Illinois

Illinois,

river, 273 mi (439 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers, NE Ill., and flowing SW to the Mississippi at Grafton, Ill. It is an important commercial and recreational waterway. The Illinois forms the greater part of the Illinois Waterway, which links the Great Lakes with the Mississippi. The chief city on the river is Peoria.

Illinois

(ĭl'ənoi`, –noiz`), confederation of Native North Americans, comprising the Cahokia, the Kaskaskia, the Michigamea, the Moingwena, the Peoria, and the Tamaroa tribes. They belong to the Algonquian branch of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock (see Native American languagesNative American languages,
languages of the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere and their descendants. A number of the Native American languages that were spoken at the time of the European arrival in the New World in the late 15th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. ). In the mid-17th cent. they lived in S Wisconsin, N Illinois, and sections of Iowa and Missouri. They then numbered some 6,500. Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet are believed to have been the first Europeans to travel (1673) through Illinois territory. Father Claude Jean AllouezAllouez, Claude Jean
, 1622–89, French Jesuit missionary in Canada and the American Midwest. After arriving (1658) in Canada he served at posts in the St. Lawrence region until 1665, when he went to Lake Superior and founded the Chequamegon Bay mission (near present-day
..... Click the link for more information. , a Jesuit missionary, visited them in 1676 and stayed with them for years. By 1750 wars with the Sioux, the Fox, and the Iroquois had reduced the population to some 2,000. In 1769 the assassination of the celebrated Ottawa chief PontiacPontiac,
fl. 1760–66, Ottawa chief. He may have been the chief met by Robert Rogers in 1760 when Rogers was on his way to take possession of the Western forts for the English.
..... Click the link for more information. by a Kaskaskia provoked the Lake tribes (the Ojibwa, the Ottawa, the Potawatami, the Kickapoo, and the Sac and Fox) to vengeance. They began a war of extermination, which in a few years diminished the Illinois to a small number, who sought asylum at the French settlement at Kaskaskia. By 1800 there remained some 150 Illinois. In 1833 the survivors, represented by the Kaskaskia and the Peoria, sold their lands in Illinois and moved W of the Mississippi. Their descendants now occupy tribal land in NE Oklahoma, which they share with the Wea and Piankashaw. The Peoria's relationship with the federal government was terminated in 1959. In 1990 there were about 1,300 Peoria in the United States.

Illinois,

midwestern state in the N central United States. It is bordered by Lake Michigan and Indiana (E); Kentucky, across the Ohio River (SE); Missouri and Iowa, across the Mississippi River (W); and Wisconsin (N).

Facts and Figures

Area, 56,400 sq mi (146,076 sq km). Pop. (2010) 12,830,632, a 3.3% increase since the 2000 census. Capital, Springfield. Largest city, Chicago. Statehood, Dec. 3, 1818 (21st state). Highest pt., Charles Mound, 1,235 ft (377 m); lowest pt., Mississippi River, 279 ft (85 m). Nicknames, Inland Empire; Prairie State. Motto, State Sovereignty—National Union. State bird, cardinal. State flower, native violet. State tree, white oak. Abbr., Ill.; IL

Geography

The broad level lands that gave Illinois the nickname Prairie State were fashioned by late Cenozoic glaciation, which leveled rugged ridges and filled valleys over the northern and central parts of the state. The fertile prairies are drained by more than 275 rivers, most of which flow to the Mississippi-Ohio system; the Illinois is the largest river in the state.

These rivers provided early explorers a way SW from Lake Michigan into the interior of the continent and later, in the days of canal building, played a big part in hastening settlement of the prairies. The completion of the Erie Canal linked Illinois, through the Great Lakes, to the eastern seaboard of the United States. The Illinois Waterway links Chicago to the Mississippi basin as the old Chicago and Illinois and Michigan canals once did, and the St. Lawrence Seaway provides access for oceangoing vessels. The waterways are but a part of a transportation complex that includes railroads, airlines (Chicago's O'Hare airport is one of the busiest in the world), and an extensive modern highway system.

The state's climate is continental, with extreme seasonal variations of temperature in parts of the state. Among Illinois's many tourist attractions are Shawnee National Forest, with recreational facilities; the Cahokia Mounds; and many state parks and historical sites, including New Salem and Lincoln's home and burial place in Springfield. An additional summer attraction is the Illinois State Fair. SpringfieldSpringfield.
1 City (1990 pop. 105,227), state capital and seat of Sangamon co., central Ill., on the Sangamon River; settled 1818, inc. as a city 1840. In a rich agricultural region (sorghum, corn, cattle, and dairying), it is a wholesale trade, retail, and distribution
..... Click the link for more information. is the capital; ChicagoChicago
, city (1990 pop. 2,783,726), seat of Cook co., NE Ill., on Lake Michigan; inc. 1837. The third largest city in the United States and the heart of a metropolitan area of over 8 million people, it is the commercial, financial, industrial, and cultural center for a vast
..... Click the link for more information. , RockfordRockford,
industrial city (1990 pop. 139,426), seat of Winnebago co., N Ill., on the Rock River near the Wis. line; inc. 1839 with the merger of two settlements on opposite sides of the river.
..... Click the link for more information. , and PeoriaPeoria
. 1 City (1990 pop. 50,618), Maricopa co., central Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix; settled 1897, inc. 1954. With the completion of the Arizona Canal in 1885, the area was settled by families from Peoria, Ill., and became an agricultural trading center.
..... Click the link for more information. are the largest cities.

