STREATOR, Ill., the largest city in La Salle County, on the Vermilion Rivet', and on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, the Chi cago, Burlington and Quincy, the Chicago and Alton, the Wabash, the New York Central, the Chicago, Ottawa and Peoria railroads, 90 miles southwest of Chicago. The city was developed as a coal-mining centre, mining commencing about 1868. The city was incorporated in 1882. It lies in the fertile agricultural region known as the northern Illinois corn belt, and is under laid with coal and shale. The manufacturing establishments include glass and bottle facto ries, brick, drain tile and sewer pipe works, automobile factories, automobile accessory works, agricultural implements, washing ma chines, windmills, acetylene plants, foundries, detinning factory, etc. The latest census of manufactures reported 60 manufacturing estab lishments employing 1,918 persons, of whom 1,770 were wage-earners. The capital invested in these establishments was $6,993,000, annual amount of salaries, $150,000; wages, $1,045,000; the cost of materials, $1,762,000, and the value of products, $3,887,000. The trade is chiefly in
manufacturing, coal, grain, livestock and dairy products. The principal buildings are the Fed eral building, municipal buildings, opera houses, hotels, Y. M. C. A. building, City Club, Elks' building, Masonic Temple, public library, Saint Mary's Hospital and about 25 large well equipped churches. The educational institu tions are a large high school, well-equipped public schools, parish schools, a kindergarten, private commercial schools, library and Y. M. C. A. reading rooms. The three national banks have a combined capital of $300,000. There are four thriving building and loan asso ciations, and a large number of fraternal socie ties, lodges and organizations. Pop. 16,500.