The Spoon River Community
Cass Township and Nearby Communities Historical Background
Organized in 1850, Cass Township was named in honor of Gen. Lewis Cass of the War of 1812. In 1823 William Totten settled on the Southwest Quarter of Section 27 at the edge of a prairie soon named Totten's Prairie after this first settler. Other settlers began to come into the township so that by 1870, the year after Frederick and Katharine Helle moved onto their farm north of Smithfield, the population of the township was 1254
Transportation
The first methods of westward migration were by boat via the rivers and navigable streams and established Indian trails. As settlers increased, ferry boats were soon in use at convenient crossings. The ferries across Spoon River were maintained at county expense. The first bridge was built across Spoon River at Bernadotte in 1844; a wooden structure set upon immense sandstone piers. . . is in a wonderfully well-preserved condition and promises to last throughout the next century." (Replaced in 1983.) By 1908 steel bridges spanned Spoon River at London Mills, Ellisville, Babylon, Seville, Elrod and Duncan's Mills. The iron bridge over Spoon River at Ellisville had a span of 204 feet. Built in 1876, it was the longest of its time.
A county-wide highway system was established by the first Board of County Commissioners in 1823. By 1908, hundreds of steel bridges had been built over streams throughout the county, there being almost 2500 miles of county highways in the county. In 1850 a toll road company was established to run a plank road from Canton to Liverpool at a cost of $3,000.00 per mile, only to dissolve in bankruptcy after six years. Stage lines served various parts of the county before the railroads.
The Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad solved "the inadequate transportation problem and consequent low price of (farm) produce" Put into operation in 1868, the T. P. &W. Railroad was a consolidation of the Toledo, Peoria and Warsaw Railroad and the Mississippi & Wabash Railroad. The line ran through the center of Smithfield .
Log Cabins
Frederick and Katharine built three log cabins; therefore. A description of the building of a log cabin as presented in History of Fulton County, Illinois, 1879.
"Trees of uniform size were selected and cut into pieces of the desired length, each end being saddled and notched so as to bring the logs as near together as possible. The cracks were 'chinked and daubed' to prevent the wind from whistling through. This had to be renewed every fall before cold weather set in.
The usual height was one story of about seven or eight feet. The gables were made of logs gradually shortened up to the top. The roof was made by laying small logs or stout poles reaching from gable to gable, suitable distances apart, on which were laid the clapboards after the manner of shingling, showing two feet or more to the weather. The clapboards were fastened by laying across them heavy poles called 'weight poles,' reaching from one gable to the other, being kept apart and in their place by laying pieces of timber between them called 'runs,' or 'knees.' A wide chimney place was cut out of one end of the cabin, the chimney standing entirely outside, and built of rived sticks, laid up cob-house fashion, and filled with clay, or built of stone, often using two or three cords of stone in building one chimney. For a window a piece of about two feet long was cut out of one of the wall logs, and the hole closed, sometimes with glass but oftener with greased paper pasted over it.
A doorway was also cut through one of the walls, and the door was made of spliced clapboards and hung with wooden hinges. This was opened by inside the door. For security at night this latch-string was ailed in, but for friends and neighbors, and even strangers, the latch-string was always hanging out,' as a welcome.
In the interior, upon one side, was the huge fireplace, large enough to contain a back-log as big as the strongest man could carry, and holding enough wood to supply an ordinary stove a week; on either side were poles and kettles, and over all a mantle on which was placed the tallow dip. In one corner stood the larger bed for the old folks, under this the trundle-bed for the children; in another corner stood the old-fashioned large spinning - wheel, with a smaller one by its side; in another the pine table, around which the family gathered to partake of their plain food; over the door hung the ever trustful rifle and powder horn; while around the room were scattered a few splint - bottomed chairs and three - legged stools; in one corner was a rude cupboard holding the tableware, which consisted of a few cups and saucers and blue - edged plates, standing singly on their edges against the back, to make the display of table furniture more conspicuous.
Mills
The grist mills on Spoon river were part of "a great milling industry" and extended from Duncan's Mills to Ellisville. At their height of production no other county in Illinois produced a greater quantity of flour. The quality of the flour milled by the water mills along Spoon River was known the world over as late as the 1870's
Wherever water power was attainable within close proximity to big timber, sawmills were soon established. The lumber was floated downstream to the Illinois River where it was loaded on a flat-boat or rafted. Walnut lumber was first sent it out of the county; oak provided only to local people.'
In 1831 Andrew Laswell established a sawmill in Cass Township where Turkey Creek joins Put Creek.
Harrison Rigdon, credited as being the first settler of Lee Township, tells in his personal account of going some years after 1834 with ten others to build a mill for Andrew Laswell on Put Creek. A Mrs. Cline had been employed to the cooking. Offended in some way by Mr. Laswell, she quit and took all her cooking utensils with her. The eleven men had to do their own cooking "with only one tin cup and a wooden trough.
SmithfieldFounded in 1858 by J.N. Smith, Smithfield is the only village ever in the township. It was incorporated by general law 1 Mar. 1889. It is said that if one ever drank from the town well, one would return for another drink. In 1879 the Smithfield business center contained two general stores, two drug stores, one hardware store, two wagon and blacksmith shops, two hotels, a post-office, and a sawmill. There were three resident physicians and the T. P. & W. Railroad provided transportation making Smithfield a important shipping point.
\Fire destroyed business buildings south of the railroad tracks i 1908, and in the 30's fire destroyed
the grain elevator. Then again in the 40's fire destroyed the 1st Methodist Church.
