had not yet reached this point, and as Mr. Lenney drove over the country to Peoria, not a human being was seen, not a furrow had been struck, till he reached Washington in Tazewell County. The Pennsylvanian then thought he had got as far away from civilization as it was possible to get in this State.

In 1855, John Bush, Sr., built what was known as the "Bush House," near the Farmers' Store. It was used as a residence and boarding-house.

In 1856, Chenoa and the country around it began to fill up. Lenney took in a partner, George Bettinger, from Kentucky, who put in a stock of goods and remained in trade here nearly ten years. He was a lawyer by profession, and politically was tinctured with the prejudices common to his nativity, and returned to his native State during or soon after the war, and resumed his practice. He was a man of fine business and social qualities, and is kindly remembered by the older settlers.

The "National Hotel," the first public house in the city, was built in 1856 by John M. Bryant and his son-in-law, W. H. Levers, who came from Pennsylvania. The block upon which it was built cost $375. Even at that early day, the hotel business was quite active The only all-rail route for Peoria and points west of there to Springfield and St. Louis was by way of Chenoa, and the travel was considerable. This continued, practically, so far as Springfield was concerned, till several years after the close of the war.

Samuel Henry built a store about the same time, and R. C. Sallee, who, during nearly the whole of the life of this city, has been an active business man here, and whose fortune and life were thoroughly devoted to the best interests of the place, came here from Ohio and put up a store. All these were built west of the railroad. Mr. Sallee remained here, thoroughly identified with the growth of the town, until repeated fires swept away the accumulations of an active and successful life, when he removed to Missouri.

J. P. McKnight, from Ohio, built a store the following year, and John McMahan put up a house three blocks west of the "National," which stood until the terrible tornado of May 13, 1858, literally wiped it out of existence, scattering its material as it did that of many of the smaller houses. This storm of wind was the most severe ever known here, and is one of the "incidents" which will never fade from the memory of those who were then living here.

In 1857, Dr. Stevenson, the first practicing physician, built a drug store back of the "Bush House," fronting on the railroad. He was a good doctor, but his " eye to business seems to have been rather askew when he selected his location. Dr. R. W. McMahan studied medicine with him and practiced here for several years.

George Lounsbery built a blacksmith-shop in 1857, and, the following year, he, in company with Louis Ziegler, a young wagon-maker, recently from "fatherland," put up a wagon-shop, which act commenced the career of one of Chenoa's most enterprising citizens. Mr. Ziegler continued in the wagon-making business for some years, until driven out by fire. Not discouraged, he engaged in the milling business for a short time, when fire swept away his business and his property. He afterward purchased another mill, and that soon fell before the devouring element.

The first depot-building was built in 1857, on the Y, some distance north of the present one. It was a magnificent building, and, beyond comparison, larger and finer than any other such structure on the line of the railroad. It was built for hotel and depot,

having a larger hotel capacity than anything then in the county. It was occupied by Sam Emery, and finely furnished throughout. Whether it would ever have proved a paying investment to the company who built it, or to the landlord who occupied it, will never be known, as while they were preparing to partake of the first meal, a lighted fluid lamp. which was being filled by an employe, fell and the fluid ignited, and the fire, which, as a matter of course, followed, laid the fine building in ashes. Emery, soon after this, built the "Exchange Hotel," and ran it for about twelve years. He was a popular landlord and a valuable and enterprising citizen.

Squire Lenney not only built the first store but was the first Postmaster and expressman, first President of the Town Board, and was about the first man ever known to resign an office in these parts. He resigned the post office after holding it ten years, the latter part of which time Ira F. Phillips was deputy in charge. He was also the first School Director. This was previous to the era of injunctions, but, in attempting to raise the tax for school purposes, the Directors had made some trifling omission, and M. T. Scott enjoined the collection of the tax. The first man in town was equal to the emergency, and applied to the Legislature for a legalizing act, and, in the last hours of its session, it was granted, and the taxing went on.

Joseph Graham was one of the first to break and inclose a farm in the township. This was on Section 14.

Sickness, which is always incident to new settlements, did not spare this. In the summer of 1858, nine young children died within a few weeks, and nearly every house was in mourning. Among the first deaths in the new town was the little child of W. H. Levers, which necessitated the securing and setting apart of some suitable place for a cemetery. Mr. Scott, for the proprietors, had, on the laying out of the town, proposed to give a suitable ground for that purpose. When applied to he assented to a burial on the hill due north of the "National " hotel, and about half a mile away. For several years, burials were made there; but new light seemed to break in, and for some reason he revoked his permission and required the removal of all remains. It is said that some were never disinterred, and that the ground was actually plowed over, leaving nothing to mark the place of burial of such as remain.

