Griggsville Landing, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Griggsville Landing, also known as Phillips Landing or Phillips Ferry, was located in Flint Township
, just south of Valley City, Illinois
. It is a former town site on the Illinois River
in Pike County
. The town was a steamboat stop which began sometime in the 1830s. There was a lime kiln there that was part of a commercial lime operation prior to post-Civil War
industrial intensification in the lime
industry. The town at Griggsville Landing was home to a boat yard, a grist mill and a hotel in addition to the Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln
, built around 1850, which is still standing as of 2007. The town was eventually abandoned, rendering it a ghost town
.
Pike County, Illinois
was surveyed by the United States government in 1817–1819.:43 In 1822, Garrett Van Dusen, the second settler in Flint Township
,:80 started a ferry using a canoe
, ferrying footmen and swimming horses.:56 Judge William Thomas of Jacksonville
, in an 1873 letter, recalled crossing the river here in September 1827: Van Deusen later sold the ferry and land claim to Nimrod Phillips.:56 By 1832, the site was referred to as Phillips' Ferry.:53 It was used by Hyrum Smith
and his family during the Mormon
migration to Missouri.
The site became known as Phillipsburg, then Griggsville Landing, then the landing for Valley City; in 1906, the book Past and Present of Pike County, Illinois, giving this sequence of names, notes that "Valley City is the only town in the township and is on the Wabash Railroad
.":80 The same book refers to "Phillips' ferry, the present site of Valley City.":168
At Valley City, William Windsor (March 4, 1822 – March 12, 1885) ran a horse-powered ferry, and later a steam ferry.:483
The town was a steamboat stop which began sometime in the 1830s. There was a lime kiln there that was part of a commercial lime operation prior to post-Civil War industrial intensification in the lime industry. The town at Griggsville Landing was home to a boat yard, a grist mill and a hotel in addition to the Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln
, built around 1850, which is still standing as of 2007.
due in part because, by Congressional mandate, the United States Army Corps of Engineers
constructed levee
s along the Illinois River leading to flooding of lower elevation settlements along the river. The annual floods as a result of the levees wreaked havoc on Valley City leading to decimation of the town's businesses, abandonment of homes, and the eventual death of the town.
Prior to the levees, Valley City was a vibrant river town with an economy based on commercial fishing
, transportation of agricultural products such as hogs packed in oak barrels, apples, and cattle to markets in St. Louis and New Orleans, and a host of small businesses including an ice house that harvested ice from the Illinois River each winter packing it in sawdust and delivering ice to residents of Griggsville some four miles west. Sometime in the late 1990s, the last major plant in Valley City, the Tate Cheese Company, closed its doors for good. After Tate Cheese Company abandoned the processing plant in Valley City there was less interest in the remaining buildings adjacent to the plant. People began to permanently abandon their homes after the Great Flood of 1993
that devastated many homes across the Midwest.
Flint Township, Pike County, Illinois
Flint Township is located in Pike County, Illinois. The population was 108 at the 2000 census.- External links :***...
, just south of Valley City, Illinois
Valley City, Illinois
Valley City is a village in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13 at the 2010 census, making Valley City the smallest incorporated place in Illinois in terms of population.-Geography:Valley City is located at ....
. It is a former town site on the Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
in Pike County
Pike County, Illinois
Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 16,430, which is a decrease of 5.5% from 17,384 in 2000...
. The town was a steamboat stop which began sometime in the 1830s. There was a lime kiln there that was part of a commercial lime operation prior to post-Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
industrial intensification in the lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
industry. The town at Griggsville Landing was home to a boat yard, a grist mill and a hotel in addition to the Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln
Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln
The Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln is located near village of Valley City, Illinois in Pike County. The periodic lime kiln is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation it gained in August 1999. It is actually within the boundaries of the Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area...
, built around 1850, which is still standing as of 2007. The town was eventually abandoned, rendering it a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
.
Early history
Pike County, Illinois
Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 16,430, which is a decrease of 5.5% from 17,384 in 2000...
was surveyed by the United States government in 1817–1819.:43 In 1822, Garrett Van Dusen, the second settler in Flint Township
Flint Township, Pike County, Illinois
Flint Township is located in Pike County, Illinois. The population was 108 at the 2000 census.- External links :***...
,:80 started a ferry using a canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
, ferrying footmen and swimming horses.:56 Judge William Thomas of Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....
, in an 1873 letter, recalled crossing the river here in September 1827: Van Deusen later sold the ferry and land claim to Nimrod Phillips.:56 By 1832, the site was referred to as Phillips' Ferry.:53 It was used by Hyrum Smith
Hyrum Smith
Hyrum Smith was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr....
and his family during the Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
migration to Missouri.
The site became known as Phillipsburg, then Griggsville Landing, then the landing for Valley City; in 1906, the book Past and Present of Pike County, Illinois, giving this sequence of names, notes that "Valley City is the only town in the township and is on the Wabash Railroad
Wabash Railroad
The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including trackage in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario. Its primary connections included Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri, Detroit,...
.":80 The same book refers to "Phillips' ferry, the present site of Valley City.":168
At Valley City, William Windsor (March 4, 1822 – March 12, 1885) ran a horse-powered ferry, and later a steam ferry.:483
The town was a steamboat stop which began sometime in the 1830s. There was a lime kiln there that was part of a commercial lime operation prior to post-Civil War industrial intensification in the lime industry. The town at Griggsville Landing was home to a boat yard, a grist mill and a hotel in addition to the Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln
Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln
The Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln is located near village of Valley City, Illinois in Pike County. The periodic lime kiln is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation it gained in August 1999. It is actually within the boundaries of the Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area...
, built around 1850, which is still standing as of 2007.
Levees
The town was eventually abandoned, rendering it a ghost townGhost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
due in part because, by Congressional mandate, the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
constructed levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
s along the Illinois River leading to flooding of lower elevation settlements along the river. The annual floods as a result of the levees wreaked havoc on Valley City leading to decimation of the town's businesses, abandonment of homes, and the eventual death of the town.
Prior to the levees, Valley City was a vibrant river town with an economy based on commercial fishing
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
, transportation of agricultural products such as hogs packed in oak barrels, apples, and cattle to markets in St. Louis and New Orleans, and a host of small businesses including an ice house that harvested ice from the Illinois River each winter packing it in sawdust and delivering ice to residents of Griggsville some four miles west. Sometime in the late 1990s, the last major plant in Valley City, the Tate Cheese Company, closed its doors for good. After Tate Cheese Company abandoned the processing plant in Valley City there was less interest in the remaining buildings adjacent to the plant. People began to permanently abandon their homes after the Great Flood of 1993
Great Flood of 1993
The Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993 occurred in the American Midwest, along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from April to October 1993. The flood was among the most costly and devastating to ever occur in the United States, with $15 billion in damages...
that devastated many homes across the Midwest.