Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois Little Egypt | |
---|---|
Gateway Geyser | |
Country | United States |
State | Illinois |
Largest city | Belleville |
Population | 1.2 million |
Southern Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois comprising the southern third of the state, principally south of Interstate 70. Part of downstate Illinois, it is bordered by the two most voluminous rivers in the United States: the Mississippi below its connection with the Missouri River to the west and the Ohio River to the east and south, with the Wabash as a tributary. Some areas of Southern Illinois are known historically as Little Egypt.
Southern Illinois' most populated city is Belleville at 44,478. Other principal cities include Alton, Centralia, Collinsville, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Godfrey, Granite City, O'Fallon, Harrisburg, Herrin, West Frankfort, Mt. Vernon, Marion, and Carbondale, where the main campus of Southern Illinois University is located. Residents may also commute to St. Louis and Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Evansville, Indiana; and Paducah, Kentucky. The region is home to Scott Air Force Base, a major military installation.
The area has a population of 1.2 million people,[1] who live mostly in rural towns and cities separated by extensive farmland and the Shawnee National Forest. The two higher density areas of population are Metro East (pop. 700,000+), which is the partly industrialized Illinois portion of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, and the Carbondale–Marion–Herrin, Illinois Combined Statistical Area, centered on Carbondale and Marion, a two-county area that is home to 123,272 residents.
The first European settlers were French colonists in the part of their North American territory called Illinois Country. Later settlers migrated from the Upland South of the United States, traveling by the Ohio River. The region was affiliated with the southern agricultural economy, based on enslaved African Americans as workers on major plantations, and rural culture. Some settlers owned slaves before the territory was organized and slavery was prohibited. Many areas developed an economy based on coal mining.
Although part of the
History
Early history
The earliest inhabitants of Illinois are thought to have arrived about 12,000 BC. They were indigenous hunter-gatherers, but they also developed their own system of agriculture. After AD 1000, the production of agricultural surpluses resulted in the development of complex, hierarchical societies. With the rise of the Mississippian culture in the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys, tribal leaders organized thousands of workers to build complex urban areas featuring numerous large earthworks – pyramidal, ridgetop and conical mounds used for religious, political and ceremonial purposes. Cahokia, located within the boundaries of present-day Collinsville, Illinois, was the major regional center of this culture. It contains the largest prehistoric earthworks in the Americas, and has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mound builders' culture seems to have collapsed between AD 1400–1500. The Mississippians had abandoned Cahokia long before the first European explorers arrived.[4]
The Illinois tribes, for whom the state is named, and other historic tribes migrated to Southern Illinois around AD 1500. Archaeologists say they were not descendants of the earlier inhabitants; they spoke an
Illinois Country
In about 1673, French explorers from Quebec became the first Europeans to reach Illinois. The French named the area Illinois after the Indians who had greeted them. The French explored the Mississippi River, establishing outposts and seeking a route to the Pacific Ocean and the Far East. As increasing Indian unrest and warfare began in Northern Illinois over the lucrative fur trade along the Great Lakes, the French concentrated on building outposts in Southern Illinois. The earliest European settlers were concentrated along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Wabash rivers, which provided easy routes for travel and trade. The settlements including Cahokia town, Kaskaskia and Chartres became important market villages and supply depots between Canada and the French ports on the lower Mississippi River. Other important early outposts in Southern Illinois were at Old Shawneetown and Fort Massac on the Ohio River.[4]
After defeating the French in the
American settlers
European-American settlers were slow to arrive in Illinois after the United States victory in the
In 1787, the federal government included Illinois in the
