Cisco, Illinois, 1874-1974

1874 CISCO ILLINOIS 1974"rrrsTssfsmmmmi mmtRS/iRnCISCO ^^^H II li ii:-.^ -a^^s: Bird's-eye view of Cisco, looking: east.PREFACE seen and their hands haveGreat are the changes that generations have that our ancestorsbringing about. We are heir to the yesterdaysaided in is hoped for tomorrow.indebted to them for today and for whatdeveloped, and 1874-1974,book is an attempt to give an insight into CiscoThis Centennial 1874. A book of this type involves the cooperation,though it really began before of many people. It is not easy to try toenthusiasm, support and suggestions omitted and many are unknownrecord history for many facts and ideas must be remembered in various ways.or are reminder of the pastof this book, hope that it serves as aWe, the preparers anotherinstilling the desire to look forward totelling how the people lived, while believethe future cannot be told. Wecentury for the Cisco community, though which would soon be lost to the ages. Weit will help preserve "happenings"that for any omission or untruth.our gratitude to everyone and apologizeexpress Root for herlike to express a special "Thank you" to VeraWe would many hours of research.informative material and «^ iiiti5L..^-iS^fc2ec--r Marquis.Over Cisco" by Clementine"CloudsIM' H^. n^terial in the skirt. The waist was short and sleeves were large and tapered. Many ribbons and bows were worn, but little jewelry. The men wore light colored "jeans" and lindsey woolsey hunting shirts.Cisco started as a farming community and remains as one today, for most of the businesses are farm Wild meat was plentiful, and small patches of related. Many of the townspeople commute to other Indian corn were raised and a meal ground to make work Decatur or Monticello. Thisin story of Cisco a coarse but wholesome bread. Johnny cakes and pones has tried to reach back through the past 100 years were served for dinner while mush and milk was a to learn more of our town's history and the events favorite supper. The garden furnished roasting ears, that have shaped it as it is today. pumpkins, beans, sijuash and potatoes. Coffee and tea were used sparingly while maple sugar was muchThe first white people to arrive in Piatt County used and honey was only 5c a lb. Butter and eggs werefound Indians, not dangerous ones, but friendly Dela- cheap, chickens were numbersand seen in greatware, Kickapoo and Potawattamie tribes. Arrow- around the cabin.heads and other Indian artifacts have been found throughout the area. On some of the farms are indica- wallows, "Thetions of buffalo as well as areas called Dead Sea." Few white people had been in this area before Illinois became a state in 1818, as they had been settling in the southern part first. Settlers began moving into the northern section in 1825. In 1838, Edward Ater came to the area which is now Willow Branch Township to complete a land pur- chase made by his father, Thomas Ater. Among those he found here were Emanuel Clover, Michael Dillow, Thomas Henderson, John Moore, William Piatt, James Reber, John Mr. Shuman, John West Wash-Sea, and ington Zinn. Soon Samuel Havely and the Arms- worths came. When Ed Ater arrived, he went to the Clover home to night's lodging, they wereget a but all ill with the Ague. He went on to the Reber home, then the John West home, still encountering the Ague. He continued to the James Piatt cabin in Monticello, where the family graciously opened their home to the Feeding thr ihickin-. in 1909. stranger, although Mr. Piatt was in his last illness Croniger came from Ohiowith typhoid fever. Peter The amusements of that day were quite athletic. in 1839, making the trip in nine days. He drove three Dancing was a favorite, along with foot racing, target horses to a wagon, accompanied by Isaac Faylor. jumping and wrestling. Quilting and spin-shooting, few months he had 130 acres of his landWithin a ning bees were favorite activities of the women and "under fence," using oak rails, had dug a well and girls, as well as being practical. built a house. For many years the settlers made no effort to The early settlers made their homes along streams, cultivate the prairie, because they thought it was not prairies because they believed themshunning the fertile, since it did not grow trees. The prairie grew unfit for farming, and Willow Branch is prairie. The weregrass, often taller than a man's head, and there barns.settlers needed timber for their homes, fuel and prairie fires. Mr. P. C. Young came to Willow Branch easiest way was the trees for a clearing,The to cut Township in 1863 as a four year old. As a child he build their cabin and use the surrounding cleared area site Cisco. When heused to herd cattle on the of for crops. was a grown man he built a log cabin on the prairie Barnhart home.across the road from the present BudA settler brought with him an ax and rifle. With of log cabins, prairie fires were greatlyIn those days his cabin, usuallythe help of his neighbors he built feared for