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This was the first prosecution for murder which occurred in Lake County. The object of the murder is supposed to have been robbery, as the deceased was known to have had with him a small sum of money, which was missing when his body was found.
The subject of more efficient measures for the support of the poor of the county in time became a matter of quite general discussion among the people. The propriety of purchasing a farm in some central portion of the county, for the retreat and support of the poor, was brought before the County Commissioners for consideration. The members of the Board at this time were: Michael C. McGuire, Alva Trowbridge and Charles Hall. At a special term of the County Commissioners' Court in October, 1847, a contract was entered into by the Commissioners in behalf of the county, with Alva Trowbridge, one of their number, for the purchase of his farm at Libertyville, containing about 190 acres, to be held for the retreat and support of the poor, for the sum of $2,025, including some articles of personal property, payable by installments, with interest on deferred payments.
This plan of support of the poor was found to be more expensive than had been anticipated. The purchase of the poor farm by the Commissioners from a party who was one of their own number became the subject of much criticism throughout the county, followed by a general demand from the people for a sale of the farm. An Act of the Legislature was therefore obtained at its session in 1851, submitting the question of each township supporting its own poor, and authorizing the county to dispose of the poor farm, which resulted in favor of township support. Whereupon, an order was made by the Board of Supervisors to dispose of the farm, with the exception of about 40 acres upon which the buildings were situated, which remains the property of the county, and is the present county poor farm.
To say that the conduct of the County Commisioners, in regard to the purchase of the poor farm, became a subject of much criticism, is perhaps stating the case in milder terms than the facts will justify. The conduct of Mr. Trowbridge was severely condemned, and the motives of Mr. McGuire were openly assailed as inspired by corruption.
In the Spring of 1849, commenced the gold mining excitement in California. Hundreds went from Lake County to try their fortunes in that far-off region; among the first of whom were George Allen Hibbard, Isaiah Marsh, George Ferguson, D. H. Sherman, William and James Steele, and Jacob Miller. Mr. Hibbard was a young man; he left in the fall of 1848, being the first adventurer in that direction from Lake County. He joined Col. Fremont's expedition at St. Louis, and perished in a snow storm in the Rocky Mountains.
In the Spring of 1848, the citizens of Waukegan commenced to agitate the subject of constructing a plank road from that place westward to McHenry. In December following, a company was organized and became incorporated, styled the "Lake and McHenry Plank Road Association," with authority to construct a turnpike or plank causeway from Waukegan to the east line of McHenry County, on the route of the Belvidere road. The first Directors were John Gage, John A. Tyrrell, and Elmsley Sunderlin.
This company proceeded and constructed about 15 miles of plank road on what is now the traveled road from Waukegan to McHenry. There were three toll-gates on the road: one near the present city limits of Waukegan, one at Gage's Corners, and one at Hainesville. The experiment proved a failure, and the road in a few years was abandoned. The tolls received were not sufficient to keep it in repair.
About the 1st of August, 1849, the publication of a newspaper was commenced at Waukegan, styled the Waukegan Free Democrat. John Henderson was publisher, and N. W. Fuller, editor. It continued about six months.
At the general election in November, 1849, the question of adopting township organization was submitted to a vote of the people. The vote was as follows: For township organization, 1692; against it, 3.
The election being in favor of township organization, Col. J. Moulton, Michael Dulanty and E. M. Haines were appointed Commissioners to divide the county into towns. A division was made in accordance with the Congressional Townships of the county, except fractional Township 46, Range 9, which was attached to the township on the east.
On the first Tuesday in April following (1850), the first town meeting was held in each township in the county, at which the first town officers were elected and the towns fully organized.
The first meeting of the Board of Supervisors was in special session, at the Court House, in Waukegan, April 22, 1850. The following were the members of the Board for the several towns: Harrison P. Nelson, from the town of Antioch; John Gage, Avon; Harrison L. Putnam, Benton; Philetus Beverly, Cuba; Caleb Cadwell, Deerfield; Stephen Bennett, Ela; Hurlbut Swan, Fremont; Chester Hamilton, Goodale; William Crane, Libertyville; John Reid, Newport; Michael C. McGuire, Shields; James Moore, Vernon; Peter Mills, Wauconda; H. Whitney, Warren; Jas. B. Gorton, Waukegan.
