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History · South Dixon Township

South Dixon Township dates to 1867, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1918 on.

1867founded
0on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How South Dixon Township began

When was South Dixon Township founded?

1867

South Dixon Township dates its founding to 1867 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1864.

2020 census: 982159 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1864.

What stands out about South Dixon 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 South Dixon Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19183 editions of the USGS map, 1918 to 1983. Watch South Dixon Township change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start South Dixon Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how South Dixon Township’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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On the map

South Dixon Township on the map, 1918 to 1983

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

South Dixon Township on the 1918 USGS mapSouth Dixon Township on the 1950 USGS mapSouth Dixon Township on the 1983 USGS map1918Dixon 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 South Dixon Township.

The story so far

South Dixon Township, in brief

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

South Dixon Township is located in Lee County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census, its population was 982 and it contained 441 housing units. South Dixon was formed from Dixon Township on February 12, 1867.

South Dixon Township was established in 1867. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 918 to 982 (+7%).

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

Timeline

South Dixon Township, 1864 to 1918

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1864Post officeThe Eldena post office opens
  3. 1867
    FoundingSouth Dixon Township is established
  4. 20th century
  5. 1918On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to South Dixon Township

Nobody well known was born in South Dixon Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Louie BellsonAmerican jazz drummer · b. 1924
I
Isaiah RobyAmerican basketball player · b. 1998
John DevineRoad bicycle racer · b. 1985
Rondi ReedAmerican actress · b. 1952
C
Cal HoweAmerican baseball player · b. 1924
G
Gary KolbAmerican baseball player · b. 1940
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Eldena
Gone or out of use
Dixon QuarrymineDuis SchoolschoolEldena SchoolschoolGerdes QuarrymineKelley SchoolschoolLee County FarmlocaleLievan SchoolschoolPreston SchoolschoolRed Birch SchoolschoolWhite Temple SchoolschoolWill Schoolschool
1cemetery inside South Dixon Township
Emmanuel

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.

Dixon Township7 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNelson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMarion TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNachusa TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about South Dixon Township’s history

What year was South Dixon Township founded?

In 1867, according to Wikidata. South Dixon Township’s post office opened in 1864.

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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.