m'T:ORY Jt,Jt A^r : HISTORY OF CHICAGO. HISTORICAL AND COMMERCIAL STATISTICS, SKETCHES, Facts and Figures, REPUBLISHED PROM THE 'DAIU DEMOCRATIC PRESS." What I Remember of Early Chicago; a lecture, Deliveked in McCormick's Hall, Januaey 23, 1876, ( Tribune, January 24th,) By T^ILLI^IM BROSS, Ex-Lieut. Governor of Illinois. CHICAGO JajSTSEN, McClurg & Co., Booksellers, Publishbes, etc. 1876. - 1?.-> ? Entered accordiug to Act of Congress, in the year 1876, By JANSEN, McCLUEG & CO., In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. Note. —The cuts now inserted (August, 1882) were not in the copies issued in 1876. They represent buildings now standing, some of which have since then been com- pleted. Errata.—Page 30. Mrs. Calhoun states, it was Saturday, July 12th, not "11th," when the Schooner Illinois arrived, the first vessel that ever entered the harbor. Page 31. Read, middle paragraph, 1835, instead of " 1833." LLY &. CO., rUINTKBS, CHICAGO. E. M. CWMW AU:M0R!AL Lll5i<AKY LOYOLA UNIVERSITY RAND, MCNALLT & CO.'S PRINTING AND PUBLISHING HOUSE, 148, 150, 152 AND 154 Moneoe Stkeet. Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in 2010 with funding from CARLI: Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois http://www.archive.org/details/historyofchicagoOObros INTRODUCTORY The records from which I prepared the " History of Chicago " for the Democratic Press, in the wiuter of 1854, were all burned in our great fire of 1871. Though at first sight this history may not seem to be of much importance, it may interest somebody "a hundred years hence" to read what was recorded by our earliest settlers. They may like also to see the names of our pioneers, who in spite of every discouragement made their homes in Chicago. For several years the Democratic Press published its anmially an exhaustive review of our railway system and progress ; also of the Commerce of the city, and other matters tending to illustrate its growth and future prospects. From those which I prepared myself I have made a few extracts, simply to show facts as they then existed. The^ brief addresses are inserted for the same purpose. In that at Des Moines,, Jan. 22, 1873, will be found a short description of the proposed Georgian Bay Canal. I believe I have the only complete file of the paper in which these articles were published ; the others having been destroyed by the fire of 1871. This is another reason for republishing them ; and, besides,, as I said in my recent lecture, " I recognize the duty of placing on record —as myself and others doubtless have often been urged to do—what I know personally of the history of Chicago. Though this may require a too frequent use of the personal pronoun, if each citizen would do it, Chicago would have what no other city has—a history from its earliest times by its living inhabitants." Need I make any further apology for any appa- rent egotism that may appear in the following pages ? W. B. Chicago, March, 1876. CONTENTS FASE Address at Montreal—Opening of the Grand Trunk Railway 74 Canadian Water Routes—Address, etc 88 Commercial Statistics, 1852 5 Commercial and Railway Statistics, 1853 8 Commercial and Railway Statistics, 1857 77 Commercial Statistics, 1875 _ 108 Commercial Crises 113 Georgian Bay Canal 66, 104 Grain—Greatest Primary Port in the World, 1854 59 Great Fire of 1871 91 Interview of New York Tribune 94 Chicago's Needs—Address before New York Chamber of Commerce 99 Growth of the West, (Address) OS History of Chicago, 1854 11 Yankee Clock Peddler 13 Illinois and Michigan Canal 13, 33 Massacre of Chicago 15 Black Hawk War 19 P. F. W. Peck 23 Sumptuary—Price of Whisky, etc 24 Taxes in 1832 27 First election, 1833 28 Indian Treaty 30 Census of 1837 32 First "Loafer" 35 Historical and Commercial Statistics, 1853 36 Real Estate... 37 Churches 39 Banks 41 Labor 42 Water Works, Improvements, etc .48—57 Manifest Destiny 57 History of Chicago—Address Jan. 23, 1876 115 Mayors of Chicago 126 Population of Chicago 126 Railways, etc. , 1855 63 Railways, etc., 1856... ...'. 