The first bank to be chartered in Illinois was located at Old Shawneetown in 1816. The first building used solely to house a bank in Illinois was built in 1840 in Old Shawneetown and was used until the 1920s. The Old Shawneetown State Bank has been restored as an historical site. Crops of cotton and tobacco were grown in the extreme southern region of Illinois. Cotton was grown mostly for the home weaver, but during the Civil War, cotton was also grown for export, as the regular supply of cotton from the South was not available. Enough tobacco was grown to make it a profitable crop for export. Both crops have been succeeded by other agricultural commodities.[4]
19th century turbulence
A feud between families in Williamson County, called the Bloody Vendetta, lasted nearly ten years and took many lives. In all, 495 assaults with a deadly weapon were committed and 285 murders took place in Williamson County between 1839 and 1876.[4]
In 1858,
The outbreak of the
20th century
The
The
Southern Illinois is gaining a cultural identity apart from its neighbors, as previously-dispersed rural populations become more concentrated around the cities of Marion and Belleville. Marion has grown since 1970 and in the process has been selected for Illinois' first STAR Bonds District for the Millennium Development, a project designed for a city ten times its size.[14]
Populations among the smaller cities and towns have dropped as people moved to the Carbondale-Herrin-Marion combined statistical area and Metro East.[15]
Origin of "Little Egypt" name
In 1799, Baptist minister John Badgley dubbed the fertile highlands and bottoms near Edwardsville the "
In the 1830s, poor harvests in the north of the state drove people to Southern Illinois to buy grain.[16] Others say it was because the land of the great Mississippi and Ohio River valleys were like that of Egypt's Nile Delta. According to Hubbs,[citation needed] the nickname dates back to 1818, when a huge tract of land was purchased at the confluence of the rivers and its developers named it Cairo /ˈkɛəroʊ/. Today, the town of Cairo still stands on the peninsula where the Ohio River joins the Mississippi.
Other settlements in the area were also given names with Egyptian, Greek, or Middle Eastern origins: The Southern Illinois University Salukis sports teams and towns such as Metropolis, Thebes, Dongola, Palestine, Lebanon, New Athens, Sparta, and Karnak show the influence of classical culture. (Greek names were also related to the contemporary national pride in the new republic of the early 19th century, and were given to towns throughout the Midwest.)
Although Illinois was a free state before the American Civil War, some residents in the area known as Egypt still owned slaves. Illinois law generally forbade bringing slaves into Illinois, but a special exemption was given to the salt works near Equality. In addition, an exception was made for slaveholders who held long-term indentured servants or descendants of slaves in the area before it achieved statehood.[citation needed]
The Underground Railroad also operated in southern Illinois, moving nearly equally northward and southward with bounties available for returned slaves appealing to the residents there. Slaves were going to "Canaan", the land of milk and honey, for which at first glance Egypt would be an easy mistake. Directions to Underground Railroad travelers were coded in Bible verses or songs, and the story of Moses fleeing Egypt was certainly used as an analog to their own plight. Egypt was the land to escape, and central Illinois represented the biblical Canaan, with Egypt being a treacherous southern Illinois.[citation needed]
The nicknames for this region also arose from the political tensions of the American Civil War period, as regions of the state allied differently with North and South. Because southern Illinois was settled by Southerners, they maintained a sympathy for many issues of their former home states. They supported the continuation of slavery and voted for Democrats at a time when the northern part of the state supported Republicans. The meaning is expressed in this description of the 1858 campaign of Douglas and Abraham Lincoln:
In 1858, debating in northern Illinois, Douglas had threatened Lincoln by asserting that he would 'trot him down to Egypt' and there challenge him to repeat his antislavery views before a hostile crowd. The audience understood Douglas: overwhelming proslavery sentiment and Democratic unanimity in Egypt had led to the nickname.[17]
In the fall of 1861, Democrats took a majority of seats in the state legislature. They worked to pass provisions of a new constitution, an initiative begun in 1860. They proposed reapportionment so the southern region's less populous counties would have representation equal to those in the north, which was growing more rapidly. Northern Illinois residents worried about the state coming under the political will of the southern minority. "Shall the manufacturing, agricultural and commercial interests of northern Illinois be put into Egyptian bondage?" wondered the Aurora Beacon."
