PEORIA: A MALODOROUS TOWN

                                                    PEORIA:  A  MALODOROUS TOWN

                                                   NORMAN   V.  KELLY

 

I can tell you that many people said that Peoria had a distinct smell, some called that smell in the air ‘Peorians getting rich.’  By 1860 the distinct odor of brewing beer and distilling whiskey was definitely a part of this great city signifying Peoria as ‘The Alcohol Capital Of The World.’ By the turn of the century most Peorians and its visitors had become pretty used to that smell of money being made.

As you walked along Main Street and stopped to really sniff the air, the nose picked up the smell of sulfur from the many coal fires that were at the base of all that mash and grain cooking going on in town. Less than two decades later we had twelve distilleries in town, not counting the private stills that were not only within the city limits but out in our vast Peoria County as well. Adding to that were the nine breweries being led by the Leisy Brothers and Peoria’s favorite, Gipps Brewery.  By 1870 our population was 56,100 and folks depended a lot on the success of those distilleries and breweries and I can tell you we grew up on the shoulders of those great companies.

As we walk along and the wind picks up off the Illinois River we can catch whiffs of the huge stockyards that spread out along the river front like a great forest fire. On hot, still nights that smell was stifling and almost overwhelming.  Add to that the huffing and puffing smoke belching locomotives that were sitting on the busy railroad tracks down by the Union Station because Peoria was the center of a vast network of railroad tracks and trains.  The massive locomotives puffed their huge smoke balls into the summer night, adding to the smells as they sat waiting to whisk Peoria’s many products across the United States.

Most of the men smoked as they walked along, chatting and escorting their ladies to the many entertainment venues in town. We had several huge cigar makers in Peoria ranking us as one of the largest manufacturers of cigars in the country as well. They even made a special cigar called ‘The Grand Opera Cigar’ that ‘bluebloods’ and opera goers came to town to buy by the box.  Of course all that puffing on cigars and cigarettes added to the smell of crowded downtown Peoria, Illinois on any typical summer evening.

Manufacturing was huge and most of those factories crowded into the 5.1 miles of space we called the city limits.  The aroma from all those places was distinct and pretty much confined to the immediate area of the plant changing only as the wind changed.  But when the wind kicked up they blended with all the others smells, giving Peoria a distinct, sometimes compelling aroma to contend with.  Still the population grew and by 1920, Peoria was just over 76,000 people.  Slowly the city elbowed itself out further and further, taking over Averyville and eventually boasting of 9.3 sq miles of city limits.  Of course the County of Peoria grew and Peoria was indeed the ‘Pearl Of The Prairie, and the ‘Gem Along The Illinois River.’

We had the largest bicycle maker in America which hosted the greatest National Bicycle Races America has ever known. Those races brought people from all over the world to our busy, bustling little city. Summers were filled with horse racing, auto racing, boat racing and bike tournaments of every description. We had a wonderful park system and our river front was second to none. We had the theaters, the booze, the ‘underground women’ and the brothels to lure the men here to gamble in our small casinos and saloons.  The nightlife was notorious and people poured into our town. There was a time, mostly during Prohibition, that Vaudeville was king, and we had the theaters to house all of their acts. Our town did not have Speakeasies because starting in 1922, we had 162 Soft Drink Parlors that replaced our taverns and grew to a number as large as two-hundred at one time.  There was Jazz, Flappers and live entertainment all during Prohibition, and just over 28,000 new folks moved into our city during the first ten years of Prohibition. Peoria, Illinois was a fun town…the place to be and a wonderfully good place to raise a family as well with 120 active churches to serve their needs.

Money poured into this town and up on ‘High Wine Street’ the whiskey barons spent their money here and invested in the town, which benefited all of us. In September of 1917, a phony Wartime Conservation Act closed our distilleries and our breweries, but Peoria still managed to thrive during Prohibition. In 1934 Hiram Walker built the largest distillery in America right here and we were “Off to the races once again.”

Our Downtown was one of the best shopping centers in America, and our hotels, theaters and factories hummed along supporting all of the lucky folks that called Peoria, Illinois their home. So maybe we were a bit odiferous, a bit wide open, but we thrived just the same. And then a funny thing happened…one by one the lights went off downtown…and the fun and the smell of prosperity and our downtown all but disappeared. Our air is better….but it cost us dearly.

Editor’s Note: Norm is an author, Peoria Historian and is a monthly contributor to ADVENTURE SPORTS OUTDOORS:                                                                              norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net