The story
Read it all →How Winnebago came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Winnebago.
James Weber Linn (1876–1939), educator and politician, was born in Winnebago.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
B−History
History · Winnebago
Winnebago dates to 1835, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #382 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Below: maps from 1959 on and the census since 1880.
1835founded
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Quick answers
How Winnebago began
When was Winnebago founded?
1835
Winnebago dates its founding to 1835 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.
First census: 504 in 18802020 census: 2,940191 years
How historic is Winnebago?
B−
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 52% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1871.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Winnebago’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Winnebago is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #382 of 768 in Illinois. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Winnebago’s overall grade.
Founding era1835, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194012.0% of homes (±4.5) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%B−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IL town 0.5 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 52%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 50%
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 Winnebago’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1835.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.5 points).
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 Winnebago’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Winnebago’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Winnebago’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Timeline
Winnebago, 1835 to 1959
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1835FoundingWinnebago is established
- 1871Post officeThe Winnebago post office opens
- 20th century
- 1930Born hereHattie Peterson is born here
- 1935Born hereJoan Kaufman is born here
- 1941
Born hereCarol S. Bruch is born here - 1959
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
From the old history books
What they wrote about Winnebago, 1877–1892
Passages that mention Winnebago, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The History of Winnebago County, Illinois1877 · page 246Read the page →
Read the text
County," appeared and presented their report, to which reference has already been made, Charles Reed next presented a deed from Nicholas Boilvin & Co., to the County of Winnebago, for thirty acres of land at the town of Winnebago, for the use of the public buildings of the county, as required by the act of the Legislature creating the county, establishing the county seat, etc.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Portrait and biographical record of Winnebago and Boone counties, Illinois, containing biographical sketches of prominent1892 · page 383Read the page →
Read the text
and it was there that Mr. Harris was emploj'ed in a machine shop for three years. During that time, however, he purchased a tract of wild prairie land in Winnebago Township, and in 1858 located on the place and engaged in farming until 1881, when, as bef<n'e stated, he came to Winnebago village.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Portrait and biographical record of Winnebago and Boone counties, Illinois, containing biographical sketches of prominent1892 · page 1249Read the page →
Read the text
In June, 1856, Mr. Day came to Winnebago County, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres in Winnebago Township and resided until 1865. His next purchase was the farm he now occupies, which joins that portion of Rockford known as the Seminary Tract. Thirty acres of the estate have been laid out in city lots, while the value of the place has been materially increased by its prox-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The History of Winnebago County, Illinois1877 · page 429Read the page →
Read the text
a healthy and beneficial influence in religious and political circles. He was a generous and hospitable citizen, and strangers and neighbors always found a warm welcome at his table and at his fireside. David C. Lewis came here from Michigan, in 1845, and commenced life among the Winnebago settlers by working for fifty cents per day. Afterwards he worked at hii> trade, that of carpenter, and subsequently moved into the village of Winnebago, and probably did more in the way of building, to improve the town, than any one man.
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.
By decade
Winnebago, decade by decade
2012
2007
2007
2007
2007On the map
Winnebago on the map, 1959 to 1971
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Winnebago. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1959Winnebago sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Winnebago.
People over time
Winnebago, census by census
Between 405 and 3,101 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Winnebago’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →3 famous people were born in Winnebago
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Questions about Winnebago’s history
What year was Winnebago founded?
In 1835, according to Wikidata. Winnebago’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1880 counted 504 people here.
How does Winnebago rank for history?
Winnebago is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #382 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.
How old are the homes in Winnebago?
12% of Winnebago’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1985.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (5), 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.