I&M Canal Gifts By Kay Norfleet
Mary, Louis, and little Anna Eberhart arrived in the farming country of Illinois from the economic unrest in Germany in the late 1800s. They came to northern Illinois because, they were told by knowledgeable people, that it was one of the most settled, and conducive for farming. Farming was how they made a living. However, when they got here they still had no idea where exactly they could find rich farmland. But the I&M offered a chance for them to see the land they were considering. And it also had a stop on the canal in Lemont, where they could load their produce (corn) and send it to markets. The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico offering many market possibilities. The I&M barge ride gave them a chance to view the grounds from the barges that went up and down the waterway, from Bridgeport to LaSalle-Peru. The acreage surrounding it was good earth. They boarded at Lemont and paid the fare for a ride on the I&M which would be 22 hours, then prepared to watch for an area to be their home. The mules were hitched up and pulled the barge, Queen of the Prairie. Their journey began. At three miles an hour being the top speed Louis and Mary were able to carefully assess the surrounding country. When they saw a promising piece of land, they were able to get off the barge and look more. What they saw certainly offered possibilities: a lot of flat lands that would be relatively easy to plow and which would be open to rain and sun. God certainly had been kind. They settled on a piece of land near both the Canal and Lemont and reaped the benefits.
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