Editing Knox County, Illinois (section)

==History==
Knox County was named in honor of [[Henry Knox]], the first [[United States Secretary of War|US Secretary of War]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]] | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n176 177]}}</ref>

The first "Knox County" in what today is Illinois was unrelated to the modern incarnation. In 1790, the land of the Indiana Territory that was to become Illinois was divided into two counties: [[St. Clair County, Illinois|St. Clair]] and Knox. The latter included land in what was to become [[Indiana]]. When [[Knox County, Indiana|Knox County]], [[Indiana]], was formed from this portion of the county in 1809, the Illinois portions were subdivided into counties that were given other names.

The modern Knox County, Illinois, was organized in 1825, from [[Fulton County, Illinois|Fulton County]], itself a portion of the original St. Clair County.

Like its neighbor to the south, Fulton County, for its Spoon River Drive, Knox County is also known for a similar scenic drive fall festival the first two weekends in October, the Knox County Drive.

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File:Knox County Illinois 1825.png|Knox County between its creation in 1825 and 1831
File:Knox County Illinois 1831.png|Knox County between 1831 and 1839
File:Knox County Illinois 1839.png|Knox County in 1839, when it was reduced slightly to its current size
</gallery>