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History · Grand Ridge

Grand Ridge’s post office opened in 1873, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1925 on and the census since 1880.

1873first post office
0on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Grand Ridge began

When was Grand Ridge founded?

1873

The Grand Ridge post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 135 in 18802020 census: 515153 years
Founding year: the first Grand Ridge post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Grand Ridge’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 Grand Ridge are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 698 in 1970; 515 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Grand Ridge’s homes were built before 1947.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grand Ridge’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grand Ridge’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
People over time

Grand Ridge, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 698

Peaked at 698 in 1970; 515 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Grand Ridge came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Grand Ridge.

Read it all →

In 1860, Judge John T. and Phebe J. (Finley) Porter moved to Illinois with their son Ebenezer F.(b. 1859 at New Salem, Fayette County, Pennsylvania), and located near Grand Ridge, LaSalle County, where they lived on a farm until 1872. Porter was at first a farmer, and afterward a lumberman and grain dealer. In 1872, he moved into the town of Grand Ridge, and built and operated two grain elevators. In 1882, he moved to Florida and engaged in the lumber business. He founded the town of Grand Ridge, Florida, naming it in honor of his old Illinois home.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Grand Ridge, 1863 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1863Born hereJohn Huston Finley is born here
  3. 1873Post officeThe Grand Ridge post office opens
  4. 1880Born hereBill Essick is born here
  5. 1894Born hereTom Sheehan is born here
  6. 1899Born hereEarl Bute is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1925On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 698
By decade

Grand Ridge, decade by decade

Today8 recent
20111031 18 Lustron Home201120111031 18 Lustron HomeUntitled photo2011Untitled photoUntitled photo2011Untitled photoUntitled photo2011Untitled photoUntitled photo2011Untitled photoUntitled photo2011Untitled photoUntitled photo2011Untitled photoUntitled photo2011Untitled photo
On the map

Grand Ridge on the map in 1925

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Grand Ridge.

Grand Ridge on the 1925 USGS map1925Streator sheet · 1:62,500

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Grand Ridge

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
John Huston FinleyAmerican academic; NY Times editor-in-chief · b. 1863
Bill EssickAmerican baseball player · b. 1880
Tom SheehanAmerican baseball player and coach · b. 1894
E
Earl ButeAmerican sports coach, athletics administrator · b. 1899

Questions about Grand Ridge’s history

What year was Grand Ridge founded?

The Grand Ridge post office opened in 1873, 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 →
Start a conversation
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 (8), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.