ILLINOIS.
Situation, Boundaries, and Extent.
The State of Illinois is situated between 37 deg. and 42 deg., 30' N.
latitude; and between 10 deg. 25', and 14 deg.30' W. longitude from
Washington city. It is bounded on the north by Wisconsin Territory,
north-east by lake Michigan, east by Indiana, south-east and south by
Kentucky, and west by the State and Territory of Missouri. Its extreme
length is 380 miles; and its extreme width, 220 miles; its average width,
150 miles. The area of the whole State, including a small portion of lake
Michigan within its boundaries, is 59,300 square miles.
The water area of the State is about 3,750 square miles. With this,
deduct 5,550 square miles for irreclaimable wastes, and there remains
50,000 square miles, or 32 millions of acres of arable land in
Illinois,--a much greater quantity than is found in any other State. In
this estimate, inundated lands, submerged by high waters, but which may
be reclaimed at a moderate expense, is included.
_Face of the Country, and qualities of Soil._--The general surface is
level, or moderately undulating; the northern and southern portions are
broken, and somewhat hilly, but no portion of the State is traversed
with ranges of hills or mountains. At the verge of the alluvial soil on
the margins of rivers, there are ranges of "bluffs" intersected with
ravines. The bluffs are usually from fifty to one hundred and fifty feet
high, where an extended surface of table land commences, covered with
prairies and forests of various shapes and sizes.
When examined minutely, there are several varieties in the surface of
this State, which will be briefly specified and described.
1. _Inundated Lands._ I apply this term to all those portions, which,
for some part of the year, are under water. These include portions of
the river bottoms, and portions of the interior of large prairies, with
the lakes and ponds which, for half the year or more, are without water.
The term "bottom" is used throughout the West, to denote the alluvial
soil on the margin of rivers, usually called "intervales," in New
England. Portions of this description of land are flowed for a longer or
shorter period, when the rivers are full. Probably one eighth of the
bottom lands are of this description; for, though the water may not
stand for any length of time, it wholly prevents settlement and
cultivation, though it does not interrupt the growth of timber and
vegetation. These tracts are on the bottoms of the Wabash, Ohio,
Mississippi, Illinois, and all the interior rivers.
When the rivers rise above their ordinary height, the waters of the
smaller streams, which are backed up by the freshets of the former,
break over their banks, and cover all the low grounds. Here they stand
for a few days, or for many weeks, especially towards the bluffs; for it
is a striking fact in the geology of the western country, that all the
river bottoms are higher on the margins of the streams than at some
distance back. Whenever increase of population shall create a demand for
this species of soil, the most of it can be reclaimed at comparatively
small expense. Its fertility will be inexhaustible, and if the waters
from the rivers could be shut out by dykes or levees, the soil would be
perfectly dry. Most of the small lakes on the American bottom disappear
in the summer, and leave a deposit of vegetable matter undergoing
decomposition, or a luxuriant coat of weeds and grass.
As our prairies mostly lie between the streams that drain the country,
the interior of the large ones are usually level. Here are formed ponds
and lakes after the winter and spring rains, which remain to be drawn
off by evaporation, or absorbed by an adhesive soil. Hence the middle
of our large, level prairies are wet, and for several weeks portions of
them are covered with water. To remedy this inconvenience completely,
and render all this portion of soil dry and productive, only requires a
ditch or drain of two or three feet deep to be cut into the nearest
ravine. In many instances, a single furrow with the plough, would drain
many acres. At present, this species of inundated land offers no
inconvenience to the people, except in the production of miasm, and even
that, perhaps, becomes too much diluted with the atmosphere to produce
mischief before it reaches the settlements on the borders of the
prairie. Hence the inference is correct, that our inundated lands
present fewer obstacles to the settlement and growth of the country, and
can be reclaimed at much less expense, than the swamps and salt marshes
of the Atlantic States.
2. _River Bottoms or Alluvion._ The surface of our alluvial bottoms is
not entirely level. In some places it resembles alternate waves of the
ocean, and looks as though the waters had left their deposit in ridges,
and retired.
The portion of bottom land capable of present cultivation, and on which
the waters never stand, if, at an extreme freshet, it is covered, is a
soil of exhaustless fertility; a soil that for ages past has been
gradually deposited by the annual floods. Its average depth on the
American bottom, is from twenty to twenty-five feet. Logs of wood, and
other indications, are found at that depth. The soil dug from wells on
these bottoms, produces luxuriantly the first year.
The most extensive and fertile tract, of this description of soil, in
this State, is the _American Bottom_, a name it received when it
constituted the western boundary of the United States, and which it has
retained ever since. It commences at the mouth of the Kaskaskia river,
five miles below the town of Kaskaskia, and extends northwardly along
the Mississippi to the bluffs at Alton, a distance of ninety miles. Its
average width is five miles, and contains about 450 square miles, or
288,000 acres. Opposite St. Louis, in St. Clair county, the bluffs are
seven miles from the river, and filled with inexhaustible beds of coal.
The soil of this bottom is an argillaceous or a silicious loam,
according as clay or sand happens to predominate in its formation.
On the margin of the river, and of some of its lakes, is a strip of
heavy timber, with a thick undergrowth, which extends from half a mile
to two miles in width; but from thence to the bluffs, it is principally
prairie. It is interspersed with sloughs, lakes, and ponds, the most of
which become dry in autumn.
The soil of the American bottom is inexhaustibly rich. About the French
towns it has been cultivated, and produced corn in succession for more
than a century, without exhausting its fertilizing powers. The only
objection that can be offered to this tract is its unhealthy character.
This, however, has diminished considerably within eight or ten years.
The geological feature noticed in the last article--that all our bottoms
are higher on the margin of the stream, than towards the bluffs,
explains the cause why so much standing water is on the bottom land,
which, during the summer, stagnates and throws off noxious effluvia.
These lakes are usually full of vegetable matter undergoing
decomposition, and which produces large quantities of miasm. Some of the
lakes are clear and of a sandy bottom, but the most are of a different
character. The French settled near a lake or a river, apparently in the
most unhealthy places, and yet their constitutions are little affected,
and they usually enjoy good health, though dwarfish and shrivelled in
their form and features.
"The villages of Kaskaskia, Prairie du Rocher, and Cahokia, were built
up by their industry in places where Americans would have perished.
Cultivation has, no doubt, rendered this tract more salubrious than
formerly; and an increase of it, together with the construction of
drains and canals, will make it one of the most eligible in the States.
The old inhabitants advise the emigrants not to plant corn in the
immediate vicinity of their dwellings, as its rich and massive foliage
prevents the sun from dispelling the deleterious vapors."[11]
These lakes and ponds could be drained at a small expense, and the soil
would be susceptible of cultivation. The early settlements of the
Americans were either on this bottom, or the contiguous bluffs.
Besides the American bottom, there are others that resemble it in its
general character, but not in extent. In Union county, there is an
extensive bottom on the borders of the Mississippi. Above the mouth of
the Illinois, and along the borders of the counties of Calhoun, Pike,
and Adams, there are a series of bottoms, with much good and elevated
land; but the inundated grounds around, present objections to a dense
population at present.
The bottoms of Illinois, where not inundated, are equal in fertility,
and the soil is less adhesive than most parts of the American bottom.
This is likewise the character of the bottoms in the northern parts of
the State.
The bottoms of the Kaskaskia are generally covered with a heavy growth
of timber, and in many places inundated when the river is at its highest
floods.
The extensive prairies adjoining, will create a demand for all this
timber. The bottom lands on the Wabash are of various qualities. Near
the mouth, much of it is inundated. Higher up it overflows in high
freshets.
These bottoms, especially the American are the best regions in the
United States for raising stock, particularly horses, cattle, and swine.
Seventy-five bushels of corn to the acre is an ordinary crop. The roots
and worms of the soil, the acorns and other fruits from the trees, and
the fish of the lakes, accelerate the growth of swine. Horses and cattle
find exhaustless supplies of grass in the prairies; and pea vines,
buffalo grass, wild oats, and other herbage in the timber, for summer
range; and often throughout most of the winter. In all the rush bottoms,
they fatten during the severe weather on rushes. The bottom soil is not
so well adapted to the production of small grain, as of maize or Indian
corn, on account of its rank growth, and being more subject to blast, or
fall down before harvest, than on the uplands.
3. _Prairies._ Much the largest proportion is undulating, dry, and
extremely fertile. Other portions are level, and the soil in some cases
proves to be wet;--the water, not running off freely, is left to be
absorbed by the soil, or evaporated by the sun. Crawfish throw up their
hillocks in this soil, and the farmer who cultivates it, will find his
labors impeded by the water.
In the southern part, that is, south of the National road leading from
Terre Haute to the Mississippi, the prairies are comparatively small,
varying in size from those of several miles in width, to those which
contain only a few acres. As we go northward, they widen and extend on
the more elevated ground between the water courses to a vast distance,
and are frequently from six to twelve miles in width. Their borders are
by no means uniform. Long points of timber project into the prairies,
and line the banks of the streams, and points of prairie project into
the timber between these streams. In many instances are copses and
groves of timber, from one hundred to two thousand acres, in the midst
of prairies, like islands in the ocean. This is a common feature in the
country between the Sangamon river and lake Michigan, and in the
northern parts of the State. The lead mine region, both in this State
and the Wisconsin territory, abounds with these groves.
The _origin_ of these prairies has caused much speculation. We might as
well dispute about the origin of forests, upon the assumption that the
natural covering of the earth was grass. Probably one half of the
earth's surface, in a state of nature, was prairies or barrens. Much of
it, like our western prairies, was covered with a luxuriant coat of
grass and herbage. The _steppes_ of Tartary, the _pampas_ of South
America, the _savannas_ of the Southern, and the _prairies_ of the
Western States, designate similar tracts of country. Mesopotamia, Syria,
and Judea had their ancient prairies, on which the patriarchs fed their
flocks. Missionaries in Burmah, and travellers in the interior of
Africa, mention the same description of country. Where the tough sward
of the prairie is once formed, timber will not take root. Destroy this
by the plough, or by any other method, and it is soon converted into
forest land. There are large tracts of country in the older settlements,
where, thirty or forty years since, the farmers mowed their hay, that
are now covered with a forest of young timber of rapid growth.