In addition, southern Illinois had become the center of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secret group devoted to supporting the Confederacy. With concern rising about armed southern sympathizers, in August 1862, U.S. Marshal David Phillips arrested several Democrats who allegedly belonged to the Knights, including men in respectable positions: Congressmen, state representatives, and judges. One was Circuit Judge Andrew Duff. They were sent to Washington, D.C., where they were held for 68 days before release, but they were never charged. Democrats won across the state in the fall election.[17]
After the war, other reasons were proposed for the nickname. Political divisions continued in the state. In the later 19th century, the central and southern agricultural areas joined the Populist Movement. Chicago and the industrial North aligned with similar areas and continued as predominantly Republican into the 20th century.[18]
In 1871 Judge Andrew Duff wrote an article in which he ignored the war years and preceding political divisions. He claimed the name of Egypt related to Southern Illinois' role in supplying grain to northern and central Illinois following the "Winter of the Deep Snow" in 1830–31. Following a long winter and late spring, Upper Illinois lost much of its harvest in an early September frost. Southern Illinois's weather gave it good crops, so it could ship grain and corn north. The nickname supposedly arose from similarities of the events to the Bible story of Jacob's sons going to Egypt for grain to survive a famine.[20] The nickname persisted through the 1890s, when, according to progressive journalist and Toledo mayor Brand Whitlock, members of the Illinois General Assembly whose districts lay south of the O&M Railway were called "Egyptians."[21]
One of the earliest uses of the phrase "Little Egypt" is found in the Troy Weekly Call of Troy, Illinois, in 1912. A state news brief was headlined, "Two New Little Egypt Pastors." about two new Presbyterian pastors about to be installed at Brookport and Salem, Illinois.[22] The Chicago Tribune appears to have first used the phrase "Little Egypt" in reference to Southern Illinois on April 25, 1920 in an article about fruit grown in the region.[23] The title character in the comic strip "Moon Mullins" had a girlfriend named Little Egypt. The strip's creator Frank Willard, was a native of Anna and Southern Illinois.[24]
Microregions
Northern boundary
"Southern Illinois" is not a formal geographic designation and definitions of what constitutes Southern Illinois vary. Many Southern Illinois residents consider the area along and south of Interstate 70 as the dividing line between the Central and Southern parts of the state.[citation needed] The geography of Illinois becomes gradually hillier as one travels farther South. One can see this driving south along Interstate 57. The Mattoon/Charleston area is fairly flat. Terrain becomes noticeably less flat as one gets to Effingham. Around and south of Effingham on the interstate, one sees more trees and terrain that is too hilly for most large farms.
Metro East
The most populous region of Southern Illinois is the Illinois side of the
- Population: 702,579[1]
Counties |
Principal cities |
City populations[25]
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East-Central Southern Illinois (Wabash Valley)
Located on the
- Population: 155,988[1]
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Principal cities |
City populations[25]
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West-Central Southern Illinois
Chester, in West-Central Southern Illinois is noted as the "Home of Popeye".[26][27][28] Kaskaskia, the first state capital of Illinois is located near the Mississippi River. This area also contains the ending point of the Kaskaskia River near the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site. Rend Lake is located in this area.
- Population: 148,930[1]
Counties |
Principal cities |
City populations[25]
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Southwest Illinois
Located within the western reaches of the Cache River, Southwest Illinois is the second most populated region. The region's most notable institution is the main campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, winner of the 1971 All-America City Award, finalist in the 2009 contest,[29][30] and the fastest growing city in Southern Illinois outside the Metro East, Marion, Illinois. Both cities are centered in the Carbondale-Marion-Herrin, Illinois Combined Statistical Area, home to 123,272 residents. In the southern reaches of the region Alto Pass and Bald Knob Cross are located near the orchards. The large Crab Orchard lake is the largest in the region. Historic Cairo sits at the far southern end near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
- Population: 158,782[1]
Counties |
Principal cities |
City populations[25]
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Southeastern Illinois
The least populated region, Southeastern Illinois is marked by being within the Shawnee Hills and the Shawnee National Forest. The area includes many state parks and Garden of the Gods Wilderness. The historic town of Shawneetown is located on the Ohio River which is the eastern border of the region. The northern reaches of Southeastern Illinois include the Harrisburg Coal field, which are roughly 200 square miles (500 km2) of abandoned coal mines dating to around the start of the 20th century near Harrisburg, Illinois, the largest city in the Southeastern Illinois area. The Saline River forks through the region as well.
