GRAND DETOUR - A RUSTIC VILLAGE
Grand Detour received its name from the great bend in the Rock
River where Lee and Ogle County join together along the river. Indian
lore has it that the Rock River turned back in its course, not
wanting to leave the beautiful and artistic scenery of this area.
The earliest records of Grand Detour date back to the days at the
beginning of the nineteenth century when fur traders and trappers
traveled back and forth along the Rock River and connecting
waterways. Many of these early travelers were of French nationality
and some of their early settlements appeared in Ogle County.
When Black Hawk and his tribe were driven back in the war of
1832, it ended all of the Indian hostilities in the Rock River valley
and opened the area to early settlers. Leonard Andrus, who had been
in the Illinois country as early as 1827, was intrigued by the
possibilities of water power from the Rock River. He later organized
a power company and built a mill race and had established a sawmill
in Grand Detour. Returning to Royalton, Vermont for a visit with
friends and relatives, he told of the beautiful location he had
found, describing the Illinois country as a paradise, that Indian
troubles had ceased and that men were needed badly out there to
establish new settlements.
Mr. Andrus had said that there were a few boggy little towns,
like Chicago, that would never amount to much but that Grand Detour
was bound to become one of the wonder cities of the west. No doubt
all of this talk influenced John Deere. The town of Royalton was then
where stage routes had converged and where he had established his
trade as a blacksmith. Mr. Deere had heard of the great tales of the
fabulous west. Noting that he had little to show in profit for his
long years of careful workmanship, he set out alone for Grand Detour,
leaving his family in Vermont until he became established in the new
country.
Arriving in Chicago in the fall of 1836, John Deere found there
were many job opportunities but instead continued his journey by
joining a little band of pioneers who had hired a wagon to take them
from Chicago to Grand Detour. Mr. Deere after arriving in Grand
Detour quickly found that the nearest blacksmith was some forty miles
away, so there was ample work for him.
Joining together, Leonard Andrus and John Deere established a
plow factory and changed the one drawback to this areas vast prairies
which would ultimately chang the course of progress. John Deere has
probably been more closely identified with the history of Grand
Detour, for it was through his perseverance and foresight that the
history of farming in the middle- west was changed.
But there were other men who helped in the establishment of the
village. Among them were Amos Bosworth, William Dane, Dennis Warren
and Charles Throop. By 1842, the small village was becoming a
business and trade center for the area. A cradle factory, cheese
factory, a hotel, two blacksmith shops, a tin shop, two shoemakers, a
cigar factory, broom factory, a wagon and buggy and carriage factory,
grist and flour mills, a tailor, saw mill, printing press,
wheelwright shop, the plow factory, three stores and the dry goods
store which employed eleven clerks. At one time Grand Detour also had
two ferries which were established to move people and equipment
across the river at this point.
By late 1843, a railroad coming west had planned to go through
Grand Detour. For some reason - and it is thought that the price of
the land was held too high, the railroad opted instead to traverse
through Dixon and was followed shortly afterward with another
railroad. From this time on Grand Detour was not even a good location
for the plow factory. Coal and all kinds of goods had to be brought
overland and the goods to be shipped out of the village needed better
transportation too. By 1848 John Deere ultimately decided to withdraw
and move his operation to Moline. Mr. Andrus continued the operation
in Grand Detour until his death in 1867. By 1869, the new owners of
the plow factory moved the operation to Dixon.
The history of Grand Detour would have been very, so very
different had it not been passed over by the railroad. However,
nature has a great way of helping civilization and nature conspired
to help Grand Detour in its struggle to survive. Through the years it
has been a Mecca for artists and sculpturers who have been inspired
by the region. Prominent among the early artists of the area were
Holgar Jensen and John Nolfe.
Grand Detour - a town rich in history and heritage continues
today to bring travelers from throughout the United States to the
Illinois country. Its beauty, peace and tranquillity are still
present, just as Leonard Andrus so proudly boasted of some 160 years
ago.
All pictures and articles found on this page are copyrighted by
the Lee County Historical Society. They are not to be reproduced,
redistributed, sold, or otherwise altered. These pictures and
articles are for the sole private, non-commercial use for research
and education. These pictures may not be used without the expressed
written permission of the Lee County Historical Society.