LaSalle County is located within the Fox Valley and Illinois River Valley regions of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. As of the 2020 Census, it had a population of 109,658. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

and largest city is Ottawa. LaSalle County is part of the

Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area The Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in north central Illinois, anchored by the city of Ottawa. Peru (until 2020) and Streator (until 2013) are form ...

Northern Illinois Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois. The region is by far the most populous of Illinois with nearly 9.7 million residents as of 2010. Economics Northern Illinois is dominated by t ...

. LaSalle County borders Woodford, Marshall, Putnam, Bureau, Livingston, Lee, DeKalb, Kendall, and Grundy counties. Though LaSalle County is in the Chicago media market, it retains a unique identity with a mix of river towns and vast expanses of farmland. The county lies at the intersection of the Chicago, Peoria, Quad Cities and Rockford television markets with all four regions broadcasting within its borders and having a strong influence on the area, despite the county being only southwest of Chicago.

History

LaSalle County was formed on January 15, 1831, out of Tazewell and Putnam Counties. It is named for the early French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. La Salle was the first European recorded as entering the area. He traveled the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

upriver from the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

, claimed the land for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, or rather as a possession of King

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of ...

, and named it

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. In 1680, he and

Henry de Tonty Henri de Tonti (''né'' Enrico Tonti; – September 1704), also spelled Henri de Tonty, was an Italian-born French military officer, explorer, and '' voyageur'' who assisted René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, with North American explora ...

built

Fort Crevecoeur Fort Crevecoeur (French: ''Fort Crèvecœur'') was the first public building erected by Europeans within the boundaries of the modern state of Illinois and the first fort built in the West by the French. It was founded on the east bank of the ...

on the Illinois River in present-day Tazewell County, and in 1683, they constructed Fort St. Louis on

Starved Rock Starved Rock State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Illinois, characterized by the many canyons within its . Located just southeast of the village of Utica, in Deer Park Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, along the south bank of the ...

in present-day LaSalle County. By 1857, the county was served by the daily arrivals of two trains of the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also c ...

. As William D. Boyce reportedly founded the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded ...

in Ottawa, the Council is named for him. He and two other founders established the BSA, but Boyce is given the sole credit since his faction of the BSA adopted the other two competing factions' elements within the organization. LaSalle County is within what is called the Lowaneu District of the W.D. Boyce Council. In 1838,

William Reddick William Reddick may refer to: * William Reddick (politician) (1812–1885), Irish-American businessman, politician and philanthropist * William H. Reddick (1840–1903), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient * Bill Reddick (footballer) (Will ...

, a local farmer and landowner, was elected sheriff of LaSalle County. He was hired to restore public order resulting from an influx of workmen creating the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Reddick served as sheriff for four consecutive two-year terms. After being elected to the

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

, Reddick commissioned the construction of a luxurious

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...

home, now known as the Reddick Mansion. This structure is one of the largest surviving pre-

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

homes in Illinois. The mansion was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1973, as part of the Washington Park Historic District. The tri-county area of DeKalb, LaSalle, and Kendall has been influential in terms of its political, sports, multimedia, industry, and technology. DeKalb County was the birthplace of plant hybridization (DeKalb, DeKalb Agricultural), the hot-air hand dryer (Sandwich, Sahara-Pak), and is the home of supermodel

Cindy Crawford Cynthia Ann Crawford (born February 20, 1966) is an American model, actress and television personality. During the 1980s and 1990s, she was among the most popular supermodels and a ubiquitous presence on magazine covers, runways, as well as fash ...

, at least 7 MLB players, two NFL coaches, and three NFL players. LaSalle County was home to the Westclox Company for many years, it was the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas Debates, and was the home to the discoverer of

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest ...

, as well as a

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

figure, multiple published authors, a legendary

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

athletic director and coach, and multiple political figures. Kendall County is the home to a seminal piece of 20th Century architecture, the birthplace of the Harvester Reaper, (as well as the precursor to the

International Harvester Company The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated by IHC, IH, or simply International ( colloq.)) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household e ...