- Population: 90,425[1]
Counties |
Principal cities |
City populations[25]
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Television and radio
Southern Illinois is home to a variety of television and radio sources. The primary news station is WSIL-TV operating out of Carterville, Illinois. The region is also home to WSIU channel 8 in Carbondale Illinois. Some Southern Illinois radio stations are run off of River Radio who operates 101.5 CIL-FM, Magic 95.1, New Country Z-100, WGGH, 97.7FM, among others. Withers Broadcasting and Dana Communications operate sixteen radio stations in Southern Illinois including WMIX 94.1 in Mt. Vernon and WDDD 107.3 in the Marion-Carbondale area. Viewers also tune in to WSIL 3 operating in Carterville, IL, KFVS 12 out of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and WPSD 6 operating in Paducah, Kentucky.
Geography
Illinois has been partially covered at times by continental ice sheets. Specifically, Southern Illinois was only partially covered by continental ice sheet during the
Additionally, the rich farm land of northern and central Illinois is generally not found in Southern Illinois. Significant exceptions are the American Bottom along the Mississippi River and the alluvial soils of the Gulf Coastal Plain, a large region that has its northernmost extent in the two river valleys of Southern Illinois.
The region's other major river, the Ohio River, winds generally southwest, past Shawneetown, Cave-in-Rock, Elizabethtown, and Golconda. Its waters join the Mississippi at Cairo. In ancient times, the Ohio is thought to have flowed a more northerly course through Pope and Pulaski counties. It carved a broad valley there, fit for a major river. But today the underfit Bay Creek and Cache River occupy those valleys.
The hills of Little Egypt can be divided into two areas. The western area, more closely related to the Ozarks of
Of southern Illinois' rivers, only the Mississippi and the Ohio are navigable for modern commerce. The Big Muddy River, Marys River, Saline River and Cache River run their courses in deep southern Illinois. The Kaskaskia River and Wabash River are nearby.
Shawnee National Forest
More than 470,000 acres (1,900 km2) of Shawnee National Forest lie to the south of its gateway city Harrisburg. The Shawnee National Forest offers much to see and do. The national forest has 1,250 miles (2,010 km) of roadways, some 150 miles (240 km) of streams and frequent waterfalls, numerous ponds and lakes as large as 2,700 acres or 11 km2 (some with swimming beaches), 13 campgrounds, many picnicking sites, and seven wilderness areas where trails are designed for hiking and horseback riding.[32]
Plant life is extremely diverse and ranges from sun-loving species to those that grow in dense shade. Tree cover dominates the publicly owned land, and is a significant component on privately owned lands. Oak-hickory is the predominant timber type, however, many other commercially important timber species also occupy significant land. More than 500 wildlife species can be found in the Forest, including 48 mammals, 237 birds, 52 reptiles, 47 amphibians, and 109 species of fish. There are seven federally listed threatened and endangered species that inhabit the Forest, as well as 33 species which are considered regionally sensitive, and 114 Forest-listed species.[33]
Climate
Southern Illinois lies on the border between
The normal high temperature in July is 90 °F (32 °C), and the normal low temperature in January is 21 °F (−6 °C), although this varies from year to year. Both 100 °F (37.8 °C) and 0 °F (−17.8 °C) temperatures can be seen on an average 2 or 3 days per year. The official record low is −23 °F (−31 °C) on February 2, 1884 in Harrisburg, and the record high is 117 °F (47 °C) on July 14, 1954 in East St. Louis.