In October, 1850, Nathan C. Geer commenced the publication of the Waukegan Gazette, at Waukegan, which has been continued to the present time, without interruption.
In 1851, a movement was commenced by several leading citizens of the county for the formation of a society for the promotion and encouragement of the interests of agriculture. For this purpose a public meeting was called and held at the Court House in Waukegan, October 15, 1851. John Gage was chose Chairman, and Nathan C. Geer, Secretary. Whereupon it was resolved to organize a county agricultural society. A constitution was adopted, and the following persons enrolled as members: John Gage, Nathan C. Geer, R. H. French, John Easton, Hurlbut Swan, B. C. Drury, Thos. H. Payne, Wm. Easton, N. Vose, Geo. A. Drury, David Gilmore, H. P. Nelson, I. L. Clarke, D. C. Steele, M. Hoffman, I. R. Webb, S. P. Stratton, L. G. Schenck, Leonard Gage, Jonathan Drury, Moses Esty, N. B. Crocker, O. H. Risley, P. G. Moulton, E. D. Ferry, J. C. Bloom, Joseph Wells, I. H. Smith, Daniel Martin, E. W. Bull, John Robertson, Oran Ott, George Ela, Augustus Granger, Andrew Cook, Dr, J. H. Foster, Philoman Cadwell, J. H. Payne, Elisha Gridley, Levi Stafford, Edwin Cadwell, Sameul L. Wood, Alfred Wood, Sheldon Wood, J. S. Wheeler, T. D. Whitmore, Philip Blanchard, Dr. L. D. Gage, Charles Webb, Charles Haynes, James Whitmore, A. S. Kellogg, James Campbell, A. O. Swan, Asa Pratt, N. P. Dowst, S. M. Dowst, James Moore, J. H. Swan, Lyman Field, Wm. C. Howard, E. M. Haynes, Loyal Cadwell, R. T. White, H. M. Hutchinson, C. C. Parks, Philander Stewart, Melvin C. Hamilton, Chester Hamilton--in all 69 members.
On the same day, the members of the society proceeded and elected the following officers for the ensuing year: John Gage, President; H. P. Nelson, John Easton, Vice Presidents; Nathan C. Geer, Secretary; S. M. Dowst, Treasurer; Hurlbut Swan, Nelson Landon, Thos. H. Payne, Elisha Gridley, Philoman Cadwell, Executive Committee.
The first county fair held under the direction of the society was held in Waukegan, on Wednesday, September 22, 1852. The Treasurer's report shows the receipts and disbursements of the society for the first year to be as follows: Amount received for membership, $77.50; received for admission fees at the fair, $75; total receipts, $152.50. Expenses attending the fair, $66.59; amount paid for premiums, $28; other expenses, $63.50; total expenses, $158.09. The report of the Treasurer, in 1876, showed the receipts of the society for the year preceding to be $910; amount paid for premiums, $586.31. The officers for the present year--1877--are as follows: Edwin Wilson, President; Stebbins Ford, O. P. Putnam, Vice Presidents; S. I. Bradbury, Secretary; E. W. Parkhurst, Treasurer; E. P. Phillips, Wm. Ragan, Albert Kapple, George Gridley, C. B. Easton, Executive Committee.
In 1851, an act was passed to incorporate a company for constructing a railroad from Chicago to the State line in the direction of Milwaukee, by way of Waukegan.
