Winnebago, Illinois

Winnebago is a village in Winnebago County, Illinois. It is part of the Rockford-Winnebago Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,101 at the 2010 census, up from 2,958 in 2000.HistoryMuch of the history of Winnebago revolved around the arrival of the railroad and the productive farms all around.RailroadsThe Galena and Chicago Union Railroad, encouraged by Chicago merchants in all the urban communities, arrived in Rockford on the east side of the Rock River in August 1852. Each town at the west end of the line as it continued west became a magnet of growth, motivated by the massive leverage of farmers arriving with their livestock, or wagonloads of produce ready for delivery to market. In 1853, then the Galena and Chicago Union extended to the west from Rockford to Freeport. This track forged through both Elida (later called Winnebago), and Pecatonica, igniting local growth. In October 1854 the village's train station was laid out, and by rights was the center of attention. The depot attracted commercial development, warehouses and stockyards emerged near the tracks. In January 1855, Joseph D. Warner, who was the first railroad station agent, finished his house on South Elida Street.Then from 1903 through 1930, the village was served by the Rockford and Interurban Railway, an electric interurban line with frequent passenger service from Rockford or Pecatonica and Freeport. This line also brought electrical power into Winnebago. At this time laborers started commuting to work at an ever-growing Rockford, and many more residents did their shopping in Rockford rather than locally. Rides from Winnebago to Rockford were $.25.