LaSalle County, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids LaSalle County
U.S. county
LaSalle County Courthouse, Ottawa, Illinois
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	January 15, 1831
Named for	René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
Seat	Ottawa
Largest city	Ottawa
Area
• Total	1,148 sq mi (2,970 km2)
• Land	1,135 sq mi (2,940 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	109,658
• Estimate  (2023)	108,309
• Density	95.52/sq mi (36.881/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	14th, 16th

LaSalle County is a county in Illinois, USA. It is located in the Fox Valley and Illinois River Valley areas. In 2020, about 109,658 people lived here. The biggest city and main government center is Ottawa. LaSalle County is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area in Northern Illinois.

LaSalle County shares borders with nine other counties. These are Woodford, Marshall, Putnam, Bureau, Livingston, Lee, DeKalb, Kendall, and Grundy counties. Even though it's close to Chicago, LaSalle County has its own feel. It has river towns and large areas of farmland.

History of LaSalle County

How LaSalle County Was Formed

LaSalle County was created on January 15, 1831. It was formed from parts of Tazewell and Putnam Counties. The county is named after René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. He was an early French explorer.

La Salle was the first European known to enter this area. He traveled up the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico. He claimed the land for France and named it Louisiana. In 1680, he and Henry de Tonty built Fort Crevecoeur on the Illinois River. In 1683, they built Fort St. Louis on Starved Rock. By 1857, two trains from the Illinois Central Railroad arrived daily.

Boy Scouts and Local Leaders

William D. Boyce is known for helping to start the Boy Scouts of America. He reportedly founded it in Ottawa. The local Boy Scout council is named after him.

In 1838, William Reddick became the sheriff of LaSalle County. He was a farmer and landowner. He helped keep order when many workers came to build the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Reddick served as sheriff for eight years. Later, he built a large home called the Reddick Mansion. This mansion is one of the oldest large homes in Illinois from before the American Civil War. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Important Discoveries and People

The area of DeKalb, LaSalle, and Kendall counties has been very important. Many new ideas and famous people have come from here. For example, plant hybridization was developed in DeKalb County. The hot-air hand dryer was also invented there.

LaSalle County was home to the Westclox Company for many years. It was also the place of the first Lincoln-Douglas Debates. Famous people from LaSalle County include the person who discovered Pluto. There was also a Wild West figure and many writers.

Early Settlers and Their Influence

Many early settlers in LaSalle County came from New England. These were often descendants of the English Puritans. They had settled New England in the 1600s. The Erie Canal helped many New Englanders move to this area. After the Black Hawk War, even more people came from New England.

These settlers were mostly part of the Congregational Church. Many also became Methodists or Baptists. When they arrived, the area was mostly forest and prairie. They built farms, roads, and government buildings.

In 1834, people from Norway settled in the northwest part of the county. The building of the Illinois & Michigan Canal brought many Irish workers. Many of them settled in towns along the canal, like Ottawa. This led to a large Irish population in Ottawa and LaSalle County. Later, in the late 1800s, more Irish and German families moved to the county. Many German families settled around Mendota. Norwegian families were strong in areas like Northville and Serena.

Key Historical Events

Ottawa hosted the first famous Lincoln–Douglas debates on August 21, 1858. The city has strong ties to Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President. Many buildings in downtown Ottawa still look like they did in the mid-1800s. People in LaSalle County strongly supported the movement to end slavery. Many Underground Railroad sites were in the county before the American Civil War.

Utica (also called North Utica) is the main entry point to the Starved Rock area. There are three important parks to visit. Starved Rock State Park is the largest and most famous. Matthiessen State Park is smaller but has similar features. Buffalo Rock State Park has American bison and unique earth sculptures. In 2004, a strong tornado hit Utica, causing damage and sadly, some deaths.

On November 15, 2023, a small earthquake (magnitude 3.6) happened in the county.

• 

  LaSalle County from the time of its creation to 1836, including a large tract of unorganized territory temporarily attached to it.

• 

  LaSalle County between 1836 and 1837

• 

  LaSalle County between 1837 and 1841

• 

  LaSalle County between 1841 and 1843

• 

  In 1843, the southwest corner was ceded to Marshall County, reducing LaSalle to its present size

Geography of LaSalle County

Land and Water Area

LaSalle County covers about 1,148 square miles (2,970 km²). Most of this is land (1,135 square miles (2,940 km²)), and a small part is water (13 square miles (34 km²)). It is the second-largest county in Illinois by land area. It is the fourth-largest by total area.

Neighboring Counties

LaSalle County borders nine other counties. This is a lot for a county in the United States!

