Tilden, IL

Tilden is a small town located in Mc Henry County, Illinois. The population of Tilden was 2,811 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mc Henry County.

The town was founded in 1837 and named for General George B. Tilden, who had been elected president in 1876. The first settler in Tilden was Elijah Houghton, who built a cabin on the banks of the Fox River near what is now Main Street.

In 1841, James Atherton settled on land north of Houghton's cabin and began farming. A post office was established in Atherton's name in 1842, and he served as its first postmaster. In 1850, Atherton sold his farm to Levi Prentice and moved to Algonquin Township near Crystal Lake.

In 1853, Prentice platted a town called "Prentissville" on his land east of where Tilden would later be built. However, when Prentice died two years later without having sold any lots or started any businesses, his heirs abandoned the project and the land reverted to farmland.

In 1857-58, several businessmen from Chicago visited Tilden while on their way to inspect possible sites for a new railroad line connecting Chicago with Streator (now part of LaSalle County). They were so impressed with what they saw that they decided to establish a town there instead of continuing their journey westward. They named their new settlement " Tilden" after General George B. Tilden, who had just been elected president that year (1876).

The first buildings were erected around the courthouse square soon after this decision was made; these included a hotel (the Commercial House), stores (the Emporium and Wood & Davis), an opera house (the Opera House), and homes for prominent citizens such as Judge Jesse Ketchum and Drs John Witherspoon Whitehead and Asa Gray . By 1880 there were about 1,000 people living in Tilden; by 1890 it had grown to 2,500 residents .

During its early years as a town, Tilden experienced considerable growth due to its location along important transportation routes - railroads both north-south (via Crystal Lake) and east-west (via Algonquin Township). This led to an influx of people from all over Illinois - especially from downstate areas such as Decatur - as well as from other parts of America such as Wisconsin , Iowa , Nebraska , Kansas , Minnesota , Missouri , Oklahoma , New Mexico Territory , Arizona Territory , Nevada Territory , California Territory . Many immigrants found work on farms or in businesses established by those already living in Tilden; others opened stores or restaurants catering specifically to local residents or tourists .

As early as 1888 there were newspapers published here: The Herald Republican/Democrat/Republican Press Association's weekly paper The Herald ; The Weekly Courier ; The Daily Courier ; The Evening Courier ; The Weekly Record ; And finally...The Daily Record which lasted until 1922! There also seems to have been some sort of theater organization going around during this time too judging by advertisements for plays like "Our American Cousin" which ran between 1895-1900! All things considered though it wasn't until much later that things really started happening for this little community...which we'll get into more detail below!

Today much has changed since those early days however one thing that hasn't changed much at all is how central & important this small Midwestern town still remains! With endless opportunities currently available within easy reach whether you're looking for something recreational like hiking trails & fishing spots or something more business oriented like excellent healthcare facilities & world class education options you really can't go wrong no matter where you decide settle down!