The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-01-11
{ T7fl UD ~ >
4INI 8 6 L.
HOW SOUTHERN ILLINOIS GETS IT'S
NICKNAME
BY JUDGE DUFF.
From the shawneetown iii Gazette.

Doubtless there ara vet many OF tae |
early settlers Of this State who remember
the remarkable wiu'er Of 183O31, famIi-
arsy known to them az the winter Of the
g 3eep snow, when The snow fell lhr ugh
lat the morn heFD border couuiies Of Tue
eGate To the depth OF three feet. 'rne
winter being the longest aud severest ever
known in Illinois, thus caused an nnuSua'
heavy draft upon the supply Of c]rn pro.
auced by the farmers upon The cec;.ai
trs,nlie C 'untles, most Of whom were
pew Corners OF only one, two, or three
years residence in the Sta e but this sc
we're and long winter was followed by a
remarkably late and backward snrlng
-evere tfoals being frequent utril tDn
middle Of May, SO that there was IittIe or
no corn planted N he State in the We az
1881, north Of Jefferson County, until Ia
Juuc this late spring was also followed
y 4 heavy and killing Frost on the night
i The 10Th Of Sep ember, 1881, which did
considerable damage 10 the lave crops
turoug bout the State, but so completely,
ruined all he corn north of ,he th':ty
zig Il iatljude, that it was wholly. worth
ess except TO- watering cattle. Hence
he year 1881 Was the greet " coru fan'ne'
| III toe early history Of illinois; all the
prairie Counties, II iac', the entire Stale
norh Of the thirty, eighth lat,itude hal
not produced sound corn enough She year
before to plant their farms in 1872 thpe.
Tore all their corp Tor every purpose had 10
u" brought from some other rrginn. Corn
was shIpfcd by the MISSES ppi and Il
lin rs Rivers and supplied to he ado u.
ing counties III So per bushrl, where il
Ii 1T sold n 1881 Vt ten cents per bu~hel.
The counties IN the extreme southern par
"j he STATE, commencing with jefferson
| ni the counties east and west u: IL III
the same III Itude, aud Including all the
counties lying soulh oF them, OWING tn
PECULIAR f'inbe and sandy character Of
Tie soil, their southern latitude, aud the
absence of large p:airits, were cnmpar%
slveIv free from the late spring ana early
tru<ts Of 1881, their corn crops being IN
usually good. So that while corn IN the
central northern and ,ounte~, which
were Shelby, Macon, Mnnt4omt ny, etc !,
could only he bad in limited qnantII!es at
So and 81 per pushed, it 'uId ne boughl
In lie lMev counties at 25 cents per
:; nhshGl. The result was that from The
18TH Of April TO the last ct June, 1882,
tneIe were not less than thousand way
on loads Of corn from The counties of Jci
'eI son, Hamilton, Franklin (then incind
. Ing WIIliamson,) Gallarin, Chen includIug
StnnrD Johnson, aud other sml bern
counties, sem 10 the counties Of Clinton.
Fayette, Montgomery, Macon, Shriby,and
other counties n that region. THIS cnn
was brought up for such ;,.rmers OF those
ha Far nft ~ mi
anG transported IN wagons These corn
bryers generally Travelled in cnmpaui, s
OF from three to six or eight wagons 10
gether, and, as they bought oul the corn
IN one equity so "a to cause the price 10
advance t. 40 or so cents per bushcl, The
next caravan or company would travel
>lIll further south where corn was cheap
unill MANY Of them penetrated johnson
AID other counties bordering on the Oh, o
River
These good people, after travelling such
a distance, finding corn so plenty, and to
he had for he money, and being familiar,
III he event shows, with the Bible story
: of the ten sons of Jacob going down t.
Egypt for corn, they originated this face
, tlous answer to those who Intercepted
them as to their destination: owe are
going TO Egypt for corn, or, 1--WE have
come to buy for ourselves and little ones "
for at that date corn bread was the staff
If fe in Il.inois.) This was the true orr
gin Of the term and the cause of Southern
Illinois being called Egypt. | know
} whereof speak. In the spring of 1882 |
resided upon public road passing
through one of the counties | have men
| r, I
ons pass either going for or returning
with corn f"r the upper counties, and |
kn"w for myself that these people, after
f the first few weeks,seldom mentioned their
business down here without making some
allusion to the Bible narrative of tile peo-
pie CT olden time going 70 Egypt for corn
} But no living man ever heard the term
/ Egypt applied to this part of Illinois
prior TO the spring of 1882 To the peo
pie and incident above mentioned we are
. entitled for the name Egypt. But listlc
lid those pioneer and plain but Bible.
! reading farmers, whose journey down here
for corn forcibly reminded them of the
sons of Jacob going down into ancient
! Egypt to buy corn, and who. therefore.
first called this part of the State Eoypt
. b cause of the abundance of corn tn he
found here when all other counties (ro
which they had access) were destitute-I
say little did they imagine in thus com
= piimenting this part Of the State "a the
!. granary OF Illinois they were laying the
! toundatlon Tor gross SANDER upon the
r Intelligence Of the people who they. in
+ the goodness and gratitude oftheir hearts,
: intended to honor and praise.
d From and after the year 1882, that part
a OF The state south OF the large prarivs, IN
: coioquiai conversation, was often referred
: 70 as "IEgypt'" meaning the land of corn.