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== Early history == The name "Somonauk" is of [[Potawatomi|Pottawatomie]] origin. The name is most likely derived from the phonetic phrase ''As-sim-in-eh-kon'', which translates to "pawpaw grove", in reference to the vast groves of [[Asimina|pawpaw trees]] that filled the area at that time.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyleecount01stevgoog/page/9/mode/1up|page=9|quote=as-sim-in-en-kon.|title=History of Lee County, Illinois|last=Stevens|first=Frank Everett|date=1914|publisher=S.J. Clarke Publishing Company|location=Chicago|access-date=July 19, 2022}}</ref> The [[Second Treaty of Prairie du Chien]], signed by General [[John McNeil Jr.]], Colonel [[Pierre Menard]], and [[Caleb Atwater]] for the United States on June 29, 1829, references four sections of land being reserved for Chief Awn-kote and his band of 171 villagers "at the village of Saw-meh-naug along the Fox and Illinois Rivers".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://treaties.okstate.edu/treaties/treaty-with-the-chippewa-etc.-1829.-(0297)|title=Treaty with the Chippewa, etc.|date=July 29, 1829 |work=Tribal Treaties Database|publisher=Oklahoma State University Libraries|access-date=July 19, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Indian Villages of the Illinois Country: Historic Tribes|last1=Temple|first1=Wayne C.|last2=Eggan|first2=Fred|publisher=Illinois State Museum|location=Springfield, Ill|orig-year=1958|year=1966 |oclc=399325|pages=148, 150}}</ref> The ''Saw-meh-naug'', along with the other Pottawatomie of the Illinois River (known as the Prairie Group), as well as the Sauk and the Chippewa, had aided the U.S. in the [[Black Hawk War]]. After the war, as a thanks to the Pottawatomie, the U.S. Government signed a treaty allowing the Prairie Group tribes to continue to hunt on U.S. land, outside of their allocated reservations. However, due to "rumors of the Pottawatomie being restless and committing depredations in the northern part of the state spreading to central Illinois", and white residents of the state feeling uncomfortable, the Governor "gave the Prairie Group an ultimatum to leave Illinois". By the end of December 1833, the Pottawatomie had left Illinois, and the settlements of the Pottawatomie were free to be claimed by white settlers.<ref name=":0" /> A few months later, in the spring of 1834, the first white settler in DeKalb County had set up shop along a tributary to the [[Fox River (Illinois River tributary)|Fox River]], and the name Somonauk was moved from the area of present-day [[Ottawa, Illinois|Ottawa]], to where Chicago Road, Governor Beveridge Highway, and Somonauk Creek meet. This is the area known as present-day "Franks". The simple log cabin was used as a station house along the [[Galena–Chicago trail|Chicago-Galena]] mail route between [[Aurora, Illinois|Aurora]] and [[Genoa, Illinois|Genoa]], and would eventually become property of the [[John Lourie Beveridge|Beveridge]] family. This cabin was the first post office in [[Somonauk Township, DeKalb County, Illinois|Somonauk Township]], and the area both east and west of Somonauk Creek would eventually have 30 settlers, establishing a Presbyterian Church in the same area as the present-day church, and a school house directly across from it on the west side of Governor Beveridge Highway.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Boies |first1=Henry L. |title=History of DeKalb County, Illinois |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofdekalbc00inboie |access-date=July 19, 2022 |oclc=729485151 |date=1868}}</ref> It's also widely known that this church was a stop on the [[Underground Railroad|underground railroad]]. Later, in 1836, the post office for the settlement of Somonauk was moved to the intersection of Chicago Road and Somonauk Road and the name would be changed to "Somonauk Crossing".<ref name=illinoisgenweb>{{Cite web|url=https://dekalb.illinoisgenweb.org/places.htm|title=DeKalb County ILGenWeb Place Names|website=dekalb.illinoisgenweb.org|access-date=August 20, 2019}}</ref> Another post office was established in 1850 on Somonauk Road at present-day Buck Lake, and was known as "Buck's Branch". In 1851, the CB&Q railroad finally made its way through the township, and in 1853, built a station along the line 5 miles south of the early settlement (now known as "Franks"), just north of the [[LaSalle County, Illinois|LaSalle]]/[[DeKalb County, Illinois|DeKalb]] County border. With that, the name "Somonauk" would make one final move to its current location, being in platted in 1855, and [[Incorporated town|incorporated]] in 1865.<ref name="ilarch"/> "Somonauk Crossing" then became known as "Freeland Corners".<ref name=illinoisgenweb/> The name of Buck's Branch would change to "Somonoc Depot" for a brief time before the post office was moved to the actual Somonauk railroad depot in December 1855.<ref name=illinoisgenweb/> The closing of "Freeland Corners" post office was such a hardship to the farmers of Freeland Corners and Somonauk Crossing, that they petitioned the Post Office Department to establish another office in the location of Frank Richey's creamers, and that it be called Frank's Post Office. A post office was established in November 1891, once again located in the area of Chicago Road and Somonauk Creek, this time, on the west side of Rimsnider Road, just north of the creek. The post office was discontinued in April 1902, lasting a mere 11 years.<ref name=illinoisgenweb/>
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