Centennial history of Nokomis, Illinois, 1856-1956

CENTENNIALNOKOMIS -1856 1956HISTORYCENTENNIAL OF ILLINOISNOKOMIS, -1856 1956 %OKOMIS Moonthedaughter ofFOREWORD theMen in America were moving with the sun. In 1850's, western lands could still be had for $8 to $12 an began the other arts followed. Nokomisacre. Tillage and came to be. This Centennial History calls up long forgotten remembered sounds.scenes and the peculiar sadness of It records those illuminated moments which stand out fresh and vivid after many years. watches the pano-Many a Seth Thomas clock still rama of the years, remembering a day when the sky was blue, Nokomis was young and people wished to be remembered. This is not a complete record, but we offer it with a feeling pride and affection for all who have had a part,of no matter how small, and those who expect to have a part, no matter how far in the distant future.917, CENTENNIALOUR TOWNS -the pastIt is a resurrection of our eyesbook spread out beforeAn open that history amassedWith narratives we dramatize.For decades which today providehorse and buggy, oil-lamp daysThe skirtsevents, when swishingThe setting for -ruled the day with prideAnd bearded faces asserts.simple life, our story-bookA claimlife which we naivelyBut metits conflicts; as theseFor those days had glory cameWith conquest, retrospective yet.magnifies itself in our minds,Which the pages of this book,As we leaf through -we are thereWe overtake ourselves, for look,of us - and we find, as weA part life's thoroughfare.Contemporaries on to date on friends,These chapters bring us up -the waylights and shades alongRevealing endswith their variousContinued stories edge of yesterday.That happened on the the sequelnineteen-fifty-six beginsAs centennial Nokomis story,To this frontiers could neverWill tempos which equal our glory?new dimensions toAdd smarter, Casler,Meda G. Pennepacker Minn.Duluth,ChairmenCentennial Committee FrankLoomis, Monroe Berns, Howard Case, Mildred Barnstable,Jack Sale, Glen Herzog, Chris Hugener, Melba Johnson.Berns, Alana Dasovich, Wilbur Stella Yackle.LaRue Hugener, Walter Fricke, Anita Stanley, Previous EntertainmentCENTENNIAL COMMITTEES and Sorority.Frank J. Berns - President. Woman's Club - Vice-president. PageantMonroe - LaRue Hugener, Chairman, EstherAlana Dasovich Secretary. - Nantkes, Salena Mack, Dorcus Thornhill,Howard Case Treasurer. Past Commander Club.Beard And Dress American Legion Jack Sale, Chairman, Lela Schwartzle, Violet Zueck, Anita Vercellone, Anita Stan- Ella Sale, ley, Jack Swarbrick.Alene Layel, Gladys Bottomley, Outside PublicityJoe Kocur, George Pehanich, George Fuller- ton, Alva Grauer, Steve Milavec, and Ken- C. F. Marley. neth Singler. Souvenirs Publicity - Local Rodell Satterfield, Wayne Bagley, and Walter Fricke, Edward Ovca, Co-chair- George Sale. men. Street Decorations QUEEN - PROMOTIONAL Howard Bell. Melba Johnson, Chairman, Alana Daso- Centennial Book vich, Rita Miles, Patricia Bixby, Barnstable, Stella Yackle, Co-Georgette Mildred Benya, Rose Johnson, Lucille Viola, Marie chairmen, Mary Archibald, Ed Vandever, Kettelkamp, Alene Layel, Nelda Bracken- LaRue Hugener, Esther Nantkes, Walter hoff, June Obregar, and Pauline Berns. Fricke, Arnold Woltmann, Emory Weakley, Parade andElmer Eddington, Charlotte Eekhoff, Violet Moeller, Lee Dawson, Co-chair- Mildred Fearn. men, George Priddle, Guy H. Wharton, Parking Ralph Scheller, Leslie Sperry, Ed Gould, Glen Loomis. Mary Collebrusco, Joy Keller, Dean Electric Evelynand Johnson. Chris Hugener. Carnival Grounds Wilbur Herzog and Clarence Wright. James Guyot. Eats Tents Theresa Tosetti and Erma Arkebauer. Fred Kettelkamp and Howard Case.HISTORY OF NOKOMIS Where a man found himself, he farmed according to soil, climate and market. Where the sturdy pioneer family found itself, it carved a home. These good neighbors, whether farmers, merchants, millers, doctors, poets, photographers, ministers, peddlers, to- gether with their wives, daughters and sweethearts lived here and loved this community they worked together to build a town worthy to last a hundred years. Today we are challenged with the thought "looking back- ward is futile unless it illuminates the future."was one-sixth m timber of oak, elm, andEARLY HISTORY OF NOKOMIS ship of maple and hickory.several varietiesnineteenthUp to the beginning of the first settlerBluford Shaw was the inextend-century little progress was made in Nokomis Township, who lived here with hisbeyond a small strip on theing the frontier prior to 1840. In 1843 Hugh High-familyThere were a few ven-eastern seaboard. and built the firsttower settled in section 33and broughtturesome souls who pushed west house within the boundaries of the township.ofback glowing accounts of the possibilities Following Mr. Hightower were R. N. Lee, lying in the valley of the Missis-the regions William Bonton, AbsolomJohn Wetmore,Rivers. In 1763 a settle-sippi and Missouri Van Hoosier, Lee and Andrew-Cahokiament was made by the French at Coiner. John Whitmore, living just north