62 topographic sheets cover 49 settlements here, and 7 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 National Register listings published here · the county-history sources name 2 people · people the book names include By Joseph Haigh (Chebanse Township, 1880) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenwood School | building | 2020 | 100005232 | |
 | Old Iroquois County Courthouse | building | 1975 | 75000663 |
 | Prairie Dell Meetinghouse | building | 2005 | 05000846 |
 | A. Herr and E. E. Smith Public Library | building | 1995 | 95000992 |
 | St. Mary's Church | building | 1996 | 96000514 |
| Watseka Downtown Historic District | district | 2026 | 100012297 | |
 | Watseka Union Depot | building | 1999 | 99001595 |
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 5 of them, burning about 5 acres. None started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 October 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 102311 |
| 16 July 2013 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 13-00035 |
| 14 May 2013 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 13-00024 |
| 29 October 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 1029112 |
| 27 April 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 14-00027 |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 433 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 15 injuries and about $17,776,750 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 233 |
| Hail | 73 |
| Tornado | 61 |
| Flood | 26 |
| Flash Flood | 25 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 |
| Lightning | 2 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 1956 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 6 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1954 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 2 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| September 1965 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 2 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| September 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| June 1992 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| January 2008 | Flash Flood | Milford | 1 hurt, $15,000 | A Chevy Blazer was swept off County Road 2720 East, one half mile south of County Road 1050 North, by fast moving flood waters. The car came to rest in a ditch against trees as several feet of fast moving water flowed over the car. The driver waited on the roof until rescue crews were able to reach him. |
| October 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| January 2008 | Flood | Chebanse | $3,000,000 | Heavy rain which fell onto saturated and frozen ground on January 8th caused widespread and significant flooding across much of Iroquois County. The county was declared a disaster area and over 600 residents had to be evacuated. Many homes and businesses were flooded as well as hundreds of roads that were flooded and closed. Storm total rainfall included 3.27 inches in Milford and 3.10 inches in Watseka. |
| March 1991 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| October 1990 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| May 1968 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| February 2018 | Flood | Papineau | $1,500,000 | Major flooding occurred along the Iroquois River. The river crested at 26.06 feet at Iroquois on February 22nd, which was the second highest crest on record. Flood stage at Iroquois is 18 feet and major stage is 25 feet. The river crested at 20.59 feet at Chebanse on February 24th, which was also the second highest crest on record. Flood stage at Chebanse is 16 feet and major stage is 20 feet.||In the city of Watseka, over 100 homes suffered some kind of water damage from the flooding. Businesses and ground floor apartments were also flooded. Numerous roads were closed. Some residents had to be rescued by boats. The emergency manager said this flooding was likely the worst the city has seen. |
| February 2008 | Flash Flood | La Hogue | $1,000,000 | Flooding was reported across much of Iroquois County. Many roads were flooded with two feet of water flowing across some roadways. Watseka measured 2.25 inches of rainfall and Milford measured 1.81 inches. Many homes and basements were flooded in Watseka. |
| September 2008 | Flash Flood | Hooper | $1,000,000 | In Milford, the Route 1 viaduct was flooded and closed. In Cissna Park, widespread flooding was reported with numerous flooded and closed roads. Some people were evacuated from their homes. Significant flooding was also reported in Watseka. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilman | $700,000 | Two miles of high tension power lines and 31 utility poles were blown down along Interstate 57 near mile marker 284. Interstate 57 was closed for several hours. Corn fields were also flattened. |
| April 2006 | Hail | Milford | $300,000 | Hail as large as tennis balls fell in Milford which cracked windshields, dented cars and broke windows. A bank received substantial damage to the roof with the breaking of 32 sky lights. |
| June 1990 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 1979 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Crescent City | $100,000 | Numerous trees and power poles were blown down along Route 24. A warehouse received extensive damage on one end and a farm building also was slightly damaged. |
| May 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | L Erable | $100,000 | Two sheds were destroyed by strong winds. |
