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A+History
History · Ottawa

Ottawa’s post office opened in 1832, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #34 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

7 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 453 buildings between them. Below: 14 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1870.

1832first post office
7on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
14old photos & papers
33famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Ottawa’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Ottawa began

When was Ottawa founded?

1832

The Ottawa post office opened in 1832, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1853.

First census: 7,736 in 18702020 census: 18,840194 years

How historic is Ottawa?

A+

More historic than 95% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Ottawa post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1853.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Ottawa’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ottawa is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #34 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ottawa’s overall grade.
Founding era1832, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194024.8% of homes (±3.7) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register7 listings, 458 historic buildings, 248 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 95%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 96%

Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ottawa’s 248 sits above most of its state (97% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 458 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1853.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Ottawa’s past

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

A historic districtThe Ottawa East Side Historic District takes in 301 historic buildings.On the map since 18925 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1994. Watch Ottawa change.A town in old photos14 old photos, postcards and papers, 1858–1937.Famous sons and daughtersTerrence Malick, Bob McGrath and 31 more were born here.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

7 listings protect 458 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
458
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
John Hossack House
John Hossack HouseWashington Park Historic DistrictKnuessl BuildingAndrew J. O'Conor III House, built 1848Jeremiah Strawn HouseOttawa Commercial Historic DistrictOttawa East Side Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Italianate4
Mid-19th Century2
Greek Revival1
Renaissance Revival1
Colonial Revival1
International Style1
John Hossack HouseGreek Revival
Washington Park Historic DistrictItalianate
Knuessl BuildingItalianate
Andrew J. O'Conor III HouseColonial Revival · Built 1848
Jeremiah Strawn HouseMid-19th Century
Ottawa Commercial Historic DistrictInternational Style
Ottawa East Side Historic DistrictDistrict

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

On the map

Ottawa on the map, 1892 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ottawa. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Ottawa on the 1892 USGS mapOttawa on the 1915 USGS mapOttawa on the 1946 USGS mapOttawa on the 1970 USGS mapOttawa on the 1994 USGS map1892Ottawa 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 Ottawa.

By decade

Ottawa, decade by decade

6 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s–1870s8 items
The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - OTTAWA ILLINOIS-THE GLOVER HOUSE1858The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - OTTAWA ILLINOIS…Wrought Iron Bridge Co., Canton, Ohio View of wrought iron bridge - - W.J. Morgan & Co. lith., Cleveland, O1870Wrought Iron Bridge Co., Canton, Ohio View of wrought…Wrought Iron Bridge Co., Canton, Ohio View of wrought iron bridge - - W.J. Morgan & Co. lith., Cleveland, O1870Wrought Iron Bridge Co., Canton, Ohio View of wrought…Wrought Iron Bridge Co., Canton, Ohio View of wrought iron bridge /1870Wrought Iron Bridge Co., Canton, Ohio View of wrought…Atlas of LaSalle Co., and the state of Illinois: to which is added an atlas of the United States, maps of the hemispher…1876Atlas of LaSalle Co., and the state of Illinois: to w…MapAtlas of LaSalle Co., and the state of Illinois: to which is added an atlas of the United States, maps of the hemispher…1876Atlas of LaSalle Co., and the state of Illinois: to w…MapAtlas of LaSalle Co., and the state of Illinois: to which is added an atlas of the United States, maps of the hemispher…1876Atlas of LaSalle Co., and the state of Illinois: to w…MapAtlas of LaSalle Co., and the state of Illinois: to which is added an atlas of the United States, maps of the hemispher…1876Atlas of LaSalle Co., and the state of Illinois: to w…Map
1880s–1930s6 items
Postcard of Olof Krarer at work1887Postcard of Olof Krarer at workPostcardOttawa, Illinois - 18341903Ottawa, Illinois - 1834Tuberculosis camp, Ill[inoi]s1908Tuberculosis camp, Ill[inoi]sLa Salle Street, Looking Northc. 1912La Salle Street, Looking NorthHouse1937HouseIdle tile factory. Ottawa, Illinois1937Idle tile factory. Ottawa, Illinois
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
The story

How Ottawa came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ottawa.

Read it all →

Ottawa occupies a place on the Illinois River that has long been one end of a portage trail between the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan. Here the river was reliably deep enough for canoes. The North Portage Trail connected the site over land and water to the Chicago River.

