Randolph County ILGenWeb
In this township Heacock (north) and Horse (SW) Prairies are located. The Kaskaskia (Okaw) River runs through the township. Settlers came early, Absalom Cox came from Abbeville, SC and claim #1044, and his sons were John M. and William Cox. Absalom established ca1804, COX'S FERRY across the Kaskaskia River at a place about six miles above the present village of Evansville. The FERRY remained an important crossing place on the Kaskaskia for many years. Other early settlers were William McBride, Robert McDonald and James Thompson. Archibald Thompson settled on Heacock Prairie about 1822. George Wilson also settled on Heacock in 1827. George and James Wilson settled just south of present day Baldwin. George died there in 1856. John Adams came to Sec 20 in 1822, where he died in 1831. By 1822 other families where on Heacock Prairie: James Bean, Thomas McBride, and James Redpath.
Baldwin was est. 1873 by the Cario and St. Louis RR as a stop or station. It was formerly named Cobb. There was a Post Office est. there in 1857 long before the RR.
Grigg is located in Sec 7 & 8, on Rt. 154. When the St. Louis-Cario RR made the area a stop, S. E. Grigg of Sparta opened a store and a grain elevator there. The Post Office was est. 1904-1906. After this the RR made the small town a flag stop. Today there are a few houses there.
James or Rawligen Ralls founded Ralls Ridge in 1804. It seems this was more the Ralls family homestead than a town. It is now a part of the wildlife refuge.
Lafayette on located on the Kaskaskia River in Sec 8 and est. in 1836. At one point it was a shipping point for the area. It had 2 stores and was owned by James Ralls sawmill, when the RR came through it took the shipping over and Lafayette disappeared. The site is now part of the wildlife refuge.
Cox Ferry was located in the "s" of the Kaskaskia River just south of Griggs. There was a ferry there for the river; a son of Absalom Cox probably ran it.