1882 History
Chapter 1 - Introduction
MONTGOMERY COUNTY — INTRODUCTORY — DESCRIPTION AND GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY — THE VARIETIES OF TIMBER — GEOLOGICAL FEATURES — LIMESTONE AND SANDSTONE — COAL MEASURES — QUALITY OF THE COAL — QUARRIES OF BUILDING STONES — OBSERVATIONS — CLIMATOLOGY — THE CHANGES OF SEASONS — NOW, AND FIFTY YEARS AGO.
By W. H. Perrin
"When rust shall eat her brass, when Time's strong hand
Shall bruise to dust her marble palaces,
Triumphant arches, pillars, obelisks;
When Julius' temple. Claudius' aqueducts,
Agrippa's baths, and Pompey's theater;
Nay. Rome itself shall not be found at all,
Historians' books shall live."
THE annals of time are marked by various ages under different
denominations. The ancients had their fabled ages of iron and of gold. To
the downfall of the Roman Empire succeeded the Dark Ages, with their dismal
concomitants of superstition and crime. Next came the age of the Revival of
Letters, which was followed by that of the Reformation of Religion. Great
men have also stamped their names on ages, as their likenesses have been
perpetuated by statues and medals. Egypt had her age of Sesostris, Greece of
Pericles, and Rome of Caesar, Pompey and Cicero. Britain boasts of her age
of Alfred the Great, and France that of Henry the Fourth. History will yet
speak of the age of Washington, Franklin and Jefferson, and that of Napoleon
will also be commemorated. In splendor, usefulness, the wonders of science,
and the power of art, the present age far surpasses all that have preceded
it, and may lie fitly denominated the age of improvement. Instead of the
monk laboring to ameliorate the condition of man by the dreams of his dusky
and secluded closet, the real philosopher now walks abroad in open day,
looks at things around him as they are, consults nature as his oracle,
receives her responses as pure emanations from the fountain of truth, and
employs them successfully for the benefit of his race.
In the wonderful changes which the present age has witnessed, the period of
vision and hypothesis has gone by. Fact has assumed the place of abstract
theory, and practice has ejected speculation from her seat. All this and
much more has been accomplished, but we will not follow up the subject. In
nothing are the changes of the present age more strikingly illustrated than
in the wonderful improvement and advancement of our country, and especially
the great West. But a few decades ago, and this country was the home of the
red man and his kindred; these broad prairies his hunting-grounds, where he
chased the buffalo and deer. Less than a century has passed; the Indian of
the haughty bearing and the falcon glance has disappeared, and Cooper's
"Last of the Mohicans" preserves in romance a story of the race. From a
wilderness, infested with savages and wild beasts, the country has been
reclaimed, and transformed into an Eden of loveliness, unsurpassed in glory
and beauty, notwithstanding the poet has sung of
" … a clime more delightful than this;
The land of the orange, the myrtle and vine."
The history which attaches to every portion of our county increases in
interest as time rolls on. Its wonderful development and advancement are
more like magic tales than actual occurrences, and its vast resources the
wonder of all nations. No section but has its traditions and memories; no
spot, however small, but is more or less historical. Montgomery County,
which forms the subject matter of the pages following, bears no mean part in
the history or the importance of the State of Illinois, as she bears no
inconsiderable part in the history of our common country.
Topography. — The county of Montgomery, as formed at present, is bounded on
the north by Sangamon and Christian Counties, on the east by Christian,
Shelby and Fayette, on the south by Fayette, Bond and Madison, on the west
by Macoupin, and has an area of 702 square miles. Of its topography, timber
growth, prairies and general surface features, the following has been
published, which we give entire for the benefit of our readers: "On Ramsey
Creek, the hills are low and the country gently undulating; near Nokomis
there are several mounds, with long, gentle depressions between, stretching
off into rich plains. Westwardly, across the country, through Townships 10,
11 and 12 north, the country is for the most part rather flat. Near the East
Fork of Shoal Creek, the hills are generally low, becoming higher as we
descend the stream; in the south part of Township 8 north, they are forty to
fifty feet high. On Shoal Creek and Middle Fork, the hills are forty to
fifty feet high, and rise by long, gentle ascents. On the West Fork of Shoal
Creek the country is generally broken for a few miles from the stream, and
the hills sixty to seventy feet high; near Lake Fork, the hills are not very
high. In the south half of the county, between the main streams, there are
occasional mounds, often a mile or more across their base, and about fifty
feet above the adjacent plain, with which they are connected by a long
descent.
