Troy Grove is a village in LaSalle County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, United States. The population was 225 at the 2020 census, down from 250 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Troy Grove is notable as the birthplace of

Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, reconnaissance, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, s ...

and Kate Austin. It is home to the Wild Bill Hickok Memorial. The town also has another connection to the Wild West, as the last reported wild bison killed in Illinois happened near the town in 1837.

Silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant f ...

sand, a fine white sand used in making

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

, is mined in the vicinity of Troy Grove.

History

Originally laid out as Homer, Illinois, the village was named by an early settler who emigrated from

Homer, New York Homer is a town in Cortland County, New York, United States of America. The population was 6,405 at the 2010 census. The name is from the Greek poet Homer. The town of Homer contains a village called Homer. The town is situated on the west b ...

. As the town of

Homer, Illinois Homer is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, Champaign County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 1,073 at the 2020 census. History Homer grew from a settlement named Union, which was on the Fort Clark or State Road running betw ...

already had a Post Office, the community took its name from a nearby grove, which was named for an early settler. A Post Office has been in operation under the name of Troy Grove since 1837. In the early 1830s a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

was built which facilitated the construction of a new schoolhouse in 1837. The village grew for several years and was home to several shops and businesses. The first store to open was owned by William Alonzo Hickok, father of

. One of the first

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

churches in the county was founded here in 1849 with a congregation of just 8 members. A

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

was constructed in 1861 The village was previously served by the Northern Illinois Railroad and the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. Passenger service was ended in the early 1950s. The railroad is today owned and operated by

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

to haul raw material from the active

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant f ...

mines.

Geography

Troy Grove is located in northwestern LaSalle County.

U.S. Route 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major U.S. Highway in the Central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows a north ...

passes through the north side of the village as North 37th Road; it leads northwest to Mendota and east to Joliet.

Interstate 39 Interstate 39 (I-39) is a north–south Interstate Highway in Illinois and Wisconsin that runs from an interchange at I-55 in Normal, Illinois, to State Trunk Highway 29 (WIS 29) approximately south of Wausau, Wisconsin. In to ...

passes east of the village, with access from Exit 66 (US 52). I-39 leads north to Rockford and south to

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

at LaSalle. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Troy Grove has a total area of , all land. The Little Vermilion River, a south-flowing tributary of the

Illinois River The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...

, passes through the southeast corner of the village.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 225 people, 80 households, and 55 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 106 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.78%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.33% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.89% of the population. There were 80 households, out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.50% were married couples living together, 11.25% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.25% were non-families. 22.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 2.63. The village's age distribution consisted of 28.6% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $73,333, and the median income for a family was $83,438. Males had a median income of $61,250 versus $30,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $34,519. About 10.9% of families and 9.6% 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 ...

, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Ruth Emma Mitten (1876-1942), educator, superintendent of schools

References

{{authority control Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area Villages in LaSalle County, Illinois 1837 establishments in Illinois Populated places established in 1837 Villages in Illinois