In 1894, a farmer by the name of John Wacker, who foresaw the needs of the community gave a piece of land to be used as a creamery. The milk producers in the community formed a corporation and soon after the Deer Creek creamery named for the little creek that flowed by the east side of the building became a reality.

The village of Wacker began to grow. Besides several homes, a blacksmith shop, two churches (The Church of the Brethren and the Methodist Church), it had two railroad stations which were located within a few miles of the settlement. The Burlington station known as "Big Cuty" and the Milwaukee station known as "Hickory Grove" had three operators each.

George Myers was the first buttermaker with Peter Fulrath as a helper. He was folowed by Harry Betz.

In 1909, Ferdinand Grimm moved from Chadwick and bought the creamery and the house across the road that ws owned by W.A. Bird. Mr. Grimm operated the creamery making butter and cheese and for a few years he also made ice cream. Farmers came from miles around delivering their milk and cream helping to build a large business. Grimm was known throughout the state for his prizewinning butter and cheese. He won blue ribbons each year for his products exhibited at the Illinois State Fair. On the 6th of February, 1923, the creamery burned down. It was replaced by the present structure built by Oscar Weidman. in 1939 it closed and later was sold to the township for a tool house. After the closing of the creamery, Mr. Grimm moved to Mt. Carroll and started a dairy business there known as Grimms Dairy.

In the summer of 1896, a never to be forgotten date, the village of Wacker was hit by a tremendous flood. The bridge over Deer Creek, the back part of Mr. Bird's house, John Krier's blacksmith shop (on the west side of the bridge) Ed Smith's barn, and the Milwauee Railroad bridge were all swept away by rampaging waters. A new bridge was built over the creek. Besides losing the blacksmith Shop, Mr. Krier was saddened by the loss of is talking pet crow.

In 1899 Frank Ashby bought the Jacob Haynes property and built a large two-story building east of the bridge. The second floor was used by the Modern Woodman Lodge and other public entertainment. A store was opened on the first floor which sold groceries and general merchandise. It was operated and later purchased by W. A. Bird. Other owners were Walter Brown, Ward Orr, Harry Teeter, Wiliam Doty and Russell Marth until it closed in the early 1950's. It has since been replaced by a residence.

Early in 1900, W. A. Bird started to sell subscriptions for a Chicago newspaper. He established a post office in his home along with a store. Mail was picked up at the Milwaukee Station at 9:30 A.M. and 6 P.M. by the mail carrier Nick Krier, who would walk through Bowman's pasture and on down the railroad tracks to the station. Also that year Mr. and Mrs. Peter Fulrath moved into the W. A. Bird house and Mrs. Fulrath operated the post office for about five years until rural free delivery began. Mrs. Fulrath, when 91 years old recalled the days when she was post-mistress and took the post office with her when she moved.

In 1902 John Krier bought a piece of land on the east side of the Creek from John Wacker for a blacksmith shop. The shop was built by Emil Sorenson and Oscar Weidman. John and his brother Nick operated the shop for several years doing a big business in horseshoeing and repair work. Later, Nick bought the shop and operated it alone until he closed it out in the late 1930's when the building was dismantled.

As a booming business was carried on at the Milwaukee railroad station in the 1900's, stockyards were built so livestock could be shipped to Chicago and sheds were built for coal and feeds. As coal was needed at the creamery Ferdinand Grimm supplied and delivered it to customers in the surrounding areas. James Doty sold feed and barrels of flour. Both railroad stations have since been closed and taken away.

In 1916 Henry Tripp built a feed mill on land purchased from W. N. Casselberry. He had a thriving business in feed grinding, It was later purchased by Will Ford, Oscar Weidman, Albert Toepfer, Joe Doty and Erve Ritenour who later closed the mill and tore it down.

In 1917 Oscar Weidman built a large hall for Harry Teeter just west of the mill and later purchased the building. Dances were held there on the second floor for several years. A garage was operated on the ground floor by Albert Toepfer, later by Wilbur Divelbliss. The building has been closed for public use for several years.

The Church of the Brethren closed in December, 1966, thus the only building left to serve the public in the once flourishing village is the Hickory Grove Methodist Church.

Orrin Eaton, 90 year old resident of Wacker in Mt. Carroll township recently recalled how a blasting job he and his son Leslie, carried out saved a corn crop and possibly avoided a lot of threatened lawsuits.

