In the winter, the charter of the Illinois Central Railroad company was granted. The lands, formerly ceded by Congress, were donated to this company, upon the condition that they should build a road from the mouth of the Ohio to the junction of the canal and Illinois river, with branches &c. The same terms were prescribed by Congress in the act of cession. The people of Peru assumed, that by this it was intended that it should terminate at the pier head, where the waters of the canal and river unite. The company proceeded to build the bridge across the river at the mouth of the Little Vermillion, a mile and a-half above. This drew forth a vigorous protest from the City Council which was duly forwarded to the officers of the company, and to the proper Department at Washington. Nothing however came of it, and the company proceeded to complete their works according to their original plan. This gave to the rival City of La Salle still further advantages, by way for facilities of trade, north and south.
On the 5th February, 1850, the Peru and Grandetour Plank Road company was organized, under a charter previously obtained, by the election of T. D. Brewster, J. H. McMillan, William Paul and J. L. McCormick of Peru, Tracy Reeve of Lamoile, F. R. Dutcher of Shelburn, and Solon Cummings of Grandetour, Directors. In September, 1851, so much of the road was completed as justified, under the charter, the collection of tolls. It was afterwards completed as far as Arlington, in Bureau county, and partially constructed to Lamoile. This enterprise was looked upon as promising great advantages, not only to the town, but also to the country through which it passed. The result demonstrated that these expectations were reasonable. The large traffic which passed over it, for a few succeeding years, could not by any possibility have existed without it. It was originally contemplated to finish it to Grandetour, on Rock river, but want of funds delayed the work, until the construction of intersecting lines of Railroads, in a degree, superseded its necessity. The road has since been allowed to run down, and the plank have been removed. The company at present do not pretend to exercise any control over it. For a great portion of the present season, it has been in so bad a condition as to be quite impassable for loaded teams, and nearly so for vehicles of any description. Thus cut off from the trade of the north by bad roads, and of the south by the difficulty in crossing the river and bottom, the only resource that remained to the trading portion of the community, was to trade with each other. In this it is to be hoped they have been as successful as the boys who traded jack-knives with each other all day.