Southern Illinois experiences thunderstorms about 50 days a year on average. Thunderstorms contribute over half of the annual precipitation. Especially in the spring, these storms can often be severe, with high winds, large hail and tornadoes. Southern Illinois has been affected on more than one occasion by particularly damaging tornadoes.
A period of warm weather late in autumn known as Indian summer can occur – roses will still be in bloom as late as November or early December in some years.
Seismic zones
Southern Illinois sits upon the verging point of two major fault systems, the
A
Transportation
Passenger rail
Southern Illinois at one time had an extensive network of railroads. Now only Amtrak, the U.S. passenger rail system, provides service to and through the area. Carbondale is served with three trains daily to and from Chicago, and one train daily to and from Memphis and New Orleans. Several trains each day run to and from Chicago and St. Louis, with Alton the major stop in Southern Illinois. Intercity passenger rail stations in Southern Illinois include Alton station, Carbondale station, Centralia station, and Du Quoin station.
The
Transit
Interstate freeways
The Metro East area near St. Louis has these additional freeways:
- Interstate 55
- Interstate 70
- Interstate 255
- Interstate 270
Southern Illinois has 4 major interstate freeways that connect with
- Interstate 24
- Interstate 57
- Interstate 64
U.S. highways
- U.S. Route 40
- U.S. Route 45 runs from the Brookport Bridge across the Ohio River east of Paducah, Kentucky, and through Shawnee National Forest. Saline County, Illinois is its most populated stretch in Southern Illinois, connecting the towns of Stonefort, Carrier Mills, Harrisburg, and Eldorado, all within the county. The highway continues north through the Chicago metropolitan area and to the Wisconsin border east of Antioch. With a length of 428.99 miles (690.39 km) in Illinois,[38] U.S. 45 is the longest numbered route in Illinois.
- U.S. Route 50
- U.S. Route 51 roughly follows the Illinois Central Railroad line north–south through the middle of the entire state. Illinois Route 1 runs north–south along the eastern edge of Little Egypt; Illinois Route 3 parallels the Mississippi River along the western edge of the area.
- U.S. Route 60
- U.S. Route 62
- Historic U.S. Route 66
- U.S. Route 67
State highways
Bridges and ferries
Bridges and ferries are an important feature in the region, being it is surrounded on three sides by major rivers, the Ohio and Wabash rivers to the east and south, and the Mississippi River to the west.
Indiana:
- Red Skelton Memorial Bridge at Vincennes, Indiana, carries U.S. 50/150 to Lawrenceville, Illinois
- Lincoln Memorial Bridge, a deck arch bridge carrying Business U.S. Route 50 over the Wabash River between Vincennes, Indiana and Lawrence County, Illinois
- Wabash Cannonball Bridge at St. Francisville, carries a farm road from Knox County, Indiana to Lawrence County, Illinois
- Mount Carmel Bridge at Mount Carmel, carries IL 15/IN 64
- Interstate 64 Bridge, located 2 mi (3.2 km) south of Grayville, Illinois between Posey County, Indiana, Gibson County, Indiana, and White County, Illinois.
- New Harmony Bridge, toll bridge that formerly carried IL 14/IN 68
- Wabash Memorial Bridge, spans the Wabash River between Indiana State Road 62 and Illinois Route 141, east of New Haven, continues to Evansville, Indiana[39]
Kentucky:
- Illinois Route 13 at Old Shawneetown, Illinois
- Brookport Bridge, U.S. Route 45 at Brookport, Illinois
- Interstate 24 Bridge near Brookport/Metropolis
- Cairo Ohio River Bridge, U.S. Route 51/60/62 near Cairo, Illinois and Wickliffe, Kentucky
Missouri:
- Cairo Mississippi River Bridge, a cantilever bridge carrying U.S. Route 60 and U.S. Route 62 across the Mississippi River between Bird's Point, Missouri and Cairo, Illinois.
