Place:Cerro Gordo, Piatt, Illinois, United States

Watchers


NameCerro Gordo
TypeVillage
Coordinates39.891°N 88.733°W
Located inPiatt, Illinois, United States
Contained Places
Cemetery
Cerro Gordo Cemetery
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Cerro Gordo, nicknamed Fat Hill, is a town in Piatt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,316 at the 2020 census.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

When the Mexican American War began General John S. Williams took command. At the battle of Cerro Gordo (Mexico) he led the troops in a victory over Mexican troops. He took the nickname of "Cerro Gordo" Williams. After the battle, he returned to Illinois and settled in Bement. About the same time (1855) the people of the town of Griswold chose to move the town from the stagecoach line along the river to the path of the Great Western Railroad. The town was platted by Sheridan Wait and Henry Durfee. "Cerro Gordo" Williams was one of the citizens, as they had other citizens that fought in the battle of Cerro Gordo, they selected the name Cerro Gordo. When the Civil War erupted, "Cerro Gordo" Williams returned to Kentucky and became a general in the Army of the Confederacy. On May 31, 1864, his residence was destroyed by fire, with arson being suspected. After the Civil War "Cerro Gordo" Williams having nothing to return to, moved to a farm near Mount Sterling, KY and served in the Kentucky legislature.

Cerro Gordo was the birthplace of Charlie Taylor, an inventor and mechanic who created the engine used in the first powered flight by the Wright Brothers in 1903. It is also the hometown of former college football player and noted snowboarding enthusiast Bryson Davis.

Research Tips


This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Cerro Gordo, Illinois. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.