When Illinois became a state in 1818, no white settlers had ever come to that piece of the prairie, which is now McLean County. Four years later a few white families came across country from Pekin and started the little settlement of Blooming Grove, south of the present city of Bloomington. However, only roving bands of Indians, birds of the air and wild animals of the forest knew the very rich tract of land, 8 miles long and 6 miles wide composing Empire Township. The middle fork of Salt Creek flows through the entire length of the township and is joined by the west Fork in the southern part, together forming about 11 miles of running water the year around. Nine miles of Salt Creek was bordered with heavy timber composed of varieties of oak, walnut, hickory and many other valuable species. This grove covered about 7,000 acres. Besides this, there were about 2,000 acres across the north side, called “Old Town Timber”.

            In 1827 big John Buckles of Virginia happened to find this beautiful grove along Salt Creek. He had wandered around for years, hunting for the perfect location to settle his large family. He built a log cabin immediately in what was to be called Buckles Grove. John was a hunter, not a farmer, and this spot was ideal for hunting and fishing. Food, and logs for building, and fuel were right at his door. John made a tannery by hollowing out large oak logs for vats and using the bark in the tanning process. His sons soon became friends with the Indian boys who were nearby. Aside from the very valuable timber, there were about 22,000 acres of beautiful rich undulating prairies in the township. This as well as the timber attracted other settlers.

            A year later Jessie Funk and James Burleson drove a great herd of hogs into the grove. There was plenty of food for the hogs, which included acorns. They established a camp for the hands caring for the hogs. Also in 1828, other settlers arrived and established claims in various sections of Buckles Grove. Among these settlers were the Conway, Brittin, Rutledge, Crumbaugh, Jackson, Watters, Merrifield, Westfall, VanDeventer, and Walden families.

            Menaces to these pioneers were weather, wolves and prairie fires. There was deep snow in the winter of 1830/1831. December 1836 saw a sudden change in temperature from 40 degrees above to minus 20 degrees accompanied by high winds.  Wolves caused more trouble than anything else. They destroyed much of the wild game the people needed for food and stole chickens, pigs, and sheep. Prairie fires caused the early pioneers to seek shelter in ponds and streams until they burned out. A small wind could whip a path of flames for many miles destroying all along the way.

            Church and schools were not neglected in spite of the hardships and struggle to barely exist. The first school was built of logs in 1832 and named the Clearwater school. Church services were held in homes. In 1831 Buckles Grove became part of the Methodist circuit. Watters headed that group and was very active in the religious life of the settlement.  In 1850 he met with other prominent Methodists of the area in Bloomington to establish Wesleyan University. The Presbyterians started services in 1832 in the home of Peter Buckles. They met in homes and the Clearwater School until the town was started. Mr. Buckles then donated the land for a church, the same site the present church stands on today.

Buckles Grove by the 1830’s had become quite a settlement. Other pioneers were staking claims elsewhere in Empire Township. Two surveyors from Bloomington studied the lay of the land and decided that the natural knoll that lay almost in the center of the township would be an ideal location for a town. There were the Buckles Grove settlers one mile to the east, south and west with settlers three miles north in the Old Town Timber. So in 1835 they purchased the 80 acres of which the elevation was surveyed and laid out the town of LeRoy. 

 The first mail arrived in LeRoy in 1838 after a Post Route was established between Danville, Bloomington and Peoria. The post office was located in the Buck hotel. At first the mail came by a Post Rider then by stages. 1841 saw the first steam mill built. A steam grist and sawmill was built in 1853 after the first mill burned in 1844.  

            On May 1, 1870 the Danville, Urbana and Bloomington and Peoria R.R. sent its first train through LeRoy. The route was called the Big Four (short for Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis) . LeRoy citizens were proud and happy for they had invested $75,000 toward its construction. However, they were not happy with the high freight rates. They immediately started a movement for a narrow gauge railroad between LeRoy and Rantoul. Practically all of the right-of-way was donated and in 10 months the road was mostly built and in running order. This is commonly called the ‘Punpkin Vine”. The Punpkin Vine was linked to the Big Four on the west side of LeRoy. Early service on both rails were passenger, mail, livestock, lumber, implement, general merchandise and almost anything else one desired to have transported.

            A president and board of trustees from 1835 to 1874 governed LeRoy. The town prospered from the date of its founding so in August, 1874 an election was held adopting a city charter and electing a mayor, 6 aldermen, treasurer and city clerk.

Thus a community was born.