Peotone, Illinois-150 Years Old

The month of October 2005 begins a much-awaited celebration of Peotone, Illinois turning 150 years old. While many will offer a suggestion that most small towns don't reach an age like this, Peotone citizens are proud that it has reached that mature age and looks towards the future.

I have made many trips to Peotone and the surrounding area in Will and Cook counties. The scenery is like a lot of rural communities that have farmlands dominating most of the outlying regions and a few beautiful cities and villages to top off the cake with an elegance of frosting.

Peotone, Illinois is a small, rural community, conveniently nestled just south of Chicago in Will County, between Interstate 57 and Illinois Route 50. It is a community filled with history and culture. Peotone is ripe for industry, business and general economic development. Their work force is well educated with a strong work ethic. Excellent municipal services are provided, including a fine fire protection district and police department headed by Chief Paul Farber.

I have claimed, more than once, that Paul was the very first Police Chief there 150 years ago. He denies that claim entirely, stating that those records of authenticity of his years of service to this community are "Privileged Information."

Peotone is nestled in a thriving agricultural region. Many of the 5,000 residents enjoy the tranquility of a country lifestyle. The village streets are wide, curbed, and shaded with ancient trees of all varieties. The homes seem to "have always been there." They range from many gorgeous historic turn-of-the-century homes to beautiful new contemporary ones.

This land around the Joliet area was previously an Indian settlement up until about 1835. Around this time, President Lincoln was urging land grants for the proposed Illinois Central Railroad. Stephen Douglas also got on same bandwagon to encourage roads and a railroad to be built to attract settlers to this prairie area. In 1851, the Illinois Central Railroad was incorporated.

The first settlers to the Peotone area were Daniel Booth and James Allen from Massachusetts. In 1855, the township settlement actually began. The present site of the village of Peotone was bought from the railroad company and laid out by David Goodwille in 1856.

Legend has it the town was named for an Indian Chief who formerly roamed the area, but some say it is named by an official of the railroad who created the names of the stations along the line by combining consonants and vowels as he traveled. The popular translation of the name of Peotone is "A good place to live in."

In 1858, the population of the town was 125 people. At this time, the first house was built on Crawford Street, and, in 1860, the first school began to teach classes. The town was actually incorporated in 1869.

Among the first crops were wheat and rye, which led H.A. Rathje to have a mill constructed in 1872. When the mill came into production in 1874, the mill provided a variety of grain products, including fine wheat flour, rye flour (children were not allowed to eat white bread because it was thought to be bad for them), buckwheat flour and cornmeal. The mill was also a primary source of feed for the local livestock industry.

The busiest time of the year for the mill was in the fall. People would stock up for the winter with the freshly ground grain products. The average order would be three or four barrels of white flour, one hundred pounds of pancake flour, and a large bag of cornmeal.

In 1886, the mill began to grind wheat imported from Kansas and Minnesota. A more reliable source of power was needed to keep the operation at a steady pace, so the power source was shifted from wind to steam. The Mill continued to operate until World War I. Government regulations and rationing, along with establishment of more efficiently run large scale milling operations, caused the mill to cease making a profit, and it subsequently closed.

The mill stood in silent splendor with some general maintenance performed from time to time. The owner of the mill, Paul A. Rathje, recognized that the mill was an important historic structure and decided to donate it and the land on which it stands to the village of Peotone in 1982.

Many businesses line the main streets of downtown, like Mayberry Cafe and Nick's Licks and more. Many more encompass the main north - south Route 50 that goes past the city to either Chicago or Kankakee. One of my favorite eating spots is Die Peotone Beer Stube, where authentic German cuisine is served with a lot of pride.

If you are ever near Chicago during the next year, please make it a point to stop and see Peotone, just 40 miles to the south. It is a town that I admire like a second home, and I am sure that you will get those same feelings speaking to the locals.

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers
2004 CAC Honoree