ofand another at Kaskaskia; these two were the city limits, was the first Justicethe presentof what was to become Illinois,beginning wasof the Peace and the first Constablethe Algonquinwhich gots its name from J. W. Hancock.Indian word Illini which means "perfect and The first sermon was preached in No-accomplished man." Illinois as a common- L. Crane, apart of Virginia until 1787 komis township by Rev. J.wealth remained Northwest Ter- Methodist Episcopal minister. The Baptistwhen it was conceded to the congregation was organized in 1856, withritory and continued so until 1800. By this History tells thattime there were enough settlers to make a Rev. Hueston as pastor. government possible, so the Lutherans were active in this communityseparate territorial early as 1852 in Audubon Township; theIllinois was admitted to the Union in 1818. as family, from JeffersonAfter the admission, a county was made Daniel Easterday Rev.called Bond which included what is now County, Ohio, was the first to come, and Montgomery looked D. D. Swaney was the first minister. WithinMontgomery County. years the Lutherans moved to the newto the Legislature to afford them some relief a few Lutheranfrom the cumbersome machinery engendered town of Nokomis, where St. Mark's the large forming Bond County. In Church was established.by area 1821 the Legislature approved an act creating denominations established them-Other Montgomery County. come, andselves in Nokomis in the years to From the first obtainable information it more detailed information will be found were the elsewhere.is conceded that the Kickapoos most numerous tribe in this county. The beenThe first school is said to have first white settlement was made in this taught by Henry Lower, at his residence in the settlers coming fromcounty in 1816, 1848. It was a private school supported by Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, the Carolinas, wassubscriptions. The first school house and Ohio. The soil was remarkably fertile. built in 1853 near the former Jacob Haller About 1834 the town of Audubon was farm south of the city. It is said that some The present in thelaid out, lots sold, and stores opened. of the original lumber is at colonists went so far as to build a court- Oak Grove school still standing near the house but the people refused to aid their ef- farm. the investors they were losing The first road through Nokomis wasforts and saw Nokomis-Hillsboro road andmoney so dissolution was inevitable. Other known as the towns in more favorable surroundings suc- was laid out in a northeasterly direction. ceeded and, as the Spirit of Progress is never Today it is our main street and an important actually crushed, these towns which paved in 1923.the spirit of State Highway was continued to live and as Hamilton and Wood- The first railroad was the Alton and side became Hillsboro, so Audubon became Terre Haute and the first train rolled over Nokomis. in 1855. Since that time the rail-its tracks There is no better township in the county road property has changed hands several in productivity than Nokomis. Here are the times and is now the property of the New best stockraising and marketing in the York Central. The tracks of the New York county. In its natural state, Nokomis Town- Chicago andCentral are also used by thePresidents oi the board of trustees or mayors down through the years follow: C. 11. Schaper, G. H. Upstone.*Thomas Trif- fet, H. M. Randle, John Hukill, John Noli mann, J. H. Weinstein, Nick Singer, W.Dr. C. Hovey, A. O. Kettelkamp. V. C. Singler, Kroeger,F. A. J. Eekhoff, S. B. Brow i Jenkins. Frank Yackle, A. E. Vandeve Virgil Adams, Kenneth Kellerman, and th< present mayor, Homer Stanley. Currenl commissioners are Gerald G. Cain. Alvin Hagemeier, Primo Tosetti and Clarence Hard. Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Schaper The appointed officers include T. H. First President of Board of Trustees Harrison, city clerk; Lee Dawson, city treas- urer; Andrew Cibulka. supt. of water; Robert Illinois railroad passing throughEastern Bowes, chief of police and John Price, supt. Nokomis and directly into St. Louis. of streets. A station was established in Nokomis in March 27, 1869, the charter was amend- which the beginning of1856, was ed by a special act of the legislature. At this as a place of importance, and now one of the time the city had a population of 700 people, most beautiful small cities of South Central three churches, ten stores and such indus- Illinois. It was platted and surveyed by P. C. tries usually found in places of comparable Huggins of Bunker Hill, and Captain Samuel size. Ryder of Alton, in the fall of 1856. In 1927 Nokomis adopted a commission The first mercantile establishment was form of government which is in force today. opened by Oliver Boutwell the year the rail- * * * • road was completed. In 1857 the first black- THE NAMING OF NOKOMIS smith shop was put in operation by A. Swords As to the naming of Nokomis several of Audubon, who also operated a wayside different le