In 1830, “Father” John Dixon’s family of seven comprised the entire population of Dixon. By the end of 1834, the tiny village had added probably fewer than a dozen newcomers.

However, a large group of settlers began streaming into the Dixon area between 1835 and 1839. Historians call this 5-year period “the great migration,” when other brave souls began trekking to Dixon’s Ferry and to the raw prairies of northwestern Illinois.

Why they came

After the Black Hawk War ended in August 1832, settlers from eastern states slowly began to feel safer about venturing into the Rock River valley. By 1835, worries of an Indian uprising had all but vanished.

The end of native hostilities also prompted the U.S. government to begin the massive project of surveying the land into 40-acre parcels. In 18

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