The land upon which Sheridan now stands was first settled by Mr. Robert
Rowe. He settled here in 1838.
He immediately began to build a home, a place southwest of town. The lumber
for this house was hauled by wagon all the way from Chicago. This was the
first house built in this community, and it still stands, but it is not
occupied.
This house now is owned by Mr. Joe Armstrong. Some people believe that this
house is haunted.
Mr. Robert Rowe was born in Edinburg, Scotland, January 10th, 1802. His
father was a person from the same place.
They had hardly enough money to pay their way to the United States. Mr.
Robert Rowe's father worked as a cabinet maker, and later he taught his son,
Robert Rowe, the same trade. By his father saving the money that he made in
the cabinet making business, he made enough money to come over from
Edinburg, Scotland, to the United States.
Mr. Robert Rowe's father was liked very much over in Edinburg, Scotland.
When they got ready to come to the United States their trip was delayed
until the next day. They had to come by sailboat. It took them forty-two
days to reach the United States. Robert Rowe was at the age of two years
when they came to the United States. They came over in 1804.
They first landed at New York, in 1804. Mr. Robert Rowe's father did not
have much money. He started cabinet making then and got enough money for him
and his son, Robert Rowe, to go to Indiana, in Dearborn county. They came to
this place in the spring, in April 1838. This is where they started their
first farming. They remained here until Mr. Robert Rowe's father died.
After his father's death he moved to Sheridan. He married Mary McMatch. They
raised ten children, of whom five are living.
He was quite a talented and intelligent man, taking up and mastering the
study of astronomy without the help of a teacher. He did not attend school
after he was eighc years old because of sickness.
One of his sons was Alexander Rowe. He was born August 12, 1804, and died on
Thanksgiving day, 1883. He was run into and knocked down by a colt and never
recovered from these injuries, which later caused his death.
Mr. Robert Rowe built the first astronomical observatory. It was erected at
the back of his home. It contained one of the finest telescopes in Illinois
at that time. About 1885 the observatory was struck by lightning and burned.
Mr. Robert Rowe spent most of his leisure hours in his older days in this
observatory that he built.
A few years after the settlement of the village the Ottawa, Oswego and Fox
River Valley railroad was constructed in 1869. Two or three years after the
construction of the railroad the farm grew to a settlement of several
hundred.
In 1869, the same year as the railroad was constructed, Samuel Rowe laid out
the village and named it Sheridan, for General Phil Sheridan.
Mr. Robert Rowe grew to be 77 years old. He died on June 14, 1879. He was a
member of the Universalist church and a pioneer of Mission township,
settling where Sheridan now stands.
Extracted 06 Jun 2015 by Norma Hass from Stories of Pioneer Days in La Salle County, Illinois, by Grammar Grade Pupils, published in 1932, page 104.
| Lee | DeKalb | Kane |
| Bureau |
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Kendall |
| Putnam | Grundy | |
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