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Slipknot (band)

Slipknot is an American heavy metal band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1995 by percussionist Shawn Crahan, former vocalist Anders Colsefni and bassist Paul Gray. After several lineup changes in its early years, the band settled on nine members for more than a decade: Crahan, Gray, Joey Jordison, Craig Jones, Mick Thomson, Corey Taylor, Sid Wilson, Chris Fehn, and Jim Root. Slipknot is well known for its attention-grabbing image, aggressive style of music, and energetic and chaotic live shows.

The band rapidly rose to fame following the release of their eponymous debut album in 1999. The 2001 follow-up album, Iowa, although darker in tone, made the band more popular. After a brief hiatus, Slipknot returned in 2004 with Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), before going on another hiatus and returning in 2008 with its fourth album, All Hope Is Gone, which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. After another long hiatus, Slipknot released its fifth studio album, .5: The Gray Chapter, in 2014. Their sixth studio album, We Are Not Your Kind, was released on August 9, 2019. Their seventh studio album, The End, So Far, was released on September 30, 2022. The band has released two live albums titled 9.0: Live and Day of the Gusano: Live in Mexico, a compilation album titled Antennas to Hell, and five live DVDs. The band has sold 30 million records worldwide and over 12 million in their home country.

Bassist Gray died on May 24, 2010, and was replaced during 2011–2014 by Donnie Steele. Jordison was dismissed from the band on December 12, 2013. Steele left during the recording sessions for .5: The Gray Chapter. The band found replacements in Alessandro Venturella on bass and Jay Weinberg on drums. After the departure of Jordison, the only founding member in the current lineup is percussionist Crahan. Fehn was also dismissed from the band in March 2019 prior to the writing of We Are Not Your Kind and was replaced by Michael Pfaff. The band parted ways with Jones and Weinberg in 2023, with the latter being replaced by Eloy Casagrande the following year.

Background (1991–1995)
In the years before Slipknot formed, a state of shifting band membership existed throughout the heavy metal scene in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1991, the biggest heavy metal band in Des Moines was Atomic Opera, with Jim Root on guitar. Drummer Joey Jordison founded a thrash metal band called Modifidious, playing at a club called Runway. Modifidious opened for Atomic Opera on December 1, 1991, at the Runway, after which their guitarist left for the more successful Atomic Opera. Jordison replaced him with local guitarist Craig Jones. Drummer Shawn Crahan formed another Des Moines band called Heads on the Wall, playing funk metal cover songs at clubs and releasing a demo tape in July 1992. A fourth Des Moines band called Vexx played death metal with Anders Colsefni on drums, Paul Gray on bass, and Josh Brainard on guitar and vocals. Colsefni later took over vocal duties, but Vexx never recorded. During this time, Crahan often went to the Runway on Sundays when the club opened to all ages, where he met other young musicians with whom he could jam. By March 1993, Crahan was jamming with vocalist Colsefni, bassist Gray and guitarist Patrick Neuwirth, writing and playing songs in Gray's basement, discussing possible band names, but never making a final decision. One of the songs they recorded was titled "Slipknot". The word on the second recording’s spine was "Painface", which Colsefni later used to name his band Painface.

In 1993, a new band called Inveigh Catharsis formed in Des Moines, with Gray on bass, Brainard on guitar and Colsefni on drums. Jordison jammed occasionally with this group. Brainard eventually left to join Jordison and Jones in Modifidious, participating in demo recordings at the end of '93 and early in '94. During 1994, Modifidious sometimes played the same shows as Crahan's Heads on the Wall band. Gray formed a death metal band called Body Pit, soon becoming popular in the local scene. Modifidious stopped playing in the wake of death metal's increasing pull. Gray failed to get Jordison to join Body Pit, but soon after he recruited local guitar teacher Mick Thomson, the band broke up.

In September 1995, Colsefni, Crahan and Gray started a band named the Pale Ones. Not long after their inception, Gray invited Jordison to a rehearsal because the band was interested in experimenting with additional drum elements. Jordison subsequently joined the band as their drummer, moving Crahan to percussion. Furthermore, Colsefni also took up percussion while remaining the band's vocalist. As guitarists, the band decided to invite Brainard and local musician Donnie Steele, bringing their lineup to six members. The band made their public debut on November 5 at a benefit show in Des Moines, using the name Meld.

Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. and beginnings (1995–1998)
Much of the band's early development was retrospectively attributed to late-night planning sessions between Gray, Crahan and Jordison at a Sinclair gas station where Jordison worked nights. It was there, in late 1995, that Jordison suggested changing the band name to Slipknot after their song of the same name. In December, Slipknot began recording material at SR Audio, a studio in the band's hometown. As they didn't have a recording contract, the band self-financed the project, the costs of which came to an estimated $40,000. In February 1996, guitarist Donnie Steele, a Christian, left Slipknot after discussions regarding the band's lyrics with the producer, Sean McMahon. Jordison said of Steele's departure: "(he) was having these God talks, when we were supposed to be working... We were prepared to keep him on, but he didn't want to stay." Steele himself has said: "I left for a few reasons...I had a lot on my mind spiritually." During the mixing stages of their project at SR Audio, Craig Jones was recruited as Steele's replacement on guitar. However, throughout their time in the studio, the band were adding samples to their recordings but could not produce these sounds live. Subsequently, Jones became the band's sampler and Mick Thomson was brought in as the replacement guitarist. After a complicated time with mixing and mastering, the band self-released Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. on Halloween, October 31, 1996.

Distribution for the demo was initially left to the band and their producer Sean McMahon, before it was handed over to the distribution company -ismist Recordings in early 1997. Slipknot received a small amount of airplay on local radio stations off the back of the demo. However, it did not lead to any kind of interest from record labels, so the band returned to the studio to develop new material. It was at this time that the band sought more melodic vocals for their music. As a result, Corey Taylor was recruited from fellow Des Moines band Stone Sour; this moved Colsefni to backing vocals and percussion. While working in the studio, Slipknot continued to do local shows, during one of which in September 1997, Colsefni announced on stage that he was leaving the band. The gap on percussion was filled by Greg Welts, who was affectionately known as "Cuddles". In early 1998, Slipknot produced a second demo featuring five tracks exclusively for record labels. The band began to receive much attention from record labels, and in February 1998, producer Ross Robinson offered to produce their debut album after attending rehearsals in Des Moines. Soon after, DJ Sid Wilson was recruited as the band's ninth member after showing great interest and impressing band members. In late June, Slipknot received a $500,000, seven-album deal, from Roadrunner Records; the band signed the deal publicly on July 8, 1998. Two days prior to this, Welts was fired from the band, something which Slipknot refuse to comment on. Welts was replaced by Brandon Darner, who departed from the band shortly after joining.

Slipknot and rise to fame (1998–2000)
Chris Fehn was brought in to replace Darner on percussion before Slipknot traveled to Malibu, California, to work on their debut album in September 1998. Partway through the recording process of the album, Slipknot returned to Des Moines for the Christmas period. During that period, guitarist Brainard decided to leave the band. Brainard said, "some decisions were made that I wasn't particularly happy with". Slipknot later recruited Jim Root to complete their lineup and the band returned to Malibu to continue work on the album. Work on the album concluded in early 1999, allowing the band to go on their first tour as part of the Ozzfest lineup in 1999. Ozzfest greatly increased Slipknot's audience, furthering the band's success with their self-titled album that was released on June 29, 1999. Slipknot released its first home video Welcome to Our Neighborhood, which was directed by Thomas Mignone, and the singles "Wait and Bleed" and "Spit It Out", which were also directed by Mignone. The singles received some airplay, but Slipknot quickly developed a large following, mainly from touring and word of mouth. The band toured several countries throughout 1999 and 2000 in support of the album. In early 2000, Slipknot was certified platinum; a first for an album released by Roadrunner Records.

Iowa (2001–2003)
Anticipation for Slipknot's second album was intense. In early 2001, the band began recording the second album at Sound City and Sound Image studios in Los Angeles. Around this time, conflicts arose between band members due to extensive touring and recording schedules. Recording of their second album ended in February 2001 and the band embarked on their Iowa World Tour. Entitled Iowa, Slipknot's second album—released on August 28, 2001—peaked at number three on the Billboard charts and at number one in the UK. The album produced three singles; "The Heretic Anthem" (promotional single), "Left Behind" and "My Plague", which appeared on the soundtrack for the film Resident Evil. In 2002, Slipknot appeared in Rollerball (2002), performing "I Am Hated". The release and intense promotion of the album resulted in sold-out shows in large arenas in several countries.

In mid-2002, Slipknot went on hiatus because of internal conflicts, and band members focused on side projects. Vocalist Taylor and guitarist Root revived their band Stone Sour, drummer Jordison created Murderdolls with vocalist Wednesday 13, percussionist Crahan founded To My Surprise and DJ Wilson went solo as DJ Starscream. Both Taylor and Jordison appeared on MTV unmasked for the first time in public promoting their respective bands. For a while, the future of Slipknot was uncertain and there was much speculation about whether there would be a third album, or if the split would become permanent. An official update appeared on their official website on January 24, 2003, denying those claims. "I don't have a problem with anyone in Slipknot," Jordison protested. "I've seen comments from Corey saying there are things to be resolved, but I have no fucking idea what he's talking about."

Nonetheless, on November 22, 2002, Slipknot released their second DVD, Disasterpieces.

Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) (2003–2007)
"It was the rebirth of Slipknot, [...] it was like us coming back together, pushing out the vibe that had gotten in there and kinda started pulling people away. But we figured out that you know, we do have to get space you know, we do need to let people be sometimes." After several delays, Slipknot moved into The Mansion in Los Angeles, California, in mid-2003 to work on their third album alongside producer Rick Rubin. By early 2004, work on the album had finished and the band began The Subliminal Verses World Tour with their appearance on the Jägermeister Music Tour in March 2004. Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) was released on May 24, 2004; it peaked at number two on the Billboard album charts. The album produced six singles; "Duality", "Vermilion", "Vermilion, Pt. 2", "Before I Forget", "The Nameless", and The Blister Exists. Slipknot recorded its first live album, 9.0: Live, while touring in support of the band's third album. Released on November 1, 2005 9.0: Live peaked at number 17 on the Billboard album charts. Touring in support of Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) continued through 2004 and up to the end of 2005 before Slipknot went on hiatus for the second time.

In 2005, several members of Slipknot were involved in Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions, a collaborative album recorded by artists signed to Roadrunner Records for the label's 25th anniversary. 2006 saw Slipknot win their first Grammy Award, picking up the Best Metal Performance award for the single "Before I Forget". The single went on to be featured on the set list of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. On December 5, 2006, Slipknot released its third DVD Voliminal: Inside the Nine. While Slipknot was on hiatus, several band members again focused their attentions on side projects; vocalist Taylor and guitarist Root returned to Stone Sour, drummer Jordison toured with several bands and produced 3 Inches of Blood's third album Fire Up the Blades, Crahan founded Dirty Little Rabbits and Wilson returned as DJ Starscream once again.

All Hope Is Gone and Gray's death (2008–2010)
Preparation for Slipknot's fourth album began towards the end of 2007; work began at Sound Farm Studio in Jamaica, Iowa, with producer Dave Fortman in February 2008. The album was finished in June, and the band went on the All Hope Is Gone World Tour on July 9, 2008. Slipknot's fourth album, All Hope Is Gone, was released on August 20, 2008, debuting at number one on the Billboard albums chart. The album produced five singles; "All Hope Is Gone", "Psychosocial", "Dead Memories", "Sulfur" and "Snuff". 2009 marked the 10th anniversary of Slipknot's debut album; to commemorate the event, the band released a special-edition version of Slipknot on September 9, 2009. The band toured in support of the album throughout 2008 and continued until October 31, 2009, resulting in Slipknot's third hiatus.

During the hiatus, several band members focused on respective side projects; Taylor founded Junk Beer Kidnap Band and returned to Stone Sour with guitarist Root; Crahan continued working with his band Dirty Little Rabbits; and drummer Jordison returned with his band Murderdolls and became the new permanent drummer of Rob Zombie. Meanwhile, percussionist Fehn became a full-time bassist with metalcore band Will Haven and Sid Wilson founded the eponymous band Sid.

In 2010, Gray was planning to tour with the supergroup, Hail!, but on May 24, 2010, he was found dead in an Urbandale, Iowa, hotel room. Circumstances surrounding his death at the time were not immediately known; an autopsy suspected his death was not intentional but did not reveal the cause. The day after his death, the remaining eight members of the band held a live, unmasked, press conference alongside Gray's widow and brother. On June 21, the cause of death was confirmed as an accidental overdose of morphine and synthetic morphine substitute fentanyl.

The band was hesitant to comment on the future of Slipknot. The members made conflicting statements in interviews; drummer Jordison told The Pulse of Radio "there is another Slipknot record already kinda in the making". Vocalist Taylor told FMQB Productions he was "very conflicted about whether or not [he wants] to do anything with Slipknot". The band released their fourth video album (sic)nesses on September 28, 2010; it debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Music Video Charts. The DVD features Slipknot's entire live performance at the 2009 Download Festival and a 45-minute film documenting their tour in support of All Hope Is Gone, and served as a tribute to Paul Gray.

Return to the stage, Antennas to Hell and Knotfest (2011–2012)

Regarding the continuation of Slipknot, Taylor told NME Gray would want them to continue and he felt they should but he was ambivalent about returning to the band. Slipknot returned to touring in 2011, performing a small number of shows in Europe. They headlined the Sonisphere Festival and Rock in Rio alongside Iron Maiden and Metallica, and performed at Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting. Donnie Steele substituted for Gray in the concerts; he was positioned behind Jordison and obscured from the audience's view.

Slipknot also said the band would complete and release the band's fifth studio album, and that there were no plans to replace Gray. Jordison said the writing process for the album had already begun and that he had written 17 songs. Slipknot performed at the Mayhem Festival tour of 2012.

On May 29, 2012, Roadrunner Records posted a teaser video titled Antennas to Hell on its website. Later that day, on Twitter, Corey Taylor said Slipknot will release a greatest hits album on June 17, 2012. He also said the band was not yet recording new material but was putting together demos for a new album.

Slipknot's first annual music festival, called Knotfest, was held on August 17, 2012, at Mid-America Motorplex near Pacific Junction, Iowa, and on August 18, 2012, in Somerset, Wisconsin. Deftones, Lamb of God, and Serj Tankian also performed at the festival. The festival shows also debuted a Slipknot museum. On June 14, 2013, Slipknot headlined the Download Festival for a second time. The band performed to roughly 90,000 people and was twice forced to stop the set—once in the middle of a song—to allow the front barricade, which had split open under crowd pressure, to be repaired.

Jordison's departure, .5: The Gray Chapter and new members (2013–2016)
Production of the band's fifth album began in late 2013. Taylor described the album as "very dark" and a cross between Iowa and Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses). Guitarist Jim Root did not participate in Stone Sour's January tour so he could write material for Slipknot.

On December 12, 2013, the band announced through its official website that Joey Jordison had left the band after 18 years, citing personal reasons. On his official Facebook page, Jordison later said he "did not quit Slipknot" and that he was "shocked" and "blindsided" by the news. Both Jordison and Slipknot independently promised to release further details about the split. Taylor said Jordison would not be appearing on the new album because he did not participate in any songwriting sessions before his departure. After years of both sides being silent and evasive as to the reasons for his leaving the band, Jordison revealed in June 2016 that he suffered from Transverse myelitis, a neurological disease that cost him the ability to play the drums toward the end of his time with Slipknot. However, Jordison played drums in the blackened death metal act Sinsaenum, which he joined in 2016.

In July 2014, Slipknot began releasing teasers for the new album on the band's website and social media using cryptic messages and gory imagery. "The Negative One", the band's first song in six years, was released on August 1; it was accompanied by a music video directed by Crahan that was released four days later. The video did not feature any band members. On August 24, Slipknot released an official radio single titled "The Devil In I", and the name of the upcoming album was announced as .5: The Gray Chapter on iTunes, with an expected release date of October 28. The release was later preponed to October 17 for the Netherlands and Australia, October 20 for the UK and October 21 worldwide. "The Negative One" was nominated for the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Slipknot began touring North America in support of the album on October 25 at the second iteration of Knotfest. The tour dubbed the "Prepare for Hell" was co-headlined by Korn with King 810 as support. The band also performed at 2015's Soundwave festival in Australia. A bassist and drummer were brought in to replace Gray and Jordison respectively, Crahan designing a mask that would differentiate them from the band. The official video for "The Devil In I", featuring musicians wearing modified versions of the band's old masks—with the exception of Taylor, Wilson and Crahan who all wore new masks — was released on September 12. Fans speculated upon the identities of the drummer and bassist shown in the video but the band did not officially name them.

Taylor later said he was "upset" at the leak of the identity of the bassist, alleged to be Alessandro Venturella because of a unique tattoo on his hand, though he'd later clarify that he meant that in jest. Root told Guitar World the drummer's identity would not be released, and that the bassist and the drummer were not permanent members of the band. On December 3, a former Slipknot road crew member posted a photograph of a touring band personnel list that confirmed bassist Alessandro Venturella and drummer Jay Weinberg were members of the tour.

On March 11, 2015, while the band was not touring, guitarist Mick Thomson was hospitalized after a drunken knife fight with his brother at Thomson's home in Iowa. The pair sustained serious, but non life-threatening, injuries. On August 2, 2015, during a concert in Hartford, Connecticut, the band was forced to stop performing after Venturella was suddenly rushed to hospital, after undergoing a medical emergency. After 20 minutes, singer Taylor told the audience the band would continue the concert, performing without Venturella. It was later discovered that Venturella had collapsed because of extreme dehydration. On September 25, 2016, the band performed at their annual festival Knotfest, which was altered to include Ozzfest this year. They performed the Iowa album in its entirety. In the meanwhile, Crahan made his directorial debut with the feature film Officer Downe, based on a graphic novel of the same name and starring actor Kim Coates. In November 2016, Slipknot percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan revealed during an interview with Rolling Stone that he and fellow guitarist Jim Root would be teaming up in February 2017 to begin writing new material for a new Slipknot album because "we want to write."

We Are Not Your Kind and Fehn's departure (2017–2020)
Slipknot singer Corey Taylor regrouped with his other band Stone Sour in 2017, and they released their album Hydrograd on June 30. Talking about his first work in cinema and the other Slipknot members' plans, in an interview with WRIF's Meltdown, Crahan revealed that "we're beginning to write some music for Slipknot for the new record. We have songs that we've written that are amazing." In December 2017, Crahan appeared on The Jasta Show podcast, where he stated that the next Slipknot album could be his last with the band.

