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History · Sonora Township

Sonora Township dates to 1849, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1964 on and the census since 1860.

1849founded
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Sonora Township began

When was Sonora Township founded?

1849

Sonora Township dates its founding to 1849 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 1,054 in 18602020 census: 437177 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1860.

What stands out about Sonora Township’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 Sonora Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,485 in 1870; 437 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Sonora Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.Deep rootsEstablished in 1849: 177 years of Sonora Township.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sonora Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sonora Township’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

Sonora Township, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,600190019502000Peak: 1,485

Peaked at 1,485 in 1870; 437 people lived here in 2020.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Sonora
1860–1903
Powellton
1882–1918
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
PowelltonSonora
Gone or out of use
Center SchoolschoolChristy SchoolschoolElliott SchoolschoolGibralter SchoolschoolGolden Point SchoolschoolLarry SchoolschoolPleasant Hill SchoolschoolSanobia Churchchurch
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sonora Township
NauvooOak GroveOld Nauvoo Burial GroundsSaints Peter and PaulStearnsThornber

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

The story so far

Sonora Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Sonora Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Sonora Township is one of twenty-four townships in Hancock County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 437 and it contained 246 housing units.

Sonora Township was established in 1849. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 494 to 437 (-12%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Sonora Township, 1849 to 1964

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1849
    FoundingSonora Township is established
  3. 1860Post officeThe Sonora post office opens
  4. 1865Born hereThaddeus L. Bolton is born here
  5. 1870CensusPopulation peaks at 1,485
  6. 1882Post officeThe Powellton post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1903Post officeThe Sonora post office closes
  9. 1918Post officeThe Powellton post office closes
  10. 1964On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Sonora Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Sonora Township building 2026-08-292026Sonora Township building 2026-08-29
On the map

Sonora Township on the map in 1964

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sonora Township.

Sonora Township on the 1964 USGS map1964Niota sheet · 1:24,000

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Appanoose Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRock Creek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMontebello Township4 historic placesANauvoo Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNauvoo2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Sonora Township’s history

What year was Sonora Township founded?

In 1849, according to Wikidata. Sonora Township’s post office opened in 1860, and the census of 1860 counted 1,054 people here.

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 (1), 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.