Knox County ILGenWeb

From the 1886 Portrait and Biographical Album of Knox County, Biographical Publishing Company, Chicago.  [Submitted by Fay Kummer.]

The township [of Rio] has in it one little village, which is located on the line of the railroad, on the southwest corner of section 16 and the southeast corner of section 17.  It was laid off by William Robinson, Deputy Surveyor of the county, in 1871, and was named Coburg after the Coe brothers. Soon after it was platted, there was a public sale of lots. Messrs. Schroder & Owens bought one lot on the southeast corner of section 17, for $125, upon which they erected a building for a store, which was the first opened in town. A post-office was established here in 1871 and was called North Prairie. Nelson Coe was the first Postmaster. It was subsequently changed to Rio, which name the village has since borne.  It contains a church, school-house and one store.  There are a number of wealthy and prominent gentlemen who live in the vicinity, and thus is a great convenience to them to have a post-office and railway station so near