Elkhart is a small town dedicated to preserving its rich history and natural beauty, while cultivating an atmosphere in which modern technology, business, industry and agriculture can thrive. Promoting educational excellence, the arts, family values and environmental responsibility, Elkhart welcomes visitors and residents alike with its hometown spirit. - Created by Elkhart Community Residents
History of Elkhart
The history of Elk Heart Hill began with the marriage and ensuing family of White Blossom and her husband of the Illini branch of the Kickapoo Indiana Nation. When James Latham, the first white settler arrived in 1819, the "Hill" and surrounding area became known as Elk Heart Grove. Elk Heart Grove was still just a settlement in 1848 when John Shockey, a farmer and cattleman from Quincy, Pennsylvania, made the journey here to buy cattle. Taken with the richness of the area Elkhart Hill as it appears today. The fertile soil, the timber - he returned to Pennsylvania , sold his land and holdings, loaded up his wife and children and their belongings, and left for Elk Heart Grove. He and his family homesteaded on the hill overlooking what is now the Village. Along with his adventurous and pioneer spirit, however, came also a man of vision. It was with this vision, that on April 11, 1855, he took 22.47 acres on the west edge of the hill and had it platted and surveyed and made the cluster of residents a town - Elkhart City. John Shockey died unexpectedly in November of 1859 leaving land for churches, businesses and more homes to be built. As the town grew, the railroad came and the decision to incorporate was made. On February 22, 1861,Elkhart City was incorporated and James Rigney became its first board president. Elkhart City was the official name until 1979 when the State of Illinois notified the Village that they were by record still legally known as just that. Residents held a special public meeting on June 26, 1979, to change the Village name to Elkhart. Effective on November 14, 1979, the Village's name changed from Elkhart City to Elkhart. More about Elkhart's history... |
Set in a rich history of undeniable fortitude
and determination, the residents of Elkhart have a proud heritage.
From the Native Americans
of the 1700's to the residents that now call Elkhart their home,
legend and local historians have kept a record of the transition
of the "Hill" and the fertile prairie beside it. All who
passed this way, the Indian, the explorers, the pioneers, the settlers,
were sure to be struck by the unique landscape - a tree covered mound
that arose to 777 feet above sea level and the flat prairie land
immediately below.