A history of Aledo,
since 1855
Postcards, papers and photographs of Aledo from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Aledo was established in the 1850s when the Great Western Railroad was extended to that point. It was briefly named "DeSoto", after Hernando de Soto, until the discovery of an identically named village in Jackson County. "Aledo" likely derives from John S. Thompson who, reportedly, saw the name Aledo (a municipality in Spain) in Webster's Dictionary. Development began in the 1850s, and the oldest surviving buildings date from the following decade. A post office has been in operation at Aledo since September 24, 1856. In 1857, the county seat was moved to Aledo from Millersburg after a countywide referendum. Aledo was incorporated on August 15, 1863. In the 1950s, the first Tastee-Freez in the United States was built in the downtown. The Downtown Aledo Historic District was established in 2016, with 75 contributing historic buildings in the downtown area.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Aledo’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewSign pasted on building, 1936: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Aledo
See all 11 →
Aledo, decade by decade
LOCSign pasted on building1936
LOCUnloading hogs at the stockyards1936
LOCAuctioneer at country auction near Aledo, Illinois1936
LOCFarmer handpicking corn near Aledo, Mercer County, Illinois1936
LOCClerk at country auction sale near Aledo, Illinois1936
LOCSmalltown volunteer fire department at work. Aledo, Illinois1936
LOCA fire in a residence1936
LOCScene at country auction near Aledo, Mercer County, Illinois1936
LOCTypes of farmers at country auction near Aledo, Illinois1936
LOCStockyard attendants herding hogs into pens at stockyards1936
LOCFarmers sawing wood for fuel in timber near Aledo, Illinois1936
LOCFarmers sawing wood for fuel in timber near Aledo, Illinois1936
LOCFarmers on front of lunch shed, country auction1936
LOCUntitled photo, possibly related to: Sign pasted on building1936
LOCType of stock farmer at weighing-in room, stockyards1936
LOCThe weighmaster, his assistant and customers, weighing-in r…1936
LOCClerks and clients at the weighing-in room, stockyards1936
LOCFarmers in shed at country auction near Aledo, Mercer Count…1936
LOCFarmers at country auction near Aledo, Mercer County, Illin…1936
LOCA farmer at a country auction near Aledo, Mercer County, Il…1936
LOCA farmer at a country auction near Aledo, Mercer County, Il…1936
LOCParading a mule to be auctioned at country auction near Ale…1936
LOCFarmers in front of lunch shed, country auction1936
LOCUntitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer handpicking cor…1936
LOCUntitled photo, possibly related to: Farmer handpicking cor…1936
LOCStreet scene. Aledo, Illinois1937
LOCSows on scales. Aledo, Illinois stockyards1937
LOCAttendants at the stockyard1937
LOCCattle being unloaded from a truck. Aledo, Illinois19371990s
3 historic places in Aledo
Aledo has 3 listings on the National Register, and they protect 77 historic buildings, because Downtown Aledo Historic District alone counts 75.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Sign pasted on building (1936) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom the Library of Congress (29) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.