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OH LOOK, there it
comes!" Excited children danced up and down. Faces of little
folks and big folks were turned in eager anticipation toward the
west. Over the wrinkled countenances of the old spread looks
of amazement. The puffing of the locomotive had been heard.
With a rumble and a roar an engine pulled in. Decatur was out to
welcome its first railroad train. With that first train came
the beginning of the era of Decatur's prosperity, and the county's
development. Nothing now cold stand in the way. Decatur
and Macon county had arrived! That was a momentous day in April,
1854, when the Great Western Railroad company inaugurated train
service into Decatur. It was something that for years had been
longed for and worked for.1
It was the culmination of hopes started back in the '30s. The
coming of the railroads brought more to Macon county than the
wildest dreams ever fancied. Agricultural development was now
assured. Industries started could find markets for their
products. Material advancement could be made in any direction.
The railroads brought more people. More people meant more
business. The United States census figures tell the history of
the county's increase in population. In 1850 there were only
3,998 people in the entire country. By 1870 that figure had
risen to 26,481. In Decatur alone there were probably 1500
people before 1854. In 1860 there were 3,839. By 1870
the population was 7,161. That first locomotive which made the
trip into Decatur was called "The Frontier". It was well
named, for the county might have been classed as frontier before
that time.
AN EARLY WABASH LOCOMOTIVE When Decatur
turned out enmasse that April day to greet its first train, it
really had to go to the country.2
Decatur then did not extend as far north as the Wabash track.
It didn't take the city long to expand that far, however, after the
railroads came. Before the road was built, three surveys were
made for the right of way. One came in through the old fair
grounds and east over what is now Eldorado street. Another was
almost the same as the one selected. Sullivan Burgess, who
afterwards was Decatur's city engineer at various times, was a busy
man in the days of building railroads. He located the line
from Springfield to Decatur, and from Decatur to Tolono, also, later
on, the road form Decatur to East St. Louis, and was in charge of
the construction work of the latter line from Decatur to
Taylorville. He located railroads in various other sections of
the country, also. Afterwards he was a partner in business
with Charles A. Tuttle, who had been division engineer with the
Illinois Central when its line was under construction. The
railroad track was finished between Springfield and Wyckles quite a
while before it came on in to Decatur. The delay was caused by
the long fill at Stevens creek. Work on the fill had to be
done by man power, as there were no steam shovels. The men
used picks to loosen the ground in cuts further west. Then the
dirt was shoveled by hand into cars, and wheeled in to where the
fill was being made. It took large gangs of men and much time to
make this fill. It was difficult to secure labor, and men
employed were rather a rough class. Many were the tales told
of troubles in the labor camps. Two gangs were at work most of the
time, one composed of Irish and the other of Germans, fresh from the
old country. Disputes were inevitable.3
THE WABASH The railroad company knows as the Great Western,
which brought Decatur its first road, later became a part of the
Toledo, Wabash and Western, afterwards called the Wabash and
Western, and reorganized in 1877 as the Wabash railroad company.
It 1879 it was consolidated with the St. Louis, Kansas City and
Northern Railway company and became known as the Wabash, St. Louis
and Pacific. In 1889 it was reorganized as the Wabash Railroad
company. In 1915 the road was sold under foreclosure, and the
reorganized company was incorporated as the Wabash Railway company.
Two important additions which came into control of the road were the
Missouri, Kansas and Texas line from Moberly to Hannibal, Mo., and
the Ann Arbor Railroad company lines.
JOHN DINNEEN The Decatur and East St. Louis
railroad was chartered in 1867, but the line from Decatur to St.