Economy

Rich land, adequate rainfall (32–36 in./81–91 cm annually), and a long growing season make Illinois an important agricultural state. It consistently ranks among the top states in the production of corn and soybeans. Hogs and cattle are also principal sources of farm income. Other major crops include hay, wheat, and sorghum. Beneath the fertile topsoil lies mineral wealth, including fluorspar, bituminous coal, and oil; Illinois ranks high among the states in the production of coal, and its reserves are greater than any other state east of the Rocky Mts. Its agricultural and mineral resources, along with its excellent lines of communication and transportation, made Illinois industrial; by 1880 income from industry was almost double that from agriculture.

Leading Illinois manufactures include electrical and nonelectrical machinery, food products, fabricated and primary metal products, and chemicals; printed and published materials are also important. Metropolitan Chicago, the country's leading rail center, is also a major industrial, as well as a commercial and financial, center. Suburbs of Chicago such as Schaumburg and Oak Brook have become important business centers. Scattered across the northern half of the state are cities with specialized industries—ElginElgin
, city (1990 pop. 77,010), Cook and Kane counties, NE Ill., on the Fox River; inc. 1854. Elgin is a railroad, trade, and industrial city marked by a steady population growth.
..... Click the link for more information. , Peoria, Rock IslandRock Island,
city (1990 pop. 40,552), seat of Rock Island co., NW Ill., on the Mississippi and Rock rivers, adjacent to Moline and opposite Davenport, Iowa; inc. 1841. These three cities, with Bettendorf, Iowa, are called the Quad Cities.
..... Click the link for more information. , MolineMoline
, city (1990 pop. 43,202), Rock Island co., NW Ill., on the Mississippi River, in a coal area; inc. 1848. It is a transportation and industrial center, and has been a major producer of farm machinery since the industrialist John Deere moved there in 1847.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Rockford. Industrially important cities in central Illinois include Springfield and DecaturDecatur.
1 City (1990 pop. 48,761), seat of Morgan co., N Ala., on the Tennessee River; inc. 1826. It has shipyards, port traffic, and diverse industries, including steel manufacturing. The city has thrived on power supplied by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
..... Click the link for more information. .

Government, Politics, and Higher Education

The governor of Illinois is elected for a term of four years. Jim Edgar, a Republican elected governor in 1990 and 1994, was succeeded by another Republican, George H. Ryan, elected in 1998. In 2002 a Democrat, Rod Blagojevich, was elected to the office; he was reelected in 2006. In 2009, however, he was impeached and removed from office because of accusations that he had sought to gain from his appointment of the U.S. senator who would succeed Barack ObamaObama, Barack
(Barack Hussein Obama 2d), , 1961–, 44th president of the United States (2009–17), b. Honolulu, grad. Columbia (B.A. 1983), Harvard Law School (J.D. 1991).
..... Click the link for more information. . (In 2011 he was convicted in federal courts on charges arising from the case.) Lt. Gov. Patrick J. Quinn, also a Democrat, replaced Blagojevich and won election to the office in 2010, but Quinn lost to Republican Bruce Rauner in 2014. In 2018, Democrat J. B. Pritzker was elected governor. The state legislature, called the general assembly, consists of a senate with 59 members and a house of representatives with 118 members. Illinois elects 18 representatives and 2 senators to the U.S. Congress and has 20 electoral votes.

Institutions of higher learning in Illinois include the Univ. of Illinois, at Urbana-Champaign and Chicago; DePaul Univ., the Univ. of Chicago, and the Illinois Institute of Technology, at Chicago; Northwestern Univ., at Evanston; Illinois State Univ., at Normal; and Southern Illinois Univ., at Carbondale and Edwardsville.

History

Early Inhabitants and European Exploration

At the end of the 18th cent. the Illinois, Sac, Fox, and other Native American groups were living in the river forests, where many centuries before them the prehistoric Mound BuildersMound Builders,
in North American archaeology, name given to those people who built mounds in a large area from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mts.
..... Click the link for more information. had dwelt. French explorers and missionaries came to the region early. Father MarquetteMarquette, Jacques
, 1637–75, French missionary and explorer in North America, a Jesuit priest. He was sent to New France in 1666 and studied Native American languages under a missionary at Trois Rivières.
..... Click the link for more information. and Louis Jolliet, on their return from a trip down the Mississippi, paddled up the Illinois River in 1673, and two years later Marquette returned to establish a mission in the Illinois country.

In 1679 the French explorer Robert Cavelier, sieur de La SalleLa Salle, Robert Cavelier, sieur de
, 1643–87, French explorer in North America, one of the most celebrated explorers and builders of New France.

He entered a Jesuit novitiate as a boy but later left the religious life.
..... Click the link for more information. , went from Lake Michigan to the Illinois, where he founded (1680) Fort Creve Coeur and with his lieutenant, Henri de TontiTonti or Tonty, Henri de
, c.1650–1704, French explorer in North America, b. Italy. Serving in the French army, he lost a hand in battle; his skillful use of the appliance with which the hand was replaced was
..... Click the link for more information. , completed (1682–83) Fort St. Louis on Starved Rock cliff. French occupation of the area was sparse, but the settlements of Cahokia and Kaskaskia achieved a minor importance in the 18th cent., and the area was valued for fur trading.

