Location of Buildings on City Plat.
The following directions will help readers locate on the city plat the site of the several buildings represented in this book. Where no addition is mentioned, the buildings are in the "Original Town."
J. T. Boner residence, northeast corner of block 20.
Baptist parsonage, northwest corner block 19.
Mrs. C. Boner residence, northwest corner block 14, Gibson's addition.
Baptist church, northeast corner block 35.
J. F. Bosworth, residence, southwest corner block 15, Wathen's addition.
Isaac Cannon residence, lot 7, block 29.
Clifton Hotel, northeast corner block 42.
G. R. Curtiss residence, lot 4, block 44.
Catholic church, southwest corner block 21.
Christian church, northwest corner block 42.
Doyle building, southwest corner block 44.
Episcopal church, (to be erected this summer on northeast corner block 43.)
D. Evans, residence, southeast corner block 10, Gibson's addition.
R. J. Evans residence, northeast corner block 31.
Henrv Eft, residence, northeast corner block 33.
J. C. Evans residence, southeast corner block 37.
S. M. Ferrell residence, southwest corner 46.
German Evangelical church, southeast corner block 31.
Rev. Haefle residence, southwest corner block 25.
T. J. Hurd residence, northeast of city, just outside of limits.
Adam Henning residence, northwest corner block 36.
Ed Hodgson residence, block 14, Gibson's addition.
J. I. Kerr residence, northwest corner block 30.
Lutheran church, northeast corner block 28.
O. J. Lemon residence, lot 3, block 43.
A. S. McKinney residence, southeast corner block 27.
Mrs. McClellan residence, southwest corner block 2, McClelan's addition.
M. E. Parsonage, southeast corner block 11, Gibson's addition.
J. B. Michels residence, lot 2, block 2, McClelan's addition.
M. E. church. southwest corner block 31.
S. H. North residence, southeast corner block 19.
Presbyterian church, lots 9 and 10, block 30.
Presbyterian parsonage, lot 9, block 32.
S. D. Patton, residence, northwest corner block 43.
School house (west ward) lots 9, 10, 11, block 26.
School house (east ward) east half block 12, Gibson's addition.
L. F. Smith residence, lots 6 and 7, block 7, McClelan's addition.
L. F. Smith, photograph gallery, southeast corner block 40.
E. R. Somers residence, lot 12, block 36.
W. W. Stafford residence, west half southeast quarter, blk. 11, Gibson's add.
Mrs. J. B. Swartz residence, southwest corner block 14, Gibson's addition.
A. O. Shur residence, block 15, Gibson's addition.
J. M. Stephens residence, northeast corner block 3, McClelan's addition.
C. Schafer residence, lots 3, 4, 5, block 42.
F. A. Stubblefield residence and office, southeast corner block 36.
R. C. Springgate residence, northwest corner block 44.
J. A. Smith residence and office, northeast corner block 41.
Jas. Thompson residence, southeast corner block 5, Hamilton's addition.
United Evangelical church, lots 9 and 10, block 27.
W. R. VanHook residence, block 16, Gibson's addition.
A. H. Waite residence, lot 10, block 37.
J, H. Wathen residence, southeast corner block 15, Wathen's addition.
Brief Diary by Wm. Ostler.
The following is a brief diary arranged by Wm. Ostler, one of the very earliest settlers in the farming community, who still resides here. It tells of our early growth, the rise in the price of land and many other things of interest:
"Left Liverpool, Eng., October. 1851 A fine passage of twenty-eight days brought us to New York. From there went to Chicago. Left there in May, 1852, for Washington, Ill., where I staid three years. In the spring of 1855 came to a spot without a name two and one-half miles from the present site of El Paso. In 1854 I purchased forty acres in sec. 16 for eight dollars per acre of Jas. Trotter, of Kappa, and after coming here the next year bought forty acres of Wm. McClellan in sec. 9, for ten dollars per acre and twenty acres of timber on the Mackinaw for $6.25 per acre of John Bodger. The first name of this place was the Crossing. After the Peoria road was built, it was the Junction and finally El Paso. In 1855 the Central freight house and passenger depot combined, with a single one story shanty run as a restaurant by Benjamin Hazlett, were all the buildings here. Not a tree planted.
In '56 or '57 the first sermon was preached in the Central freight house by Dr. Frost, Presbyterian. Text, 'I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon.' The same day the first Sunday school was organized, Uncle Jimmy North superintendent and Mr. W. H. Boies, treasurer. In 1860 I purchased forty acres from Mr. Wm. Davenport for $22.50 per acre. In May, 1858, had our first tornado, which demolished several unfinished houses in the town and surrounding country. Went to England in ‘58 returning the next spring. In '82 bought sixty acres of land of John Kidd for fifty dollars per acre. In the fall of 1879 took my children to England for a visit, returning in March, 1880. In March '90 purchased city property of Walter Bennett, paying $1000. In October same year we went to England, remaining until September '91, when we moved to our El Paso residence, where we still reside."
We might add that the tracts of land mentioned above, like all the improved farm land in this community, are worth from $90 to $120 per acre.
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