McLEAN COUNTY
INTRODUCTORY
The
accumulation of
valuable material for this work has already been so large that only a
brief historical
mention of the county can be given, or can be expected. McLean County
is situated
very near the
geographical center of the State of Illinois,
and in area is the largest county in the state, comprising 1,154 square
miles.
It ranks third in population, having about 65,000 inhabitants, and is
only
excelled by Cook
and La
Salle Counties.
In material development
and production of soil, it unquestionably stands first. Its American
settlers
are principally from Ohio,
New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana
and Kentucky,
the Ohioans outnumbering those from any one of the other States. The
bulk of
the foreign population, which is not large, is made up about equally of
Germans
and Irish, while there are some from England, Scotland, and France.
If space would
permit
we should like to go back and dwell at length on the Aboriginal
occupation, the
French possession, the British conquest in 1703, and to the time when
Gen.
George Rogers Clark, representing and under the authority of the then
great commonwealth
of Virginia, came
out and captured this
entire region from the British. It would be pleasant to trace the
history of
this country through the various changes, as it was known after the
last conquest
under the name of the Illinois County, and later
on when it was
called the Northwestern Territory,
and afterward
as. the Territory of Indiana, and follow it along from 1809, when
it
became the Territory of Illinois, and in 1818, when it became one of
the
bright stars in the American Republic.
During all
these varied changes, and under all these governmental authorities, the
territory now embraced by McLean County
took its part, and
was an important factor. It was not, however, until 1822, that this
particular
portion of the State of Illinois
was actually settled by the white man. It is not to be supposed that
this was
the first visitation of the white man, for undoubtedly events occurred
here in
which the white man took part' long before this period. It is believed
that the
French and Indians had many camp-fires together, in the beautiful
groves that
abound in this county, when on their way from Lake Michigan to Cahokia
and Kaskaskia; and the early Indian
traders and
hunters had their stations about here, for the early settlers
frequently found
clearings in the woods. It was in this region also, that Gen. Hopkins'
army
became involved in its expedition against the Indians of the Illinois
and Wabash Rivers,
many of whom had participated in the Chicago
massacre.
John Hendrix and
family were the first settlers in the territory now embraced by the
county,
they locating at what is known as Blooming Grove in the spring of 1822.
Hendrix
was soon joined by John W. Dawson and family. Blooming Grove seemed to
be an
attractive spot to the earliest settlers, for they all located about
it. The
spring of 1823 found the Orendorff families, William and Thomas, John
Benson
and W. H. Hodge in neighborly proximity to the settlers of 1822. This
year
Gardner Randolph settled at what was subsequently known as Randolph's
Grove.
In the spring of 1824, Absalom and
Isaac Funk and William Brock made a settlement at what is now called
Funk's
Grove. They were soon joined by others, among whom were the
Stubblefield
family. So rich and fair a region of country lying in the wake of
emigration,
when once known and opened to settlement could not otherwise than be
rapidly
populated.
The
territory now
known as McLean has been under the
jurisdiction of different counties. The year previous to the State's
admission
into the Union, it was under the control of Crawford County.
In 1819, after the admission, Clark County
had jurisdiction.
The first settlers, however, owed their allegiance to Fayette County,
which was
organized in 1821,
and extended northward as far as the Illinois
River.
It was subsequently attached to Tazewell County,
and
was
under its jurisdiction
when the county
of McLean was
organized
by an act of the Legislature, approved Dec. 22, 1830. It was named in
honor of
John McLean, twice elected United
States Senator from Illinois.
When the settlers
first came in the Indians were quite numerous, mostly belonging to the Kickapoos, Delawares
and Pottawatomies,
the Kickapoos having the largest number. Most of
these left
before the end of the year 1829, though at the breaking out of the Black
Hawk
War in 1832, there was a sufficient number of Indians in this
section
to cause
considerable uneasiness among the people.