), the plastic tackle box and plastic-injection molding, and is the home of multiple athletes, politicians, and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives. DeKalb, LaSalle, and Kendall Counties have all been featured in major films, with scripts either having been written by residents or former residents. La Salle County was founded largely by immigrants from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

. These were old stock

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United S ...

immigrants, who were descended from the English

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. ...

who settled New England in the 1600s. The completion of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

caused a surge in New England immigration to what was then the Northwest Territory. The end of the Black Hawk War led to an additional surge of immigration, once again coming almost exclusively from the six

states as a result of overpopulation combined with land shortages in that region. Some of these later settlers were from

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

and had parents who had moved to that region from

shortly after the Revolutionary War. New Englanders and New England transplants from upstate New York were the vast majority of La Salle County's inhabitants during the first several decades of its history. These settlers were primarily members of the Congregational Church, though due to the

Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. The Second Great Awakening, which spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching, sparked a number of reform movements. R ...

, many of them had converted to

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

, and some had become Baptists before coming to what is now La Salle County. The Congregational Church has subsequently gone through many divisions, and some factions, including those in La Salle County, are now known as the Church of Christ and the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

. As a result of this heritage, the vast majority of inhabitants in La Salle County − much like antebellum

− were overwhelmingly in favor of the abolitionist movement during the decades leading up to the

. When the New Englanders arrived in what is now La Salle County, there was nothing but dense virgin forest and wild prairie. They laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. In 1834, Norwegian immigrants settled in the northwest corner of the county. The construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal brought thousands of Irish and Irish-American workers to Illinois. Many settled in the counties along the canal route. Ottawa and LaSalle County had a large Irish population due to the importance of Ottawa as a trade and industrial center on the canal. The election of the LaSalle County sheriff hinged on the Irish vote when a New Englander Woodruff was replaced as sheriff by William Reddick a successful Irish landowner following Woodruff's role in putting down a riot along the canal in 1837. Irish and German immigration to LaSalle County, especially LaSalle. Ottawa and Peru prior to the Civil War was such that many German immigrants joined Illinois regiments during the war. In the late 1880s and early 1890s,

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and German migrants began moving into La Salle County; most of these later immigrants did not move directly from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, but rather from other areas in the Midwest where they had been living, particularly the state of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Immigrants around the Peterstown, Troy Grove, Meriden, Mendota, and Earlville area were largely of German descent, with the Mendota area directly being the epicenter of the German community in the county. Norwegian population has been strong in the area around Northville, Serena, Mission, and Miller Townships in LaSalle County, along with Little Rock and Fox Townships in Kendall County, and Sandwich and Somonauk Townships in DeKalb County. One such family, the Borschsenius family, runs the Norway Store in the unincorporated community of Norway, in southern Mission Township, and the family has been deeply involved with businesses and the school district of nearby Serena and Sheridan. Ottawa was the first site of the famous Lincoln–Douglas debates on August 21, 1858. The community has a strong association with the 16th President, and elements of the downtown area of the city retain much mid-19th century architecture. People in LaSalle County were predominantly

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

in attitude, and many

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

sites were maintained in the county prior to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. Utica (officially North Utica) is considered the gateway to the Starved Rock area. Visiting three parks provides a full experience of the area.

Starved Rock State Park Starved Rock State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Illinois, characterized by the many canyons within its . Located just southeast of the village of Utica, in Deer Park Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, along the south bank of the ...

, (south of Utica on

Illinois Route 178 Illinois Route 178 is a minor north–south state highway in north central Illinois. It runs north from the unincorporated area of Lowell to Interstate 80 about north of North Utica, which is better known as simply Utica. This is a distance ...

), is the crown jewel.

Matthiessen State Park Matthiessen State Park is an Illinois state park located a few miles south of the more famous Starved Rock State Park. The main entrances to both parks are located on Illinois State Route 178. History The park is near Oglesby, in LaSalle Count ...

