The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-09-06
.SONE LARGE CITIES OF ILLINOIS Boom Towns That Might
 Have Been as Large as Chicago.
NOW FILLED WITHCORN
One Goddess Community That Was Prayed Into
 Oblivion.

Scarcely a township in Illinois but contains the site of what was once thought to be a future great" city, and this State has the unique distinc- ton of possessing moro instances of disappointed hopes relative to boom towns than any other in the Union.
 Illinois was settled more rapidly dur ing the pioneer era than any other State of the middle west, and hundreds of villages were founded which were believed by the enthusiastic progeni- tors to bid fair to become the metrop- oils of the west. Now the plough grates upon the forgotten stones of their foundation, says the Chicago Daily News.
 One of the most interesting cases of departed greatness applies to Postville, which In 1S41 was made the county seat of Logan county. Tn 1848 the legis- lature changed the county seat to Mount Pulaski, and when suit was brought the various courts, from the lowest to the highest, decided against Postville, all holding that a convey ance of land to county in considera- ton of the location of the county seat was again changed, this time to Iin- coin, and Postville, few miles distant, packed up and moved to Lincoln. Had the legislature not interfered Postvilla would now be the leading city of To- gan country instead of Lincoln.
 Recently the postoffice at Fillmore was discontinued, due to the advent of rural free delivery This place has also been known as Rochester, It was at one time the principal rival of Pe- oria Now it has been officially dropped from the map and will be heard from no more.
 The village of Richmond, in Living ston county, was once rival of Pon tiac. It was laid out in 1851, and with prospects of the Chicago and Alton Railroad going through 1t 1t boomed and became one of the most import ant towns of Livingston county. The railroad instead passed two miles to the east and there is no trace of the once populous and thriving village. | SlUN NClGI1At clllOlIlCI al Vl I SOllds Oll the Tazewell county side of the Illinois river is also only memory It was laid out in 1888 Extensive wharves were constructed and many steamboats touched there. For some reason the people preferred Peoria and Pekin, and Cleveland slowly sank into ruins Now the site Is farm land
 Tn 1886 the town of Bloomlngdale, six miles southwest of Atlanta, Logan county, was launched. It was founded by the so-called %Smithfleld Emigrat- ing, Agricultural and Milling Associa- tion" of Rhode Island. This association purchased 10000 acres of land and sold them in small parcels to young men of the East, the sum of $100 buying eighty acres and lot in the village The scheme worked well for time, but most of the purchasers were stricken with aglIe and other diseases and the colony dissolved, most of the members returning to the East, The village was heard of no more.
 Lee county was the scene of three promising corporations. Grand Detour, lDaysvi1le, Lee Centre and Dixon also should bementioned. Of the four Dixon alone rose to importance and is credit cd with killing off the three others.
 In Macon county the town of Madi- son was laid out in 1886 and 1t bade fair to be the leading city of central lTninois It did not last long, however, and it's site is now covered by waving cornhelds Dantown, Newburg, Mur- physboro and Centreville also are num- bered in the lost towns of Macon coun- ty Like Madison all started promising ly, but Decatur was the magnet that attracted the people away from all riv- alt,
 Bowling Green was the future great great city of Woodford county, and in 1S40 it was looked upon as a second Chicago. It attracted attention through revival movement in which every body was converted. This or some oth- @ rfactor was fatal to its existence, as it slowly faded away.
 Kaskaski is still heard from, for Il has a poulatoh of about 200. Yet il
 was founded in 1883 by the French, ant by all the rules of expansion 1t should
 be in the metropolis class. It had 6
 bright future, but 1t began to die wher ian ordinance was passed in 17S7 for
 bidding slavery. At one time 1t was tht
 State capital and county seat, ant
 a Jesuit college there contained large
 number of students. It bade fair tC
 become a famous education center. Tn,
 census of 1900 gave Kaskaski just 1T
 population.
 All inhabitants of Clarksville sol emnly recite the vicious character oi the place and earnestly believe that
 like sodom and Gomorrah of old, i
 was destroyed by an indignant God. All Instances of the forgotten town of Illinois are tame in comparison witl ? with of Clarksville. LAll that is left O 1 the town are the reoollectious of thu Iold inhabitants and the records in thu Mclean county courthouse. Not yes , tige of the city Is shown and even it | sitA in doubt. It was laid out in 1886 b, Joseph Bartholomew at 8 point thre s miles west of Lexington. It was invest s ed with all the attributes of a pionee city. Gamblers and thieves were mum , erou1
 Horse racing was the principal spor
 in those days and horsemen from al
 over the State flocl1ed there. It wa !. there that the Freelands raced ol
 Clear the Kitchen" the fastest hors in the west in those thrilling days.
 It was unsafe for pious man to g
 to church, so numerous were tn crooks. It was finally decided by tn
 godly to hold a public prayer meetin