Editing Toluca, Illinois (section)

==History==
Toluca was established in 1887 as a stop on the [[Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway]], on land owned by Marshall County native William Twist. In that year, local farmers led by Twist requested that the railroad make Toluca a regular stop. Their request was granted. With the backing of a Chicago firm, a [[grain elevator]] was built and maintained by Thomas Colehower of [[Long Point, Illinois]]. Colehower built the first house in the area of Toluca now called Old Town. In 1892, the Devlin Coal Company began mining coal at Toluca.<ref name="HTC">[http://genealogytrails.com/ill/marshall/toluca.html The History of Toluca<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=March 2010}}

The population of Toluca increased, and by 1894 it was incorporated as a city. Its growth continued, fueled by immigrants from [[Poland]], [[Italy]], and [[Lithuania]] who came to work in the coal mines.<ref name="HTC"/>{{Unreliable source?|date=March 2010}} In 1900, it had approximately 2,629 inhabitants. But by 1924, the coal mines were unprofitable and they closed down. The population shrank drastically as a result.<ref name="DecennialCensus"/>

Miners from Toluca led a mob for the [[lynching of F. W. Stewart]] at Lacon on November 7, 1898.<ref>{{cite news |title=Miners Hang a Negro at Lacon |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76621703/lacon-lynchingchicago-daily-tribune/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=November 8, 1898 |accessdate=January 31, 2022}}</ref>