Stephen Wright House

Wyoming, the southeastern township of Lee county, is the congressional T. 37 N., E. 2 E. of the 3d P.M., and is bounded north by Willow creek, on the east by Paw Paw in De Kalb county, south by Earlville in La Salle county, and west by Brookljai. In the days of precincts it formed the south third of Paw Paw precinct, and when set off and organized as a township in 1850 was named Paw Paw township, and since the beautiful grove, hereafter described, that gave this name stands almost wholly in this township, and the post-office is named Paw Paw Grove, it would seem that this name should have been retained. But as the township next east chose the same name, it became necessary that one of the contending parties renounce its favorite name. It is reported, but by no means verified, that when contention began to wax hot the question was left to be decided by lot, and that the lot fell on our time-honored Paw Paw of Lee county. And it ma}^ be thought by some that this ill turn of luck is what has tended to give to the citizens of Wyoming their proverbial love for w^hatever is straight and honest and of good report, as opposed to games and " options " of luck and chance. Be that as it may, it cannot be doubted that the citizens of township 37 did then, and do to-day, fervently love their pioneer name. On the plat of their chief village we read : " Town of Paw Paw Grove." Two other villages on the township lines are designated South Paw Paw and East Paw Paw, and naturally the term West Paw Paw is much used, while the abrupt business man everywhere seems partial to the short old name, and the railroad authorities, in deference to a prevailing sentiment, so named the station. " But what's in a name," gays the poet, and so said the people. No ill-will seems to have been engendered. The change was ordered here, so at the suggestion of James Goble, and in deference to the wishes of the many w^ho came from the beautiful valley of Wyoming, the present name w^as adopted by the county commissioner's court, Isaac Harding, Warren Badger and Lorenzo Wood comprising said court, and on May 14, 1851, the board of supervisors ordered that "the township formerly called Paw Paw shall hereafter be called Wyoming."

Passage source: History of Lee County, published 1881.

The first settlers located around Paw Paw Grove. This is still a charming piece of forest. It is some three miles long, and from one to two miles wide. It lies east of the railroad station and about threefourths of it in Wyoming. From its northeast corner Paw Paw creek runs through it in a southeasterly direction, and after making a junction with Indian creek empties into the Illinois river. A small tree or shrub, unknown to many people in other parts of the United States, east and north, grows freely in this grove and bears a sweet, edible fruit, somewhat like the banana in flavor, but often larger in size.

Passage source: History of Lee County, published 1881.

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 Wyoming Township - 68,500 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.