The fire annually sweeps over the prairies, destroying the grass and
herbage, blackening the surface, and leaving a deposit of ashes to
enrich the soil.
4. _Barrens._ This term, in the western dialect, does not indicate _poor
land_, but a species of surface of a mixed character, uniting forest and
prairie.
The timber is generally scattering, of a rough and stunted appearance,
interspersed with patches of hazle and brushwood, and where the contest
between the fire and timber is kept up, each striving for the mastery.
In the early settlements of Kentucky, much of the country below and
south of Green river presented a dwarfish and stunted growth of timber,
scattered over the surface, or collected in clumps, with hazle and
shrubbery intermixed. This appearance led the first explorers to the
inference that the soil itself must necessarily be poor, to produce so
scanty a growth of timber, and they gave the name of _barrens_ to the
whole tract of country. Long since, it has been ascertained that this
description of land is amongst the most productive soil in the State.
The term _barren_ has since received a very extensive application
throughout the West. Like all other tracts of country, the barrens
present a considerable diversity of soil. In general, however, the
surface is more uneven or rolling than the prairies, and sooner
degenerates into ravines and sink-holes. Wherever timber barely
sufficient for present purposes can be found, a person need not hesitate
to settle in the barrens. These tracts are almost invariably healthy;
they possess a greater abundance of pure springs of water, and the soil
is better adapted for all kinds of produce, and all descriptions of
seasons, wet and dry, than the deeper and richer mould of the bottoms
and prairies.
When the fires are stopped, these barrens produce timber, at a rate of
which no northern emigrant can have any just conception. Dwarfish shrubs
and small trees of oak and hickory are scattered over the surface, where
for years they have contended with the fires for a precarious existence,
while a mass of roots, sufficient for the support of large trees, have
accumulated in the earth. As soon as they are protected from the ravages
of the annual fires, the more thrifty sprouts shoot forth, and in ten
years are large enough for corn cribs and stables.
As the fires on the prairies become stopped by the surrounding
settlements, and the wild grass is eaten out and trodden down by the
stock, they begin to assume the character of barrens; first, hazle and
other shrubs, and finally, a thicket of young timber, covers the
surface.
5. _Forest, or timbered Land._ In general, Illinois is abundantly
supplied with timber, and were it equally distributed through the State,
there would be no part in want. The apparent scarcity of timber where
the prairie predominates, is not so great an obstacle to the settlement
of the country as has been supposed. For many of the purposes to which
timber is applied, substitutes are found. The rapidity with which the
young growth pushes itself forward, without a single effort on the part
of man to accelerate it, and the readiness with which the prairie
becomes converted into thickets, and then into a forest of young timber,
shows that, in another generation, timber will not be wanting in any
part of Illinois.
The kinds of timber most abundant are oaks of various species, black and
white walnut, ash of several kinds, elm, sugar maple, honey locust,
hackberry, linden, hickory, cotton wood, pecan, mulberry, buckeye,
sycamore, wild cherry, box elder, sassafras, and persimmon. In the
southern and eastern parts of the State are yellow poplar, and beech;
near the Ohio are cypress, and in several counties are clumps of yellow
pine and cedar. On the Calamick, near the south end of lake Michigan, is
a small forest of white pine. The undergrowth are redbud, pawpaw,
sumach, plum, crab apple, grape vines, dogwood, spice bush, green
brier, hazle, &c.
The alluvial soil of the rivers produces cotton wood and sycamore timber
of amazing size.
For ordinary purposes there is now timber enough in most parts of the
State, to say nothing about the artificial production of timber, which
may be effected with little trouble and expense. The black locust, a
native of Ohio and Kentucky, may be raised from the seed, with less
labor than a nursery of apple trees. It is of rapid growth, and, as a
valuable and lasting timber, claims the attention of our farmers. It
forms one of the cleanliest and most beautiful shades, and when in
blossom gives a rich prospect, and sends abroad a delicious fragrance.
6. _Knobs, Bluffs, Ravines, and Sink-holes._ Under these heads are
included tracts of uneven country found in various parts of the State.
_Knobs_ are ridges of flint limestone, intermingled and covered with
earth, and elevated one or two hundred feet above the common surface.
This species of land is of little value for cultivation, and usually has
a sprinkling of dwarfish, stunted timber, like the barrens.
The steep hills and natural mounds that border the alluvions have
obtained the name of _bluffs_. Some are in long, parallel ridges, others
are in the form of cones and pyramids. In some places precipices of
limestone rock, from fifty to one or two hundred feet high, form these
bluffs.
_Ravines_ are formed amongst the bluffs, and often near the borders of
prairies, which lead down to the streams.
_Sink-holes_ are circular depressions in the surface, like a basin. They
are of various sizes, from ten to fifty feet deep, and from ten to one
or two hundred yards in circumference. Frequently they contain an outlet
for the water received by the rains. Their existence shows that the
substratum is secondary limestone, abounding with subterraneous
cavities.
There are but few tracts of _stony ground_ in the State; that is, where
loose stones are scattered over the surface, and imbedded in the soil.
Towards the northern part of the State, tracts of stony ground exist.
Quarries of stone exist in the bluffs, and in the banks of the streams
and ravines throughout the State.
The soil is porous, easy to cultivate, and exceedingly productive. A
strong team is required to break up the prairies, on account of the
firm, grassy sward which covers them. But when subdued, they become
fine, arable lands.
_Rivers, &c._--This State is surrounded and intersected by navigable
streams. The Mississippi, Ohio and Wabash rivers are on three
sides,--the Illinois, Kaskaskia, Sangamon, Muddy, and many smaller
streams are entirely within its borders,--and the Kankakee, Fox, Rock,
and Vermillion of the Wabash, run part of their course within this
State. The Mississippi meanders its western border for 700 miles. Its
principal tributaries within Illinois, are Rock, Illinois, Kaskaskia,
and Muddy rivers. The Illinois river commences at the junction of the
Kankakee, which originates near the South Bend in Indiana, and the Des
Plaines, which rises in the Wisconsin Territory. From their junction,
the Illinois runs nearly a west course, (receiving Fox river at Ottawa,
and Vermillion near the foot of the rapids,) to Hennepin, where it
curves to the south and then to the south-west, receiving a number of
tributaries, the largest of which are Spoon river from the right and
Sangamon from the left, till it reaches Naples. Here it bends gradually
to the south, and continues that course till within six miles of the
Mississippi, when it curves to the south-east, and finally, to nearly an
east course. Its length, (without reckoning the windings of the channel
in navigation,) is about 260 miles, and is navigable for steamboats at a
moderate stage of water to the foot of the rapids. The large streams on
the eastern side of the State are Iroquois, a tributary to the Kankakee,
Vermillion of the Wabash, which enters that river in Indiana, Embarras,
that has its source near that of the Kaskaskia, runs south-easterly, and
enters the Wabash 9 miles below Vincennes, and Little Wabash near its
mouth. Along the Ohio, the only streams deserving note are the Saline
and Bay creeks, and Cash river, the last of which enters the Ohio six
miles above its confluence with the Mississippi.
_Productions._--These are naturally classed into _mineral_, _animal_ and
_vegetable_.
_Minerals._ The northern portion of Illinois is inexhaustibly rich in
mineral productions, while coal, secondary limestone, and sandstone, are
found in every part.
Iron ore has been found in the southern parts of the State, and is said
to exist in considerable quantities in the northern parts.
Native copper, in small quantities, has been found on Muddy river, in
Jackson county, and back of Harrisonville, in the bluffs of Monroe
county. Crystallized gypsum has been found in small quantities in St.
Clair county. Quartz crystals exist in Gallatin county.
Silver is supposed to exist in St. Clair county, two miles from Rock
Spring, from whence Silver creek derives its name. In early times, a
shaft was sunk here, by the French, and tradition tells of large
quantities of the precious metals being obtained.
In the southern part of the State, several sections of land have been
reserved from sale, on account of the silver ore they are supposed to
contain.
_Lead_ is found in vast quantities in the northern part of Illinois, and
the adjacent territory. Here are the richest lead mines hitherto
discovered on the globe. This portion of country lies principally north
of Rock river and south of the Wisconsin. Dubuque's, and other rich
mines, are west of the Mississippi.
Native copper, in large quantities, exists in this region, especially at
the mouth of Plum creek, and on the Peek-a-ton-o-kee, a branch of Rock
river.
The following is a list of the principal diggings in that portion of the
lead mine region that lies between Rock river and the Wisconsin,
embracing portions of Illinois State, and Wisconsin Territory. Some of
these diggings are, probably, relinquished, and many new ones commenced.
Apple Creek,
GALENA and vicinity,
Cave Diggings,
Buncombe,
Natchez,
Hardscrabble,
New Diggings,
Gratiot's Grove,
Spulburg,
W. S. Hamilton's,
Cottle's,
McNutt's,
Menomonee Creek,
Plattsville,
CASSVILLE and vicinity,
Madden's,
Mineral Point,
Dodgeville,
Worke's Diggings,
Brisbo's,
Blue Mounds,
Prairie Springs,
Hammett & Campbell's,
Morrison's,
and many others.
_Amount of Lead Manufactured._ For many years the Indians, and some of
the French hunters and traders, had been accustomed to dig lead in
these regions. They never penetrated much below the surface, but
obtained considerable quantities of the ore which they sold to the
traders.
In 1823, the late Col. James Johnson, of Great Crossings, Ky., and
brother to the Hon. R. M. Johnson, obtained a lease of the United States
government, and made arrangements to prosecute the business of smelting,
with considerable force, which he did the following season. This
attracted the attention of enterprising men in Illinois, Missouri, and
other States. Some went on in 1826, more followed in 1827, and in 1828
the country was almost literally filled with miners, smelters,
merchants, speculators, gamblers, and every description of character.
