UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGM ILLINOIS HISTORICAL SURVEY ,y X'lBRAFLY OF THE 9T7.3S*r luiHotssmoMmsmff ^^HENOA Published by CHENOA CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE Chenoa, Illinois 1954 Printed by RECORD PRINTING COMPA.W Fairbury, Illinois THE PRAIRIE By Alice M. (Finley) Morrow Chenoa Poet Oh, the beauty of the prairies! Through primeval ages long, Waving plain and wood-bound river, Vibrant with the voice of song. Wilderness of bud and bloom, -i The solitudes in gladness smiled. Wrapped in mists or bathed in sunshine, -c Haunt of nature's children wild. X Oh, the anguish of the prairies'. « When their virgin breasts were seamed. Torn and trampled all their treasures. Where the shining plowshare gleamed; As the sturdy, plodding oxen. Or the equine's agile strength. At the brawny settler's bidding Turned the furrows stubborn length. Oh, the gladness of the prairies! When the loilWig seed upsprang. Yielding increase, bounteous, golden! And loud songs of harvest rang Where the pioneer's rude cabin, Pledge of swiftly changing scene. Guarded orchard, purple vineyard. Broadening field, and meadow green. Oh, the beauty of the prairies, Now, when science hand in hand With Agricola, goes toiling To and fro throughout the lands Plains with milk and honey flowing; Corn and wine that all may share; Can the jeiveled mines of Kimber, i "^ With our prairie lands compare! % "i* THANKS No undertaking such as the writing of the Centennial History of Chenoa could be accomplished single handed. Many, many willing Chenoa people have had a part in writing our book. It would be impossible to list them all, but we do thank you for your ready assistance. It may be inaccurate in some spots, but the facts are printed as we read them in histories, old newspapers and as friends gave them to us. Time and space will not allow us to tell you more. DEDICATION We dedicate this book to our pioneer fathers and mothers who braved the hardships of an open prairie and paved the way for an easier life for gener- ations who follow them. THE KICKAPOO INDIANS The Kickapoo Indians were a friendly tribe who roamed the prairie around Chenoa. They were very intimate with the Pottawottamies who had headquar- ters near LeRoy, but sometimes went over as far as Rooks Creek. They fished and hunted toegther at Chenoa and vicinity. In 1828 the Kickapoos had their camping grounds near Indian Grove in Livingston County. The Kickapoos were converted to Christianity and under the influence of a remarkable Indian chief named Ka-an-a-kuck, whose religion is still the religion of the Kickapoo tribe. A portrait of this religious Indian leader hangs on the north wall of the McLean County Historical Society in the McBarnes Memorial Building In Bloomlngton, Illinois. There is also a picture on the same wall of Machina, who preceded Ka-an- a-kuck. Ka-an-a-kuck is the son-in-law of Machina. Indian trails in the Chenoa vicinity were very distinct in 1845. Some of them were eight inches deep and fifteen inches in width. Some trails served as dividing lines between tribes. The Kickapoos were a typical American Indian with a copper complexion, black, straight hair and keen black eyes. The women of the tribe were more attractive in personal appearance than the average squaw in spite of the fact that upon them devolved all the drudgery of domestic life. They cultivated the land—after a rude fashion. They raised corn, beans and potatoes while the men devoted them- selves to fishing and hunting. The squaws were expected to dress all game. In 1830 this tribe numbered 630 souls, counting men, women and children. Their leader was converted to Christianity prior to 1831. In 1832 a Methodist preacher named William Walker of Ottawa, Illinois, visited the Kickapoo tribe and established a mission. Soon they began to have great respect for the Sabbath. At whatever dis- tance they were away from home they managed to get home to attend service on Sunday. Their prayer books consisted of walnut boards on which were carved Christian ideals. At the top of the board was a picture of a wigwam. These boards were uniform in size and were held very sacred. No Indian retired at night with- out first consulting his board. Each Sabbath they had a public dinner of which the whole Community partook. In the center of the ground on which their reli- gious meeting was held a fire was kindled and over this the camp kettles were hung in line over the fire. The men were gathered on one side of the line and the women on the other side