Corey Taylor revealed in October 2018 that the band would enter the studio in early 2019, with a targeted release for their sixth album that same year, followed by a world tour. On October 31, the single "All Out Life" was released, as was an accompanying music video. On March 4, 2019, the band announced that the release date for the next album would be August 9, 2019, and that they would be embarking on the Knotfest Roadshow along with support by Gojira, Volbeat, and Behemoth to support the album. On March 7, Slipknot were revealed to be the opening act for Metallica's six WorldWired Tour dates in Australia and New Zealand from October 17 through October 31.

On March 14, 2019, Chris Fehn filed a lawsuit against the band citing withheld payments. Fehn specifically accused Corey Taylor and Shawn Crahan of setting up several band-related business entities, in different states, that collect money from the band. Fehn called for full forensic accounting to be done on all of the band's companies and assets in order to collect any profits and damages he may be owed. On that same day, Taylor responded via Twitter with a tweet stating, "You're gonna read a lot of bullshit today. This is all I'll say. JUST YOU WAIT TIL THE TRUTH COMES OUT. Long Live The Knot". On March 18, 2019, the band officially announced via their website that Fehn was no longer a member of the band, stating, "Slipknot's focus is on making album #6, and our upcoming shows around the world, our best ever. Chris knows why he is no longer a part of Slipknot. We are disappointed that he chose to point fingers and manufacture claims, rather than doing what was necessary to continue to be a part of Slipknot. We would have preferred he not take the path that he has, but evolution in all things is a necessary part of this life. Long Live The Knot". However, a few days later, the message was removed from the website and according to Fehn's lawyer, the percussionist's employment status with the band had not changed since his initial filing. By May 2019, Fehn's employment status with the band had apparently changed, as evident by his missing name on the band's Instagram posts for their new masks. He was replaced by a percussionist, whose identity was concealed, who the fans have dubbed "Tortilla Man". Loudwire has reported that fans have linked his identity as Michael Pfaff, a former member of Crahan's side project Dirty Little Rabbits. The band officially confirmed Pfaff's identity on March 16, 2022, almost two years later.

On May 13, 2019, the band teased something was coming on May 16, ahead of their performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as screenshots of their new masks. On that day, the album's title was revealed to be We Are Not Your Kind, along with its tracklist and a music video for "Unsainted", where the new masks and outfits for the nine band members were shown for the first time, including an as-yet-unknown new percussionist. On July 22, they released the second single from their upcoming album, titled "Solway Firth". This was accompanied by a music video which featured live footage from their 2019 shows as well as clips and audio from The Boys. On August 5, "Birth of the Cruel" was released as the album's third single, accompanied by a music video. On August 9, four days after they had released "Birth of the Cruel", they released their sixth album We Are Not Your Kind.

In August 2019, Crahan announced the band will release an experimental album of outtakes from the 2008 All Hope Is Gone sessions, titled Look Outside Your Window. The album was recorded with just 4 members (Crahan, Taylor, Root, and Wilson), in a different studio away from the other members, is expected to have 11 tracks that Taylor described as having a "Radiohead vibe", and Crahan saying in 2018 "it is not a Slipknot album". The band also released a twenty-minute experimental short film directed by Crahan and titled Pollution. One of the segments of the film is the music video for the song, "Nero Forte", which was released as the album's fourth and final single on December 16, 2019.

The End, So Far and Jones' and Weinberg's departures (2021–2023)
On May 19, 2021, Shawn Crahan revealed that the band had been currently making "god music". In an article published by Loudwire on June 9, 2021, Shawn Crahan revealed that a new Slipknot album would 'hopefully' be released in 2021. He also added that the band would be parting ways with Roadrunner Records following the release of the album.

On July 26, 2021, the band's former drummer, Joey Jordison, died in his sleep at the age of 46.

In November 2021, the band started teasing new material on a new domain thechapeltownrag.com. Several snippets of a song were shown on the website leading to speculation of a new single that the band would later confirm on November 4, with the single titled "The Chapeltown Rag" slated for release the following day alongside its live debut at the Knotfest Roadshow in Los Angeles, California, on November 5, 2021. In December 2021, Taylor revealed that the band were planning on mixing their seventh studio album in January, and hoped to release it by April 2022. He also stated that he preferred the material on their forthcoming seventh studio album to that on We Are Not Your Kind.

On July 19, 2022, the band announced their seventh album, titled The End, So Far, along with the album's second single "The Dying Song (Time to Sing)". On August 5, 2022, the third single from the album, "Yen", was released. The album was released on September 30, 2022. It is Slipknot's final album for Roadrunner, whose contract with the label expired on April 1, 2023. The band's final single for the label, "Bone Church" was surprise-released on February 2, 2023.

On June 7, 2023, the band announced that it had parted ways with sampler and keyboardist Craig "133" Jones, who had been a member since 1996; the social media posts about Jones' departure were subsequently deleted within the hour. The same day, the band played a show at the Nova Rock Festival in Austria, with someone who appeared to be a new member of the band replacing Jones. There has been speculation on who the new member is, with the main contenders being Zac Baird, Nathan Church or Jones himself in a new mask. On November 5, the band announced that they had parted ways with Jay Weinberg; like with Jones, social media posts about his departure were subsequently deleted.

On December 9, 2023, the band announced the first leg of their 25th anniversary tour with stops in the UK and Europe.

25th anniversary touring and Casagrande's joining (2024–present)
In April 2024, Slipknot began teasing events for the 25th anniversary of their debut album. In the metadata for the promotional material, fans found the names "Jeff" and "Eloy", leading to speculation that the new sampler and drummer are ex-Dirty Little Rabbits bassist Jeff Karnowski and former Sepultura drummer Eloy Casagrande, respectively. Casagrande's identity would be confirmed shortly afterwards, when he debuted as the band's drummer at a warm-up show at Pappy & Harriet's Palace, California.

Musical style
Slipknot is most often considered a nu metal and alternative metal  band, or heavy metal in general. They have included elements of groove metal, death metal,  hard rock, grindcore,  thrash metal, metalcore, and rap metal. The album All Hope Is Gone is considered a groove metal album with elements of death metal and thrash metal.

The band's members prefer to distance themselves musically from other nu metal bands such as Korn and Limp Bizkit. Slipknot describes its sound as "metal metal" and regards the link to nu metal as coincidental and a result of nu metal's emergence being concurrent with that of Slipknot. The band's sound typically features a heavily down-tuned guitar setup, a large percussive section, sampling, keyboards and DJing/turntablism. Using a variety of vocal styles, the music typically features growled vocals, screaming, backing vocals, as well as melodic singing. The band has continually experimented with its sound, most notably developing tracks led by acoustic guitars and melodic singing that first appeared on Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses).

Lyrics
Slipknot's lyrics are generally very aggressive; they sometimes include profanity while exploring themes such as darkness, nihilism, anger, disaffection, love, misanthropy, and psychosis. They often draw upon topics including the music industry, politics, personal strife, and reflection, among others. Rick Anderson of Allmusic said, "those lyrics that are discernible are not generally quotable on a family website". On Vol. 3, Taylor deliberately avoided using profanity in response to claims he relied on it.

Influences
Slipknot cited both Korn's self-titled album of 1994 and Limp Bizkit's album Three Dollar Bill, Y'all$ of 1997 as major influences. However, the band's biggest influence, both on their image and music, has been singer Mike Patton and his bands Mr. Bungle, Fantômas and Faith No More. Corey Taylor even stated that watching Faith No More perform on the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards saved his life. In an interview in 2000 Patton called the Slipknot members "really nice guys".

The band Kiss has been a big influence for Slipknot, both musically and image-wise. Several band members have in numerous interviews stated the impact Kiss had on them when growing up. In an interview with Revolver magazine, Joey Jordison said that "I saw Kiss on The Dick Clark Show in like, 1980 or something, and Kiss Alive! was the first record of theirs I had. This was back when you bought cassettes or records, and I still have my original cassette copy of it. And I tell you what, it just blew my mind! The cover tells you everything you need to know; it just makes you want to listen to the whole fucking record. And these guys look like fucking demons — you don't know when you're a kid and you're watching them on TV that it's just guys in makeup. So yeah, it was inspiring back then. They were a huge influence on me when I was a kid. And that record came out in 1975, so I was always like, "That's fucking badass — one of my favorite records of all time came out the year I was born!". In another interview with Loudwire, he also added that after listening to Kiss Alive! for the first, he was "changed forever, and then [he] just became completely engulfed in metal." Guitarist Mick Thomson revealed in Metal Hammer that Kiss' Destroyer was the first album he ever bought, and when talking about Kiss' Alive II; he stated that "...the artwork on Alive II with Gene's sweat running, the blood coming from his face and the make-up running had a profound influence on me. You only have to look at my own band to see how much so." Vocalist Corey Taylor has stated that Kiss were a huge influence on both him and the rest of the band and he has also covered multiple Kiss songs over the years; both as a solo artist as well as with Stone Sour, in which Slipknot guitarist Jim Root also played at the time.

Many authors single out the massive influence that experimental band Mr. Bungle has had on Slipknot; in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the members of Mr. Bungle donned strange masks (often clown and gimp ones), costumes (including jumpsuits) and hid their identities behind obscure pseudonyms. All of these were major features on their 1991 self-titled album cycle. Their creepy music videos from that record, such as "Travolta" which was banned on MTV, also pointed out at what would be the future image of Slipknot. In the same way, the musical influence of Mr. Bungle is evident in the eclecticism and adventurousness throughout Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat., Slipknot's first release of 1996, although the band added more metallic elements. A few songs on that album also hint at the eccentric catchiness of Faith No More and other funk metal bands.

