Reminiscences: Chapter 10

Reminiscences of Early Peoria
by Odillon B. Slane

Chapter 10
page 23

DIDN'T HAVE THE BOOTS

ANOTHER incident to prove the amazing difference in attitude towards land, between that day and ours, was told me by my father. Old residents of Peoria will recall the Corrington estate north of the city. Corrington Avenue bears the name of the wealthy family who owned the large farm belonging to it.

At that time, before it was owned by the Corringtons, it was, of course, miles away from the little settlement of Peoria, but not so far that Peoria was not the trading place for the district in which it lay.

It was told that at one time eighty acres of this land was offered in trade for a pair of boots. The land today is worth perhaps fifteen thousand dollars an acre. When asked why he didn't make the trade, the man who claimed to have had this offer made him, answered promptly, "I didn't have the boots."

Note: The Knolls Addition is now located on a part of this section.

Chapter 9 Chapter 11

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