History of East Peoria

By Norma Smith
Located in Central Illinois, East Peoria has long drawn life from the Illinois River and from the rich soil and natural resources of its location. From the time of the earliest Indians through its development as a suburban manufacturing community, East Peoria, with its rich plain, scenic hills and abundant water, has grown and prospered.

Origins as Bluetown
Many of the earlier settlers of the area now known as East Peoria were from Alsace Lorraine. The homes were built in the swamplands where Caterpillar Inc. now stands. In 1864, Joseph Schertz platted an area known as Bluetown, possibly named from one of three theories: first, it was the custom for the Alsace Lorraine men to wear blue smocks; second, the homes, built on stilts, were painted blue to combat the corrosive action of the swamps; and third, a large number of the homes belonged to a mining company and a large quantity of blue paint had been purchased to paint the houses. Bluetown became known as Hilton, Illinois, in 1869.