(south of Starved Rock on Ill 178) has many of the same features of Starved Rock, but is smaller, and faces the Vermilion River to the west. Buffalo Rock State Park (east of Utica, and west of Naplate/Ottawa on Dee Bennett Road) has an enclosure which features

American bison The American bison (''Bison bison'') is a species of bison native to North America. Sometimes colloquially referred to as American buffalo or simply Bubalina, buffalo (a different clade of bovine), it is one of two extant species of bison, alongs ...

, as well as the mound sculpture complex, known as the Effigy Tumuli. The village was the site of a F3 tornado that ripped through the downtown and killed nine people on April 20, 2004. File:LaSalle County Illinois 1831.png, LaSalle County from the time of its creation to 1836, including a large tract of unorganized territory temporarily attached to it. File:LaSalle County Illinois 1836.png, LaSalle County between 1836 and 1837 File:LaSalle County Illinois 1837.png, LaSalle County between 1837 and 1841 File:LaSalle County Illinois 1841.png, LaSalle County between 1841 and 1843 File:LaSalle County Illinois 1843.png, In 1843, the southwest corner was ceded to Marshall County, reducing LaSalle to its present size

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Illinois by land area and the fourth-largest by total area.

Adjacent counties

* Lee County northwest * DeKalb County north * Kendall County northeast * Grundy County east * Livingston County southeast * Woodford County south * Marshall County southwest * Putnam County west * Bureau County west LaSalle County, Illinois, is one of the few counties in the United States to border as many as nine counties. Illinois has two such counties, with Pike County being the other. Many of the residents of LaSalle County live in cities and towns along the Illinois River. It is the main population core, with some exceptions, including Streator to the south of the county. Large cities along the river include Ottawa, LaSalle, Peru, and Marseilles. The regions north and south of the Illinois River are mostly agricultural, including the Fox River portion of the county, and have few large towns.

Climate

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Ottawa have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 109,658 people, 45,089 households, and 29,344 families residing in the count

The population density was . There were 49,812 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 85.6% white, 2.4% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 3.6% from other races, and 7.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.8% were Germans, German, 18.0% were

, 8.7% were

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, 8.1% were English, 7.6% were Polish, 4.4% were

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

, 3.8% were American, and 3.1% were French. Of the 45,089 households, 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.9% were non-families, and 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males. The median income for a household in the county was $60,069 and the median income for a family was $72,583. Males had a median income of $50,214 versus $26,424 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,020. About 9.7% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

School districts

Secondary schools

Public

* Earlville High School (CUSD 9), also has district area in DeKalb and Lee Counties * LaSalle-Peru High School, LaSalle * Leland High School, Leland, also has district area in DeKalb County * Mendota Township High School, Mendota, also has district area in Bureau and Lee Counties *

Newark Community High School Newark Community High School is a public high school serving students from LaSalle, Kendall, and Grundy counties in Illinois. It is located in the town of Newark, in Kendall County. In the 2018–2019 school year, there was an enrollment of 1 ...

, located within Kendall County, but serves Mission Township * Ottawa Township High School, Ottawa * Sandwich Community High School (CUSD 430), located within DeKalb County, but serves Northville Township * Seneca High School, also has district area in Grundy County * Serena High School (CUSD 2) * Somonauk High School, located within DeKalb County, but serves Northville and Adams Townships * Streator Township High School, Streator * Woodland High School, Streator

Private

Marquette Academy Marquette Academy is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Ottawa, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria. History Marquette High School was originally known as St. Joseph's. It began teaching grade school and high s ...

, Ottawa * Ottawa Christian Academy, Ottawa * St. Bede Academy, Peru

Colleges and universities

* Illinois Valley Community College, Oglesby

Infrastructure

Transportation

Transit

* Mendota station *

List of intercity bus stops in Illinois The following is a list of presently operating intercity bus stops in Illinois with regular service. The list excludes charter buses, local transit buses, paratransit systems, and trolleybus systems. The following companies provide intercity bus se ...

