Lacon High School - Tickler Yearbook (Lacon, IL)

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AC ONHIGH S CHOOL with a daughter of one of the pioneers. She was a comely damsel, with bright black eyes and hair and rosy cheeks. The young chief offered to swap twelve ponies for the white squawg the offer being refused he went away quite broken- hearted. Soon after the Indians were removed by the government to a reser- vation in the territory of Kansas. The dream the founders of Lacon once cherished-to make it a great commercial centerwhas never been realized. Yet there is enough beauty and attractiveness to makefour city a place of contentment and pleasant homes. The Indians who once lived their free, careless lives on the sloping glade under the grand old trees have all gone to their happy hunting grounds. And their white successors are resting in the Vlfhite City south of town. The changes have come quietly. The same hills are around about. The same blue sky smiles. The landscape is not quite the same, and yet it is the same. The same river goes on its way serenely and majestically to join the greater waters. And the waves are softly murmuring Stories of the days of old. MRS. LUCY IfOSTlCR. A MEMORIAL PUBLICATION This humble article purposes to he another word of appreciation and praise of a certain volume. Records of the Ulden Time, written and printed in I.acon over forty years ago by Mr. Spencer Ellsworth. whose son was an early graduate of the Lacon High School. The writer was searching for early records of I.acon when a copy of the publication was placed in his hands through the kindness of Mr. L. C. McMur- trie. XVhat a wealth of lofty inspiring historical incidents and stories were found therein. VVhat appreciation of the spirit of our indomitable ancestors! VVhat insight into the true worth of the American spirit! XYhat inspiration! VV hat character depicted! XV hat Godliness! If we could but interest our boys and girls in such literature as this, theirs would be the gain and the humble appreciation. The time will come when mothers and fathers will turn in disgust from the narrowness of current news- papers and magazines, when they will sense the value of the example of our fore- bears, and when they will thank their God that there have been men whose insight into human life has led them to leave such written records for the benefit

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AC QNHIGH S cuoon. Columbia: but as there was a postoffice with the same name in the state, after some deliberation and consultation the name Lacon was decided to be not only unique, but the only one known at that time. lilisha Swan was an early white settler in the new towng he opened a gen- eral store and built the first brick house, a substantial looking building, still standing in the north part of town. The first religious service was held in an unfinished mill and the sermon was preached by the Rev. Quinn Hall. The Methodist Church was built in ISS7 and the first church of Lacon is now used as a store room in the rear of the K. l'. Hall. The first newspaper was pub- lished by Allen N. Ford and called The Lacon Herald. The first circuit court was held in the Methodist Church and Thomas Ford was the judge. He afterwards became governor of the state. In 1840 the first court house was built at a cost of 358.0003 it was burned seven years after and the old portion of the present building was built at a cost of SI2.000. The first marriages recorded were those of Elisha Swan to Zilpha Dent. Livingston Roberts to Margaret Dent, and Lemuel Russell to Sarah Catherine Edwards. Quite early in the history of the town there was a temperance organ- ization called the Xkashingtonians. Abraham Lincoln, in the early days of his law practice. often visited Lacon, and later. when candidate for Congress, made telling speeches in the hourt house square. During the Civil XVar Lacon sent many brave soldiers and also during the Spanish-American XVar. .Xnd in France, today, under the grass and flowers. a little white cross marks the grave of a brave boy. ' Une of the trying ordeals which proved a great burden to the business men of Lacon was the failure of the Air Line Railroad. Large sums of money had been subscribed and when the promoters did not make good heavy taxes were the result. Funds for school purposes were raised by subscription. Quali- fications for teaching required that the teacher write his own subscription paper. It was thought that women were not capable of keeping school. At one time there was an organized band of robbers in the country called Banditta of the Prairie. They had planned bold robberies in Lacon, but information from their spies concerning the number of rifies, shotguns, swords, horse pistols and determined men and women, led the banditta to give up their scheme of robbery. After the Black Hawk war a number of friendly Indians. who had never joined in the disturbances, lingered for a time about their former camping grounds. A chief, named Nacquette, had seven wives living in separate tepees about his larger one. He had a son, a handsome young brave, who fell in love

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.J of our children and our children's children. This Mr. Ellsworth has done, and. although written in 1880. the value of his work enhances with each pass- ing year. Forty years have passed, forty more are coming, and then forty, yet this great citizen gave us a memorial for the benefit of the present and future generations of Marshall and Putnam counties. XYould that words would better express our admiration, our praise, our thankfulness! lts immeasurable worth. its tranquil beauty is found in the inspiration of its pages. And now the thought comes of life's greatest tragedy, yet life's greatest beauty, the passing of time. But tomorrow and we too will join that unnumbered throng. May we have done as much for ours as Mr. Ellsworth did for the people of Marshall and Putnam. There follows the preface of this volume, unexcelled in beauty and loftiness of thought. The Preface ln the following pages we have endeavored to trace the early settlement of that portion of our state embraced in the counties of Putnam and Marshall. gathering up the forgotten records of each township and neighborhood, and telling for the benefit of the descendants the story of the brave men and women who wrested their homes from the savage, and turned a desert into the fairest land that beams beneath the sun. It is not a history, and does not claim to be, nor should it be judged as such. but in its pages we have sought to tell in plain. simple language the story of our ancestors' lives, and string together for the amusement and instruction of their descendants the incidents and happenings-solemn, grotesque or ludi- crous as they were-that make up the warp and woof of their daily existence. The old settlers are fast passing away. Many prominent actors in the scenes here is well-nigh noble band passed into faithfulness At the statements of the same occurrence restricted to the uncertain memory reached the depicted have paid the debt of nature, and the story of their lives forgotten. But a few years more, and we shall see the last of that carried to their final home. Much that is valuable has already oblivion, and to rescue what remains has been our study. The with which it has been performed can best be judged by the public. outset of our task it was found that to reconcile dates and even was impossible. Our sole dependence was of a few feeble men and women, who had stage of life when the Ugrasshopper is a burden, and forgetfulness