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West Point Township, Stephenson County, Illinois

Coordinates: 42°25′02″N 89°52′10″W / 42.41722°N 89.86944°W / 42.41722; -89.86944
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West Point Township
Township
Location in Stephenson County
Location in Stephenson County
Coordinates: 42°25′02″N 89°52′10″W / 42.41722°N 89.86944°W / 42.41722; -89.86944
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyStephenson
Government
 • SupervisorJohn Murrell
Area
 • Total35.76 sq mi (92.6 km2)
 • Land35.7 sq mi (92 km2)
 • Water0.07 sq mi (0.2 km2)  0.2%
Elevation
1,086 ft (331 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Estimate 
(2016)[1]
3,236
 • Density94.4/sq mi (36.4/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
FIPS code17-177-80788

West Point Township is located in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,369 and it contained 1,483 housing units.[2] The village of Lena, the unincorporated community of Waddams Grove, and two former communities of Louisa and West Point were all located in this township.

Geography

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West Point is Township 28 North, Range 5 (part) and 6 (part) East of the Fourth Principal Meridian.

According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of 35.76 square miles (92.6 km2), of which 35.7 square miles (92 km2) (or 99.83%) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2) (or 0.2%) is water.[2]

Stagecoach inns

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The Buckhorn Inn, a log building, was built in 1838 in Alida, now Lena, along the Old State Road number 2, now called the Stagecoach Trail. It was a stop for the Frink, Walker & Company stage line that operated from Chicago to Galena 1839–1854. The building was demolished and replaced by Dodd's Inn in 1848.[3]

Dodd's Inn was built by Samuel Dodds on the Buckhorn Inn site in 1848 as a stage inn for Frink, Walker & Company. From 1854 to 1857 the stone building was used as a post office. It is now a residence on Lena Street in Lena.[4]

The Thomas S. French home and stagecoach stop (Section 19) was built after 1837 along the Old State Road number 2, now called the Stagecoach Trail. The stone house was a stop for the Frink, Walker & Company stage line. The stone stage barn across the road from the house was later demolished. The house is southeast of Waddams Grove and northwest of Five Corners intersection.[5]

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
2016 (est.)3,236[1]
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place -- 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  3. ^ History of Stephenson County 1970. Freeport, Illinois: County of Stephenson, 1972. p. 221.
  4. ^ History of Stephenson County 1970 (1972) p. 222.
  5. ^ History of Stephenson County 1970 (1972) p. 214.
  6. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
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