A gazetteer of Illinois, in three parts; containing a general view of the state, a general view of each county, and a particular description of each town, settlement, stream, prairie, bottom, bluff, etc.; alphabetically arranged

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Introduction

The utility and importance of an accurate Gazetteer of Illinois to every class of citizens within the state, and to rdl other persons who desire full and particular information, are too obvious to need proof.

The first edition of this work was undertaken by the author more than four years since, at the suggestion and request of many of his fellow citizens, some of whom filled distinguished posts of honor in the state and nation. Four thousand two hundred copies of it were published by R, Goudy of Jacksonville, Illinois, a due proportion of which were sent to other states, and have been extensively circulated.

In complying with the call for a new edition, it became necessary to make an entire revision of the work and add much new matter — so rapid had been the changes and the progress of this state in three years. Ten new counties have been organised —

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Boone, Cass, Kane, Livingston, McHeury, O^le, Stephenson, Whiteside, AVill, and Winnebago — and a large addition to the descriptive list of names in part third.

No state in the " Great West" has attracted so much attention, and elicited so many enquiries from those who desire to avail themselves of the advantages of a settlement in a new and rising country, as that of Illinois; and none is filling up so rapidl}^ with an emigrating population from all parts of the United States, and several kingdoms of Europe. Consequently, the call for correct information of all portions of the state has become pressing.

In ])reparing this work wiih special reference to to liiis call, the author has kept one point constantly in view. Accuracy of description, or a registry of facts and things as they actually exist in every part of the state, has been a paramount object. How far he has succeeded will be submitted to the judgment of his fellow citizens in each county. That no imperfections or inaccuracies exist in the work, the author is not vain enough to imagine; but that as a whole, or as to its parts, it is sufficiently accurate for all use-

INTRODUCTION. Vll

ful purposes, will appear on reference to the labor bestowed to obtain correct inlbrmatioa of every spot he attempts to describe.

To the facts and observations of many years' residence in the state, and traveling in all the older settlements, of which record was made for his own use, and that of his immediate friends, may be added the following facilities for gaining correct topographical and historical information.

In the winter of 1832, '33, die author spent several weeks at Vandalia, during the session of the iec^islature, where the principal part of the work was written. Access was had through the polite attention of the governor, secretar}' of state, auditor, and other public officers, to ail the public documents, state records, and journals. Both houses of ilie legislamre, with equal liberality, granted a copy of the laws and journals of that body, and likewise, (if duplicates existed,) copies of all preceding laws, journals, and printed documents, of ihe territorial and state governments. These were carefully examined, and from them much valuable information obtained.

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Personal intercourse was also had with the members of the legislature and other gentlemen, from each county, and from that source many of the facts in the general description of the counties in Part Second, and the particulars of each place in Part Third, were obtained. The course of the author was, to spend two or three hours each evening with gentlemen from a county, who were well acquainted with every part, and write a brief sketch of the same.

These were drawn off in proper order the next day, and, in many instances, submitted to the same persons for inspection and revision. All the items for one county were thus finished before entering upon a survey of another.

By this method, no creek, prairie, or settlement, known by name amongst the people, would escape notice, and accuracy of description would be attained.

These accounts were then collated with the statements received from other sources, and from the author's own notes of observation.

The same mode, including a more extensive correspondence with postmasters, and other gentlemen of intelligence in every county, has been pursued, to-

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gether with a large stock of information gained while compiling with another gentleman, a " New Sectional Map of Illinois,''^ published in New-York by J. H. Colton.

No small pains have been taken to obtain the latest information, especially from the recently organised counties in the north, where new settlements are made every month, and villages spring up as the growth of a summer. Still, some settlements, planted within the present year, may not have come to the author's knowledge.

It would be rather invidious to name individuals from whom the author has received aid in this work, and to whom he is desirous of returning his humble and grateful acknowledgements. To the officers of state, the members of the legislature, postmasters, and other citizens, his thanks are due. Much of the real value of the work is from information they imparted, or from documents and records over which they had legal control.

The Appendix of the former volume containing a brief Gazetteer of the Wisconsin Territory has been left out of this work. That territory, having an orga-

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nised government, and a great increase of its population, counties, settlements, etc. should have a Gazetteer of its own. For this purpose the author is aiming to collect materials.

It has caused the author no small trouble to decide upon the orthography of proper names. Many of those found in this work have never been published to any extent, so as to become settled in orthography. In offering new names to the public it is desirable the spelling should conform to the pronunciation. While the author does not feel authorised to make innovations upon established usages, he is willing to contribute his humble mite to improve the orthography of the language, where custom has not fixed it.

Many aboriginal names in the west were first written in French, and after by persons of very inferior literary attainments. Some of these have already undero^one chans^es. Thus we have Wabash for Oubache, — Washitau for Ouchitta: and for similar reasons we ought to write Wisconsin for Ouisconsin, — Mackinau for Michilimacinac, — Merodosia for Marais d'Ogee, etc.

Such aboriginal names as have notbeen printed, the

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author has spelled according to the pronunciation, and for the correctness of this he has relied upon information of persons accustomed to hear the sounds expressed by natives.

After all, several discrepancies will be discovered in different parts of the work.

In such names as have the French or broad sound of a, he has preferred the termination of au to aw. The exceptions are in Wabash and a few others, where the a is sanctioned by custom, and the sound generally understood.

Rock Spring, {Illinois,) May, 1837.