Welcome
Richard Oglesby
Welcome to the official website for the City of Oglesby, where rivers and friends meet. Oglesby is one of the nicest towns filled with some of the kindest people you will ever meet.
Our City’s history has been based, first on coal, then on the cement industries. Although still grounded in the cement industry our immediate proximity to Interstates 80 and 39 positions us as an excellent location for the distribution industry.
Additionally, we are located within 5 miles of three state parks, at the confluence of three rivers, which provide excellent fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and rafting. This along with fine golf courses, riding stables, and extensive wooded areas, offers the outdoor enthusiast many recreational opportunities.
Although our community is the smallest of the three in the immediate Illinois Valley, it offers us a small town atmosphere yet gives us access to many amenities such as a shopping mall, fine restaurants, hospitals, great schools including a community college, professional services, and some of the finest parks in the area.
We encourage you to visit Oglesby, where you will find us situated in the middle of many diverse things to do. Should you like to know more about Oglesby, just follow the links provided, or better yet, join us at some of our activities listed on the site.
Discover Oglesby
The north-flowing Vermilion River and the south-flowing Middle Fork Vermilion River run on what is close to a straight line between Oglesby and Danville. Photo courtesy Vermillion Photography
As Oglesby enters the new millennium, the City is well positioned for expansion and growth. Under the capable leadership of Mayors Kamnikar, Pittman, Cullinan, and Scott, and their respective city commissioners, the geographical size of the city has doubled during the last twenty five years. The city limits now extend west across Route 251 and include Illinois Valley Community College and Cedar Creek Subdivision and south to include the Lone Star property, formerly Marquette Cement Company. Each of these City Councils has made significant contributions to the reshaping of the City in the last quarter century.
Rightfully called “The Shortcut to Starved Rock and “The Closest City to Starved Rock”, Oglesby enjoys a strategic position in the Illinois to take advantage of the tourist trade that Starved Rock Generates. Oglesby is conveniently “stuck” between the proverbial “Rock” and the “Hard Place” (the concrete surface of I-39). This prime location will bring people to the area looking for places to stay and eat.
The population of Oglesby is approximately 3619.
The approximate number of families is 1591.
The amount of land area in Oglesby is 9.127 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0 sq kilometers.
The distance from Oglesby to Washington DC is 681 miles. The distance to the Illinois state capital is 109 miles.
Oglesby is positioned 41.29 degrees north of the equator and 89.06 degrees west of the prime meridian.
Shown to the left: Governor Richard Oglesby, for whom the City of Oglesby was named (1824-1899) was a Union general in the American Civil War and an Illinois political leader. His birthplace was Oldham Co., Kentucky.
He moved to Decatur, Illinois where he became a lawyer. Oglesby fought in the Mexican War and went to California in the gold rush, but in 1851 he resumed his practice in Decatur. In the Civil War he rose to be a major general of volunteers.
He fought under Ulysses S. Grant at Belmont and Fort Donelson and was severely wounded at Corinth (1862). Resigning his commission in 1864, he served as governor of Illinois (1865-69, 1873), U.S. Senator (1873-79), and again governor (1885-89).
For more information about what is going on in Oglesby now see the Calendar of Events.
For more details surrounding the history of Oglesby visit our History page.
Explore Surrounding Areas
Richard Oglesby
What better way to stir up those dormant Fall feelings than enjoying a night with the family, huddled around a bonfire, roasting hotdogs and s’mores?
Oglesby’s Harvest Fest, taking place this Saturday, October 1st, is crowned with just such a quintessential scene. The wiener roast—and accompanying family activities—will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. behind the Dickenson House.
Not one to get too excited about s’mores? Don’t worry, the daylong Harvest Fest features a little something for everyone.
Get your day off to a healthy start by joining the Holy Family School’s 5K run/walk. The race follows the Turkey Trot route, starting and ending at Holy Family School. Late registration begins at 9 a.m. with the race stepping off at 10 a.m.
Then, at 11 a.m., children can register for a chalk drawing contest at City Hall. Youngsters can enter their chalk masterpieces for noon judging and be in the running for prizes.
Want to protect your little artists and yourself from the flu as that fall chill sets in? Be sure to also stop by the IVCH flu shot clinic, located at City Hall from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Flu shots cost $25.
You can admire the chalk drawings on your way to Harvest Marketplace, a smattering of vendors with offerings ranging from fresh produce to handmade items. Many of your favorite faces from Farmers Market will be there, along with some newcomers. Come browse their wares from noon to 4 p.m. in the grassy lot downtown. The sidewalks will also be dotted with merchant sales.
Bruce Korosa and his polka band will provide the theme music for your shopping, as they entertain guests from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Bring along a lawn chair or blanket and take in their fun sounds!
Meanwhile, Courtyard Park will play host to a custom car show, running from 1 to 7 p.m. Come check what’s under the hood of some pretty impressive automobiles.
Beware scrambling, costumed twosomes if you’re out and about around 2 p.m. Or, better yet, join the fun and register for the city’s second Scarecrow Scramble. The Scramble, the city’s version of Amazing Race thrown together with an old-fashioned scavenger hunt, boasts of an even better lineup of challenges and a top prize that’s sure to get people scrambling—the winners will tote home a hefty $300 cash prize. Pre-race registration is $15 a team; race day entry—which begins at 1 p.m.—runs $20. Handsome second- and third-place prizes, plus cash for the first youth team to cross the line and the best-dressed pair, make this an event you won’t want to miss.
The last leg of the Scramble may very well end just as the final leg of the Harvest Fest begins. Earlybirds to the 4 p.m. family activities—and aforementioned wiener roast—are encouraged to cheer the teams on as they race to the finish line at the Dickenson House. After the beleaguering race, contestants may very well need your applause!
Kids can work up an appetite as they tour emergency vehicles the Firefighters Association will have on display. A number of opportunities to make crafts—including foam fall-themed picture frames, felt owl pins, beaded necklaces, and bejeweled felt leaves—await eager hands. Pumpkins, a big hit last year, are free for the decorating. Families can board a horse-drawn wagon ride or settle around the campfire for family-friendly stories by storyteller Tricia Kelley.
This host of activities and dinner around the campfire welcome the kiddos at a rather small price—kids are $3 each, or bring the whole family for only $10.
Do you have questions about the Harvest Fest or find yourself eager to join in the Scrambling? Contact City Hall for more information or Scramble entry forms.
Click here for the Scarecrow Scramble Rules
Click here for the Scarecrow Scramble Entry Form
Click here for the Scarecrow Scramble Accident Waiver