By the Treaty of Paris of 1763, ending the French and Indian WarsFrench and Indian Wars,
1689–1763, the name given by American historians to the North American colonial wars between Great Britain and France in the late 17th and the 18th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , France ceded all of the Illinois country to Great Britain. However, the British did not take possession until resistance, led by the Ottawa chief, PontiacPontiac,
fl. 1760–66, Ottawa chief. He may have been the chief met by Robert Rogers in 1760 when Rogers was on his way to take possession of the Western forts for the English.
..... Click the link for more information. , was quelled (1766). In the American Revolution, George Rogers Clark and his expedition captured (1778) the British posts of Cahokia and Kaskaskia before going on to take Vincennes. The Illinois region was an integral part of the Old Northwest that came within U.S. boundaries by the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolution. Under the Ordinance of 1787Ordinance of 1787,
adopted by the Congress of Confederation for the government of the Western territories ceded to the United States by the states. It created the Northwest Territory and is frequently called the Northwest Ordinance.
..... Click the link for more information. the area became the Northwest TerritoryNorthwest Territory,
first possession of the United States, comprising the region known as the Old Northwest, S and W of the Great Lakes, NW of the Ohio River, and E of the Mississippi River, including the present states of Ohio, Ind., Ill., Mich., Wis., and part of Minn.
..... Click the link for more information. . Made part of Indiana Territory in 1800, Illinois became a separate territory in 1809.

Statehood and Settlement

The fur trade was still flourishing throughout most of Illinois when it became a state in 1818, but already settlers were pouring down the Ohio River by flatboat and barge and across the Genesee wagon road. In 1820 the capital was moved from Kaskaskia to Vandalia. The Black Hawk WarBlack Hawk War,
conflict between the Sac and Fox and the United States in 1832. After the War of 1812, whites settling the Illinois country exerted pressure on the Native Americans.
..... Click the link for more information. (1832) practically ended the tenure of the Native Americans in Illinois and drove them W of the Mississippi. In the 1830s there was heavy and uncontrolled land speculation. Mob fury broke out with the murder (1837) of the abolitionist Elijah P. Lovejoy at Alton and in the lynching (1844) of the Mormon leader Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum at Carthage.

Industrialization and Abraham Lincoln

Industrial development came with the opening of an agricultural implements factory by Cyrus H. McCormickMcCormick, Cyrus Hall,
1809–84, inventor of the reaper, b. Rockbridge co., Va. His father, Robert McCormick (1780–1846), had worked intermittently for over 20 years at his blacksmith shop on a reaping machine, but had given it up before Cyrus, his eldest son, began
..... Click the link for more information. at Chicago in 1847 and the building of the railroads in the 1850s. During this period the career of Abraham LincolnLincoln, Abraham
, 1809–65, 16th President of the United States (1861–65). Early Life

Born on Feb. 12, 1809, in a log cabin in backwoods Hardin co., Ky. (now Larue co.), he grew up on newly broken pioneer farms of the frontier.
..... Click the link for more information. began. In the state legislature, Lincoln and his colleagues from Sangamon co. had worked hard and successfully to bring the capital to Springfield in 1839. As Illinois moved toward a wider role in the country's affairs, Lincoln and another Illinois lawyer, Stephen A. DouglasDouglas, Stephen Arnold,
1813–61, American statesman, b. Brandon, Vt. Senatorial Career

He was admitted to the bar at Jacksonville, Ill., in 1834. After holding various state and local offices he became a U.S.
..... Click the link for more information. , won national attention with their debates on the slavery issue in the senatorial race of 1858. In 1861, Lincoln became president and fought to preserve the Union in the face of the South's secession. During the Civil War, Illinois supported the Union, but there was much proslavery sentiment in the southern part of the state.

By the 1860s industry was well established, and many immigrants from Europe had already settled in the state, foreshadowing the influx still to come. Immediately after the Civil War, industry expanded to tremendous proportions, and the Illinois legislature, by setting aside acreage for stockyards, prepared the way for the development of the meatpacking industry. Economic development had outrun the construction of facilities, and Chicago was a mass of flimsy wooden structures when the fire of 1871 destroyed most of the city.

Discontent and the Rise of the Labor Movement

In the latter part of the 19th cent. farmers in the state revolted against exorbitant freight rates, tariff discrimination, and the high price of manufactured goods. Illinois farmers enthusiastically joined the Granger movementGranger movement,
American agrarian movement taking its name from the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, an organization founded in 1867 by Oliver H. Kelley and six associates. Its local units were called granges and its members grangers.
..... Click the link for more information. . Laborers in factories, railroads, and mines also became restive, and from 1870 to 1900 Illinois was the scene of such violent labor incidents as the Haymarket Square riotHaymarket Square riot,
outbreak of violence in Chicago on May 4, 1886. Demands for an eight-hour working day became increasingly widespread among American laborers in the 1880s.
..... Click the link for more information. of 1886 and the Pullman strike of 1894.