71 Ray, Dr. Chas.H... 83 Scripps, John Locke 81 Topography of Chicago, etc. 60 Transportation, cheap—Address at Des Moines, 1873 102 Trade of Chicago—Its Extent, etc., 1875 -- 109 What I Remember of Early Chicago, 1876 115 Chicago in 1846 115 Traveling in 1848 116 Building Stone 117 Water Supply 119 Johns. Wright 121 Democratic Press i 123 Old Citizens, eic 124 TRIBUNE BUILDING. HISTORY OF CHICAGO, 18 5 2. The past has been a year of unexampled esting statistics on this subject, which, prosperity, and our city has shared largely although not as full as could be wished, in the general progress of the country. In are yet highly satisfactory in the absence no former year has so much been done to of more definite statements. Through the place its business upon a permanent basis, politeness of T. Hoyne, Esq., we have and extend its commerce. By the exten- been placed in possession of a memorial sion of the Galena Railroad to Rockford, to Congress, prayiug for an appropriation we have drawn to this city the trade of for the improvement of the Chicago har- portions of Wisconsin, Iowa and Minne- bor, embodying statistics from 1836 to 1842, markets inclusive. We also find in the Repoit of sota, that hitherto sought other ; and when our roads reach the Father of the late Judge Thomas, made in compliance Waters, as two of them will within the with a resolution of the River and Harbor present year, we may expect an avalanche Convention, which assembled in this city of business, for which we fear all our in 1847, the fullest collection of the com- wholesale houses will not be prepared. mercial statistics of Chicago from 1836 up The opening of the Rock Island Rail- to 1848, that, we presume, is extant. From road, Oct 18th to Joliet, Jan. 5th to Mor- these three sources we compile the fol'ow- ris, Feb. 14th to Ottawa, and to La Salle ing facts, which will be read with interest March 10th, has brought customers during by every one identified with the prosperity the winter from a different direction, and of our city. made an unusually " lively winter " for Up to the year 1836, provisions, for do- our business men. The extension of this mestic consumption, were imported along and other roads must tend to add to our with articles of merchandise; and indeed, activity and permanent prosperity in an many articles of necessary food continued increasing ratio. to be brought in for several years later. In In order that the files of the Democratic 1836 there were exported from the port of Press may be perfect as a source for fu- Chicago, articles of produce of the value ture reference, we avail ourselves of the of $1,000.64. We have felt a great curi- labors of one of its editors while connected osity to know what articles constituted with another paper, and republish a state- this first year's business, but have sought ment prepared by him, of the business of in vain for any other record save that which the city prior to the 3''ear 1851. gives the value. The next year, the ex- The press of the city, previous to the ports had" increased to $11,065 ; in 1838 year 1849, neglected to publish connected they reached the sum of $16,044.75. In statements of the business of the city 1839 they more than doubled the year pre- ; but we are nevertheless not without some vious, while in 1840 they had increased to recorded facts of the past, which will serve what was then doubtless regarded as the to show how rapid has been the growth of very large sum of $328,635.74! This was Chicago, how great the increase of her progressing in a ratio very seldom equalled commerce. In some of the earliest "Di- in the history of cities, and must have rectories," we find collected various inter- caused no little exhilaration among the HISTORY OF CHICAGO. business men of Chicago, as well as ad- Grounds for the depot were leased a short vanced the views of fortunate holders of distance below Twelfth street, on the lake water and corner lots. shore. The buildings are temporary, as We are informed in Judge Thomas' Re- it is intended to establish the depot for this port, that a " small lot of beef was shipped road and the Illinois Central, between the from Chicago as early as 1833, and was foot of Randolph street and the south pier. followed each successive year by a small Hence no permanent buildings have been consignment of this article, and also of put up where the depot now stands, and pork." Some idea of the extent of the no very considerable addition has been first consignment may be formed from the made to the city in that vicinity. fact that three years after, the total exports In the summer seasbn, both these lines of the place were valued at $1,000.64. It furnish a direct steam communication with was truly a small beginning, and gave but the cities on the seaboard. About the 1st slight promise of the great extent to which, of January last, all the railroad lines along as the sequel will show, this branch of the south shore of Lake Erie were com- business has grown. The same authority pleted, and these, with the Erie Railroad informs us that the first shipment of wheat and the Michigan Southern, give us a di- from this port was made in the year 1839.