Intelligence, enterprise, and virtue, were thrown in the midst of
dissipation, gaming, and every species of vice. Such was the crowd of
adventurers in 1829, to this hitherto almost unknown and desolate
region, that the lead business was greatly overdone, and the market for
awhile nearly destroyed. Fortunes were made almost upon a turn of the
spade, and lost with equal facility. The business has revived and is
profitable. Exhaustless quantities of mineral exist here, over a tract
of country two hundred miles in extent.
The following table shows the amount of lead made annually at these
diggings, from 1821, to Sept, 30, 1835:
Lbs. of lead made from 1821, to Sept. 1823, 335,130
do. for the year ending Sept. 30, 1824, 175,220
do. do. do. 1825, 664,530
do. do. do. 1826, 958,842
do. do. do. 1827, 5,182,180
do. do. do. 1828, 11,105,810
do. do. do. 1829, 13,344,150
do. do. do. 1830, 8,323,998
do. do. do. 1831, 6,381,900
do. do. do. 1832, 4,281,876
do. do. do. 1833, 7,941,792
do. do. do. 1834, 7,971,579
do. do. do. 1835, 3,754,290
----------
Total, 70,420,357
The rent accruing to government for the same period, is a fraction short
of six millions of pounds. The government formerly received 10 per cent.
in lead for rent. Now it is 6 per cent.
A part of the mineral land in the Wisconsin Territory has been surveyed
and brought into market, which will add greatly to the stability and
prosperity of the mining business.
_Coal._ Bituminous coal abounds in Illinois. It may be seen, frequently,
in the ravines and gullies, and in the points of bluffs. Exhaustless
beds of this article exist in the bluffs of St. Clair county, bordering
on the American bottom, of which large quantities are transported to St.
Louis, for fuel. There is scarce a county in the State, but what can
furnish coal, in reasonable quantities. Large beds are said to exist,
near the Vermillion of the Illinois, and in the vicinity of the rapids
of the latter.
_Agatized Wood._ A petrified tree, of black walnut, was found in the bed
of the river Des Plaines, about forty rods above its junction with the
Kankakee, imbedded in a horizontal position, in a stratum of sandstone.
There is fifty-one and a half feet of the trunk visible,--eighteen
inches in diameter at its smallest end, and probably three feet at the
other end.
_Muriate of Soda_, or common salt. This is found in various parts of the
State, held in solution in the springs. The manufacture of salt by
boiling and evaporation is carried on in Gallatin county, twelve miles
west-north-west from Shawneetown; in Jackson county, near Brownsville;
and in Vermillion county, near Danville. The springs and land are owned
by the State, and the works leased.
A coarse freestone, much used in building, is dug from quarries near
Alton, on the Mississippi, where large bodies exist.
Scattered over the surface of our prairies, are large masses of rock, of
granitic formation, roundish in form, usually called by the people
"_lost rocks_." They will weigh from one thousand to ten or twelve
thousand pounds, and are entirely detached, and frequently are found
several miles-distant from any quarry. Nor has there ever been a quarry
of granite discovered in the State. These stones are denominated
_bowlders_ in mineralogy. They usually lie on the surface, or are
partially imbedded in the soil of our prairies, which is unquestionably
of diluvial formation. How they came here is a question of difficult
solution.
_Medicinal Waters_, are found in different parts of the State. These are
chiefly sulphur springs and chalybeate waters. There is said to be one
well in the southern part of the State strongly impregnated with the
sulphate of magnesia, or Epsom salts, from which considerable quantities
have been made for sale, by simply evaporating the water, in a kettle,
over a common fire.
There are several sulphur springs in Jefferson county, to which persons
resort for health.
_Vegetable Productions._ The principal trees and shrubs of Illinois have
been noticed under the head of "_Forest or timbered land_." Of oaks
there are several species, as overcup, burr oak, swamp or water oak,
white oak, red or Spanish oak, post oak, and black oak of several
varieties, with the black jack, a dwarfish, gnarled looking tree,
excellent for fuel, but good for nothing else.
The black walnut is much used for building materials and cabinet work,
and sustains a fine polish.
In most parts of the State, grape vines, indigenous to the country, are
abundant, which yield grapes that might advantageously be made into
excellent wine. Foreign vines are susceptible of easy cultivation. These
are cultivated to a considerable extent at Vevay, Switzerland county,
Indiana, and at New Harmony on the Wabash. The indigenous vines are
prolific, and produce excellent fruit. They are found in every variety
of soil; interwoven in every thicket in the prairies and barrens; and
climbing to the tops of the very highest trees on the bottoms. The
French in early times, made so much wine as to export some to France;
upon which the proper authorities prohibited the introduction of wine
from Illinois, lest it might injure the sale of that staple article of
the kingdom. I think the act was passed by the board of trade, in 1774.
The editor of the Illinois Magazine remarks, "We know one gentleman who
made twenty-seven barrels of wine in a single season, from the grapes
gathered with but little labor, in his immediate neighborhood."
The wild plum is found in every part of the State; but in most instances
the fruit is too sour for use, unless for preserves. Crab apples are
equally prolific, and make fine preserves with about double their bulk
of sugar. Wild cherries are equally productive. The persimmon is a
delicious fruit, after the frost has destroyed its astringent
properties. The black mulberry grows in most parts, and is used for the
feeding of silk-worms with success. They appear to thrive and spin as
well as on the Italian mulberry. The gooseberry, strawberry, and
blackberry, grow wild and in great profusion. Of our nuts, the hickory,
black walnut, and pecan, deserve notice. The last is an oblong, thin
shelled, delicious nut, that grows on a large tree, a species of the
hickory, (the _Carya olivae formis_ of Nuttall.) The pawpaw grows in the
bottoms, and rich, timbered uplands, and produces a large, pulpy, and
luscious fruit. Of domestic fruits, the apple and peach are chiefly
cultivated. Pears are tolerably plenty in the French settlements, and
quinces are cultivated with success by some Americans. Apples are easily
cultivated, and are very productive. They can be made to bear fruit to
considerable advantage in seven years from the seed. Many varieties are
of fine flavor, and grow to a large size. I have measured apples, the
growth of St. Clair county, that exceeded thirteen inches in
circumference. Some of the early American settlers provided orchards.
They now reap the advantages. But a large proportion of the population
of the frontiers are content without this indispensable article in the
comforts of a Yankee farmer. Cider is made in small quantities in the
old settlements. In a few years, a supply of this beverage can be had in
most parts of Illinois.
Peach trees grow with great rapidity, and decay proportionably soon.
From ten to fifteen years may be considered the life of this tree. Our
peaches are delicious, but they sometimes fail by being destroyed in the
germ by winter frosts. The bud swells prematurely.
_Garden Vegetables_ can be produced here in vast profusion, and of
excellent quality.
That we have few of the elegant and well dressed gardens of gentlemen in
the old states, is admitted; which is not owing to climate, or soil, but
to the want of leisure and means.
Our Irish potatoes, pumpkins and squashes are inferior, but not our
cabbages, peas, beets, or onions.
A cabbage head, two or three feet in diameter including the leaves, is
no wonder on this soil. Beets often exceed twelve inches in
circumference. Parsnips will penetrate our light, porous soil, to the
depth of two or three feet.
The _cultivated vegetable productions in the field_, are maize or Indian
corn, wheat, oats, barley, buckwheat, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes,
turnips, rye for horse feed and distilleries, tobacco, cotton, hemp,
flax, the castor bean, and every other production common to the Middle
States.
_Maize_ is a staple production. No farmer can live without it, and
hundreds raise little else. This is chiefly owing to the ease with which
it is cultivated. Its average produce is fifty bushels to the acre. I
have oftentimes seen it produce seventy-five bushels to the acre, and in
a few instances, exceed one hundred.
_Wheat_ yields a good and sure crop, especially in the counties
bordering on the Illinois river. It weighs upwards of 60 pounds per
bushel; and flour from this region has preference in the New Orleans
market, and passes better inspection than the same article from Ohio or
Kentucky.
In 1825, the weevil, for the first time, made its appearance in St.
Clair and the adjacent counties, and has occasionally renewed its visits
since. Latterly, some fields have been injured by the fly.
A common, but slovenly practice amongst our farmers, is, to sow wheat
amongst the standing corn, in September, and cover it by running a few
furrows with the plough between the rows of corn. The dry stalks are
then cut down in the spring, and left on the ground. Even by this
imperfect mode, fifteen or twenty bushels of wheat to the acre are
produced. But where the ground is duly prepared by fallowing, and the
seed put in at the proper time, a good crop, averaging from twenty-five
to thirty-five bushels per acre, rarely fails to be procured.
The average price of wheat at present is a dollar per bushel, varying a
little according to the competition of mills and facilities to market.
In many instances a single crop of wheat will more than pay the expenses
of purchasing the land, fencing, breaking the prairie, seed, putting in
the crop, harvesting, threshing, and taking it to market. Wheat is now
frequently sown on the prairie land as a first crop, and a good yield
obtained.
Flouring mills are now in operation in many of the wheat growing
counties. Steam power is getting into extensive use both for sawing
timber, and manufacturing flour.
It is to be regretted, that so few of our farmers have erected barns for
the security of their crops. No article is more profitable, and really
more indispensable to a farmer, than a large barn.
_Oats_ have not been much raised till lately. They are very productive,
often yielding from forty to fifty bushels on the acre, and usually sell
for twenty-five cents the bushel. The demand for the use of stage and
travellers' horses is increasing.
_Hemp_ is an indigenous plant in the southern part of this State, as it
is in Missouri. It has not been extensively cultivated; but wherever
tried, is found very productive, and of an excellent quality. It might
be made a staple of the country.
_Tobacco_, though a filthy and noxious weed, which no human being ought
ever to use, can be produced in any quantity, and of the first quality,
in Illinois.
_Cotton_, for many years, has been successfully cultivated in this State
for domestic use, and some for exportation. Two or three spinning
factories are in operation, and produce cotton yarn from the growth of
the country with promising success. This branch of business admits of
enlargement, and invites the attention of eastern manufacturers with
small capital. Much of the cloth made in families who have emigrated
from States south of the Ohio is from the cotton of the country.
