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A−History
History · Streator

Streator dates to 1861, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #213 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Silas Williams House, the Ruffin Drew Fletcher House and the Streator Public Library. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1925 on, and the census since 1870.

1861founded
3on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
11old photos & papers
30famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Streator’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Streator began

When was Streator founded?

1861

Streator dates its founding to 1861 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 1,486 in 18702020 census: 12,500165 years

How historic is Streator?

A−

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1867.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Streator’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Streator is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #213 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Streator’s overall grade.
Founding era1861, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194032.1% of homes (±3.8) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register3 listings, 5 historic buildings, 4.1 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 76%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 72%

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 Streator’s 4.1 sits above most of its state (73% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.8 points). Two sources give 1861.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Streator’s past

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

Boom and bustPeaked at 16,868 in 1960; 12,500 people lived here in 2020.Famous sons and daughtersClyde Tombaugh, Jerry Weller and 28 more were born here.Old housesHalf of Streator’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · People over time

Streator, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00018,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 16,868

Peaked at 16,868 in 1960; 12,500 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

30 famous people were born in Streator

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

See all →
Clyde TombaughAmerican astronomer · b. 1906
Jerry WellerAmerican politician · b. 1957
C
Clarence E. MulfordAmerican writer · b. 1883
Burt BaskinAmerican businessman · b. 1913
E
Edward H. PlumbFilm score composer · b. 1907
E
Edward HebernAmerican cryptographer · b. 1869
The story

How Streator came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Streator.

Read it all →

Although settlements had occasionally existed in the area, they were not permanent. In 1824, surveyors for the Illinois and Michigan Canal which would extend from Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood to the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, arrived in this area of the Vermilion River, followed by homesteaders by the 1830s. In 1861, miner John O'Neill established a trading post called "Hardscrabble" (ironically an early name for the Bridgeport neighborhood), supposedly because he watched loaded animals struggle up the river's banks. Another name for the new settlement was "Unionville".

ChaptersPre-settlementCoal and cityhood2007 Comprehensive plan

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Streator, 1877–1912

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

B. Ryon, Mr. Walter Reeves and three or four other members of the Streator Improvement Association, now known as the Streator Commercial Club, and the result of this meeting is the presence of the Crawford Locomotive Sc Car Works in the city of Streator today. Mr. Crawford finds a place in this mem…
The story of Streator. Being an account of the growth of its institutions civic, social and industrial, with special reference to its manufacturing and business interests1912 · page 52Read the page →
Read the text

B. Ryon, Mr. Walter Reeves and three or four other members of the Streator Improvement Association, now known as the Streator Commercial Club, and the result of this meeting is the presence of the Crawford Locomotive Sc Car Works in the city of Streator today. Mr. Crawford finds a place in this memorial to Streator because he

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
and occupied. There are many inquiries, and no doubt it will be only a short time until this the purchaser. It is that policy pursued for over forty years that has made Streator a town of home owners. Under it forty-two additions to Streator have been laid out by Mr. Plumb and over 2,500 lots sold,…
The story of Streator. Being an account of the growth of its institutions civic, social and industrial, with special reference to its manufacturing and business interests1912 · page 122Read the page →
Read the text

and occupied. There are many inquiries, and no doubt it will be only a short time until this the purchaser. It is that policy pursued for over forty years that has made Streator a town of home owners. Under it forty-two additions to Streator have been laid out by Mr. Plumb and over 2,500 lots sold, not one of which has been the cause of dispute between buyer and

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Treasurer as entirely free from debt, without an outstanding order, and with $28,000 in the treasury, Several lines of railroad have been built within the last ten years, all centering in Streator: the road from Streator to Winona, now extended to Lacon ; the Paducah, running southeast from Streato…
History of LaSalle County, Illinois1877 · page 214Read the page →
Read the text

Treasurer as entirely free from debt, without an outstanding order, and with $28,000 in the treasury, Several lines of railroad have been built within the last ten years, all centering in Streator: the road from Streator to Winona, now extended to Lacon ; the Paducah, running southeast from Streator; the Chicago, Pekin & Southwestern; and the Fox River road, now leased and operated by the Chicago,

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

Streator, 1861 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1861
    FoundingStreator is established
  3. 1867Post officeThe Streator post office opens
  4. 1876In the archiveAtlas of LaSalle Co., and the state of Illinois: to which is added an atlas of the United…
  5. 1883Born hereClarence E. Mulford is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1900In the archiveMethodist church
  8. 1902BuiltStreator Public Library is built
  9. 1906Born hereClyde Tombaugh is born here
  10. 1910In the archive16th Bi-ennial Convention, K. and L. of H., Streator, Illinois, Oct. 17-21, 1910
  11. 1913Born hereBurt Baskin is born here
  12. 1925On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1943In the archiveStreator, Illinois. The coal chutes along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad betw…
  14. 1957Born hereJerry Weller is born here
  15. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 16,868
By decade

Streator, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s–1900s6 items
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…MapMethodist church1900Methodist churchViaduct at Streator, Ill1901Viaduct at Streator, IllBottleworks1901BottleworksViaduct and bottle works1901Viaduct and bottle worksBridge over Vermillion [sic] River at Streator, Ill1901Bridge over Vermillion [sic] River at Streator, Ill
1910s–1940s5 items
16th Bi-ennial Convention, K. and L. of H., Streator, Illinois, Oct. 17-21, 1910191016th Bi-ennial Convention, K. and L. of H., Streator,…16th Bi-ennial Convention, K. & L. of H191016th Bi-ennial Convention, K. & L. of HStreator, Illinois. The coal chutes along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad between Chicago and Chillicothe, I…1943Streator, Illinois. The coal chutes along the Atchiso…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Streator, Illinois. The coal chutes along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railro…1943Untitled photo, possibly related to: Streator, Illino…Streator (vicinity), Illinois. Passing an eastbound freight train on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad between…1943Streator (vicinity), Illinois. Passing an eastbound f…
1950s–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
On the map

Streator on the map in 1925

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Streator.

Streator 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 Streator.

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.

Methodist church
Retake this viewMethodist church, 1900

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in Streator

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Silas Williams House
Silas Williams HouseRuffin Drew Fletcher HouseStreator Public Library, built 1902
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne1
Stick1
Classical Revival1
Silas Williams HouseQueen Anne
Ruffin Drew Fletcher HouseStick
Streator Public LibraryClassical Revival · Built 1902

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

Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Streator’s post office has been open since 1867.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Delbert Egan Housing ProjectEvans Heights Housing ProjectSouth Streator
Gone or out of use
East Schoolschool
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Streator
Old Saint StephensRiverviewSaint MarysSaint Stephens

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

Help out

Finish Streator’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 viewMethodist church: 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.

Bruce Township3 historic placesAEagle TownshipIts storyB

Questions about Streator’s history

What year was Streator founded?

In 1861, according to Wikidata. Streator’s post office opened in 1867, and the census of 1870 counted 1,486 people here.

How does Streator rank for history?

Streator is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #213 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 Streator?

Three places: the Silas Williams House (listed 1976), the Ruffin Drew Fletcher House (1991) and the Streator Public Library (1996).

How old are the homes in Streator?

32% of Streator’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.8 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1954.

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 (2), the Library of Congress (9), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.