Iroquois County, Illinois

History

Iroquois County was created on February 26, 1833, out of a portion of Vermilion County. It was named for the Iroquois River, which was itself named for the Iroquois people.{{cite book

File:Iroquois County Illinois 1833.png|Iroquois County from the time of its creation to 1836 File:Iroquois County Illinois 1836.png|Iroquois County between 1836 and 1853 File:Iroquois County Illinois 1853.png|Iroquois County in 1853, when the creation of Kankakee County reduced it to its current size.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1119 sqmi, of which 1117 sqmi is land and 1.6 sqmi (0.1%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Illinois by land area and the fifth-largest by total area.

The northern border of the county is about 60 mi south of the city of Chicago. The county is bordered on the east by the state of Indiana and its counties of Benton and Newton. To the north lies Kankakee County. Vermilion County, out of which Iroquois County was originally formed, lies to the south. To the west is Ford County.

The Iroquois River enters the county from Indiana and flows westward along the south side of the village of Iroquois, then along the north side of the city of Watseka, whereupon it veers to the north and joins the larger Kankakee River near the city of Kankakee in the county of the same name; the Kankakee River then flows into the Illinois River further to the northwest in Will County. Sugar Creek, further to the south, also flows from the east to the west, entering from Indiana east of Stockland; it passes through the south edge of Milford, is joined by Mud Creek coming up from the south, and winds to the north past the village of Woodland and meets the Iroquois River near Watseka.

The Iroquois County State Wildlife Area, a 2400 acre state park, is located in the northeast corner of the county. There are also three nature preserves: Bonnie's Prairie, Hooper Branch Savanna, and Loda Cemetery Prairie.

Climate and weather

|Watseka, Illinois |14|30|1.61 |18|36|1.73 |29|48|3.36 |39|60|3.77 |50|72|4.04 |59|82|4.62 |63|84|4.22 |61|83|3.65 |53|77|3.41 |41|64|2.91 |32|49|3.33 |21|36|2.57 |access-date=January 27, 2011 In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Watseka have ranged from a low of 14 °F in January to a high of 84 °F in July, although a record low of -28 °F was recorded in January 1999 and a record high of 105 °F was recorded in August 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.61 in in January to 4.62 in in June.

Adjacent counties

• Kankakee County - north
• Newton County, Indiana - east
• Benton County, Indiana - east
• Vermilion County - south
• Ford County - west

Transportation

Transit service in the county is provided by SHOW Bus, which operates a local bus route within Watseka. Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service on the Illini and Saluki at Gilman station.

Interstate 57 passes through the west part of the county on its route between Champaign and Chicago. From north to south, it passes through or near Chebanse, Clifton, Ashkum, Danforth, Gilman, Onarga, Buckley, and Loda.

The county is bisected by the east–west U.S. Route 24, which passes through Gilman, Crescent City, the county seat of Watseka, and Sheldon.

• [[File:I-57.svg|20px]] Interstate 57
• [[File:US 45.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 45
• [[File:US 52.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 52
• [[File:Illinois 1.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 1
• [[File:Illinois 49.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 49
• [[File:Illinois 54.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 54
• [[File:Illinois 116.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 116

Several railroad lines pass through the county. The Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway operates a line that begins in Peoria and runs from east to west through Iroquois County, passing through Gilman and Watseka and continuing into Indiana. A Canadian National Railway line runs nearly parallel with Interstate 57 on its way to Chicago. A CSX Transportation line passes from north to south through the eastern part of the county; a Union Pacific line joins it south of Woodland. Further east, the Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad operates a north–south line.{{cite web |access-date=October 17, 2010

Demographics

1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 | align-fn = center

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 27,077. The median age was 44.5 years. 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 89.4% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian,

17.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 82.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 11,160 households in the county, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.7% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 12,779 housing units, of which 12.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.5% were owner-occupied and 23.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.5%.

