Whiteside County, Illinois
was established on January 16, 1836.
It is the namesake of General Samuel Whiteside who as a major, fought in the
Indian Wars in this section of the country from 1812 until the close of the Black
Hawk War. The County also boasts the birthplace of President Ronald Reagan (in Tampico),
the Albany Mounds State Histric Site and a segment of one of the first
continental highways - U.S. Route 30 (a.k.a. the Lincolnway
Highway). Morrison, the County Seat, is centrally
located on U.S. Route 30. The communities of Sterling
and RockFalls,
located 15 miles to the east, comprise most of County's 60,000 population.
The Mississippi River forms the
County's western border and with it comes a variety of recreational
opportunities including eagle watching. Other recreational facilities are
available at Morrison-RockwoodState
Park, Prophetstown State Recreation Area and Big
Bend State Fish and Wildlife Area. The Rock River,
flowing through the center of the County is well suited for smaller power boats
and leisurely canoe trips, offering well-wooded banks and a slow current. A
segment of the Great River Road Bike Path, paralleling Highway 84 and the Mississippi
River, runs continuously through WhitesideCounty. Follow the trail to and
through Albany where Hopewell
Indians may have traversed 2000 years ago. Head north to Fulton
and visit an authentic Dutch windmill or visit HeritageCanyon, an 1800's-style village.
The County's proximity to interstate highways and the WhitesideCountyAirport
(with four runways, the longest being 6,500 ft.) makes travel to the "Quad
Cities" (Moline & Rock Island, Illionis and Bettendorf & Davenport,
Iowa), Rockford, Peoria and the Chicago-Metro area fast, safe and convenient.
Please come and spend some time with us. Whether its
exploring or relaxing... or a littler bit of both, you'll find it here, in Whiteside
County, Illinois.
