiich had been chartered eleven years before. This was the beginning of the great North- Western Railway .system, wiiich has contributcil so largely to the material develoimient of the state. The Ciiicago and Rock Island Kailway was built in the early fifties, opening an important thorough- fare from Chicago to tiie Mississippi and tiic West. In the financial crisis of 18:57. Illinois was one of tiie states whieli suffered the greatest loss. Husiness was at a standstill and all i>iiblie enterprises were indefinitely i>ostpoiied. liusiiicss operations were resinned by slow degrees, however, and Illinois swung again into tiie patii of progress. A new period of prosperity was iiiaugurated in 1850 by an act of Congress appropriating extensive land grants for the completion of the Illinois Central Kailway. Immigrants came in great numbers, and towns and villages sprang up (|uickly along this railroad as it iieared its completion in IS.'itl. The imlilic delit of llie slate iiad TERRITORY AND STATE 45 increased enormously duriiij? the panic of 1837 and grew continually, reaching its highest point, $16,724,177, in 1853. Another great stride in the development of the state was taken in 1848, when tlie telegraph system, established a few years prior, was extended into Illinois. At this point we may fitly mention an event in the early history of Illinois which at the time was considered very noteworthy. In the spring of 1825, at the initiative of Governor Coles, the renowned General Lafavette General Lafayette of revolutionary fame paid a visit to Illinois. The governor had formed the general's acquaintance in Paris, and when the latter was about to visit the young republic which he had so mater- ialh' helped to establish, the governor insisted that the journey ought to be extended to what was at that time known as the far West. Lafayette's visit to Illinois was hailed with the utmost enthusiasm by the Americans and not least by the descendants of the old French settlers. The expenses of the trip were paid out of the state treasurj^ amounting to $6,743, or one third of the tax revenue for the year. While long and bloody contlicts were raging between the whites and the Indians in Ohio and Indiana, Illinois was spared the ravages of Indian warfare, owing largely to the French element, which had early gained the confidence of the redskins and long exercised a dom- 46 HISTORY OF ILLINOIS inating and wholesome influence over the Indians and the population in general. During the war of ]812 between England and tlie United States, the Indians as allies of the British conunitted certain outrages, which were, however, of small significance as against the cruelties perpetrated before and after in other western territories. The most serious eoufiiet of this kind in Illinois was the Hlack Hank War of 1832. Black Hawk, who in 1788 had succeeded his father as chief of the Sat- Indians, .sedulou.sly giianb-d tlic interests of his tribe against the inroads of the whites. Bitter rage filled the chieftain's heart, when certain other chiefs of the Sacs and Foxes in 1804: disposed of their lands, comprising a stretch of 700 miles along the Missi.ssippi, to the whites for an indefinite amount payable in an- nual instalments of $1,000. He held that liis fellow chiefs must have hci'ii drunk when signing such an agreement. Nevertheless, Black Hawk himself renewed the agreement in 1816. Having tliu.s become homeless on their former donuiins east of the Mississippi, the triljcsmen were coiiiijollod to witli