They were part of a wave of farmers who migrated into the Northwest Territory in the early 1800s, their trek eased by completion of the Erie Canal in 1825.

They found virgin forest and wild prairie, and quickly laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes.

Culturally Ogle County, like much of northern Illinois would maintain values similar to those of New England.

[19] By 2000, 65% of the county labor force was employed as white-collar workers with an increase of 20 points in comparison with 1990 statistics.

Manufacturing remains the leading employment sector absorbing more than 21.7% of the labor force though there was a decrease from 30,4% in 1995.

[21] In August 2006, it was announced that a new ethanol production facility would receive a package of $5.5 million Opportunity Returns grant from the State.

Except for the 1912 election when the GOP was divided between Progressive nominee Theodore Roosevelt and incumbent president William Howard Taft, Ogle County has voted Republican in every Presidential election since the Republican Party first participated in 1856.

[24] Historically, Republicans have easily carried the county in statewide and national Democratic landslides.

Illinois' own Barack Obama is the only Democrat to ever win at least 40 percent of the county's vote.