Louis was built in 1869 under the management of the Toledo, Wabash
and Western. The first Wabash roundhouse in Decatur was built
in 1869. It was an eight-stall house. In the earliest days
of the road oxen were used for switching cars. The first
yardmaster in Decatur was John Dinneen, who began work in the early
'60s, and remained with the Wabash until 1875. At first
Dinneen drove the oxen and switched the cars for both the Wabash and
Illinois Central. The first switch engine was not brought in
until after the line to St. Louis had been constructed. In 1884
the Wabash shops were moved from Peoria to Decatur. From that
time on, Wabash interests in Decatur increased in size and
importance. Millions of dollars have been spent on grounds,
buildings, bridges and equipment. Some of the big projects
have been the construction of the locomotive shops in 1913-14, and
additions made later, miles of trackage in the yards, reclamation
plant, concrete bridge east of Decatur, bridge over Sangamon on line
to St. Louis, and innumerable buildings. Inside of Decatur
alone the Wabash has thirty seven miles of tracks. One year,
in 1926, the Wabash spent more than $7,500,000 in Decatur. Decatur
was the headquarters of the old Middle division, when the system had
three divisions, eastern, middle and western. After the system
was re-divided and more divisions were created, it remained
headquarters for the Decatur division. It not only is the
location of the division offices, but has some of the general
offices, namely, the mechanical, telegraph and signal departments.
WABASH STATION Thirty-three hundred persons
in Decatur are employed by Wabash, and the annual payroll is
estimated at $5,000,000. Scores of trains pass through the
city each day. Today the Wabash system covers nearly 3,000 miles,
serving eight states of the United States and a province of Canada.
According to its report for 1929, the earnings for that year were
$76,632,974. Rightly Decatur is called the "Hub" of the Wabash.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL The Illinois Central was the second
railroad to inaugurate service into Decatur, though its tracks had
been laid in the city before those of the Great Western. Its
line from Clinton to Decatur, on which the first service was given,
was completed Oct. 18, 1854. In 1850 Congress passed what is known
as the Illinois land grant act, sponsored by Judge Sidney A. Breeze,
and later, in a modified form, by Senator Stephen A. Douglas.
This act gave to the state of Illinois 2,595,000 acres of land to
aid in the construction of a railroad 705 1/2 miles long, from Cairo
to East Dubuque, with branch line from Centralia to Chicago.
In February, 1851, the Illinois Central railroad was incorporated,
and the legislature conveyed this land to the railroad company.
The charter of the road provided that 7 per cent of the gross
earnings of the company should be paid into the state treasury.
The land given to the railroad consisted of alternate sections on
either side of the proposed route. The proceeds from the sale
of these lands were to help defray cost of construction of the road.4
The route was surveyed in 1851 and by spring the following year
construction work was in progress.5
The first section of the line completed was between LaSalle
and Bloomington. Through service between Chicago and Cairo was
established Jan. 8, 1855. When surveys were first made through
Macon county the line was six miles west of Decatur. That
would never do, thought the enterprising citizens of the town.
Immediately a movement was started to have the route changed.
Through the efforts of E. O. Smith, the change was made and the road
routed through Decatur.6
After the road was finished, Decatur people could reach Chicago by
using the Central to Mendota, and connecting there with the Chicago
and Aurora railroad, now the Burlington.
FIRST ILLINOIS CENTRAL MAP At the
intersection of the Illinois Central and Wabah lines a station was
erected in 1855 by the Illinois Central. Five acres of land
were donated to the Illinois Central as a site for the station by B.
H. Cassell. The deed was
given July 4, 1853 and specified that the land was to be used only
for the depot site. Mr. Cassell
sold other land in the vicinity to Prather, Martin and Gatling, who
laid out the addition. Mr. Gatling, by the way, was a man who
invented the Gatling gun.
OLD UNION DEPOT
SHARON's NOTE: My grandmother wrote a
note here in pencil as follows:
"Passed this on way to school" The depot, which
stood across the tracks east of the present station, was used as a
Union depot form 1855 to 1901, when the present day separate
stations were put into use. It was a substantial brick
building two stories high, and with an eight-sided tower.
