The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-11-05
A Trip Around the County.


Having little spare time recently, took the
occasion TO make flying trip through our coun.
ty. Having heard that Messrs. Bull and Mayo
were going 70 inaict some long.winded speeches
upon the people Of the thriving young city of
Marseilles, and thinking that distance might
gentlemen, 1 babe adieu to mine host OF tie
Beckwlth House, and took the train for Ottawa
Here had the pleasure of meeting my old
friends, Messrs. Wedgewood, Clark, Tucker,
Jenkins and Brady. who were engaged in teach.
ms a model school composed of the wide-awake
teachers from all Parts of the county. At Just
D p. NJ reached the train, and away sped the
iron horse ios Streator, the beautiful bridge,
across the still more beautiful and picturesque
river passing the woods all gold crimson and
.usset-brown out upon the broad and beautiful
prairies, dotted with herds and hocks, and COW
cred with elegant homesteads, cInbosoned in the
foliage Of the surrounding trees. Eutranced
with the magnificent prospect, time with gos-
samsry wings had taken fight, and we had ar.
rived at the Goal City" just as the shades of
evening began to fall. Streator, though scarce
as yet four years old, is already city of 1000
inhabitants, full of life and business, and grow.
ing rapidly. Messrs. Burke, Heenan IL Co., of
Ottawa have recently located branch store
here, and are doing thriving business. Many
others are preparing to come. Here l met Esq.
Allen, one OF the pioneers of the place. Go to
the esquire" il you want to sec the city to ad.
vantage, even though he gets lost occasionally
when travelling around by moonlight There
are host OF good fellows in Streator, among
whom, without making invidious distinctions,
1 may mention Drs. Woods, Croswell and Finley
Donaghuo, the popular and efficient postmaster :;
Messrs. Turner Il Hillisrd, Of the Prairie Creek
shaft, who very kindly lowered into the sub
terranean abyss, which they superintend, and
showed me around In order to see this to adj
vantage, you want not only to walk all round in
the mud, water and coal dust, but you should
do as did-stumble over pile Of coal and fall
headlong, and you will come out wiser if not
better looking man. But no one has seen Strea.
tor who has not been down the shaft, and it will
we'll repay visit, During my short stay here,
DR.. Woods kindly offered me seat behind his
fast team, and took me around the city. Mr. J.
c. Campbell. rising young man of this place,
is grading section of the kankakee s. Illinois
r. r., and only asks for six weeks good weather
in order to finish his section of the road.
Politics find quite active here, the temper.
sncs party having quite large number of id.
herents, while the republicans are in hopeless
minority, and the democrats possessing tri-
umphant majority. Here on every corner you
will hear the cry of Reddick Reddick and
occasionally some little voice will ch,rp bul.bull
bul.bul but the sound dies away with Q mourn.
full cadence that is inexpressibly touching. The
enthusiasm for Reddiok throughout the country
is overwhelming, and many good, solid republi.
cans esteem it quite privilege to have the op.
portuuity Of voting for two such true, honest
and capable men a. Mr.. Reddick and Mr. James
CLARK. I find, also, very strong feeling of
friendship and good will for G. W. Armstrong
among all classes, and judging from what have
heard, Mr.. Armstrong will poll q very large
vote, and in common with Messre. Reddick and
Clark and the rest of the democratic ticket, will
be triumphantly elected.
No mention of Streatpr would be complete
without mention of Fred Dalton, the genial edi.
tor of the Monitor, and Mr.. Rood, the wide.
awake and efficient principal Of the public
school. The elegant new school house does the
place great credit.
Leaving Streator, an hours ride brings me to
Wenona. tho Border City" Uncle Charley
Parker is one Of the old pioneers here, and we'll
deserves his title. Everybody knows uncle
Charley, and everybody likes him. He says
they are going TO beat "eb ingersoll" down
there and elect man to congress. They are tired
balloons. From Wenona I passed up the iii.
nois Central r. r. through Lostant, TOnioa La
Sale, Peru, Homer and Mendoza, and from there
through Merideu, Earlville and Harding to Of.
taws, and find myself home again. l had met