The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-02-26
LOCATION OF OTTAWA.

This valley extends nearly east and west the
bluffs On the south side running along the bank
Of the rivee while on the north they slope back
until they reach the level of the prairie beyond.
From tho bluffs, on either eide, beautiful view
of the city is obtained, and one at the same time,
beholds valley of unsurpassed beauty, rich in
soil, and occupied BY a. energetic and generous =
people as one meets in his travels throughout the
west.
All aronnd US are beautiful groves hills. val
leys and plains; indeed, the whole face around
us is most beautifully diversified. In the spring
and summer, when the trees are clad in beautiful
verdure, and when the air is sweetly perfuined by
the fragrance from my RAIDS Of natural flower gar
deus, when the groves echo and re-echo with the
music from the threats of millions Of wild birds,
it is almost impossible to imagine more beau
tiful place to dwell in. It seems like another
Arcadia where the senses are lost in wilderness
of simple joys, and the soul of man goes out in
silent communion with his Maker.
Ottawa is situated eighty.ive miles southwest
of Chicago, at the confluence of the Illinois
and Fox rivers, an alluvisn above the possible
ity of floods in high water times. Here, and for
twelve miles westward, the Illinois flows along
the south bank or bluffs, the Fox joining it
with a majestic detour, and where the banks are
washed by the never.ceasing flow of water the
white sand rock 10 revealed in lodges that can
never be exhausted in the manufacture of glass,
as it underl,es thu whole plateau or bottom
lands -
OUR EARLY SCHOOLS.
Our early pioneers were alive to the education
al interests Of their children, and, equently
arrangements were made as early as 1923 to open
q school in this vicinity. The building first used
as school house was situated on the point south
Of the Illinois river and overlooking the mouth
of the Fox. 1t was . log cabin erected in 1925,
BY one Henry Allen, for dwelling house. Ho-
race Spragas first welded the birchen scepter
This was the first school taught in the county.
Let one of the pupils now attending the high.
or grades Of our city schools step into one like
that first one in our county and he would not
credit his senses. He would indeed be surpris-
ed, and wonder that it should be called school.
And yet they were the best that could be afford
ed in that early day. With the expense and
labor of making houses in almost wilderness,
and other impedimeuts, were obstacles almost
insurmountable in organizing any school system.
A Mr.. kirkpatrick taught the next school, in
the same building, with perhaps better success
than his predecessor, resulting probably from the
increase of population, which, by the way, was
vow 20 ! lo,o III - l.. -.
lated from the pale Of civilization.
Such were the educational facilities enjoyed
by the early settlers of Illinois.
How many, now living, can look back upon
that time without feeling glow of honest pride
at the long strides made BY the community in
educational matters in two-score years.
This first school house has long since disap.
psared, and the place it occupied was for many
years the location Of a slaughter house. OF our
present educational system, We shall have occa-
sion to speak again and more at length.
THE OTTAWA WATER POWER.
In 1851 an association was formed, by gentle
men residing in this city, for the development of
an immense water power that nature 80 kindly
placed in the limits of the city. This power wss
to be obtained from u dam to be built across Fox
river, and was incorporated by the state Legisla.
ture under the title of 'The Ottawa Manu-.
featuring Company" with a limited capital Of
100000. This company were not successful in
accomplishing what they proposed, from want of
energy in the enterprise and limited capital In
1857, however, another company was organized
under the same name, with capital Of 100000
with authority to build dam across the Illinois
river above the mouth Of the Fox river Had
the terms Of this charter been complied with,
and the work pushed forward, we are informed
that it would have been success. But as the
company did not comply with the terms of the
charter it expired two years after its issue, by
limitation. In 1865 there was another agitation
Of the subject, and another charter was granted
by the state Legislature 70 build dam below the
aquedust in the Fox, for the purpose of raising
the water to the level Of the basin caused by the
originally proposed dam across the Illinois river.
This project, like all its predecessors, proved a
failure, and it would seem that the people would
have lost all hope OF consumm atng the great
work. But in 1867 the legislature constituted
VIM. Reddick, NJ. II. Swift, Jeremiah Wood,
Geo. Avery and Richard Thorne board of COM
missioners, in behalf of the city of Ottawa, to
subscribe to the capital stock of the Ottawa
Manufacturing Company the sum of 100000,
and issue bonds to that amount coming due in
ten years. This act was approved by vote Of
the people, and it at last seemed that every OBJ