of the line of kettles. The children stood at one end and at the opposite end stood the preacher. Two men stood near the children to see that perfect order was preserved. No congregation, even in the days of our Pilgrim fathers, was more religious than these newly Christianized Kickapoos. The minister preached while the dinner was cooked. When the service was over the kettles were removed from the fire and the dinner was served into wooden bowls or long wooden plates using wooden ladels or wooden spoons. The dinner consisted of venison, coon, oppossum, turtle and fish cooked with corn, beans, and potatoes, all boiled together. These Indians remained around this locality until September, 1832, when they were removed by the government to lands west of the city of St. Louis. They finally stopped to camp in Kansas. When Matthew T. Scott arrived on the prairie there were no Indians camp- ing here. Evidences of them were found in the timber north of town. Eli Myer, who came here in 1850 and settled near the timber north of town, said he saw barked trees and traces of broken down wigwams that were made from tree bark. Flint was also found near there as well as arrowheads that have been found in various places around Chenoa. Therefore, Chenoa pioneers never experienced In- dian raids as did many other pioneers in other localities. Page Nine INTRODUCTION From the day the Red man left our vicinity and the White man arrived on the prairie, this place has shown a steady progress for better living. Matthew T. Scott had great visions of what could be done with this untamed animals, raw prairie. He saw in it not only nature's beauty of flowers, grass and it was un- but also its possibilities for agricultural development. To the pioneer in pre- inviting at first sight for he foresaw the hardships and hard labor involved paring the soil for cultivation. The top soil is a rich, thick, black fertile soil and is very productive compared to some other soils in McLean County. The depth of the top soil adds greatly to its value. Underneath this is a subsoil of packed clay which holds moisture that allows surplus water to soak into the porous clay which will later soak up into the top soil when the season happens to be too dry. Chenoa has rarely ever had a complete crop failure since the land has been drained. Records show that in the years 1872 to 1876 there was too much rainfall. So much rain fell during those years that farmers could not out. So they raised sheep, hogs, cattle and sow grain ; if they did it was drowned poultry in order to have something to sell. Some raised flax which the women could use to spin into cloth to be used for clothing. A spinning wheel was found in in most every home. The wool they had was made into yarn which they used knitting. Women also molded their own candles and made lye soap. The men butchered their animals and salted the meat down. If they needed supplies they either walked or rode horseback long distances to town. Twice a year they hitched up the ox team to a wagon and purchased much in large quantities, such as a barrel of salt, several hundred pounds of sugar if it could be had, a bolt of muslin and several yards of calico. They purchased high top shoes and boots for the fam- ily without ever trying them on the person who was to wear them. The sewing machine was not in use until after the Civil War, so all sewing was done by hand. In 1880 women wore hoop skirts. The hoops were made of willow tree twigs. Many of the women of those days avoided being tanned by the sun so they wore sun get sun bonnets for it was the fashion to look pale and delicate. In case they did tan on their faces, some have been known to try to bleach their skin by applying lemon juice. Every woman wore long hair. In those days people dressed warmer in summer and winter than we do in our day. They saw colder winters and had less protection from the elements. The drinking water was a problem for them. Many died from malaria or typhoid fever. Not all drinking water from wells was safe, so many housewives kept a stone jar of boiled water for drinking water. Rich is the person who lives around Chenoa as living conditions have im- proved and roads are nearly always open to travel. We can say with the Psalmist: "Our lives have fallen in pleasant places. Yea, we have a goodly heritage." Psalms 16.6 MATTHEW THOMPSON SCOTT Matthew Thompson Scott was born February 24, 1828, in Lexington, Kentucky, of Colonial Scotch-Irish stock. His mother, who died when he was five years old, was the aunt of Mrs.