_Flax_ is produced, and of a tolerable quality, but not equal to that of
the Northern States. It is said to be productive and good in the
northern counties.
_Barley_ yields well, and is a sure crop.
The _palma christi_, or castor oil bean, is produced in considerable
quantities in Madison, Randolph, and other counties, and large
quantities of oil are expressed and sent abroad.
_Sweet Potatoes_ are a delicious root, and yield abundantly, especially
on the American bottom, and rich sandy prairies.
But little has been done to introduce cultivated grasses. The prairie
grass looks coarse and unsavory, and yet our horses and cattle will
thrive well on it.
To produce timothy with success, the ground must be well cultivated in
the summer, either by an early crop, or by fallowing, and the seed sown
about the 20th of September, at the rate of _ten or twelve quarts of
clean seed to the acre_, and lightly brushed in.
If the season is in any way favorable, it will get a rapid start before
winter. By the last week in June, it will produce two tons per acre, of
the finest hay. It then requires a dressing of stable or yard manure,
and occasionally the turf may be scratched with a harrow, to prevent the
roots from binding too hard. By this process, timothy meadows may be
made and preserved. There are meadows in St. Clair county, which have
yielded heavy crops of hay in succession, for several years, and bid
fair to continue for an indefinite period. Cattle, and especially
horses, should never be permitted to run in meadows in Illinois. The
fall grass may be cropped down by calves and colts. There is but little
more labor required to produce a crop of timothy, than a crop of oats,
and as there is not a stone or a pebble to interrupt, the soil may be
turned up every third or fourth year for corn, and afterwards laid down
to grass again.
A species of blue grass is cultivated by some farmers for pastures. If
well set, and not eaten down in summer, blue grass pastures may be kept
green and fresh till late in autumn, or even in the winter. The English
spire grass has been cultivated with success in the Wabash country.
Of the trefoil, or clover, there is but little cultivated. A prejudice
exists against it, as it is imagined to injure horses by affecting the
glands of the mouth, and causing them to slaver. It grows luxuriantly,
and may be cut for hay early in June. The white clover comes in
naturally, where the ground has been cultivated, and thrown by, or along
the sides of old roads and paths. Clover pastures would be excellent for
swine.
_Animals._ Of _wild animals_ there are several species. The buffalo is
not found on this side the Mississippi, nor within several hundred miles
of St. Louis. This animal once roamed at large over the prairies of
Illinois, and was found in plenty, thirty-five years since. _Wolves_,
_panthers_ and _wild cats_, still exist on the frontiers, and through
the unsettled portions of the country, and annoy the farmer by
destroying his sheep and pigs.
_Deer_ are also very numerous, and are valuable, particularly to that
class of our population which has been raised to frontier habits; the
flesh affording them food, and the skins, clothing. Fresh venison hams
usually sell for twenty-five cents each, and when properly cured, are a
delicious article. Many of the frontier people dress their skins, and
make them into pantaloons and hunting shirts. These articles are
indispensable to all who have occasion to travel in viewing land, or for
any other purpose, beyond the settlements, as cloth garments, in the
shrubs and vines, would soon be in strings.
It is a novel and pleasant sight to a stranger, to see the deer in
flocks of eight, ten, or fifteen in number, feeding on the grass of the
prairies, or bounding away at the sight of a traveller.
The _brown bear_ is also an inhabitant of the unsettled parts of this
State, although he is continually retreating before the advance of
civilization.
Foxes, raccoons, opossums, gophers, and squirrels, are also numerous, as
are muskrats, otters, and occasionally beaver, about our rivers and
lakes. Raccoons are very common, and frequently do mischief in the
fall, to our corn. Opossums sometimes trouble the poultry.
The _gopher_ is a singular little animal, about the size of a squirrel.
It burrows in the ground, is seldom seen, but its _works_ make it known.
It labors during the night, in digging subterranean passages in the rich
soil of the prairies, and throws up hillocks of fresh earth, within a
few feet distance from each other, and from twelve to eighteen inches in
height.
The gray and fox squirrels often do mischief in the cornfields, and the
hunting of them makes fine sport for the boys.
_Common rabbits_ exist in every thicket, and annoy nurseries and young
orchards exceedingly. The fence around a nursery must always be so close
as to shut out rabbits; and young apple trees must be secured, at the
approach of winter, by tying straw or corn stalks around their bodies,
for two or three feet in height, or the bark will be stripped off by
these mischievous animals.
_Wild horses_ are found ranging the prairies and forests in some parts
of the State. They are small in size, of the Indian or Canadian breed,
and very hardy. They are found chiefly in the lower end of the American
Bottom, near the junction of the Kaskaskia and Mississippi rivers,
called _the Point_. They are the offspring of the horses brought there
by the first settlers, and which were suffered to run at large. The
Indians of the West have many such horses, which are commonly called
Indian ponies.
_Domestic Animals._ These are the same as are found in other portions of
the United States. But little has been done to improve the breed of
horses amongst us. Our common riding or working horses average about
fifteen hands in height. Horses are much more used here than in the
Eastern States, and many a farmer keeps half a dozen or more. Much of
the travelling throughout the Western country, both by men and women, is
performed on horseback; and a large proportion of the land carriage is
by means of large wagons, with from four to six stout horses for a team.
A great proportion of the ploughing is performed by horse labor. Horses
are more subject to diseases in this country than in the old States,
which is thought to be occasioned by bad management, rather than by the
climate. A good farm horse can be purchased for fifty dollars. Riding or
carriage horses, of a superior quality, cost about seventy-five or
eighty dollars. Breeding mares are profitable stock for every farmer to
keep, as their annual expense in keeping is but trifling: their labor is
always needed, and their colts, when grown, find a ready market. Some
farmers keep a stallion, and eight or ten brood mares.
_Mules_ are brought into Missouri, and find their way to Illinois, from
the Mexican dominions. They are a hardy animal, grow to a good size,
and are used by some, both for labor and riding.
Our _neat cattle_ are usually inferior in size to those of the old
States. This is owing entirely to bad management. Our cows are not
penned up in pasture fields, but suffered to run at large over the
commons. Hence _all_ the calves are preserved, without respect to
quality, to entice the cows homeward at evening.
In autumn their food is very scanty, and during the winter they are
permitted to pick up a precarious subsistence amongst fifty or a hundred
head of cattle. With such management, is it surprising that our cows and
steers are much inferior to those of the old States?
And yet, our beef is the finest in the world. It bears the best
inspection of any in the New Orleans market. By the first of June, and
often by the middle of May, our young cattle on the prairies are fit for
market. They do not yield large quantities of tallow, but the fat is
well proportioned throughout the carcass, and the meat tender and
delicious. By inferiority, then, I mean the _size_ of our cattle in
general, and the quantity and quality of the milk of cows.
Common cows, if suffered to lose their milk in August, become
sufficiently fat for table use by October. Fallow heifers and steers,
are good beef, and fit for the knife at any period after the middle of
May. Nothing is more common than for an Illinois farmer to go among his
stock, select, shoot down, and dress a fine beef, whenever fresh meat
is needed. This is often divided out amongst the neighbors, who in turn,
kill and share likewise. It is common at camp and other large meetings,
to kill a beef and three or four hogs for the subsistence of friends
from a distance.
Steers from three years old or more, have been purchased in great
numbers in Illinois, by drovers from Ohio. Cattle are sometimes sent in
flat boats down the Mississippi and Ohio, for the New Orleans market.
We can hardly place limits upon the amount of beef cattle that Illinois
is capable of producing. A farmer calls himself poor, with a hundred
head of horned cattle around him. A cow in the spring is worth from
seven to ten or fifteen dollars. Some of the best quality will sell
higher. And let it be distinctly understood, once for all, that a poor
man can always purchase horses, cattle, hogs, and provisions, for labor,
either by the day, month, or job.
Cows, in general, do not produce the same amount of milk, nor of as rich
a quality as in older States. Something is to be attributed to the
nature of our pastures, and the warmth of our climate, but more to
causes already assigned. If ever a land was characterized justly, as
"flowing with milk and honey," it is Illinois and the adjacent States.
From the springing of the grass till September, butter is made in great
profusion. It sells at that season in market for about ten cents. With
proper care it can be preserved in tolerable sweetness for winter's
use. Late in autumn and early in the winter, sometimes butter is not
plenty. The feed becomes dry, the cows range further off, and do not
come up readily for milking, and dry up. A very little trouble would
enable a farmer to keep three or four good cows in fresh milk at the
season most needed.
Cheese is made by many families, especially in the counties bordering on
the Illinois river. Good cheese sells for eight and sometimes ten cents,
and finds a ready market.
_Swine._ This species of stock may be called a staple in the provision
of Illinois. Thousands of hogs are raised without any expense, except a
few breeders to start with, and a little attention in hunting them on
the range, and keeping them tame.
Pork that is made in a domestic way and fatted on corn, will sell from
three to four and five dollars, according to size, quality, and the time
when it is delivered. With a pasture of clover or blue grass, a
well-filled corn crib, a dairy, and slop barrel, and the usual care that
a New Englander bestows on his pigs, pork may be raised from the sow,
fatted, and killed, and weigh from two hundred to two hundred and fifty,
within twelve months; and this method of raising pork would be
profitable.
Few families in the west and south put up their pork in salt pickle.
Their method is to salt it sufficiently to prepare it for smoking, and
then make bacon of hams, shoulders, and middlings or broadsides. The
price of bacon, taking the hog round, is about seven and eight cents.
Good hams command eight and ten cents in the St. Louis market. Stock
hogs, weighing from sixty to one hundred pounds, alive, usually sell
from one to two dollars per head. Families consume much more meat in the
West in proportion to numbers, than in the old States.
_Sheep_ do very well in this country, especially in the older
settlements, where the grass has become short, and they are less
molested by wolves.
_Poultry_ is raised in great profusion,--and large numbers of fowls
taken to market.
