316 – Octave Chanute
Peoria Landmark #316
I am not going to even attempt to write a encyclopedic entry for Octave Chanute, but I will give an overview for those who are not familiar, along with a few personal notes. For the record, I was only vaguely familiar with the name Octave Chanute until I visited the Smithsonian’s Air & Space museum in Washington D.C. a few years ago.
Paris born Octave Chanute moved to the United States at the age of six. He did not have a formal education but learned engineering through a series of apprenticeships and built his first (rail) bridge across the Illinois River at Peoria in 1856. He also designed the Chicago and Kansas City stockyards., along with the first bridge to cross the Missouri River.
Interesting to me is the story I have always been told about St. Joseph and Kansas City, Mo. The story goes that the high falutin’ citizens of St. Joe, (”where the Pony Express began and Jessie James ended” so goes their official slogan) weren’t real thrilled with the idea of a dirty black smoke blowing railroad going through town. Kansas City, which had approximately the same population and resided about 50 miles to the south, had no such objections. The rail was routed through KC and Octave Chanute built the first bridge spanning the Missouri River and opened rail to the west.
Octave Chanute is most well known for his contributions to aviation. The Wright Brothers “Kitty Hawk” was based on Chanute’s earlier built glider.
Wilbur Wright: “If he (Chanute) had not lived, the entire history of progress in flying would have been other than it has been, for he encouraged not only the Wright Brothers to persevere in their experiments, but (his) private correspondence with experimenters in all parts of the world was of great volume. No one was too humble to receive a share of his time. In patience and goodness of heart, he has rarely been surpassed. Few men were more universally respected and loved.”
To answer commenter jl’s question of why he is buried in Peoria, all I could find was that he married Annie Riddel James, of Peoria, around the same time he built the rail bridge here. They had three children together, so while he seemed to have projects going on all around the east and midwest, I would surmise that Peoria may have been his home and where his children were raised. I cannot confirm this. I will also add that there are other family members buried at Springdale, but I did not think to notice who they were or take pictures at the time.
Notice the little thing stuck to the top of the gravestone? That’s a tiny compass attached a piece with of gum. The only reason I know it’s gum is because there was another piece of gum stuck on the left-hand side, but with nothing attached to it. I was annoyed and pulled it off before realizing it was being used as glue. I don’t know what was attached on the left, but it tickles me to think someone might have driven from a long distance to visit and pay respect to someone that most Peorians, including me until a few years ago, had no idea had roots and is buried here.
Octave Chanute, the “Father of Aviation.”
September 18th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
The air force base guy who designed the Illinois River rail bridge?
September 18th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
This is at Springdale Cemetery.
September 19th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Octave Chanute was an aviation pioneer, and theres a residential complex at my alma mater Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University named for him
September 19th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
I still wonder why Springdale though…
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=12537377
September 20th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
jl, it’s weird that your link doesn’t mention anything about Peoria, other than the cemetery location.
September 20th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
1870 US Census, Kansas City, Jackson County, MO. Octave Chanute, age 38, civil engineer, home valued at $100,000 (VERY expensive), personal estate valued at $10,000, born in France. Lives with wife Anna, Virginia Chanute, age 24, their children Arthur, 13, Alice, 10, Lizzie, 3. Living with them are 3 servants.
1900 US Census, 413 Huron St, Chicago, Cook County, IL. Octave Chanute, age 67, married for 40 years, born in France, parents born in France, immigrated in 1839, civil engineer, rents a home. Lives with wife Annie, age 61, children Elizabeth, 34, Annie, 28 and Alice (Boyd), who is a widow. Living with them are 2 servants.
1910 US Census, 1138 Dearborn, Chicago, Cook County, IL. Octave Chanute, age 78, widowed, had been married 45 years, 4 living children of 7, born in France, parents born in France, immigrated in 1838, consulting, owns a home. Lives with daughters Alice Boyd, age 40, widowed, and Elizabeth, age 38 and Annie, age 35, both single. With them are 3 servants.
A US Passort application from 1899 states that he was naturalized on 04-17-1854 in McLean County, IL. Swears he was born in Paris, France on 02-18-1832. Lives at 413 Huron, Chicago, occupation consulting engineer.
A US Passport application from 1910 states he lives in Chicago.
There is a US Passport application from 1923 for daughter Elizabeth stating that she was born 07-22-1864 in Peoria, that she now lives at 14 E 60 St, New York, NY (upper East Side).
Could probably find the missing census records but I was starting to nod off. All of the above were found on ancestry dot com.
September 21st, 2009 at 5:51 pm
After further searching, I’ve come up with a Peoria/Chanute link as:
1860 US Census, 3rd Ward, Peoria, Peoria County, IL, his age 27, civil engineer, home valued at $15,000, personal estate valued at $2000, born in France. Lives with wife Anna (birth name Annie Riddel James) and children Arthur and Alice.
Son Arthur was born about 1857 in IL, probably in Peoria.
Daughter Alice was born 12-1861 in IL, probably in Peoria.
Daugher Elizabeth was born 07-22-1864 in Peoria, as per passport application.
Son Charles was born 10-1866 in IL, probably in Peoria.
Daughter Anna (or Octavia) was born 02-04-1871 in Kansas City, MO
So, it is most likely that Octave and family lived in Peoria at least from about 1857 to as late as 1869, as they appear on the 1870 census in Kansas City.
I have traced all the children, should anyone be interested.
It should be noted that Octave was born as Octave Alexandre Chanut. When he became a citizen in 1854, he added the “e” to the end of Chanut and dropped his middle name.
September 21st, 2009 at 9:15 pm
So that explains the Chanute Rd on the west side of Mt. Hawley airport.
September 26th, 2009 at 8:51 am
This Chanute-Peoria connection is something the museum folks could feature in a ‘Famous People with Ties to the Peoria Area’ exhibit. Very well written & interesting!
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Chanute moved as a bachelor to Peoria in 1854, married to Annie James from peoria and left for Chicago a decade later.
Peoria was HOME.
Simine