Senachwine Club Records (Putnam County)

Collection

Identifier: RHC-RC-187

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Senachwine Club records document the club's hunting activities from 1886-1986. In addition to information on the Club, these records contain material from the Illinois Department of Conservation and from Ducks Unlimited, a private organization. Researchers should note that there are two gaps in the records, files from 1941-1945 and 1963-1971 are missing. The collection is organized into two series: Administrative Files and Correspondence Files. Administrative Files include by-laws, minutes, financial records, and property records. The minutes contain the Club's charter, early by-laws, membership lists and reports from committees and the treasurer. Financial records also contain some treasurer's reports and financial statements, accounting records and the Secretary/Treasurer's records. Property records deal with the Club's grounds and include maps, tax receipts, plus deeds, leases and mortgages. Finally, this series contains kill sheets and daily registers which record the number of birds shot each day of the season. Correspondence Files contain incoming and outgoing letters kept by the Club's secretary. All aspects of the organizations' business and activities are covered in these files. Correspondence concerning membership applications, club hunting rules, by-laws revisions, leases, contracts, legislation and regulation is included in this series. Of special interest are the files of correspondence with the several caretakers employed by the Club. Various improvements to the clubhouse and grounds can be traced through their letters.

Dates

created: 1886-1986
Other: Date acquired: 06/19/1987

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights in the collection belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.

Biographical or Historical Information

The Senachwine Club was incorporated in 1886 as the Hennepin Shooting Club. Its original purpose was to provide protection and to preserve wild game birds while providing recreation for its members. To accomplish that purpose the Club bought and leased land on the East and West Hennepin Marshes near the Illinois River and Lake Senachwine in Putnam County. The Club took its present name sometime between 1914 and 1919. Originally, the Club's by-laws limited the size of the membership to twenty-five. Later this was increased to thirty, all of whom but fourteen had to be residents of Cook County. Dues rose from $50 to $125 in 1937 to $1500 in 1986. The money collected went for upkeep of the clubhouse, salaries of the caretaker and grounds superintendent, land leases, and improvements to the grounds. Improvements included planting corn and millet to attract ducks, building duck blinds, and creating dikes and drainage ditches to control water levels. The Senachwine Club maintained memberships in the Illinois Sportsmans Association and Ducks Unlimited. Publications from the latter organization can be found in the Club's correspondence files. The Club also corresponded with the Illinois Department of Conservation, buying licenses and reporting its seasonal kills. In 1946 the Club joined the Department and the Natural History Survey in opposing the U.S. War Department Engineers Flood Control Program for Illinois. It was their belief that the program would prove detrimental to wildlife and their marsh homes. Today, the Senachwine Club continues to protect and preserve wild game birds while maintaining hunting facilities for its members.

Note written by

Extent

3.75 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Source of Acquisition

Mr. Edmund Horsch, Jr

Method of Acquisition

Mr. Edmund Horsch, Jr., secretary of the Senachwine Club, donated the Club's records to the Northern Illinois Regional History Center on June 19, 1987.