the home would burn readily and fire 14 16 foot square and without glass, nails, hinges,to horse couldspread through the grasses faster than a and locks. A fireplace was built in one end, and pelts run. The soil around the cabin was plowed to protect left out along one side andlined the ceiling. A log was it. Men working in the fields would set fires to burn sheets of strong paper, well greased with coon-grease themselves and their horses, if a fireoff an area for or bear-grease were tacked in place, to serve as occurred. They would place themselves and the horses was his own carpenter, and somewindows. Everyone for safety.inside the burned off area used considerable ingenuity in the construction of tools, utensils and furniture. could see their farm landIf the early settlers they would probably pop for there havetoday, eyesofHorse collars were often made of braided husk been so many changes. Their early attempts at farm- neckcorn sewed together. They were easy on the under extreme hardship, clearing theing were made of the horse and would last long while.a forest areas, which meant cultivating around the Women made nearly all the clothing worn by the stumps and on the slopes. As time went along they stumps, which could befamily and every home had a card-loom and a spinning would try to remove the widths of dangerous. In the early 1900's James Hendrix lost hiswheel. Dresses were made plain with fourbinders in the Cisco area.First camedone by shucking time, and each fall a number of fellowssight blasting stumps. Their plowing was Illinois Kentucky, to help with theshocked, being husked as from southern andhand. The corn was cut and were paid by the bushel, and given roomby hand or small hand mill. Wheat work. Theyneeded and shelled There wasshocks and and board while they were shucking corn.and oats were cut with a scythe, stacked in who would pick the most bushels afor grinding was competition as tothreshed by a flail. To go to a mill the fellows. This led to shucking contests.Decatur or Danville. To market the day amonga long trip to giving wayhorse Now we find the mechanical corn pickergrain was a similar trip or one to Chicago by sheller, man gave way to the pickerto the combine asand wagon. horse gave way to the tractor.or the his land if heThe pioneer farmer had to drain use the prairie, for it was a swamp in thewas to of the wheat and oatsInstead of the threshing rainy season. Some one invented a molelike contrap- flail, the grains began to be cut and bound by aby a went ahead of thetion with a cutting blade that poweredbinder, shocked; and threshed by steam mole which when pulled through the ground made community was divided intothreshing machines. The weresmooth packed runways for water. Thus they rings with the gang following from farm to making good farm land.able to drain the prairies, wivesfarm. The farmers worked in the field, their These lasted for years. In the 1880's tile was manu- kids had fun. A lavishworked in the kitchen, and the factured and put in for drainage. Drainage ditches meal was served at noon, so the saying that someone are used to help carry the water. The washad "cooked enough for threshers." straw used for bedding and feed.made into a stack andwith new implements,Changes in farming came Sometimes it was baled. The hay was done in this though corn was still husked by hand until the 1930's. oatsmanner or put in the mow loose. Now wheat andmakingFarm wagons were fitted with "bump boards" are combined. to the height, keeping the corn froman extension going over the wagon, when the walking husker pulled it wasPiatt County was formed in 1841, because threwthe ears of corn from the husk and stalk, and too far to go to the county seat in Decatur. It had them into the wagon. The horses pulling the wagons Branch wasbeen a part of Macon County. Willowwalked along as though they knew their job. Until the known as Liberty Precinct until the townships werehusker scoop thecorn dump was invented, the had to organized in 1860. The first supervisor was Elias Hall.corn into the crib. Extra helj) was usually needed atHauling com Plowing corn in 1912 on the Will Davis farm.Unloading Swarts and Preston Reed with a load of hay.David Old engine at threshing time. ^tmst f'^ w^^ttmif^i 9 Olson, Ernest Wikowsky,Thresher and crew: Charles and ."Sebe" Sebens, Ernest Richardsonshocking wheat at McKinneys.Horse drawn binder andBut<-hering day at Harve Koyse's in 19U: Mary Ellen Boyse, Mary Stillabower, Josie Olson, Jess Stillabower, Oscar Olson, John William Bruns,Royse, Harve Royse and John Goken. — —April 1913 ready for market average 1270 lbs. and brought $8.48/100 wt. and teams.Stanley MackeyMule team at John Royse's in 1917.The name of Willow Branch was derived from the President Clarks stating that because the I.C. was fact that early settlers settled near the tributary losing business to this line that the "Pea Nut Line" Rivercalled "The Branch," and forded the Sangamon was "the most desirable piece of rail