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History · Apple River

Apple River’s post office opened in 1828, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1984 on and the census since 1880.

1828first post office
0on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Gidonb · CC BY 3.0
Quick answers

How Apple River began

When was Apple River founded?

1828

The Apple River post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 626 in 18802020 census: 347198 years
Founding year: the first Apple River post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Apple River’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Apple River are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Apple River’s homes were built before 1938.Deep rootsA post office since 1828: 198 years of Apple River.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Apple River’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Apple River’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Apple River came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Apple River.

Read it all →

The first home built in Apple River was by a man known as Daniel Robbins in 1832. By 1854 the Illinois Central Railroad was built through the township, the same year as the town's first general store owned by J. M. Irvine. Despite a vote being held in 1868, Apple River would not be incorporated as a village until 1870.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Apple River, 1828 to 1984

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1828Post officeThe Apple River post office opens
  3. 1842Post officeThe Apple River post office closes
  4. 1854Post officeThe Apple River post office opens
  5. 1870Born hereJulia Bracken Wendt is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1984On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
From the old history books

What they wrote about Apple River in 1878

Passages that mention Apple River, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Incorporation under the general laws of the state followed immediately. The following Trustees were elected : J. A. Funk, Rob't Irvine, James M. Irvine, S. Woolan and Melzer Robbins. February 19, 1870, it was re-incorporated under special charter. The population of Apple River Township in 1860 was …
The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion ... history of the Northwest, history of Illinois ... Con1878 · page 564Read the page →
Read the text

Incorporation under the general laws of the state followed immediately. The following Trustees were elected : J. A. Funk, Rob't Irvine, James M. Irvine, S. Woolan and Melzer Robbins. February 19, 1870, it was re-incorporated under special charter. The population of Apple River Township in 1860 was 508, and in 1870, 1,108 persons. The assessed valuation of the township for 1877 was : —

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Apple River, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Stone barn in2014Stone barn inFirst Presbyterian Church2014First Presbyterian ChurchGidonb St. John's Wedding Chapel in Oak Hill Jo Daviess County Illinois2008Gidonb St. John's Wedding Chapel in Oak Hill Jo Davie…Gidonb Horsefarm on Stagecoach Trail in Apple River Township2008Gidonb Horsefarm on Stagecoach Trail in Apple River T…Gidonb Apple River Illinois in Winter 22008Gidonb Apple River Illinois in Winter 2Gidonb Apple River Illinois in Winter 12008Gidonb Apple River Illinois in Winter 1ILMap-doton-AppleRiver2005ILMap-doton-AppleRiver
On the map

Apple River on the map in 1984

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Apple River.

Apple River on the 1984 USGS map1984Dubuque North sheet · 1:100,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Apple River.

People over time

Apple River, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 626

Between 347 and 626 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Apple River’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Apple River had its own post office from 1828 to 1842.

Apple River
1828–1842
Apple River
1854–today
18201920today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Apple River Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWarren Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Apple River’s history

What year was Apple River founded?

The Apple River post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.