City of Olney, IL - White Squirrels

There are two different accountings of how the white squirrels came to Olney. Both hypotheses are well documented and have been substantiated by interview with eyewitnesses who saw the squirrel at the time. It seems possible that both discoveries occurred in 1902.
	William Yates Stroup Hypothesis	&	George W. Ridgely Hypothesis

	Annual Squirrel Count Data

	More White Squirrel Information


The William Yates Stroup Hypothesis:
While William Yates Stroup was hunting squirrels in the woods near his home in the southeast Olney Township he saw a gray squirrel run into a nest and shot the den killing the mother and knocking out two pure white baby squirrels. He put them into the pockets of his game bag and took them home with him, turning them over to his sons, George and Era Strop who raised them by hand feeding them milk by a spoon. The little squirrels lived, thrived and grew well. That fall farmer Stroup brought the squirrels to Olney and presented them to the Jasper Banks Saloon and displayed them in his window. They attracted attention and were a fine drawing card for what was called "JAP's Place." The albinos were finally released when the Illinois legislature passed a law prohibiting the confinement of wildlife, which included squirrels. The squirrels were taken to Oakwood, the home of Thomas Tippit commonly called Tippit's Woods and released. The Tippit residence was located at 802 N. Silver Street, but has since been torn down.
The George W. Ridgely Hypothesis:
George W. Ridgely moved to a farm about six miles southeast of Sumner, In 1899 George discovered a cream-colored squirrel and a white squirrel playing on his farm near Sumner. He tried to capture them but was unsuccessful. Finally he asked his neighbor John Robinson to help him, but they were unsuccessful. Finally the men constructed a box-like trap and a cage eight feet by six feet. They captured them and were able to raise several litters 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, hoping they would attract customers and cause them to go inside and get a better look and have a drink. When the state legislature passed a law prohibiting the containment of wild animals, Mr. Ridgely released all his squirrels from his cage near Sumner. They wandered in his woods and neighboring lands, and the squirrels were no longer to be found. Jap Banks also disposed of his squirrels, giving the pair to the sons of Thomas Tippit Sr., a former mayor of Olney. Thomas Tippit had a woods near his home then located at 802 Silver Street His sons placed the open green box in one of the nearby trees, liberating the squirrels. Thomas Tippit Jr. and his brother watched the male white squirrel leave the cage. Just then a large female fox squirrel attacked the male albino, "tearing him to shreds" and dropping him to the ground. Tom threw something at the fox squirrel and drove her into her den. They he ran to the house and got a shotgun. His father had allowed him to shoot it for the first time the day before. Fourteen-year-old Tom drew aim and shot the fox squirrel as it approached the white female. The albino produced a litter of all white squirrels establishing the Olney albino colony.
More Olney White Squirrel information
About 1941, there were 800 white squirrels. 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, Stencel said, 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. Dr. Stencel is hopeful this will have a positive affect on the white squirrel population. In an effort to help the white squirrel population, City Clerk Belinda Henton has obtained a permit to rehabilitate wildlife from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife Resources. Residents are asked to contact Mrs. Henton when they discover white squirrels that have been abandoned or hurt. Olney has been featured on several local TV stations because of its white squirrels. Channel 47 from Peoria, Illinois featured Olney's white squirrels on Illinois Adventures, RealTV has featured the white squirrels on their program aired in November 1997. Mike Leonard from Leonard's Look of the Today Show visited Olney in January 1998 for a story aired on January 28, 1998. Much attention was drawn to Olney during their 100-Year White Squirrel Celebration held on October 12, 2002. Olney made the front page of most Sunday, October 13, 2002 newspapers across the country with an Associated Press story and pictures of the event. Visitors to the event were invited to participate in the annual squirrel count, the 5K Squirrel Scamper, a parade in the afternoon followed by craft booths and souvenirs featuring white squirrels in the park. The afternoon was rounded off with a dedication of a white squirrel monument and a blessing of the squirrel in the park. Visitors to Olney are advised to squirrel watch early in the morning for the best viewing of the local white squirrels. There are several good locations to view the white squirrels in their natural habitat, the Olney City Park located on Route 130, Millers Grove located on the south side of East Fork Lake and several residential neighborhoods with mature trees and feeding stations.