Ottawa was the site of the first of the Lincoln–Douglas debates on August 21, 1858. During the Ottawa debate, Stephen A. Douglas, leader of the Democratic Party, openly accused Abraham Lincoln of forming a secret bipartisan group of Congressmen to bring about the abolition of slavery.

ChaptersRadium Cleanup

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Ottawa in 1917

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

BAGGAGE — You should mark your baggage plain with your name, "Special Train, Ottawa Commandery, No. 10, Ottawa, Illinois," and have it sent to the depot of the C, R. I. & P. at Ottawa, Illinois, where it will be placed in the special baggage car of Ottawa Commandery. Send your baggage to depot earl…
The Knights Templar1917 · page 215Read the page →
Read the text

BAGGAGE — You should mark your baggage plain with your name, "Special Train, Ottawa Commandery, No. 10, Ottawa, Illinois," and have it sent to the depot of the C, R. I. & P. at Ottawa, Illinois, where it will be placed in the special baggage car of Ottawa Commandery. Send your baggage to depot early Saturday morning.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
He also holds the position of vice-president of the First National Bank of Grand Ridge and First National Bank of Ransom, La Salle county, Illinois. He was president for several years of the Ottawa Development Association, the commercial club of the city of Ottawa, and is also treasurer of the Vall…
The Knights Templar1917 · page 120Read the page →
Read the text

He also holds the position of vice-president of the First National Bank of Grand Ridge and First National Bank of Ransom, La Salle county, Illinois. He was president for several years of the Ottawa Development Association, the commercial club of the city of Ottawa, and is also treasurer of the Valley Building and Loan Association, in which organization he takes an active interest, having done much towards the building of new homes in Ottawa.

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.

Timeline

Ottawa, 1832 to 1982

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1832Post officeThe Ottawa post office opens
  3. 1848BuiltAndrew J. O'Conor III House is built
  4. 1858In the archiveThe Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - OTTAWA ILLINOIS-THE GLOVER HOUSE
  5. 1870In the archiveWrought Iron Bridge Co., Canton, Ohio View of wrought iron bridge - - W.J. Morgan & Co. l…
  6. 1883Born hereJohnston McCulley is born here
  7. 1887In the archivePostcard of Olof Krarer at work
  8. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 20th century
  10. 1903In the archiveOttawa, Illinois - 1834
  11. 1912In the archiveLa Salle Street, Looking North
  12. 1932Born hereBob McGrath is born here
  13. 1937In the archiveHouse
  14. 1943Born hereTerrence Malick is born here
  15. 1982Born hereMaria Kanellis is born here
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - OTTAWA ILLINOIS-THE GLOVER HOUSE
Retake this viewThe Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - OTTAWA ILLINOIS-THE GLOVER HOUSE, 1858

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Ottawa’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Ottawa, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 19,408

Between 7,736 and 19,408 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

33 famous people were born in Ottawa

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

See all →
Terrence MalickAmerican film director and screenwriter · b. 1943
Bob McGrathAmerican actor · b. 1932
Maria KanellisAmerican professional wrestler, manager, actres… · b. 1982
J
Johnston McCulleyAmerican writer · b. 1883
Russell LeeAmerican photographer and photojournalist · b. 1903
George R. LawrenceAmerican photographer · b. 1868
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Ottawa’s post office has been open since 1832.

Hamlets and corners on the map
South Ottawa
Gone or out of use
Church of the Open BiblechurchColumbus SchoolschoolDaniel SchoolschoolLa Salle Tuberculosis SanatoriumhospitalMaple Grove SchoolschoolMathieson SchoolschoolOttawa AirportairportRybury HospitalhospitalSaint Francis SchoolschoolShabbona SchoolschoolWashington Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ottawa
Ottawa AvenueSummit View

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

Help out

Finish Ottawa’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewThe Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 - O…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

DaytonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNaplateIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOttawa Township6 historic placesA+Wallace TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRutland Township2 historic placesA−Dayton TownshipIts storyB−

Questions about Ottawa’s history

What year was Ottawa founded?

The Ottawa post office opened in 1832, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1853.

How does Ottawa rank for history?

Ottawa is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #34 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Ottawa?

7 listings: 4 buildings, among them the John Hossack House (listed 1972, the first), and 3 historic districts, the Washington Park Historic District, the Ottawa Commercial Historic District and the Ottawa East Side Historic District, with 453 contributing buildings. 458 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Ottawa?

25% of Ottawa’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1958.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (10), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (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.