Editing Carlock, Illinois (section)

===Oak Grove and Carlock===
Carlock was laid out on January 5, 1888, by John Franklin Carlock.<ref>''Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of McLean County'' (Edited by Ezra M. Prince and John H. Burnham; 2 vols; Chicago: Munsell 1908) 2:902.</ref> Mr. Carlock owned {{convert|160|acre}} of land. One {{convert|80|acre|adj=on}} tract was used to plat the original village of Carlock. It was located south of the hard road, Route 9 (now [[U.S. Route 150]]), connecting Bloomington and [[Peoria, Illinois|Peoria]].<ref>''History of the Carlock Family'' - Marion Pomeroy Carlock - Published 1929</ref> It was one of the last towns platted in McLean County.<ref>The only towns laid out after Carlock were Junction City in February 1903, which was an addition to Bloomington, Illinois; [[Meadows, Illinois|Meadows]] in May 1903; and [[Woodruff, Illinois|Woodruff]] in October 1904, which never developed any urban functions and is now completely gone.</ref> Just northeast of the present location of Carlock the main road from Bloomington to Peoria, which was locally known as the Old Trail passed or the Old Peoria Trail, ascended a low range of wooded hills. This location had long been of interest to townsite developers. The first attempt was made by local farmer John McGee, who in 1838 laid out the town of Livingston; it consisted of seven blocks and a town square. Livingston was a total failure. McGee was unable to sell a single lot.<ref>Sublett, Michael D., William D. Walters, Jr. and Suthard Modry, ''Commentary on a Conrnbelt Countryside'' (Normal: Department of Geography - Geology, 1973) pp. 58-59.</ref> The second attempt at town founding was more successful. By the 1850s a small cluster of houses and stores had begun to cluster just west of McGee's townsite. In 1866 a post office was established with the name Oak Grove. On July 17, 1879, an official town plat was filed. Soon there were about twenty dwellings, a large town hall, two general stores, a blacksmith shop, a steam-driven mill, a harness and shoe shop, and a brass band.<ref>''Historical Encyclopedia'', 1908, 2:902.</ref>  One reporter wrote that all the town needed "is a railroad".<ref>''[[The Pantagraph|Pantagraph]]'' Bloomington, Illinois, May 18, 1886, p.3.</ref>