Leaf River, Illinois
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1922 and the latest in 1983. It stands in Leaf River Township. It lies in ZIP code area 61047. It stands on Mud Creek. The Survey maps it on the German Valley quadrangle. 432 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 725 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresLeaf River fell from 443 to 432 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 443 | |
| 2020 | 432 | -11 (-2%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 14 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1922 USGS Oregon quadrangle1:62500
- 1924 USGS Oregon quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1963 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1983 USGS German Valley quadrangle1:24000
What happened here
An account from the chapter on Leaf River township. The inset identifies its exact source book and publication year.
Swartout Miraxda
SWARTOUT MIRAXDA R. Tenant Farmer ; Sec. 8 ; P. 0. Rockvale ; Mr. S. was born March 18, 1813, in Dutchess Co., N. Y.; was married June 2, 1843 to Lydia M., daughter of John Lewis, of Saratoga Co., N. Y.; Mrs. S. was born April 21, 1827; in January, 1854, Mr. S. came to Ole Co., and lived here until 1858, when he moved to Minnesota and resided there until October, 1874, when he returned to Ogle County and settled in Rockvale, where he now resides ; on the 6th of October, 1862, he enlisted in the 1st Regiment of Minnesota Mounted Rangers, which was formed for service on the 'frontier against the Sioux Indians, who perpetrated the well-remembered Minnesota Massacre ; Mr.
In the county-history sources
15,394 words on this townshipThe History of Ogle County, Illinois, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., a Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois ... Etc, published 1878 names this settlement in its chapter on Leaf River Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
Township, Ogle Co. ; she was born Oct. 11,1834; they have five children - Arabella, born Aug. 21, 1855; Charles S., Dec. 11, 1857 ; Sarah M., May 20, 1860 ; Mary E., May 2, 1863 ; George E., June 27, 1868 ; lost one child- Martha E., born Sept. 16, 1866, died Aug. 22, 1867 ; Mr. K. is a Democrat, and was Road Commissioner for one year ; is School Director and has held that position for the last twenty years, in Maryland and Leaf River Townships ; Mrs. Kirshner is a member of the Evangelical Church.
Passage source: The History of Ogle County, Illinois, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., a Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois ... Etc, published 1878.
KRETSIITGER I.EWIS, Farmer ; Sec. 18 ; P. 0. Wales ; owns 311 acres, probable value $15,550 ; Mr. Kretsinger was born April 1, 1822, in Shenandoah Co., Va., and came to Ogle Co., in the Autumn of 1844, and settled in Pine Creek Township, where he lived three years ; he was married June 4, 1846, to Caroline, daughter of Jacob Zigler, of Leaf River Township ; she was born Oct. 16. 1823, in Washington Co., Md., they have eight children, whose names are Samuel C, Josiah T., Margaret C, Lewis F., Ernest 0., Milton E., Jennie C., and David E. ; they lost two children - Mary L., and Elmer L. ; Mr. K. is a carpenter by trade ; he served his apprenticeship in Maryland, and followed the business for about 12 years; he was one of the contractors who built the first flour-mill in ! Pine Creek Township, in 1846-7 and | owned by HofiFman & Hitt ; he is a Re- j publican, and was Road Commissioner three years, Supervisor three years, Road Master three years. School Director six years and is now School Trustee, having been elected in the i Spring of 1877, to serve three years ; i he was also a Director of the Leaf River ; & Rockvale Insurance Co., and a | member of the Executive Committee; he is a member of the Church of the United Brethren, and is also a Class Leader and Trustee of that Church ; Mrs. Kretsinger is a member of the M. E. Church.
Passage source: The History of Ogle County, Illinois, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., a Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois ... Etc, published 1878.
Harriet S., daughter of Henry Schrader, of Leaf River Township. Mrs. Light was born Sept. 20, 1846. They have three children - Cora A., John H., and Joseph F. Mr. L. is a Republican, and a member of the Church of United Brethren, of which denomination Mrs. L. is also a member.
Passage source: The History of Ogle County, Illinois, Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, Etc., a Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics ... History of the Northwest, History of Illinois ... Etc, published 1878.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Leaf River Township - it names this place 18 more 18 times.
Fires near this place
4 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 4 fires within 5 miles of Leaf River between 2003 and 2019, burning about 10 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 July 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 30 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | MOON |
| 18 March 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 1900028 |
| 13 March 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | HORST |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 10 workings within 5 miles of Leaf River: 10 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Hoover Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| A. Right Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Freeze Property Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| J. Horst Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Stukenberg Property Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Limestone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Limestone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Limestone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Limestone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Limestone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
10 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Leaf River in 10 storm reports between 1993 and 2021: 6 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 funnel cloud. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Leaf River | $5,000 | A small tornado touched down briefly damaging a mobile home, sheds and a swimming pool. Trees were damaged and an empty semi-trailer was blown over. The tornado lifted before Leaf River but trees and power lines were damaged in town by strong thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Leaf River | - | Multiple trees were blown down including some large tree limbs. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Leaf River | - | A tree was blown down blocking a road. |
| September 2018 | Funnel Cloud | Leaf River | - | A brief funnel cloud was observed extending at least halfway to the ground. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Leaf River | - | Trees that were approximately 12 inches in diameter were blown down. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Leaf River | - | Large tree limbs were blown down. |
| April 2006 | Hail | Leaf River | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Leaf River | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Leaf River | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Leaf River | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightsville | 1.5 miles | 14 | |
| Myrtle | 3.8 miles | 14 | |
| Egan | 4.3 miles | 14 | |
| Adeline | 4.8 miles | 14 | |
| Mount Morris | 5.4 miles | 14 | |
| Byron Hills Estates | 7.2 miles | 14 | |
| Byron | 7.8 miles | 14 | |
| Oregon | 8.5 miles | 14 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Leaf River | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2181623 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 411889. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







