Great River Road, 2016

Wood River

December 15, 2017

Last modified: January 30, 2018

In 1804, Thomas Rattan was the first American to settle in the Wood River area. Numerous towns were established and then abandoned in the area in the 19th century, including Milton, Chippewa, Gibraltar, and St. Mary’s.((History of Madison County, Illinois, Illustrated. With Biographical Sketches of many Prominent Men and Pioneers (Edwardsville: W. R. Brink and Company, 1882), 418.)) Wood River was incorporated as a village on June 16, 1911 and was incorporated as a city in 1923.((Flagg, James S., editor, Our 150 Years, 1812-1962. (Edwardsville: East 10 Publishing, 1962.), 61; Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, Population Volume I (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1931), 303.)) In 1910 Wood River had a population of 84, and by 1930 it had 8,136 residents.((Fifteenth Census of the United States, 303.)) As of the 2010 census, the city of Wood River has a population of 10,657.((Illinois: 2010, Summary Population and Housing Characteristics, 2010 Census of Population and Housing (Washington: Bureau of the Census, 2012), 156.))

Wood River in 2017
From the Maps & Plats GIS Division of the Madison County Chief County Assessment Office

To access the city of Wood River’s website, follow this link.

Cite this article: Nichol Allen and Ben Ostermeier, "Wood River," Madison Historical: The Online Encyclopedia and Digital Archive for Madison County, Illinois, last modified January 30, 2018, https://madison-historical.siue.edu/encyclopedia/wood-river/.
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