Editing Elizabeth, Illinois (section)

==History==
Prior to European contact, the area where the village stands today was inhabited by the people of the [[Sac and Fox Nation]]. It is believed that white settlers had moved into the area starting in the early 1800s due to the prominence of [[lead]] in the earth. These mines that were built in Jo Daviess County are considered to be what triggered the 1832 [[Black Hawk War]] and the devastating [[Bad Axe Massacre]]. The [[Apple River Fort]] was built in response to this conflict and on June 24 a [[Battle of Apple River Fort|battle]] ensued. The injury and death toll is unknown.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of the Apple River Fort |url=https://www.appleriverfort.org/history |website=Apple River Fort State Historic Site |publisher=Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Sites |access-date=December 2, 2024}}</ref> This is considered the last Native American offensive battle east of the [[Mississippi River]].

During the battle, it is thought that a woman named [[Elizabeth Armstrong (settler)|Elizabeth Armstrong]] rallied the locals of the fort to continue the fight and assist the soldiers in any way they could. As a result of the bravery of her and the other women in the camp, the community was renamed from simply the Apple River Settlement to Elizabeth.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elizabeth History |url=https://www.villageofelizabethil.com/community/elizabeth-history.html#:~:text=The%20Village%20of%20Elizabeth%20is,attacked%20the%20Apple%20River%20Fort. |website=Elizabeth |publisher=Village of Elizabeth |access-date=December 2, 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Elizabeth station.jpg|thumb|left|[[Chicago Great Western Railroad Depot|Elizabeth station]] seen c. 1900]]
Elizabeth was incorporated as a village in 1868.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Elizabeth |url=https://www.villageofelizabethil.com/community/about-elizabeth.html |website=Elizabeth |publisher=Village of Elizabeth |access-date=December 2, 2024}}</ref>

In 1878 the [[Chicago Great Western Railroad]] was built through the area which caused an increase in population. Elizabeth station exists to this day and it was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1996.