St. Joseph and Danville

"Sixth day 25th [Saturday,
October 25, 1867] Rained a little last night, but not enough to lay the dust. Julia [horse] has been lame several days. Got some medicine of Martin Hutson & she seems a little better. Traveled slowly & fed 3 or 4 miles east of St. Joe, a little town on the West of Vermilion that, as some others have done, has sprung up since we passed 12 years ago. Night. Are camped in a beautiful grove 9 miles west of Danville. Felt rather lonesome till after dark. A family of movers drove up to our campfire and are now camping with us. They are Lovialls from Indiana. George used to live about Westfield & was acquainted with Uncle Wheeler & many others that we knew. Looks like rain again tonight."

"Seventh day 26th [Saturday, October 26, 1867] Rained a good deal last night, but our cover kept us dry. Got a late start. Saw beech trees this forenoon, yes & dogwoods. Got to Danville about 1 o'clock. Bought 50 cts worth of bread & 24 lbs of flour. Danville has not improved as much as some other places, tho the cars run there. Crossed the creek east of town and fed. Still cloudy & cool. Came through Dutchtown, then within 4 miles of Covington and camped by the side of a grove. After supper two men
from Kentucky stopped & camped with us. They had a wagon & half a dozen mules which they were taking to Farmington, Ill. to sell."

Continuing on Hwy. 150 from Urbana, we drove through St. Joseph and a few other small towns that were not yet established in 1867 when Ann & Henry passed through. In Danville, we discovered this stately old home. A sign near the house informed us that "a notable overnight stay at the home occurred during Lincoln's 1858 senatorial contest with Stephen Douglas... A large crowd followed him from the depot to the house, calling on him to make a few remarks. He complied by climbing out a bedroom window and making a brief speech in his stocking feet from a balcony on the second floor." I really like being in the 'Land of Lincoln'.

LeRoy

"Fourth day 23rd [Wednesday,
October 23, 1867] Just a week since we left Curtis. The cars roared & steamed nearly all time of night, so we could scarcely sleep. There, the sun is up & they are hitching up to go. Nearly noon in Leroy. Came 14 miles today. Excellent roads since the rain laid the dust. Came on about a mile from town & fed at a branch where several movers were going west. Afternoon came ten miles
& camped early on the east side of the North fork of Salt river, a nice place to carry water to cook with from town. Our Owen County travelers still with us. Jane quite unwell tonight."

Following U.S. 150, we came to Le Roy. This road seems to be the wagon trail that Ann & Henry traveled from Bloomington to the Illinois/Indiana border. We arrived in town just as a parade was ending. There were flags, families, and festivities throughout LeRoy, a charming little place.

Peoria and Morton

"Second day 21st [Monday, October 21, 1867]
My back & hips
worse. Strong talk among Henry & the children of putting me on the Cars at Peoria. Started late on account of the rain. Got to town about 9. Cars don't go out till 4. Guess I'll stick to the wagon a little longer. Saw sassafras growing last evening & today. Noon. Are feeding in company with 2 families that are moving back to Owen
County, Ind. from the west part of this state. Perhaps we
may travel in company awhile. Sun shining out now about 2 hours high. In Morton, Henry gone into the post office to put Jane's letter in to David."

In 1867, Peoria had about 20,000 people. The metro area now has a population of over 389,000. It is one of the oldest and largest
cities in the Midwest. Ann writes that because of her painful back and shoulder, there is "strong talk" among the family to have her finish the trip by train. However, rather than wait 7 hours for the next departure, she decides to ride in the wagon a little longer.


Peoria is a large, thriving Midwest city with a peaceful riverfront park. We spent some time at the river's edge watching the boats and enjoying a rare low humidity day.

Morton calls itself the "pumpkin capital of the world". Libby's has a pumpkin packing plant there, and over 80% of all canned pumpkin is processed in Morton. I'll keep that in mind when I enjoy pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving!

Spoon River

"Seventh day morning 19th
[Saturday, October 19, 1867] Got
a very early start this morning. Cars passed out of Prairie City just as we went in. Bought 3 lbs of rice for 50 cents, a quarter's worth of tea & 15 cts worth of Labelia. A thriving little place this. Noon--are feeding about a mile east of Ellisville on the east
bank of Spoon river. Crossed on a large double covered free bridge. Have met 20 wagon loads of beautiful coal. They get it at the back about 5 miles from here for 5 cts a bushel & deliver it in Prairie City for 15."

We came through tiny Prairie City and picturesque Ellisville. Just east of town, a modern bridge spans the Spoon River. Its banks are shady and cool, and we could imagine Ann and her family eating lunch there while the horses rested. Ann mentioned coal, which is mined a few miles away. Instead of wagons, we saw carloads of coal being shipped by rail.

Shells and Lincoln

"Fifth day, Noon [Thursday, October 17, 1867] We are feeding & eating dinner by the side of the river (which we have been coming up ever since we landed) about half way between Pontoosuc and Dallas. Are in about a mile of Dallas I guess. The children are getting shells on the sand. The River is low. They are hitching up & I must quit."

We drove up to the edge of the Mississippi in Pontoosuc. There is no levee here. Wow! We saw shells all along the edge, just like the ones the children got! River clams, maybe? We each picked one to take home.

In Dallas City, a large rock at the river's edge marked the place where Abraham Lincoln spoke in 1858, nine years before Ann & Henry came by.