Oregon, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Oregon is a city located in Ogle County, Illinois
. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 3,721, down from 4,060 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Ogle County
.
and Winnebago
Indian tribes. In fact, later, settlers discovered that the area contained a large number of Indian mounds, most 10 to 12 feet in diameter. The name Oregon means "River of the West".
The first European to visit the land was pioneer John Phelps
. Phelps first visited the area in 1829 and returned in 1833 hoping to find a suitable site to settle. Phelps found a forest and river-fed valley which impressed him enough that he built his cabin there. Other pioneers followed Phelps to this site, and Phelps helped create the first church, school, grocery store, blacksmith shop, and post office in Oregon. By December 4, 1838, due in large part to the efforts of Phelps and his brothers B.T. Phelps and G.W. Phelps, the land was claimed, subdivided and certified by the Ogle County clerk as Oregon City.
In 1839 Oregon City was renamed Florence after a visitor compared the scenic beauty of the Rock River to the Italian city of the same name. Florence was used for only about three years when the city opted to revert to its original name, sans the word "city," in 1843. By 1847 the town had a general store
, sawmill
, ferry
, 44 household
s and a population of 225. The population continued to grow through the 1850s and 1860s, a fact demonstrating by the increasing number of churches in those decades and the building of a railroad in 1871. Industry followed the railroad and Oregon became home to an oatmeal mill, furniture factory, chair factory, flour mill and a foundry
, Paragon Foundry, which operated until the 1960s.
The city of Oregon was first organized under an act of the Illinois General Assembly
which was approved on April 1, 1869. By the 1870s the town of Oregon and nearby area was home to around 2,000 people. James Gale was elected the city's first mayor
on March 21, 1870 and four other men, Christian Lehman, W.W. Bennett, George M. Dwight and George P. Jacobs, were chosen as aldermen. On March 29, 1873 the city was reorganized because of an act of the Illinois legislature which allowed municipalities to incorporate as cities and villages. In 1920 the Oregon City Hall
was constructed on the perimeter of the city's commercial district
and it has been the center of city government ever since.
The Ogle County Courthouse
was built in 1891 on the corner of Washington Street and Fourth Street (Illinois Route 64
and Illinois Route 2
). Sculptor Lorado Taft
designed and erected a 50 feet (15.2 m) statue
on a bluff overlooking the Rock River valley
just north of the city. Originally named The Eternal Indian, it is now known as the "Black Hawk
" Statue after the chief of the Sauk Indian tribe that once inhabited the area.
The city merged with nearby Daysville, Illinois
in 1993.
founded the Eagle's Nest Art Colony
on a bluff overlooking the Rock River, north of Oregon. Taft and his art colony began to exert an influence on the city of Oregon and its culture. The artists who gathered during the summer at Eagle's Nest would leave a mark on the city below them. One result of the colony's location near Oregon was the inclusion of a second story art gallery
in the Oregon Public Library
when it was built in 1908. Art colony members were required to contribute to the local culture by giving art shows, lectures and plays. In 1904 Taft created The Blind and then began focusing on more monumental works including The Eternal Indian located just north of Oregon in Illinois' Lowden State Park
. Several other Taft works are located in and around Oregon, including The Soldiers' Monument
on the courthouse lawn.
of 2000, there are 4,060 people (approx. 5,500 as of 2004), 1,667 households, and 1,066 families residing in the city. The population density
is 1,998.5 people per square mile (772.2/km²). There are 1,789 housing units at an average density of 880.6 per square mile (340.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 96.03% White, 1.01% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. 2.27% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,667 households out of which 29.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% are married couples
living together, 10.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% are non-families. 31.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.32 and the average family size is 2.91.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,842, and the median income for a family is $41,250. Males have a median income of $35,247 versus $20,652 for females. The per capita income
for the city is $19,019. 15.9% of the population and 10.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 18.3% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Ogle County, Illinois
Ogle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,497, which is an increase of 4.8% from 51,032 in 2000. Its county seat is Oregon, and its largest city is Rochelle...
. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 3,721, down from 4,060 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Ogle County
Ogle County, Illinois
Ogle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,497, which is an increase of 4.8% from 51,032 in 2000. Its county seat is Oregon, and its largest city is Rochelle...
.
History
The land Oregon, Illinois was founded on was previously held by the PotawatomiPotawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
and Winnebago
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
Indian tribes. In fact, later, settlers discovered that the area contained a large number of Indian mounds, most 10 to 12 feet in diameter. The name Oregon means "River of the West".
