Editing Pecatonica, Illinois (section)

== History ==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2012}}
The village was named after the [[Pecatonica River]], which forms its northern border.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chicago and North Western Railway Company|title=A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OspBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA112|year=1908|page=112}}</ref> The word ''Pecatonica'' is an anglicization of two [[Algonquin language|Algonquian language]] words; ''Bekaa'' (or ''Pekaa'' in certain dialects), which means ''slow'' and ''niba'', which means ''water''; forming the conjunction ''Bekaaniba'' or ''Slow Water''. [[United States Civil War|Civil War]] records from the state of Illinois<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/GenealogyMWeb/civilwar.html |title=Civil War records of Illinois |access-date=November 4, 2005 |archive-date=January 8, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060108060059/http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/GenealogyMWeb/civilwar.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> include soldiers from "Lysander", the area's common name before incorporation by [[History of rail transport in the United States|rail speculators]].

The [[Galena and Chicago Union Railroad]], later the Chicago & North Western Railroad, came through in 1853 from Chicago and continued to [[Freeport, Illinois]]. That sparked the town to be the center of commerce for western Winnebago County. The Village of Pecatonica was incorporated in 1869, built on territory rightfully owned by Indians and previously deeded to the Reed family by US President [[James K. Polk]]. C.W. Knowlton opened his first bank here in 1882 and built a Queen Anne Victorian house on Main Street,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.colini.com/608d.jpg |title=Knowlton's Queen Anne Victorian house on Main Street |access-date=September 28, 2021}}</ref> on the hill overlooking the business district. This house still stands, after having been restored starting in the mid-1980s.

An electric [[interurban]] line known as the [[Rockford and Interurban Railway|Rockford & Interurban]] ran from Rockford through [[Winnebago, Illinois]] and Pecatonica to [[Ridott, Illinois]] and on to Freeport, starting in 1902, until the line's eventual abandonment in 1930.<ref name=Carlson2006>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.shore-line.org/_pdfs/rockford_winter05_06_F&F.pdf |title=A Capsule History of the Rockford & Interurban |date=Winter 2005–2006 |magazine=First & Fastest |publisher=Shore Line Interurban Historical Society |last=Carlson |first=Norman |pages=10–15 |access-date=September 28, 2021 |quote=A 121-series car is at the Pecatonica station, circa 1905. Going west on the line to Freeport from Rockford, the two major towns that the rail-way served were Winnebago and Pecatonica.}}</ref> A small depot building<ref name=Carlson2006 /> remains standing near the 300 block of Main Street. For the portion of the rail line between Pecatonica and Winnebago, the line often parallels the Pecatonica River.

This route has since been reclaimed as a nature trail known as the Prairie Path, called in 2021 the Pecatonica Prairie Trail, for walking and biking (non-motorized), with maps shown online.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aeroinc.net/pecweb/bikepath.htm |title=Prairie Path |access-date=July 18, 2006 |archive-date=June 25, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060625072034/http://www.aeroinc.net/pecweb/bikepath.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=TrailLink>{{cite web |url=https://www.traillink.com/trail/pecatonica-prairie-trail/ |title=Pecatonica Prairie Trail Illinois |work=TrailLink, Rails to Trails Conservancy |access-date=September 28, 2021 |quote=latest comment posted November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://pecatonicaprairietrail.com/ |title=Pecatonica Prairie Trail |work=Pecatonica Prairie Path Commission |access-date=September 28, 2021}}</ref> The village of Winnebago has also published a brochure of the trail which can be viewed online.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://villageofwinnebago.com/uploads/PPT-map.pdf |title=Pecatonica Prairie Trail brochure |work=Village of Winnebago |access-date=September 28, 2021}}</ref>

Prior to rail traffic, this region of Northern Illinois received [[stagecoach]] traffic. A [[limestone]] house on Comly Road dates to this period, and there are permanent wagon wheel scars near a utility building for the 12 Mile Grove Cemetery, which is just hundreds of feet from the current corridor used by [[U.S. Route 20 in Illinois|U.S. Route 20]], a major east–west route through Northern Illinois. Further west, Route 20 parallels more roads which sometime bear the phrase "[[Stagecoach Trail]]".