Canoe Creek |
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It was around 1835 that the first white people settled in what was to become Canoe Creek Township . These first settlers included Jonas Carter, John M. Walker and Joseph Martin. They came with ox teams from Wayne county, Illinois and landed at Canoe Creek on August 20, 1835 . their first work was to cut down some small trees to make pens for their livestock and then of course larger trees to make shelters for themselves.
John M. Walker selected his claim and then returned to his former home and married. He then brought his bride back to Canoe Creek. His deed to the land was signed by Pres. James K. Polk. Jonas Carter and Joseph Martin built log cabins there and these were the firsr houses in the township. The land at the time had not been surveyed by the government except into townships. About three years later it was subdivided into sections.
At the time their nearest neighbor to the north was Savanna where a man lived that ran a ferry and the nearest one to the east was Dixon where there was a stage station. Their first market place was Chicago , to which they hauled all of their surplus grain and drove the stock which they had for sale. They would haul a load of wheat to Chicago and rade it for salt. This was slow and tedious work because there were no good roads and no bridges. They would often find streams with full banks, swollen with heavy rains and would have to camp there until the water receded and they could cross. At a later date Savanna and Galena became milling places.
Wild game furnished most of the meat; Johnny cakes, corn bread, a little white bread and wild fruits, honey honey and maple syrup were the main staples. Housewives spun their own yarn and they did their own weaving. The first home, a log cabin was built by Jonas Carter. The first frame house was built by George Kendall. The first frame schoolhouse was the Poplar Grove schoolhouse and was built by John Denison. The first school was taught by Miss. Johanna Herd. Canoe Creek township has been represented on the Rock Island County Board of Supervisors by the following men from 1857 to 1912: I. H. Marshall, 1857; George Kendall, 1858-0; Charles B. Marshall, 1863; James Hill, 1864-6; Stephen Odell, 1867; James Hill, 1868; Daniel Nicewanger, 1869; William A. Marshall, 1870; James Hill, 1871-2; E. P. Feaster, 1873-5; George W. McMurphy, 1870-7; D. M. Martin, 1878-80; John A. Liphardt, 1880-2; David M. Martin, 1882-5; Jasper Sell, 1886-8; S. W. Woodburn, 1869-93; Arthur Goodrk-b, 1893-4; George W. McMurphy, 1894-6; Byron Kendall, 1896-1902; W. D. Camp, 1902-04; Byron Kendall, 1904-6; R. S. Woodburn, 1906-08; J. S. Palmer, 1908-10; E. H. McMurphy. 1910-13.
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