A beautiful country landscape - just north of Dixon.

Welcome to Lee County

+ click to enlarge

Nestled in the rolling hills of Northwest Illinois sits Lee County with it’s historic roots and beautiful pastoral landscapes. We’re talking about real country living - sweet corn, antique tractors, blue ribbon county fairs, lazy river pontoon boating - it’s all here, just a two hour drive from Chicago. With it’s four campgrounds, three award winning Hotels and Bed and Breakfast, Lee County shares it charm and country hospitality with you. view more accommodations

History - 180 Years in the Making

+ click to enlarge

Settlers started to move into Lee County in the late 1820s as it sat on the trail between Peoria (to the Southeast) and the lead mines of Galena (to the Northwest). In 1930 a man named John Dixon settled on the banks of the Rock River and operated Dixon’s Ferry. Later, that settlement became known as the town of Dixon. Today, it’s not hard to drive around and see the remnants of this fantastic history.

For Love of the Rails

+ click to enlarge

The Amboy Depot Museum is located in a former depot and division headquarters of the Illinois Central Railroad located in Amboy, Illinois. The building, originally built in 1876, is an architecturally unique two-story building built of brick and cut Joliet limestone and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s been lovingly restored both inside and out, including the original brick tarmac surrounding the depot and the grounds of the former rail-yard, now preserved as a city park. Also reconstructed were the distinctive chimney caps on the building's eight chimneys, fully restoring the building to its original exterior configuration. Within the museum are artifacts of both the history of Amboy and the Illinois Central Railroad. The last weekend in August every year the town of Amboy holds it Depot Days which includes one of the Midwest’s largest car, truck and motorcycle show. It’s not to be missed.

Life in the 1860s

+ click to enlarge

Visit this evolving, full-scale historical restoration project depicting a prairie settlement typical of the middle 19th century. The village is being developed around a crossroads as many small communities did at that time. The name for the village, "Chaplin", comes from the first settlement in the area, which was just north of the historic site at the intersection of Lahman and State streets in the Village of Franklin Grove. Plan to attend the amazing Civil War Reenactment and Living History Weekend and immerse yourself in life as it was in the 1860s. It's held on the last weekend in June.

A Natural Attraction

+ click to enlarge

Seen as an oasis to early settlers, the Franklin Creek State Natural Area, offered a cool escape to the summer heat of prairie life. The beautiful Franklin Creek Flows throughout the 644-acre park and includes several large natural springs, hardwood forest, bedrock outcroppings, and a large variety of flora and fauna comprise a pristine ecosystem. Also here are hoseback/equestrian trails, hiking trails, hunting, fishing and the Franklin Creek Grist Mill. This wonderful recreation of the original mill sits in the park and offers up-close educational opportunities to see how this water-run grist mill works.

Lincoln in Uniform

+ click to enlarge

In 1832 a 23 year old Abraham Lincoln served in the Illinois Militia as a captain and was stationed at Fort Dixon during the Black Hawk War of 1832. The first battle of this war saw action for the troops mustered in Dixon as a band of 12 militia were killed holding a hill in Stillman Valley (north of Dixon in Ogle County). Lincoln was in the burial detail that was dispatched to the battle-site to bury the dead. Twenty years later Lincoln would routinely visit the area as a politician that would eventually lead to his election as our nation’s 16th president. Today you can see a famous statue of that young Captain Lincoln standing on the banks of the Rock River in Dixon. It is the only statue in existence to feature Lincoln in uniform.

Reagan's Boyhood Home

+ click to enlarge

Lincoln wouldn’t be the only future American president to call Dixon their home. In 1920 the Reagan family moved to town with their son Ronald who would become the 40th President of the United States. For Ronald, Dixon became his boyhood home where he grew into adulthood and became a member of the community. Reagan’s footsteps can still be seen in and around Dixon as you can visit the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home, the newly restored Dixon High School, and Lowell Park where Reagan saved 77 lives working as a lifeguard on the Rock River.

view more attractions