Kishwaukee Kiwanis

Food & Water Stops at these locations 2010:   

Compton Village Hall 100 4th Street, Compton, IL 61318.  (815) 497-2351.  The park is at corners of Main St., Cherry St., & First St.   Compton is a village in Lee County.  The population was 347 at the 2000 census.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compton,_Illinois

Paw Paw, IL  is a village in Lee County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 census the village was home to 852 people. It was settled in the mid 19th century and by 1878 the village had a railroad connection. Paw Paw is home to a house which is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and was the recipient of a 2005 federal grant to construct a water tower. 

Unincorporated Rollo, IL with Earlville, IL address.  The closest “facts” that the SLR Historical Museum could come up with were in the DeKalb Chronicle Illustrated Souvenir, which was published around 1899. If you researched the background on Paw Paw Township, you would find that it is in the southern part of DeKalb County and has no towns in it at present. However in the early 1800s, there were 3 small villages. East Paw Paw was established in 1837, LaClair was founded in 1854 and Rollo was considered the “new” town. At the time of the publication, there was a creamery, elevator, store, postoffice, a few dwellings, a church and school house. In a 1913 news article about making a decision on repairing or replacing the Rollo Church, it says “A way back in the ’60’s the Union Church was erected near the center of Paw Paw Township. Later it united under the name of Congregational. When the North-Western Co. put a branch through the township it was thought best to move the little old church to Rollo, the little town that was laid out near by. This was done in the fall of 1886.” Also, historical records show that the Rollo School was originally built a few miles from Rollo and moved to Rollo in 1886 too. So, my guess is that 1886 would have been when Rollo was fairly new.

Steward Village  villageofsteward@juno.com  Village Hall: 815.396.2846. Steward was named for Wesley Steward who in 1855 came to this area to settle the land owned by his father, Marcus. Marcus Steward was influential in getting the Burlington Northern Railroad through the township in 1870.  The Village Hall on Main Street is one of the oldest buildings and houses the jail cells bought in 1903. The first house in Steward is also standing today, built in 1872, as well as the 1874  Methodist New England architectural style church.

Milan Township hall is located in DeKalb County IL. The population was 364 at the 2000 census. Milan Township formed from portions of Shabbona Township and Malta Township on February 23, 1858. 

Lake Shabbona Park  http://shabbonalake.ning.com/ Originally home to tribes of Native Americans, the park derives its name from Chief Shabbona. Pioneer settlement of the area began in the 1830’s. From Shabbona Grove, in the southeast corner of the park, homesteaders spread over the region and began farming the rich soil.  In 1965, it was decided to develop a lake and recreation area on the site, and land acquisition was begun in 1969. By 1978, 1,550 acres had been obtained. In 1973, the lake area was cleared of trees, the shoreline was modified and earthen fishing piers and fish congregators were erected. By 1975, a 3,000-foot-long earthen dam with a concrete spillway was completed and the lake was formed. Day use facilities were constructed in 1976 and continue to serve the public today. In 1995 a restaurant, boat rental and bait and tackle facility was opened for business. This facility provides a sit-down eating area serving breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a fully stocked bait and tackle shop. Boat rentals include boats with and without motors.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bike Routes through these towns with no Rest/Food Stops

Malta, IL is a village in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 969 at the 2000 census. is a village with a small population and is located in the township of Willow Creek in the east end of Lee County. It is two and one half miles east of Highway 251 and one mile north of Highway U.S. 30. It came into existence in 1904 when the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad built a new railroad from Rockford to Ladd for the purpose of hauling coal from the mines to northern parts of the state, and it was decided that this would be a good location for a town. At first a box car was used for a depot, but as soon as possible a depot was built. From 1904 until 1929 it was served with passenger, mail and express service by the railroad, but due to changing conditions this was discontinued, and mail is now delivered by rural mail service from Steward, which is five miles to the north. The depot was closed around 1970, and the building demolished.  http://www.leecountyhistory.com/lee_county/scarboro.htm

Scarboro, IL Early township maps prominently show Twin Groves, two large groves of native trees on both sides of Willow Creek, after which the township was named. The main branch of Willow Creek begins west of Paw Paw, meanders north into the township, and then westerly to join Green River at the Great Inlet, an impediment that at one time backed up the water to form Inlet Swamp.   
The earliest recorded dwelling in the area was built in the south portion of the groves by James Thompson. The cabin was built of split logs with a native grass roof. Legend tells us the cabin was burned by Indians, who made regular stopovers in the area. Settlers passed through, and in 1847 pioneers started to buy land for permanent farms. The land where the settlement of Scarboro is located was purchased from the U.S. Government in 1851 by Gilbert Durin. It was sold to William Grove in 1865, and resold to L. G. Durin in 1877.  Scarboro is a village with a small population and is located in the township of Willow Creek in the east end of Lee County. It is two and one half miles east of Highway 251 and one mile north of Highway U.S. 30. It came into existence in 1904 when the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad built a new railroad from Rockford to Ladd for the purpose of hauling coal from the mines to northern parts of the state, and it was decided that this would be a good location for a town. At first a box car was used for a depot, but as soon as possible a depot was built. From 1904 until 1929 it was served with passenger, mail and express service by the railroad, but due to changing conditions this was discontinued, and mail is now delivered by rural mail service from Steward, which is five miles to the north. The depot was closed around 1970, and the building demolished.