In the 20th cent. labor conditions improved, but violent labor disputes persisted, notably the massacre at Herrin in 1922 during a coal-miners' strike and the bloody riot during a steel strike at Chicago in 1937. State politics became divided by the conflicting forces of farmers, laborers, and corporations, and opposing political machines came into being downstate and upstate.

Diversification and Change

In 1937 new oil fields were discovered in southern Illinois, further enhancing the state's industrial development. During World War II the nation's first controlled nuclear reaction was accomplished at the Univ. of Chicago, paving the way for development of nuclear weapons during the war. The war also spurred the further growth of the Chicago metropolitan area, and in the postwar period thousands of African Americans from the rural south came seeking industrial work.

Adlai E. Stevenson, governor of Illinois from 1949 to 1953, achieved national prominence in winning the Democratic presidential nomination in 1952 and 1956. Also during the 1950s the "gateway amendment" to the Illinois constitution simplified the state's constitutional amendment process. In 1970, Illinois adopted a new state constitution that, among other reforms, banned discrimination in employment and housing.

Southern Illinois experienced population declines in the 1950s and 60s as farms in the south became more mechanized, providing fewer jobs in the area. The area was hard hit again in the 1980s as farm prices fell and farm machinery, the major industrial product of southern Illinois, was no longer in high demand. The northern portion of the state saw a major decline in manufacturing in the 1970s and 80s, which was partially offset by an increase in the service and trade industry and Chicago's continued strength as a financial center. The election of Ronald ReaganReagan, Ronald Wilson
, 1911–2004, 40th president of the United States (1981–89), b. Tampico, Ill. In 1932, after graduation from Eureka College, he became a radio announcer and sportscaster.
..... Click the link for more information. as president in 1980 was the first time someone born in the state had won that office, and Barack Obama, who became the first African-American to be elected president in 2008, had served as U.S. senator from Illinois before his election. Flooding along the Mississippi inundated large areas of W Illinois in 1993.

Bibliography

See W. L. Burton, The Trembling Land: Illinois in the Age of Exploration (1966); V. Hicken, Illinois in the Civil War (1966); R. J. Jensen, Illinois: A History (1978); R. E. Nelson, ed., Illinois (1978); C. W. Horrell et al., Land Between the Rivers (1982); A. D. Horsley, Illinois: A Geography (1986); P. F. Nardulli, Diversity, Conflict, and State Politics (1989).

Illinois State Information

Phone: (217) 782-2000
www.illinois.gov

Area (sq mi):: 57914.38 (land 55583.58; water 2330.79) Population per square mile: 229.60
Population 2005: 12,763,371 State rank: 0 Population change: 2000-20005 2.80%; 1990-2000 8.60% Population 2000: 12,419,293 (White 67.80%; Black or African American 15.10%; Hispanic or Latino 12.30%; Asian 3.40%; Other 7.90%). Foreign born: 12.30%. Median age: 34.70
Income 2000: per capita $23,104; median household $46,590; Population below poverty level: 10.70% Personal per capita income (2000-2003): $32,185-$32,965
Unemployment (2004): 6.20% Unemployment change (from 2000): 1.70% Median travel time to work: 28.00 minutes Working outside county of residence: 25.20%

List of Illinois counties:

Adams County

Alexander County

Bond County

Boone County

Brown County

Bureau County

Calhoun County

Carroll County

Cass County

Champaign County

Christian County

Clark County

Clay County

Clinton County

Coles County

Cook County

Crawford County

Cumberland County

De Witt County

DeKalb County

Douglas County

DuPage County

Edgar County

Edwards County

Effingham County

Fayette County

Ford County

Franklin County

Fulton County

Gallatin County

Greene County

Grundy County

Hamilton County

Hancock County

Hardin County

Henderson County

Henry County

Iroquois County

Jackson County

Jasper County

Jefferson County

Jersey County

Jo Daviess County

Johnson County

Kane County

Kankakee County

Kendall County

Knox County

Lake County

LaSalle County

Lawrence County

Lee County

Livingston County

Logan County

Macon County

Macoupin County

Madison County

Marion County

Marshall County

Mason County

Massac County

McDonough County

McHenry County

McLean County

Menard County

Mercer County

Monroe County

Montgomery County

Morgan County

Moultrie County

Ogle County

Peoria County

Perry County

Piatt County

Pike County

Pope County

Pulaski County

Putnam County

Randolph County

Richland County

Rock Island County

Saint Clair County

Saline County

Sangamon County

Schuyler County

Scott County

Shelby County

Stark County

Stephenson County

Tazewell County

Union County

Vermilion County

Wabash County

Warren County

Washington County

Wayne County

White County

Whiteside County

Will County

Williamson County

Winnebago County

Woodford County

Illinois Parks

US National Parks
Chicago Portage National Historic Site
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Urban Parks
Burnham Park
Jackson Park
Lincoln Park

