Thousands of militiamen and soldiers of Gen. Winfield Scott's army marched through the Fox River valley during the war, and accounts of the area's fertile soils and flowing springs soon filtered east.

Looking for a site on the stagecoach route from Chicago to Galena, Illinois, they eventually settled on a spot where the Fox River could be bridged.

[6] Early Elgin achieved fame for the butter and dairy goods it sold to the city of Chicago.

Gail Borden established a condensed milk factory here in 1866, and the local library was named in his honor.

The watch factory employed three generations of Elginites from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, when it was the largest producer of fine watches in the United States (the factory ceased production in 1965 and was torn down in the summer of 1966) and the operator of the largest watchmaking complex in the world.

The Grand Victoria Casino initially generated controversy, but went on to be a significant source of income for the city.

The Grand Victoria Foundation, to which the casino had contributed an amount in excess of $116 million, provides community grants to nonprofits in the city.

In October 2003 the Gail Borden Public Library moved into a new $30 million, 139,980 square foot, 460,000 volume-capacity building, and in August 2009 opened its first-ever satellite branch.

[16] On March 28, 1920, Elgin was struck by several tornadoes along the Fox River that caused significant damage to Chicago and several western suburbs.

Twenty-three people were killed and several businesses and homes were destroyed, including the Opera House and Grant Theater.

[19] On July 12, 2023, multiple tornadoes went through Elgin causing roof, siding, and wall damage to many buildings including a church near Lesler Road.

The strongest tornado was rated EF-1 on the enhanced Fujita scale that lasted from 7:16pm to 7:34pm, with peak winds of 100 miles per hour and a path width of 440 yards.

After losing many landmark businesses in the 1980s, downtown Elgin experienced a renaissance in the 1990s with the arrival of the Grand Victoria riverboat casino and improvement in the local economy.

The city was known for its historic architecture and landmarks from the Victorian era, including some fine examples of homes in the Queen Anne style.

Each April, over two dozen buildings are accessible on the tour, though the event has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Gifford Park Association was also active in historic preservation, and conducts a popular annual house tour.

The Centre of Elgin, which among other features includes an aquatic park and a climbing wall, remains one of the largest municipal recreation centers in the United States.

Elgin connects to Algonquin and Dundee to the north, and St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia to the south by the Fox River Trail bike path.

Although one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in Illinois, Elgin still retains some of the natural habitat diversity that first brought settlers to this area.

[30] Elgin boasts two highly protected nature preserves, the Bluff Spring Fen and Trout Park.

The current council members are Corey Dixon, Dustin Good, Rosamaria Martinez, Anthony Ortiz, Tish S. Powell, Carol J. Rauschenberger, F. John Steffen and Steven Thoren.

Residents may attend in person at City Hall, watch the live video stream from the online newsroom, or view the replays on cable Channel 17.

Elgin Township is governed by a supervisor (Kenneth C. Bruderle), highway commissioner (Jason Krabbe), assessor (Steven P. Surnicki), clerk (Karen Dowling) and four trustees (Mark Bialek, Alejandro Lopez, Janet Rogalla and Eric Stare) elected to four-year terms.

Pace operates about a dozen bus routes in the city with service running Monday through Saturday.

Most of the routes terminate at the Elgin Transportation Center located at 102 West Chicago Street in downtown.

Routes generally run every half hour and meet up at the terminal at the same time to provide convenient transferring.

The coin was meant to raise money for the pioneer family memorial proposed by Elgin sculptor Trygve Rovelstad, and sold for $1.50.

[42] The date 1673 was in reference to the expedition of Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, despite the fact that their journey took them nowhere near the future site of Elgin.