First permanent settlement by French at Kaskaskia, 1682; organized as a
Territory, 1809; admitted as a State, 1818.
Area, 56,650 square miles; greatest length, 385 miles; greatest breadth,
218 miles; highest land, 1,150 feet. Number of counties, 102. Has 4,000
miles navigable streams. Temperature at Chicago: winter, 25deg to 37deg;
Summer, 68deg to 73deg. At Cairo: winter, 35deg to 54deg; summer, 76deg to
80deg. Rainfall at Peoria, 35 inches.
Kaskaskia, first capital, which was removed to Vandalia, 1818; and to
Springfield, 1836. Chicago, "Garden City of the West;" pop., 503,185.
Peoria ranks second; pop., 29,259. Quincy, third; pop., 27,268.
Springfield, capital; pop., 19,743.
Number of farms, 255,741, of which 175,497 are occupied by owners. Value
per acre, cleared land, $33.03; woodland, $23.68; 8,151,463 acres in corn,
1884, producing 244,544,000 bu.; wheat, 2,790,900 acres, producing
32,374,000 bu.; oats, 2,990,983 acres, producing 98,153,000 bu.
Salaries of State Officers.
Governor $6,000
Sec'y of State 3,500
Treasurer 3,500
Auditor 3,500
Attorney Gen. 3,500
Chief Justice 5,000
Senators, } $5 pr. day,
Representatives } mileage 10c. & $50
2 Dist. Judges 4,000, 3,500
Pension Agent 4,000
8 Colls. Int. Rev. 2,125 to 4,500
Col. of Customs 7,000
Auditor 2,200
Appraiser 3,000
Examiner 2,000
[Illustration]
Presidential P. O.
Aurora $2,500
Bloomington 2,900
Cairo 2,400
Chicago 6,000
Decatur 2,700
Elgin 3,200
Freeport 2,600
Galesburgh 2,600
Jacksonville 2,500
Joliet 2,600
Moline 2,500
Ottawa 2,400
Peoria 3,200
Quincy 3,000
Rockford 3,000
Rock Island 2,500
Springfield 2,800
173 Offices 2,400 to 1,000
First recorded coal mine in America located near Ottawa, 1669. Coal area,
over three-fourths of entire State; estimated to contain one-seventh of all
known coal in North America; product, 1882, 9,000,000 tons.
Superior quality limestone on Fox and Desplaines rivers; lead most
important mineral; Galena in centre of richest diggings of the Northwest.
Rich salt wells in Saline and Gallatin counties, 75 gallons brine making 50
pounds salt.
Ranks first in corn, wheat, oats, meat packing, lumber traffic, malt and
distilled liquors and miles railway; second in rye, coal, agricultural
implements, soap and hogs; fourth in hay, potatoes, iron and steel, mules,
milch cows and other cattle.
Population, 3,077,871: male, 1,586,523; female, 1,491,348; native,
2,494,295; foreign, 583,576; white, 3,031,151; colored, 46,368; Chinese,
209; Japanese, 3; Indians, 140.
State, congressional and presidential elections, Tuesday after first Monday
in November; number Senators, 51; Representatives, 153; sessions biennial,
in odd-numbered years, meeting first Monday in January; limit of session,
none; term of Senators, 4 years; Representatives, 2 years. Number electoral
votes, 22; number voters, 796,847; convicts are excluded from voting.
School system excellent; number colleges, 28: school age, 6-21.