Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg is a city located in Knox County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 33,706. It is the county seat of Knox County{{GR|6}}.

History

Galesburg was founded by George Washington Gale, a minister of the gospel from New York state who dreamed of establishing a manual labor college which became Knox College. A committee from New York purchased 17 acres (69,000 m²) in Knox County in 1835, and the first 25 settlers arrived in 1836. They built cabins in Log City near current Lake Storey, just north of Galesburg.

Related Topics:
George Washington Gale - New York - College - Knox College - Acres - 1835 - 1836 - Lake Storey

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The city was home to the first anti-slavery society in state of Illinois founded in 1837, and was a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Related Topics:
1837 - Underground Railroad

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Galesburg was site of the fifth Lincoln-Douglas debate, at Old Main on the campus of Knox College, on October 7th, 1858.

Related Topics:
Lincoln-Douglas debate - Knox College - October 7th - 1858

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Throughout much of its history, Galesburg has been inextricably tied to the railroads. Local businessmen were major backers of the first railroad to connect Illinois' two biggest cities---Chicago and Quincy---as well as a third leg initially terminating across the river from Burlington, Iowa, eventually connecting to it via bridge and thence onward to the frontiers. The CB&Q sited major rail sorting yards here, including the first to use hump sorting. In the late 19th century, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway connected its service through to Chicago, it also laid track through Galesburg, making this city one of relatively few to be served by multiple railroads and even fewer to have multiple railroad depots. (Indeed, it was not until the 1990s that Amtrak finally closed the old Santa Fe depot and consolidated all passenger operations into the site of the former Burlington Northern depot.) A series of mergers eventually united both tracks under the ownership of BNSF Railway, carrying an average of seven trains per hour between them. As of the closing of the Maytag plant in fall of 2004, BNSF is once again the largest private employer in Galesburg.

Related Topics:
Chicago - Quincy - Burlington, Iowa - CB&Q - Hump sorting - Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway - 1990s - Amtrak - BNSF Railway - Maytag

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Recently, layoffs at Maytag and elsewhere have caused Galesburg to enter a period of high unemployment. The city is having some difficulty adjusting its economy to new post-industrial needs, although a popular "Get it in Galesburg" campaign has been somewhat successful at mitigating the worst effects by keeping dollars circulating locally as long as possible. The ultimate outcome of the adjustment remains to be seen, although the opening of several new small businesses is somewhat encouraging.

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