The Founding of Fairbury, Illinois

by Dale C. Maley

This book traces the founding of the Fairbury area including the first pioneer farmers. The book includes maps of the Fairbury area indicating the first farmers purchased land along Indian Creek or the Vermilion River. In 1850, Congress passed a new law authorizing land patents for military veterans. Most of these veterans did not want to move to the swampy Fairbury area, so they sold their patents to farmers interested in trying to farm the swampy soil. This triggered a second wave of pioneer settlers in the middle 1850s.Also in 1850, the State of Illinois passed a new law authorizing the Peoria & Oquawka Railroad to run new tracks from Peoria to Indiana. This set off a competition between Fairbury farmers to see if they could get the new railroad to go through their farms. A great deal of money could be made if farmland was converted into residential home building lots in a new town on the railroad.It is hoped this book will help people better understand how our swampy prairie land was converted into some of the most valuable farm land on the planet.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1790905257
• ISBN13: 9781790905256
• Release Date: December 2018
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 169 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.4" x 6.0"