While Slipknot was making its debut studio release, the entire band attended one of the first shows by avant-garde grindcore supergroup Fantômas-composed of Patton, Slayer's Dave Lombardo, Melvins' Buzz Osborne and Mr. Bungle's Trevor Dunn-which greatly influenced them at the time. From that album on, Slipknot has displayed a much more straightforward, extreme metal sound, largely because of producer Ross Robinson, and some writers have identified the influence of Faith No More on some tracks' structures and alternating melodies from Iowa and Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). On the other hand, the experimental imprint of Bungle has become rare, but it made a sudden reappearance on 2019's We Are Not Your Kind.

The members of Slipknot are also influenced by Kiss,  Black Sabbath,  Slayer,   Jimi Hendrix, Deicide, Pantera, Anthrax,  Metal Church, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Sepultura, White Zombie, Alice in Chains, Malevolent Creation, Danny Heifetz, Nine Inch Nails, Neurosis, Led Zeppelin,  Queen, The Melvins, N.W.A, Skinny Puppy, Mayhem, Dimmu Borgir, Iron Maiden, Emperor, Beastie Boys, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Misfits, Gorefest, Run-DMC, Acid Bath, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, and Metallica. Taylor has spoken of his admiration for vocalists Freddie Mercury, Bruce Dickinson, David Lee Roth, Bruce Springsteen and James Hetfield. In 1999, Chris Fehn said Sid Wilson is influenced by jungle music and rave music.

On The End, So Far Corey Taylor also cited The Cure, Death, the Prodigy and Type O Negative as inspirations for the album.

Stage performances
Slipknot is known for its chaotic, energetic live shows that contributed to the band's success. During performances, most of the band's members headbang heavily. The band's early performances included extreme acts such as stage dives from high balconies and band members setting each other on fire. Clown was known to go into the crowd and tie people up with the microphone cord. In later years, they tended to refrain from acts this extreme. Former bassist Paul Gray said this was due to receiving lawsuits and to avoid harming other people, and that it was a "better move" for the longevity of the band. Along with the energetic and unpredictable performances, Slipknot often use elaborate stage setups that use pyrotechnics, elevated stage areas, hydraulic drum risers, and computer screens. Reviewing a Slipknot performance, Alistair Lawrence of Kerrang! said, "the choreographed chaos is too multi-faceted to fully describe". and NME described one Slipknot show as "a scene of chaos". At their inaugural 2022 show, the band paid tribute to fellow metal band Jinjer and mentioned the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine as cause for their absence.

Image and identities
The band is known for its attention-grabbing image; the members perform wearing unique, individual facemasks and matching uniforms—typically jumpsuits—while each member is typically assigned and referred to by number based on their role in the band (#0 through #8), although the latter practice has diminished following the death of Paul Gray. The band has said the idea of wearing masks stemmed from a clown mask that Crahan took to rehearsals when the band first started. Crahan later became known for his clown masks, adopting the pseudonym "Clown". The concept developed; by late 1997, the band decided every band member would wear a unique mask and matching jumpsuit. Taylor said in 2002, "it's our way of becoming more intimate with the music. It's a way for us to become unconscious of who we are and what we do outside of music. It's a way for us to kind of crawl inside it and be able to use it." The concept of wearing matching jumpsuits has been described as a response to commercialism in the music industry and led to the idea of assigning the band members numerical aliases. According to Taylor, "Originally, we were just going to wear the jumpsuits ... we figured we might as well take that further and number ourselves ... We were basically saying, 'Hey, we're a product!'".

During their careers, the members of Slipknot have developed their images, updating their uniforms and each member's mask upon the release of each album. The appearance and style of the masks do not usually differ significantly between albums; members typically maintain the established theme of their mask while adding new elements. Jordison, in an interview in 2004, said the masks are updated to show growth within each individual. Slipknot's members have worn special masks for specific occasions, most notably for the music video and live performances of "Vermilion" in 2004 and 2005 when they wore life masks made from casts of their own faces. In 2008, the band wore a set of large masks titled "purgatory masks" during photograph shoots before the release of All Hope Is Gone; in the music video for "Psychosocial" they are seen burning them. Shortly after its inception, Slipknot's masks were homemade, but since 2000 they have been custom-made by special effect artist and musician Screaming Mad George.

The band's image has been the subject of much criticism and controversy, with critics generally accusing it of being a sales gimmick. The band's members object to these claims; according to them the masks are used to divert attention from themselves and put it on the music. Several band members have said wearing the masks helps to maintain privacy in their personal lives. During an interview in 2005, percussionist Fehn said the masks were a "blessing" because they meant the members are not recognized in public.

In 2012, Slipknot released an app for iOS and Android called Slipknot: Wear the Mask, which invites fans to construct their own masks, defining the kind of Slipknot fans they are.

Logo and nonagram
An essential element for the band's image is the Slipknot logo. The nonagram was created by the band's members around the same time the band was founded. The nonagram is arguably the best-known sigil of Slipknot and it represents a 9-point star—a symbol of unity, loyalty, friendship and remembrance. The logo is composed of three equilateral triangles each rotated at 0, 40, and 80 degrees. Each star point was meant to stand for each of the nine members of the original band, with at least one member, Chris Fehn, possessing a nonagram tattoo. Despite popular belief, the nonagram is not a Satanist symbol and instead represents Slipknot's "battle with the fake world."

The pre-release of the 2014 album .5: The Gray Chapter also witnessed a major change in the band's logo and branding strategy. A new nonagram drew the public's attention towards the band, announcing the beginning of a new era. The black and red color scheme and the minimalist, elegant design received public appreciation and it is still used today.

Legacy
Slipknot has inspired a new wave of bands and artists, including: Deafheaven, Code Orange, Knocked Loose, vein.fm, Ho99o9, City Morgue, Demon Hunter, Cane Hill, Of Mice & Men, Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, Poorstacy, Loathe, Blood Youth, Bad Omens, Sleep Token, Slaughter to Prevail, Infant Annihilator, and Asking Alexandria.

Rob Harvilla of the Ringer name Slipknot one of the most important bands of their era. According to author Garry Sharpe-Young, the band was among several that were important in starting the new wave of American heavy metal.

Clothing brand
In 2008, Slipknot launched their clothing line Tattered and Torn. Named after a song on their 1999 self-titled debut, the line runs as an imprint of Bravado, a company that runs the band's merchandising. While the band recognize that their merchandise is their biggest revenue income, they insist Tattered and Torn is more than just band merchandising. Vocalist Corey Taylor said, "It's a way for [the fans] to get cool clothing at affordable prices." The first items from the clothing line went on sale in late July 2008 through Hot Topic stores across North America and the Hot Topic website. Currently, the line is limited to shirts and hoodies but was expected to develop into a full-range clothing line.

Controversies
Slipknot's music and image have been the subject of many controversies throughout its career. The lyrical content of some of Slipknot's songs has been linked to several violent and criminal incidents. In 2003, two young killers blamed the lyrics of "Disasterpiece" for their crime. In 2006, the lyrics of "Surfacing" were found at the site of a grave robbery.

Slipknot's 2005 lawsuit against Burger King said the company created the advertising-based band Coq Roq to capitalize on Slipknot's image. Burger King responded with a countersuit, saying many other bands, such as Mr. Bungle, Mushroomhead, Mudvayne, Kiss, Insane Clown Posse, and Gwar have used masks as part of their images. After negotiations, the advertising campaign and lawsuit were withdrawn.

In 2008, Corey Taylor commented on a slashing incident at a South African school to which Slipknot was linked; he said: "... obviously, I'm disturbed by the fact that people were hurt and someone died, as far as my responsibility for that goes, it stops there, because I know our message is actually very positive ... there are always going to be mental disorders and people who cause violence for no other reason than the fact that they're fucked up and lost."

Mushroomhead
Slipknot had a longstanding feud with the band Mushroomhead which—along with their fans—said Slipknot "stole their image". While Slipknot acknowledged their images had similarities, its members were not actively involved in the feud, saying the similarities were coincidental. Taylor said, "we both started at the same time—neither one of us knowing anything about each other". Taylor also said that at a live show in Cleveland, Ohio, several Mushroomhead fans threw objects including a fist-sized padlock at Slipknot and that when Slipknot's set was finished, Machine Head and Amen went into the crowd and "handled it right there". In 2009, former Mushroomhead vocalist Waylon Reavis said his band's members were no longer interested in feuding with Slipknot, saying, "they're not the first masked band, we're not, no one was". During an interview with Rock Rage Radio, Reavis praised Slipknot as he criticized his former bandmates after a dispute with the band's founding members which led to his dismissal. He stated that Slipknot was better and he admitted that his thoughts were personal, since he was not involved with Mushroomhead when the feud started.

Limp Bizkit
While on tour promoting anticipation for the release of their self-titled album in the spring of 1999; Taylor had taken notice of Korn drummer David Silveria in a promotional campaign for Calvin Klein at multiple truck stop kiosks. Taylor had expressed his disgust with the campaign, and had taken numerous copies of the magazine issues and burned them onstage during multiple live performances. Within hearing of the gesture; Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst (who was a friend of Silveria's), took offense at Taylor's actions. Durst would later make retaliatory comments towards Slipknot's fans in June 1999, referring to them as "fat, ugly kids". Slipknot singer Corey Taylor responded during an appearance in Sydney by claiming that the fans of Slipknot "for the most part, enjoy all kinds of music, like Limp Bizkit… maybe." Taylor went on to claim that insulting fans of Slipknot could also be insulting fans of Limp Bizkit. Despite the initial attacks between the two bands, they shared numerous UK festival dates together through 2000, including the 2000 Reading and Leeds Festivals. Durst later praised Slipknot's music during an October 2000 interview, though Taylor later criticized his artistic direction, claiming "Fred Durst is a great businessman, but he is not an artist".

