The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-03-09
MORE EARLY RECORDS.
La Sale COunty'S Infancy.


> Cavalier, otherwise Louis De La Sale, the il
lustrious French explorer, who passed through
; on the Illinois to the Mississippi river in 1919,
(, and made the tirstscttlcmcnt of white people
lat Starved Rock Jan. 1st lGS0-about two
hundred years ago.
! This county was established by an act Of the
legislature approved Jan. 1st 1891, with the
following boundaries:
Beginning at the southwest corner Of Cook
county, thence running south thirty miles,
thence west to the third principal meridian,
thence north forty-eight miles thence east to
the Cook county line, and thence south to the
place Of beginning" Also, call the country
north Of La Sale county to the northern
boundary line mot then definitely fxetD and
parallel with the lines of said county"
Thus giving us Il territory embracing about
one-iitth Of the state-cXtending then indeti
nitcly TO the north pole, and embracing what
is now parts of Livingston and Marshall, all
of Grundy, Kendall, DcKalb and Boone, and
parts of Lee, Oglc and Winnebago-a greater
area than several Of the states of the Union
The county seat was permanently fixed at OF
tawa. La Sale was in the 9TH judicial dis
trct, comprising Cook, Putnam, Peoria, Full.
ton, Schuyler, Adams, Hancock, McDonough,
Knox, Winnebago, 10 Davicss, Mercer, Henry
and Rock Island; and Hon. Richard NJ. Young
the first Judge appointed by the Legislature,
who was required TO hold court at least twice
IN oh, nr
railroads and canals were unknown, one can
imagine the tedious duties of travel and nu-
mcrous accidents by flood and field imposed
upon the judge and prosecuting attorney who
held these courts
The first election IN this county was fixed
by law on the first Monday of March 1881, to
choose u sheriff, coroner and county commits
sioners-the official machinery of the new
county.
The legislature, in making Ottawa the coun-
ty seat, also, to aid her in the responsibilities
of her proud position, provided that "If the
canal commissioners shall make any donation
of lots for the erection of public buildings at
Ottawa or Chicago to the county commission
ers, at shall be the duty of the county com
mssioners' court to sell the same whenever
they think best, and apply the proceeds to the
erection Of u court house and Jail at said coun-
ty seats respectively"
At different times the formation OF new
counties was effected by the Legislature, cary
ing out of La Sale countys vast domain, un-
I til at last She has reached her present still am
pie outlines Two townships were given to
Marshall on the west in 1913; Grundy cut off
in 1871, and other territory on the north and
| south Of our present limits.
4 La Sale was once the central portion Of the
third congressional district, embracing San
CANON (SpringfielD, Morgan jacksonville,
Tazcwcll (Pckin), Macon, Mclean blooming.
tom, Peoria, and north to the Wisconsin line,
embracing 10 Daviess (Galcna) at the north
west corner of the state to Cook Chicago and
Lake on the east, enclosing about two-thrds
of the sta'c in square miles, but then the most
sparscly populated region of Illinois.
Grundy county, established by an act ap-
proved Feb, II, 1871, took from us townships
81, 20, 33 and "a, of ranges 6, : and 8; and
! Ward b. Burnett, Relief 5. Duryca and VIM.
+. Armstrong, in conjunction with the canal
commissioners, were appointed to select II site
for the county seat. They performed that du-
ty and called their choice Morris, after Canal
Commissioner Isaac N Morris.
!, Kendall county was created Feb 10, 1871 ;
and Deliab in 1896.
III Il. La,
of the county commissioners in selling Il por-
ton of the lots previously donated to the coun-
ty valid, and provided further that the west
half of block clcvcs, town of Ottawa, the
present court house squarc) shall forever re.
main public square
! In 1881 the per diem of the county commits
sioners was raised from $3.50 to $3.50
July 81, 1897, Ottawa was Incorporated.
/ Jan. -, 1875, an act was passed allowing the
clerk of the circuit and county commissioners
courts, Joseph Cloud, then clerk of bothO TO
keep his Office at his housc-thcre being then
no public office for his accommodation.
| COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
/ The legislative affairs of the county were
I originally nldIdScu ny " 'o"u'I '''ii'''''''''
ers court, consisting of three persons chosen
from different precincts Of the county. Their
record begins March 81, 1881; and their first
meeting was called II special session, and re
cites that in "persuicncc of law an election
WAS held March It'll, 1881 and Geo. +. Walker
was elected shcrricil," Moses Booth coroner
and John Green, Jas. b. Campbell and Abra'
ham Trumbo county commissioners. At the
special session referred to the three commits
sioncrs attended" and their first business was
the appointment of David Walker as " clark.
This Mr.. David Walker was an uncle OF the
iprcsent Mr. David Walker of Ottawa. His
bond was $1,000 The commissioners court
proceeded 10 lay out La Sale county into
three election precincts, as follows lsi' The