Livestock

Articles

2 items

Barns fast disappearing from Corn Belt countryside

One would be hard pressed to come up with a more iconic image of the Corn Belt than the old woo...

Article

Oxen the original ‘work horses’ of the prairie

Before the introduction of draft horses and then steam and gasoline-powered tractors, oxen prov...

Article

Biographies

5 items

Dillon, Ellis

Ellis Dillon was born on March 25, 1816 in Clinton County, Ohio to Jesse and Hannah Pugh Dillon...

Biography

Dillon, Martha Fisher

Ellis Dillon was born on March 25, 1816 in Clinton County, Ohio to Jesse and Hannah Pugh Dillon...

Biography

Funk, Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin Funk was born on October 17, 1837 to Isaac and Cassandra Funk. Benjamin was t...

Biography

Funk, Henry

Henry Funk was a career orchardist, apiarist, poultry man, and horticulturalist. Though not to ...

Biography

Van Schoick, William

Thomas William Van Schoick was born on August 2, 1829 in Monmouth County, New Jersey to David a...

Biography

Farming in the Great Corn Belt

14 items

1822 to 1852

Frontier farmers were faced with the challenge of producing enough livestock and crops to suppo...

Digital Exhibit

1853 to 1899: Diversified Farming

From 1850 to 1900, the typical McLean County farmer made a living as a diversified farmer, grow...

Digital Exhibit

1853 to 1899: Feeding and Breeding Livestock

As McLean County farms grew in size, so too did the farmers' ability to raise livestock fo...

Digital Exhibit

1853 to 1899: Labor

The railroad arrived in 1853, bringing with it an influx of immigrants willing to provide labor...

Digital Exhibit

1900 to 1945: Livestock

From 1900 until the end of WWII, McLean County farmers continued to raise a diverse variety of ...

Digital Exhibit

1946 to 2000: Livestock Consolidation

After WWII profits for those raising livestock began to decrease. As a result, so too did the n...

Digital Exhibit

Farm Bureau

One organization, the McLean County Farm Bureau, did more for McLean County farmers than any ot...

Digital Exhibit

Farm Improvements

Farm improvements, such as fences, barns, sheds, and grain storage were expensive additions. Bu...

Digital Exhibit

Fencing

Largely unchanged since its initial passage in 1819, the Illinois Fence Act provided that adjoi...

Digital Exhibit

Fertilizer

With every crop harvested, farmers removed nutrients from the rich prairie soil. But because Mc...

Digital Exhibit

Marketing Crops and Livestock

The methods used to transport McLean County farmers’ crops and livestock, as well as the distan...

Digital Exhibit

Outbuildings

During the 19th century, the height of a corn crib was generally limited to the height a farmer...

Digital Exhibit

Social Groups, Organized Groups, and Associations

Farmers looked to each other. They formed social groups, organized clubs, and created associati...

Digital Exhibit

Tractors Replace Animal Labor

As tractors became more affordable, McLean County farmers began to replace their animal labor....

Digital Exhibit

Finding Aids

6 items

4-H Federation / McLean County Fair Collection

The 4-H Federation is an aggregate of 4-H members from clubs in McLean County, grouped into one...

Finding Aid

Barn Keepers

Barns are the most important structure on a farmstead. The earliest barns in Central Illinois w...

Finding Aid

Corn Belt Charity Horse Show

The Corn Belt Horsemen’s Association’s horse charity show dates to 1942, with the first event h...

Finding Aid

Draft Horses Collection

The history of Norman horses in Normal is closely linked to the Dillon family, first known as E...

Finding Aid

Funk Family

Brothers Isaac and Absalom Funk came to Illinois via Ohio in 1824. Working together the brother...

Finding Aid

Pierson, A.V.

Arthur Van Dyke (A. V.) Pierson was born in Ohio in 1849 and his family traveled by wagon to Mc...

Finding Aid

Videos

1 item

Lunch & Learn: A Fair to Remember - The History of McLean County Fairs

Video