What are townships? Illinois townships are political subdivisions of the county that handle local road maintenance, property assessment, general assistance, and cemetery upkeep. They're the oldest form of local government in Illinois — older than cities, older than the state itself. Kankakee County started with six original townships when it was organized on May 9, 1853, carved from Will and Iroquois counties. By 1877, all 17 were established. Today they remain the backbone of rural K3.
📍 Jump to a Township
Aroma
Bourbonnais
Essex
Ganeer
Kankakee
Limestone
Manteno
Momence
Norton
Otto
Pembroke
Pilot
Rockville
Salina
St. Anne
Sumner
Yellowhead
Aroma Township
One of the original six townships when Kankakee County was carved from Will and Iroquois counties in 1853. Named for the wildflowers that perfumed the Kankakee River banks — the kind of poetic naming that defined early Illinois. The river runs through its heart, and four incorporated communities make it one of the most populated townships. The B'nai Israel Cemetery speaks to a Jewish community presence that most people don't associate with rural Illinois. Iroquois Woods Nature Preserve protects some of the last remnants of the original prairie and forest landscape that defined this land before the plow.
Communities
Aroma Park, parts of Kankakee, Sammons Point, Sun River Terrace
Notable Features
- Iroquois Woods Nature Preserve — rare prairie preservation
- Kankakee River — central geographic feature
- B'nai Israel Cemetery — historic Jewish burial ground
- Six cemeteries — deep community roots
Bourbonnais Township
The population powerhouse — nearly 40,000 residents make it larger than many Illinois counties. Was part of Will County before Kankakee County was created. Contains the county's main commercial corridor (Route 50), Olivet Nazarene University, and a chunk of Kankakee River State Park. The Chicago Bears held training camp here for years, putting Bourbonnais on the national sports map. Three incorporated communities plus two unincorporated areas pack this township with more people per square mile than anywhere else in K3.
Communities
Bourbonnais, Bradley, part of Kankakee; unincorporated: Altorf, Indian Oaks
Notable Features
- Olivet Nazarene University — major educational hub
- Kankakee River State Park — outdoor recreation
- Former Chicago Bears training camp — sports history
- I-57/US 45/IL 50 interchange — transportation hub
Essex Township
Essex Township was taken from Vermilion County in 1855 — it literally changed counties. The most fascinating part of its history: three coal-mining towns (Tracy, Oklahoma, and Clarke City) flourished here during the 1880s. When the coal seam ran out around 1900, all three towns died. Ghost towns on the Illinois prairie. Today Essex Township is quiet, agricultural, and has the second-highest median household income in the county. The coal is gone, but the prairie endures.
Communities
Essex (incorporated)
Notable Features
- Three extinct coal towns — Tracy, Oklahoma, Clarke City
- $90,250 median household income — second highest in county
- IL Route 17 corridor
- Agricultural heartland with rich mining history
Ganeer Township
The last of the 1850s townships, carved from Momence in 1859. Ganeer is one of the most demographically diverse townships in the county. Sun River Terrace takes up most of the northeast quadrant. Four unincorporated communities (Eldridge, Exline, Koster, and Saint George) dot the landscape — names that don't appear on most maps but represent real communities of real people living real lives in rural Illinois.
Communities
Part of Momence, Sun River Terrace (NE portion); unincorporated: Eldridge, Exline, Koster, Saint George
Notable Features
- Diverse demographics — 67% White, 14% Black, 15% Hispanic
- Kankakee River — natural boundary
- Four unincorporated communities with deep local history
Kankakee Township
The smallest township in the county by area, but the second-largest by population. That's because it IS Kankakee — the county seat, squeezed into 18 square miles of urban density. This is where the Kankakee River meets the Iroquois River, creating a geographic confluence that shaped K3's entire history. It's the most racially diverse township in the county (40% White, 37% Black, 21.5% Hispanic). More happens per square mile here than anywhere else in Kankakee County.
Communities
Kankakee (NE three-quarters of the city)
Notable Features
- Smallest area but 2nd largest population — dense urban core
- Kankakee & Iroquois Rivers confluence — historic gathering point
- Most diverse township — 40% White, 37% Black, 21.5% Hispanic
- County seat with major commercial and cultural hub
Limestone Township
One of the original six, and named for the geological deposits that define the area. The Kankakee River has carved through limestone bluffs here for millennia, creating dramatic scenic formations. A major portion of Kankakee River State Park — one of the finest state parks in Illinois — sits within Limestone Township. The village of Limestone was only incorporated in 2006, making it one of the newest municipalities in the county despite the township being one of the oldest. Ancient geology, modern community.
