POLO - LAND OF THE BUFFALO
The location was called "Nanusha" by the Indians who lived in
this area, the word signifying "buffalo." It was a favorite spot for
the huge animals that traversed across the prairies of northern
Illinois in the early 1800s. An immense quantity of buffalo bones
were found after the arrival of the white settlers. Thus it was only
fitting that the early settlers of the location would name it Buffalo
Grove.
One of the old trails from Southern Illinois, by way of Ogee's
Ferry at Dixon led to the lead mines at Galena and passed through
Buffalo Grove, from which the township of Buffalo received its name.
This would be the location of the first white settlement in Ogle
County.
John Ankeny was credited with staking the first claim located on
the east side of Buffalo Grove and Isaac Chambers was actually the
first permanent settler which took place in 1830. Others that settled
in this new area were Samuel Reed in 1831, and followed shortly
thereafter by Oliver W. Kellogg and his family.
In August, 1834, Col. John D. Stevenson arrived from Louisiana
bringing with him a small stock of goods and opened a store in his
log cabin. He operated in this manner until 1836, when he was finally
able to build a new store. He was the first trader or merchant in
Ogle, Whiteside, Carroll, Stevenson, Winnebago and Lee counties. Also
during 1836, a sawmill became operational on Buffalo creek, near the
center of the grove when Oliver W. Kellogg and George Wilcoxen formed
a partnership.
From 1837, through 1846, the settlement progressed slowly and
according to records, land was then selling for $125 per acre.
Reportedly anyone who bid beyond this price for land was in danger of
being shot by the early pioneers.
Under the laws of the State of Illinois, public schools came to
be and the entire township was embraced in one school district
comprised of 60 students. The first term was taught by Alfred M.
Webster and the second by Chanceford R. Barber. These teachers
received a total of $76.29 for their work. The first school in
Buffalo was established in 1853.
But as many small towns and villages met their fate with the
coming of the railroad, so too did Buffalo Grove. With the completion
of the railroad through the area to the northeast, a new town sprang
up and was called Polo. During the following years Polo continued to
grow and Buffalo Grove lost its prestige, becoming known simply as
"Old Town." By 1878, there virtually was no store left within its
limits.
The early history of what would become Polo, as a separate
community appears to be associated with Zenas Aplington who owned a
portion of the land on which the original town was built and would
later move a frame house onto his land. Mr. Aplington was the
contractor for the Illinois Central Railroad for a stretch o eight
miles, beginning one mile south of Polo and extending for seven miles
to the north. By January, 1855, when the railroad was completed the
town of Polo boasted of five or six buildings which were located in
this new community.
Zenas Aplington gave the new town its present name in honor of
the Venetian traveler, Marco Polo. In the winter of 1856-57, the
state legislature passed an act incorporating the town with the first
board of trustees consisting of J. B. Moore, S. E. Treat, Z.
Aplington, G. Webster and George Swingley. For many years to follow
the village was the only community named Polo in the United States
until a town located in Missouri also took the name.
By 1909, the population of Polo had grown to 2,000 and another
railroad, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, had joined with the
Illinois Central in providing service in the area. The city of Polo
by this time also had a sewer system and purifying plant which had
cost $40,000. The water system which had cost $50,000 was now free of
debt. The streets were lighted with electricity and there were miles
of cement sidewalks.
With the help of the railroads the town of Polo progressed and
prospered while the early settlement of Buffalo Grove was being
incorporated into the southwestern part of the City of Polo. With
civilization came an end to the majestic animals that roamed so
freely through the area and were the chief inhabitants alongside the
tribes of Indians. Gone forever...... was the Buffalo.
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