BIG FOOT PRAIRIE
In the 17th and early 18th centuries Indians lived on Big Foot Prairie and Chief Big Foot of the Pottawatomie Tribe had his headquarters on the west end of Lake Geneva in the vicinity of what is now known as Fontana. Chief Big Foot earned his name, according to legend, by the large tracks his snow shoes left in the snow. It was for him Big Foot Prairie was named.
Lake Geneva originally was given the name Big Foot Lake but the name later was changed to Lake Geneva for Lake Geneva in Switzerland because of its beauty and similarity to it.
In 1836 the federal government ordered the Indians to move farther north leaving this vicinity open to settlement by the white people. Before that time only a few bold pioneers had dared to push their way into northern Illinois. It is said that tears ran down Chief Big Foot's cheeks when he learned they had to move.
On traveling the first day on their northern journey to their future home, the Indians camped for the night, and after all was quiet Chief Big Foot slipped out unobserved and traveled all night back to Lake Geneva to be under his favorite tree, where his young son's body had been buried, and to see the sun come up over Lake Geneva for the last time.
A family by the name of Fish was the first to settle in Big Foot. They came in a covered wagon from Massachusetts, and lived where the Wheeler home is now (1976) located. The nearest trading center at that time was Kenosha. They would drive there to sell their wheat and purchase supplies. It would take three or four days to complete the journey. While Mr. Fish was gone, Mrs. Fish would drive the two pigs into the "lean to" on the log house for company.
Big Foot was a lonely place then. Every morning the Fish family would look over the country for signs of smoke hoping more settlers might have arrived. Mrs. Fish had the distinction of living in three centuries. She was born in 1799 and died in 1900 at the age of 101. She is buried in the Big Foot Cemetery where her monument can be viewed. She lived under the administration of 23 presidents. Mrs. Fish traveled to California in her 95th year. She was in the habit of smoking a pipe and did so on the train where there were more woman then men. When the conductor insisted that she go into the smoking car with the men she threw away her pipe and never smoked again.
Eli S. Reynolds settled at Big Foot corners in 1838 on what was later known as the Bentley farm and took up land from the government. Hawkins Tooker, also took up 280 acres of land from the government. He died in 1863 at the age of 34. Later his widow Maria (Abbott) Tooker, native of Kenosha who had two children Albert B. Tooker and Emma J. Tooker, married Joseph LaBrec, a Civil War Veteran. Three of his brothers Victor, Henry and Augustus, also were Civil War Veterans. Following his marriage he purchased a 280 acre farm a mile south of Big Foot where the Leonard Nerges now (1976) live. His grandparents were Victor and Rasella (Bombard) LaBrec, natives of France who came to Canada when they were children. His father, Joseph, was born in Vermont in 1839 and was one of the old settlers and leading farmers of McHenry County. Henry LaBrec, son of Civil War Veteran Joseph, and his wife Blanch raised their two children Joseph LaBrec and Marjorie LaBrec (Cramer) on the LaBrec farm south of Big Foot.
Joseph L. Martin moved to Big Foot in 1870. He came to the county in 1838 and brought the third span of horses to the county. Mrs. Jane (Rogers) Wakeley was born on Big Foot Prairie north of Harvard in 1844. Her family came from Utica County, New York "to get rich" the same as everybody else who came west. They came with an ox team. It was a hard life in the new country. She and her husband owned a farm for years near Oak Grove where the Leonard Beetstras now (1976) live. One of her sones, Mark Wakeley, owned the farm across the road from the former Oak Grove School. His son Lyle and wife, Hazel (Voorhees) Wakeley with their three sons lived on this farm for a number of years.
Burrows Wilkinson and family came from Alden, New York and settled near Big Foot in 1841. He had three sons, Philo, Charles and Edwin. Charles was a druggist in Harvard. Edwin, father of Hersie, Addie, Ames, Ida, Charles, Jessie, Ralph and Ray was a farmer on the family farm east of Big Foot. The farm was sold to Dr. Brooks, a veterinarian and his wife from Hebron, who converted the large family home into five apartments. The farm now (1976) is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Gale Brown of Wilmette.
