CHAPTER XVII

EARLY THOROUGHFARES- -FIRST ROAD LAID OUT BY PEORIA AUTHORITIES-FERRIES AND BRIDGES DIXON'S FERRY-THE ILLINOIS RIVER-PRIMITIVE STEAMBOATING PEORIA AN IMPORTANT RAILROAD CENTER-ILLINOIS TRACTION SYSTEM.

It is highly probable that at the time of the building of Fort Clark there was not a white man's dwelling within many miles of it and the only roads, if such they may be called, were Indian trails. However, the public surveys of Tazewell county, made in 1823, show a thoroughfare marked "Road to Fort Clark," which on the map indicated that the road run along the township line between Groveland and Fond du Lac, at the head of a ravine through which meanders Cole creek. This was the original course of the road running from Peoria to Springfield, and it might be taken for granted, there was a road, as described above, from Fort Clark to the lower settlements anterior to the birth of either Peoria or Springfield, and was used by the soldiers of the fort. If such is the case, then this was the first road connecting the future Peoria with the outer world. A history of Illinois was published by Rufus Blanchard in 1883 and the map it contained shows a trail styled the "Fort Clark and Wabash Trace," running from Fort Clark to Terre Haute. Historian Blanchard says: "It was a well traveled road from the settlements of southern Ohio and Indiana to Fort Clark in an early day." This was, in all probability, the road marked on the Tazewell surveys. This survey also shows a road called "Kellogg's Trail from Peoria to Galena, 1825," on practically the route chosen for the Galena state road, afterwards laid out by way of Princeton. Of this Mr. Blanchard says: "This trail shows the first overland route from Peoria to Galena. It was made by Mr. Kellogg, an old pioneer settler, in 1825, and subsequently became a well known route." Another road, as shown by the map, was laid out or in existence in 1822, and was designated as a mail route from Peoria, by way of Lewistown to Rushville, and diverging from the latter place to Quincy, Pittsfield and Jackson

ville.

The first road laid out by the authorities of Peoria county was that for which, at the June session (1825) of the county commissioners' court, Norman Hyde and Alexander McNaughton had been appointed viewers, with authority to locate. This road led from the ferry landing opposite the hamlet of Peoria to the "Old Crossing" on Sugar creek, near Robert Musick's where the remains of a bridge were found. As this road trended south, it is presumed the old Fort Clark road crossed the creek at this point. Two years after the laying out of this road by the county, the legislature, on the 12th day of February, 1827, made it a state road, and it became the stage and mail route between Peoria and Springfield. In the act of creating the state road Springfield, Musick's on Salt creek, Thomas Dillon's and Peoria were mentioned as being on its line.

On January 23, 1826, an act of the legislature was passed providing for a state road leading from Peoria to Danville, the county seat of Vermilion county, and thence to the state line. Abner Eads, Samuel Fulton and Dan W. Beckwith were named in the act as viewers to locate the road. These men performed their duty and were assisted by Orlin Gilbert and James Barnes, chain carriers, and William Rowan, who blazed the trees marking the line of direction. A special

act passed by the legislature in 1831, five years later, by which they received pay for their labors, was secured.

At the January (1826) session of the county commissioners' court, viewers were appointed to locate a road leading from Peoria to a point at the northern boundary of the county and also for a road leading from Peoria to as equally an indefinite point at its southern boundary. These roads were subsequently ordered to be opened a sufficient width for the passage of teams. At this same term viewers were appointed to locate a road from Peoria, passing the "Trading Post"-later Wesley City-and the house of Isaac Perkins, to intersect the Springfield road at or near Prairie creek.

The first road laid out leading in the direction of Chicago was provided for by the commissioners' court, when, at its September (1826) session, John Barker, George Harland and Samuel Fulton, viewers appointed to locate a road from Peoria to the eastern boundary of the county, made their report and the road was established. Later, in 1833, the legislature appointed Lewis Bigelow, of Peoria county, John M. Gay, of Putnam county, James B. Campbell, of La Salle county, and James Walker, of Cook county, viewers to locate a road from Peoria to the mouth of Fox river (South Ottawa) and thence to Chicago. That part of the road mentioned to run "from Peoria to the mouth of the Fox river," was substantially the one located by the viewers appointed by the county commissioners at their June session of 1826. It went by way of Metamora (Hanover), Magnolia, Union Grove, Ottawa and thence to Chicago. It will have been seen by the reader that by this time, the year 1833, Peoria had secured the state roads of great importance to the settlement-one to Springfield and the south, one to Danville and the east-which became the main thoroughfare for immigration, and thẻ other, to Chicago and the great lakes.

