Conference turris::scandia

398.0. "Western Illinois' Swedish "Colony"" by TLE::SAVAGE () Wed Apr 03 1996 14:42

    150 years ago, about 1200 followers of the religious leader, Erik
    Jansson (1808-1850), settled at Bishop Hill in western Illinois. The
    name comes from Erik Jansson's birthplace, Biskopskulla, which is 16
    miles southwest of Uppsala.

    The "erikjansare" as they were called in Swedish (Janssonites in
    English) left from various Swedish ports and also from Oslo. In the
    next eight years, they built a little town of brick buildings on the
    Illinois prairie, many of them still standing. 

    As a young man, Jansson began to conduct private religious meetings,
    preaching opposition to the teachings of the Church of Sweden at that
    time. In 1845 he was found guilty of heresy.  On his way to prison, he
    escaped with the aid of some of his followers and after months of
    hiding he made his way to the United States. It was Jonas Hedstr�m,
    brother of Olof Hedstr�m, a Swedish Methodist minister who helped many
    of his countrymen emmigrate to avoid religious persecution, who
    directed the first Janssonites to Bishop Hill.

    In the mid 19th century, the journey to Bishop Hill took about three
    months. When they arrived, the Janssonites found a fertile land with a
    top soil 40 inches deep. However, many died the first winter, living in
    damp and overcrowded quarters hastily constructed. Moreover, Jansson
    ruled severely, controlling every aspect of the settlers' spiritual and
    physical life, including the imposition of celibacy.  Many rebelled and
    left the colony. In 1850, a disaffected former member of Bishop Hill
    colony, named John Root, shot and killed Erik Jansson.

    Nevertheless, the colony continued and in 1853 was organized into a
    cooperative with five trustees.  By 1855 most of the permanent building
    was completed. The largest was 200 feet long and had 96 rooms. At the
    time, it was the largest structure west of Chicago. Other buildings
    included: a bakery/brewery (same building), blacksmith's shop, carriage
    & wagon shop, a brick kiln, tannery, and colony store with post office.

    Some colony statistics:

    o A steam mill with a daily production capacity of about 100 barrels of
      flour

    o Cheese and butter were produced from some 200 cows, milked by 40 to
      50 women in about half an hour

    o An orchard of some 500 fruit trees

    o At peak production the brick kiln turned out 10,000 to 12,000 bricks
      a day

    o Besides the cows, 100 horses and 1000 pigs

    The colonists produced and sold wheat, corn, barley, oats, and
    potatoes. They grew flax and the women wove linen. In 1851, they
    produced 28,000 yards.

    Following a nationwide crisis [known as 'the panic of 1857'], the
    colony ran into financial difficulties. Disappointment and
    disillusionment with the trustees' investment judgement set in, along
    with renewed complaints about the strictness of rules for conducting
    community life. In 1861, the colonists voted to dissolve the venture
    and divy up what remained of the communal property [worth some $719,000
    in 1860s dollars - about $29 million in today's money]. The Bishop Hill
    colony had existed 15 years.

    Today, Bishop Hill has a population of 150 inhabitants, many descended
    from the first settlers. The former colony is now under the protection
    of the State of Illinois and is listed in the National Register of
    Historic Places. It is currently managed by the Illinois Historic
    Preservation Agency.