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History Of Our Huntley I(The following material was received from Mrs. Leo L. Donahoe, Chicago, widow of Leo L. Donahoe-— much of this material wan compiled by Miss Josephine Cliimm, former principal of Von Humboldt School inChicsago.)As the State of Illinois appi'oachesits sesquicentendal anniversarymany of the magnificent oak trees growing in Donahoe Woods are ateo celebrating their sesqutoentennial. (The oak tree is the 9tate Tree of Illinois.) In addition to the oak trees, there are walnut, beech,birch, maple and many varieties of apple trees -Jonathans Snow. Maiden Blush, Greenings, Russets. Delicious, Sheep Nose, Macintosh and Roman Beauties.In the springtime one finds many wild flowers-- violets (the State Flower of Illinois), Allium, Queen Anne’s Lace and many others.The^e are blackberries, red and black raspberries and strawberries growing there.One sees and hears birds. Red-birds (the State Bird of Illinois) blackbirds, robins, pheasants and others.When John and Johanna Donehoe came to America in a sailboat after a six weeks journey from Ireland to Boston, they went west and had the choice of purchasing property an State Street—in Cicag (then a mud hole) or a 16C acre farm i” Huntley. Those choise Huntley and subsequently purchased the 40 acres known as Donahoe's Woods. This woods was used for grazing cattle -and has tbeen used by the peoole of Huntley through the years for ail purpose except hunting with the blessings of the Donahoes There were picnics, political rallies, celebrations of holidays, square dances and ice skating winter- and when the Boy Scouts wanted a cabin, they were permitted to use the Donahoe Woods.Leo Donahoe. who died Oct. 17, 1966, the last member of this branch of the family, resisted much more pro stable offeis for the woods as subdivision property, but always an ardent and reverent respector of all living things said shortly before his death “Thank God, with the help of Mr. Deicke the Woods is a park in perpetuity to solace children and grownups and for all to enjoy.”He devoted much time and money 'in taxes. e*e. to save the tre'vs-and the woods.The country side of Huntley was /primarily daily farm land. The farmers hid large herds of cat He 4C-5C-6C etc. head. They required milking twice a day. morning and evening. The farmers must hire at least three or four milkers.To produce good milk, good pasture land was also a necessity. Th? ”40” proved to be useful. Every morning a portion of the herd wasled to the “wcois” by a cowhand.He picked them up in the evening for milking.During the day the cows feasted on the sweet green grass. They drank from the rivulets of the Kish-waukee River and from natural springs that erupted spontaneouslyfrom the ground. The cows also basked in the sunsh ne that peeked* through the leaves of the trees. In the afternoon they drowsed in shady spots awaiting the trip back to the farm for evening milking. The cowhand arrives. The oows arise, switch their tails and form in line on the road. A dog accompanies them at the rear. His duty is to nip the heels of any cow that loiters. 'Hie dqg is a valuable partner in the herd. He sleeps withv them in the stable stalls, drinks their milk, shares water vats in the yard He is always faithful.The cowhand or milker had to be able to milk his particular choice of cows fast and gently. When his pail was full he emptied it into a larger can. These were caried to a special building in the yard calledj. house. The milk house was* divided into four large vats of running cold water kept cold by the power of a windmill on the roof top of the milkhouse.Every morning the fanner loaded these cans of milk onto a milk wagon, hitched a team of horses to the wagon and drove to town (Huntley) to meet the 8 o’clock milk train hound for Chicago.Gity milk dealers met the train at the North Western Station f WellsStreet and Kinzie) at 6 p.m. They took the milk cans to then* own milk depots. Here they transferred the rrrflk to smaller containers, pints, quarts gallons, etc. as ordered by city housewives, and each deader went on bis own individual route around the city to make deliveries.The d*y milk dealers usually visited Huntley farmers early each spring and bargained for a year's r»’p-ly. This was a challenge for the fanners to produce good* quality. They vied with one another andmet the challenge handily. Huntley became the center of the largest dairy country in the worid. Unto *b;s day Harvard celebrate* a Milk Day which thousands attend from rround the country.After unloading in the morning the farmers parked their wagons anurd the square in the center of town. There was always shopping to- do for th'' housewives. They gtrdped a^oun don the corners. They talked politics, etc. They returned home before noon, carrying the:r purchases and plenty of news.A* cr th° 8 o’c’ock milk train had mad'* a icr? stop to exchange freight ore heard the envince' ring h:s be’l. A loud shudder shook the b- of the 'rain from front to Mck That was a signal that the engineer was ready to pull out. The conductor stood on the platform and called out “all aboard.’1 Passengers returned to their seats jon the train. Townspeople who gathered to talk with friends went back to town. The train was on its wov down the tracks due in Chicago at 6 p.m. It would make many stops cm the way to exchange pas-scengers and freight. At every to writ would meet a crowd of peonfle and a smiling station agent. In the early days a train “gcing through” was a social event.THE CHEESE F \CTORY Not all milk was «old to Chicago dealers. Some farm rs sold to the chdese factory ar bss the road from the railroad station. It was made into cheese rounds. The “whey” was emptied out by a pipe leading to the ouside by a wide spout. If one wanted a drink of whey he held his cup dose tc the spout.THE FAMILY HISTORYTo John Donahoe I and his wife Johanna were bom five children. Daniel, the eldest, attended Notre Dame law school, graduated ond pract;ced criminal law in Chicago. He had' two sons, Henry and Leo, bc!h deceased, both lawyers, Leohaving been educated by the Jesuits and at Loyola University. Margaret Donahoe graduated from the Huntley schools. She taught two terms in a nearby country school. She married and was the mother of Josephine M. Clinnin, Leo J. Clitt-non and Joseph Hunter.James, the youngest, be a me a lawyer in Chicago, He served two term in City Council. After he was elected Judge of the Circuit Court.Catherine (Kate) and John II never married. They farmed the 160 acre plot as brother and sister. He, the farmer, she the housekeeper. John supervised the “forty.” He was also elected commissioner of roads of Grafton township. His dtity was to inspect condition of roads, hire workers to improve them, make a report to the head of Grafton township. He was also appointed Postmaster of Himtleyduring a Democratic regime. The past office was set up in Cook's Drug Store. George Biasedl was appointed derk.John II and Kate gave up farming and moved into the village John went into the business of selling Harvester farm machinery. His sister Kate was his housekeeper. He took part in politics, served three terms as Mayor of Huntley, and continued to supervise the “40”ACTIVITIES IN THE “40”(a) Pond Lilies.The Kishwaukee Riverv a branch of the Fox River, flawed near the “40.” As it flowed through the woods it broke into small rills or ponds. In these ponds, during summer blooming time, grew pond lilies, flowers with a white blossom surrounded by long, green leaves.Promptly at the close of school boys ran to the “John Donahoe Woods.” They rolled up their trouser legs waded into the poods, garhr ered bunches of lilies, hurried to
Newspaper Details
Huntley Farmside
Huntley, Illinois, US
Thu, Aug 24, 1967
Page 5
Full Page
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Anonymous
IN, USA 09 Jun 2021
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