A Look at Manteno in 1900

A parade of horse-drawn decorated wagons on Chestnut Street, about 1900. The reason for the parade is unknown, but might have been Independence Day. The view is to the north, toward the tall Carrington & Hannah grain elevator. (Kankakee County Museum Photo Archive)

By Jack KlaseyMarch 22, 2025

“A Lively Grain and Stock Center, Full of Enterprising Business Men,” was the headline of a lengthy article in the December 10, 1900, edition of the Kankakee Daily Gazette. The article, which filled nearly one-half of the newspaper’s second page, was devoted to the Village of Manteno. 

The story opened with this description of the village: “Manteno is located on the Illinois Central railroad ten miles north of Kankakee, in as fine an agricultural country as the world can produce. This may truly be called the grain center of this state, as the elevators have a heavy storage capacity, and are not only packed to their utmost, but in the past 12 months there has passed through them in the neighborhood of one million bushels of grain.

“Manteno has a population of about 1,000 souls, has many beautiful and attractive homes, wide streets, substantial sidewalks and a general air of thrift and plenty.” The village, like the larger community of Kankakee, was laid out along the Illinois Central in 1853, when the railroad was built through what is now Kankakee County. In common with a number of similar-size communities up and down the IC line, Manteno was laid out with a standard plan centered on the railroad’s depot. East-west streets followed a somewhat unusual naming convention: “First North Street” was the thoroughfare north of the depot, and “First South Street” the matching street to the south. Additional streets were named in numerical order (“Second North Street,” etc.) North-south streets were named for trees in a specific order. Chestnut Street was the town’s business district, across from the depot; subsequent streets were Walnut, Hickory, etc.  (In later years, a number of Manteno streets were renamed. For example, “Chestnut” is now “Main.”)

The Gazette reporter wrote, “We had the pleasure to meet the mayor and members of the town board and note the work that they are doing for the village; that it is of a substantial and lasting nature, and while they have accomplished much in the past year, they anticipate a much greater improvement in the year to come. They are planning a system of electric lights, which will be sufficient to light the village and accommodate the merchants and residents. “Also noted was the fact that the village owned the waterworks, which was supplied by “two artesian wells of immense depth, so that the water is pure, refreshing, and of an excellent quality for private and domestic use.”

After relating the general information on the village, the Gazette reporter turned his attention to Manteno’s “business men, the men who are the life of the town, who make the town what it is today.” The article included profiles of a number of local businesses. One of the town’s longest-established firms was H. Smith & Sons Wagon and Carriage Shop.

“Now we come to speak of a landmark of Manteno,” wrote the reporter, “this extensive business having been established by Mr. H. Smith in 1863 during our great Civil War. This gentleman can yet be seen daily at his shops entering into all the details of the business. At present, the business is under the management of his five sons, every one of which has received training from the father and is an expert in some branch of the business. They manufacture everything that could be desired in wood, from a wagon or a cab down to a knife handle…Whatever they find to do, they do well.”

Another Manteno “landmark” business was the D.W. Dole Hardware Store. The reporter observed, “Mr. Dole opened his stock of hardware in 1873 and has carefully and successfully managed it up to this date. He carries a full line of hardware, stoves, agricultural implements, wagons, etc. In fact, this store is known far and near as the ‘Farmer’s Headquarters’ and has always been a popular resort for the trade.”

In 1900, a vital business in small rural communities such as Manteno was the “General Store,” offering a wide variety of merchandise to meet the needs of both farmers and town dwellers. The firm of F. M. Wright, General Merchandise, was described as “a very large business, one that would be a credit to a city of 25,000.” It was housed in a two-story building with 40 feet of frontage on the street, and had been “planned and built to Mr. Wright’s own liking, that he might have an attractive and convenient place in which to display his general stock of merchandise. The stock consists of dry goods, carpets, boots and shoes, a grocery department, ladies’ and gents’ furnishing goods, hats, caps, etc.”

In addition to his general store, Wright owned a coal business, and the Manteno Creamery. “In the past twelve months,” the reporter noted, “he has bought one million and one-half pounds of milk for which he paid to farmers in cash about $5,000. Mr. Wright is a busy man.”

For a town described as a “Lively Grain and Stock Center,” two very important institutions were a livery stable and a grain elevator. The Gazette article  noted, “We are glad to say that in regard to livery, feed, and sale barns, Maneno is well served by Mr. W. A. Smiley…He keeps a good class of horses and buggies…He buys, sells, matches, and exchanges horses, and in this respect alone has done a good business. He keeps a clean and orderly barn, well stocked….If you wish to buy or sell a horse, you should see Mr. Smiley.”

For a description of the grain business in Manteno, the Gazette reporter interviewed W. L. Mann, manager of the Carrington & Hannah Elevators. “In 1897, Mr. Mann became manager of these large and extensive elevators, which have been under his management a great success. The capacity of these elevators is about 40,000 bushels, and for the past few years, they have been taxed to their utmost; in fact, since Mr. Mann took over the superintendency, the business has doubled, which speaks well for his business capacity. They handle all kinds of grain, for which they pay the highest market value.”

The Gazette reporter summed up his experience in Manteno: “All in all, we spent a very pleasant day…looking over the business and the various enterprises of the village, and are glad to say to the readers of the Gazette that the town is improving and is a decided success.”

Jack Klasey is a former Journal reporter and a retired publishing executive. He can be contacted at jwklasey@comcast.net.