Up until the early 19th century Monticello was a hunting ground for the Kickapoo and Pottawatomie tribes of the Algonquin Indians. The availability of buffaloes attracted the first white settlers, notably James A. Piatt Sr. who arrived in 1829. The area was called Piatt's Point until Maj. James McReynolds named it Monticello in honor of Thomas Jefferson. Learn More...