Taylor and Durst would find themselves on friendlier terms in 2010, while recording the album Gold Cobra; Durst included a line on the song "90.2.10" giving a shout out to Taylor. According to Taylor during a live interview in 2011; Durst’s children were allegedly fans of Slipknot. Limp Bizkit was later booked on the 2014 Japanese leg of the Knotfest tour along with Korn.

In 2021, following Jordison's death, Limp Bizkit paid tribute to him at one of their shows in Iowa. On May 19, 2024; both Taylor and Sid Wilson made a live appearance during Limp Bizkit's performance at that year's Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Grammy Awards and nominations
Slipknot have been nominated for eleven Grammy Awards and have won one.

 * || "Wait and Bleed" ||rowspan="3"| Best Metal Performance || Nominated
 * || "Left Behind" || Nominated
 * || "My Plague" || Nominated
 * rowspan="2"| || "Duality" || Best Hard Rock Performance || Nominated
 * "Vermilion" ||rowspan="5"| Best Metal Performance || Nominated
 * || "Before I Forget" || Won
 * || "Psychosocial" || Nominated
 * || "The Negative One" || Nominated
 * rowspan="2"| 2016 || "Custer" || Nominated
 * .5: The Gray Chapter || Best Rock Album || Nominated
 * || "Hive Mind" || Best Metal Performance || Nominated
 * || "Before I Forget" || Won
 * || "Psychosocial" || Nominated
 * || "The Negative One" || Nominated
 * rowspan="2"| 2016 || "Custer" || Nominated
 * .5: The Gray Chapter || Best Rock Album || Nominated
 * || "Hive Mind" || Best Metal Performance || Nominated
 * rowspan="2"| 2016 || "Custer" || Nominated
 * .5: The Gray Chapter || Best Rock Album || Nominated
 * || "Hive Mind" || Best Metal Performance || Nominated
 * || "Hive Mind" || Best Metal Performance || Nominated
 * || "Hive Mind" || Best Metal Performance || Nominated

Discography
Studio albums
 * Slipknot (1999)
 * Iowa (2001)
 * Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) (2004)
 * All Hope Is Gone (2008)
 * .5: The Gray Chapter (2014)
 * We Are Not Your Kind (2019)
 * The End, So Far (2022)

Notable tours

 * World Domination Tour (1999–2000)
 * Tattoo the Earth (2000)
 * Iowa World Tour (2001–2002)

 * The Subliminal Verses World Tour (2004–2005)
 * All Hope Is Gone World Tour (2008–2009)
 * Memorial World Tour (2011–2013)

As a support act
 * Livin la Vida Loco Tour (1999)

Festivals
 * Ozzfest (1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2013)
 * Aftershock (2015, 2019, 2022)
 * Knotfest (2012, 2014–present)
 * Hammersonic (2023)

title: Slipknot (band)


text:
Woodford County, Illinois

Woodford County is a county located in the state of Illinois. The 2020 United States Census listed its population at 38,467. Its county seat is Eureka. Woodford County is part of the Peoria, IL, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its name comes from General William Woodford, an officer of the American Revolutionary War who served at the brutal military encampment at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

Establishment
Woodford County is part of what was formerly the homelands of several Native American peoples, including the Potawatomi, the Meskwaki, and the Sauk peoples. It was located just south of the land of the Illiniwek. The western portion of the county in particular shows much archeological evidence of having supported extensive First Nations populations.

At the time of the American Revolutionary War, three competing American colonies – Massachusetts, Virginia, and Connecticut – claimed part of what is today the state of Illinois. The matter was solved in 1778 when Virginia amalgamated lands in the region into a massive county called Illinois, borrowing the name of a native people. Indiana Territory was formed in 1800 with William Henry Harrison as Governor; the future Illinois was part of this territory. It was not until 1809 that Illinois Territory was formally established as an official territory of the United States of America. Statehood followed in December 1818.

The first organized Anglo settlements in the future Woodford County region appeared in the 1820s. First settlement in the county came at Spring Bay, with pioneers managing to select the same ground occupied by an ancient Indian burial site which ran north-and-south through the entire settlement. The location was chosen due to its proximity to the Illinois River.

In the 1870s, an early historian of Woodford County wrote: There were a few Indians in the county at the time of settlement by the whites, but the two races did not come into conflict to any extent. The advancing wave of civilization seemed to follow up the retreating wave of barbarism. The first settlers encountered a few Indians ... and in 1832 were involved to some extent in the Black Hawk War, but the active operations were further north than Woodford County.

The current boundaries of the county were not those originally drawn; moreover, the names of various counties in the region changed frequently The Eastern portion of Woodford County was known as Edwards (1814–16), Crawford (1816–19), Clark (1819–21), and Fayette (1821-25) Counties, while the Western part of today's county was included in Madison (1814–17), Bond (1817–21), and Sangamon (1821–25) Counties.

In 1827 new lines were drawn and Tazewell County was established, including all of today's Woodford County. Settlers began arriving from neighboring territories during the early 1830s. This led to the formal creation of Woodford County along its current boundaries in February 1841 from a portion of Tazewell County and a portion of McLean County that had been part of Tazewell County before 1830.

The county was named for Woodford County, Kentucky, which was in turn named after General William Woodford, who served with General George Washington at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania during the brutal winter of 1777–78.

The first post office in today's Woodford County was established in 1836 at Partridge township, named for local tribal leader Black Partridge. Also in 1836, the area's first (private) school was founded, by Miss Betsy Page. The first public school followed shortly thereafter. The first Sunday school was established in 1837 in the home of Parker Morse in Cazenovia.

Pioneer life
The first settlers of Woodford County occupied crude log cabins. Windows were covered with oiled papers; doors and floors were constructed of rough boards split from trees and held together with wooden pegs. Construction of the cabins was primitive, with the floor plan generally involving a single room heated with a fireplace.

Meat was frequently roasted on a spit; cornbread was generally baked on the fireplace coals. A common staple of pioneer life was waffles, baked from batter in a folding iron mold three or four feet long. Modern canning processes were unknown and the wintertime larder consisted primarily of bread and meat. Vegetables were consumed seasonally, with pumpkin, red peppers, corn, and venison dried for later use.

Clothing was made at home, generally of linen made from homegrown flax. In addition, other heavier compound fabrics known as "linsey," made of linen or cotton with woolen filling, and "jeans," made of an even heavier material and dyed brown with walnut bark, were also used.

Prior to 1831 all preparation of wool had to be done by hand at home, with the raw fiber "carded" between pairs of thin, metal spiked boards about 4 inches wide and a foot long. The resulting rolls of wool were then spun into thread upon a spinning wheel and thereby prepared for the loom.

A sexual division of labor was practiced, with women engaged in home manufactures and food preparation while men were occupied with agriculture, hunting, and construction. Since a great percentage of the land of Woodford County was tillable, farming was the principal occupation of the early settlers. Plowing was by means of wooden plows with iron shares; corn was planted by hand and covered using a hoe. Hay, often using wild rather than cultivated grass, was cut with a scythe and taken up with rakes and pitchforks.

With the advent of timber milling in the area, frame houses became possible. Settlers cooperated in construction, helping one another raise houses and barns. The latter could be 30 feet in length and width with walls perhaps 16 feet high. "It was heavy and dangerous work, and the raising of a large barn required the united energies of a whole community," one settler recalled. Other buildings commonly constructed included stables, corn-cribs, smokehouses, and ash-hoppers. Plank fences began to appear in the 1850s.

Governance by the early settlers was not by secret ballot, but by voice vote.

Antebellum years
By 1850, Woodford County was well settled; county's population topped the 5,000 mark. Illinois settlers were overwhelmingly opposed to the institution of slavery, and with the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, popular discontent grew and opponents began to engage in acts of resistance, hiding escaped slaves seeking escape to Canada. One branch of the so-called Underground Railroad along which escaped slaves furtively avoided their potential captors ran directly through Woodford County.

The "stations" of the Underground Railroad were generally residences where escaping slaves could hide from their pursuers. These stations were located at convenient distances so that those escaping (and their "conductor" guides) could travel from one to the next in a single night.

The journey was dangerous. Wanted posters offering rewards of $50, $100, and sometimes more for specific runaway slaves were placed by slaveowners, attracting bounty hunters. Moreover, those assisting escaping slaves were themselves violators of the Fugitive Slave Law, subject to prosecution and punishment.

Local historian Roy L. Moore wrote: There was bitter opposition to the enforcement of the fugitive slave law. This condition was not surprising, since the county had men who were strong opponents of slavery and likewise men who would make any sacrifice to have the institution stamped out. Over this branch of the underground road many a runaway slave passed on his way to freedom. There was such a strong sentiment against the [slave] traffic that conductors and stations were found in sufficient number to carry on the work successfully.

Church deacons named Mr. Dutton and Parker Morse were credited by Moore as leaders of the local anti-slavery effort. Despite the fact that these and other active conductors in the Underground Railroad were known to the community, popular sentiment against slavery was such that there was "very little molestation for a long time" in Woodford County. Only one instance of an arrest of a Woodford County conductor is recorded by Roy Moore in his 1910 history, and that ultimately resulted in the quashing of the indictment.

Early administrative structure
When it was first established in 1841, the county seat of Woodford County was placed in Versailles for a temporary two-year interval. Competition for the honor (and related business opportunities) was fierce leading up to the June 1843 decision of the county commissioners to tap Metamora (then known as Hanover) as the new seat. A county courthouse was begun in Metamora in 1844 and a county jail in March 1852.

