Crest Ink - Volume 27 - Number 03

Ashton Celebrates It’s 150th! by Cheri Kemp

The group representing Crest Foods as Business of the Year at the Ashton 150th Parade.

A beautiful team of Budweiser Clydesdales complete with a dalmation and wagon were a part of the parade this year.

Ashton, Illinois. A little town in Northern Illinois with a history that can be traced back to 1848, which is 167 years ago, when a few people, mostly in the same family, settled here. Over the years more people settled in what was then called Ogle Station, as homes and buildings sprung up. In 1854 the railroad came to Ogle Station in the form of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad. The coming of a railroad began the influx of new business and more people. The quarrying of stone for buildings was an impor- tant industry in the early days and the remnants of those quarries can be found in various locations in Ashton (one location is now known as Griffith Park on the North side of Ashton) as well as the outskirts of Ashton. An inter- esting fact that is part of Ashton’s history is in the 1870’s many rail cars full of stone were quarried here to supply stone to Chicago to rebuild after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The town of Ogle Station was incorporated in 1865, which is why we now celebrate its 150th. But it was not until 1867 that the name was officially changed to Ashton. History says that on March 5, 1867, the name of the village was changed to Ashton by a special act of the state legislature. At that time J.B. Williams was president and W.H. Emmerson, clerk of Ogle Station. On the evening of March 5, 1867, the board met to select a new name for the village. The board balloted many times on the different names suggested (a favorite being Prairieview), but they failed to agree on what to name the village. Finally as midnight approached, Mr. Emmerson suggested they name it

Ashton, Illinois in 1915

Walkers from Crest in the parade

4 Crest Ink July, August & September 2015

Made with FlippingBook Annual report