Sun River Terrace, IL

Sun River Terrace is a village in eastern Kankakee County, Illinois, on the southeast side of the Kankakee River. Illinois Route 17 follows the village's southern edge; Kankakee lies about six miles west, and Momence is about the same distance northeast. The village incorporated on August 18, 1980, in Aroma and Ganeer townships, giving a newer municipality a formal place on a river corridor that had long connected farms, roads, and nearby towns. Its name points to the water, while its road map points toward Kankakee and Momence.

The most surprising local chapter came before incorporation. In the late 1940s, heavyweight champion Joe Louis used the Sunset Hills area as a training camp, with a golf course, shooting range, and a training house known locally as the Castle. The golf course is gone, but the clubhouse and the house remain part of the area's story. Today Sun River Terrace's character is easy to read from its edges: the Kankakee River to the north, Route 17 to the south, and a small village government tying the neighborhood together. It is a place built in the modern era, with a memorable sporting footnote tucked into its river landscape.