State Parks

Anderson Lake Conservation Area
Apple River Canyon State Park
Argyle Lake State Park
Baldwin Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Banner Marsh State Fish & Wildlife Area
Beall Woods State Park
Beaver Dam State Park
Big Bend State Fish & Wildlife Area
Big River State Forest
Buffalo Rock State Park & Effigy Tumuli
Cache River State Natural Area
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Carlyle Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Castle Rock State Park
Cave-In-Rock State Park
Chain O'Lakes State Park
Channahon State Park
Clinton Lake State Recreation Area
Coffeen Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Crawford County State Fish & Wildlife Area
Delabar State Park
Des Plaines State Fish & Wildlife Area
Dixon Springs State Park
Donnelley/DePue State Fish & Wildlife Areas
Eagle Creek State Recreation Area
Edward R. Madigan State Fish & Wildlife Area
Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area
Ferne Clyffe State Park
Fort Massac State Park
Fox Ridge State Park
Frank Holten State Recreation Area
Franklin Creek State Natural Area
Fults Hill Prairie & Kidd Lake State Natural Areas
Gebhard Woods State Park
Giant City State Park
Golconda Marina State Recreation Area
Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area
Green River State Wildlife Area
Hamilton County State Fish & Wildlife Area
Harry "Babe" Woodyard State Natural Area
Hazel & Bill Rutherford Wildlife Prairie State Park
Heidecke Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Henderson County Conservation Area

Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park
Hidden Springs State Forest
Horseshoe Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area (Alexander County)
Horseshoe Lake State Park (Madison County)
Illini State Park
Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail
Illinois Beach State Park
Illinois Caverns State Natural Area
Iroquois County State Wildlife Area
James "Pate" Philip State Park
Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish & Wildlife Area
Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park
Jubilee College State Park
Kankakee River State Park
Kaskaskia River State Fish & Wildlife Area
Kickapoo State Recreation Area
Kinkaid Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Recreation Area
Lake Murphysboro State Park
LaSalle Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial
Lincoln Trail State Park
Lowden State Park
Lowden-Miller State Forest
Mackinaw River State Fish & Wildlife Area
Marseilles State Fish & Wildlife Area
Marshall State Fish & Wildlife Area
Matthiessen State Park
Mautino State Fish & Wildlife Area
Mazonia-Braidwood State Fish & Wildlife Areas
Mermet Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Middle Fork State Fish & Wildlife Area
Mississippi Palisades State Park
Mississippi River State Fish & Wildlife Area
Moraine Hills State Park
Moraine View State Recreation Area
Morrison-Rockwood State Park
Nauvoo State Park
Newton Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Peabody River King State Fish & Wildlife Area
Pere Marquette State Park
Piney Creek Ravine State Natural Area
Powerton Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area

Prophetstown State Recreation Area
Pyramid State Recreation Area
Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area
Randolph County State Recreation Area
Ray Norbut State Fish & Wildlife Area
Red Hills State Park
Rend Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Rice Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Rock Cut State Park
Rock Island Trail State Park
Saline County State Fish & Wildlife Area
Sam Dale Lake State Conservation Area
Sam Parr State Fish & Wildlife Area
Sand Ridge State Forest
Sanganois State Fish & Wildlife Area
Sangchris Lake State Park
Shabbona Lake State Park
Shelbyville State Fish & Wildlife Area
Sielbeck Forest State Natural Area
Siloam Springs State Park
Silver Springs State Fish & Wildlife Area
Snakeden Hollow State Fish & Wildlife Area
South Shore State Park
Spitler Woods State Natural Area
Spring Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area
Starved Rock State Park
Stephen A. Forbes State Park
Ten Mile Creek State Fish & Wildlife Area
Trail of Tears State Forest
Tunnel Hill State Trail
Turkey Bluffs State Fish & Wildlife Area
Union County State Fish & Wildlife Area
Volo Bog State Natural Area
Walnut Point State Park
Washington County State Recreation Area
Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area
Weinberg-King State Park
Weldon Springs State Park
White Pines Forest State Park
William G. Stratton State Park
William W. Powers State Recreation Area
Wolf Creek State Park
Woodford State Fish & Wildlife Area

Parks and Conservation-Related Organizations - US
Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD)
Illinois Wildlife Federation
Prairie Club
Society of Architectural Historians (SAH)

National Wildlife Refuges

Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge
Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge

Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge
Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge
Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge

Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge

National Scenic Byways

Great River Road - Illinois
Historic National Road - Illinois
Historic Route 66 - Illinois

Illinois River Road: Route of the Voyageurs
Lincoln Highway
Meeting of the Great Rivers Scenic Route

Ohio River Scenic Byway - Illinois

National Heritage Areas
Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor
National Grasslands
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
National Forests
Shawnee National Forest

Illinois

a state in the northern United States. It is located in the northern part of the Central Plain, between Lake Michigan, the Ohio River, and the Mississippi River. Area, 146,000 sq km. Population, 11.1 million (1970; 83 percent is urban). Capital, Springfield. The most important city and chief economic center is Chicago; more than 60 percent of the state’s population lives in Chicago and its suburbs.

Illinois is located on major transcontinental routes and the most important internal waterways of the United States. The topography is a rolling plain (with heights up to 378 m in the north), covered with rich black soil. The climate is temperate and continental. During the coldest month the mean temperature is— 3°C, and during the warmest month, 25°C. The annual precipitation ranges from 800 to 1,000 mm. Illinois is rich in coal, petroleum, fluorspar, and other minerals.