"A little less than two-thirds of the area of this county is probably
prairie. The northern part is mostly prairie; the southern has a large
proportion of timber. Near Hurricane Creek, there are post oak flats,
changing to large white- oak hills near the creek. At the edge of the
prairie, the growth is mostly laurel oak, sumac, hazel, plum, etc. Near
Ramsey Creek, the upland growth consists of white-oak, black oak, post-oak,
laurel oak, hazel and sassafras. The East Fork hills have mostly pin oak,
black oak and post-oak, changing near the prairie to laurel oak, black-oak
and hazel. Shoal Creek hills have mostly white-oak, black-oak, sassafras and
hickory, often extending to the prairies. Near Hillsboro, the growth is
principally black-oak, with some white-oak, hickory, sassafras and hazel.
Near Walshville and Lake Fork, the country is gently undulating, with a
growth principally of plum, black walnut, honey -locust, wild-cherry and
grapevines. Wild vines loaded with grapes are observed nearly everywhere in
the woods, proving the soil to be naturally well adapted to the grape.
Post-oak flats occur near West Fork, as far as Township 10 north. Sugar
trees are occasionally found along the Middle and West Forks, and some
extensive groves are found on the bottoms of main Shoal Creek.
"The following comprises a list of such trees and shrubs as were observed
occurring in this county: Crabapple, ash, prickly ash, red birch, buckeye,
box-elder, button bush, bittersweet, blackberry, coralberry, chokecherry,
common cherry, coffee tree, cornus (two species); Cottonwood, Clematis
Virginiana; elder, grape (four or five species), gooseberry, black haw,
hackberry, honey-locust, hop tree; hazel, shellbark and thick shellbark
hickory, pignut hickory, black hickory and common hickory, iron-wood,
linden, white maple, sugar tree, red mulberry, papaw, persimmon, plum;
black, red, white, post, laurel, pin, chestnut, black-jack, burr and swamp
whiteoak; red and American elm, red-bud, raspberry, rose, red-root, poison
oak, sassafras, service berry, sarsaparilla, sumac, trumpet creeper,
Virginia creeper, willow (several species), and black and white walnut."
Geology. — The geological formations of a country are the most important
part of its history. By the science of geology, the history of the earth is
traced back through successive ages to its rudimental condition. It is not
inappropriate then to introduce the history of this county with a brief
sketch of its geological structure, as compiled from the official survey of
the State. A familiarity with the subject should be of interest to all
citizens, for we are told by men of science that upon the "geological
structure of a country depend the pursuits of its inhabitants and the genius
of its civilization. That agriculture is the outgrowth of a fertile soil;
mining results from mineral resources," etc., etc. Hence, for the benefit of
our readers, a few pages will be devoted to the geology of Montgomery
County, as reported in the geological survey. "Along the various streams,"
says this authority," are occasional exposures of sand and pebbles, with
some beds of brownish-yellow clay. Five miles northeast of Litchfield
forty-five feet of drift is exposed, the lower part a compact bed of dark
clay, with some sand and pebbles. The following description is given of the
various clays passed through in well-digging in the vicinity of Hillsboro:
First, soil; second, yellow clay or hardpan; at twenty-four feet, reached a
three-foot bed of sand, then soft, moist clay. Seventy-five yards from this,
another well was dug, showing in the upper part brownish-yellow clay at
twenty feet, and at thirty-eight feet was a two-foot bed of sand, and, at
forty-two feet, specimens of wood.
"On the head-waters of the Ramsey, there are many springs slightly
chalybeate, and some containing sulphate of iron, issuing from beds of
drift, sand and pebbles. There is certainly evidence that at some former
period of time the whole surface of the county was fifty to seventy-five
feet higher than at present; that since the original drift deposition (it
may have been just at the close of the drift period), large masses of these
deposits were washed off, leaving occasional mound-like elevations, several
of which may be seen near Nokomis, a few between the East and West Forks,
and the hills between Hillsboro and Butler.
"The upper coal measures appear in part in this county, and underly all the
superficial deposits, and include coal beds No. 11 and No. 13, and a trace
of No. 12, and embrace 150 feet of rock, reaching from the base of No. 33 to
No. 20 of the upper coal measure section. Nos. 20 and 21, in Section 12,
Township 10 north, Range 1 west, there crops out along the creek eight feet
of sandy shale and blue limestone; close by is an outcrop of brown, shaly,
soft limestone, containing Hemipronites crassus and crinoid stems;
Machrocheilus and Spirifer cameratus were also found. The exact thickness
between 21 and 22 is unknown; the outcrops are ten miles apart, with no
evidence of a continuous easterly dip, but it is probable that twenty-five
or even fifty feet may intevene.
