Galesburg

Galesburg is a county seat in Knox County, western Illinois, situated roughly 45 miles northwest of Peoria. The city stretches across flat farmland with a central business district, residential areas, and the campus of Knox College.

Presbyterian minister George Washington Gale founded the settlement in 1837 as a planned community centered on a manual labor college. Railroad lines reached the town in the 1850s and transformed it into a major rail junction for the Midwest.

The birthplace cottage of poet Carl Sandburg stands as a small wooden house with period furnishings from the 1800s open to the public. Visitors can walk through the rooms where the future Pulitzer Prize winner spent his early childhood years.

Amtrak trains stop daily at the station, connecting the city to Chicago eastward and Mississippi River towns westward. Local bus lines run on fixed routes through residential neighborhoods and downtown.

A historic hump yard from the early 20th century still sits at the edge of town, once sorting freight cars by gravity. The facility ranks among the first of its kind in North America.

Location: Knox County

Inception: 1837

Website: http://ci.galesburg.il.us

GPS coordinates: 40.95222,-90.36861

Latest update: December 13, 2025 18:15