the competition from cheaper Southern Illinois coal fields forced the mine to close in late 1927. Ethnicity Spring Valley like every other coal town came to know almost every nationality in Europe. These people came from LaSalle, Peru, Braidwood, Braceville and all mining camps of Northern Illinois. The English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and Cornish from the Coal fields of Great Britain, from Northern France and Belgium. Polish, and Germans, Swedes and Lithuanians from opposite shores of the Baltic Sea, Slavish peasants from Central Europe and immigrants from sunny Italy. Many arriving here attired in their native dress tagged and ticketed from their port of entry. The town also developed a black section known as the "Location." In 1905, the Bureau County Republican Newspaper stated that there were 32 distinct nationalities groups in Spring Valley. Institutions founded By 1888, two years after the incorporation of the town, February 8, 1886, two churches, the Congregational and the Immaculate Conception, had been built, two schools erected, the Immaculate Conception Parochial and the Lincoln Public School, which includes a two-year high school course, a newspaper (the Spring Valley Gazette), and a public library. This library, an institution for which all towns wait many years, was established by the "Knights of Labor", the Coal Miner's Union in 1885 before the town was a year old, before even a city government was formed. This early interest in education culminated in the establishment of two schools believed to be the first of their kind in the state. The Hall Township High and Vocational School training in shop, carpentry, printing, drafting, cooking, sewing, typing, shorthand, bookkeeping and banking. This school was constructed in 1914. City government The city government is aldermanic, with two aldermen to each of four wards, and a mayor, who is elected at large. The current aldermen who compose the Spring Valley City Council are as follows: Mayor: Melanie Malooley-Thompson, elected in 2021 Ward 1: Ed Jauch, Mike Herrmann Ward 2: Chris Affelt, Fred West Ward 3: Jeff Janusick, Deb Baltikauski Ward 4: Dave Pellegrini, Ken Bogacz Notable people Brian Allard, MLB pitcher Chad Durbin, relief pitcher for six MLB teams; World Series champion (2008); born in Spring Valley Joe Krabbenhoft, basketball player and coach at University of Wisconsin Alixa Naff, historian of Arab American immigration Billy Papke, world middleweight boxing champion, 1908 References External links Spring Valley, Illinois Official Website City-Data.com ePodunk: Profile for