Rockwell Land Company Letter, 1857 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of an 1857 letter from Dixwell Lathrop to John Rockwell detailing coal mining operations in LaSalle, Illinois. Lathrop wrote about the production of each mine shaft, the high demand for coal, the transportation of coal by rail, and the development of other businesses in the area.

Biographical/Historical Context:

John Arnold Rockwell was a lawyer, politician, and businessman with an interest in land development during the westward expansion of the United States. In 1836 he founded the Rockwell Land Company with his brother to form the town of Rockwell, Illinois, in LaSalle County. He was ultimately unsuccessful in establishing the town, and it was then incorporated into the town of LaSalle, Illinois. In the mid-1850s the Rockwell Land Company began leasing the land to coal operators for mining. Dixwell Lathrop was an employee of the Rockwell Land Company who oversaw the development of this land.

Acquisition Source: The Library purchased this letter in 2019 with support from the Bruce C. Creamer Fund. Additional materials related to Dixwell Lathrop and John Arnold Rockwell can be found in the John A. Rockwell Papers at the Huntington Library.