Yellow Creek | |
---|---|
Basin features | |
Main source |
Stephenson County northwest of Lena, Illinois 977 ft (298 m) 42°25′10″N 89°53′52″W / 42.4194444°N 89.8977778°W |
River mouth |
Confluence with the Pecatonica east of Freeport, Illinois 748 ft (228 m) 42°17′23″N 89°34′10″W / 42.2897222°N 89.5694444°WCoordinates: 42°17′23″N 89°34′10″W / 42.2897222°N 89.5694444°W |
Progression | Yellow Creek → Pecatonica → Rock → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico |
Physical characteristics | |
Length | 50 mi (80 km) |
GNIS ID | 421568 |
Yellow Creek is a tributary of the Pecatonica River in Stephenson County, in the US state of Illinois. The 50 mile (80.5 km) stream also flows through a small part of Jo Daviess County. The waters of Yellow Creek were accessed for water quality in 1996, 28 miles (45.1 km) were listed as "fair" and 22 miles (35.4 km) "good." During the 1832 Black Hawk War the Battle of Waddams Grove was fought along Yellow Creek.
Yellow Creek is a 50-mile (80.5 km) tributary within the Pecatonica River watershed, and is considered a major stream within that system. Most of its course is through Stephenson County, Illinois but a small part of the stream flows into Jo Daviess County, in extreme northwestern Illinois. The stream's source is at 42°25′10″N 89°53′52″W and its mouth is at 42°17′23″N 89°34′10″W.
During the 1832 Black Hawk War, a conflict between Sauk Chief Black Hawk's British Band and settlers in Michigan Territory and the state of Illinois, the Battle of Waddams Grove occurred near Yellow Creek. After a number of Native American raids in the area, James W. Stephenson raised a group of volunteers and set out in search of the raiders. Stephenson caught up with the band of Native Americans on June 18, 1832 in an open area near Yellow Creek, about 12 miles (19.3 km) east of Kellogg's Grove, Illinois. The battlefield itself is believed to be located along the Yellow Creek northwest of William Waddams' original land claims north of the present day unincorporated town of Waddams Grove, Illinois.