Elgin might have gone 'dry,' and it had nothing to do with groundwater

Would Elgin remain "wet," or would the citizens vote "dry" in a special election? That's what was at the forefront of the news a century ago as opponents to liquor sales worked hard to ensure a victory for their side.

Also making headlines was an unusual problem faced by an Elgin inventor -- a city employee who had a job most would never consider -- and a beautification effort advanced by a new business group. Here's a look at those stories and others that made Elgin-area news in April 1908.

• Elgin joined communities across the state in taking advantage of legislation that allowed for "local option" in eliminating liquor sales. The "drys," or those wanting to outlaw consumption, worked hard for their cause with signs, mailings, and door-to-door appeals. Culminating their campaign was a parade involving over 2,000 children carrying flags and banners, and a float bearing a "Save our Children" sign.

"Women who live in households with frequent drinkers are unhappy and poorly clad," said a number of supporters in a public letter. "Their children are not well fed; (they are) ragged, and denied all the pleasures that other children enjoy," they added.

Offering a different view was Elgin Mayor Price, an outspoken "wet," who said, "There are no riot calls, prize fights, no robberies or hold-ups, murders, no arrests of women in back rooms, no selling to minors, and gambling."

"This is proof that under high license, the people are more virtuous, more moral, more upright, and law-abiding, than any other city in the state or nation."

As the campaign intensified, some "wets" found their homes painted red, apparently by the opposition. Election Day saw quintets of young ladies singing at various polling places while other young women prayed nearby. Fourteen men were also arrested for drinking on Election Day -- an offense that was then against state law.

Over 5,600 voters -- all men, of course, since women hadn't received the right to vote yet -- came to the polls to register their opinions, a remarkable total for a community of 25,000. Three in five voters, or 60 percent, said they wanted Elgin to remain "wet." Also opting by large margins to keep the saloons in their communities open were nearby Hanover and Dundee townships. By contrast, Batavia, Geneva, and St. Charles townships said closing the liquor establishments in their communities was fine with them.

• Was Elgin's west-side Wing Park haunted, or did some residents just have a wild imagination? That's what some were wondering after several groups of children, including a street-car conductor, reported seeing a spirit of some kind near the front gate. It wore a flowing white garment, had fiery starry eyes and made no noise, witnesses said. It was nothing supernatural, said others.

What these people saw was a tree fungus growth on a tree in the shape of a face, with swaying limbs that resembled arms. The street-car operator, who stopped his car because he thought he had hit someone, stood by his story.

• "Let's beautify Elgin," said a number of businessmen who were part of a new group that would evolve into the chamber of commerce. Their plans called for the planting of flowers along the west bank of the Fox River; on the east bank, a lighted "Elgin" sign was proposed, the name to be formed by flowers planted in the shape of the letters. Also discussed was a new bridge across the Fox River at Bluff City Boulevard -- a plan that didn't really come to fruition until the construction of the Route 20 bypass in the 1960s.

• Today mail delivery to residents of Lake Geneva, Wis., with lakefront property is a regular and popular service, but a century ago the idea was just coming about with two Elgin men at the forefront. The Cornell Brothers dairy business of Elgin, which maintained a regular butter-and-cream-boat run to lakefront homes, said they were having discussions about adding mail service as well. The postal service would be a boon to lake front dwellers -- many that otherwise had to drive a number of miles over unpaved roads, they added.

• In an ironic twist, an Elgin inventor who was offered the opportunity to oversee the factory production of his creation had just one problem in accepting the offer -- he was in prison. Sent to Stateville Penitentiary in Joliet for the murder of his wife in 1893, the inmate was said to be a model prisoner who even worked in the warden's office. The likelihood that the manufacture of his invention -- a wheel which gave a smoother ride because it had sections hinged together with metal strips -- would occur was increased, because the man was expected to be released due to good behavior.

• Finally, who said city employees don't work hard? City plumbing department employee Pete Doyle spent many hours crawling through more than 10 miles of city sewers, some as small as 18 inches, to inspect and repair the infrastructure. Doyle carried a lantern and torch and not only worked on cracks and breaks, but cleaned clogged spots and viewed the flow from smaller tributaries. Newspapers called the task "the most unique job ever undertaken by an Elgin man" -- something most of us would probably agree with.