AUGUST 4 , 1975 - PLAIN DEALER CENTENNIAL EDITION-PAGE 3 Historical Sketch Of Town Of McHenry (Continued from page 2) share of cost was com paratively small (233,000) as the State of Illinois took over the contract. The city's share in this project was also paid through Motor Fuel Tax funds accumulated. McHenry's city hall took on a hew look in 1920 with a Terra •Cotta front. In 1968-69 a com plete change took place through enlargement. The Council room was designed to serve both as a meeting room and court room. The police department was enlarged and offices provided for the City Clerk-Collector staff. In 1974-75 a new addition provided space for offices and modern equipment for the police department. % Annexations were numerous through the years» Some of the**" larger additions started in 1952 with Edgebrook subdivision. Three years later Cooney Heights was brought into the city. In 1962 approximately 165 acres were added betwen Rt. 31 and the C. & N.W. tracks. This was set forth as an industrial park. Along both sides of Front Street 47 acres of improved property and 22 acres of vacant property became a part of the city in 1966. A building boom followed the annexation of 600 acres called Boone Valley, known to old timers as Hanley Woods and later as the Kelter FarmS. The first development started as Whispering Oaks Unit No. 1 when the plat was approved in August, 1965. Population figures soared in, the city census when Lakeland Park - Shores area became a part of McHenry in 1966. A large portion of the area con sisted of improved property. Bounded by 111. Rt. 120 and Draper road, 343 acres, known as Pheasant Valley, extended the corporate lines in June, 1967. Country Club Estates, with sixty-four improved lots and seventeen vacant, became a part of the city following a petition submitted by property owners in the area. The contiguous Jacob Freund farm porth of the city limits, consisting of approximately 140 acres, was annexed in 1972 with areas designated for residential, commercial and industrial. In 1956 it was necessary to enlarge the capacity of the sewage treatment plant. In 1968 plans started for an enlargement designed to serve a population of 17,500. Wth an A - plus Moody rating, the City had no trouble in selling a $675,000 bond issue to the voters and bond houses. Substantial federal and state grants were received for the plant construction. A cross town trunk line and a special assessment covering Lakeland Park - Lakeland Shores brought the entire project to a 3>2 million dollar figure. Construction was completed in 1974. One of the reasons the city's credit rating enjoyed an en vious position was the Com prehensive plan adopted in 1960 and updated through the years following. When zoning loomed up as a necessity, an interim ordinance was passed in 1950.The following year an ordinance was adopted that has stood with amendments up to the present time. A subdivision control or dinance followed in 1961. Starting in 1959, steps were taken to provide new water wells. In the '60-'61 period, a water tower with a capacity of 500,000 gallons was erected in Cooney Heights. New mains were also constructed. The old tower, known as the standpipe, at the corner of Waukegan street and Third street, „ was dismantled in 1971. The old tower had a capacity of 105,000 gallons. It was a landmark, but became too dangerous to allow to remain Recognizing the need for recreational park area, the city GEORGE GAGE JL- " Compiled by tne Honorable George Gage (Published July 5, 1876, in Plaindealer) We commence our history of purchased approximately 35 acres from Kenneth Petersen, bounded on the north by Mc- Cullom Lake Road, annexed the area and named it Petersen Park. -The purchase price was J$115,000, an Open Space Land ^Acquisition grant paying ^86,250 of the cost. The balance was paid through the city's share of federal revenue sharing allotments. In 1975 Lillian street in Cooney Heights subdivision was improved and extended across the C. & N.W. railroad tracks. This is expected to relieve traffic congestion that became a problem in the Crystal Lake road - Main street - Rte. 120 area. Currently a new bridge over Fox river is planned as a joint venture, McHenry county to pay 50 percent of th? cost, McHenry township 25 percent * and the City of McHenry 25 percent. This new structure will replace the old, narrow bridge at Pearl street. the town of McHenry in the year 1834, when what are now known as McHenry and Lake counties formed the North part of Cook county. At this time the land was unsurveyed andv in possession of a wandering tribe known as Patawatami Indians. They were an ignorant but quiet, inoffensive people, who subsisted chiefly by hunting and fishing, and whose only domestic animals were the dog and Indian pony. The Indian title to these lands was extinguished by treaty in 1835. That territory which