History of Big Rock
Illinois was designated as a state in 1818. There were fewer than 35,000 residents, with the majority living in the southern part. The northern and central areas were home to about 12,000 Indians and a few white traders. From 1833 until 1838, there was considerable growth in Illinois. The Indians had left the area by persuasion or force, and their land was now for sale. Settlers, attracted by the relatively cheap price the government was asking for the attractive grassland, migrated to the prairie in sizable numbers. Some came by stage from Detroit to Chicago; some floated down the Ohio River and then up the Mississippi River by steamboat, but most came via the Great Lakes over the newly completed Erie Canal.
In the southwest corner of what would become Kane County was one of the best agricultural areas. It consisted of beautiful rolling prairies with deep, fertile soil. Traversing diagonally from the northwest to the southwest corner along the Big Rock Creek were fine bodies of heavy timber. The two branches to the Welch Creek flow from the Kaneville line, nearly south through the eastern half of what became Big Rock Township to their intersection, then on to join with the Big Rock Creek in the southeast corner of the Township. The old Chicago and Galena stagecoach road passed through the center of the township from east to west. The natural distribution of prairie and timber lands, with an indispensable water supply and accessibility via the stage road, would strongly attract early settlers.
The earliest settler of Big Rock Township was “Santy” or “Shanty” Cook. He and his family were from Kentucky, but little else is known of them. Esquire Milkey came to Little Rock in 1834 and found Cook already living on the banks of the Big Rock Creek. The Cooks lived in a tent at first until their rudimentary cabin was built. The log cabin stood on the south-east corner of the intersection of Jericho and Granart roads.
Justice E. Ament arrived in 1835 and is considered the first permanent settler. The Cooks and the Matthew Perry family were the only settlers in the township at that time. Ament’s original homestead was south and east of the intersection of Davis and Wheeler roads. Joseph Summers arrived from Oneida County, New York, in 1836, and along with Robert Nash opened the first tavern along the stagecoach road. Summer’s home was also designated as the township’s first post office. Within the next five years, the township would become settled and see the establishment of basic trades critical to the community. Willard Coon established a blacksmith’s shop, a general store was opened, and a sawmill was established along Big Rock Creek. Many of the early settlers were from Wales, and church services were held in their native language until 1875.
Educational infrastructure emerged gradually to serve the growing population of farm families. The first schoolhouse was raised in 1841 by a group of settlers upon the claim of Joshua Rhodes, with Colin Ament teaching. Between 1860 and 1920, nine one-room schoolhouses dotted the township as recorded on historic plat maps. A grain elevator later became an economic hub, facilitating the storage and shipment of wheat, corn, and other crops that defined Big Rock’s economy. The completion of the Iowa and Chicago Railroad in 1871 enabled efficient transportation of products to Chicago and other markets.
Acasta was the earliest name given to the community and the Post Office in 1837. Many names were used to identify the various settlements within Big Rock Township, such as Jefferson, Oak Park, Blunt Station, Mill Village, Catville, Rockville, and Duffin. This led to confusion to mail delivery and stagecoach travelers, and in 1850, a meeting was held to decide on a single name. The story passed down is that Indian Jim suggested the name of “Big Rock” be used by the Village after the Indian name given to the creek that flowed through the township.
Big Rock was an unincorporated community until July 26, 2001, when it officially became a village and self-governing municipality. This incorporation was driven by the need to safeguard the area’s boundaries against annexation threats from adjacent communities, allowing local control over development and services. Preserving it’s rural character has been a priority for the community, and in 2013 the Village adopted a zoning ordinance to support orderly and controlled growth.
Sources:
- History of Big Rock, Marlene C. Kettley 1985
- History of Kane Co ILL, Gen John S. Wilcox 1904
- (xAI, 2026) Grokipedia