Illinois is a highly developed industrial and agricultural state, ranking fifth in the United States in industrial and agricultural production and in population. Of the economically active population, 32 percent are employed in manufacturing, 0.5 percent in mining, and 4 percent in agriculture. In 1968, the state’s mineral output included 56 million tons of coal and 10.6 million tons of petroleum. Of the 1.4 million workers employed in the manufacturing industry (1969; 980,000 in Chicago), nearly 50 percent are employed in the machine-building and metal-working industries, almost 10 percent in metallurgy, and 10 percent in the food industry. The leading branches of industry include radioelec-tronics; locomotive and railroad-car building (Chicago, Rock-ford, Rock Island, and Peoria); ferrous metallurgy (primarily in Chicago); petroleum-refining; chemicals; meat packing (Chicago and East St. Louis); and the production of electrical, industrial, and construction equipment, as well as of agricultural implements. The printing, garment, and distilling industries are well developed.

Illinois is part of the Corn Belt, the most important agricultural region in the United States. Eighty-five percent of the land is under cultivation. The principal crops are corn (second in production in the USA) and soybeans (first in production); wheat, oats, and forage are also grown. Livestock-raising constitutes more than 50 percent of agricultural production. As of January 1970 livestock in Illinois included 3.3 million cattle, 6.6 million hogs, and 389,000 sheep. There are 18,000 km of railroad lines and 170,000 km of highways in Illinois. The Illinois Waterway, a canal route connecting the Great Lakes system with the Mississippi River Basin, passes through the state.

V. M. GOKHMAN

Illinois

a river in the United States, left tributary of the Mississippi River. It is formed by the junction of the Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers. Length, 437 km (from its source at the Kankakee, 653 km); basin area, 82,000 sq km. The riverbed has a number of enlargements resembling lakes. It is fed by rain and snow. There are high waters between March and May. The water is at its lowest level during the summer and fall. The average annual discharge is approximately 1,000 cu m per sec. In its upper course the Illinois is linked by navigable canals with Lake Michigan (at Chicago) and with the Mississippi River. The river has locks and is navigable along its entire course. Above the city of La Salle, it is paralleled by a canal. The city of Peoria is located on the Illinois River. [10-374 -2]

Illinois

Twenty-first state; admitted on December 3, 1818

The 150th, or sesquicentennial, anniversary of Illinois’ statehood was celebrated throughout the state during 1968. In December 1967, a year-long exhibit on Illinois history opened at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History. Miniature replicas of historic rooms—Carl Sandburg’s birthplace, Jane Addams’s Hull House office, and the Palmer House Hotel’s Silver Dollar Barber Shop of 1875—were on display in Carson Pirie Scott department stores. Lincoln’s birthday on February 12 was observed with programs commemorating his career in Illinois. On July 4, there was a parade, drama, musical events, fireworks, and speeches at Steeleville. As part of the year-long celebration, the Old State House in Springfield was restored.

State capital: Springfield
Nicknames: Prairie State; Land of Lincoln; Corn State
State motto: State Sovereignty, National Union
State animal: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
State amphibian: Eastern tiger salamander
State bird: Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
State dance: Square dance
State fish: Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
State flower: Violet (Viola)
State fossil: Tully Monster (Tullimonstrum gregarium)
State insect: Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
State mineral: Fluorite
State prairie grass: Big bluestem (Andropogon furcatus)
State reptile: Painted turtle
State song: “Illinois”
State tree: White oak (Quercus alba)

More about state symbols at:

www.illinois.gov/facts/symbolsdesc.cfm
www.state.il.us/kids/learn/symbols/default.htm

More about the state at:

www.illinois.gov/facts/history.cfm

SOURCES:

AmerBkDays-2000, p. 809 AnnivHol-2000, p. 201

STATE OFFICES:

State web site: www.illinois.gov

Office of the Governor State Capitol Bldg Rm 207 Springfield, IL 62706 217-782-6830 fax: 217-782-1853 www.illinois.gov/gov

Secretary of State State Capitol Bldg Rm 213 Springfield, IL 62756 217-782-2201 fax: 217-785-0358 www.sos.state.il.us

Illinois State Library 300 S 2nd St Springfield, IL 62701 217-782-2994 fax: 217-785-4326 www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/home.html

Legal Holidays:

Christmas Eve	Dec 24
Day after Thanksgiving	Nov 25, 2011; Nov 23, 2012; Nov 29, 2013; Nov 28, 2014; Nov 27, 2015; Nov 25, 2016; Nov 24, 2017; Nov 23, 2018; Nov 29, 2019; Nov 27, 2020; Nov 26, 2021; Nov 25, 2022; Nov 24, 2023
Lincoln's Birthday	Feb 12
Washington's Birthday	Feb 21, 2011; Feb 20, 2012; Feb 18, 2013; Feb 17, 2014; Feb 16, 2015; Feb 15, 2016; Feb 20, 2017; Feb 19, 2018; Feb 18, 2019; Feb 17, 2020; Feb 15, 2021; Feb 21, 2022; Feb 20, 2023

Illinois

1. a state of the N central US, in the Midwest: consists of level prairie crossed by the Illinois and Kaskaskia Rivers; mainly agricultural. Capital: Springfield. Pop.: 12 653 544 (2003 est.). Area: 144 858 sq. km (55 930 sq. miles) 2. a river in Illinois, flowing SW to the Mississippi. Length: 439 km (273 miles)