Ducks, geese, swans, and many other aquatic birds, visit our waters in
the spring. The small lakes and sloughs are often literally covered with
them. Ducks, and some of the rest, frequently stay through the summer
and breed.
The prairie fowl is seen in great numbers on the prairies in the summer,
and about the corn fields in the winter. This is the grouse of the New
York market. They are easily taken in the winter.
Partridges, (the quail of New England,) are taken with nets, in the
winter, by hundreds in a day, and furnish no trifling item in the
luxuries of the city market.
_Bees._ These laborious and useful insects are found in the trees of
every forest. Many of the frontier people make it a prominent business,
after the frost has killed the vegetation, to hunt them for the honey
and wax, both of which find a ready market. Bees are profitable stock
for the farmer, and are kept to a considerable extent.
_Silk-worms_ are raised by a few persons. They are capable of being
produced to any extent, and fed on the common black mulberry of the
country.
_Manufactures._--In the infancy of a state, little can be expected in
machinery and manufactures. And in a region so much deficient in water
power as some parts of Illinois is, still less may be looked for. Yet
Illinois is not entirely deficient in manufacturing enterprise.
_Salt._ The principal salines of this State have been mentioned under
the head of minerals.
The principal works are at Gallatin, Big Muddy, and Vermillion salines.
_Steam Mills_ for flouring and sawing are becoming very common, and in
general are profitable. Some are now in operation with four run of
stones, and which manufacture one hundred barrels of flour in a day.
Mills propelled by steam, water, and animal power, are constantly
increasing. Steam mills will become numerous, particularly in the
southern and middle portions of the State, and it is deserving remark
that, while these portions are not well supplied with durable water
power, they contain, in the timber of the forest, and the inexhaustible
bodies of bituminous coal, abundant supplies of fuel; while the northern
portion, though deficient in fuel, has abundant water power.
A good steam saw-mill with two saws can be built for $1,500; and a steam
flouring mill with two run of stones, elevators, and other apparatus
complete, and of sufficient force to turn out forty or fifty barrels of
flour per day, may be built for from $3,500 to $5,000.
Ox mills on an inclined plane, and horse mills by draught, are common
through the country.
_Castor Oil._ Considerable quantities of this article have been
manufactured in Illinois from the palma christi, or castor bean. One
bushel of the beans will make nearly two gallons of the oil. There are
five or six castor oil presses in the State, in Madison, Randolph,
Edwards, and perhaps in other counties. Mr. Adams of Edwardsville, in
1825, made 500 gallons, which then sold at the rate of two dollars fifty
cents per gallon. In 1826, he made 800 gallons; in 1827, 1000
gallons,--the price then, one dollar seventy-five cents: in 1828, 1800
gallons, price one dollar. In 1830, he started two presses and made
upwards of 10,000 gallons, which sold for from seventy-five to
eighty-seven cents per gallon: in 1831, about the same quantity. That
and the following season being unfavorable for the production of the
bean, there has been a falling off in the quantity. The amount
manufactured in other parts of the State has probably exceeded that made
by Mr. Adams.
_Lead._ In Jo Daviess county are eight or ten furnaces for smelting
lead. The amount of this article made annually at the mines of the Upper
Mississippi, has been given under the head of minerals.
_Boat Building_ will soon become a branch of business in this State.
Some steamboats have been constructed already within this State, along
the Mississippi. It is thought that Alton and Chicago are convenient
sites for this business.
There is in this State, as in all the Western States, a large amount of
domestic manufactures made by families. All the trades, needful to a new
country, are in existence. Carpenters, wagon makers, cabinet makers,
blacksmiths, tanneries, &c., may be found in every county and town, and
thousands more are wanted.
There has been a considerable falling off in the manufacture of whiskey
within a few years, and it is sincerely hoped by thousands of citizens,
that this branch of business, so decidedly injurious to the morals and
happiness of communities and individuals, will entirely decline.
Several companies for manufacturing purposes, have been incorporated by
the legislature.
_Civil Divisions._--There are 66 counties laid off in this State, 59 of
which are organized for judicial purposes. The six last named in the
following table were laid off at the recent session of the legislature,
Jan. 1836. The county of _Will_ was formed from portions of Cook,
Lasalle, and Iroquois, with the town of Juliet for its seat of justice,
near the junction of the Kankakee and Des Plaines.
In this State, there are no _civil_ divisions into townships as in Ohio,
Indiana, &c. The township tracts of six miles square, in the public
surveys, relate exclusively to the land system. The State is divided
into _three_ districts to elect representatives to Congress, and into
_six_ circuits for judicial purposes.
TABULAR VIEW OF THE COUNTIES.
------------+----------+------+--------+----------+--------------+-----------------
| | | | | |Distance &
|Date of |Square|Votes |Population|SEATS OF |bearing from
COUNTIES. |formation.|miles.|in 1834.| 1835. |JUSTICE. |Vandalia.
------------+----------+------+--------+----------+--------------+-----------------
Adams, | 1825 | 820 | 728 | 7042 |Quincy, |175 _n. w._
Alexander, | 1819 | 375 | 249 | 2050 |Unity, |135 _s._
Bond, | 1817 | 360 | 519 | 3580 |Greenville, | 19 _w. s. w._
Calhoun, | 1825 | 260 | 151 | 1091 |Gilhead, |134 _w. n. w._
Champaign, | 1833 | 864 | 102 | 1045 |Urbanna, |103 _n. n. e._
Clark, | 1819 | 500 | 451 | 3413 |Darwin,[A] or | 82 _e. n. e._
| | | | | Marshall, |
Clay, | 1824 | 620 | 172 | 1648 |Maysville, | 50 _s. e._
Clinton, | 1824 | 500 | 414 | 2648 |Carlyle, | 28 _s. s. w._
Crawford, | 1816 | 378 | 519 | 3540 |Palestine, |100 _e._
Coles, | 1830 | 1248 | 680 | 5125 |Charleston, | 75 _n. e._
Cook, | 1830 | [B] | 528 | 9826 |Chicago, |268 _n. n. e._
Edgar, | 1823 | 648 | 788 | 6668 |Paris, |100 _n. e._
Edwards, | 1814 | 200 | 239 | 2006 |Albion, | 96 _s. e._
Effingham, | 1831 | 486 | 129 | 1055 |Ewington, | 29 _e. n. e._
Fayette, | 1821 | 684 | 665 | 3638 |VANDALIA, |
Franklin, | 1818 | 850 | 759 | 5551 |Frankfort, | 83 _s._
Fulton, | 1825 | 590 | 607 | 5917 |Lewistown, |135 _n. n. w._
Gallatin, | 1812 | 828 | 1312 | 8660 |Equality, |100 _s. s. e._
Greene, | 1821 | 912 | 1360 | 12274 |Carrollton, | 90 _w. n. w._
Hamilton, | 1821 | 378 | 460 | 2877 |McLeansboro', | 76 _s. s. e._
Hancock, | 1825 | 775 | 357 | 3249 |Carthage, |180 _n. w._
Henry (not | 1825 | 800 | -- | 118 | |210 _n. n. w._
organized,)| | | | | |
Iroquois, | 1833 | [B] | 67 | 1164 |(Not |165 _n. n. e._
| | | | | established,)|
Jackson, | 1816 | 576 | 354 | 2783 |Brownsville, | 96 _s. s. w._
Jasper, | 1831 | 288 | -- | 415 |Newton, | 60 _e._
Jefferson, | 1819 | 576 | 455 | 3350 |Mount Vernon, | 48 _s. s. e._
Jo Daviess, | 1827 | [B] | 492 | 4038 |Galena, (nnw) |300 _n. n. w._
Johnson, | 1812 | 486 | 316 | 2166 |Vienna, |120 _s._
Knox, | 1825 | 792 | 180 | 1600 |Knoxville, |182 _n. n. w._
Lasalle, | 1831 | [B] | 289 | 4754 |Ottawa, |187 _n._
Lawrence, | 1821 | 560 | 618 | 4450 |Lawrenceville,| 88 _e. s. e._
Macon, | 1829 | 404 | 292 | 3022 |Decatur, | 75 _n._
Madison, | 1812 | 750 | 1307 | 9016 |Edwardsville, | 58 _w._
Macoupen, | 1829 | 720 | 624 | 5554 |Carlinville, | 55 _w. n. w._
Marion, | 1823 | 576 | 372 | 2844 |Salem, | 25 _s. s. e._
McDonough | 1825 | 576 | 304 | 2883 |Macomb, |155 _n. w._
McLean, | 1830 | 1916 | 496 | 5311 |Bloomington, |120 _n._
Mercer, | 1825 | 558 | -- | 497 |New Boston, |209 _n. w._
Monroe, | 1816 | 360 | 449 | 2660 |Waterloo, | 72 _s. w._
Montgomery, | 1821 | 960 | 475 | 3740 |Hillsboro', | 28 _n. w._
Morgan, | 1823 | 1150 | 2717 | 19214 |Jacksonville, | 91 _n. w._
Peoria, | 1825 | 648 | 223 | 3220 |Peoria, |141 _n. n. w._
Perry, | 1827 | 446 | 273 | 2201 |Pinckneyville,| 71 _s. s. w._
Pike, | 1821 | 800 | 657 | 6037 |Pittsfield, |126 _w. n. w._
Pope, | 1816 | 576 | 444 | 3756 |Golconda, |130 _s. s. e._
Putnam, | 1825 | 1340 | 383 | 4021 |Hennepin, | 80 _n._
Randolph, | 1795 | 540 | 814 | 5695 |Kaskaskia, | 90 _s. s. w._
Rock Island,| 1831 | 377 | 83 | 616 |Stephenson, | 20 _n. w._
Sangamon, | 1821 | 1234 | 2219 | 17573 |Springfield, | 79 _n. n. w._
Schuyler, | 1825 | 864 | 680 | 6361 |Rushville, |128 _n. w._
Shelby, | 1827 | 1080 | 636 | 4848 |Shelbyville, | 40 _n. n. e._
St. Clair, | 1795 | 1030 | 1183 | 9055 |Belleville, | 64 _w. s. w._
Tazewell, | 1827 | 1130 | 433 | 5850 |Tremont, |131 _n._
Union, | 1818 | 396 | 545 | 4156 |Jonesboro', |120 _s._
Vermillion, | 1826 | 1000 | 1025 | 8103 |Danville, |135 _n. e._
Wabash, | 1824 | 180 | 441 | 3010 |Mount Carmel, | 95 _s. e._
Warren, | 1825 | 900 | 266 | 2623 |Monmouth, |184 _n. w._
Washington, | 1818 | 656 | 333 | 3292 |Nashville, | 48 _s. s. w._
Wayne, | 1819 | 576 | 471 | 2939 |Fairfield, | 76 _s. e._
White, | 1815 | 516 | 977 | 6489 |Carmi, |103 _s. e._
[A] It is expected the seat of justice of Clark county will be removed to
_Marshall_, 10 miles N. W. from Darwin, and on the National Road. The
distance is computed to Marshall.