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 29,718 people, 11,956 households, and 8,175 families residing in the county.{{cite web |access-date=July 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213030728/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US17075 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212195629/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US17075 |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213021526/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US17075 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Of the 11,956 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.6% were non-families, and 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 43.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,323 and the median income for a family was $56,541. Males had a median income of $43,416 versus $27,908 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,400. About 8.2% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web |access-date=July 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213012820/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US17075 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Communities

Cities

• Gilman
• Watseka

Villages

• Ashkum
• Beaverville
• Buckley
• Chebanse
• Cissna Park
• Clifton
• Crescent City
• Danforth
• Donovan
• Iroquois
• Loda
• Martinton
• Milford
• Onarga
• Papineau
• Sheldon
• Thawville
• Wellington
• Woodland

Townships

In 1855, a popular vote resulted in the adoption of township government, which was implemented in 1856. At that time, eleven townships were created; they are listed below.

• Ash Grove
• Beaver
• Belmont
• Chebanse
• Concord
• Loda
• Middleport
• Milford
• Onarga
• Papineau
• Stockland

Over the next several decades, more townships were created from the existing ones, for a final total of twenty-six. The newer townships are listed below in order of creation.

• Martinton (1857)
• Iroquois (1858)
• Prairie Green (1858)
• Ashkum (1861)
• Douglas (1861)
• Artesia (1864)
• Fountain Creek (1868)
• Lovejoy (1868)
• Sheldon (1868)
• Milks Grove (1872)
• Pigeon Grove (1876)
• Crescent (1877)
• Danforth (1877)
• Ridgeland (1878)
• Beaverville (1916)

Unincorporated communities

• Bryce
• Claytonville
• Delrey
• Eastburn
• Effner
• Goodwine
• L'Erable
• La Hogue
• Pittwood
• Stockland

Notable people

• Fern Andra, movie actress and director from 1913 to 1930, born in Watseka in 1893
• John Moisant, pioneering aviator and aeronautical engineer, born in L'Erable in 1868
• John S. Darrough, recipient of the Medal of Honor, American Civil War, lived in the county from age 14.
• Henry Bacon, architect, born in Wateska in 1866
• Rex Everhart, Broadway actor who voiced the role of Maurice in the Disney Film "Beauty & The Beast," born in Watseka in 1920
• Scott Garrelts, Pitcher, San Francisco Giants, 1st round draft pick in 1979 amateur draft, grew up in Buckley, graduated from Buckley-Loda High School
• Ray A. Laird, president of Laredo Community College in Laredo, Texas, 1960 to 1974; born in Milford in 1907
• Ole Rynning (1809–1838), Norwegian immigrant author
• Fred J. Schraeder (1923-2016), Illinois state representative and businessman, born in Clifton

Politics

Throughout the rest of its history, Iroquois County has been among the most solidly Republican counties in Illinois. Since 1940 only Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide has garnered forty percent of the county's vote for the Democratic Party, and only Bill Clinton in 1996 has topped 35 percent since 1968. As of February 2025, the county is one of 7 that voted to join the state of Indiana.

References

Bibliography

• {{cite book |access-date=October 15, 2010
• {{cite book |access-date=October 15, 2010
• {{cite book |access-date=October 15, 2010

References

1. (March 2025). "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020–2024". U.S. Department of Commerce.
2. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Iroquois County, Illinois".
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
5. Kern 1907, p. 677.
6. Kern 1907, p. 678.
7. Dowling 1968, p. 9.
8. "Bonnie's Prairie". Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
9. "Hooper Branch Savanna". Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
10. "Loda Cemetery Prairie". Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
11. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau.
12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
14. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
15. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
16. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
19. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
20. "1980 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois- Table 14 - Persons by Race and Table 16 (p. 18-28) - Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race (p. 29-39)".
21. "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois - Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Orogin".
22. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Iroquois County, Illinois".
23. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Iroquois County, Illinois".
24. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Iroquois County, Illinois".
25. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
26. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
27. not an option in the 1980 Census
28. not an option in the 1990 Census
29. Dowling 1968, p. 21.
30. Ray A. Laird obituary, ''Kerrville Daily Times'', [[Kerrville, Texas]], October 7, 1986
31. (7 February 2025). "Secession From Illinois Is in the Air". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
32. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".