MAY
1947
DR. JOHN EVANS, pioneer physician, railroad builder, city builder, educator, religious leader. and political leader was prominent in the founding of Northwestern University. The City of Evanston was named in his honor; it had been called Ridgeville by the first settlers and before that Gross Point by the early French voyageurs. A mountain in Colorado was named for him where he spent a number of years as Territorial Governor having been appointed by President Lincoln. The Evans Roaltv Company is proud to use his name;
His signature reproduced here was taken from the following letter, the original of which is in our office:
Chicago, July 26th, 1858 Hon. Stephen A. Douglas
Dear Sir:
The bearer Mr. Robert Kennicott son of Dr. J.A.K. is Curator to the Museum of the N.W. University at Evanston. He is now working
up his collections at the Smithsonian Institute. He may wish to procure for his purpose, books, documents, etc. in the public archives at once - or to make an interest in behalf of our excellent library in the institution which is at your disposal. If so be that you can favor him it will be thankfully acknowledged by the Institution and worthily received by Mr. K. himself.
Very respectfully yours, Jno. Evans
THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNT of his drive to his home about ten miles West of Evanston was written by a friend of Dr. John Evans after a visit with the Doctor in 1862:
We got home before noon yesterday. Came the strait road through the woods by Heartree's and Hurley's bridge. The road is the strait one from the Dutch grocery at Grosse Point, taking the left hand turn at the first forks and keeping the right hand after leaving the Sand Ridge.
There is one bad brook just before you get to the bridge across the Skokee or main branch of the North Branch in the woods, but we crossed it easily enough near the old 'causeway' (highest track upstream), and so on up the bank around the top of a tree fallen across the old track. You will see where we cut down a small hickory just across the stream. You had best keep this letter for guidance.
We were but about three hours in coming home - horse tracks three quarters of the way from the Grosse Point grocery home. There were three or four hard pulls for the old horse in the woods and as many in the prairie road west or Hurley's bridge, but none worse than those on the Milwaukie road.
This trip, eighty-five years ago through what was then almost wilderness, took three hours. Today the same trip takes about twenty minutes by automobile over concrete highways.
MAY 21 1947