[B] These counties have been recently subdivided, and their superficial
area is not known.
-------------+----------+------+--------+----------+-------------------------------
_New Counties| | | | |
formed, Jan. |Date of |Square|Votes |Population|SEATS OF JUSTICE.
1836._ |formation.|miles.|in 1834.| 1835. |
-------------+----------+------+--------+----------+-------------------------------
Will, | 1836 | | | |Juliett.
Whiteside, | " | | | | These counties were taken
Kane, | " | | | |from Jo Daviess, Lasalle, Cook,
Ogle, | " | | | |and Iroquois. The seats of
McHenry, | " | | | |justice not established, and
Winnebago, | " | | | |much of the land unsurveyed,
+----------+------+--------+----------+though rapidly settling.
_Total,_ | | | 34,102 | 272,427 |
SKETCHES OF EACH COUNTY.
ADAMS.--The streams are Bear creek and branches, Cedar, Tyrer,
Mill, Fall, and Pigeon creeks, with the Mississippi river on its western
border. Timber various, with equal portions of prairie. First rate
county.
ALEXANDER.--In the forks of the Ohio and Mississippi, with Cash
river through it. All timbered,--half alluvion,--some inundated at high
water,--lime and sandstone on the Ohio;--soil, generally rich.
BOND.--Shoal creek and its branches through it, with Hurricane
creek on the east side;--proportioned into timber and prairie;--rather
level,--second rate. Sandstone, coal, and salt springs.
CALHOUN.--Long and narrow, in the forks of the Illinois and
Mississippi;--alluvial and sometimes inundated along the rivers;--broken
bluffs and interior table land;--good soil;--prairies at the foot of the
bluffs. Coal, lime and sandstone.
CHAMPAIGN.--The streams are the heads of the Kaskaskia,
Sangamon, Vermillion of Illinois, Salt Fork of the Vermillion of the
Wabash, and the Embarras, all running in opposite directions. Extensive
prairies, a little undulating and rich;--timber in groves;--many granite
bowlders.
CLARK.--North Fork of Embarras, Mill and Big creeks. Timber and
prairie,--second rate soil.
CLAY.--Watered by Little Wabash and tributaries. Two thirds
prairie,--of inferior quality,--rather level and wet.
CLINTON.--Kaskaskia river, with its tributaries, Crooked,
Shoal, Beaver and Sugar creeks, pass through it. Equally proportioned
into timber and prairie. Soil, second rate; surface, a little
undulating.
COLES.--The Kaskaskia, Embarras, and heads of the Little Wabash
water it. Much excellent land,--much undulating, rich prairie;--some
level and wet land in the southeastern part. Timber in sufficient
quantities.
COOK.--Adjoins Lake Michigan, and has the branches of Chicago,
Des Plaines, Du Page, Au Sable and Hickory creeks. Surface, tolerably
level; rich soil,--extensive prairies,--timber in groves;--a few swamps.
Plenty of limestone, and the streams run over rocky beds.
CRAWFORD.--The Wabash river on its eastern side, with Lamotte,
Hudson, Raccoon and Sugar creeks. Some level prairies, rather sandy,
with a full supply of timber.
EDGAR.--Watered by Big, Clear, and Brulette's creeks on the
eastern, and Little Embarras on its western side. Southern and eastern
sides timbered; northern and western sides much prairie; some
undulating,--some level and rather wet. Grand View is a delightful tract
of country.
EDWARDS.--The Little Wabash on its western, and Bon Pas on its
eastern border. Several prairies, high, undulating, and bounded by heavy
timber. Soil, second quality.
EFFINGHAM.--Watered by the Little Wabash and its tributaries;
due proportion of timber and prairie; tolerably level,--second rate.
FAYETTE.--Kaskaskia river, Hurricane, Higgens', Ramsey's and
Beck's creeks. The bottom lands on the Kaskaskia low, and inundated at
high water; considerable prairie; much heavy timber; soil, second rate.
FRANKLIN.--Watered by the Big Muddy and its branches, and the
South Fork of Saline creek. The prairies small, fertile and
level,--timber plenty,--soil rather sandy.
FULTON.--The Illinois on the south-eastern side, with Spoon
river and several small creeks through it. About half heavily timbered,
with rich, undulating prairies; streams flow over a pebbly bed; soil,
first rate.
GALLATIN.--Joins the Wabash and Ohio rivers, and has the Saline
and branches running through it. Soil, sandy, with sand rock,
limestone, quartz crystals, excellent salines, &c. Timber of various
kinds; no prairies.
GREENE.--Has the Mississippi south, the Illinois west, with
Otter, Macoupen and Apple creeks. Much excellent land, both timber and
prairie, in due proportion, with abundance of lime and sandstone, and
coal.
HAMILTON.--Watered by branches of the Saline, and Little
Wabash; a large proportion timbered land; soil, second and third rate,
with some swamp in the northern part. Sandstone and some lime.
HANCOCK.--Besides the Mississippi, it has a part of Bear,
Crooked, and Camp creeks; large prairies; timber along the streams;
rich, first rate land.
HENRY.--Has Rock river north, with Winnebago swamp, and its
outlet on Green river, and one of the heads of Spoon river, and Edwards
river interior. Some rich, undulating prairies and groves, with
considerable wet, swampy land. Not much population.
IROQUOIS.--Kankakee, Iroquois and Sugar creek. Sand ridges and
plains; much rich prairie; some timber, but deficient. It is found
chiefly in groves and strips along the water courses.
JACKSON.--Has the Mississippi on the southwest, and Muddy river
running diagonally through it, with some of its tributaries. Some
prairies in the north-eastern part,--much heavy timber,--some hilly and
broken land,--with abundance of coal, saline springs, lime and
sandstone.
JASPER.--The Embarras runs through it, and the Muddy Fork of
the Little Wabash waters its western side. Much of both the prairie and
timbered land is level and rather wet; some fertile tracts.
JEFFERSON.--Watered by several branches of the Big Muddy and
Little Wabash. Soil, second rate; surface, a little undulating; one
third prairie; several sulphur and other medicinal springs.
JO DAVIESS.--Formerly embraced all the State north-west of Rock
river, but recently divided into three or four counties. Besides the
Mississippi, it has Fever river, Pekatonokee, Apple river, and Rush and
Plum creeks. A rich county, both for agricultural and mining purposes.
Timber scarce, and in groves; surface undulating,--in some places hilly;
well watered by streams and springs, and has good mill sites. Copper and
lead ore in abundance.
JOHNSON.--The Ohio on the south, Cash river and Big Bay creek,
and a series of lakes or ponds interior. A timbered country, tolerably
level; soil sandy, with considerable quantities of second rate land.
KNOX.--Watered by Henderson and Spoon rivers, and their
tributaries. The prairies large, moderately undulating, and first
quality of soil, with excellent timber along the water courses.
LASALLE.--Besides the Illinois river, which passes through it,
Fox river, Big and Little Vermillion, Crow, Au Sable, Indian, Mason,
Tomahawk, and other creeks, water this county. They generally run on a
bed of sand or lime rock, and have but little alluvial bottom lands.
Deficient in timber, but has an abundance of rich, undulating prairie,
beautiful groves, abundant water privileges, and extensive coal banks.
LAWRENCE.--The Wabash east, Fox river west, and Embarras and
Raccoon through it. An equal proportion of timber and prairie, some
excellent, other parts inferior,--and some bad, miry swamps, called
"_purgatories_."
MACON.--South-east portion, watered by the Kaskaskia and
tributaries; the middle and northern portions by the North Fork of
Sangamon, and the north-western part by Salt creek. The prairies large,
and in their interior, level and wet,--towards the timber, dry,
undulating and rich.
MADISON.--The Mississippi lies west; Cahokia and Silver creeks,
and Wood river, run through it. A part of this county lies in the
American bottom, and is a rich and level alluvion; but much of the
county is high, undulating, and proportionably divided into timber and
prairie. Well supplied with stone quarries and coal banks.
MACOUPEN.--The Macoupen creek and branches water its central
and western parts, the Cahokia the south-eastern, and the heads of Wood
river and Piasau, the south-western parts. A large proportion of the
county is excellent soil, well proportioned into timber and prairie, and
slightly undulating.
MARION.--Watered by the East Fork, and Crooked creek,
tributaries of Kaskaskia river, on its western, and heads of Skillet
Fork of Little Wabash on its eastern side. Much of the land of second
quality, slightly undulating, about one third timbered,--some of the
prairie land level, and inclined to be wet.
MCDONOUGH.--Crooked creek and its branches water most of the
county. The eastern side, for 8 or 10 miles in width, is prairie,--the
western and middle parts suitably divided between prairie and forest
land; surface, moderately undulating; soil, very rich.
MCLEAN.--One third of the eastern, and a portion of the
northern side, is one vast prairie. The timber is beautifully arranged
in groves; the surface moderately undulating, and the soil dry and rich.
The head waters of the Sangamon, Mackinau, and the Vermillion of the
Illinois, are in this county. Its minerals are quarries of lime and
sandstone, and granite bowlders, scattered over the prairies.
