History of Pike County, Illinois

"Here the shrewd and enterprising Easterner, the courtly Southerner and the sturdy, practical Westerner, have met and mingled, have inherited the better traits possessed by each other, and thus have formed a society, a people superior in many particulars to that of most localities." --From the prefaceThis historic treasure tells the story of the sturdy pioneers of Pike County, who inhabited the Military Tract, a section of bounty land set aside by an act of Congress as payment to volunteer soldiers of the War of 1812. These counties, among the first settled in Illinois, were located in the western part of the state between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. This land includes the present counties of Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, McDonough, Mercer, Peoria, Schuyler, Stark, and Warren. From the Mound Builders and Indians who first roamed this land to the French occupation, the history and development of these early pioneer settlements are recorded, including detailed documentation of the accomplishments and struggles of its citizens. The agricultural, geological, archeological, and legal histories are addressed, including the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, the Mexican War, the Civil War, and the organization of Illinois as a state. This publication is a must for anyone interested in the full historical coverage of this region.