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Hoopeston
is on a ridge between the waters of the Wabash and the Illinois
Rivers. It is forty two miles from Lafayette, and twenty-seven
from Danville. When the railroads were built through this area,
for miles around everything was prairie except the Hoopes farm.
With no trading area around or any railroad the companies that were
building, Snell, Taylor & Co. And Young & Co. looked this area very
important.
Young & Co., made terms with many land owners and was
thought that a contract was made with Mr. Hoopes. But Col.
Snell
closed a bargain with Mr. Hoopes for one thousand acres of his land
lying west of the junction.
Mr. Hoopes was able to manage a farm but not city lots
therefore he would have nothing to do with the business.
There was a vast speculation about having three
separate towns. One was set up by Davis and Satterthwait
consisting of eighteen acres and on the 28th July, where main street
is, and called it Hoopeston, Snell, Taylor & Co., (consisting of
Col. Thomas Snell, of Clinton, Abner Taylor, Esq., of Chicago and
James Aiken, and Mr. Mix of Kankakee, as a special partner laid out in
November one hundred and sixty acres where the Hibbard House stands
and called it Leeds. Thompson Brothers laid out east and north
of the railroads, and called it North Hoopeston and Davis and Satterthwait an addition to Hoopeston.
For Information on Jacob S. McFerren's
contribution to Hoopeston,
Click Here
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