Source: Rockford Morning Star and Rockford Register-Republic “Century Plus 10” Special Edition, March 1962
Stephen Mack
Rock Cut Park, Indian Legend – 1934 article
Source: Rockford Register Republic May 31, 1934
Rockford Fire Dept. history – Forest City Firelog, 1982
Source: Forest City Firelog, 1881 – 1981 Compiled by Fire Lt. George Thomas Burke, edited by James and Janet George, Rockford, IL 1982, first few pages
See also Rockfordiana files and newspaper articles on Fires
Rockford Female Seminary – 1892 became Rockford College
From: Rockford College ; a Retrospective Look
The four pages below are from Chapter 1 by Virginia Clark, Rockford Female Seminary
Winnebago County History
History 1600’s – first was part of Virginia
History 1700’s – French were first European settlers in county. French explorer, Robert de La Salle, rename country Louisiana
History 1763 – Treaty of Paris 1763 gave land East of Mississippi River to Great Britain
History 1778 – Colonel George Rogers Clark attacked military posts in Kaskaski, Cahokia and Vincennes. The territory reorganized into Illinois.
History 1783 – The Treaty of Paris 1783 gave Illinois to Great Britain
History 1787 – History 1787 Congressional Ordinance – Ohio River to Mississippi be 3 – 5 States
History 1800 Act of Congress in 1800, Northwest Territory would equal Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin
History 1809 – was organized the territory of Illinois and Kaskaskia became seat of Illinois government
History 1812 – Illinois was advanced to the second grade of territorial government
History 1818 – admitted to Union as a State named for Winnebago Indians, but were not prominent in Indian history
Source: Past and Present of the City of Rockford and Winnebago County 977.33 C471p
Winnebago means “fish eaters”
Source: Sinnissippi Saga 977.33 M31
first settler of European decent : Stephen Mack
Source: Past and Present of the City of Rockford and Winnebago County 977.33 C471p
first settler of East Rockford: Daniel Shaw Haight
Source: Past and Present of the City of Rockford and Winnebago County 977.33 C471p
Illinois State Legislature provided for organization of Winnebago County on January 16, 1836, formed from JoDaviess & LaSalle Counties originally included all of Boone County and part of Stephenson County. On March 4,1837 Illinois State Legislature provided creation of Boone & Stephenson Counties
Source: The pioneers of Winnebago and Boone Counties, Illinois, who came before 1841 R 929.377331 R883p
wanted to secede to Wisconsin between 1818 and 1845
Source: Nuggets of History Summer 1987
Black Hawk War, The – Thomas S. Johnson
Story continues. Issues of Nuggets of History are available to Rockford Public Library’s Local History Dept.
Source: Nuggets of History, Vol. 45, No. 4, December 2007
Hononegah – Stephen Mack Marriage License, 1838
June 5, 1838 Stephen MacK married to Hon-ne-goh
Source: Winnebago County Clerk’s Vital Records
Hononegah
Princess Hononegah (Potawatamie princess)
Wife of Stephen Mack (emp of The American Fur Company)
Devoted wife and mother
Skillful with nature’s remedies
Helped care for early settlers
Needlework was exceptional
Taken care of by Clarissa Jenks when she was sick (Source: Ella Jenks obituary Chicago Tribune 8/28/1944)
Source: Nuggets of History, Autumn 1983 (Pioneers of Winnebago and Boone Counties, Illinois who came before 1841) 929.377331 R883p (south wall)
Hononegah Mack
Source: The Rock River Times, March 25-31, 2015
Stephen Mack homestead – 1970 article
“Stephen Mack’s homestead coming apart at seams”
“Mack, who is believed to be the first white settler in Rockton Township and probably in the Rock River Valley, built the two-story frame house for his Indian whife, Hononegah, and family, around 1839, three years after the county was founded.”
“Located on a knoll overlooking the junction of the Pecatonica and Rock Rivers, the homestead is surrounded by Macktown Forest Preserve and golf course, and flanked by a maintenance building for the forest preserve.”
“Until a year ago, the building was never heated……….Last Summer the county had furnace installed in the basement to prevent the wood from rotting further because of too much humidity……the heat caused the wood to shrink so he floor crackles when walked on and it appears to be separating from its link with the second floor stairway…”
Source: Rockford Morning Star March 8, 1970