Included in the building, was a hotel. Its name was The
Central House. The hotel office was on the first floor, while
on the second floor were twenty sleeping rooms. It was a
convenience for the traveling public and the hotel was well
patronized. It was opened in the summer of 1855. Among
the landlords at that hotel were John Slaughter, O. McKinzie, Newell
A. White, Colonel A. C. Waterhouse and Robert R. Taggart. The
latter was proprietor at the time the building was dismantled.
The old Central hotel had some busy day during the years of the
Civil war, when soldiers were being sent to the army and again on
their return.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL STATION In the tower of the
depot was a smoking room for men. On the first floor of the
Illinois Central wing of the depot, were the hotel dining room,
telegraph office and luggage rooms. On the Great Western side
were men's and women's waiting rooms. Ticket offices were
between the two sections of the building. The Great Western
baggage room and express office were to the east of the depot.
OTHER RAILROADS Other railroads came to Decatur in the next twenty
years. The line betwen Decatur and Pekin, built by the Pekin,
Lincoln and Decatur railroad company, was opened in November, 1871.
It was leased by the Toledo, Wabash and Western for a time.
After consolidation with the Decatur, Sullivan and Mattoon company,
it became the Peoria, Decatur and Evansville, and still later, in
1900, it went into the hands of the Illinois Central. The line
between Hervey City and Mattoon had been built by the Decatur,
Sullivan and Mattoon railroad company and opened for operation in
1872, the track of the Illinois Midland being used between Decatur
and Hervey City. The track between Decatur and Champaign was built
in 1873 by the Decatur, Monticello an Champaign Railroad company,
later became part of the Wabash system, and then was leased to the
Illinois Central. The Illinois Midland was a consolidation of the
Peoria, Atlanta and Decatur railroad and the Paris and Decatur
railroad. The line was built in 1872. It extended from
Peoria to Terre Haute. The Illinois Midland station, erected
about 1872 at Broadway and East Main, housed the general offices of
the company. When this road went into receivership, it was put
in charge of D. H. Conklin, who afterwards became mayor of Decatur.
Mr. Conklin was interested in other railroads. He had the
distinction, by the way, of being the first telegrapher engaged by a
railroad company. That was back in 1849.
ILLINOIS MIDLAND STATION The Illinois
Midland was reorganized as the Terre Haute and Peoria, later became
the Vandalia line, and eventually part of the Pennsylvania system.
The Vandalia used the old station as a freight house until the
erection of the new freight house an office building in the 800
block North Broadway. Since then the old building has been
used mostly by coal dealers. The Indianapolis, Decatur and
Springfield was chartered in 1850 as teh Indiana and Illinois
Central, but the line was not built until 1872, and then only as far
as Montezuma, Ind. Later it was extended to Indianapolis.
It passed through several hands, eventually becoming a part of the
C. H. and D., afterwars the C. I. and W., and finally the B. and O.
The line between Decatur and Springfield was not built until 1902.
Decatur had the beginnings of another line, but it disappeared
suddenly. The Decatur and State Line company, whose purpose
was to build a road connecting Decatur and Chicago, was incorporated
in 1869. About $600,000 was raised to build the road, $85,000
being voted by Macon county. Work started near Kankakee.
In April, 1871, ground was broken on the Samuel Powers place
northeast of town for the first work to be done in this county on
the road. One day work ceased. All efforts to learn what
had happened failed. It was generally believed that some other
railroad had bought off the promoters of this lien. -------------
1.
The news soon spread when the Great Western surveyors, reached
Decatur on Christmas day, in 1853. The men stopped at the
Harrell house. It was unusual to have a group of surveyors for
a railroad here, and due honor must be done the occasion. A
reception was arranged for the evening. It was held in the old
court house on the old square, and James Shoaff, newspaper editor,
was said to have been the spirit of the occasion. Matt
Johnson, a peculiar character, furnished the music with his fiddle.
