Bristol, IL: History with Ron Westphal Chevy
It's no secret that Bristol, IL, has been a huge part of the Ron Westphal Chevy family for a long time! We deeply value our relationship with the community and love seeing so many friendly faces from your neck of the woods. And, of course, we all know Bristol for its awesome spots like the iconic Bristol Tap and the beautiful Blackberry Golf Course.
Getting to us is a breeze, whether you hop on Route 34 directly to our door or take Galena to Route 30-either way, you'll be here in under 20 minutes! We do appreciate all our loyal Bristol clients; your continued support means the world to us. You know, Ron Westphal grew up on a farm, so taking care of our rural customers has always been super important to him. While Ron Westphal Chevy has grown a lot over the past couple of decades, what's truly amazing is how much Bristol Township has boomed-over 241% since the year 2000! We're proud to be part of this thriving community.
We're looking forward to the exciting journey ahead and to continuing our excellent relationship with Bristol Township. Here's to many more years of prosperity and success!
Bristol Township in Kendall County has a history that's as rich as it is interesting.
You see, Bristol got its start way back in 1859, was known as "Bristol Station." It's located across several sections of Bristol Township, and you might even hear locals call it "Old Bristol" or "North Yorkville."
A big part of Bristol's early story revolves around a fellow named James McClellan, often called "Deacon McClellan." He basically owned a huge chunk of the land that became Bristol. The original village of Bristol was settled on the north side of the Fox River. While the very first map of the village might have been filed in another county, we do know about later additions by John B. Ball and James McClellan himself in the 1840s. Interestingly, Bristol was named after Lyman Bristol, who was an early pioneer with big dreams for the village. He was quite the go-getter, buying up a lot of land, often with borrowed money. But, unfortunately, his ambition might have outpaced the
demand for lots, and he couldn't keep up with his payments. So, much of the land, including some that was supposed to be part of Bristol's development, ended up going back to the original sellers, square for many years.
We even know that the first white woman to live on the Bristol side of the river was Mrs. Sylvia B. Johnson, who arrived in 1834. She described the area where Bristol now stands as nothing but a thick oak forest - hard to imagine today!
Fast forward to 1957, and that's when Bristol village joined forces with Yorkville to become the unified City of Yorkville. This merger allowed "Bristol Station" to finally drop the "Station" from its name and simply become "Bristol." Even today, Bristol is super close to Yorkville, practically a stone's throw away. And with the growth of nearby Oswego, Yorkville, and Sugar Grove, it feels like Bristol is on the cusp of either being surrounded or even merging with one of its larger neighbors.
Despite all the growth around it, Bristol still keeps its quaint charm with a small post office, a local bar, and a train station right in the heart of town. And if you're looking for some summer fun, you can't miss Raging Waves, Illinois' largest water park, which opened just north of Bristol in 2008!
So, that's a little peek into the wonderful history of Bristol, Illinois - a town with deep roots and a bright future!