The incident began with a heavy rainfall which filled and overflowed streams east of the Savanna and York drainage districts which drained into Deer Creek. At the time the drainage district had not been organized. A pumping station south of the Airport road drained the 2200-acre area of fertile farm land once known as Dyson or Sunfish Lake owned at the time by State's Attorney Franklin J. Stransky who afterwards became a Circuit Judge.

Dikes or levees had been built by Mr. Stransky between his land and the Bluff road to divert water as far as possible by natural drainage north to the Plum river.

Deer Creek and others to the east were bringing down quantities of silt which had to be diked off to keep the drainage channel from repeatedly filling up the outlet. The dike had no opening to the west side and heavy rains had raised the level of water in the area south of Doty road to cover the corn fields of Stransky's neighbors who were threatening lawsuits.

Mr. Eaton and his son who lived near Center Hill at the time had been quarrying limestone and Mr. Stransky asked them if they had dynamite and could blast an opening in the dike to permit water to run off his neighbors corn fields. They agreed to do the work.

Using two-inch augers, they drilled holes about one foot apart across the dike placing dynamite in each hole-as many as 12 sticks where the dike was deepest in the center. The dynamite was all connected, the holes tamped in and the blast set ofT at a supposedly safe distance.

Eaton said he had not realized how much gravel and stone was in the dike, also he had left the fence post used to tamp the holes containing dynamite fairly close to the middle of the explosion.

The rocks and fence post went up out of sight hidden by the mushroom of dirt and dust. A heavy rain of stones, debris and splinters followed but fortunately no one was injured. The explosion opened a wide gap in the dike which the flow rapidly enlarged.

The danger to the corn crop was quickly ended. Later a flap-gate valve was installed at the end of the culvert under the dike which permits water to drain from farm lands when it rises above the water in the drainage ditch.

Asked about the cost of the dynamite, Eaton said at the time it was eight cents a pound or $16 for the amount used. Mr. Stransky added $34 to make the check for $50 with which father and son were more than satisfied. As a young man, Eaton said he used to work 10 to 12 hour days for $1 for the Mt. Carroll road commissioner.

As a boy, Eaton attended the Ferrin school located at the southwest corner of Wacker road and Argo Fay highway southwest of Mt. Carroll. Wacker road then extended directly east across Johnson. Creek rather than angling east of Johnson Creek in a northeast and southwest direction as at present, and the school stood between the creek and Argo Fay road. Later the building was moved a half- mile south and to the east of the Argo Fay road where it remains today as a residence.

Mr. Eaton married the "schoolma'am" who came to board with his parents and while she was teaching he told how frequently community programs and noted speakers were brought to the First Baptist Church in Mt. Carroll. These programs he said gave him the opportunity to escort the young lady in his red-wheeled, rubber tired buggy and "show off" the spirited team he had bought to help along the courtship.

Another incident Mr. Eaton related while recalling early experiences for the Carroll county history was the destructive tornado that hit Carroll County May 18, 1898.

A young man in his late teens, he was plowing with his father in the late afternoon when noticed the sudden darkening of the sky. They hurried home. When his father was opening a window to close the shutters a large branch of a tree blew in with great force. They could see afterward the extensive damage the County Home and Farm a half-mile to the north. In driving over there they had to clear the road of debris to be able to travel. The upper floor and roof had been blown off the County Home and one inmate killed. One woman was blown out of an upper floor window and carried above trees and deposited along a creek a quarter of a mile away. She walked back and created much amazement upon her return. One man hid under a wagon load fence posts in the barnyard. The wagon was carried through the air and upset near a neighbor's line fence but the man was unhurt. A dozen or so cattle and horses were so seriously hurt it was necessary to kill them; the large barn was demolished.

After crossing the river, the tornado first flattened the Tomlinson residence southeast of Wacker and killed a hired hand who had been plowing in a field. The team and plow were never found. In Wacker, the grandmother of Supervisor Charles Kessler of Mt. Carroll wass killed when her home was demolished. Proceeding east, the Downing farmhouse and barns were destroyed by the whirlwind which killed or crippled many ponies for for which this farm was famous. After smashing the Preston school, it skipped to the County Farm.

The Campbell farm lost the house, a large circular barn, and a large circle of cattle killed. A long row of maple trees were so severely twisted that only splintered trunks remained. Several of the farms along Cyclone Ridge also were struck by the tornado.

Photos from Alice Horner - the account of Wacker from the Goodly Heritage as well as the "Creamery Picture".

Illinois - "Our Way"