Olney, Illinois. USA.
N 38° 43.501 W 088° 04.551
16S E 406479 N 4286811
Olney, Illinois is the home of white squirrels.
Waymark Code: WM8VKB
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 05/17/2010
Views: 3
Olney has long had the distinction of being the original home of white squirrels.
No one is quite sure of how or where they originated. But the city protects them just the same. It is a tourist attraction for the town.
Credit to Wikipedia:
Squirrel population
Olney is known for its population of white squirrels. There are two hypotheses about how there came to be white squirrels in Olney.
The first is that in 1902 William Stroup was out hunting and shot a gray female squirrel. The shot knocked the two babies out of a nest, and he brought them home to his children. They were later sold to Jasper Banks, who put them on display in front of his saloon.
The second is that George W. Ridgely and John Robinson captured a cream colored squirrel and then raised several litters of them before bringing a pair to Olney in 1902. Mr. Ridgely sold the pair to Jasper C. Banks for $5 each. Mr. Banks made a green box for his albinos and displayed them in his saloon window.
In 1910 the Illinois legislature passed a law prohibiting the confinement of wildlife, and they were released into the woods.
In 1925 the city passed a law that disallowed dogs from running at large. In 1943 the squirrel population reached its peak at 1000, but now the population holds steady at around 200.
In the mid-1970's, John Stencel, instructor at Olney Central College, received a small grant from the Illinois Academy of Science to study the white squirrels.
A squirrel count is held each fall. Both white and gray squirrels are counted in addition to cats. The number of squirrels has dropped causing concern. When the white squirrels dip below 100, they are concerned about genetic drifts, a biological force that speeds up the extinction of a small population.
In 1997, the Olney City Council amended its ordinance which disallowed dogs from running at large to include cats. The 1997 squirrel count realized a decrease in cats. They are hopeful this will have a positive affect on the white squirrel population.
White squirrels have the right-of-way in all streets in Olney, and there is a $500 fine for running one over. The police department’s badge even has a picture of a white squirrel on it. The white squirrel has proved to be an enduring symbol of Olnean pride, and stands as Olney's most defining feature.
The population of white squirrels makes Illinois the only state to have populations of white as well as black squirrels, the latter residing in the Quad Cities area.
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