U.S. Grant Conference
Illinois high school athletic conference (1927-1974)
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The U.S. Grant Conference is a former high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in the northwestern corner of Illinois. Founded in 1927 and disbanded in 1974, all full conference members were affiliated with the Illinois High School Association.
History
1927-1947
The U.S. Grant Conference was formed in 1927 by eight small high schools in northwestern Illinois: Apple River, East Dubuque, Elizabeth, Galena, Hanover, Scales Mound, Stockton and Warren.[1] All eight members were located in Jo Daviess County, and basketball was the conference's first sponsored sport. Apple River dropped out of the conference in 1930,[2] and the next year, football was added to the conference's competitive offerings. Basketball members Galena, Stockton and Warren were joined by two schools in neighboring Carroll County and Stephenson County: Aquin Catholic in Freeport and Mount Carroll.[3] In 1934, the U.S. Grant Conference added Shullsburg, located just across the state line in Lafayette County, Wisconsin as a sixth member to its football roster.[4] Lanark High School in Carroll County joined the conference's gridiron lineup in 1937, but did not finish the season due to lack of players.[5] Shullsburg dropped out of the conference's football lineup in 1938,[6] and Lanark left the next year when it transitioned to six-player football.[7] In 1944, Hanover replaced Mount Carroll when they started their football program.[8] Aquin Catholic withdrew from the U.S. Grant Conference's football roster and were replaced by East Dubuque the next year.[9] In 1946, Lanark rejoined the conference for football[10] but left along with Hanover before the 1947 season.[11] The two exiting schools were replaced by Pecatonica High School.[11]
1947-1974
Despite the near constant turnover of the U.S. Grant Conference's football ledger, its all-sport membership remained intact for seventeen years, spanning the Great Depression and World War II. That changed for the 1947-48 school year, when Scales Mound left to join the Wisconsin-based Black Hawk League.[12] More changes came for football in 1949, when Pecatonica exited the conference and were replaced by Winslow.[13] St. Columbkille High School in Dubuque, Iowa joined the gridiron fray in 1950, replacing Winslow after a single season of competition.[14] Shullsburg rejoined the conference's football roster in 1953,[15] and Aquin Catholic did the same in 1955.[16] Scales Mound also returned as full members after eight years in the Black Hawk League in 1955.[17] The U.S. Grant held its last football season in 1958 before discontinuing sponsorship of the sport.[18] Outside of football, the conference maintained a steady seven-member all-sport roster from 1955 to 1970. East Dubuque left to compete as an independent that year, bringing the group to six members.[19] In 1971, former Carroll County independents Chadwick and Thomson joined for what would turn out to be the conference's last few seasons.[20] The U.S. Grant Conference disbanded in 1974, with five former members joining the Upstate Illini Conference (Chadwick, Elizabeth, Hanover, Scales Mound and Thomson)[21] and three to the Northwestern Illinois Conference (Galena, Stockton and Warren).[22]
Conference membership history
Final full members
| School | Location | Affiliation | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chadwick | Chadwick, IL | Public | Silver Streaks | 1971[20] | 1974[21] | Upstate Illini | Closed in 1989 (consolidated into Milledgeville) | |
| Elizabeth | Elizabeth, IL | Public | Terrapins | 1927[1] | 1974[21] | Upstate Illini | Closed in 1985 (merged into River Ridge) | |
| Galena | Galena, IL | Public | Pirates | 1927[1] | 1974[22] | Northwestern Illinois | Northwest Upstate Illini | |
| Hanover | Hanover, IL | Public | Red Devils | 1927[1] | 1974[21] | Upstate Illini | Closed in 1985 (merged into River Ridge) | |
| Scales Mound | Scales Mound, IL | Public | Hornets | 1927,[1] 1955[17] | 1947,[12] 1974[21] | Black Hawk (WIAA), Upstate Illini |
Northwest Upstate Illini | |
| Stockton | Stockton, IL | Public | Blackhawks | 1927[1] | 1974[22] | Northwestern Illinois | Northwest Upstate Illini | |
| Thomson | Thomson, IL | Public | Trojans | 1971[20] | 1974[21] | Upstate Illini | Closed in 2005 (merged into West Carroll) | |
| Warren | Warren, IL | Public | Warriors | 1927[1] | 1974[22] | Northwestern Illinois | Northwest Upstate Illini |
Former full members
| School | Location | Affiliation | Mascot | Colors | Joined | Left | Conference Joined | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple River | Apple River, IL | Public | Unknown | Unknown | 1927[1] | 1930[2] | Independent | Closed in 1940s (consolidated into Warren) |
| East Dubuque | East Dubuque, IL | Public | Warriors | 1927[1] | 1970[19] | Independent | Northwest Upstate Illini |
Former football-only members
| School | Location | Affiliation | Mascot | Colors | Seasons | Primary Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquin Catholic | Freeport, IL | Private (Catholic) | Bulldogs | 1931-1944, 1955-1958 |
Rockford Diocesan, SHARK | |
| Lanark | Lanark, IL | Public | Beavers | 1937-1938, 1946 |
Carroll County, Blackhawk, Rock River Valley | |
| Mount Carroll | Mount Carroll, IL | Public | Hawks | 1931-1943 | Carroll County, Blackhawk, Rock River Valley | |
| Pecatonica | Pecatonica, IL | Public | Indians | 1947-1948 | Route 72 | |
| Shullsburg | Shullsburg, WI | Public | Miners | 1934-1937, 1953-1958 |
Black Hawk (WIAA) | |
| St. Columbkille | Dubuque, IA | Private (Catholic) | Co-Dukes | 1950-1958 | Northeast Iowa Catholic | |
| Winslow | Winslow, IL | Public | Wildcats | 1949 | Stephenson County |
Membership timeline
Full members
Football members
List of conference champions
Boys Basketball
| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Galena | 13 | 1928, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1953, 1961, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974 |
| Stockton | 10 | 1931, 1935, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1961, 1973 |
| Elizabeth | 9 | 1949, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1963 |
| Warren | 7 | 1938, 1945, 1946, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1970 |
| East Dubuque | 6 | 1928, 1947, 1948, 1955, 1956, 1959 |
| Hanover | 4 | 1933, 1934, 1937, 1944 |
| Thomson | 1 | 1972 |
| Apple River | 0 | |
| Chadwick | 0 | |
| Scales Mound | 0 | |
| Champions from 1929 and 1950 unknown | ||
Football
| School | Quantity | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Stockton | 11 | 1933, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1956, 1957 |
| Galena | 6 | 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1952 |
| Mount Carroll | 4 | 1932, 1933, 1937, 1939 |
| St. Columbkille | 3 | 1953, 1955, 1958 |
| Warren | 3 | 1934, 1935, 1942 |
| Aquin Catholic | 2 | 1931, 1944 |
| East Dubuque | 1 | 1955 |
| Lanark | 1 | 1946 |
| Hanover | 0 | |
| Pecatonica | 0 | |
| Shullsburg | 0 | |
| Winslow | 0 | |
| Champions from 1948, 1950, 1951 and 1954 unknown | ||