The Rodman family was among the early settlers as was Ralph Hutchinson who built a beautiful two story brick dwelling in 1938. This date was verified within the past few years when work was being done at the house and a brick taken from the chimney carried the date 1838 on it. Much of the material for this home was transported by wagon from Kenosha. Oliver Lewis who married Sarah J. Bentley, daughter of Rudolphus and Christina Bentley, in 1853 purchased this farm with its beautiful buildings from Dolph Hutchinson. In later years it was purchased by Hiram Ingalls who with his wife and two daughters, Charlotte and Gladys, lived there for many years. Recent owners of this farm were the Kirkendalls, the Lemmons and Now (1976 ) the Glen Andersons.
Lyman Seely with his parents, Daniel and Abigail Seely, came to Big Foot from near Cleveland, Ohio in 1846. One of his children Gertruce married Fred H. DuVal and they owned the farm now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Peters. Their two daughter, Rozelle and Dorothy married brother Ernest and Roy Kjellstrom. Ernest lost his life in a dynamite accident on the family farm. Dorothy (Mrs. Roy) Kjellstrom presently (1976) resides in Hinsdale, Illinois and her niece, Catherine, on the west coast.
Rudolphus and Christine Bentley came from New York in 1841 with their son, David, who was born in New York in 1840. Rudolphus died in 1857 and David carried on his fathers farm. In 1862 he married Mary H. Thompson, a native of New York. The late Angelo T. Bentley and Sadie (Bentley) Shunk were two of his children. David and Julian T. were the sons of Angelo T. and Olive (Tooker) Bentley. Julian, a graduate of Knox College, won wide acclaim with his broadcasting on radio and television. He was with WLS may years during which time he also was Editor for Prairie Farmer. He then became Director of News, Analyst and Commentator for WBBM, CBS outlet for Chicago. He traveled widely in Europe interviewing people in the various countries to ascertain their impressions of current events and on one tour made sixty-five broadcasts from various European points. Julian died March 12, 1968. Jane Olive Bentley, daughter of the late David and Claribel (Peck) Bentley resides in E. Peoria, Illinois. Her brother David was drowned in Lake Geneva in 1941 at the age of nine.
William Coventry was another early settler in 1844 and his sons David and Remus farmed in the area for many years and with a brother, Peter, worked for $12 a month during the harvest season but with money so scarce took his pay in cattle and hay. In 1948 he married Jane H. Hicks, a native of New York . In 1853 he left the area for awhile and went to Green Co. Wisconsin but in fall of 1869 returned and purchased the Nathaniel Smith farm. They had five children and one of their sons J. S. married Fidelia Hildreth, daughter of Ephraim Hildreth, another early settler in the area. They owned a farm on the State Line Road west of Big Foot. His children were John and Hollie (Mrs. Victor Carbrey) of Walworth. John married Edna Timming and they still redside on the family farm, and two of their sons, Donald and Carol farm in the area. In 1835 Peter married Christina Harbendorf. They had ten children and their daughter Laura born July 17 1841 probably was one of the first white girls born in Chemung Township. They accumulated 540 acres of land in the Big Foot area, part of which was the farm on which Mr. and Mrs. Albert Dahle reside.
Dr. Mulford, grandfather of the Wilkinsons, practiced medicine in the Bog Foot Area and also a Dr. Wood at one time.
Some of the early merchants were Samuel G. Mills, a native of Williamstown, Massachusetts, Paul Olcott, George Boughton and Albert Tooker, father of the late Mrs. Angelo T. Bentley. Will Whitely operated a meat market at one time, George Stewart, father of Lynn and the latee Edward Stewart built the present store building in 1892 and operated the general store. Following Mr. Stewart came Mr. Guthrie. Later the store was purchased by Albert Tooker, from whom Ray Wilkinson and H. W. Binnie purchased the building and business. In about 1908 Ray Wilkinson purchased Mr. Binnie's interest and was the sole owner until his death in October 1965.
In the early days there was no rural free mail delivery and people came from miles around to the Big Foot post office for mail which was brought in twice a week by horse and buggy from Harvard and Elkhorn. Judge Avery had the post office originally, later Amasa Truax was the storekeeper and postmaster as were Samuel G. Mills, Horton Gillis and Civil War Veteran Col. Belknap.
