The U.S. Grant Conference is a former high school athletic conference with its membership concentrated in the northwestern corner of Illinois. Founded in 1927 and disbanded in 1974, all full conference members were affiliated with the Illinois High School Association.
History
1927-1947
The U.S. Grant Conference was formed in 1927 by eight small high schools in northwestern Illinois: Apple River, East Dubuque, Elizabeth, Galena, Hanover, Scales Mound, Stockton and Warren. All eight members were located in Jo Daviess County, and basketball was the conference's first sponsored sport. Apple River dropped out of the conference in 1930, and the next year, football was added to the conference's competitive offerings. Basketball members Galena, Stockton and Warren were joined by two schools in neighboring Carroll County and Stephenson County: Aquin Catholic in Freeport and Mount Carroll. In 1934, the U.S. Grant Conference added Shullsburg, located just across the state line in Lafayette County, Wisconsin as a sixth member to its football roster. Lanark High School in Carroll County joined the conference's gridiron lineup in 1937, but did not finish the season due to lack of players. Shullsburg dropped out of the conference's football lineup in 1938, and Lanark left the next year when it transitioned to six-player football. In 1944, Hanover replaced Mount Carroll when they started their football program. Aquin Catholic withdrew from the U.S. Grant Conference's football roster and were replaced by East Dubuque the next year. In 1946, Lanark rejoined the conference for football but left along with Hanover before the 1947 season. The two exiting schools were replaced by Pecatonica High School.
1947-1974
Despite the near constant turnover of the U.S. Grant Conference's football ledger, its all-sport membership remained intact for seventeen years, spanning the Great Depression and World War II. That changed for the 1947-48 school year, when Scales Mound left to join the Wisconsin-based Black Hawk League. More changes came for football in 1949, when Pecatonica exited the conference and were replaced by Winslow. St. Columbkille High School in Dubuque, Iowa joined the gridiron fray in 1950, replacing Winslow after a single season of competition. Shullsburg rejoined the conference's football roster in 1953, and Aquin Catholic did the same in 1955. Scales Mound also returned as full members after eight years in the Black Hawk League in 1955. The U.S. Grant held its last football season in 1958 before discontinuing sponsorship of the sport. Outside of football, the conference maintained a steady seven-member all-sport roster from 1955 to 1970. East Dubuque left to compete as an independent that year, bringing the group to six members. In 1971, former Carroll County independents Chadwick and Thomson joined for what would turn out to be the conference's last few seasons. The U.S. Grant Conference disbanded in 1974, with five former members joining the Upstate Illini Conference (Chadwick, Elizabeth, Hanover, Scales Mound and Thomson) and three to the Northwestern Illinois Conference (Galena, Stockton and Warren).
Conference membership history
Final full members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceChadwickChadwick, ILPublicSilver Streaks 19711974Upstate IlliniClosed in 1989 (consolidated into Milledgeville)ElizabethElizabeth, ILPublicTerrapins 19271974Upstate IlliniClosed in 1985 (merged into River Ridge)GalenaGalena, ILPublicPirates 19271974Northwestern IllinoisNorthwest Upstate IlliniHanoverHanover, ILPublicRed Devils 19271974Upstate IlliniClosed in 1985 (merged into River Ridge)Scales MoundScales Mound, ILPublicHornets 1927, 19551947, 1974Black Hawk (WIAA),Upstate IlliniNorthwest Upstate IlliniStocktonStockton, ILPublicBlackhawks 19271974Northwestern IllinoisNorthwest Upstate IlliniThomsonThomson, ILPublicTrojans 19711974Upstate IlliniClosed in 2005 (merged into West Carroll)WarrenWarren, ILPublicWarriors 19271974Northwestern IllinoisNorthwest Upstate Illini
Former full members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsJoinedLeftConference JoinedCurrent ConferenceApple RiverApple River, ILPublicUnknownUnknown19271930IndependentClosed in 1940s (consolidated into Warren)East DubuqueEast Dubuque, ILPublicWarriors 19271970IndependentNorthwest Upstate Illini
Former football-only members SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsSeasonsPrimary ConferenceAquin CatholicFreeport, ILPrivate (Catholic)Bulldogs 1931-1944,1955-1958Rockford Diocesan,SHARKLanarkLanark, ILPublicBeavers 1937-1938,1946Carroll County,Blackhawk,Rock River ValleyMount CarrollMount Carroll, ILPublicHawks 1931-1943Carroll County,Blackhawk,Rock River ValleyPecatonicaPecatonica, ILPublicIndians 1947-1948Route 72ShullsburgShullsburg, WIPublicMiners 1934-1937,1953-1958Black Hawk (WIAA)St. ColumbkilleDubuque, IAPrivate (Catholic)Co-Dukes 1950-1958Northeast Iowa CatholicWinslowWinslow, ILPublicWildcats 1949Stephenson County
Membership timeline
Full members
Football members
List of conference champions
Boys Basketball SchoolQuantityYearsGalena131928, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1953, 1961, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974Stockton101931, 1935, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1961, 1973Elizabeth91949, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1963Warren71938, 1945, 1946, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1970East Dubuque61928, 1947, 1948, 1955, 1956, 1959Hanover41933, 1934, 1937, 1944Thomson11972Apple River0Chadwick0Scales Mound0Champions from 1929 and 1950 unknown
Football SchoolQuantityYearsStockton111933, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1956, 1957Galena61939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1952Mount Carroll41932, 1933, 1937, 1939St. Columbkille31953, 1955, 1958Warren31934, 1935, 1942Aquin Catholic21931, 1944East Dubuque11955Lanark11946Hanover0Pecatonica0Shullsburg0Winslow0Champions from 1948, 1950, 1951 and 1954 unknown
References