It was during the pre-Civil War years that Woodford County adopted townships – which was met with strong opposition. No fewer than four public elections were held between 1850 and 1854 before the township system gained a majority of votes.

Following the division of the county into townships in early 1855, the system of county government was likewise altered, with a county commission giving way to a board of supervisors. Early county officers, including the sheriff, coroner, school commissioner, surveyor, and treasurer were elected to two-year terms of office, later changed to four-year terms.

Other claimants arose attempting to wrest the county seat from Metamora, including Eureka, El Paso, and Roanoke. El Paso was nearly awarded the seat in 1867, when it sent a local attorney to make an offer of $30,000 to the town of Metamora to relinquish the county seat. A closely contested vote ended with the apparent result in favor of El Paso reversed by a bare 10 votes in a recount.

Another vote in 1869 rejected an appeal to move the county seat to Eureka. A dubious recount in a third election held in November 1873 again overturned an apparent result to move the Woodford County seat to Roanoke. A fourth election in 1884, again proposing relocation to Roanoke, failed miserably. It was only in 1894 when a final election provided a decisive majority in favor of moving the county seat to Eureka that Metamora lost its status as county seat.

An impressive new courthouse building was quickly constructed in Eureka, cementing that town's status as legal and governmental center of Woodford County.

Civil War years
Woodford County's population continued to swell, standing at 13,281 when the American Civil War started in 1861. Support for the Union Cause was strong throughout the county; by war's end 1,643 county residents had enlisted in the Union forces – 12.4% of the population.

Calls for troops were translated into state quotas, which in Illinois was customarily apportioned to the various counties according to their population. Enlistment bonuses were paid. After 1862 when the number of volunteers ultimately failed to fulfill a state's enlistment quota, a draft was begun. Substitutes for those drafted could be sent, with prices paid by the draftee to his substitute generally ranging of $500 to $600, although prices of up to $1,000 were reportedly paid.

Woodford County's volunteers – and later on conscripts – were dispersed among a wide range of units, making a universal summary of their wartime experience impossible. Some units composed largely of residents of Woodford County, including Company G of the 17th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, mustered at Peoria May 25, 1861, and fought at the Battle of Shiloh in Hardin County, Tennessee in April 1862. Several Woodford County men were among the 130 members of the 17th Infantry killed and wounded in the two-day battle. This unit also participated in the last phase of the 1863 Siege of Vicksburg in Warren County, Mississippi, a protracted battle which led to the surrender of over 29,000 Confederate troops.

Another unit containing numerous Woodford County men was the 47th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, especially Companies B and I. Mustered into service at Peoria on August 16, 1861, the unit lost 30 killed and 100 wounded in the Battle of Corinth, Mississippi, in October 1862. The unit also suffered casualties in a May 1863 charge during the Vicksburg Campaign. After the fall of Vicksburg in July 1863, the unit spent the duration guarding railroad lines, being discharged in October of that year.

The 77th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Companies C, F and H, also had a substantial Woodford County contingent. Serving under Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, they participated in the initial phase of the Vicksburg Campaign. The 77th then participated in the Battle of Jackson, Mississippi (May 1863), and taking the city. Disaster struck in April 1864 near Alexandria, Louisiana, when the unit was isolated and crushed in a cavalry support operation at the Battle of Sabine Cross-roads. 176 men of the 77th Illinois were killed, wounded, or captured, leaving only 125 members of the regiment fit for duty. The unit was mustered out in July 1865, having participated in 16 battles.

Woodford County men served in numbers in Company A, 86th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, suffering losses in Kentucky at the Battle of Perryville in October 1862, and participating in Sherman's March to the Sea. Others were concentrated in Companies D and E of the 108th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, in which 205 of the 214 fatalities suffered by the regiment were due to disease rather than combat, 134 of whom died in February and March 1863 alone.

Eureka College
A leading community institution of Woodford County for more than 150 years is Eureka College, a liberal arts school affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Its most noted alumnus is US President Ronald Reagan.

Eureka College traces its roots back to the summer of 1848, when a young collegian named A.S. Fisher appeared in Walnut Grove (original name of Eureka) and expressed his interest in conducting a school that would teach language, science, mathematics, and philosophy. Fisher was employed to teach school for ten months, with a number of local worthies, including many active in the Church of Christ, guaranteeing payment of his salary. This school was formally launched in September 1848. Owing to the presence of a charismatic local religious leader, the Church of Christ showed great growth during this period, adding 100 adherents in 1848, with other supporters in neighboring counties. Demand grew for transformation of the school into a seminary with room and board for students from other localities, with instructional costs to be covered through collection of tuition. In September 1849, the school was rechristened Walnut Grove Seminary and relaunched with A.S. Fisher as principal, assisted by a young woman "of superior ability and tact as a teacher." Fisher would ultimately spend 38 years associated with the college which would emerge.

In December 1849 the school was incorporated as Walnut Grove Academy. Money was collected for an expansion of the facility and a new two-story building constructed. The enterprise continued to expand and planning began for expansion of the academy into a college, with necessary buildings and a library. Appeals were made to the state Missionary Convention of the Church of Christ in 1851 and enthusiasm for establishment of a college within the church laity grew.

Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 543 sqmi, of which 528 sqmi is land and 15 sqmi (2.7%) is water. Most of the area is prairie land, with some bluffs originally covered with timber.

Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Eureka have ranged from a low of 13 °F in January to a high of 86 °F in July, although a record low of -28 °F was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 111 °F was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.75 in in January to 4.20 in in May.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-39.svg|20px]] Interstate 39
 * [[Image:I-74.svg|20px]] Interstate 74
 * [[Image:US 24.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 24
 * [[Image:US 51.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 51
 * [[Image:US 150.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 150
 * [[Image:Illinois 26.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 26
 * [[Image:Illinois 89.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 89
 * [[Image:Illinois 116.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 116
 * [[Image:Illinois 117.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 117
 * [[Image:Illinois 251.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 251

Adjacent counties

 * Marshall County (north)
 * LaSalle County (northeast)
 * Livingston County (east)
 * McLean County (southeast)
 * Tazewell County (southwest)
 * Peoria County (west)

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 38,664 people, 14,276 households, and 10,675 families residing in the county. The population density was 73.3 PD/sqmi. There were 15,145 housing units at an average density of 28.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 97.4% White, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 48.7% were German, 14.1% were Irish, 10.9% were English, and 8.8% were American.

Of the 14,276 households, 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.7% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.2% were non-families, and 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 39.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $65,890 and the median income for a family was $75,601. Males had a median income of $55,297 versus $35,435 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,475. About 4.9% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Governance
Woodford County is governed by a 15-member elected County Board, each member serving a 4-year term. Board members appoint one member to act as chair at two-year intervals. The County Board provides governing ordinances for Woodford County, establishes a budget, levies taxes, and promulgates policies and regulations for the management of government operations. The County Board holds monthly meetings. It also selects five standing committees, each with five members, which meet monthly.

The 15 members of the board are elected from three electoral districts, each electing five board members. District 1 includes Clayton, Greene, El Paso, Kansas, Linn, Minonk, Roanoke, Palestine, and Panola Townships; District 2 includes Cazenovia, Partridge, Spring Bay, and Worth Townships; and District 3 includes Cruger, Metamora, Montgomery, and Olio Townships.

High schools in Woodford County

 * El Paso-Gridley High School (El Paso)
 * Eureka High School (Eureka)
 * Fieldcrest High School (Minonk)
 * Lowpoint-Washburn High School (Washburn)
 * Metamora Township High School (Metamora)
 * Roanoke-Benson High School (Roanoke)

Since 1949 Eureka has been a part of the Congerville-Eureka-Goodfield Community Unit School District 140. The district's coverage area totals 113 square miles. El Paso is part of the El Paso-Gridley Community Unit School District 11.

Politics
Woodford County is among the most solidly Republican counties in Illinois when it comes to presidential elections. The last Republican to receive less than 50% of the county's vote was George H. W. Bush in 1992 who still won the county. In 1964, Barry Goldwater won the county despite losing the state by nearly 19%.

Media
Early Woodford County was served by a variety of newspapers. Probably the first was the Woodford County Times (1854). By 1880 there were five weekly papers in the county: Woodford Sentinel, El Paso Journal, Eureka Journal, Minonk Blade, Washburn News. The Eureka College also produced a monthly periodical, the Eureka College Messenger.