The early settlers found in the lack of fuel a trial which caused them much trouble and anxiety. Coming from a place where wood was easily procured, before railroad communication had opened a supply of coal, they had to depend on the Rook's Creek timber, five miles away, for their supply. During the great snow blockade of the first winter, the railroad hands were kept so employed trying to keep communication open, that their families were sometimes destitute of fuel, and at one time, death by freezing was imminent. Peoria was soon able to send a sufficient supply of coal, however, and latterly the mines at La Salle, Fairbury, Streator and Bloomington have been depended on. Two organized efforts have been made to sink a coal shaft here. A company was formed by parties residing in Indiana, who, by boring, found coal at the depth of 268 feet from the surface. They commenced operations, and reached the distance of 160 feet, when quicksand was struck, and water came in so freely that digging was abandoned. This was at a point near the railroad, nearly half a mile west of the depot. The parties returned to Indiana, re-organized their company, and soon after made another attempt. This time the work was done close by, and just northwest of the depot, but with a like result. Water came in so freely that the work,

after repeated failures, had to be abandoned. The leading citizens encouraged these efforts by liberal contributions. That coal-mining will yet be successfully done here can not be doubted. John L. Marsh triumphed over similar difficulties at Fairbury, and Chenoa pluck will do it here.

TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION.

For some time after the station was made here, it was known by the railroad officials and by the traveling public under the name of "Peoria Junction." When Matthew T. Scott laid out the town, he named it Chenoa, an Indian name having a more or less remote significance in the original to some "dark and bloody" ground, which he, a Kentuckian by birth, education and tradition, treasured up as suitable, though it would be difficult to imagine what there was in the treeless, sunny prairie to run parallel with, or awaken associations of his "old Kentucky home."

On the adoption of township organization by the legal voters of the county, the voters of this township met, pursuant to given notice, in town-meeting, on the 6th day of April, 1858, to organize the town and set it afloat on the political waters. R. B. Mahan was chosen Moderator, and F. B. Beach, Clerk. The election then proceeded as regularly as though Chenoa was not going through an entirely new experience. J. B. Graham was elected the first Supervisor, and R. C. Sallee, the first Town Clerk. The record of the four principal township officers from that date is as follows:

J. P.

The names of persons who have served as Justices of the Peace are: McKnight, Abihail Hays, Louis Ziegler, W. A. Stark, Martin Shepherd, Joseph Evans, N. K. Haynes and J. B. Lenney. The Commissioners of Highways have been Noah Drake, Joel Hicks, Albert Riggs, J. P. McKnight, E. Mahan, George Hanks, David Sutton, J. W. Vanderbelt, Joel Hicks, W. A. Stark, N. B. McColm, Jonathan Waite, C. J. Gilispie, Samuel Murdy, James Brady, O. D. Castle, John McColm, John Morrow, Andrew Jackson, William Clauson, Joseph Evans, S. C. Hays, S. Casey, C. J. Gilispie.

From this list it will be seen who have exercised the controlling influence on the affairs of the township. For six successive years, "Pap" Sandhan has been Town Clerk, and for twelve, Collector of tribute. Squire Lenney has held almost every position as by right, he being the father of the town, while Joseph Menton, who is down in the books as one of the pioneers, does not seem to have turned his attention to political affairs; his name does not appear in any official list. McMahan, McKnight and McColm seem to have kept up the good name of Scottish progenitors in working for the public weal.

CITY ORGANIZATION.

The first movement for town organization was made July 7, 1864. Nine years had now elapsed since the "Farmers' Store" had been erected, and the people who had devoted their lives to this undertaking began to long for sidewalks, city police and other insignia of true civilization. At this date, a public meeting was called, and an election ordered for the 25th of July to vote for or against town organization. At that election, fourteen votes were cast for such organization. An election was held for five Trustees, one of which should be elected President by the five, at which 21 votes were cast. The canvass of the votes showed the following result : For D. Sharp, 9; R. C. Sallee, 17; J. B. Lenney, 19; F. Ohmit, 10; D. C. Mears, 11; W. M. Fales, 19; J. D. Moore, 15; I. F. Phillips, 2.

August 8, the first meeting of the Town Board was held, and elected J. B. Lenney, President; Thomas Sandhan, Clerk; Nathaniel Brown, Constable and Street Commissioner, and R. C. Rollins, Treasurer, and fixed the boundary of the town. The bounds included all of the original plats of Chenoa (Scott's) and of East Chenoa (Hamilton's), and all additions which had been platted and filed in the office of County Recorder, and all the "vacant land lying between the two' plats first named. This last was the "high wall" which Scott had erected between his and Hamilton's interests. The limits thus given embraced ninety-four blocks. In January, 1865, H. R. Benson was appointed Clerk and Attorney to the Board, at a salary of $100 per annum. Below is a record of town officers since elected:

