The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-08-26
THE OLD SETTLERS.
Their Fourteenth Annual Gathering in Hoes s
Grove at Ottawa.

Grove at Ottawa.
The Nth Annual Reunion and Picnic Of
ty took place in Hoes's grove IN this city On
Thursday. The gathering, in spite of the heat,
was one of the largest in the history OF the so
ciety, the estimate being that from five to six
thousand people were or the ground IN the
afternoon. The slight threat of ram in the
morning no doubt prevented many from coal-
ing earlier
Besides the usual haadshaking and friendly
greetings. which are the main object of these
reunions were the usual formal eXercESs at
the stand, presided over by the Hon. Geo, w.
Armstrong. These were opened by four little
misses, named Coleman and Farrell, grand
daughters of y. NJ. Ebersol, Esq, who gave
song written by L. II. L. Hodgson for tue oc-
cason, rs follows:
We are coming today from the north aud the
South,
We are coming FROM the cas- and from the west
TO listen to the stories OF long, long ago
And the voices OF those We love best
Cho.--Coming with our faces aud our hearts fun
OF gladness,
Coming 20 meet with the friends that we love.
Some are coming in all the glad freshness OF
Youth
Some whose heads are ak frosted by time:
But the sorrows and cares ere remembered no
more
While We join in the souge OF 'lang sync."
We shall miss the dear facts Of some who have
gone
Since we met in this beautiful grove.
One by one they are going to Join in the song
That the angels are singing above.
Cho.--Going, going, they are going from earth
and its sorrows,
Going through the wonderful portals Of day.
The choir then sang america followed by
prayer by Rev ". Batcheller, chaplain. This
was followed by Ocean" by the choir, upon
which President Armstrong delivered the'ad-
dress Of welcome In the nama % the ASsOci-
alton lie extended hearty welcome to all, the
object Of these meetings being to cultivate So
ciabilIty, renew old,time friendships and make
new ones. The Association was organized in
1869 and annual picnies have been held since
then, and we have always found them worth
more than lhey cost
La Sale county was organized by act Of the
Legislature Jan. IS, 1881. 1t was then ~ miles
wide east and west and 1893 miles long north
and south. PGtnam county was about the
same size and Cook little larger; but while
those counties have been tup into outiand-
ish shapes and greatly reduced, La Sale has
escaped such mutilation In 1881 there were
about 800 people in the county. II is not ne
cessary to sketch her growth since then; but
we old fellows enjoyed life IN those days. The
people were more kindly and hearty. There
were Inconvenience OF course. Many had 10
and 20 mile to thenearest post Office, with I'M.
bridged streams to cross, with jcalousics of one
side of the river towards the other But these
have passed away, Our county is now IN good
condition-out of debt, and putting up fine
public buildings withous going INTO debt fer
them. We have 1Gl miles Of railroad, % sta
tons, and ship annually 100000 bushels Of
grain and 10000 tons Of coal. The first CHRIS.
tian mission in the Mississippi valley was es-
tablished at Fort ST. LOUIS in this county, and
the Rev. Jesse Walker established the first
mission school at Mission Point IN this coun
ty. The county has been fortunate III her
public officers: there has been but one deial
cation and that was but nominal
Hon. S. r. LEWIS, in response, paid hand
some compliment to the president for LIS fifty
years service IN and TO the county, and to Sec
rotary Ebersol, who is to be credited with tie
organization and good work Of the Association
1t Is a great thing to be able to say one has
lived 80 years IN this county, Such an one can
see its whole history as map spread out. Bat
the log cabin days had been SO much talked
over that he would go so years further back.
How many here know that this year of grace
1882 is the centennial of the establishment of
the first American settlement IN Illinois? In
that year Gov, Bond with party headed by
James Moore crossed the Aleghenlos to Vince
ling, floated down the OAio and poled them
selves up the Mississippi and formed settle
mcnt IN Illinois. OF that colony little Is
known. Its principal characteristics were ba-
obnoXiqS lankeoism that the
preaG excepted the Yankee
in Id !cf blessings on the community!
The first legal record is The election Of VIM.
Briggs and VIM. Baddick as delegates from
the Illinois colony to the Indiana Legislature
in 1909. They went there to divide the colony
into east and west sections. Each section had
its candidate tor delegate in congress, Jesse
b. Thomas was the western man, and before
voting for him they made HIM pledge Il
division and to give bonds to redeem his
pledges. He gave both, was elected aud had
the colony divided. The territory was organ
lzed IN 1909. Ninian Edwards was territorial
governor until the state was admitted to the
UNION He then related number Of ancc.
dotes, showing the oddly Of society IN those
days. Gov Bond was tue first governor and
Jesse b. Thomas and Nlnian Edwards the frs,