is now embraced in townships 43, 44, 45 and 16, north of the base line, and all east of the 3d principal meridian from range 4 to Lake Michigan was detached from Cook county by act "of the Legislature in the winter of 1836-37, and thereafter known as McHenry county. The county seat of Mciiiiuy county was located in the village of McHenry in May, 1837. The first meeting of the County Commissioners court of McHenry county was held at McHenry June 5, 1837, to organize the county. The first order on record was the approval of the Clerk's bond. The second order, the appointment of Andrew S. Wells, treasurer. The third, dividing the county into precincts or magistrates districts. The First Precinct The first precinct contained all Uie territory in McHenry county which lies west, and two miles east of Fox river, being nearly the same now contained in McHenry county, named Fox precinct. The first election held in this precinct was at the house of Christy G. Wheeler, in the village of McHenry, July 3, 1837. C.G. Wheeler, Wm. L. Way and John V. McLean were judges of election; H.N. Owen and B.B. Brown, clerks. Wm. L. Way and Wm. H. Buck were the justices elected. The first settlement by the white population in this town was made in the year 1836. Henry W. McLean built the first log cabin, 12 by 16 feet, for a residence in October, 1836, and here H.W. McLean, John V. McLean and Wm. L. Way lived and were the only settlers in what is now the village of McHenry, up to the spring of 1837. But within the town of McHenry in 1836 we find that Chancy Beckwith, John Boon, George Boon, Jacob Jackson,. Merrill Thompson, Samuel H. Walker, David McCollum, Wm. McCollum and Abiael Walker, had located claims and com menced improvements. Other Early Settlers In 1837, were added to this list John Sutton, Manley Turner, Jacob Story, Jas. A. Salisbury, Jas. Button, Abijah S. Barnum, John McOmber and family, consisting of wife and six children, Benj. B. Brown, Joe) Wheeler, Christy G. Wheeler, Peter Robinault, H.M. Owen, Benj. F. Bosworth, Freeman Harvey, Alden Harvey, Michael Sutton, Enos Ber- narde, AH. Hanley, Smith Herrick, John McQueen, Col. Starr, and possibly some other persons not remembered. The first settlers of this county were composed of two classes. The one was that class that float along on the tide of emigration for purpose of plunder, and the other who came here to secure . homes and an honorable living. The former soon floated away while the latter remained and their names appear in the record. They were mostly from eastern states and came to this country either by steamboat around the Lakes, or by team overland through Chicago, and thence by following the Indian trail to the banks of Fox river at this place. Timber was so scarce through this section of country at first that it was feared that it would be in sufficient to supply the wants of all the settlers who had taken claims on these lands in 1837, but experience has demon strated the fact that by stop ping the annual scourge--the prairie fires--timber has sprung up and furnished ample supply for the county. Fox river was crossed at McHenry in 1836 either by fording or with Indian canoes. In this year a ferry-boat was built on the river above here near Burlington and purchased by the citizens of this town' in 1837, floated down the river to this place and here used for ferrying teams across the river until 1842 when the first bridge was completed across the river. This bridge was carried away by the freshet in the Spring of 1849 and was rebuilt in the month of May by the voluntary labor of the inhabitants living near the place at that time. The first mill built was a saw mill built by H.N. Owen and Jas. A. Salisbury in 1837 to which in after years was added awar ding and cloth-dressing machine. It was located at the south end of the dam which now crosses the creek at this place: The land in this town was surveyed in 1840 and brought into market in 1842. The county seat was removed from McHenry to Woodstock Sept. 23, 1844. In August, 1854, the Fox river railroad was com pleted to this place and the first railroad train arrived over said road from Chicago in that month of that year. Had Slow, Healthy Growth T From this time in 1854 to the present writing, McHenry has had a slow, healthy growth. Our present population we estimate at about 800 inhabitants for the village and 2,500 for the whole town of McHenry. In the early history of this town, wheat was the principal production for export. Grazing and pork raising fs the farmer's chief reliance. Our soil has un dergone a change since the first cultivation here from being the very best for wheat to now being very poor, whereas for grass it was a failure while now most kind of grasses such as timothy, clover and blue grass flourish. The farmer feeds large numbers of hogs, sheep, cattle and horses, which, together