- Cairo I-57 Bridge, an arch bridge carrying 4 lanes of Interstate 57 across the Mississippi River between Charleston, Missouri and Cairo, Illinois
- Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge connecting Missouri's Route 34 and Route 74 with Illinois Route 146 across the Mississippi River between Cape Girardeau, Missouri and East Cape Girardeau, Illinois
- Chester Bridge, a truss bridge connecting Missouri's Route 51 with Illinois Route 150 across the Mississippi River between Perryville, Missouri and Chester, Illinois
Mississippi River in the St. Louis area:
- Clark Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge between West Alton, Missouri and Alton, Illinois, carries U.S. Route 67
- Eads Bridge, combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River, connecting St. Louis and East St. Louis
- Jefferson Barracks Bridge, a pair of bridges that span the Mississippi River on the south side of St. Louis, Missouri, that carry traffic for Interstate 255 and U.S. Route 50
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge, carries 3 lanes (1 westbound and 2 eastbound) of Route 799 between St. Louis and East St. Louis
- McKinley Bridge, steel truss bridge connecting northern portions of St. Louis with Venice, Illinois
- New Chain of Rocks Bridge, a pair of bridges, currently carries traffic for Interstate 270, near Granite City, Illinois and Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri
- Poplar Street Bridge, carries Interstate 55, Interstate 64, and U.S. Route 40 across the Mississippi between St. Louis and East St. Louis
- Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge began carrying Interstate 70 between St. Clair County, Illinois, and St. Louis in 2014.
A free ferry crosses the Ohio River at Cave-in-Rock. A toll ferry crosses the Mississippi at Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, near Chester, Illinois. Four other ferries operate in Calhoun County.
Airports
- Benton Municipal Airport
- Carmi Municipal Airport
- Centralia Municipal Airport
- Effingham County Memorial Airport
- Fairfield Municipal Airport (Illinois)
- Harrisburg-Raleigh Airport
- Lawrenceville-Vincennes International Airport
- Metropolis Municipal Airport
- MidAmerica St. Louis Airport / Scott Air Force Base[40]
- Mount Vernon Airport
- Pinckneyville-DuQuoin Airport
- Southern Illinois Airport
- Sparta Community Airport (Hunter Field)
- St. Louis Downtown Airport
- St. Louis Metro-East Airport
- St. Louis Regional Airport
- Williamson County Regional Airport
Out of state airports
- Barkley Regional Airport[40]
- Cape Girardeau Regional Airport
- Evansville Regional Airport
- Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
- Spirit of St. Louis Airport
Colleges and universities
- Blackburn College (Carlinville)
- East St. Louis Community College Center (East St. Louis)
- Greenville College (Greenville)
- John A. Logan College (Carterville)
- Kaskaskia College (Centralia)
- Lewis and Clark Community College (Godfrey)
- McKendree University (Lebanon)
- Olney Central College (Olney)
- Principia College (Elsah)
- Rend Lake College (Ina)
- Shawnee Community College (Ullin)
- Southeastern Illinois College (Harrisburg)
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale (Carbondale)
- Frontier Community College (Fairfield)
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Edwardsville)
- Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (Alton)
- Southwestern Illinois College (Belleville)
- Wabash Valley College (Mount Carmel)
Historical politics
Southern Illinois has historically been a conservative Democratic region. Even as the political parties have changed, Southern Illinois has consistently voted for Democratic candidates more times than not since 1818. In the early months of the Civil War, some residents in Williamson County voted for secession from the Union. On April 15, 1861 the citizens of Marion passed a resolution calling for the division of Illinois and the secession of Southern Illinois. The resolution was soon repealed, but General Benjamin Prentiss left a company of men near Marion for defense as he passed by on his way to a garrison in Cairo. Despite some southern sympathizers, most young men in the region joined the Union Army.[42]
Democratic roots in Southern Illinois relate to the region's shared culture with the South, where the Democratic Party before the
However, within the last few decades, Southern Illinois has trended GOP due to nationwide support for the GOP among rural areas, while Northern Illinois due to outward migration from Democratic-leaning Cook County has trended Democratic. Democratic candidates were competitive in the counties of Southern Illinois until around 1996. Beginning as recently as the presidential election of 2000, Democrats have under-performed in Southern Illinois despite winning Illinois consecutively.