A company was organized under this act in 1852, and commenced the work of building the road, the following summer, known as the Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad. It was completed to Milwaukee in 1854, and is now one of the lines of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, passing through the towns of Highland Park, Highwood, Lake Forest and Waukegan. Several other lines of railroad have since been projected through the county, but none have succeeded except a branch of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, passing through the town of Deerfield, and up the Aux Plaines River to the State line; except also a branch of the Chicago & Northwestern, called the Wisconsin Branch, which passes through the town of Cuba diagonally, in the southwestern corner of the county. This latter line of road, at the commencement of its construction, was called the Illinois & Wisconsin Railroad. The name was afterward changed to the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad. The company became re-organized under the management of Wm. B. Ogden, one of the principal stockholders, and the name was changed to the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. For some time thereafter it was the main line of that now extensive combination of railroad lines known as the Chicago & Northwestern Railway.
The construction of the line of railroad known as the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, before mentioned, was commenced in 1872, and completed so that trains commenced running in January, 1873. The stations on the line of this road in Lake County are as follows: Deerfield and Lancaster, in the township of Deerfield; Libertyville, in the township of that name; Warrenton and Gurnee, in the township of Warren; Wadsworth and Russell, in the township of Newport.
At all stations where agents are in charge, there are telegraph and express offices, usually operated by the station agents, and a large amount of general business is done.
The passenger business and freight traffic on this line of road, between Chicago and Milwaukee, has grown to quite large proportions, as will appear from the following statistics, taken from the report for the business done at the stations in Lake County name below, for the space of one year:
WADSWORTH STATION
Receipts for the year ending August 31, 1877:
For Freight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,450 96
For Tickets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,673 85
For Express. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425 10
________
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,549 91
Forwarded Freight, 2,155,280 lbs.
Charges on Express forwarded, $1,028.50.
DEERFIELD STATION
Receipts for the year ending August 31, 1877:
For Freight received . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,444 67
For Freight forwarded. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 66
For Tickets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,010 10
________
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,680 43
The total weight of freight for 1877 was 2,991,822 pounds.
The total of business for 1876 was $2,929.28;
Showing an increase for the year 1877 of $751.15
When it is remembered that these are new places--points which had no particular existence before the railroad was built--it must be acknowledged that the showing is excellent, and may be taken as a fair augury of what these stations and others along the line will be in the course of time. They are situated in the midst of as excellent a farming country as there is in the Northwest, and are surrounded by intelligent and enterprising communities.
In regard to the business of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway in Lake County, the following statement, complied from the best information that can be obtained, shows the passenger business from following stations for fiscal year ending May 31, 1877.
No.
Passengers Amount
Highland Park. . . . .21,518 $ 7,016 27
Lake Forest. . . . . .21,184 7,828 55
Rockland . . . . . . . 940 437 31
Waukegan . . . . . . .28,906 17,989 60
State Line . . . . . . 688 507 28
Ravinia. . . . . . . . 690 137 05
Highwood . . . . . . . 2,870 680 40
Glen Flora . . . . . . 60 28 55
Benton . . . . . . . . 215 92 00
The newspapers of Lake County, up to the present time, in addition to those already mentioned, all of which were published in Waukegan, are as follows: The Freeman's Advocate, by John Gentzel, which commenced in February, 1854, and continued about a year, when it was sold to S. I. Bradbury and E. S. Ingalls, who had about the same time also purchased the Lake County Chronicle. They combined these two papers together under the tile of the Chronicle and Advocate, which name was afterward changed to the Independent Democrat. The publication of this paper was suspended about the beginning of the year 1857.
In 1856, the publication of a paper was commenced, called the Nortwestern Orient, by J. C. Smith and Ira Porter, as editors, and J. N. Brundage, as publisher. This was succeeded by a paper called the Excelsior, by the same parties. This paper, after a time, was discontinued, and in January, 1859, the publication of a paper was commenced by Fuller & Bailey, entitled the Lake County Citizen. Mr. Fuller was the same person who was editor of the Porcupine, established, as has been stated, in 1845. The publication of this paper was continued for about a year, when it was suspended, and a paper was started by S. I. Bradbury, called the Lake County Democrat, which was continued until about the 1st of June, 1861, when it was suspended. Its publication was resumed by Mr. Bradbury, in 1866, under the title of the Lake County Patriot, the publication of which is still continued.
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