Stark county was created in 1839 from parts of Knox County and Putnam County. It is located in western Illinois roughly east of Galesburg and north of Peoria. The county is named for John Stark, a Brigadier General in the Revolutionary War. He worked his way up the ranks first as a Lieutenant in the French and Indian War in 1755. By 1775 he was a Colonel in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
The Spoon River enters the county from the north flowing south until reaching about the center of the county and then exiting in the southwest corner.
The county seat is Toulon and the county population on July 1, 1999, was 6,282, a decrease of 252 over the 1990 census.
For information on county government, contact the National Association of Counties Web site.
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