MERCER.--Has the Mississippi on the west, and Pope and Edwards
rivers interior, along which are fine tracts of timber; in its middle
and eastern parts are extensive prairies; surface, generally undulating;
soil, rich.
MONROE.--Watered by Horse, Prairie de Long, and Fountain
creeks. The American bottom adjacent to the Mississippi is rich
alluvion, and divided into timber and prairie. On the bluffs are ravines
and sink-holes, with broken land. Further interior is a mixture of
timber and prairie. Abundance of limestone, coal, and some copper.
MONTGOMERY.--Watered by Shoal creek and branches, and Hurricane
Fork. Surface, high and undulating, and proportionably divided into
timber and prairie. Soil, second rate.
MORGAN.--A first rate county,--well proportioned into prairie
and forest lands,--much of the surface undulating; watered by the
Illinois river and Mauvaise-terre, Indian, Plum, Walnut, and Sandy
creeks, and heads of Apple creek. Coal, lime and freestone.
PEORIA.--Watered by the Illinois, Kickapoo, Copperas,
Senatchwine, and heads of Spoon river. Surface, moderately rolling, rich
soil, and proportionately divided into prairie and forest.
PERRY.--Streams; Big Beaucoup, and Little Muddy; one third
prairie, tolerably level, and second rate soil.
PIKE.--Besides Mississippi and Illinois, which wash two sides,
it has the Suycartee slough, running through its western border, and
navigable for steamboats, and a number of smaller creeks. The land and
surface various,--much of it excellent undulating soil,--some rich
alluvion, inundated at high water,--large tracts of table land, high,
rolling, and rich, with due proportion of timber and prairie. A large
salt spring.
POPE.--With the Ohio river east and south, it has Big Bay,
Lusk's, and Big creeks interior. A timbered region, tolerably level,
except at the bluffs, with good sandy soil, and sand and limestone.
PUTNAM.--The Illinois runs through it,--Spoon river waters its
north-western part, and Bureau, Crow, Sandy, and some other streams,
water its middle portions. Here are beautiful groves of timber, and
rich, undulating and dry prairies, fine springs, and good mill sites.
Lime, sand and freestone, and bituminous coal. A few tracts of wet
prairie, with some ponds and swamps, are in the north-western part.
RANDOLPH.--Has the Mississippi along the western side;
Kaskaskia river passes diagonally through it; soil, of every quality,
from first rate to indifferent; surface, equally as various, with rocky
precipices at the termination of the alluvial bottoms.
ROCK ISLAND.--Is at the mouth of Rock river, which, with the
Mississippi, and some minor streams, drain the county. Rich alluvion
along the Mississippi, with much excellent table land,--both timber and
prairie interior. Some wet, level prairie, south of Rock river.
SANGAMON.--Watered by Sangamon river and its numerous branches.
Much of the soil is of the richest quality, with due proportions of
timber and prairie, moderately undulating, and a first rate county.
SCHUYLER.--The south-eastern side has the Illinois, the
interior has Crooked and Crane creeks, and the south-west has McKee's
creek. Along the Illinois is much timber, with some inundated bottom
lands. Interior, there is a due proportion of prairie and timber and
rich soil, with an undulating surface.
SHELBY.--Is watered by the Kaskaskia and tributaries; has a
large amount of excellent land, both timber and prairie, with good soil,
moderately undulating.
ST. CLAIR.--The streams are Cahokia, Prairie du Pont, Ogle's,
Silver, Richland, and Prairie de Long creeks, and Kaskaskia river. The
land is various, much of which is good, first and second rate, and
proportionably divided into timber, prairie, and barrens. The minerals
are lime and sandstone, and extensive beds of coal, and shale.
TAZEWELL.--Watered by the Illinois, Mackinau, and their
tributaries. Much of the surface is undulating, soil rich; prairie
predominates, but considerable timber, with some broken land about the
bluffs of Mackinau, and some sand ridges and swamps in the southern part
of the county.
UNION.--Watered by the Mississippi, Clear creek, the heads of
Cash, and some of the small tributaries of the Big Muddy. Much of the
surface is rolling and hilly,--all forest land. Soil, second and third
rate. Some rich alluvial bottom.
VERMILLION.--Is watered by Big and Little Vermillion of the
Wabash, with large bodies of excellent timber along the streams, and
rich prairies interior. Surface, undulating and dry; soil, deep, rich,
and calcareous.
WABASH.--Has Wabash river on the east, Bon Pas on the west, and
some small creeks central; surface rolling, and a mixture of timber and
prairie; soil, generally second rate. Minerals; lime and sandstone.
WARREN.--Besides the Mississippi, its principal stream is
Henderson river, which passes through it, with Ellison, Honey, and Camp
creeks. Much of the land on these streams is rich, undulating, deficient
somewhat in timber, with excellent prairie. Along the Mississippi, and
about the mouth of Henderson, the land is inundated in high water.
WASHINGTON.--Has the Kaskaskia on its north-western side, with
Elkhorn, Little Muddy, Beaucoup, and Little Crooked creeks interior. The
prairies are rather level, and in places inclined to be wet; the timber,
especially along the Kaskaskia, heavy.
WAYNE.--The Little Wabash, with its tributaries, Elm river, and
Skillet Fork, are its streams. It is proportionably interspersed with
prairie and woodland, generally of second quality.
WHITE.--The eastern side washed by the Big Wabash, along which
is a low, inundated bottom; the interior is watered by the Little
Wabash and its tributaries. Some prairie, but mostly timber. Soil and
surface various. Some rich bottom prairies, with sandy soil.
TOWNS.
Vandalia is the seat of government till 1840, after which it is to be
removed to Alton, according to a vote of the people in 1834, unless they
should otherwise direct. It is situated on the right bank of the
Kaskaskia river, in N. lat. 39 deg. 0' 42", and 58 miles in a direct
line, a little north of east from Alton. The public buildings are
temporary. Population, about 750.
_Alton._ Two towns of this name are distinguished as Alton, and Upper
Alton. Alton is an incorporated town, situated on the bank of the
Mississippi, two and a half miles above the mouth of the Missouri, and
at the place where the curve of the Mississippi penetrates the furthest
into Illinois, 18 miles below the mouth of the Illinois river. For
situation, commerce, business of all kinds, health, and rapidity of
growth, it far exceeds any other town on the east bank of the
Mississippi, above New Orleans. The population is about 2000. The
commercial business done here is already immense, and extends through
more than half of Illinois, besides a large trade on the western side of
the Mississippi. Five large mercantile establishments do wholesale
business only, four do wholesale and retail, besides four wholesale and
retail groceries, and fifteen or twenty retail stores and groceries;
and yet many more mercantile houses are necessary for the business of
the country. Great facilities for business of almost every description,
especially for every kind of mechanics, are to be had here. It offers
one of the best situations on the western waters for building and
repairing steamboats. Town lots and lands adjacent have risen in value
from 500 to 1000 per cent. within the last twelve months.
Alton has respectable and well finished houses of worship for the
Presbyterian, Methodist Protestant, and Baptist denominations; two good
schools, a Lyceum, that holds weekly meetings, and two printing-offices.
The population in general, is a moral, industrious, enterprising class.
Few towns in the West have equalled this in contributions for public and
benevolent objects, in proportion to age and population.
Arrangements have been made for doing an extensive business in the
slaughtering and packing of pork and beef. Four houses are engaged in
that line, and have slaughtered about 25,000 hogs the present season.
Many buildings will be erected the approaching season, amongst which
will be an extensive hotel, which is much needed. The town is situated
at the base, side, and top, of the first bluffs that extend to the
river, above the mouth of the Kaskaskia. Adjacent to it, and which will
eventually become amalgamated, is Middletown, laid off directly in the
rear.
_Upper Alton_ is from two and a half to three miles back from the river,
and in the rear of Lower Alton, on elevated ground, and in every respect
a very healthy situation. It has exceeding 120 families, and is rapidly
improving. Adjacent to it, and forming now a part of the town plat, is
"_Shurtleff College, of Alton, Illinois_," which bids fair to become an
important and flourishing institution. Also "_Alton Theological
Seminary_," which has commenced operations. Both these institutions have
been gotten up under the influence and patronage of the Baptist
denomination. A female seminary of a high order, under the name of the
"_Alton Female Institute_," has been chartered, and a building is about
to be erected for the purpose. The Baptists, Methodists and
Presbyterians have congregations here, and two houses of worship are to
be built the present year.
_Chicago_ is the largest commercial town in Illinois. It is situated at
the junction of North and South branches, and along the main Chicago,
near its entrance into lake Michigan, on a level prairie, but elevated
above the highest floods. A recent communication from a respectable
mercantile house, gives the following statistics: "Fifty-one stores, 30
groceries, 10 taverns, 12 physicians, 21 attorneys, and 4,000
inhabitants. We have four churches, and two more building, one bank, a
Marine and Fire Insurance company about to go into operation, and a
brick hotel, containing 90 apartments.
There were 9 arrivals and departures of steamboats in 1835, and 267 of
brigs and schooners, containing 5,015 tons of merchandise and 9,400
barrels of salt, besides lumber, provisions, &c.
The harbor now constructing by the U. S. government, will be so far
completed in 1836, as to admit vessels and steamboats navigating the
lakes. A few miles back of Chicago are extensive tracts of wet prairie.
_Galena_ is the seat of justice for Jo Daviess county, situated on Fever
river, in the midst of the mining district. It has about 20 stores, a
dozen groceries, and about 1,000 inhabitants.
_Springfield_ is near the geographical centre of the State, and in the
midst of a most fertile region of country. It is a flourishing inland
town, and contains about 2,000 inhabitants. _Jacksonville_, the county
seat of Morgan county, has about the same population, and is equally
delightful and flourishing.
One mile west, on a most beautiful eminence, stands "_Illinois
College_," founded under the auspices of the Presbyterian denomination,
and bids fair to become a flourishing seat of learning.