Illinois

Related to Illinois: University of Illinois

ILLINOIS. The name of one of the United States of America. This state was admitted into the Union by virtue of a "Resolution declaring the admission of the state of Illinois into the Union," passed December 3, 1818, in the following words: Resolved, &c. That, whereas, in pursuance of an Act of Congress, passed on the eighteenth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, entitled "An act to enable the people of the Illinois territory to form a constitution and state government, and for the admission of such state into the Union, on an equal footing with the original states," the people of said territory did, on the twenty-sixth day of August, in the present year, by a convention called for that purpose, form for themselves a constitution and state government, which constitution and state government, so formed, is republican, and in conformity to the principles of the articles of compact between the original states and the people and States in the territory northwest of the river Ohio, passed on the thirteenth day of July, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven: Resolved, &c. That the state of Illinois shall be one, and is hereby declared to be one, of the United States of America, and admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original states, in all respects whatever.
2. A constitution for this state, was adopted in convention held at Kaskaskia, on the 26th day of August, 1818, which continued in force until the first day of April; 1848. A convention to revise the constitution assembled at Springfield, June 7, 1847, in pursuance of an act of the general assembly of the state of Illinois, entitled "An act to provide for the call of a convention: On the first day of August, 1848, this convention adopted a constitution of the state of Illinois, and by the 13th section of the schedule thereof it provided that this constitution shall be the supreme law of the land from and after the first day of April, A. D. 1848.
3. It will be proper to consider, 1. The rights of citizens to vote at elections. 2. The distribution of the powers of government.
4.-1. The sixth article directs that, Sec. 1. In all elections, every white male citizen above the age of twenty-one years, having resided in the state one year next preceding any election, shall be entitled to vote at such election; and every white male inhabitant of the age aforesaid, who may be a resident of the state' at the time of the adoption of this constitution, shall have the right of voting as aforesaid; but no such citizen or inhabitant shall be entitled to vote, except in the district or county in which he Shall actually reside lit the time of such election.
Sec. 2. All votes shall be given by ballot.
Sec. 5. No elector loses his residence in the state by reason of his absence on business of the United States, or this state.
Sec. 6. No soldier, seaman or mariner of the United States, is deemed a resident of the state, in consequence of being stationed within the state.
5. The second article distributes the powers of the government as follows:
Sec. 1. The powers of the government of the state of Illinois shall be divided into three distinct departments, and each of them be confided to a separate body of magistracy, to wit: Those which are legislative, to one; those which are executive, to another; and those which are judicial, to another.
2. No person, or collection of persons, being one of these departments, shall exercise any power properly belonging to either of, the others, except as hereinafter expressly directed or permitted; and all acts in contravention of this section shall be void. These will be separately considered.
6. The legislative department will be considered by taking a view, 1. Of those parts of the constitution which relate to the general assembly. 2. Of the senate. 3. Of the house of representatives.
7.-1st. Of the general assembly. The third article of the constitution provides as follows
Sec. 1. The legislative authority of this state shall be vested in a general assembly; which shall consist of a senate and house of representatives, both to be elected by the people.
Sec. 2. The first election for senators and representatives shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight; and thereafter, elections for members of the general assembly shall be held once in two years, on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, in each and every county, at such places therein as may be provided by law.
Sec. 7. No person elected to the general assembly shall receive anycivil appointment within this state, or to the senate of the United States, from the governor, the governor and senate, or from the general assembly, during the term for which he shall have been elected; and all such appointments, and all votes given for any such member for any such office or appointment, shall be void; nor shall any member of the general assembly be interested, either directly or indirectly, in any contract with the state, or any county thereof, authorized by any law passed during the time for which he shall have been elected, or during one year after the expiration thereof.
Sec. 12. The senate and house of representatives, when assembled, shall each choose a speaker and other officers, (the speaker of the senate excepted.) Each house shall judge of the qualifications and election of its own members, and sit upon its own adjournments. Two-thirds of each house shall constitute a quorum but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and compel the attendance of absent members.
Sec. 13. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and publish them. The yeas and nays of the members on any question shall, at the desire of any two of them, be entered on the journals.
Sec. 14. Any two members of either house shall have liberty to dissent and protest against any act or resolution which they may think injurious to the public, or to any individual, and have the reasons of their dissent entered on the journals.
Sec. 15. Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behaviour, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members elected, expel a member, but not a second time for the same cause; and the reason for such expulsion shall be entered upon the journal, with the names of the members voting on the question.
Sec. 16. When vacancies shall happen in either house, the governor, or the person exercising the powers of governor, shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.
Sec. 17. Senators and representatives shall, in all cases, except treason, felony or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during the session of the general assembly, and in going to and returning from the same and for any speech or debate in either house, they shall not be questioned in any other place.
Sec. 18. Each house may punish, by imprisonment during its session, any person, not a member, who shall be guilty of disrespect to the house, by any disorderly or contemptuous behaviour in their presence: Provided, such imprisonment shall not, at any one time, exceed twenty-four hours.
Sec. 19. The doors of each house, and of committees of the whole, shall be kept open, except in such cases as in the opinion of the house require secrecy. Neither house shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than two days, nor to any other place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting.