The first European to visit the land was pioneer John Phelps
John Phelps
John Phelps was a Clerk and Registrar of the Committee for Plundered Ministers and of the High Court which tried Charles I of England for high treason in 1649.-Early life:...
. Phelps first visited the area in 1829 and returned in 1833 hoping to find a suitable site to settle. Phelps found a forest and river-fed valley which impressed him enough that he built his cabin there. Other pioneers followed Phelps to this site, and Phelps helped create the first church, school, grocery store, blacksmith shop, and post office in Oregon. By December 4, 1838, due in large part to the efforts of Phelps and his brothers B.T. Phelps and G.W. Phelps, the land was claimed, subdivided and certified by the Ogle County clerk as Oregon City.
In 1839 Oregon City was renamed Florence after a visitor compared the scenic beauty of the Rock River to the Italian city of the same name. Florence was used for only about three years when the city opted to revert to its original name, sans the word "city," in 1843. By 1847 the town had a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
, ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
, 44 household
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
s and a population of 225. The population continued to grow through the 1850s and 1860s, a fact demonstrating by the increasing number of churches in those decades and the building of a railroad in 1871. Industry followed the railroad and Oregon became home to an oatmeal mill, furniture factory, chair factory, flour mill and a foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
, Paragon Foundry, which operated until the 1960s.
The city of Oregon was first organized under an act of the Illinois General Assembly
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...
which was approved on April 1, 1869. By the 1870s the town of Oregon and nearby area was home to around 2,000 people. James Gale was elected the city's first mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
on March 21, 1870 and four other men, Christian Lehman, W.W. Bennett, George M. Dwight and George P. Jacobs, were chosen as aldermen. On March 29, 1873 the city was reorganized because of an act of the Illinois legislature which allowed municipalities to incorporate as cities and villages. In 1920 the Oregon City Hall
Oregon City Hall
Oregon City Hall is the main municipal building for the Ogle County, Illinois city of Oregon. It stands on Oregon's Third Street, in the middle of the Oregon Commercial Historic District. The building is considered a contributing structure to the overall historical integrity of the historic district...
was constructed on the perimeter of the city's commercial district
Oregon Commercial Historic District
The Oregon Commercial Historic District is a historic district in Oregon, Illinois, that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2006. The district is roughly bordered by Jefferson, Franklin, 5th and 3rd Streets in Oregon. It is one of six Oregon sites listed on the...
and it has been the center of city government ever since.
The Ogle County Courthouse
Ogle County Courthouse
The Ogle County Courthouse is a National Register of Historic Places listing in the Ogle County, Illinois, county seat of Oregon. The building stands on a public square in the city's downtown commercial district. The current structure was completed in 1891 and was preceded by two other buildings,...
was built in 1891 on the corner of Washington Street and Fourth Street (Illinois Route 64
Illinois Route 64
Illinois Route 64 is an east–west road in north-central Illinois. Its western terminus is at the Iowa state line, connecting with U.S. Route 52 and Iowa Highway 64 via the Savanna-Sabula Bridge at the Mississippi River west of Savanna...
and Illinois Route 2
Illinois Route 2
Illinois Route 2 is a north–south state road in northern Illinois. It currently starts at Illinois Route 40 in Sterling and ends at the Wisconsin state line north of South Beloit, very near the intersection with U.S. Route 51, Illinois Route 75 and Illinois Route 251. Illinois 2 is long.-...
). Sculptor Lorado Taft
Lorado Taft
Lorado Zadoc Taft was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Taft was born in Elmwood, Illinois in 1860 and died in his home studio in Chicago in 1936.-Early years and education:...
designed and erected a 50 feet (15.2 m) statue
Black Hawk Statue
The Black Hawk Statue, or The Eternal Indian, is a sculpture by Lorado Taft located in Lowden State Park which is near the city of Oregon, Illinois. The statue is perched over the Rock River on a 77 foot bluff overlooking the city.-History:...
on a bluff overlooking the Rock River valley
Rock River (Illinois)
The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Illinois. It rises in southeast Wisconsin, in the Theresa Marsh near Theresa, Wisconsin in northeast Dodge County, Wisconsin approximately south of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin...
just north of the city. Originally named The Eternal Indian, it is now known as the "Black Hawk
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
" Statue after the chief of the Sauk Indian tribe that once inhabited the area.