At the side of his chair sat the little brown jug, from which he had
to take a bracer at teh close of each cotillion. Johnson just
couldn't get a tune right if he didn't have the little brown jug to
brace him up! 2.
Although people in general wanted to see the railroad come to the
county there were some who made objections, thinking it would be the
ruination of the country. The objections sound very foolish
today. Some complained that he whistling of engines and the
noise of cars would drive away all the game. Others said the
ranges would be destroyed and poor people would have to keep their
hogs and cattle enclosed. It would be impossible to cultivate
land, because the trains would frighten the horses. Men who
made their living by hauling naturally felt their business
would be ruined. Jesse Lockhart of Niantic said he had just
left a country that was all fenced in (Kentucky), and he had come
here to find plenty of room. The railroad would ruin the
country, he said. Lockhart was so provoked at the idea that he
threatened to pull up the stakes if surveyors set stakes on his
land. He did do that once, but the surveyors expostulated with
him, and finally he was convinced that the roads would do no harm.
So well was he persuaded, that he even helped put the stakes back.
Ever afterwards he was a friend of the road.
3. One Saturday pay
day, according to story told by R. R. Montgomery, the Irish workmen,
after going to town and getting filled up with bad whisky, started a
raid on the Germans. Armed with shovels, picks and clubs they
entered upon a battle royal. It was reported (erroneously,
however) in town early Sunday morning that several had been killed
and others badly wounded. The sheriff called a mass meeting of
citizens and asked for volunteers to help seize the trouble makers.
A company of thirty men was formed. Armed with old flintlock
muskets, which had seen service in the Mexican and Black Hawk wars,
they made their way, some horseback and others afoot, to the scene
of the riot. They brought in quite a number of the disturbers.
4. A pamphlet
issued by the Illinois Central in 1857 to advertise its land for
sale contained among other things figures on the cost of "opening a
farm". It was stated that a one-story frame house. 14 by 26
feet, plainly and comfortably finished, divided into two rooms,
plastered and painted, could be had for $225 to 250. For a
larger house, one and one-half stories, 16 by 28 feet, three rooms
above and two below, with pantry, the cost would be $400 to $425.
Contractors agreed to furnish such houses in four to six weeks.
Letters telling of the success of people who had located on such
farms were printed. Isaac Funk of near Bloomington was
mentioned as having acquired 27,000 acres, and his sales of cattle
the previous year had been $65,000. Jesse Funk, who formerly
made rails for his neighbors at 25 cents a hundred, had purchased
land and raised cattle and hogs. His sale of stock the
previous year amounted to $44,000.
5. Colonel
Roswell B. Mason, chief engineer of construction of the Illinois
Central when it was started in 1851, often told of the difficulties
encountered in the work. It was necessary to get labor from
big cities as far away as New York and Montreal. So many
railroads were being built at that time that rival agents would
entice men away from one road to another. Another handicap was
the prevalence of cholera and milk sickness. Epidemics broke
out in the summers of 1853 and 1854 and men died by the scores.
Many laborers, at work one day, were dead the next. In Peru,
Ill., 130 men died within ten days. Those not stricken with
illness scattered quickly. Whisky was another factor
contributing to the difficulties. Drunkeness was common, and
often riots occurred. One such occasion at LaSalle resulted in
the murder of a contractor, and it was necessary to call out state
troops to restore quiet. Trouble also was caused by cattle
getting on the railroad track. Once a construction train was
thrown from the track by running over a cow, and three men were
killed and one other seriously injured.
6. The
first stake for the Illinois Central survey in Decatur was driven
June 6, 1851, near where the passenger station now stands.
Headquarters for the workmen were established at the Macon house.
Several lines were run south. The first move of the party was
to Willow Creek (Elwin), and the next to Flat branch (near
Moweaqua). From there south the men had to work through real
wilderness. Rattlesnakes, deer, wolves abounded. To add
to their discomforts it rained every day.
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