The area now known as Courthouse Square in Kankakee, Illinois was originally used by the Potawatomi as a council ground. European settlement began in 1832 with the Treaty of Camp Tippecanoe. In 1851, the Illinois Central Railroad decided to build a station in what is now Kankakee. The Associates Land Company, formed by supporters of the Illinois Central, purchased and platted the land around the station, calling it Kankakee Depot. When Kankakee County was formed in 1853, Kankakee Depot competed with Momence to be named county seat. The influence of the Associates Land Company, who offered to donate a large block of land and $5000 for a courthouse, swayed voters to select Kankakee Depot as seat.
