Whiteside county is located in NW Illinois and bordered on the west by the Mississippi River. The Rock River is a prominent waterway in the county, as well.
The county was created in 1836 from parts of Henry County and Jo Daviess County and it is named for Brigadier General Samuel Whiteside, a commander in the Black Hawk War of 1831-32. A little known fact is that Abraham Lincoln served as a Captain under Whiteside in that War.
The county seat is Morrison and the county population on July 1, 1999, was 59,606, a decrease of 580 over the 1990 census.