The lead mines at Galena early attracted that class of settlers who were short of ready money, and they sought the wages paid there with which many of them subsequently bought land here and in other settlements. A thoroughfare to Galena, therefore, became a matter for the consideration of those in authority and consequently, at the September term of the commissioners' court Isaac Waters, Norman Hyde and John Ray were appointed viewers to locate a road to "the lead mines." At the March term, 1828, the order was modified so as to read, towards the lead mines as far as the jurisdiction of the court extended. From this beginning the famous Galena road came into existence and the legislature, on the 18th day of January, 1833, declared it to be a state road. It commenced at the public square and followed the line of Adams street to the limits of the city, thence by the river road to a point near Mossville, thence on a line north through Northampton, Windsor (now Tiskilwa), Princeton, Dixon's ferry, thence northwesterly to the west line of Stephenson county, where it intersected the Chicago and Galena road and from there on to Galena. From this time on roads were laid out when needed, but it was several years before another state road was established in the county.

FERRIES AND BRIDGES

The first ferry in Peoria is supposed to have been located at the foot of the bridge, but when and by whom remains in the dark. It was there in 1821, when Ossian Ross came to the mouth of the Spoon river and learned of this ferry and the only other one on the river, which was at Beardstown. He at once saw the virtue of another ferry, as the two then doing business were ninety miles apart. He, therefore, established a third one at what is now Havana and prospered, his enterprise yielding him, so history has it, an annual income of $2,000 for many years. McCulloch, in his history of the county, relates that "James Eads, son of William Eads, says his uncle, Abner Eads, established the first ferry at Peoria."

The legislature in 1827 passed an act requiring all ferry keepers charging toll

to procure a license from the county commissioners' court before commencing operations and by the same legislative measure the court was vested with authority to grant such licenses, fix the toll rates and license fee and sit upon complaints against keepers not observing the law governing their vocation. By the same act ferry keepers were required to have good boats and equipment, to run their boats from daylight until dark, and, upon call, to carry passengers at any hour of the night and charge double for the service if they so desired. And it seems that passes for public servants were in vogue even at that early day, for the act also stipulated that public messengers and expresses, and jurymen while on their way to court, should be carried free of charge.

The custom had been heretofore upon the granting of a ferry license to fix the rates of toll. For example, John L. Bogardus had been authorized to make certain charges at his ferry and those licensed after him were allowed to fix the same rates. However, at the June term, 1826, the county commissioners' court fixed the tolls to be charged on all ferries crossing the Illinois river as follows:

One-horse wagon

For four-wheeled carriage drawn by two oxen or horses.

For cart with two oxen

For every head neat cattle, horses or mules..

For each hog, sheep or goat

For every hundred weight of goods, wares and merchandise.
For each bushel of grain or articles sold by the bushel...
All other articles in equal and just proportion.

It was further ordered by the court that the Bogardus ferry might collect double rates when the river should be out of its banks and prevent a landing at the first material bend in the (Farm) creek from the ferry.

At the December, 1829, term of the county commissioners' court George Miller and James Scott were licensed to keep a ferry at Hennepin, and at the June term William See, a Methodist minister, was authorized to keep a ferry on the Calumet river, at the head of Lake Michigan. In July, 1830, the list of ferries given below paid licenses as follows:

Other ferry licenses were granted from time to time to Jesse Egman, September 30, 1830, at Kingston; Thompson and Wright, December, 1830, at Au Sable; Abner Eads, January, 1831, at foot of Liberty street, near the ravine. In March, 1832, the license of Matthews & Chandler, at the Narrows, was revoked and one granted to Vincent Barton, father of W. C. H. Barton, for whom the village of Bartonville was given its name. The ferry in a year or two thereafter passed into the control of Charles Ballance. In 1832 a license to keep a ferry at a point opposite the extinct village of Allentown, between Rome and Chillicothe, was granted Samuel Allen.

With the advent of bridges the ferries soon went into a state of "innocuous