Airports

* Earlville Airport, closed in 2010 * Illinois Valley Regional Airport, Peru

Major highways

Interstate 39 Interstate 39 (I-39) is a highway in the Midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois, at I-55 to State Trunk Highway 29 (WIS 29) in the town of Rib Mountain, Wisconsin, which is approximately south of Wausau. I- ...

* Interstate 80 * U.S. Highway 6 * U.S. Highway 34 * U.S. Highway 51 * U.S. Highway 52 *

Illinois Route 17 Illinois Route 17 (IL 17) is a rural, arterial east–west state highway that runs east from a former ferry crossing in New Boston along the banks of the Mississippi RiverIllinois Highway EndsIllinois 17. Retrieved April 21, 2006. to State R ...

* Illinois Route 18 * Illinois Route 23 * Illinois Route 71 * Illinois Route 170 *

* Illinois Route 251 *

Illinois Route 351 Illinois Route 351 is a north–south state route that leads from Illinois Route 71 and Illinois Route 251 by Oglesby through downtown LaSalle to Interstate 80. It is long. Route description Illinois 351 is the former Business U.S. Route 5 ...

Utilities

* LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station, Marseilles

Communities

Cities

* Earlville * LaSalle * Marseilles * Mendota * Oglesby * Ottawa *

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Sandwich A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...

(part) * Streator (part) * Wenona (part)

Villages

* Cedar Point * Dalzell (part) * Dana * Grand Ridge * Kangley * Leland * Leonore * Lostant * Millington (part) * Naplate * North Utica * Ransom * Rutland *

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

(part) * Sheridan * Somonauk (part) * Tonica * Troy Grove

Census-designated places

* Dayton * Lake Holiday

Other unincorporated communities

* Altmar * Baker * Blakes * Catharine * Danway * Dimmick * Farm Ridge * Fitchmoor *

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his hum ...

* Harding * Hitt * Jonesville * Kernan *

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

* Lowell * Meriden * Milla * Mount Palatine (part) * Northville *

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

* Peterstown * Prairie Center * Richards *

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

* Serena * Stavanger *

Sulphur Springs Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage under ...

Ticona Celanese Corporation, formerly known as Hoechst Celanese, is an American technology and specialty materials company headquartered in Irving, Texas. A Fortune 500 corporation, the company is the world’s leading producer of acetic acid, produc ...

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

* Waltham * Wedron * Welland (part) * Wilsman

Townships

LaSalle County is divided into thirty-seven

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

: * Adams * Allen * Brookfield * Bruce * Dayton * Deer Park * Dimmick *

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...

* Eden * Fall River * Farm Ridge * Freedom * Grand Rapids * Groveland * Hope * LaSalle *

Manlius The gens Manlia () was one of the oldest and noblest patrician houses at Rome, from the earliest days of the Republic until imperial times. The first of the gens to obtain the consulship was Gnaeus Manlius Cincinnatus, consul in 480 BC, and for ...

* Mendota * Meriden *

Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalent ...

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

* Northville *

Ophir Ophir (; ) is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. King Solomon received a shipment from Ophir every three years (1 Kings 10:22) which consisted of gold, silver, sandalwood, pearls, ivory, apes, and peacocks. ...

* Osage * Ottawa * Otter Creek *

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

* Richland * Rutland * Serena * South Ottawa * Troy Grove * Utica *

Vermillion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It is v ...

* Wallace * Waltham

Ghost towns

* East Wenona *

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

Politics

LaSalle has generally been a Republican-leaning swing county, more competitive than most in urbanized Northern Illinois. In its early years, LaSalle County supported the Democratic Party, being southwest of the Free Soil strongholds in the far northeast of the state. Following the formation of the Republican party, LaSalle County voted for that party in every election until 1884, when it supported Democrat

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

three consecutive times. Although the county gave a plurality to

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

in 1912 and supported

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

in his first three elections, it otherwise voted Republican until 1960. A Democratic trend, typical of Yankee Northern Illinois, saw

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis (; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history a ...

carry LaSalle despite failing to win the election in 1988, and no Republican would carry the county again until George W. Bush in 2004. The past few elections have seen the county lean Republican due to concern over lack of employment opportunities in the "

Rust Belt The Rust Belt is a region of the United States that experienced industrial decline starting in the 1950s. The U.S. manufacturing sector as a percentage of the U.S. GDP peaked in 1953 and has been in decline since, impacting certain regions an ...

