History: Gillespie - 1 Jan 1998 - Macoupin County Illinois
Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives ©1997 Larry Clark


Larry Clark Remembers Gillespie

Larry Clark formerly of Gillespie writes of his remembrances in Gillespie Macoupin County 
IL.

"The Little Dog Mine was located in East Gillespie. Most mines were named after numbers, 
like No 2, No 3, etc, but the Little Dog was called that. My father and grandfather both 
worked the Little Dog and both quit to get out of the mines. It was quite dangerous and you 
never knew how much you would work in a year. The Little Dog closed Nov 1968 and was 
torn down a number of years ago. There are some recreation parks on the site now. I 
remember going out to the mine a number of times since my father hauled coal to people and 
used the Little Dog most of the time."

"A newer mine built after the Little Dog Mine, Monterey Mine #1, is located in Brushy 
Mound Township northwest of Gillespie. Monterey Mine #1 is currently operating in 1997. 
The Behme Cemetery where I have family members buried is located on/near Monterey Coal 
Mine #1 land."

"Gillespie was founded in 1853 and there was a Centennial Celebration in 1953. It was a big 
deal with many of the men letting their beards grow long for the occasion. There was a 
parade down main street. A big carnival was held in the City Park in the center of town. The 
park had a bandstand in the middle of it and the City band used to play there on summer 
evenings. The park was located where the present City Office Buildings are located."

"Another celebration was held in 1978 celebrating Gillespie's one hundred twenty five years."

"At one time, the Big Four railroad ran through the town from Hillsboro, IL to Alton, IL. 
The Big four and Illinois Terminal Tracks intersected near the City Park. The Big Four 
railroad station was next to the park. Across and down the street was the elevator, which had 
a spur for grain cars. It was a fairly active railroad for a number of years."

"The ITS ran from Springfield, IL, to I believe St. Louis, Missouri. You could catch the 
trolley from Gillespie to Springfield or St. Louis. Then General Motors came out with a 
better idea and we switched to buses."

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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Larry Clark