Rockton History
Rockton has a quaint downtown that evokes nostalgic memories of earlier times. The historic district includes the home of Winnebago County’s first permanent settler, Stephen Mack, Jr., on the site of his early settlement.
Stephen Mack, Jr., was born in Vermont in 1798 and attended eastern schools before joining his father, Col. Stephen Mack, in Detroit. Seeking his fortune, Mack became a licensed agent for the American Fur Trading Company in Grand Detour and married Hononegah, daughter of Blacksmith, a Winnebago Indian. (Hononegah was born Winnebago Indian, orphaned as a child and raised by her Potawatomi uncles.) Mack established a trading center located in the area presently known as Hononegah Forest Preserve. In 1835, he settled land along the confluence of the Pecatonica and Rock Rivers and named it “Pekatonic” meaning “crooked river” or “muddy stream.” He envisioned his community as a mercantile center.
The end of the Blackhawk War in 1832 and the completion of the Government Land Survey in the 1830s forced out Native American culture and opened the way for land to be plotted and sold. The completion of the Erie Canal expedited travel from the Eastern United States. Land speculators, settlers and tradesmen scrambled to stake new claims in the West. Historians describe this time as the biggest “land tornado” in history, which peaked around 1837. Mack’s village became a community almost overnight. As the town of Rockton grew, residents created Illinois’ largest collection of Greek Revival homes, many built of native limestone by Thomas Farmer. Great changes came to the previously unsettled Northern Illinois wilderness. As land ownership continued to be assigned, the American Fur Trading Company’s interest in Northern Illinois ended.
Among the new arrivals was New York merchant and entrepreneur William Talcott. Mr. Talcott built the mill race on the opposite side of the rivers in 1838 to harness the waterpower needed to drive rapid industrial growth. The Talcott’s grist and sawmills were the first water-powered enterprises on the Rock River. Industrial and population growth continued for many years and businesses prospered on both sides of the river. Inevitably, differences in philosophy would contribute to friction between Mack and the Talcotts. Meanwhile, in 1838, Stephen Mack, Jr., began a ferry service across the Rock River. He then replaced it with a bridge in 1843. Both contributed greatly to the community’s expansion. In 1839, Mack built one of the finest homes in the area complete with a stone foundation and painted clapboard siding. This was considered luxurious because most pioneer homes were built of logs on bare ground. The house still stands in Macktown Forest Preserve located on Highway 75 in Rockton. Stephen Mack, Jr., died in 1850 at the age of 52.
On May 30, 1844, William Talcott filed the town plat and changed its name to Rockton. The population grew steadily into the 1870s when it peaked at approximately 1,500 residents. Many officials believed Rockton would become one of the largest cities in Illinois but a number of events would dampen those expectations. Mack’s bridge was destroyed by a flood in June of 1851, then replaced by one built down the river at the present-day community of Rockford. The main line of the railroad bypassed Rockton and several huge fires destroyed much of the community’s business and industry. By 1910 the population had fallen to 841 and continued to decline until the 1960s. By 1996 it had risen to 4,733.
Numerous civic and business leaders, dedicated citizens and community groups are responsible for Rockton’s remarkable comeback. Among these are Walt Williamson, founder of the world-famous Wagon Wheel, Tekni-Craft (which became Taylor Freezer Company), Rockton’s oldest industry, Sonoco Products, and its newest, Woodward Aircraft Engine Systems. Their combined efforts built a solid foundation and contributed to Rockton’s reputation as a choice place to live and work. Rockton is proud of its history and embraces its future. For more information on the history of Rockton, call or visit the Talcott Free Library, the Rockton Historical Society or the Macktown Living History Education Center.
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