National
Road
Association
Of
Illinois
National
Road
Association
Of
Illinois
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Montrose
German Roman Catholics from Westphalia and Oldenburg and Lutherans from Saxony settled the area around Montrose. Although the National Road runs through the town, the town wasn’t platted until 1870. By 1890 there were six general stores, two saloons, an implement store, blacksmith shop, flour mill, and hotel. Legend has it that the Birch Gang, notorious robbers, horse thieves, and murderers in the 1840’s, buried large sums of money, sealed in glass jars with beeswax, in the Montrose vicinity.
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