with butter,^ cheese and wood, are his principal source of revenue. H&nry W. McLean was the chief worker who secured the location of the county seat at McHenry. Rufus R. Soule built the courthouse on the Public Square which was subsequently moved and used as a hotel attached to and in connection with the house where William McCollum now lives, and known as the Mansion house, and again moved to Lot 12, Block 16. where it is now known as the McHenry House. The bridge across Fox river •vie .firSf .built and crossed at Elm street, the first street south of the Riverside House. This bridge became worn and decayed and too dangerous to cross,, teams occasionally breaking through, therefore in 1852 a new bridge was built at Pearl street where it has been maintained d^er since. First Road From The South The first main road from the south into McHenry connected with the town on Main street The road from this point was laid due south across what was then an impassable quagmire to Boone creek a distance of about 40 rods and made passable for teams by .filling the space with logs laid side by side being what was then called a corduroy lead, and a kind of road quite common across the sloughs in this country at that time. A bridge was built across the creek at this point and the survey of the road to Woodstock was afterwards made, com mencing from the south end of this bridge. The present crossing of this creek was located in 1851. To give some idea of the growth of timber in this country. 1 wish to call attention to a black oak tree standing near the southeast corner of E.M. Owen's residence lot, just outside the fence. This tree, in the fall of 1837. Esquire McOmber says he thought of cutting for a hand spike, but finally concluded to let it grow. It is now a tree about three feet in diameter at the butt, having increased in diameter nearly one inch annually. When we consider that we have millions <it trees now growing within a feu miles of here, of this and other kinds, we need have no tear <>l a near approach of a timber famine, if they all average a growth equal to this. The history of the early trials •and privations of the settlers of this town can never be written io give an adequate idea of what they had to encounter. Situated ">u miles from the nearest depot lor supplies, with almost impassable sloughs and streams intervening, most families being at times "driven •" '^'v alternative of hunting, fishing in' starvation, there nogs and tew horses or cattle and no grain in tl^e country. As we look back upotl those scenes from our comlortable- homes today, surrounded' with all the luxuries that a tropical climate or.anvother climate or portion of the earth can supply, it appears more like an illusive dream than what it really is, an important fact recorded in delibly in the records of eter nity He Finds Many Living Most of the first settlers have been called aw ay to death, but I find still living many to whom we are indebted for much of the prosperity and improvement of / this country Prominent among these are E.M. Owen, H.W. McLean. Chancy Beckwith, Samuel H Walker. Wm. Mc Collum. John McOmber, Joel Wheeler. Michael Sutton, A.H. Hanly. and many who settled here subsequent to 1837. .las A. Salisbury was killed in his saw^mill April 5, 1838. Smith Herrick was killed in 1837 by accidental discharge of a.gun in his own hands. McHenry has suffered comparatively little from the elements, fire, wind or water. The first fire of any magnitude was the burning of Enoch Baldwin's hotel, situated on the site where the Riverside House now stands and known as the (Continued on page 5) cajtftfE' t That's the way we started, way back in 1923. ROY KENT \ The Kent Real Estate Company was started in 1923 by Roy Kent, occupying a small office on Green Street. At that time, the area surrounding McHenry, small neighboring lakes and the Fox River, was mainly resort property and used only during the summer. This made the majority of Roy Kent's business the sale and resale of summer homes. In 1928 he added Insurance to his business and shortly afterward moved to Riverside Drive. In 1932, the business was moved again 3 doors south on Riverside Drive to larger quarters and part of the office was occupied by two McHenry attorneys, John Looze and Harry Kinne. Roy Kent died in 1951 and his wife Verona efficiently ran the business'for the next 6 years until his son, David Kent returned from College in 1957. Since that time, David Kent has been running the Kent Real Estate and Insurance business. In 1966 the business was moved to its present location of 3322 West Elm Street. | H E A L J S T A T B f t XtlStmAHCE T H E R E N T C O . I N S U R A N C E ffS V 1 Bankrupt ! set T H E K E N T C O . REAL ESTATE UL. KENT CORPORATION EST. 1923 385-3800 3322 W. ELM ST. - McHENRY, ILL YOUR Independent Insu rance / AGENT SERVES VOU FIR* DAVID KENT