Name This Peoria Landmark

Peoria Landmark #325

Nacho’s on it! “Old well house located at the bottom of the south trails at Robinson Park in Mossville.” Nearby are two more foundations and another well pump. Anyone have any idea what this used to be?

I was actually told about this once before but I didn’t think I’d actually ever find it but a few weeks ago I decided to take a hike in Robinson Park, on Mossville Rd in Mossville, as I had never been there. I didn’t know which trail to take and I couldn’t find much information available other than a only generally helpful Peoria Park District map so I blindly took the south trail. Inside the park the trails are well kept and marked. I plan to go back and explore more.

Peoria Wilds.com describes the park this way:

Robinson Park consists of glacial drift hill prairies on steep south facing slopes with Oak woodlands along the ridges and valleys. Some of the prairie wildflowers found here include scurf pea, pale purple coneflower, purple prairie clover, yellow false foxglove, stiff tickseed, golden alexanders, bird’s foot violets, and snow trillium. The woodlands include white oak, red oak, chinquapin oak, shagbark hickory, witch hazel, hazelnut, basswood, maple, and paw paw.

Robinson Park north of Mossville Rd. was willed to the Peoria Park District by Laurence Robinson, a Peoria architect in 1951 and was dedicated in June 1959 to the memory of Laurence Eugene Robinson Jr. who died in World War II. This portion of the park was known as the “Big Horn Farm” and was his boyhood home. At the dedication of Robinson Park in her son’s memory, Mrs. Robinson said, “It is my desire that it’s primitive beauty be retained and that it will forever offer an opportunity for young people to enjoy nature and the great out of doors.” Additional land has been added to Robinson Park on the south side of Mossville Rd.

Here are a few other photos I took on my short hike.

Peoria Landmark #321

Plaque on the side of this building at the Peoria Waterworks reads:

The Main Well House was built in 1890. The small metal detail which still remains at the peak of the roof was the only ornament allowed for this building by its designer. The roof itself was originally a true cone. The brick pilasters reflect the point of support for the steel beams inside used as hoists for removing well equipment when necessary. The above ground structure covers a 34 foot diameter, 3 foot think brick cylinder which extends 45 feet deep in order to tap the water bearing aquifer below.

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.”

Peoria Landmark #315

This has one of the more interesting discussions in quite a while. Go read the comments.

Peoria Landmark #314

Bridlewood Stables. 801 S Baer Ave, Peoria, IL 61604.

Peoria Landmark #313

I had no clue what this thing was until Bruce E. Hamilton suggested it was a water intake, which septboy clarified: “took a cruise on the Spirit with the family a month or so ago. A man sitting with the Capt. was pointing out different areas of interest. I asked him about this… it was an intake for the water co. they now get the water from the san koty aquifer.”

It’s easier to see up close than I thought. Park your car near the Water Works building by the McCluggage bridge and walk along the outside of the fence near the railroad tracks, following it towards the river. A short walk through the woods and you can’t miss it.

It does resemble the NTPL #164 in that it is round and is located nearby, but #164’s purpose still remains a mystery, as it sits above the waterline, and has a stairway leading into it. I would suggest that it has something to do with the ferries that used to operate in this vicinity, but I have not been able to confirm that.

Peoria Landmark #312

Tim Hill: “An old pump house just north of the bridge. It is near the intake that was just posted.”

Although I don’t really know what it is, If #313 really is an old water intake, then this building with large cast iron pipes coming out of it (not shown) would logically seem to be a pump house. This is located just north of the McCluggage Bridge & Water Works on the banks of the Illinois River.