J. E. Smith then became postmaster followed by G. H. Stewart, A. B. Tooker and Ray Wilkingson. The post office was in the present store from the time of the erection of the store in 1892. December 31st 1934 the post office closed and since then all mail in the area has been delivered by rural delivery from the Harvard post office. At the time of closing Ray Wilkingson had been postmaster continuously for 30 years of since 1904.
An outstanding event was the building of the electric road from Harvard to Fontana in 1899, the Chicago, Harvard and Lake Geneva line, more popularly known as the Toonerville Trolley. Much freight, mail twice a day and on Sunday, and many passengers were carried by this line. Sunday excursions were very popular. Also, it was a great convenience for children going to school. The first trip the car made was July 4, 1899. H. H. Windsor was manager of the road and its first passengers were:
H. S. Bell
W. O. Clarke
A. H. Hitchcock
G. H. Merwin
some of the motormen were:
Grant Welch
Bert Spencer
Lem Loynes
and among the conductors were :
Arno Huff
Lester Sullivan
Peter Siciliano and his section crew maintained the road bed. When built it was planned to connect the cities of Delavan, Lake Geneva Harvard and Elgin.
The cement road between Harvard and Big Foot was built in 1924 and proved to be a greater convenience than the electric road and eventually forced the closing of the once popular electric line. However, after passenger service was discontinued it remained as a freight hauler and for several years hauled thousands of head of livestock and crates of chickens to the Milwaukee Road connection at Walworth and to the Chicago & Northwestern connection at Harvard.
Big Foot can boast of its growing industries and businesses and of the fact that it has some of the fines farm land and best herds of dairy and feeder cattle in the country surrounding it. It, also, can boast of its fine people. One lady in particular stands out, the late Mrs. Anna Dahle, who with her husband, Ferdinand, came from Rockford and purchased land on the State line Road west of Big Foot. Mrs. Dahle, who became known far and near, never missed a chance to remember people either in sorrow or joy with calls cards, flowers or radio requests over our local radio station WMCW through Esther Blodgett. Four of her children and their families own farms and live on the State Line Road, namely :
Clarence Dahle
Ferdinand Dahle,
Lois Dahle Cutts
Albert Dahle
Mrs. Carl (Ruby ) Fredrick, a long time resident on the State Line Road still resides in her lovely farm residence. She is the mother of Eugene Fredrick and Mrs. William (Patricia) Beetstra. Several others on the State Line Road who live on farms owned by family members for many years include Raymond Voss, Ruth Lehman (Mrs. Ray) Smith, and Art Anderson. Carl Anderson, also lives in a residence built on the Anderson farm.
The Big Foot cemetery is located on land from the late Edwin Wilkinson and Ames Wilkinson farms. Through the years there were many including Jacob Olbrich, James E. Smith and Ray Wilkinson who served long and faithfully on the Cemetery board. The present (1976) members of the board are:
John J. Hawver - President
Paul A. Neidhold
Raymond C. Voss
Mrs. Edna L. Hawver
Mrs. Winifred C. Bridges
Mrs. Marion Works
Mrs. Rhoda Cash
A few years ago Art Anderson purchased the Mrs. Pearl Brown property which is immediately adjacent to the Big Foot cemetery on the south and has generously offered a strip of this land for an addition to the Big Foot Cemetery.
There are other families like the :
Barth
Barto
Bloom
Bordwell
Busch
Carvey
Dowey
Ellsworth
Eichman
Fritz
Gasch
Guttschow
Harvey
Hildreth
Huff
Jones
Krohn
Knull
Lehman
Lilja
Lloyd
Miner
Molthen
Nerge
Peters
Peterson
Postlewaite
Rich
Sargeant
Schuld
Schultz
Strand
Voss
Waldo
Wheeler
Whiteley
Woodrich
Yates
and many many more who should be mentioned with bits about them and their families but as we all know it would be impossible to mention everyone. All have contributed to the welfare of the Big Foot area and in this Bi-Centennial year are extended Hearty Congratulations. The future of Big Foot and the surrounding area is bright and promising.
Here you will find some history's of the local business's
This history of Big Foot Prairie was transcribed from the book
Harvard History 1829-1976