Rivers and Towns

Many people in LaSalle County live in towns along the Illinois River. This river area is the main place where people live. Big cities along the river include Ottawa, LaSalle, Peru, and Marseilles. Areas north and south of the Illinois River are mostly farmland. These areas have fewer large towns.

Climate and Weather

In Ottawa, the county seat, average temperatures change a lot. In January, it's about 12 °F (−11 °C). In July, it's about 85 °F (29 °C). The coldest temperature ever was −25 °F (−32 °C) in January 1985. The hottest was 112 °F (44 °C) in July 1936. Rain and snow also vary. February usually has the least (1.32 inches (34 mm)), and June has the most (4.13 inches (105 mm)).

People of LaSalle County

2000 census age pyramid for LaSalle County

In 2020, LaSalle County had 109,658 people. There were about 45,089 households. Most people (85.6%) were white. About 10.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin. Many people had German (27.8%) or Irish (18.0%) backgrounds. The average age was 42.1 years old.

The average income for a household was $60,069. For families, it was $72,583. About 13.6% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 21.8% of those under 18.

Education in LaSalle County

High Schools

LaSalle County has several public high schools. Some of these schools also serve students from nearby counties.

• Earlville High School
• LaSalle-Peru High School, LaSalle
• Leland High School, Leland
• Mendota Township High School, Mendota
• Newark Community High School, Newark (serves Mission Township)
• Ottawa Township High School, Ottawa
• Sandwich Community High School, Sandwich (serves Northville Township)
• Seneca High School
• Serena High School
• Somonauk High School (serves Northville and Adams Townships)
• Streator Township High School, Streator
• Woodland High School, Streator

There are also private high schools:

• Marquette Academy, Ottawa
• Ottawa Christian Academy, Ottawa
• St. Bede Academy, Peru

Colleges

• Illinois Valley Community College, Oglesby

Transportation and Utilities

Travel Options

You can travel through LaSalle County by train with Amtrak. There are also bus services like Burlington Trailways.

• Amtrak (Illinois Zephyr, Carl Sandburg, and Southwest Chief)
• Burlington Trailways
• Mendota station
• List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

Airports

• Illinois Valley Regional Airport, Peru

Main Roads

Many major highways cross LaSalle County.

Power and Energy

• LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station, Marseilles

Towns and Villages

Cities in LaSalle County

Villages in LaSalle County

Other Communities

• Dayton (Census-designated place)
• Lake Holiday (Census-designated place)

Many other small, unincorporated communities are also in LaSalle County.

Townships

LaSalle County is divided into 37 smaller areas called townships.

Ghost Towns

Some towns in LaSalle County are no longer inhabited.

• East Wenona
• Little Rock
• Science

Places to Visit

LaSalle County has many interesting places to visit.

• Hegeler Carus Mansion
• Hopalong Cassidy River Trail
• Illini State Park
• Kaskaskia Alliance Trail
• LaSalle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
• 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

Famous People from LaSalle County

Many notable people have come from LaSalle County.

• James T. Aubrey (LaSalle) - A former president of CBS Television.
• Bill Brown (Mendota) - A former running back for the Minnesota Vikings.
• Herbert "Fritz" Crisler (Earlville, Mendota) - A famous football coach for the University of Michigan.
• Doug Dieken (rural Streator) - A former football player for the Cleveland Browns.
• J. A. Happ (Peru) - A pitcher for the New York Yankees.
• Michael Hermosillo (Ottawa) - An outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels.
• Wild Bill Hickok (Troy Grove) - A well-known figure from the American Old West.
• Helen Hokinson (Mendota) - A cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine.
• Silas Johnson (Sheridan) - A baseball pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds.
• Harry Kelly (Ottawa) - The 39th governor of Michigan.
• Terrence Malick (Ottawa) - A film director known for movies like Badlands.
• Bob McGrath (Ottawa) - A performer on Sesame Street.
• Esther Hobart Morris (Peru) - The first female judge in the United States.
• Clarence E. Mulford (Streator) - Wrote the "Hopalong Cassidy" cowboy novels.
• Cleng Peerson - Helped establish the community of Norway.
• Edward H. Plumb (Streator) - A film composer who worked with Walt Disney.
• Maud Powell (Peru) - A famous violinist.
• Thomas E. G. Ransom - A Civil War general.
• Adam Shabala (Streator) - A former outfielder for the San Francisco Giants.
• Aaron Shea (Ottawa) - A player for the Cleveland Browns.
• Clyde Tombaugh (Streator) - The astronomer who discovered Pluto.
• Walt Willey (Ottawa) - An actor known for All My Children.
• Gary K. Wolf (Earlville) - The author of Who Censored Roger Rabbit?.
• Clay Zavada (Streator) - A pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de LaSalle para niños