A piece of Dixon history: Leonard Andrus, founder of Grand Detour

Of all the great leaders of the early history of the Dixon area, Leonard Andrus belongs near the top.

Like “Father” John Dixon’s pivotal relationship with Dixon, Andrus was the founder of Grand Detour, its first ferry operator and its first stagecoach operator.

But Andrus was much more. He was the first commissioner of schools in Ogle County, the first manufacturer in Ogle County and the county’s first state representative.

His most famous achievement was his partnership with John Deere to start the “L. Andrus Plough Manufactory,” which produced the revolutionary self-scouring steel plow.

Setback and bounce back

Andrus’ story begins in Vermont, where he was born in 1805. He was fortunate to attend Middlebury College there, but when his father died suddenly, he returned home to help th