May 24, 1819, in Ross County, Ohio) bought two houses, two lots and a shop valued at $800; he was the first blacksmith in Grand Ridge Village.

In 1870, the Fox River Division of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (CB&Q) Railroad was completed and put in operation.

According to Church Archives of Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in the spring of 1870, Robert Morgan (born August 18, 1838), son of Caleb and Nancy Antram, and Sarah Woodward moved to Grand Ridge, LaSalle County, Illinois[5] with 4-year-old son Caleb Ewing Antram (born February 12, 1865) after their daughter Laura died in March 1868 at just 6 years old.

William, Nellie, Mary E., Joseph W., Lewis W. and Ethel May were all born to the couple[6] while living on the Antram homestead from 1869 to 1912.

R. M. Antram was Clerk of the Session and Post Office until 1907,[7] when the organization became defunct and did not participate in reunion with Presbyterian Church USA.

[8] Another account holds that the Presbyterian church in Grand Ridge was organized June 17, 1865, in the Van Doren school house, by a committee from the Peoria Presbytery, consisting of the Rev.

[9] In 1874, the owners of the land on either side of the road, David Crumrine and Joseph Boyd laid off a part of their respective lands adjoining the track, in town lots, after which building was commended on a more extended scale and now it is a very handsome farm village, and is a point from which large amount of grain and product finds its way to market.

In June 1873, Garrison & Hornick opened a first class dry goods, notion and grocery house, meeting with lucrative return.

578, Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) was instituted on June 11 and met every Saturday evening through at least 1877.

[citation needed] In 1903, the First National Bank of Grand Ridge was organized by Thomas Dean Catlin, banker and capitalist residing in Ottawa, Illinois (born in Clinton, New York, on March 12, 1838, son of Marcus and Philena Hunt (Dean) Catlin.

[10] According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Grand Ridge has a total area of 0.46 square miles (1.19 km2), all land.

Grand Ridge Grade School is governed by Superintendent Ted Sanders and Principal Terry Ahearn.