Notable people of Woodford County

 * Donald Attig (b. 1936), boat designer and yachtsman, graduated from Eureka College
 * Emik Avakian (1923-2013), inventor and owner of numerous patents, graduated from Eureka College in 1948
 * Emma Smith DeVoe (1848-1927), suffragist and political activist, taught at Eureka College
 * J. Frank Duryea (1869-1967), a co-inventor of the gas-powered automobile, born in Washburn
 * Frank Frantz (1872-1941), Rough Rider and the final Governor of Oklahoma Territory, attended Eureka College for two years in the 1880s
 * Glen Gray (1900-1963), jazz saxophonist and orchestra leader, born in Roanoke, graduated from Roanoke High School (1917)0
 * Oliver Perry Hay (1846-1930), professor and expert on vertebrate paleontology, graduated from Eureka College (1870).
 * John S. Kyser (1900-1975), President of Northwestern State University from 1954 to 1967, born in El Paso
 * Dan McCoy (b. 1978), comedian and television writer, graduate of Eureka High School (1996)
 * Ralph "Mac" McKinzie (1894-1990) coached football at Eureka College for 17 seasons
 * Mary Frances Winston Newson (1869-1959), mathematician and academic, taught at Eureka College
 * William A. Poynter (1848-1909), 10th Governor of Nebraska, born in Eureka, graduated from Eureka College (1867)
 * Neil Reagan (1908-1996), advertising executive and brother of Ronald Reagan, graduated from Eureka College (1933)
 * Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), 40th President of the United States, graduated from Eureka College (1932)
 * Junius P. Rodriguez (b. 1957), historian, Eureka College professor (1992– )
 * Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979), Catholic archbishop and televangelist, born in El Paso
 * Andy Studebaker (b. 1985) NFL linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts, Eureka High School graduate (2004)
 * Caleb TerBush (b. 1990), collegiate football quarterback at Purdue University, Metamora Township High School graduate
 * Ben Zobrist (b. 1981), All-Star Major League Baseball infielder for the Oakland Athletics, born and raised in Eureka

Townships

 * Cazenovia Township
 * Clayton Township
 * Cruger Township
 * El Paso Township
 * Greene Township
 * Kansas Township
 * Linn Township
 * Metamora Township
 * Minonk Township
 * Montgomery Township
 * Olio Township
 * Palestine Township
 * Panola Township
 * Partridge Township
 * Roanoke Township
 * Spring Bay Township
 * Worth Township

Cities

 * El Paso (partly in McLean County)
 * Eureka (Seat)
 * Minonk

Villages

 * Bay View Gardens
 * Benson
 * Congerville
 * Deer Creek (partly in Tazewell County)
 * Germantown Hills
 * Goodfield (partly in Tazewell County)
 * Kappa
 * Metamora
 * Panola
 * Peoria Heights (mostly in Peoria County)
 * Roanoke
 * Secor
 * Spring Bay
 * Washburn (partly in Marshall County)

Unincorporated communities

 * Cazenovia
 * Cruger
 * Lowpoint
 * Woodford

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Woodford County, Illinois


text:
Winnebago County, Illinois

Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 285,350 making it the seventh most populous county in Illinois behind Cook County and its five surrounding collar counties. Its county seat is Rockford. Winnebago County is the central county of the Rockford metropolitan area.

History
Winnebago County was formed on January 16, 1836, out of Jo Daviess and LaSalle counties. It was named for the Winnebago Tribe of American Indians. At the time the county was founded its inhabitants consisted almost entirely of New Englanders and New England transplants from upstate New York. These were "Yankee" settlers, meaning they were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England during the early 1600s. They made up virtually all of Winnebago County's inhabitants during the first several decades of its history. In this regard the county was similar to most of the northern portion of the state of Illinois, and almost all of the neighboring state of Wisconsin. After the conclusion of the Black Hawk War there was an additional surge of immigration from New England. As a result of this heritage the inhabitants of Winnebago County considered themselves, and functioned as, a cultural expansion of early New England culture. In the presidential election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln won 3,985 votes in Winnebago County, whereas Stephen A. Douglas only won 817 votes.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 519 sqmi, of which 513 sqmi is land and 5.9 sqmi (1.1%) is water.

Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Rockford have ranged from a low of 11 °F in January to a high of 83 °F in July, although a record low of -27 °F was recorded in January 1982 and a record high of 112 °F was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.34 in in February to 4.80 in in June.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-39.svg|20px]] Interstate 39
 * [[Image:I-90.svg|20px]] Interstate 90
 * [[Image:US 20.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 20
 * [[Image:US 51.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 51
 * [[Image:Illinois 2.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 2
 * [[Image:Illinois 70.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 70
 * [[Image:Illinois 75.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 75
 * [[Image:Illinois 173.svg|25px]] Illinois Route 173
 * [[Image:Illinois 251.svg|25px]] Illinois Route 251

Transit

 * Beloit Transit
 * Rockford Mass Transit District
 * List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

Adjacent counties

 * Rock County, Wisconsin (north)
 * Boone County (east)
 * DeKalb County (southeast)
 * Ogle County (south)
 * Carroll County (southwest)
 * Stephenson County (west)
 * Green County, Wisconsin (northwest)

Demographics
As of the 2010 census, there were 295,266 people, 115,501 households, and 76,854 families residing in the county. The population density was 575.2 PD/sqmi. There were 125,965 housing units at an average density of 245.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 77.4% white, 12.2% black or African American, 2.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 4.9% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 10.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.6% were German, 13.5% were Irish, 9.4% were American, 8.7% were Swedish, 8.3% were English, and 7.4% were Italian.

Of the 115,501 households, 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 38.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,198 and the median income for a family was $59,814. Males had a median income of $48,358 versus $32,103 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,008. About 11.5% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Loves Park
 * Rockford
 * South Beloit

Villages

 * Cherry Valley
 * Durand
 * Machesney Park
 * New Milford
 * Pecatonica
 * Rockton
 * Roscoe
 * Winnebago

Census-designated place

 * Lake Summerset

Unincorporated communities

 * Alworth
 * Argyle
 * Harlem
 * Harrison
 * Kishwaukee
 * Latham Park
 * Seward
 * Shirland
 * Wempletown
 * Westfield Corners

Townships
Winnebago County is divided into these townships:

 * Burritt
 * Cherry Valley
 * Durand
 * Harlem
 * Harrison
 * Laona
 * Owen
 * Pecatonica
 * Rockford
 * Rockton
 * Roscoe
 * Seward
 * Shirland
 * Winnebago

Former Settlement

 * Camp Grant

Politics
Prior to 1992, Winnebago County was a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections, only backing the Democratic Party candidates in the national landslides of 1936 & 1964. Since then, it became a swing county, backing the national winner in every presidential election from 1980 to 2012. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the county by only 89 votes over Donald Trump, affected by the relatively large third-party vote that year.

title: Winnebago County, Illinois


text:
Williamson County, Illinois

Williamson County is a county in Southern Illinois. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 67,153. The largest city and county seat is Marion.

Williamson County is included in the Carbondale-Marion, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. This area of Southern Illinois is known locally as "Little Egypt".

Williamson is in the Metro Lakeland area, 88 mi southeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Via the nearby intersection of Interstates 57 and 24, and Illinois Route 13, a primary east–west four-lane expressway, the city has access to the major communities of Murphysboro, Carbondale, Carterville, Herrin, Marion and Harrisburg.

The Metro Lakeland area of Jackson-Williamson counties has a total of 120,000 residents. Carbondale (14 miles west), Herrin and Marion are the key urban areas in Metro Lakeland, with a combined population of more than 65,000. Over 235,000 people live within 35 mi.

History
Williamson County was formed from Franklin County on February 28, 1839, and was named for Williamson County, Tennessee. Many of its settlers were from the Uplands South, traveling via the Ohio River from Kentucky and Virginia.

It became a center of coal mining, attracting numerous European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Labor tensions rose as workers sought to unionize and improve their wages and conditions. Mine owners resisted and several episodes of violence resulted during strikes and other work actions. resulted in several episodes of violence. Williamson County is often referred to as "Bloody Williamson," due to several outbreaks of violence that have few parallels in American history.

These include the Bloody Vendetta (1876), armed confrontation between families and associates during the waning days of Reconstruction; the Carterville Massacre (1899), a Coal Strike (1906), the Herrin Massacre (1922), the Klan War (1924–1926), and the Birger/Shelton Gang War (1926).

During the so-called Klan War, a mob of perhaps 1,300 men were deputized by the local sheriff. Starting on February 1, 1924, the posse began raiding the homes of local mine workers, mostly Italian immigrants. The Klan was inspired by both nativist and Prohibitionist fervor. Violence continued sporadically between bootleggers and the Klan. Twenty people were killed before peace was restored.

In June 1915, a Sicilian miner accused of the fatal shooting of a wealthy local resident was lynched in Johnston City, Illinois by a mob. The Illinois National Guard was deployed to prevent rioting between the miner's supporters and opponents. They were also later ordered to various locations repeatedly during the 1920s to separate warring parties and attempt to keep order.

The northwest section of the county suffered extensive damage during the Tri-State Tornado of 1925. The county was also struck by two tornadoes on May 29, 1982, which killed 10 people in the Marion, Illinois tornado outbreak. On May 8, 2009, the cities of Carterville, Herrin, and Marion were severely damaged by the May 2009 Southern Midwest derecho.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 444 sqmi, of which 420 sqmi is land and 24 sqmi (5.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * Franklin County (north)
 * Saline County (east)
 * Pope County (southeast)
 * Johnson County (south)
 * Union County (southwest)
 * Jackson County (west)

National protected area

 * Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Major highways

 * I-24.svg Interstate 24
 * I-57.svg Interstate 57
 * US 45.svg U.S. Highway 45
 * Illinois 13.svg Illinois Route 13
 * Illinois 37.svg Illinois Route 37
 * Illinois 148.svg Illinois Route 148
 * Illinois 149.svg Illinois Route 149
 * Illinois 166.svg Illinois Route 166

Transit

 * Rides Mass Transit District
 * South Central Transit
 * Greyhound Lines
 * List of intercity bus stops in Illinois

Airport
Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois in Marion is the local airport.

Climate and weather
Williamson County lies on the border between humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) and humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), with neither large mountains nor large bodies of water to moderate its temperature. It is subject to both cold Arctic air and hot, humid tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico and, along with the rest of the midwestern United States, is home to some of the largest temperature extremes in the world.

