Regarding the status of Sterling Rock Falls Historical Society, Terence Buckaloo wrote, “Both of our museums are now closed.” This includes SRFHS, housed in the Carriage House Museum, behind the Dillon Home Museum, 1005 E. Third Street, and the nearby Lincoln-Manahan Home Museum, where Abraham Lincoln spent the night, at 607 E. Third Street, Sterling, IL.
Call 815-622-6215 with questions.
Buckaloo continued, “Since we currently cannot get any history from our museum’s public programs, here is some interesting history from our museum files. This was written by John D. Arey, an early pioneer who came to the site of Rock Falls, IL, as a 10-year-old with his family in 1844. It is included in a booklet SRFHS published, “My Story: The Life Story of the Man Who Platted and Surveyed Rock Falls, and Sterling, Illinois.”
The booklet is available for purchase at the SRFHS Museum. Early memories of John D. Arey follow.
“Before the Cities of Sterling and Rock Falls existed, the place they occupy was called Rock River Rapids. In 1837 a town of about one half mile square was laid out on the north bank of the river at the head of the rapids. It was called Harrisburg, in honor of Captain Harris, who ran the first steamboat up the river to this place. Soon after, a town of the same size called Chatham was laid out on the same side of the river, at the foot of the rapids, about one-third of a mile below Harrisburg.
“At this time the State of Illinois began a series of internal improvements, one of which was a canal up and down the rapids, to enable boats to pass them by a lock. The canal was located along the south bank of the river, and about $40,000 was expended toward its construction. This gave the south side of the river a great advantage in future prospects. A town one mile square, called Rapid City, was laid out on that side opposite Chatham. While the State work was in progress, Rapid City completely overshadowed the prospects of the two north side towns.
“Work done on the canal was one-half mile in length, between avenues A and D in the present City of Rock Falls. A dry stone wall, eight feet wide at the bottom, and to be four feet wide at the top, was laid along the margin of the river, far enough out from the bank to give the canal the proper width. Stone quarried from the bank to build the wall and the stripping and waste from the quarries were deposited on the river side of it, making a bank about 50 feet wide and a little higher than the wall.
“When the work was stopped, the wall was from six-to-eight feet in height, but no part of it was completed.
“The failure of this work put a stop to any further improvements in Rapid City, and it passed out of existence.”
Buckaloo added information about this canal project and why it was discontinued. The State of Illinois Internal Improvements Act of 1837 was designed to fund infrastructure construction. In the process of getting funding passed for the canal, nine Legislators (seven Representatives, including Abraham Lincoln, and two Senators) agreed to seek moving the State Capital from Vandalia, to Springfield, IL. After a downturn in the economy, the funding did not materialize. However, the Capital was moved to Springfield.