Extract from the 1870 Atlas Map of Knox County, Illinois
Residence of John & Robert Robson, Section 11

(Extracted from the History of Knox County, Illinois by Albert Perry, Vol. I, page 435,
submitted by Janine Crandell)

This township is situated in the northwest corner of the county. It is well drained by Pope Creek and Henderson river. All along the streams was once an abundance of timber. The soil and other parts of the township is very rich, and is claimed, by its owners, to be equal to, or better than that found in almost any other townships in the county. It is certain that Rio township has very valuable land. There are, however, two railroads within the township; one running south and west to Monmouth, and the other south and east to Galesburg, which gives it special facilities for shipping all kinds of farm products. I suppose the claim, that the township has richer land than any other, is applicable to any other townships in the county which has any real fine prairie land, and is fortunate and commendable that so many of the farmers of Knox County make similar claims.

Joseph Roe is said to have been the first white man to settle in this township. His arrival was closely followed by Reece Jones and Joseph Halliday.

It was found necessary to erect some defenses during the Black Hawk War, and a stockade was constructed and called Fort Aggie in honor of Miss Cresswell.

Whitmore and Wyckoff came from Ohio, on horseback, in 1836. George W. Weir and Elsie Robertson are said to have seen in one drove more than fifty deer, in this vicinity. The names of Larkin, Robertson, Nelson and Lewis Coe, Samuel Milton and P.W. Epperson are old names in the township of Rio. Thomas Marion Goff was the first white child born in the township, April 5, 1835. This part of the township was originally called North Prairie, but the citizens in 1850, when the name Rio Grande was so common, were disposed to appropriate this name for their township, but they finally determined upon the simple word Rio. The village of Rio was planted{platted} in 1871, by William Robinson, and was first called Coburg, in honor of Coe Brothers. Mr. Schroeder who now resides in Galesburg, Illinois, kept a store in Rio. The post office was originally called North Prairie and Nelson Coe was the first postmaster. The business interests of the village are in competent hands and everything about it has an air of neatness and prosperity. Many of the older residents, however, are gone, either by death or removal. There is a hotel at Rio, and accommodations are very good.

Fraternally Rio township is well provided. There has always been quite a spirit of free masonry, and they have a lodge that has always stood for the best in the order. They also have a chapter of the Masonic Fraternity known as Horeb Chapter. There is an Odd Fellows fraternity, a camp of Modern Woodmen and a chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.