Communities
Limestone (incorporated 2006), part of Kankakee; unincorporated: Greenwich, Hillside Manor
Notable Features
- Kankakee River State Park — major portion with scenic bluffs
- Limestone geology — geological namesake and landscape feature
- IL Route 17 corridor
- Newest incorporated village (2006) from oldest township
Manteno Township
Named after a Potawatomi woman, Manteno Township's history is inseparable from the Manteno State Hospital — opened in 1930, it housed over 8,000 patients at its peak and was essentially a city within the township. A devastating typhoid epidemic in 1939 killed over 50 people, a tragedy burned into local memory. The hospital closed in 1985 and was reborn as the Illinois Veterans Home in 1986. That 900-acre campus remains the township's most significant landmark. Three major highways (I-57, US 45, IL 50) cross the township, making it one of the most connected in K3.
Communities
Manteno, parts of Bourbonnais and Bradley
Notable Features
- Illinois Veterans Home — 900-acre campus on former hospital grounds
- Manteno State Hospital history — 8,000 patients at peak, 1930-1985
- Three major highways — I-57, US 45, IL 50 interchange
- 1939 typhoid epidemic memorial — community resilience story
Momence Township
One of the original six and the mother of three — Momence Township originally encompassed what would later become Sumner, Ganeer, and Pembroke townships. The Kankakee River defines the township, creating the landscape that drew Native Americans here for millennia. Island Park sits on an actual island in the river. "Garden of Eden" is an actual unincorporated community name. Mirror Lake adds to the water features. This is river country — fishing, canoeing, and the annual Gladiolus Festival (since 1938) at Island Park. The township that spawned three others is still the spiritual heart of eastern Kankakee County.
Communities
Momence (eastern half); unincorporated: Ahern, Garden of Eden, Illiana Heights, Log Cabin Camp
Notable Features
- Island Park — actual island with Gladiolus Festival since 1938
- Mother township — spawned Sumner, Ganeer, Pembroke
- Kankakee River — central geographic feature
- Mirror Lake and water recreation resources
Norton Township
The biggest township with one of the smallest populations. 49.77 square miles of pure prairie — not a single square inch of water. Four incorporated villages (Buckingham, Cabery, Reddick, Union Hill) somehow share this vast flatland, each with its own identity and character. Norton is where Kankakee County gets truly rural — wide-open farmland, grain elevators on the horizon, and the kind of quiet that city people drive hours to find. Five cemeteries hold the stories of families who've worked this land for generations.
Communities
Buckingham, Cabery (northern half), Reddick (SE three-quarters), Union Hill
Notable Features
- 49.77 sq mi — largest area with tiny population (936)
- Pure prairie township — no water features, flat farmland
- Five cemeteries — deep family roots and history
- Wide-open rural character with four village identities
Otto Township
Otto Township has an identity crisis in the best way — it was born as "Carthage Township" in 1855, renamed Otto in 1857, and contains pieces of FIVE different incorporated communities (Aroma Park, Chebanse, Irwin, Kankakee, and Sammons Point). "Sugar Island" is an unincorporated community name that suggests sweetness in the middle of the prairie. The I-57/US 45 corridor runs through it, making it a transportation crossroads. Otto is a township of fragments — no single community dominates, and the whole is more interesting than any individual part.
Communities
Parts of Aroma Park, Chebanse, Irwin, Kankakee, Sammons Point; unincorporated: Otto, Sugar Island
Notable Features
- Five incorporated communities within borders — patchwork township
- Identity history — born as Carthage, renamed Otto (1857)
- I-57/US 45 corridor — major transportation route
- "Sugar Island" — evocative unincorporated community name
Pembroke Township
The last township formed in Kankakee County (1877) and its most historically significant. Pembroke was settled largely by African-American families during and after the Great Migration — people who fled the Jim Crow South to own land and build community on their own terms. The sandy soil was challenging but the families persisted. At its peak, Pembroke was one of the largest concentrations of Black farmers north of the Mason-Dixon line. Today it faces real economic challenges (median income $33,342, lowest in the county), but the community's resilience and the 52 square miles of land — the largest township by area — tell a story of determination that defines Kankakee County's character and conscience.
Communities
Hopkins Park; unincorporated: Doney, Leesville, Saint Anne Woods, Tallmadge
Notable Features
- Largest township by area — 52.34 square miles
- Historic Black farming community — Great Migration settlement
- 73% African American population — demographic significance
- Community resilience and land stewardship legacy
Pilot Township
Named for a long-gone landmark (possibly a "pilot grove" — a stand of trees used for navigation on the featureless prairie). Contains Herscher, home of the Tigers. Pilot Center was once a real community — it's now extinct, existing only as a cemetery name and in fading local memory. SEVEN cemeteries serve this township — more than any other — suggesting a deep, layered history of settlement, community, and generations of families. The unincorporated communities of Dickeys, Goodrich, and Lehigh are names that exist on old maps and in local memory. This is deep farm country with deep roots.
