Prophetstown is a city in Whiteside County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The population was 2,080 at the 2010 census, up from 2,023 in 2000.

Geography

Prophetstown is located at (41.670504, -89.935869). According to the 2010 census, Prophetstown has a total area of , of which (or 98.28%) is land and (or 1.72%) is water.

History

On November 19 of 1812, the future 12th U.S. president, the then U.S. Army Brevet Major

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

, visited Prophetstown along the Rock River (Mississippi River) while on a military expedition through there during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

. While there, his commanding officer ordered the burning to the ground of a nearby Indian village belonging to the Kickapoo First Nation who were then at war with the U.S. An 1825 treaty establishes an unnamed "Winnebago village" about 40 miles above the mouth of the Rock River as a boundary point of the Winnebago, corresponding to the location of Prophetstown. Prophetstown occupies the site of the village of the Winnebago prophet, which the Illinois volunteers destroyed on May 10, 1832, in the first act of hostility in the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", cross ...

. Prophetstown was named for Wabokieshiek (White Cloud), the prophet who lived upon the land. Wabokieshiek served as an advisor to

Black Hawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urub ...

and took part in the Black Hawk War. Wabokieshiek and his followers, the Sauk Indians, resided where the current Prophetstown State Park (of Illinois) is now located. They left the land in 1832 as the Black Hawk War ended, when Wabokieshiek was taken captive by the United States. This area is now a state park, but at one time it held a community of 14 villages. It is believed that residents of Prophetstown petitioned to move the U.S. government from Washington D.C. to Prophetstown in the 1800s because of its supposed central location of the lower 48 states. Prophetstown once held community events such as Cruise Night and showcased many classic cars. Eventually that event faded and Eclipse Park was replaced with a memorial to honor those who served in the Armed Forces. Prophetstown is still held in high esteem for having one of the largest

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...

shows in the area. Prophetstown also hosts a Lighted Christmas Parade as the highlight of the start of the holiday season the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Prophetstown is an Illinois Main Street Community. The downtown features a series of historical murals and Eclipse Square Park as well as a selection of stores and restaurants.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 2,023 people, 809 households, and 533 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 865 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.92%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.89%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.10% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino people of any race were 1.14% of the population. There were 809 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,452, and the median income for a family was $47,589. Males had a median income of $33,828 versus $21,438 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $19,572. About 3.9% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Bret Bielema Bret Arnold Bielema (; born January 13, 1970) is currently the head American football coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Bielema served as the head football coach at of the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 2006 to 2012 ...

(1970–), head football coach for the University of Illinois * George S. Brydia (1887–1970), journalist, salesman, and politician; served as mayor of Prophetstown *

Claude A. Fuller Claude Albert Fuller (January 20, 1876 – January 8, 1968) — was an American, a lawyer, farmer, member of Arkansas State House of Representatives from 1903–05, and of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 3rd District of Arkansas from ...

, former third district congressman from Arkansas; born in Prophetstown in 1885 * Paul E. Rink (1916–2000), Illinois state legislator and judge; born on a farm near Prophetstown'Illinois Blue Book 1967-1968,' Biographical Sketch of Paul E. Rink, pg. 278-279

References

External links