Savanna, Illinois
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Savanna is a city in Carroll County,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, United States. The population was 2,783 at the 2020 census, down from 2,945 at the 2010 census. Savanna is located along 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 f ...
at the mouth of the Plum River. Going from north to south, the second automobile bridge between
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
and Illinois is located just north of Savanna, and is part of U.S. Route 52. The bridge leads to
Sabula, Iowa Sabula is a city in Jackson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 506 at the 2020 census. Sabula is the site of Iowa's only island city. The island has a beach and a campground, as well as a harbor with boat docks and storage sheds to ...
, which is across the river from Savanna. Savanna is also served by two major railroads, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) Railway Company and the (CP) Canadian Pacific. Savanna also has a small airport, the Tri-Township Airport (KSFY). Savanna is protected by the Savanna Police, Fire Department and Ambulance Service. All three organizations maintain stations on Chicago Avenue. The three organizations were located in the same building (a throwback to when the fire department was responsible for the ambulance) but the original building only houses the fire department and one of the backup centers for Carroll County 911 dispatch. Savanna formerly had its own hospital, but this has since been converted to an assisted living facility, Pinnacle Place. All ambulance patients are transported to Mercy Medical Center in
Clinton, Iowa Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,469 as of 2020. Clinton, along with DeWitt (also located in Clinton County), was named in honor of the sixth governor of New York, DeWitt C ...
or other Illinois hospitals. The Savanna Ambulance is one of two in the county to have paramedic certified members (a distinction shared with the Mount Carroll Volunteer Ambulance.)


History

The region was once part of the vast hunting grounds of different native American tribes, including the Sauk. Following the
Treaty of St. Louis (1804) The Treaty of St. Louis is the name of a series of treaties signed between the United States and various Native American tribes from 1804 through 1824. The fourteen treaties were all signed in the St. Louis, Missouri area. The Treaty of St. ...
and a number of additional treaties, land in Illinois along the Eastern bank of the Mississippi River was opened to settlement by farmers. Towns such as Savanna grew their commerce by using the river for efficient transport. Savanna's earliest settlers experienced some repercussions during the
Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...
in 1832.


Savanna Army Depot

In 1917, the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
purchased of land about seven miles (11 km) north of Savanna to construct the Savanna Army Depot. Originally the land was to be used as a test range for munitions produced at the
Rock Island Arsenal The Rock Island Arsenal comprises , located on Arsenal Island, originally known as Rock Island, on the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. It lies within the state of Illinois. Rock Island ...
in
Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...
. In 1921, the mission of the installation was changed to be a depot./. From
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
through Vietnam, Savanna Army Depot served as a munitions maintenance and storage facility for traditional, chemical, and nuclear weapons. With about 2,000 highly trained civilian employees holding Government security clearances working there in the '60s, this base was guarded and protected by the 516th Military Police Company, U.S. Army Materiel Command. Armed with .45 caliber sidearms, 12 gauge pump-action shotguns, state-of-the-art electronic surveillance systems, gas masks, etc. as standard daily issue, these 300 highly educated and very well trained MP's ensured 24/7 safety and security for all concerned. The 516th's primary mission, however, was to operate and defend what was then known as the "J Area" - where the munitions were actually stored and handled by civilian employees. Nothing went in or out of the J Area without MP scrutiny - including employee lunch boxes. By 1995, the Savanna Army Depot was identified by
U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
as one of the bases that would be closed under the Base Realignment and Closure Act or BRAC. On March 18, 2000, the Savanna Army Depot was closed. The Jo-Carroll Depot Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) was established in 1997 by an intergovernmental agreement between the Illinois counties of Jo Daviess and Carroll to redevelop the former Savanna Army Depot. These are some of the many companies that have chosen an area onsite called "Savanna Depot Park" as their home. * Area 51 LLC, a grain bin operation * Bryer Productions, a photography business * Commander’s House at the Savanna Army Depot, owned by A&B Holdings, plans are to make the house a destination for corporate and family retreats * Depot Electric Supply * Fluidic MicroControls, which is doing research and development on micro turbines * Illinois Information Management, which is leasing its space for office use * Illinois International Trade Center, operated by the Jo-Carroll Foreign Trade Zone * Jeanblanc International Inc, which specializes in advanced environmental technologies for the oil industry * Midwest 3PL (Third Party Logistics), a full-service warehousing operation * Rescar, a railcar repair company. * Riverport Railroad LLC, which services, repairs and stores railcars as well as coupling long lines of rail cars for the BNSF * Savanna Stables, which owns former barracks and a barn that SolRWind plans to lease or buy * Speer Recycling, a metal recycler


Geography

Savanna is located at (42.090069, -90.140050). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Savanna has a total area of , of which (or 96.53%) is land and (or 3.47%) is water.


Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 2,783 people, 1,503 households, and 666 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,604 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.21%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 2.01%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.50% Native American, 0.14%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.04%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 3.52% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 6.58% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 9.09% of the population. There were 1,503 households, out of which 33.07% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.46% were married couples living together, 6.59% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.69% were non-families. 48.24% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.69% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 1.91. The city's age distribution consisted of 19.4% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 25.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,067, and the median income for a family was $51,842. Males had a median income of $39,600 versus $14,650 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $27,187. About 15.0% of families and 13.5% 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 4.6% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.


Today

The downtown area has revived since the mid-1990s closing of the army depot with the addition of new ornamental lighting to complement the late 19th century buildings. The city is trying to draw more shops to the main street in hopes of becoming more of a weekend destination, like nearby
Galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It cryst ...
. Havencrest Castle has also been revived and is a historical art gallery that attracts visitors to the Savanna area. The Savanna Chamber of Commerce and other community groups sponsor several activities throughout the year that include: the annual Ladies Day Out Luncheon, Savanna Celebrates Independence Day parade and festival, Halloween Parade, the popular Shadfly Festival and a downtown Christmas Walk. Savanna contains the only stoplight in all of Carroll County.


Notable people

Savanna has produced many notable natives. These include Helen Scott Hay, an American Red Cross nurse during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, "America's Waltz King"
Wayne King Harold Wayne King (February 16, 1901 – July 16, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader with a long association with both NBC and CBS. He was referred to as "the Waltz King" because much of his most popular music involved wa ...
, Hollywood orchestrator Edward B. Powell, professional wrestler Tommy Treichel,
Billy Zoom Billy Zoom (born Stuart Tyson Kindell; February 20, 1948) is an American guitarist, best known as one of the founders of the punk rock band X. At 68 years old, Zoom was diagnosed in 2015 with an aggressive form of bladder cancer and began imme ...
(Tyson Kindell) founding member and original guitarist of the punk band X, MLB player
Pete Lister Morris Elmer Lister (July 21, 1881 – March 27, 1947) was a Major League Baseball first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a ...
, and former
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
astronaut
Dale Gardner Dale Allan Gardner (November 8, 1948 – February 19, 2014) was a NASA astronaut, and naval flight officer who flew two Space Shuttle missions during the mid 1980s. Personal information Born on November 8, 1948, in Fairmont, Minnesota, Gardn ...
.


References


External links


Visit Savanna IllinoisSavanna Chamber of CommerceCity of SavannaSavanna Depot Park
{{authority control Cities in Carroll County, Illinois Cities in Illinois Illinois populated places on the Mississippi River