La Moille is one of the best townships in Bureau county. It has an intelligent and progressive citizenship. She has always been an important factor in the affairs of the county. From 1857 to 1898, the township of La Moille had the honor of furnishing the county treasurer for twenty-five out of the forty-one years.
The first settler is supposed to be Daniel Dimmick, who laid a claim a little south of the village on May 19, 1830; this claim was on what was known for a long time as the Collins' farm, and the timber near him was known as Dimmick's Grove. In the fall of this year, Mr. William Hall made a claim where La Moille is now located; he lived there a little over one year, when he sold to Aaron Gunn, and moved to Indian Creek, in La Salle county, about twelve miles north of Ottawa where he with part of his family, fell victims of the terrible massacre at that place a short time after his arrival; two of the daughters escaped death, but were carried away prisoners by the Indians. Matson says in his history: "At the commencement of the Black Hawk war, Dimmick left his claim and never returned to it again, and for two years Dimmick's Grove was without inhabinants; the cabin and fences went to decay, and the untilled land grew up in weeds. When Dimmick fled from the grove he left two sows and pigs which increased in a few years to quite a drove of wild hogs that were hunted in the grove years afterwards, and from them some of the early settlers obtained their supply of pork." In 1834, Leonard Roth and David Jones came; in July of this year Jonathan Holbrook and Horace Brown settled at the grove. Perkins' Grove and La Moille settlements were so closely united that it is difficult to separate them.
In the fall of 1834 Joseph Knox, Greenbury Hall, Moses A. Bowen arrived. In 1835, Benjamin Townsend, Robert Masters and other settlers in and near the immediate vicinity of La Moille. In 1836 Tracy Reeve and Dr. John Kendall came and bought the Bowen farm and laid if off into lots and gave it the name of Greenfield, but it was afterwards called La Moille. In 1842 a post-office named Perkins Grove was established, but it was soon discontinued. In 1839 La Moille was excited over a proposed railroad, and some of the grading was done, but the enterprise was never carried out. Among the men who came on the scene a little later should be mentioned R. B. Frary, Elisha Fassett, Ellis Wood, John Crossman, Joseph Allen, James J. Hopkins, and Dr. Daniel Jones. All were citizens of character and ability and will be remembered as men who gave life and stability to that community. La Moille has had several small manufacturing establishments within her borders.
The Village of La Moille
The village of La Moille was first incorporated as a village under the laws in force prior to 1872, in February 25, 1867, and in 1888 under the laws in force since July 1, 1888. The corporation contained by census of 1900, 576 people. It has a fine brick school building well supplied with modern apparatus. The building contains six school rooms and a fine audience hall and was the gift of Mr. Joseph Allen. La Moille is noted for being in the natural gas belt. Quite a number of her citizens heat and light their houses with this gas. It is a township of thrifty farmers and good homes. The population, including the village of La Moille, according to the census of 1900, was 1,345; the village (page 113) numbered 576. This town has been served by the following supervisors:
Supervisors of La Moille Township
Isaac Norris, 1851; Tracy Reeve, 1852; Timothy Edwards, 1853; Tracy Reeve, 1854; R. B. Frary, 1855; W. B. Howard, 1856; E. W. Fassett, 1857; David Hall 1858-59; Tracy Reeve, 1860; D. Hall, 1861; S. Edwards, 1862-63; A. B. Minnerly, 1864-65; Z. S. Hills, 1866; C. H. Bryant, 1867-70; E. W. Fassett, 1871; R. B. Frary 1872; E. A. Washburn 1873-75; E. P. Edwards, 1876-83; W. S. Martin, 1884-87; A. N. Stevenson, 1888-93; George M. White, 1894-97; Charles Baird, Jr., 1898-99; L. H. Cass, 1900-01; L. M. Perkins, 1902-06.
(Take from the Past and Present of Bureau County, Illinois. Chicago: Pioneer Publishing, 1906, Page 112-113 - La Moille Township)