"Northeast of Irving on East Fork, and downstream for a mile, there are
occasional outcrops of an ash-blue hard shelly limestone, abounding in a
large variety of Productus Prattenianus. It also contains P. costatus, P.
punctatus, P. Nebrascensis, Spirifer cameratus, Aviculopecten carboniferous,
Chonetes, Verneuiliana, Ch. Flemingii, and a branching coral. A quarter of a
mile up stream, the limestone appears in a regular layer, stretching across
the bed of a small branch. Three miles upstream, many fossils were
collected, weathered out of the shale beds in a fine state of preservation,
including beautiful specimens of Pleurotomaria, sphoerulata, P. tabulata,
Orthoceras, Macrocheilus paludinaformis, and one like the M. primigenius,
but with body, whorl and spire more elongated; Goniatites globulosus,
Bellerophon carbonarius, Leda bella-striata, Nucula ventricosa, Astartella
vera, Conularia, Leda Oweni, Euomphalus, subnigosus and Polyphemopsis
peracuta. These shales contain round and oblong clay and ironstone
concretions. In Section 28, Township 10 north, Range 3 west, a few fossils
were obtained, indicating the presence of the same beds as those last named.
The upper blue limestone, named above, undulates along East Fork for about
eight miles, which is regarded as equivalent to No. 22 of general section.
Near Section 36, Township 8 north, Range 3 west, on the East Fork of Shoal
Creek, there crops out eight feet of sandy shale and sandstone. On West
Fork, at the bridge on the Hillsboro and Walshville road, there is a bluff
of thirty-five feet of bluish-gray sandy shales with a thin bed showing
markings resembling those of Fucoides catida galli, and containing one
Bellerophon. East of Litchfield, at the creek bluffs, is seen thirty feet of
sandy shale, and below that ten feet of thick-bedded sandstone, resting on
limestone. Four miles upstream, this sandstone is quite ferruginous at the
base, and contain many remains of plants, Calamities, Sigilaroe, etc. One
mile farther up stream, there were observed forty-eight feet of darkish
micaceous sandy shale. On Five-Mile Creek, in Section 26, Township 10 north,
Range 5 west, there are twelve feet of sandy shales, with a thin bed of
partially carbonized wood, containing a fossil fern. A quarter of a mile up
the creek, there is an exposure of sixteen feet of this olive-drab clay
shales, with ironstone nodules. These shales are evidently continuations of
the same beds, and make the total thickness of No. 26 not less than
eighty-five feet. The best exposures of Nos. 27 to 33 inclusive are on Lake
Fork and at Litchfield. The section on Lake Fork, at the Bond County line,
near McCracken's, coal, is as follows:
Drift slope ~ 20 feet 0 inches
No. 27 — Lead blue limestone, with crinoid stems, and Athyris subtilita ~ 2
feet 0 inches
No.28— Coal ~ 0feet 2 inches
No. 29— Blue clay shales ~ 10 feet 0 inches
No. 30 — Shale and shaly limestone abounding in fossils, but many are much
crushed including Spirifer cameratus, Productus punctatus, P. Nehrascensis,
Spiriferinn Kentuckensis, Hemipronites crassus Productus, Prattenianus,
Athyris subtilita Terebratula bovidens, Myalina subquadrata, a Macrocheilus,
a Pleurotomaria, and one in fish tooth ~ 4 feet 0 inches
No. 31 — Ash-gray limestone; in the lower part there is from one to one and
a half feet of dark ash-colorcd limestone, often traversed by fine lines of
calcspar; fossils not abundant contains Productus longispinus ~ 13 feet 0
inches
Bituminous shale ~ 4 feet 0 inches
No. 33— Coal No. 11 ~ 1 foot 5 inches
"Part of No. 27 appears two and one-half miles northwest in the bed of the
creek, containing Spirifer cameratus, Fistulipora, Productus costatus, P.
Nehrascensis, P. Prattenianus and Myalina subquadrata. The fossils here have
a well preserved and nacreous appearance. One and a half miles southwest of
Bethel, part of No. 31 crops out along the creek; the upper portion is an
even bedded bluish-gray sub-crystalline limestone; but below it is more
irregularly bedded. Productus longispinus abounds, associated with
Ariculopecten carboniferus. Four miles northeast of Litchfield, the upper
part of No. 31 is a thick bedded brownish-gray limestone, abounding in
Rhynchonella Uta.
