Wayfarrow

South Ottawa

Ghost town · LaSalle County, Illinois

Ottawa quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1892, 1:62,500)
Ottawa quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1892, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

South Ottawa is a ghost town in LaSalle County, Illinois. It is one of 7 former communities in LaSalle County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 3rd among the 78 Illinois counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists South Ottawa as a historical populated place on the Ottawa topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 41.3317° N, 88.8370° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleOttawa
Elevation578 ft
Nearest living townOttawa, IL
Distance to it1.7 miles
GNIS feature ID425684
Coordinates41.33170, -88.83702

Open the location on a map

What's there now

South Ottawa is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Ottawa, IL (population 18,714), about 1.7 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 578 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is South Ottawa?

South Ottawa is in LaSalle County, Illinois, at 41.3317, -88.8370.

How many ghost towns are in LaSalle County?

LaSalle County, Illinois has 7 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.