The region has four distinct seasons. Spring is the wettest season and produces erratic severe weather ranging from tornadoes to winter storms. Summers are hot and humid, with only occasional and brief respite, and the humidity often makes the heat index rise to temperatures feeling well above 100 °F. Fall is mild with lower humidity and can produce intermittent bouts of heavy rainfall, with the first snow flurries usually forming in late November. Winters are cold with periodic snow and temperatures often below freezing; however, thaws are usually frequent. Winter storm systems, such as Alberta clippers and Panhandle hooks, can bring days of heavy freezing rain, ice pellets, and snowfall.

The normal high temperature in July is 90 °F, and the normal low temperature in January is 19 °F, although this varies from year to year. Both 100 and 0 °F temperatures can be seen on an average 2 or 3 days per year. In recent years, average temperatures have ranged from a low of 19 °F in January to a high of 88 °F in July, although a record low of -25 °F was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of 113 °F was recorded in August 1977. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 3.06 in in October to 4.93 in in May.

Williamson County has thunderstorms about 50 days a year on average. Thunderstorms contribute over half of the annual precipitation. Especially in the spring, these storms can often be severe, with high winds, large hail and tornadoes.

Some late autumns feature the warm weather known as Indian summer; some years see roses in bloom as late as early December.

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 66,357 people, 27,421 households, and 17,999 families residing in the county. The population density was 157.9 PD/sqmi. There were 30,359 housing units at an average density of 72.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 92.7% white, 3.8% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.5% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.6% were German, 17.3% were Irish, 16.0% were English, 9.0% were American, and 6.1% were Italian.

Of the 27,421 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.4% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 40.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,579 and the median income for a family was $50,929. Males had a median income of $41,428 versus $30,901 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,164. About 13.3% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Carbondale (mostly in Jackson County)
 * Carterville
 * Creal Springs
 * Herrin
 * Hurst
 * Johnston City
 * Marion (seat) (partly in Johnson County)

Villages

 * Bush
 * Cambria
 * Colp
 * Crainville
 * Energy
 * Freeman Spur (partly in Franklin County)
 * Pittsburg
 * Spillertown
 * Stonefort (mostly in Saline County)

Census-designated places

 * Crab Orchard
 * Whiteash

Other unincorporated communities

 * Attila
 * Blairsville
 * Corinth
 * Crenshaw
 * Dewmaine
 * Dog Walk
 * Dykersburg
 * Fergestown
 * Hudgens
 * New Dennison
 * No. 9
 * Paineville
 * Palzo
 * Paulton
 * Pulleys Mill
 * Stiritz
 * Willeford

Ghost towns

 * Chamness
 * Clifford
 * Dewmaine
 * Halfway
 * Halfway (Little Juarez)

Precincts
The following precincts are not voting precincts, but represent the 12 Congressional townships in Williamson County. Most have multiple voting precincts.

 * Blairsville
 * Carterville
 * Corinth
 * Crab Orchard
 * Creal Springs
 * East Marion
 * Grassy
 * Herrin
 * Lake Creek
 * Southern
 * Stonefort
 * West Marion

Education
School districts include:

K-12:

 * Carrier Mills-Stonefort Community Unit School District
 * Carterville Community Unit School District 5
 * Crab Orchard Community Unit School District 3
 * Frankfort Community Unit School District 168
 * Galatia Community Unit School District 1
 * Herrin Community Unit School District 4
 * Johnston City Community Unit School District 1
 * Marion Community Unit School District 2
 * Zeigler-Royalton Community Unit School District 188

Secondary:
 * Carbondale Community High School District 165
 * Vienna High School District 133

Elementary:
 * Giant City Community Consolidated School District 130
 * New Simpson Hill Consolidated District 32

Government and infrastructure
United States Penitentiary, Marion is located in Southern Precinct in Williamson County.

Politics
Williamson County has been solidly Republican on the national level, voting for the Republican candidates for U.S. president since 2000. Donald Trump won 68% of the vote in both 2016 and 2020 — the highest percentage for either party in Williamson County’s history

title: Williamson County, Illinois


text:
Talk:Will County, Illinois

Untitled
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Aurora isn't the biggest city?
Aurora is listed in as the largest city in DuPage County, even if only a fraction of it is in DuPage, so why is this the case here? 2601:249:1902:7C40:94E6:E4C7:5C43:CF7F (talk) 17:55, 12 June 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Will County, Illinois


text:
Whiteside County, Illinois

Whiteside County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 55,691. Its county seat is Morrison. The county is bounded on the west by the Mississippi River. Whiteside County comprises the Sterling, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Dixon-Sterling, IL Combined Statistical Area. U.S. President Ronald Reagan was born in 1911 in the Whiteside County community of Tampico.

History
This area was long occupied by varying cultures of Native Americans.

Whiteside County was organized by European Americans in 1836 from parts of Jo Daviess and Henry counties. It was named for General Samuel Whiteside, an Illinois officer in the War of 1812 and Black Hawk War.

Whiteside County's boundaries have remained unchanged since its creation in 1836.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 697 sqmi, of which 684 sqmi is land and 12 sqmi (1.8%) is water.

Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Morrison have ranged from a low of 10 °F in January to a high of 85 °F in July, although a record low of -30 °F was recorded in February 1905 and a record high of 112 °F was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.51 in in February to 4.69 in in August.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-88.svg|20px]] Interstate 88
 * [[Image:US 30.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 30
 * [[Image:Illinois 2.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 2
 * [[Image:Illinois 40.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 40
 * [[Image:Illinois 78.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 78
 * [[Image:Illinois 84.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 84
 * [[Image:Illinois 110.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 110
 * [[Image:Illinois 136.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 136
 * [[Image:Illinois 172.svg|20px]] Illinois Route 172

Adjacent counties

 * Carroll County (north)
 * Ogle County (northeast)
 * Lee County (east)
 * Bureau County (southeast)
 * Henry County (south)
 * Rock Island County (southwest)
 * Clinton County, Iowa (west)

National protected area

 * Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (part)

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 58,498 people, 23,740 households, and 16,005 families residing in the county. The population density was 85.5 PD/sqmi. There were 25,770 housing units at an average density of 37.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 92.2% white, 1.3% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 3.5% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 11.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 32.5% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 8.7% were Dutch, 8.6% were English, and 6.0% were American.

Of the 23,740 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.6% were non-families, and 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,266 and the median income for a family was $54,242. Males had a median income of $41,862 versus $29,157 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,405. About 8.2% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Fulton
 * Morrison (county seat)
 * Prophetstown
 * Rock Falls
 * Sterling

Villages

 * Albany
 * Coleta
 * Deer Grove
 * Erie
 * Lyndon
 * Tampico

Unincorporated communities

 * Agnew
 * Fenton
 * Galt
 * Hahnaman
 * Oliver
 * Round Grove
 * Spring Hill
 * Union Grove
 * Unionville
 * Yeoward Addition

Census-designated place

 * Como

Townships
Whiteside County is divided into these townships:

 * Albany
 * Clyde
 * Coloma
 * Erie
 * Fenton
 * Fulton
 * Garden Plain
 * Genesee
 * Hahnaman
 * Hopkins
 * Hume
 * Jordan
 * Lyndon
 * Montmorency
 * Mount Pleasant
 * Newton
 * Portland
 * Prophetstown
 * Sterling
 * Tampico
 * Union Grove
 * Ustick

Politics
Whiteside County has a political history typical of Northern Illinois. Between its first election in 1840, and 1852, it always favored the Whig Party, and although Whiteside was not as strong for the Free Soil Party as counties to the east like Boone and Lake, it gave substantial votes to that party in 1848 and 1852 and became powerfully Republican for the next century-and-a-quarter. Between 1856 and 1988 the only time Whiteside County did not vote for the Republican candidate was in 1912, when the GOP was mortally divided and Whiteside County voted for Progressive Party nominee and former President Theodore Roosevelt by a 2-to-1 margin over conservative incumbent William Howard Taft. Between at least 1880 and 1960, no Democratic presidential nominee ever won 40 percent of Whiteside County's vote, and even Alf Landon in 1936 carried the county by 22 percent when losing 46 of 48 states.

In 1964 the Republican Party nominated Barry Goldwater, whose hostility to the Yankee establishment and strongly conservative policies were sufficient to leave many traditional Republicans to stay home or even to vote for Lyndon Johnson. In this climate, Goldwater managed to keep the Republican Party's winning streak in Whiteside alive, but by just 1.6%, or 404 votes.

The county continued to vote comfortably more Republican than the nation for the next four elections. However, it began trending away from the GOP in 1984, as its most famous native, Ronald Reagan, successfully sought a second term. Even as Reagan increased his national margin by over 8%, his margin in Whiteside was more than halved, from a little over 40% in 1980 to 19.6% in 1984. The county was only marginally more Republican than the nation in 1984. The trend continued in 1988, as George H. W. Bush carried it by 6.8%, a somewhat smaller margin than he won the national popular vote by, making this election the first one in which Whiteside voted more Democratic than the nation in at least a century. In 1992, it gave Bill Clinton a plurality win, with a comfortable 8.0% margin over George H. W. Bush. In 1996, the county gave Bill Clinton an outright majority. The county went on to vote Democratic for the next four consecutive elections, giving Gore, Kerry, and Obama four straight majorities.

However, in 2016, concerns over long-term economic decline saw much of the Rust Belt swing heavily towards Donald Trump, and Whiteside flipped from a 16.9% Obama win in 2012 to a Trump plurality in 2016. In 2020, Trump won a majority—the first for a Republican since 1988—and increased his margin from 6.2% to 8.3%.

title: Whiteside County, Illinois