The early
settlers of McLean County
found plenty of wild game here,
such as deer, turkeys, wolves, and the smaller birds. They were
generally good
hunters, and their guns supplied for their families what the markets of
the
present day furnish. The pelts of the wild animals were to the pioneers
an
important article of commerce, as they furnished the means, in absence
of ready
cash, of supplying the wants of domestic life. Beeswax and honey were
also a
valuable commodity in those early days.
They
did not have to
contend in this section of the country, as they did elsewhere, with
hostile
Indians, but they had foes almost as dreaded in malarial diseases, and
prairie
fires. One carried off hundreds of persons, while the other destroyed
crops and
homes. But as improvements multiplied and the laud became cultivated
and
drained, these enemies to the people disappeared. It was not many years
before
the pioneers found themselves in the midst of a populous and cultivated
community. Schools and churches had been established, cities founded,
railroads
constructed, and civilization and culture, with all their attractive
features,
possessed the land.
In
many respects McLean is one of the
finest and foremost counties in the
State. It is free from the severities of winter which afflict the more
northern
counties, and free from the oppressive heat that is experienced in the
southern
ones. About one-ninth of the surface is covered with groves, which
afford shade
and add beauty to the landscape. Like all portions
of the Mississippi Valley,
the surface
inclination is toward the southwest. It is moderately rolling, free
from
extreme flatness as well as from abrupt changes, which makes it
exceedingly
easy of tillage. Its summit elevation is about 220 feet above Lake
Michigan, and about 795 feet above the
ocean. The country is well
supplied with running water by the incipient streams that contribute to
the
formation of the Sangamon, Vermilion, Mackinaw and Kickapoo Rivers
and Sugar Creek. Good water is
found in all parts of the county at reasonable depths, and in the
northern part
are many fine springs. Extensive coal beds underlie the surface
formation, from
which a good article of marketable coal is obtained. The soil is
unsurpassed in
its fertility, and is adapted to the raising of all kinds of cereals,
yet more
attention is given to stock-raising, the value of which exceeds that of
any
county west of the Alleghenies.
The
educational facilities
of McLean are unexcelled by any
county in the
State. In addition to her public schools, which are superior, she has
two
distinguished institutions of learning, the reputation of which has
extended
far and wide. These are the Illinois
Wesleyan University
located at Bloomington, and the State Normal University
[now Illinois State University].
Another
institution located at Normal
is the Soldiers' Orphans' Home. The buildings of these institutions are
ornamental in their architecture, and are commodious and substantial.
The
Indians and the
wilderness have passed away, living now only in history, or in the
memories of
the pioneers who yet remain. In their stead are well cultivated farms
and fine
cities, peopled with an intelligent population, and surrounded by the
arts and
refinements of an advanced civilization. Those by whose wisdom and
industry
this change has been produced, can contemplate with commendable pride,
the
grand transformation. Taking a retrospective view of the past, and
contemplating the present, the contrast of the two periods comes
vividly upon
the mind. Before them to-day, resting in quiet grandeur, is a fair
civilization, with happy homes basking beneath the sunlight of culture
and
domestic peace ; before them to-day is a complete social and political
society,
standing out in bold relief, radiant with the bright light of
Christianity,
fostered by American institutions and shining resplendent with American
freedom.
Portrait
and biographical album of McLean County, Ill. : containing full
page portraits and
biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the
county,
together with portraits and biographies of all the governors of
Illinois, and of the presidents of the United States.
(Chicago: Chapman
Brothers,
1887), 185-187. Transcribed by Judy Rosella Edwards.
Established: December 25, 1830
Named for John McLean, a pioneer lawyer, Territorial judge, first
Representative in Congress from Illinois (1818), and United States
Senator (1824 1825).
Present area, or
parts of
it, formerly included in:
Eastern Part:
1827 1830 - Shelby
1821 1827 - Fayette
1819 1821 - Clark
1816 1819 - Crawford
1815 1816 - Edwards
Western Part:
1827 1831 - Tazewell
1825 1827 - Peoria
1821 1825 - Sangamon
1817 1821 - Bond
1812 1817 - Madison
1801 1812 - St. Clair
1790 1801 - Knox, Northwest Territory
County Seat:
1831: Bloomington Named Blooming Grove until 1831.
