97 not the downfall of the coal gas corporations. Instead, it was the availability of natural gas following the construction of a natural gas pipeline from Texas in 1931.9 Technological advancements also put an end to water powered grist mills that were popular in the 1840’s. These mills disrupted water flow and were often swept away when the Fox River flooded. The distribution of the water way barred fish and other species from reaching spawning grounds.10 It wasn’t until 1881 when steam-powered grain elevators were available that water mills fell out of use.11 These environmentally harmful practices did not stop because they were harmful, they stopped due to the technology becoming obsolete. Other practices, such as dumping wastewater and dangerous chemical byproducts still took place. Despite efforts from local community members and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there were still chemical related contamination events with very few clean-up efforts occurring well into the early 2000s. In the late 1960’s one Kendall County resident, Jim F. Phillips saw dead baby ducks walking near a stream. Outraged, he began a series of demonstrations under the alias “the Fox” that quickly caught the attention of the public eye.12 Others began copying him. His followers combined with the national attention of the 1962 book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson brought light to the horrors of chemical pollution. Which led to the creation of the U.S Environmental protection agency (EPA) in 1970. An agency who could enforce the standards of the 9“The Fox River's Still Recovering from ‘Gaslight Era’ Pollution...,” historyonthefox, July 14, 2020, https://historyonthefox.wordpress.com/2020/07/13/the-fox-rivers-still-recovering-from-gaslight-era-pollution/. 10 “Fox River Mills Served Both Kendall's Rural and Small Town Communities,” historyonthefox, February 12, 2020, https://historyonthefox.wordpress.com/2020/02/12/fox-river-mills-served-both-kendalls-rural-and-small-towncommunities/. 11 IBID 12“Pollution,” historyonthefox, May 9, 2022, https://historyonthefox.wordpress.com/tag/pollution/. Figure 26 Coal Gas Company refuse along Fox River. Source: Vernon Derry collection
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