The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-01-17
OLD DAYTON.
some "Reminiscences of the Ancient Village
on the Banks of the Fox River,

A representative of TIE FREE TRADFr
visited the village of Dayton last Tuesday
drawn thither oy the report that considera
BILE damage had been done in that place by
the remarkable rise of the Fox river during
the recent freshet Very few Of the read.
ers of this paper are not acquainte!
with the history of the carly days of this
historic village, which, had il not been for
the legislative blunder Of William Stad-
den, state senator from this district during
the canal agitation, the place, instead Of
containing 500 Inhabitants, rs il does to.
day, might be 3 manufacturing city with a
population as large as that of this city
Ii was principally through Stsddens
advocacy thst the canal terminus vas made
at La Sale, instead Of Ottawa He was a
nephew Of John Green, the founder Of
Dayton, and believed that by having the
canal terminate at La Sale he vas work.
ing for the interests of himself and Dayton,
II was his intention to have navigable
feeder from Dayton to Ottawa, which
would afford abundant water power for
manufactures. Had the CaLsl terminated
al Ottawa there would, Of course, be no ne
necessity for q feeder, Had the canal end
ed at the latter city, a. ii probably should
have done there would be no La Sale or
Peru to-day, ami Ottawa would be q city OF
10000 inhabitants and Dayton large man
ufacturing point Lots that sold in that
village in 1885 for $500 can now be pur-
chased for S.. IL canal days Dayton was
q larger place than Ottawa The cost OF
running the canal 10 La Sale would have
improved the river to this.point, making it
navigsble for Mississippi river steamboats,;
and the Illinois Central Railroad would
have crossed here. But Stadden and those
whom he won over to advocate his views
villed al those things otherwise through
a huge sized mistake, which WAS practical.
~ the destA.kneI OF Dayton
Jesse Green, who is the oldest settler in
La Sale county, came 70 the place with his
father in the winter Of 1929, from Newark
Q. They brought with them mill -wright
and mill irons, and the following July had
girls. and saw mill in operation the mill
stones being made from two large boUlders
or niggerhesds On the east side of the
Fox river was then a lodge Of the friendly
Pottawatt0mieS. At The time of the Black
hawk war in 1882, John Green was obliged
to erect q palisaie fort around his dwell
ing II was at this time the massacre &C.
Cured on Indian Creek by the SaCs and
Foxes, in which Is white people were tom.
ahawked and scslped During this period
the supplies for the Green family were Oh
tanned at the store Of Geo T. Walker, loca, ,
ted where are now the mineral springs
At the close of the first year Of its settle
ment Dayton had but 81 inhabitants Resin
Debolt, Henry Brunbach, uncle Of the de. !
ceased county surveyor George Brumbach, |
and Daniel Grove, father of Samuel Grove. |
Of Utica township, had moved into the Vi |
cinity, making in all but three ueighnors
Of the infant colony In those days there
were plenty of wild animals in this region.
such rs deer and wolves. but only one
bear was ever saeD haresbouts By thu I'D
settlers
The fame Of Greens Mills from 1894 to
1878 was extensive throughout this region.
In the early years Of Dsyton's history teams
travelled 100 miles "a these mills. In the
last ten years the tlour business has greatly
fallen Of John and Charley Green. the
also run q tile factory. The
WOODEN mills were run By the Greens since
1872. A few years ago they were closed
aud pressed brick factory ,hytei in the
large stone building The fitting I'D for
his business cost $4,000 The pressed
brick factory is in the hands of stock
COMPANY capital, $4,000 One machine
las already been put in which weighs Il
ons and cost $500, having a capacity OF
5000 brick per day More machines will
- put in during tse season, making the
otal capacity 10000 per day. and giving
employment 10 80 men. The food Of Jan.
has delayed the starting of these works, !
which would have been in operation this I
week but for this occurrence Considera
lie damage was done TO the works ny the
reshet
The old .wsolen mill sas erected by ! &
}. Green in 10, and two years later manu-
acturing commence. Thi> mill hsd the .
rst power loom of any in the state. The
ireens lid a thriving business until 1884 ,
1hen they erected a new wooden miil-the :