Mark Wentworth Dunham facts for kids
Mark Wentworth Dunham (1842–1899) was an American businessman who brought many horses to the United States. He also owned Oaklawn Farm in Wayne, Illinois. This farm was once the biggest horse breeding farm in the world!
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Mark Dunham's Early Life and Family
Mark W. Dunham was the son of Solomon Dunham (1791–1856). Solomon moved from New York State to Illinois in a covered wagon. He bought 400 acres of land. Solomon was smart and built roads, an inn, a general store, and a house. He wanted to make money from new railroad lines coming through the area.
Solomon was the first County Commissioner and Assessor in Kane County, Illinois. He died in 1865. Mark, his youngest son, received 300 acres of land from his father.
Building a Horse Empire
Mark W. Dunham and his older brother, Daniel Dunham, were important in bringing French coach horses to the U.S. They were especially known for importing Percheron horses. These are a type of draft horses, which are very large and strong horses.
In 1875, Mark Wentworth Dunham bought a Percheron horse named "Success" for $3,300. This was a huge amount of money back then! This purchase started his horse breeding business. These big French horses were excellent for pulling farm equipment. This was before power tractors and other farm machines were invented.
To sell his horses, Dunham created catalogs for his customers. Some of these catalogs even had drawings by a famous artist named Rosa Bonheur. Mark Dunham was a very good businessman. His farm grew to 2,000 acres, and his horse breeding business became very successful. He earned a lot of money and was respected by people in both France and America. By 1888, about one-fifth of all French horses imported into the U.S. lived at Oaklawn Farm.
The Dunham Castle
By 1883, the Dunham Castle was finished. It was designed to look like the castles Mark had seen in Normandy, France, during his trips to buy horses. This castle became the family's home.
During the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, a special train took guests from Chicago to Wayne. They came to see the amazing Percheron horses. Famous people like Cyrus McCormick, George Pullman, and Marshall Field visited. Later, in the early 1900s, important politicians like Adlai Stevenson and Everett Dirksen used the castle as a quiet place to relax.
Mark Dunham's Legacy
Mark W. Dunham passed away in 1899. Reports say he died from an infection after checking a horse's hoof. His obituary in The New York Times on February 12, 1899, called him "the most extensive breeder of pure-bred horses in the world." It also said he had collected the best group of mares and stallions in France. He won more champion prizes for his horses than any other breeder in American history.
After Mark's death, his 2,000-acre Oaklawn estate went to his son, Wirth Stewart Dunham. Wirth was 21 and studying law at Harvard. Wirth Dunham later married Mary Louise Ward. Her father was the president of a big bank. During the first World War, Wirth was a Captain in the army, working with horses. He later became a Major. Wirth Dunham was also the President of the Horse Association of America. The French Government even gave him a special award called Chevalier Merite Agricole.
In the early 1900s, new farm machines like tractors became popular. This meant people didn't need draft horses as much. Because of this, Oaklawn Farm stopped its horse breeding business in 1929. The Dunham Woods Riding Club was started in 1934 on parts of the original property. Some areas of the farm were recognized as important historical places in 1979.
Other Interesting People
In 1910, Louise Powis Clark (1887–1965) traveled to Manila, Philippines with the Y.M.C.A.. Louise was a granddaughter of Solomon Dunham's oldest son, Daniel. While in Manila, Mrs. Clark was very impressed by the beautiful embroidery made by local women. She designed an embroidery pattern for a nightgown and asked local artists to make it.
With help from her mother, Mrs. Julia Dunham Powis, this idea grew into a huge business worth millions of dollars. The company moved its main office from their family home to New York City. Louise and her mother sold their part of the company after Mr. Brown died in 1929. Years later, Louise married Owen D. Young, who was the chairman of General Electric.
