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A View of Early O'Fallon In 1869, Ulysses S. Grant was President of the U.S., John Palmer was Governor of Illinois and the flag had 37 stars. That year O’Fallon turned 15 years old and Louis F. Fischer came to town. A 30 year-old well educated German immigrant and botanist’s son, Fischer had been a Civil War Union officer and was newly married. He came to O’Fallon at the urging of Ernst Tiedemann who offered him work in his general store. Forty years later, the then secretary of Chas. Tiedemann Milling Co. in O’Fallon described what he saw when he first arrived. "Then prosperity was visible everywhere. The coal mines, considered as some of the best in this district worked overtime; all houses were filled with people. The population consisted mostly of the old Americans and of English and Irish, of whom most were miners, and of many Germans, most of them farmers and mechanics. All these folks, thrown together, accommodated themselves to surrounding conditions and enjoyed themselves. There was no class distinction, or disturbing political factions in our town. "There were churches for the religiously inclined; but it is true, there was also an abuse of the freedom then existing. Many lawless acts were committed, which today (1909) would not be tolerated. Foot races, cock fights, horse races were nothing unusual on Sunday mornings. O’Fallon was a typical western settlement. Everybody was busy in his way; new houses were built, stores did good business and progress was observable in every vocation of life. Still there was no time for improvements or looking after sanitary conditions. Pools of water were standing in many places, there were no sidewalks, and the streets were almost impassible in early spring.”
Such was O’Fallon as it appeared to a newcomer 130 years ago.
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