| August 2009 | Tornado (EF1) | Pittwood | $100,000 | A tornado touched down along County Road 2100 East, north of the intersection of County Roads 2100 North and 2100 East. The initial touchdown was in a corn field where the corn was laid down in a convergent pattern. At this location, the tornado was approximately 20 yards wide. The tornado then crossed County Road 2100 North where it caused damage to trees and a small corn silo next to a farm house. Just behind this farm house, several large trees were broken near their base with one tree uprooted. Most of these trees were around three feet in diameter. Some internal rot was noted in a few of the trees making them more susceptible to wind damage. The tornado then appears to have lifted briefly before touching down again just behind a home along County Road 2200 East, between County Roads 2100 North and 2150 North. At this location, significant tree damage was observed with multiple limbs between one and two feet in diameter being broken and falling in a convergent manner. Also at this location, a detached garage was destroyed with debris being scattered 50 to 100 feet to the northeast. This appears to be the point along the damage path where the tornado reached its maximum intensity with an estimated peak wind speed of 105 mph and a width of 50 yards. The tornado then crossed County Road 2100 East causing damage to corn along both County Road 2100 East and County Road 2150 North. After crossing County Road 2150 North, the tornado destroyed a barn housing farming equipment, measuring 44 by 72 feet. Debris from this barn was scattered in all directions from the barn's original location. Several pieces of farm equipment estimated to weigh between 5,000 and 15,000 pounds were moved several feet north and northeast of their original location including a grain wagon which was lifted and placed on top of other farm equipment. After destroying the barn, the tornado moved northeast through a corn field where additional crop damage was observed. The tornado then again briefly lifted before striking a home and a detached garage along County Road 2340 East. Siding and minor roof and shingle damage was observed on the house and the detached garage lost its roof and suffered a collapse of the south wall. At this location, the tornado was estimated to be about 40 yards wide. The tornado appears to have lifted as it crossed County Road 2340 East. |
| July 2005 | Lightning | Woodland | $100,000 | A lightning bolt struck a house and caused significant damage to the house and its contents. No one was injured. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watseka | $75,000 | Tree limbs were blown down along Route 1, north of Watseka blocking the road. Several trees and tree limbs were blown down in Watseka. Two farm sheds were blown down at 1978E and 2300N. Power lines were also blown down. |
| September 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Hogue | $60,000 | Two and a half foot diameter tree down on house. Numerous 6 to 8 inch limbs down. Sheet metal ripped off of steel pole building. 3 power lines down just south of 400E and 2200 N. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Crescent City | $50,000 | A National Weather Service storm survey team determined that approximately 100 mph straight-line winds toppled around fifty 70-foot high wooden utility poles on the north side of Highway 24. Several of these poles were snapped. In addition, a few large trees were also blown down. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watseka | $50,000 | Several trees approximately two feet in diameter were blown down, some blocking streets. Several utility poles were either blown down or snapped off at their base. Numerous tree limbs and power lines were blown down. The roof of a house on Fourth Street was damaged when a chimney was blown down and fell onto the roof. The roof of another house on Fourth Street was damaged by a falling tree. A large tree was blown down near South Fifth and Locust. |
| December 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cissna Park | $50,000 | Several garage doors were blown out on Harrison Avenue. Several buildings had shingles torn off. One building suffered signifcant roof damage. A construction trailer was blown onto its side, partially crushing a parked car. Many tree limbs and power lines, which were still coated with ice from a recent ice storm, were blown down. |
| April 1994 | Tornado (F1) | Watseka | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed power lines and snapped a power pole east of Gilman on highway 24. A small tornado touched down briefly. An abandoned cinder block car wash building was moved from its foundation and the roof was damaged. Several metal storage buildings were damaged, one landed on a car. Tree limbs and power lines were knocked down. |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buckley | $50,000 | A state trooper reported that 60 mph winds overturned two construction trailers along Interstate 57 between Buckley and Loda. |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Papineau | $40,000 | A 1.5 car garage was destroyed, a truck was picked up and doors of a house were blown off their hinges. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $40,000 | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Milford | $30,000 | Thirty utility poles were snapped off south of Milford. |
| May 2012 | Tornado (EF1) | Watseka | $25,000 | An EF1 tornado touched down east-southeast of Watseka with maximum winds of 85 to 95 mph. Two farmsteads experienced damage. A small barn was destroyed with its cinder block walls toppled and roof thrown one half mile. Multiple outbuildings had mainly minor damage. One utility pole was blown down. At one farmstead, there were several impaled objects, including pieces of wood into a camper and the ground, as well as a stop sign into the soil of an uprooted tree base. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Idaville Corner | $25,000 | A barn suffered significant wind damage with a large section of roof blown away, including part of the roof structure. |
| May 2008 | Flash Flood | Bryce | $25,000 | Roads were reported flooded in Milford during the evening. By 740 pm, several roads were closed due to flooding with 3 to 4 inches of flowing water. Part of the roadway was washed away just west of Chapel Bridge with holes up to 6 feet deep. Six inches of rainfall was measured four miles west of Milford in just 2 hours. Route 1 viaduct at Milford was closed due to flooding. |