The city merged with nearby Daysville, Illinois
Daysville, Illinois
Daysville, Illinois is an unincorporated community in Ogle County, Illinois, USA. It is located along the Rock River, southeast of Oregon, Illinois.- History :...
in 1993.
Arts
In 1898 sculptor Lorado TaftLorado Taft
Lorado Zadoc Taft was an American sculptor, writer and educator. Taft was born in Elmwood, Illinois in 1860 and died in his home studio in Chicago in 1936.-Early years and education:...
founded the Eagle's Nest Art Colony
Eagle's Nest Art Colony
The Eagle's Nest Art Colony, the site known in more modern times as the Lorado Taft Field Campus, was founded in 1898 by American sculptor Lorado Taft on the bluffs flanking the east bank of the Rock River, overlooking Oregon, Illinois...
on a bluff overlooking the Rock River, north of Oregon. Taft and his art colony began to exert an influence on the city of Oregon and its culture. The artists who gathered during the summer at Eagle's Nest would leave a mark on the city below them. One result of the colony's location near Oregon was the inclusion of a second story art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
in the Oregon Public Library
Oregon Public Library
The Oregon Public Library is located in Oregon, Illinois, United States, the county seat of Ogle County. The building is a public library that was constructed in 1909. Prior to 1909, Oregon's library was housed in different buildings, none of which were designed to house a library. The library was...
when it was built in 1908. Art colony members were required to contribute to the local culture by giving art shows, lectures and plays. In 1904 Taft created The Blind and then began focusing on more monumental works including The Eternal Indian located just north of Oregon in Illinois' Lowden State Park
Lowden State Park
Lowden State Park is an Illinois state park on in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The park was named after Governor Frank Orren Lowden. Governor Lowden had served Illinois during World War I. Lowden State Park is home to the Black Hawk Statue, by artist Lorado Taft...
. Several other Taft works are located in and around Oregon, including The Soldiers' Monument
The Soldiers' Monument (Oregon, Illinois)
The Soldiers' Monument is a memorial consisting of three statues, one in bronze and two in marble by sculptor Lorado Taft, grouped around an exedra designed by the architectural firm of Pond and Pond. It is located in Oregon, Illinois, the county seat of Ogle County, Illinois. It was dedicated in...
on the courthouse lawn.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there are 4,060 people (approx. 5,500 as of 2004), 1,667 households, and 1,066 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is 1,998.5 people per square mile (772.2/km²). There are 1,789 housing units at an average density of 880.6 per square mile (340.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 96.03% White, 1.01% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. 2.27% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,667 households out of which 29.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% are married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% are non-families. 31.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.32 and the average family size is 2.91.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,842, and the median income for a family is $41,250. Males have a median income of $35,247 versus $20,652 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city is $19,019. 15.9% of the population and 10.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 18.3% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
See also
- Burlington Chicago and Quincy Railroad DepotChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Depot (Oregon, Illinois)The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Depot is a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the Ogle County, Illinois county seat of Oregon. The depot was listed on the National Register in July 1997.-Architecture:...
- Chana SchoolChana SchoolChana School is a Registered Historic Place in the Ogle County, Illinois, in the county seat of Oregon, Illinois. One of six Oregon sites listed on the Register, the school is an oddly shaped, two-room schoolhouse which has been moved from its original location...
- Lowden State ParkLowden State ParkLowden State Park is an Illinois state park on in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The park was named after Governor Frank Orren Lowden. Governor Lowden had served Illinois during World War I. Lowden State Park is home to the Black Hawk Statue, by artist Lorado Taft...
- Oregon Public LibraryOregon Public LibraryThe Oregon Public Library is located in Oregon, Illinois, United States, the county seat of Ogle County. The building is a public library that was constructed in 1909. Prior to 1909, Oregon's library was housed in different buildings, none of which were designed to house a library. The library was...
- Pinehill InnPinehill InnThe Pinehill Inn, or just Pinehill, is a National Register of Historic Places listed house in the Ogle County, Illinois county seat of Oregon. Pinehill joined the Register in July 1978.-Architecture:Pinehill was built in 1874 by William Judd Mix...
- The Soldiers' MonumentThe Soldiers' Monument (Oregon, Illinois)The Soldiers' Monument is a memorial consisting of three statues, one in bronze and two in marble by sculptor Lorado Taft, grouped around an exedra designed by the architectural firm of Pond and Pond. It is located in Oregon, Illinois, the county seat of Ogle County, Illinois. It was dedicated in...
- Mt. Morris, IL