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History · Ridgway

Ridgway dates to 1866, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1880.

1866founded
0on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Ridgway began, and where its name came from

When was Ridgway founded?

1866

Ridgway dates its founding to 1866 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 174 in 18802020 census: 851160 years

How did Ridgway get its name?

Ridgway was named for the railroad's president, Thomas S. Ridgway.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1870. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Ridgway’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 Ridgway are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,245 in 1980; 851 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ridgway’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Ridgway, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,245

Peaked at 1,245 in 1980; 851 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Ridgway came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ridgway.

Read it all →

Ridgway was established in 1866 as a construction camp along what would become the Springfield and Illinois South Eastern Railway. It was named for the railroad's president, Thomas S. Ridgway.

The village, once home to a popcorn plant, is the former self-proclaimed "Popcorn Capital of the World". Popcorn Day continues as part of the Gallatin County Fair and is held the second Saturday in September.

The February 2012 tornadoes, which killed seven in the nearby Harrisburg area, destroyed the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Ridgway. The church was rebuilt in 2015 under the name "St. Kateri," in honor of Kateri Tekakwitha.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ridgway, 1866 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1866
    FoundingRidgway is established
  3. 1870Post officeThe Ridgway post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1905On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,245
By decade

Ridgway, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Ridgway-welcome-sign-il2018Ridgway-welcome-sign-ilRidgway-post-office-il2018Ridgway-post-office-ilRidgway-fields-il2018Ridgway-fields-ilRidgway-bank-building-il2018Ridgway-bank-building-ilRidgway-Newhaven-Rd-il2018Ridgway-Newhaven-Rd-ilRidgway-Medicine-Shoppe-il2018Ridgway-Medicine-Shoppe-ilRidgway-Main-St-block-il2018Ridgway-Main-St-block-il
On the map

Ridgway on the map, 1905 to 1963

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

Ridgway on the 1905 USGS mapRidgway on the 1963 USGS map1905Eldorado 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 Ridgway.

Every building

Ridgway, building by building, 1900–1910

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Ridgway fire insurance map, 1900, sheet 11900Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Questions about Ridgway’s history

What year was Ridgway founded?

In 1866, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ridgway’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1880 counted 174 people here.

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, 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.