What is the history of Milan, Illinois?
The village is on the Rock River (Illinois)Rock River in northwest Illinois, about 4 miles upstream of its outlet to the Mississippi. The village is the site of the south campsites which comprised the Sauk and Fox village of Saukenuk, once the second-largest Native American inhabitation in North America. The current village name, Milan, pronounced “MY-lenn”, is in homage to the first name of one of village founder George Camden’s sons. It is not related however, to Milan (“Me-LAWN”), Italy. Originally platplatted along the right-of-way for the Hennepin Canal, in 1837, the village site was called in land speculation papers “Hampton” (not the town in Illinois, approximately 13 miles north-northeast, on the Mississippi River–see Hampton, Illinois for more). “Hampton’s” land speculators, George Camden and Franklin Vandruff, sold land along the Rock River, along a north-west flowing creek, which was re-routed north into the Rock’s main channel. Along Mill Creek, the industries of wool-card