Communities
Herscher; unincorporated: Dickeys, Goodrich, Lehigh; extinct: Pilot Center
Notable Features
- Seven cemeteries — most of any township in county
- Herscher Tigers — local school identity and pride
- Extinct Pilot Center — named only as cemetery now
- Deep prairie roots with established family histories
Rockville Township
The quietest township — 756 people in 36 square miles, the smallest population of any township. Named possibly after a Potawatomi village called "Little Rock Village." Has NO incorporated communities at all — just Deselm and Flickerville, two unincorporated dots on the map that hardly anyone in K3 has heard of. But Rockville hides a treasure: a major portion of Kankakee River State Park, one of the finest state parks in Illinois. And those 756 residents have the highest median household income ($96,477) in the entire county. Rockville is where Kankakee County goes to be alone with the river and the trees.
Communities
Unincorporated only: Deselm, Flickerville
Notable Features
- Smallest population — 756 people total
- No incorporated communities — purely unincorporated
- Kankakee River State Park major portion — natural treasure
- Highest median income in county ($96,477) — economic paradox
Salina Township
Carved from Limestone Township in 1854, just a year after the county was formed — the first new township created. The name "Salina" likely refers to salt deposits or salt springs in the area, natural resources that may have drawn early settlers. Contains Bonfield and the barely-there Frielings. Part of Kankakee River State Park extends into Salina. With a median age of 52.3 — the oldest in the county — this is a township of established families who've been here a while and aren't leaving. The ISRA (Illinois State Rifle Association) range in Bonfield draws shooters from across the state.
Communities
Bonfield; unincorporated: Frielings
Notable Features
- First new township created (1854) from original six
- Salina geology — salt springs likely historical factor
- Highest median age (52.3) — established family community
- ISRA Bonfield range — state shooting sports destination
St. Anne Township
Named for the Catholic parish that anchored the French-Canadian settlement. St. Anne Township is the spiritual heart of Kankakee County's French-Catholic heritage — Father Charles Chiniquy founded the village in 1851, and 170+ years later, the parish still anchors community life. Second smallest by area but rich in culture and faith. Cote Lake provides a rare water feature. Three golf courses (Kankakee Elks, Oak Springs, Shamrock) make this unlikely township a golf destination. The French-Canadian surnames on headstones in the cemetery trace back to Quebec and generations of family legacy.
Communities
St. Anne
Notable Features
- French-Canadian Catholic heritage — Father Chiniquy founded 1851
- Three golf courses — unlikely recreation destination
- Cote Lake — natural water feature
- Religious and cultural anchor for French-Canadian community
Sumner Township
Born as "Union Township" in 1855, renamed Sumner less than a year later. This is one of the emptiest parts of the county — 837 people across 37 square miles of flat prairie. Multiple creeks (Marshall Slough, Rock Creek, Exline Slough, Farr Creek, Tower Creek) wind through the township toward the Kankakee River, creating a subtle water landscape on the prairie. The township office is actually in Grant Park, which is technically in neighboring Yellowhead Township. Pure farm country. The kind of place where the tallest thing on the horizon is a grain elevator and the silence is profound.
Communities
None (township office in Grant Park, technically in Yellowhead)
Notable Features
- Very low population (837) on 37 sq mi — wide open prairie
- Multiple creeks — Marshall Slough, Rock Creek, Exline Slough, Farr Creek
- Name history — born Union, renamed Sumner 1855-1856
- Pure agricultural landscape with minimal infrastructure
Yellowhead Township
The name comes from a Potawatomi warrior named Yellow Head, whose village stood at what settlers called "Yellowhead Point." One of the original six townships, carrying a Native American name forward into the modern age. Contains Grant Park — home of the Bennett-Curtis House and Locavore Farm, destinations for food lovers across K3. Sollitt is an unincorporated community whose name lives on in the Sollitt Tap (one of the highest-rated bars in the county). Judson was once a real town — it's now extinct, a name on old maps and in archives. The township stretches across 44 square miles of the northern county, from the Cook County border area south toward the river.
Communities
Grant Park; unincorporated: Puder, Sherburnville, Sollitt; extinct: Judson
Notable Features
- Named for Potawatomi warrior Yellow Head — indigenous legacy
- Grant Park — Bennett-Curtis House and Locavore Farm destination
- Sollitt Tap — highly-rated bar in unincorporated community
- Extinct Judson — ghost town from earlier era