There are two very old buildings located in Otter Creek township quite
close to my home. The one about which I am going to write is the Old Pumping
Station.
A little over fifty years ago two men named Bernie and Goodone
came from Chicago and built a pumping station on the banks of Otter Creek. The
building and reservoir were built on land owned by Isaac Mason,
The
station was built to supply the water for Streator, a mining town in Bruce
Township about four miles southwest of the Mason farm. The building was made of
bricks which were hauled from Streator. Even in those days the bricks were very
well made as the building is still standing, and is today used as a barn for
livestock. The contractors planned to haul cement from Joliet, but found blue
clay about a half mile away from the building under construction, and used it
instead. This clay was hauled in wheelbarrows. The slate shingles for the roof
were shipped from Joliet ps was also the stone used for the foundation. These
stones are set four or five feet into the ground and three or four carloads were
used for the foundation. The window glass was made in Streator, and hauled out
on wagons. The lumber was also hauled from a sawmill in Streator.
The
smoke stack was a stove pipe about eighty feet high, not one of those large
brick stacks which we see on buildings today. The men who were employed to help
build this water works were from Streator. They asked for more money which they
received, but it was only a few months until they again asked for a raise in
pay; this they received also, but when they demanded a third increase they were
refused. For this reason they quit working and returned to their homes. The
contractors went to Joliet and Chicago where they hired about fifty foreigners,
who rode on flat cars out to the pumping station. A wooden shanty was built for
these workmen. They thought they were in the wild west, and one night when they
heard someone riding on horse back, they all rushed out firing at the rider
because they thought it must be Indians. The water for this station was obtained
from several drilled wells and from Otter creek. A large reservoir was dug, and
into this the water was pumped and stored. From this reservoir it was piped into
the homes in Streator.
This station was used for about eight years but
by that time the population in Streator had increased so much that this station
proved inadequate and a new one was built on the banks of the Vermillion river.
Mr. Mason then remodeled the building and made it into a barn, which he still
uses for cattle. From time to time the building has been repaired. The smoke
stack has been torn down, a modern roof has been put on, and new windows put in,
but in every other respect the building is the old pumping station.
Extracted 08 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from Stories of Pioneer Days in La Salle County, Illinois, by Grammar Grade Pupils, published in 1932, page 76.
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