Milford chronicle., 1893-08-25

growing affairs. But Chicago, greater
Chan any of them, is but OF yesterday and
it raises a smile to read in FoTds History
OF Illinois that in his administration Maui
700 was much larger than this city and in
Iincoln's life that the political influence
OF Vsndalia was great when that Of Chi
cago was not even taken into account.
What an amazing growth that was
when the fertile Illinois imagination
actually ran out Of names for new cities,
| villages and townships and seizing an an
cient geography recklessly bestowed 200
| names Of widely separated cities on new
| line Of settlements. What a queer state
J where a man may sleep in Paris break
fast in Moscow and dine in Cairo; may
drive in a few hours from Carthage to
| 4VaIsaw, fly rapidly 60 ST. Petersburg and
/ london, take supper in Eden aDd sleep in
Paradise. Plenty of good Indian names.
too, which would have given a local flavor |
to the nomenclature, and on various old /
maps the name of this place is spelt in |
seventeen different ways, the main line Of |
development running down through /
Esclisagou, EchicaGu, Chikagu and Chi
cagou to its present title.
Well, in 1773 there was at least one man
here, William Murray. In 1779 there were
two or three. In 1912 there was quite a
settlement and in the once very popular
story entitled "Hardscrabble" the plot
turns upon the massacre of those who
lived on an outlying farm. In 1887 the
place was Incorporated and contained
4, l70 people. Soon after the Illinois Cen
tral railway was an assured success, and
the world knows the rest What are
Tyre, Venice and Amsterdam to such a
growth as that? In 1917 first heard the
name OF Chicago when my fathers neigh
bors, away down in western Indiana, be-
gan to haul their wheat here and to haul
buck the three prime necessaries of that
5ime, salt, leather and mackerel Now
5he city's limit stretches almost to the In !
llama line and wheat is even cheaper than q
{ then was. But the farmers do not have
o haul it so far.
Away from the immediate vicinity of
Jackson park one sees nothing in Chicago
o indicate that-a Worlds fair is going on +
nless some of the amusements may be :.
aid to do so. Libby prison is here, and :,
Jncle Toms Cabin and all sorts of pano- !
lmas Of battles and other historic events. ~
nd there is an entirely new play which ~
Il the visitors from the rural regions -;
link they must see. In it is Columbus =
nd the Indians, George Washington and u
le ballet girls are mixed up With lovely ~
3eratic display and )ehlivening music. ~
lJh the usual catching songs and phrases J.,
I'd the usual happy disregard of historic ~
quence. But TIE people like it. e
rla4 relics of every kind Chicago =,
iingularly moor, The Indians made a +,
stty fair clean - in 1872 Three great
IS in succession took most of the old
uctures, and i'm 7l the truly great fire 80
ept all the rest. q ride out the Twelfth "a
eet cars will take ane to an alley near al
z corner of JeffsF Fson and DeKoven ~
eets and on that sley is a frame shed w.
lctly where the famous O'Learys had N0
9ir shed in 1871. On Oct s, that year, -,
actly at S;45 p N. (for fRilroad man p-l ip'-l
s noting the time when he Jaw it) the w. w.
2 burst through the roof ofFhat shed. III III
ere was no COW in the shed and no milk o. o.
: going on and the O'Learys were in s's
I. The old legend is but legend, but
D the spot is historic, for there the great -
: started. Near the northeast corner of
rth Clark street and Fullerton avenue ~ ~
I stands the old Huck house looking .ei
{ as it did when the women covered it va q
h wet clothing and saved it, for at that ..
mt the most northern spark of the great san
was put ont. Chicago is, indeed. a
y new place, very much newer than too e
nyer or San Francisco, Salt Lake City @ llis
'ther far western places probably the W. va
y newest real city in the word lis,a ne d
J. H. BEADLE. a. Hh