I have not room to name, much less describe, the many growing towns and
villages in this State, that excite and deserve the attention of
emigrants. On the Illinois river are Ottawa, and several eligible sites
in its vicinity, where towns have commenced; Beardstown, a short
distance below the mouth of Sangamon river, Peoria, at the foot of
Peoria lake, (a most beautiful site, and containing 1,000 inhabitants,)
Meredosia, Naples, Pekin, Hennepin, &c. On the Mississippi, are Quincy,
Warsaw, New Boston, and Stephenson, the seat of justice for Rock Island
county. Interior, are Bloomington, Decatur, Tremont, Shelbyville,
Hillsboro', Edwardsville, Carlyle, Belleville, Carrollton, and many
others. Towards the Wabash, are Danville, Paris, Lawrenceville, Carmi,
and Mount Carmel, the last of which has an importance from being
connected with the grand rapids of the Wabash. Shawneetown is the
commercial depot for the south-eastern part of the State. On the
Military Tract are Rushville, Pittsfield, Griggsville, Carthage, Macomb,
Monmouth, Knoxville, Lewistown, Canton, &c., all pleasant sites, and
having a population from two or three hundred to one thousand
inhabitants.
For a more particular description of each county, town, and settlement,
with all other particulars of Illinois, the reader is referred to "A
GAZETTEER OF ILLINOIS," by the author of this GUIDE.
_Projected Improvements._--The project of uniting the waters of lake
Michigan and the Illinois, by a canal, was conceived soon after the
commencement of the Grand canal of New York, and a Board of
commissioners, with engineers, explored the route and estimated the
cost, in 1823. Provision, by a grant of each alternate section of land
within five miles of the route, having been granted by Congress,
another Board of commissioners was appointed in 1829, a new survey was
made, and the towns of Chicago and Ottawa laid off, and some lots sold
in 1830. Various movements have since been made, but nothing effectually
done, until the recent special session of the legislature, when an act
was passed to authorize the Governor to borrow funds upon the faith of
the State; a new Board of commissioners has been organized, and this
great work is about to be prosecuted with vigor to its completion.
Funds, in part, have been provided, from the sales of certain saline
lands belonging to the State, to improve the navigation of the Great
Wabash, at the Grand Rapids, near the mouth of White river, in
conjunction with the State of Indiana. From the same source, funds are
to be applied to the clearing out of several navigable water-courses,
and repairing roads, within the State.
Charters have been granted to several rail-road companies, some of which
have been surveyed and the stock taken. One from Alton to Springfield
was surveyed last year, and the stock subscribed in December. Another
from St. Louis, by the coal mines of St. Clair county, to Belleville, 13
miles, is expected to be made immediately. The project of a central
railway from the termination of the Illinois and Michigan canal, at the
foot of the rapids, a few miles below Ottawa,--through Bloomington,
Decatur, Shelbyville, Vandalia, and on to the mouth of the Ohio river,
has been entered upon with spirit. Another charter contemplates the
continuance of a route, already provided for in Indiana, and noticed
under Ohio, from La Fayette, Ia. by Danville, Shelbyville and
Hillsboro,' to Alton, the nearest point from the east to the
Mississippi. A rail-road charter was granted at a previous session of
the legislature from Meredosia to Jacksonville, and another from
Vincennes to Chicago.
We have only room to mention the following charters, which have been
recently granted, in addition to those already specified:
One from Pekin to Tremont, in Tazewell county, 9 miles.
One from the Wabash, by Peoria to Warsaw, in Hancock county.
The Wabash and Mississippi rail-road company.
The Mount Carmel and Alton rail-road company.
The Rushville rail-road company.
The Winchester, Lynville, and Jacksonville rail-road company.
The Shawneetown and Alton rail-road company.
The Pekin, Bloomington, and Wabash rail-road company.
The Waverly and Grand Prairie rail-road company.
The Galena and Chicago Union rail-road company.
The Wabash and Mississippi Union rail-road company.
The Mississippi, Carrollton and Springfield rail-road company.
The _National Road_ is in progress through this State, and considerable
has been made on that portion which lies between Vandalia and the
boundary of Indiana. This road enters Illinois at the north-east corner
of Clark county, and passes diagonally through Coles and Effingham
counties in a south-westerly course to Vandalia, a distance of 90 miles.
The road is established 80 feet wide, the central part 30 feet wide,
raised above standing water, and not to exceed three degrees from a
level. The base of all the abutments of bridges must be equal in
thickness to one third of the height of the abutment.
The road is not yet placed in a travelling condition. The line of the
road is nearly direct, the loss in 90 miles being only the 88th part of
one per cent. Between Vandalia and Ewington, for 23 miles, it does not
deviate in the least from a direct line.
From Vandalia westward, the road is not yet located, but it will
probably pass to Alton.
_Education._--The same provision has been made for this as other Western
States, in the disposal of the public lands. The section numbered
sixteen in each township of land, is sold upon petition of the people
within the township, and the avails constitute a permanent fund, the
interest of which is annually applied towards the expenses, in part, of
the education of those who attend school, living within the township.
A school system, in part, has been arranged by the legislature. The
peculiar and unequal division of the country into timber and prairie
lands, and the inequality of settlements consequent thereupon, will
prevent, for many years to come, the organization of school districts
with _defined geographical boundaries_. To meet this inconvenience, the
legislature has provided that any number of persons can elect three
trustees, employ a teacher in any mode they choose, and receive their
proportion of the avails of the school funds. _In all cases, however,
the teacher must keep a daily account of each scholar who attends
school, and make out a schedule of the aggregate that each scholar
attends, every six months_, and present it, certified by the trustees of
the school, to the school commissioner of the county, who apportions the
money accordingly.
This State receives three per cent. on all the net avails of public
lands sold in this State, which, with the avails of two townships sold,
makes a respectable and rapidly increasing fund, the interest only of
which can be expended, and that only to the payment of instructers.
Good common school teachers, both male and female, are greatly needed,
and will meet with ready employ, and liberal wages. Here is a most
delightful and inviting field for Christian activity. Common school,
with Sunday school instruction, calls for thousands of teachers in the
West.
Several respectable academies, are in operation, and the wants and
feelings of the community call for many more. Besides the colleges at
Jacksonville and Alton already noticed, others are projected, and
several have been chartered. The Methodist denomination have a building
erected, and a preparatory school commenced, at Lebanon, St. Clair
county. The Episcopalians are about establishing a college at
Springfield. One or more will be demanded in the northern and eastern
portions of the State; and it may be calculated that, in a very brief
period, the State of Illinois will furnish facilities for a useful and
general education, equal to those in any part of the country.
_Government._--The Constitution of Illinois was formed by a convention
held at Kaskaskia, in August, 1818. It provides for the distribution of
the powers of government into three distinct departments,--the
legislative, executive, and judiciary. The legislative authority is
vested in a general assembly, consisting of a senate and house of
representatives. Elections are held biennially, as are the ordinary
sessions of the legislature. Senators are elected for four years.
The executive power is vested in the governor, who is chosen every
fourth year, by the electors for representatives; but the same person is
ineligible for the next succeeding four years. The lieutenant governor
is also chosen every four years.
The judicial power is vested in a supreme court, and such inferior
courts as the general assembly from time to time shall establish. The
supreme court consists of a chief justice and three associate judges.
The governor and judges of the supreme court constitute a council of
revision, to which all bills that have passed the assembly must be
submitted. If objected to by the council of revision, the same may
become a law by the vote of a majority of all the members elected to
both houses.
The right of suffrage is universal. All white male inhabitants, citizens
of the United States, twenty-one years of age, and who have resided
within the State six months next preceding the elections, enjoy the
right of voting. Votes are given _viva voce_. The introduction of
slavery is prohibited. The Constitution can only be altered by a
convention.
GENERAL REMARKS.
1. Farms somewhat improved, are almost daily exchanging owners, and a
considerable spirit of enterprise has been awakened within a year or two
past. The prices of farms and improvements vary greatly, and are
influenced much by factitious and local circumstances. From St. Clair
county northward, they average probably from five to ten dollars per
acre, and are rising in value. In some counties, farms will cost from 2
to 5 dollars per acre. A _farm_ in Illinois, however, means a tract of
land, much of it in a state of nature, with some cheap, and, frequently,
log buildings, with 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100 acres, fenced and cultivated.
Good dwellings of brick, stone, or wood, begin to be erected. Amongst
the older residents, there have been but few barns made. The want of
adequate supplies of lumber, and of mechanics, renders good buildings
more expensive than in the new countries of New England or New York.
2. Merchant's goods, groceries, household furniture, and almost every
necessary and comfort in house-keeping, can be purchased here; and many
articles retail at about the same prices as in the Atlantic States.
3. The following table will exhibit the cost of 320 acres of land, at
Congress price, and preparing 160 acres for cultivation or prairie land:
Cost of 320 acres at $1,25 per acre, $400
Breaking up 160 acres prairie, $2 per acre, 320
Fencing it into four fields with a Kentucky
fence of eight rails high, with cross stakes, 175
Add cost of cabins, corn cribs, stable, &c. 250
-----
Making the cost of the farm, $1145
In many instances, a single crop of wheat will pay for the land, for
fencing, breaking up, cultivating, harvesting, threshing, and taking to
market.
4. All kinds of mechanical labor, especially those in the building line,
are in great demand; and workmen, even very coarse and common workmen,
get almost any price they ask. Journeymen mechanics get $2 per day. A
carpenter or brick mason wants no other capital, to do first rate
business, and soon become independent, than a set of tools, and habits
of industry, sobriety, economy and enterprise.
5. Common laborers on the farm obtain from $12 to $15 per month,
including board. Any young man, with industrious habits, can begin here
without a dollar, and in a very few years become a substantial farmer. A
good cradler in the harvest field will earn from $1,50 to $2 per day.
6. Much that we have stated in reference to Illinois, will equally apply
to Missouri, or any other Western State. Many general principles have
been laid down, and particular facts exhibited, with respect to the
general description of the State, soil, timber, kinds of land, and other
characteristics, under Illinois, and, to save repetition, are omitted
elsewhere.
FOOTNOTES:
[11] Beck.