Visitor attractions

Hegeler Carus Mansion The Hegeler Carus Mansion, located at 1307 Seventh Street in La Salle, Illinois is one of the Midwest's great Second Empire structures. Completed in 1876 for Edward C. Hegeler, a partner in the nearby Matthiessen Hegeler Zinc Company, the man ...

* Hopalong Cassidy River Trail *

Illini State Park Illini State Park is an Illinois state park on in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. In 1934, Illini entered into the state park system, and was dedicated a year later in 1935. The Department of Natural Resources closed the park from Nove ...

* Kaskaskia Alliance Trail *

LaSalle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area LaSalle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. It is a man-made lake, built as a cooling pond A cooling pond is a man-made body of water primarily formed for the purpose of ...

* Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial * Mitchell's Grove Nature Preserve * Ottawa Avenue Cemetery * Plum Island Eagle Sanctuary * Washington Park Historic District (Ottawa, Illinois) * Wild Bill Hickok Memorial

Notable people

* James T. Aubrey (LaSalle) longtime president of CBS Television network * Bill Brown, (Mendota) former running back for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

* Herbert "Fritz" Crisler, (Earlville, Mendota) head football coach at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

(1938–1947), namesake of the school's basketball stadium, and is credited for created the helmet design for the University of Michigan, Michigan football team * Doug Dieken, (rural Streator) former tackle with the Cleveland Browns (1971–1984); color commentary for Browns radio broadcasts * Walter T. Gunn, Illinois Supreme Court justice, born in LaSalle County * J. A. Happ, (Peru) pitcher for New York Yankees; pitched for 2008 World Series champion 2008 Philadelphia Phillies season, Philadelphia Phillies * Michael Hermosillo, (Ottawa) outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels and minor league affiliates * Wild Bill Hickok, (Troy Grove) noted historical Western Figure * Helen Hokinson, (Mendota) cartoonist for ''The New Yorker'' * Silas Johnson, (Sheridan) credited as the last pitcher to strike out Herman "Babe" Ruth; played for the Cincinnati Reds * Harry Kelly (politician), Harry Kelly, (Ottawa) 39th List of Governors of Michigan, governor of Michigan * Terrence Malick, (Ottawa) film director, known for ''Badlands'' and ''The Thin Red Line''; born in Ottawa * Bob McGrath, (Ottawa), Sesame Street performer * Esther Hobart Morris, (Peru) First Female Judge in United States * Clarence E. Mulford, (Streator) wrote the "Hopalong Cassidy" cowboy novels * Cleng Peerson, established the community of Norway * Edward H. Plumb, (Streator) film composer, worked with Walt Disney on ''Fantasia (1940 film), Fantasia''; nominated four times for an Academy Award * Maud Powell, (Peru) violinist * Thomas E. G. Ransom, Civil War general, lived in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, namesake of Ransom * Adam Shabala, (Streator) former outfielder for the San Francisco Giants * Aaron Shea, (Ottawa) player for the Cleveland Browns * Clyde Tombaugh, (Streator) astronomer, discovered

* Martin R. M. Wallace, (Ottawa) Civil War general * W.H.L. Wallace, (Ottawa) Civil War general * Walt Willey, (Ottawa) actor, known for ''All My Children'' * Gary K. Wolf, (Earlville) author of ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'', adopted into the movie ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' * Clay Zavada, (Streator) pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks

Notes

References

External links

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La Salle County, Il Biographical Sketches

LaSalle County Tourism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lasalle County, Illinois LaSalle County, Illinois, 1831 establishments in Illinois Illinois counties Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area Populated places established in 1831 Populated places on the Underground Railroad

History

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