First Claim on the Confluence

First Claim on the Confluence. . Stephen J. Scott was the first settler on the confluence land after the US Government surveyed it. The Scott cabin's cistern (underground water storage) was discovered just south of the commemorative plaque. , , Where Did the Scotts Come From? , The owner of a schooner named after himself, Stephen J. Scott married Hadassah Trask around 1806 and moved to Unadilla, New York, on the Susquehanna River. Schooners (like the one shown at left) were the transport trucks of New England in the 1800s. , , Ten years and five children later the Scotts moved to Baltimore, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay. In 1826, the Scotts (in their early 40s) and their children (from 10 to 18 years old) headed west. That August, Scott made a claim at Grosse Point, now portions of Wilmette and Evanston, Illinois. In 1829, Scott discovered that his Grosse Point claim was no longer valid. , , The US Government had deeded most of Wilmette and part of Evanston-1,280 acres that included Scott's claim to the half-Potawatomi wife and children of Antoine Ouilmette (namesake of Wilmette), as a reward for convincing area Indians to sign a treaty ceding much of northern Illinois. , , Scott's New Claim , In the fall of 1830, Stephen Scott made a claim on the wooded land above "the Forks" of the DuPage River that he and his son Willard had seen on a hunting trip. , , According to local histories, Scott and his son Willard lived here through the winter of 1830-1831, known as the Winter of the Deep Snow and described as "four feet of snow for two months." , , By 1835, the Scotts had neighbors on the land between the rivers, the Royce, King, and Strong families, and it became known as the Scott Settlement. , , The Scotts in Illinois , Stephen Scott is also known as Evanston's first settler, and the Scotts are considered to be early Chicagoans. Stephen Scott was named "constable pro tem" for the Chicago region in 1829. , , In 1834, Scott and another settler took over the well-known Laughton brothers' tavern, an early stagecoach stop on the Des Plaines River, when the owners died. , , Scott also owned a sawmill on the West Branch near "the Forks" in partnership with another settler, turning logs into much-needed lumber for the area. , , In 1837, Stephen and Hadassah moved across the river to Naper Settlement, where Stephen was elected DuPage County Treasurer in August 1839. When Stephen Scott was 70 years old, he traveled to California for the Gold Rush, and was never heard from again.