Coal — "On J. Wilson's land, Section 7, Township 8 north. Range 2 west, coal
No. 13 (No. 24 of upper coal measures section) has been mined; that used was
from near the outcrop, and does not appear very favorable; the quality and
thickness might improve by thorough opening. The same coal has also been
taken out on the land of John L. Newsman, in Section 28, Township 10 north,
Range 3 west, some eighteen inches thick, but could not be thoroughly
examined on account of the overlying debris. On the land of Mr. McCracken,
near the south county line (probably in Bond County) Coal 13 is seventeen
inches thick. Occurring as it does below the bed of the creek, it can only
be reached at low water, and even then the labor of one man is required most
of the time to keep the pit sufficiently dry for two others to work; but
with this trouble it will repay very well to work for neighborhood purposes.
The same bed has also been worked at Ross' old mill, on Shoal Creek, at the
south county line, and may also be reached just below the surface of the
water on Shoal Creek above Long bridge. At the limestone quarries on the
creek near Butler, it may be reached at about ten to fourteen feet beneath
the bed of the creek; also about four feet beneath the darker colored
limestone at the base of Michael Cleary's quarry east of Litchfield.
Building Rock. — "On East Fork, about Section 26, Township 8 north, Range 3
west, there is a tolerably good bed of hard bluish limestone. On Rocky
Branch, east of Litchfield, there are extensive quarries of pretty good
limestone; the beds are rather irregular, but the rock is very extensively
used for ordinary stone work, and makes very good lime. North of the
railroad on the West Fork, there are several outcrops of a brown and gray
limestone in three-foot beds. The same rock is also found four miles farther
up stream. At the latter place, part of it presents a beautiful bluish-gray
variegated appearance. This limestone possesses much durability, and being
in a thick even bed, may become in time very useful for large columns. It is
believed to be equivalent to that used in the construction of the old State
House at Springfield. West of Butler, there are good quarries of limestone
for lime, and it is also much used in the neighborhood for ordinary building
purposes."
The foregoing presents a pretty good digest of the geology of Montgomery
County, and its wealth of coal measures, building rocks, etc., and will be
found of interest to land -owners at least.
The climate of Montgomery County, in common with Southern and Central
Illinois, is variable. No one who has lived here long needs to be told this;
it very soon becomes an established fact in his own personal experience. Of
the temperature, climate, and the various changes of Southern Illinois
weather generally, Foster's Physical Geography has the following: "The
melting snows of winter, generally attended by rains, convert the rich soil
of the prairies into mud, and render early spring the most unpleasant part
of the year. The heat of summer, although more intense than in the same
latitude on the Atlantic, is greatly relieved by the constant breezes which
fan the prairies. Autumn, with its slowly diminishing heat, terminates in
the serene and beautiful season known as Indian Summer. Its mild and uniform
temperature, soft and hazy atmosphere, and forests beautifully tinted with
the hues of dying foliage, all conspire to render it the pleasant part of
the year. Next comes the boreal blasts of winter, with its social firesides,
and tinkling bells in the mystic light of the moon, as merry sleighs skim
over the level snow-clad prairies. The winter has its sudden change of
temperature, causing colds and other diseases arising from extreme
vicissitudes of weather. This is the most unfavorable feature of the
climate, which in other respects, is salubrious." These sudden changes seem
to increase both in number and in extremes, a fact doubtless attributable to
natural causes — the settling-up and cultivation of the country. It is very
common to hear old citizens who have lived in the State forty or fifty
years, tell how different the seasons are now and when they first came here.
There is more or less snow or rain, the seasons are less favorable for
farming, the springs more backward, etc., etc., just as their fancy happens
to get the start of them.
The following extract from an article in the old Illinois Gazetteer,
published in 1834, would indicate that there had been considerable
atmospherical changes within the last half-century: "There are a great
proportion of clear, pleasant days throughout the year. Dr. Beck, who
resided at St. Louis during the year 1820, made observations upon the
changes of the weather, and produced the following results: 'Clear days,
245; cloudy, including all the variable days, 110.' The results of my own
observations, kept for twelve years, with the exception of 1826, and with
some irregularity from traveling into different parts of Illinois during the
time, do not vary in any material degree from the above statement." Taking
the present year of grace (1882) as a sample of cool, cloudy, disagreeable
weather, it presents a striking contrast to the observations of Dr. Beck
quoted above, and proves conclusively that changes are taking place in the
climate and seasons.
Extracted 28 Jan 2020 by Norma Hass from History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, published in 1882, pages 173-178.