Economy
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2022) |
There are two main centers of commerce for Southern Illinois. They consist of the
The main agricultural products of Southern Illinois are crops such as corn and soybeans. Apples, peaches, grapes, are commonly found throughout Southern Illinois as well as the occasional sunflower, cotton, wheat, hay, and milo fields. In recent years there has been development of wineries in the Shawnee Hills region. Additional growth has occurred with the local foods movement as Southern Illinois' climate allows for fruit and vegetable production. Southern Illinois is also the home to aquaculture, beef, swine, equine, sheep, goats, and other livestock production. Agricultural efforts in the region are greatly aided by a small University of Illinois Extension research station near Dixon Springs and extensive research from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale's College of Agricultural Sciences. SIUC is home to the state's only non-land grant research-focused university with an agricultural college which provides practical research to the scientific and agricultural communities both in Southern Illinois as well as the rest of the state and the broader region.
Southern Illinois also has significant coal deposits; however, since the late 1980s, the coal industry has suffered significant decline due to the decreased demand for high-sulfur coal, which causes more pollution. The collapse of the coal industry had profound and lasting impact on the region's economy. With the introduction and application of scrubber technology at power plants, demand for high-sulfur has made a return in the 2010s.[13]
The Illinois oil basin is located mostly in Little Egypt. During the early 1940s and 1950s, Little Egypt had a modest oil boom in towns such as Carmi, McLeansboro, and Lawrenceville. Oil production reached more than 140,000,000 barrels (22,000,000 m3) per year in the 1940s, but dropped to 10,000,000 barrels (1,600,000 m3) per year by 1995. Oil wells in the region have relatively low yield and produce oil with a high sulfur content, making it expensive to process. There has been no significant drilling activity in the basin since the late 1970s.
Manufacturing in Southern Illinois is typically clustered in the largest towns of each county, with the people of smaller towns and villages often commuting to work in the factories. Many of these towns have a number of light factories and other industrial facilities in their
Culture
Southern Illinois is influenced culturally by the rest of Illinois, neighboring Missouri, and Upper Southern states like Kentucky and Tennessee. The immigration route from the east coast ran along the Ohio River, which joined settlements on both sides. In addition, the Cumberland River flowed northwest through Kentucky and Tennessee before joining the Ohio near Paducah, Kentucky, affording a migration route from the interior of those states. Thus, settlers who came to Southern Illinois were from Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee, with most of these being of northern English and Scots-Irish descent, who formed the last major migration from the British Isles to the colonies before the Revolutionary War, and settled mostly in the backcountry. Some migrated further west into Missouri. A road between Golconda and Jonesboro carried settlers and commerce across Southern Illinois, as well as the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears.[44]
Little Egypt exists at the confluence of the North Midland and South Midland dialects of American English. South Midland becomes more prominent as one approaches the Ohio River. The dialect change is not a continuum, but rather occurs in pockets, with certain towns and regions notably favoring one dialect over the other. This difference can be found between lifelong residents of the same town. No stigma is associated to either dialect within southern Illinois. According to David Hackett Fischer in his book Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways to America, the dialect of this region is Southern Highland. It was derived from the linguistics of the people of the Southern Appalachian region. This is consistent with the majority of the early settlers of this region migrating from the Upper South. The older term for this type of dialect was "Scotch-Irish" speech (the correct term today is Scots-Irish.)[45]
Tourism
Southern Illinois prides itself in tourism as a quaint rural area. There are many state parks in the area, benefiting from the scenery of the Shawnee National Forest. Additionally, Southern Illinois is the oldest part of the state with many historical landmarks to be seen in the area and numerous historical markers dotting the counties.[46][47]
