Editing Lanark, Illinois (section)

==History==
Under the auspices of the [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]] (Milwaukee Road), Daniel W. Dame purchased {{convert|500|acres}}, laid out the city of Lanark, and was elected its first mayor in 1861. In 1886, 40 residents each donated one dollar to form a public library, and a primary and secondary school was completed in August 1871. On November 25, 1893, the original school was destroyed by fire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id67.html|title = Lanark High School Beavers}}</ref>

Early in the Twentieth Century, Lanark was home to the [[Cotta (steam automobile company)|Cotta]] [[steam car]] company.<ref>[[Georgano, G.N.]] ''Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930''. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985).</ref>

In 1986 Lanark High School was consolidated with nearby Shannon High School to form the Eastland School District. The high school and grade school were originally located in Lanark, with the middle school in Shannon. After the end of the 2012–2013 school year, the Eastland School Board made the decision to close the Elementary building in Lanark, and move those students to the Shannon building. The Middle School students were then relocated to the High School building in Lanark, now known as the Eastland Jr/Sr High School.