Editing Oglesby, Illinois (section)

==History==
Oglesby was a center for mining coal, limestone, and silica, located near the confluence of the [[Illinois River]] and the north-flowing [[Vermilion River (Illinois River tributary)|Vermilion River]]. Oglesby grew from an amalgamation of several mining villages, such as Kenosha, Portland, and Black Hollow. It was originally called '''Portland''', due to the [[cement]] mined and manufactured in the area that was similar to [[Portland Cement]] from England. It was renamed in 1913 after the coal company and in honor of [[Richard J. Oglesby]] (1824–1899), a former U.S. Senator and three-time [[Governor of Illinois]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Oglesby-Our Home Town (1902–2002)|publisher=Oglesby Historical Society|year=2002|location=Oglesby, Illinois|page=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Illinois Central Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3WI3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PT48|year=1922|publisher=Illinois Central Railroad Company|page=43}}</ref>

During the Civil War, the Kenosha Coal Company sank a coal mining shaft at Oglesby in 1865. Thatcher Tucker Bent purchased the mine and mineral rights as the Oglesby Coal Company. The mine was innovative and the Bents were very involved in the development of the community. Mrs. Josephine Bent even organized English classes for the immigrant miner's wives. The [[Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company]] mined limestone and claimed that the Bent's mine was causing collapses. The conflict eventually liquidated the Oglesby Coal Company, with the Bent selling the machinery to Marquette and auctioning off the farm animals. The Black Hollow Mine was dug in the 1890s as a slope mine along the Vermilion River. It provided coal to its owners, the Illinois Zinc Company in Peru, Illinois.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bluemer|first=R.G.|title=Black Diamond Mines|publisher=Grand Village Press|year=2001|location=Granville, Illinois}}</ref>

The surface ground layers around Oglesby had excellent exposed [[limestone]] and [[coal]]; Oglesby also had adequate riverine transport. It soon became an important center for cement manufacture. Before [[open-pit mining]] there were several [[subsurface mining|subsurface]] cement mines:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/maps-data-pub/coal-maps/topo-mines/lasalle.pdf|title=Archived copy|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614032303/http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/maps-data-pub/coal-maps/topo-mines/lasalle.pdf|archive-date=June 14, 2010|access-date=September 4, 2011}}</ref>

*Illinois Clay Products Mine, 1913–1924
*Reynolds Clay Mine
*Marquette Cement Mine

As well as several coal mines:

*Jones Mine, 1865–1930
*Oglesby Mine, 1865–1919
*Deer Park Mine, 1900–1920
*Black Hollow Mine, circa 1890s

===State parks===
[[Matthiessen State Park]] and [[Starved Rock State Park]] are located a few miles east on Illinois State Route 178.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/Landmgt/PARKS/R1/mttindex.htm|title=Matthiessen - State Park|website=[[Illinois Department of Natural Resources]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054858/http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/Landmgt/PARKS/R1/mttindex.htm|archive-date=21 September 2013|access-date=20 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://illinoisissues.uis.edu/archives/2011/06/tourismsidebar.html|title=Fun Facts about Illinois Tourism|website=illinois issues.uis.edu|publisher=University of Illinois at Springfield|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615014146/http://illinoisissues.uis.edu/archives/2011/06/tourismsidebar.html|archive-date=15 June 2011|access-date=16 November 2015}}</ref> With over two million visitors a year, Starved Rock is the most visited of any Illinois state park.