1848-1870: Industrialization

Throughout this period, industrialization within Illinois is tied primarily to agriculture. John Deere’s self-scouring plow makes Illinois the world’s largest producer of plows, and in 1847 Cyrus McCormick opens a plant in Illinois to manufacture automatic reapers. Thus, Deere and McCormick establish Illinois as a center for agricultural products and implements that opens the state for even more settlers from the East.

The founding of industry continues at a rapid pace. As an example, brick manufacturing in Peoria begins around 1833-34, but by 1857, Peoria produces 10,000,000 bricks during the summer. At one time, Peoria has 14 small brick and tile manufacturers, many located adjacent to the Illinois River (Klein 1997). Chicago’s heavy industry also expands enormously with the founding of the first iron works and the 1857 establishment of George Pullman’s factory to produce the Pullman sleeping car.

Coal and wood drive this industrialization. Towns along the Illinois River serve as centers for coal production, including Peoria and La Salle. In 1833, Illinois mines produce 6,000 tons of coal. By 1850, this increases to 300,000 tons, and by 1870 has exploded to 1,000,000 tons. Forests in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan are clear-cut to provide power and housing materials. Chicago becomes a major lumber center, with six miles of stacked lumber along the Lake Michigan shoreline (Matejka 2004).

Pollution is the unforeseen consequence of the mass industrialization. Animal wastes from the stockyards and industrial wastes are discharged directly into the river. Smoke and other pollutants belch from factories throughout the Illinois River valley, polluting both the air and water. Lake Michigan is fast becoming the state’s largest sewer, and diseases such as cholera, small pox, typhoid, and dysentery become common.