History
The creek was the site of the 1832 Battle of Stillman's Run during the Black Hawk War. The battle and the creek became humorously known as "Stillman's Run" after Stillman and his men fled the battlefield in defeat, believing they were being chased by thousands of Chief Black Hawk's warriors. The use of the word "run" was a double entendre describing both the creek and Stillman's "tactics" during the battle. It has been known by other names as well, those include, Mud Creek, Old Man's Creek, and Sycamore Creek. The stream's current name, Stillman Creek, descended from Isaiah Stillman, who also lent his name to the village of Stillman Valley (via the creek), along the creek, in Ogle County. A 1999 water quality assessment by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency rated Stillman's Creek as "good," along with about 78% of the rest of the water ways found in the Rock River watershed. In modern times, the village of Stillman Valley has been authorized to discharge treated wastewater into the creek. During the 2007 Midwest flooding the creek poured over its banks.
Read more about this topic: Stillman Creek (Illinois)
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