| June 2001 | Flash Flood | Watseka | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1992 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 1987 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 1976 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 1976 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1975 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| March 1973 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1956 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Martinton | $20,000 | Two houses on the southwest corner of Martinton near Route 1 had roof damage including one house with part of the roof blown off. Utility poles were also blown down. |
| November 2013 | Tornado (EF0) | Wellington | $20,000 | Four farms were impacted with several large trees down or snapped. One outbuilding had its roof torn off. Maximum winds were estimated to 80 mph. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onarga | $20,000 | Trees and limbs were blown down. The roof of an outbuilding blew onto a camper. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sheldon | $20,000 | A downtown building had about 90 feet of the roof peeled off and about a 10 foot section that was blown off. Debris from this roof was blown across the street. Tree limbs and power lines were also blown down. |
| February 2006 | Tornado (F1) | Pittwood | $20,000 | A brief tornado picked up a construction trailer on Route 1 and threw it into a utility pole. The trailer was severely damaged. No other damage was reported. |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Milford | $20,000 | The roof of a barn and a tool shed were torn off. A large farm building collapsed, killing several head of cattle. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fountain Creek | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clifton | $10,000 | Numerous trees, power lines and utility lines were blown down across town. A shed was destroyed approximately two miles south of town. |
| May 2012 | Flash Flood | Coaler Station | $10,000 | A portion of the road buckled and was washed away at the intersection of 1730 North Road and Route 1. An observer 5 miles west of Watseka measure 1.37 inches of rainfall in 30 minutes. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clifton | $10,000 | A semi truck rolled over on Interstate 57 near Clifton. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stockland | $10,000 | A 100 foot tall grain leg was mangled and partially uprooted as anchors were pulled out of the ground. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Milford | $10,000 | A large tree limb fell through the back door of a van in Milford causing major damage to the van. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Goodwine | $10,000 | Numerous trees were blown down with one on a trailer. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Loda | $10,000 | A home was damaged in Loda. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Papineau | $10,000 | Trees and tree limbs were blown down. One tree was blown onto the roof of a house. Damage was reported to other houses. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watseka | $10,000 | Trees blown down north of Watseka and a large tree was uprooted near North Fifth Street and Sheridan. A 30 foot by 50 foot roof was ripped off a barn on County Road 1630 N. |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Crescent City | $10,000 | Windows were blown out of a house and a car port was destroyed along Highway 24. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 10 workings inside this county. None of them still produces: all are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 7 |
| Stone | 2 |
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashkum Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Iroquis Cty Hwy Dept | Stone | Past Producer | ||
| Watseka City Eng Pit | Stone | Past Producer | ||
| Gray Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Hocutt Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Kendall Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Peters Pit De Lynch | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Peters Pit Johnwood | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Peters Pit Wood Trucking | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Thompson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
History of Iroquois County, Together with Historic Notes on the Northwest, Gleaned from Early Authors, Old Maps and Manuscripts, Private and Official Correspondence, and Other Authentic, Though, for the Most Part, Out-of-the-way Sources devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 5 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaverville Township | Beaverville, North Hooper | 10,507 words | 1 | |
| Chebanse Township | Clifton | 29,900 words | 10 | |
| Milford Township | Bryce, Milford | 13,309 words | 1 | |
| Onarga Township | Delrey, Onarga | 24,565 words | 6 | |
| Sheldon Township | Darrow, Eastburn, Effner, Sheldon, Webster | 11,431 words | 3 |
One book written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 24 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
Everyone History of Iroquois County, Together with Historic Notes on the Northwest, Gleaned from Early Authors, Old Maps and Manuscripts, Private and Official Correspondence, and Other Authentic, Though, for the Most Part, Out-of-the-way Sources stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1880.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Fountain Creek township · 60939 · On Whisky Creek · Claytonville quadrangle
12 sheets, 1939 to 1990
Beaverville township · 60912 · On Hooper Branch · Donovan quadrangle
11 sheets, 1935 to 1990
Ash Grove township · 60924 · On Pigeon Creek · Claytonville quadrangle
12 sheets, 1939 to 1990
Belmont township · 60953 · On Jefferson Creek · Milford quadrangle
12 sheets, 1938 to 1990
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