Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Joslyn
1870–1878
Osborn
1870–1921
Joslin
1878–1931
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
JoslinOsborn
Gone or out of use
Joslin SchoolschoolLeafy Bower SchoolschoolRose Hill SchoolschoolWillow Vale SchoolschoolZuma ChurchchurchZuma Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Zuma Township
Mount PleasantSchaefer FamilyZuma
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Zuma Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Zuma Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Zuma Township is located in Rock Island County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 757 and it contained 315 housing units. Zuma Township was originally named Walker Township, but was renamed on October 1, 1857.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 757 to 705 (-7%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Zuma Township, 1885–1908
Passages that mention Zuma Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
dent and land owner of the locality. The village is not incorporated. It is situated in the southern part of Zuma Township, near Rock River and on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and near the old Cleveland ferry crossing. The postoffice, railroad depot and half a dozen houses constitute the village. At one time years ago the Sterling
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Portrait and biographical album of Rock Island County, Illinois1885 · page 811Read the page →
Read the text
Zuma Township was organized in 1857. It comprises a part of township 18, range 2 east, and is bounded on the east by Canoe Creek and Rock River, on the west by Hampton Township, on the north by Coe Township, and on the south by Rock River.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The first white child born in what is now Zuma Township was Mary Ann Sturdivan; the first white boy was L. \\'. Beal, long afterwards colonel in the army. The first school house was built in 1854. It is known as the Wake school house and is where all the elections are held. The first frame house built was by Mr. Center on what is known as
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
Zuma Township, 1870 to 1931
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 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.