August, 1865, N. A. Sanborn, President, R. C. Sallee, W. H. Levers, Robert Hanna, D. V. Harrison; August, 1866, N. A. Sanborn, President, D. Sharp, George Lounsbery, J. B. Lenney, W. M. Fales; August, 1867, N. A. Sanborn, President, R. C. Sallee, A. B. Seybolt, R. W. McMahan, W. M. Fales; August, 1868, N. A. Sanborn, President, R. C. Sallee, Nathaniel Brown, James Colter, J. D. Carpenter; August, 1869, Louis Ziegler, President, J. B. Lenney, N. A. Sanborn, E. D. Churchill, A. Work, Jesse Lynch, Clerk; August, 1870, L. Ziegler, President, J. O. Combs, Thomas Sandhan, Michael Dillon, R. J. Williams, H. R. Benson, Clerk; August, 1871, J. R. Snyder, President, S. E. Carmichael, W. A. Haynes, E. D. Churchill, W. M. Fales, Lynch, Clerk.

In 1868, the Legislature gave to Chenoa a new charter, that known commonly as "the Princeton charter." It was done very quietly, without the fact of the change being generally known. In those days of "special legislation," such things were possible, and, in fact, grew into quite common practice. For " ways that were dark," the Illinois Legislature in the olden time, under special legislation and "omnibus" practice, could discount any heathen of Chinese extraction ever seen this side of the Sierra Nevadas, or any other man. The "Princeton charter" forbade the granting of license

for the sale of liquors, not only in the town, but for a mile or two outside. This charter actually took effect on its passage, in the winter, and was not known to the voters until after the following August election. Under this charter, the town continued to act until after the passage of the general incorporation act.

August 5, 1872, an election was called to vote for or against organizing as a city. The whole number of votes cast was 169. For city organization, 150; against city organization, 18; for minority representation in the City Council, 89; against minority representation, 76. So both propositions were carried.

The first election under this organization was September 7, 1872. The following officers were elected: J. R. Snyder, Mayor; Aldermen. George Lounsbery, R. G. Jordon, E. D. Churchill, J. E. Wightman, W. M. Fales, A. M. Crosby; Clerk, C. H. Holbrook; Attorney, Thomas J. Hays; Treasurer, J. H. Work. These officers served until the regular time for election, April, 1873, when the following were elected: Mayor, C. S. Elder; Aldermen for two years, George Lounsbery, S. E. Carmichael, David Fitzgerald; for one year, R. G. Jordon, Henry Crab, J. E. Wightman; Clerk, Samuel Foss; Attorney, Jesse Lynch; Treasurer, J. H. Work; Police Magistrate, T. C. Carlisle.

In 1874, the minority representative plan was repealed, and the city was divided into three wards. The following were elected Aldermen for two years: First Ward, Horace La Bar; Second Ward, J. B. Bradford; Third Ward, J. E. Wightman; for one year, Isaac Carson; Attorney, Jesse Lynch; Clerk, O. D. Sanborn; Treasurer, Joseph Hicks.

In 1875, J. R. Snyder was elected Mayor; Aldermen, W. M. Fales, W. G. Abbott, E. D. Churchill; Clerk, C. S. Elder; Attorney, J. W. Seybolt; Treasurer, S. S. Chapman.

In 1876, R. C. Rollins, R. G. Jordon, J. E. Wightman, Aldermen; Clerk, W. E. Ketcham; Treasurer, A. Work; Attorney, J. Lynch.

1877, J. E. Wightman, Mayor; Aldermen, S. S. Chapman, G. T. Coonley, N. H. Pike; Clerk, W. E. Ketcham; Attorney, R. W. Lill; Treasurer, T. J. Banta. 1877, Aldermen, J. D. Rilea, R. G. Jordon, W. A. Miller.

The following official salaries are fully earned and regularly paid: Mayor, $25 per annum; Clerk, $35; Treasurer, $15; Attorney, $50; Aldermen, $1 per meeting, one meeting per month.

From the first, the official trust of the young city has been faithfully and economically managed. There is no city debt, no tax levied on assessment. License fee, $300. Salaries have been kept small; no expensive public improvements have been undertaken. The total expenditures for the last official year (which is a fair average) were $2,870.55. Nearly twelve miles of plank sidewalk are laid and kept in good repair.

The original town of Chenoa embraces 21 blocks west of the railroad; Scott's first Addition, 6 blocks, south and west of this. East Chenoa, 12 blocks in Section 1; Hamilton's 1st Addition, 9 blocks; his 2d Addition, 9 blocks, both north of this; W. H. Levers' 1st Addition, 9 blocks, and his 2d, 9 blocks, both in Section 12; Pearce's Addition, 6 blocks, and McMahan's 1st and 2d Additions, 13 blocks, both in Section 1.

The Postmasters have been J. B. Lenney, appointed in 1856; G. T. Coonley, in 1866; G. W. Bovard, in October, 1874; O. D. Sanborn, in February, 1875, re-appointed February 10, 1879.