Known Activities
Oatman opened what was described as a "hotel" on the west side of Dundee in 1838, according to the History of Kane County (Joslyn, 1908). The use of quotation marks around the word "hotel" in the original source suggests the establishment may have been a modest frontier accommodation — likely a tavern or inn offering lodging and meals to travelers — rather than a purpose-built commercial hotel in the more formal sense. (Source: History of Kane County, Ill., Vol. 1, Joslyn, 1908)
The west side of Dundee saw comparatively little development relative to the east side during this period. According to the same source, the east side of Dundee came to contain nearly all of the village's business district. Oatman's hotel on the west side was one of the few commercial ventures recorded there during the early settlement era. (Source: History of Kane County, Ill., Vol. 1, Joslyn, 1908)
The Oatman Brothers and Fox River Pollution
The East Dundee village record book — beginning June 13, 1887 — contains multiple formal complaints against the Oatman Brothers dairy and cheese operation. The specific violations cited include allowing sour hay, buttermilk, and cheese waste to drain into the Fox River and into the village millrace.
The complaints appear in the founding era of East Dundee's governance, within the first months or years of the village's existence as an incorporated municipality. This was not a minor nuisance: the Fox River and its millrace were central to the village's water infrastructure, and buttermilk and whey discharged in quantity would have caused significant odor and water-quality problems downstream.
The Oatman Brothers' dairy operation is the earliest documented case of industrial water pollution in East Dundee's primary source record. Whether the village pursued legal remedies or resolved the situation through other means is not confirmed from the surviving records read to date. (Source: Record Book of the Corporation of East Dundee, Vol. 1, beginning June 13, 1887, Village of East Dundee archives)
The relationship between Hardin Oatman (the 1838 hotelier) and the later Oatman Brothers dairy operators has not been established. Given the generational gap of roughly fifty years, the dairy operators were likely sons, nephews, or other descendants — indicating a family with sustained roots in the Dundee area across multiple generations.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1838 | Opened a hotel on the west side of Dundee |
| 1887–1890s | Oatman Brothers dairy/cheese works cited repeatedly for discharging buttermilk and waste into Fox River and millrace |
- History of Kane County, Ill., Vol. 1 (Joslyn, 1908). Available at: https://archive.org/details/historyofkanecou01josl#offset-295771
- Record Book of the Corporation of East Dundee, beginning June 13, 1887. Village of East Dundee archives. Complaint entries re: Oatman Brothers dairy waste discharge. Photographs taken July 2, 2026.