Casinos
Wineries and orchards
Southernmost Illinois - Things To Do
Winery / Orchard | Location |
---|---|
* Alto Vineyards | Alto Pass |
* Bella Terra Winery | Creal Springs |
* Blue Sky Vineyard | Makanda |
* Cache River Basin Vineyard & Winery | Belknap |
* Dale Bremer Orchard | Metropolis |
* Eastman's Orchard | Goreville |
* Feather Hills Vineyard & Winery | Makanda |
* Flamm Orchards | Cobden |
* Hickory Ridge Vineyard | Pomona |
* Hogg Hollow Winery | Glendale |
* Honker Hill Winery | Carbondale |
* Katy-Lynn Winery | Carbondale |
* Kite Hill Vineyards | Carbondale |
* Lincoln Heritage Winery | Cobden |
* Lipe Orchards | Carbondale |
* Mileur Orchard | Murphysboro |
* Monte Alegre Vineyard & Cellars | Carbondale |
* Owl Creek Vineyard | Cobden |
* Peach Barn Winery & Cafe | Alto Pass |
* Pheasant Hollow Winery | Whittington |
* Pomona Winery | Pomona |
* Rendleman Orchards | Alto Pass |
* StarView Vineyards | Cobden |
* Uncorked Tours | Alto Pass |
* Von Jakob Winery & Brewery | Alto Pass |
* Walker's Bluff | Carterville |
See also
Map of Shawnee Hills Wine Trail [48]
Parks
Prominent State Parks within the Shawnee Hills and Shawnee National Forest region Include:
- Beall Woods State Park
- Cave-in-Rock State Park
- Cache River State Natural Area
- Wildcat Hollow State Habitat Area
- Crawford County State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Dixon Springs State Park
- Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area
- Ferne Clyffe State Park
- Fort Massac State Park
- Giant City State Park
- Golconda Marina State Recreation Area
- Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Kinkaid Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Lake Murphysboro State Park
- Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Pyramid State Recreation Area
- Randolph County State Recreation Area
- Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area
- Red Hills State Park
- Rend Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Saline County State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Sam Dale Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Sielbeck Forest Natural Area
- South Shore State Park
- Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area
- Tunnel Hill State Trail
- Ten Mile Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Trail of Tears State Forest
- Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Washington County State Recreation Area
- Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area
- Du Quoin State Fairgounds
Sports
Team | Sport | League | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
Gateway Grizzlies | Baseball | Frontier League | GCS Ballpark[50]
|
Southern Illinois Salukis | Basketball, cross country, golf, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, football | Missouri Valley Conference and Missouri Valley Football Conference | Several, including SIU Arena and Saluki Stadium[51]
|
SIU Edwardsville Cougars | Baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, volleyball, wrestling | Ohio Valley Conference, Missouri Valley Conference (men's soccer only), Southern Conference (wrestling only) | Several, including Ralph Korte Stadium and the Vadalabene Center |
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ McClelland, Edward. (August 23, 2019). What's It Mean to Be An Illinoisan, Anyway?. chicagomag.com. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
- ^ "Is Southern Illinois considered the South?". January 16, 2024.
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References
- Angle, Paul M.; Simon, John Y. (1992) [1952]. Bloody Williamson: A Chapter in American Lawlessness. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-06233-9.
- Angle, Paul M. (1965). "Egypt in Illinois". Chicago History. 7 (9): 266–270. OCLC 270754847.
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- ISBN 978-0-252-07021-1.
- Nolan, John Matthew "2,543 Days: A History of the Hotel at the Grand Rapids Dam on the Wabash River" Discusses Charles T. Hinde, one of the silent investors of the Hotel del Coronado and how the Hotel del Coronado influenced the Grand Rapids Hotel in Wabash County, Illinois.
See also
- Central Illinois
- Ku Klux Klan in Southern Illinois
- Northern Illinois
- Southern Illinois Speech and Acting League
External links
- "Civil War Democrats and Republicans in Illinois", Northern Illinois University Library
- The Southern" newspaper
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale
- Southern Illinois related archival collections at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Special Collections Research Center