Kewanee

Kewanee

Kewanee, city, Henry county, northwestern Illinois, U.S. It lies about 45 miles (70 km) northwest of Peoria. Potawatomi, Winnebago, Sauk, and Fox Indians were early inhabitants of the area. Kewanee was laid out in 1854 in anticipation of the arrival of the railroad. Some of the early inhabitants desired that the settlement be named Berrien, in honour of the engineer who built the railroad, but the engineer instead suggested Kewanee, a Winnebago word meaning “Prairie Chicken” (then plentiful in the area). In 1924 Kewanee absorbed the nearby community of Wethersfield (founded 1836), which had declined when it was bypassed by the railroad. The local economy is based on agriculture (notably hogs) and manufacturing (heating equipment, heavy machinery, doors and windows, truck trailers, and leather apparel). Black Hawk (community) College–East Campus was established south of Kewanee in 1967. Designated the “Hog Capital of the World” by the Illinois state legislature in 1948, Kewanee hosts an annual hog festival (over Labor Day weekend). Johnson–Sauk Trail State Park is north of the city. Inc. village, 1872; city, 1897. Pop. (2000) 12,944; (2010) 12,916.