WELCOME TO MONTICELLO

Walk down our beautiful streetscapes. Browse through unique shops. Swim at our Family Aquatic Center. Enjoy a picnic at Riverside Gardens. Canoe down the Maquoketa River.

MONTICELLO IS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK, SHOP, AND LIVE!!!

HISTORY

The settlement of what is today the City of Monticello was begun in October of 1836, when Daniel Varvel built the first cabin here on the bank of Kitty Creek. Varvel, a native Kentuckian who settled in northwest Illinois following the Blackhawk War originally planned to migrate farther west but, was struck by the beauty of the vast prairie of northern Jones County. Varvel's cabin was built on the east bank of Kitty Creek near its mouth on the Maquoketa River, opposite the site where most of present-day Monticello is now located. In its earliest days, Monticello was known as Varvelstown. Soon after the first settlement, Monticello drew a number of early settlers. Monticello was incorporated on September 17, 1867. The Monticello Express published its first issue in July 1865. By 1886 the city's population was 1850.

The Clock tower on the top of the Community Building chimes to the time. The 124 year clock, which was purchased for $450 continues to tick since starting to keep time at noon on Saturday, December 15, 1877.