HR1027 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1027 LRB093 22408 HSS 51811 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois are pleased to recognize milestone events for cities of the State; and

WHEREAS, It has come to our attention that the City of Bushnell will be celebrating its sesquicentennial on August 26, 2004; and

WHEREAS, In 1854, before the completion of the Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Railroad, John D. Hail of Macomb sold a two-third interest in the northeast quarter of section 83, 7 n., 1 w., to D.P. Wells and Iverson L. Twyman, also of Macomb; the three men together determined the establishment of a town on that site; the first public sale of the lots in town was made in May of 1854; about 70 lots were sold, for about $6,000 total, the prices varying from $30 to $120 each; and

WHEREAS, The new town was named in honor of Hon. N. Bushnell, the president of the Northern Cross Railroad at that time, which later became known as the Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Railroad; and

WHEREAS, The three founders of the town erected the first business house, which they sold to Hiram Markham, who brought the first stock of merchandise to the town; William Cord, Mr. Markham, and William Vickers were the first to erect dwelling houses in the town; the first hotel was completed by John D. Hail, and he opened it for accommodation of the traveling public in the summer of 1855; and

WHEREAS, As the railroad was completed and the locomotives began traveling through the town, Bushnell began to grow; the founders of the town donated two blocks of land to the the town, one on the east side of the railroad and one on the west, which served as beautiful parks; they also gave lots to religious denominations that wished to build houses of worship; and

WHEREAS, A Library Association was organized in January of 1869; at an election held March 24, 1869, the first City Charter was approved; the first persons elected to be city officers during April of the same year included J. B. Cummings, Mayor; Manning F. West, James W. Kelly, James Ayres, James Cole, William H. Oglesby, I.N. McElvain, Fisher Brown, and A.E. Barnes, Aldermen; M.A. Luce, Attorney and Clerk; Joseph Parks, Treasurer; and Garret Nevins, Treasurer; during the year 1876, at a cost of about $20,000, the city erected a high school building; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the City of Bushnell on the occasion of its sesquicentennial celebration on August 26, 2004; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the mayor of the City of Bushnell, Jack Promisson, as an expression of our best wishes for the sesquicentennial celebration.