8.-2d. Of the senate. The senate will be considered by taking a view of, 1. The qualification of senators. 2. Their election. 3. By whom elected. 4. When elected. 5. Number of senators. 6. The duration of their office.
9. First. Art. 3, s. 4, of the Constitution, directs that "No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained the age of thirty years; who shall not be a citizen of the United States, five years an inhabitant of this state, and one year in the county or district in which he shall be chosen, immediately preceding his election, if such county or district shall have been so long erected; but if not, then within the limits of the county or counties, district or districts, out of which the same shall have been taken unless he shall have been absent on the public business of the United States, or of this state, and shall not, moreover, have paid a state or county tax."
10. Secondly. The senators at their first session herein provided for, shall be divided by lot, as near as can be, into two classes. The seats of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year, and those of the second class at the expiration of the fourth year; so that one-half thereof, as near as possible, may be biennially chosen forever thereafter. Art. 31 s. 5.
11. Thirdly. The senators are elected by the people.
12. Fourthly. The first election shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, 1848; and thereafter the elections shall be on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, once in two years. Art. 3, s. 2.
13. Fifthly. The senate shall consist of twenty-five members, and the house of representatives shall consist of seventy-five members, until the population of the state shall amount to one million. of souls, when five members may be added to the house, and five additional members for every five hundred thousand inhabitants thereafter, until the whole number of representatives shall amount to one hundred; after which, the number shall neither be increased nor diminished; to be apportioned among the several counties according to the number of white inhabitants. In all future apportionments, where more than one county shall be thrown into a representative district, all the representatives to which said counties may be entitled shall be elected by the entire district. Art. 3, s. 6.
14. Sixthly. The senators at their first session herein provided for shall be divided by lot, as near as can be, into two classes. The seats of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year, and those of the second class at the expiration of the fourth year, so that one-half thereof, as near as possible, may be biennially chosen forever thereafter. Art. 3, s. 5.
15.-3. The house of representatives. This will be considered in the same order which has been observed in relation to the senate.
16. First. No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years; who shall not be a citizen of the United States, and three years an inhabitant of this state; who shall not have resided within the limits of the county or district in which he shall be chosen twelve months next preceding his election, if such county or district shall have been so long erected; but if not, then within the limits of the county or counties, district or districts, out of which the same shall have been taken, unless he shall have been absent on the public business of the United States, or of this state; and who, moreover, shall not have paid a state or county tax. Art. 3, s. 3.
17. Secondly. They are elected biennially.
18. Thirdly. Representatives are elected by the people.
19. Fourthly. Representatives are elected at the same time that senators are elected.
20. Fifthly. The house of representatives shall consist of seventy-five members. See ante, No. 16.
21. Sixthly. Their office continues for two years.
22.-2. The executive department. The executive power is vested in a governor. Art. 4, s. 1. It will be proper to consider, 1. His qualifications. 2. His election: 3. The duration of his office. 4. His authority and duty.
23. First. No person except a citizen of the United States shall be eligible to the office of governor, nor shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years, and been ten years a resident of this state; and fourteen years a citizen of the United States. Art. 4 s. 4.
24. Secondly. His election is to be on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November. The first election in 1848, and every fourth year afterwards.
25. Thirdly. He remains in office for four years. The first governor is to be installed on the first Monday of January, 1849, and the others every fourth; year thereafter.
26. Fourthly. His authority and duty. He may give information and recommend measures to the legislature, grant reprieves, commutations and pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment, but in these cases he may suspend execution of the sentence until the meeting of the legislature, require information from the officers of the executive department, and take care that the laws be faithfully executed; on extraordinary occasions, convene the general assembly by proclamation by commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the state, except when they shall be called into the service of the United States; nominate, and, by and with the consent and advice of the senate, appoint all officers whose offices are established by the constitution, or which may be created by law, and whose appointments are not otherwise provided for; in case of disagreement between the two houses with respect to the time of adjournment, adjourn the general assembly to such time as he thinks proper, provided it be not to a period beyond a constitutional meeting of the same. Art. 4. He has also the veto power.
27. A lieutenant governor shall be chosen at every election of governor, in the same manner, continue in office for the same time, and possess the same qualifications. In voting for governor and lieutenant governor, the electors shall distinguish whom they vote for as governor, and whom as lieutenant-governor. Art. 4, s. 14. The following are his principal powers and duties
Sec. 15. The lieutenant governor shall, by virtue of his office, be speaker of the senate, have a right, when in committee of the whole, to debate and vote on all subjects, and, whenever the senate are equally divided, to give the casting vote.
Sec. 16. Whenever the government shall be administered by the lieutenant-governor, or he shall be unable to attend as speaker of the senate, the senators shall elect one of their own, number as speaker for that occasion; and if, during the vacancy of the office of governor, the lieutenant governor shall be impeached, removed from his office, refuse to qualify, or resign, or die, or be absent from the state, the speaker of the senate shall, in like manner, administer the government.
Sec. 17. The lieutenant governor, while he acts as speaker of the senate, shall receive for his service the same compensation which, shall, for the same period, be allowed to the speaker of the house of representatives, and no more.
Sec. 18. If the lieutenant governor shall be called upon to administer the government, and shall, while in such administration, resign, die, or be absent from the state, during the recess of the general assembly, it shall be the duty of the secretary of state, for the time being, to convene the senate for the purpose of choosing a speaker.
Sec. 19. In case of the impeachment of the governor, his absence from the, state, or inability to discharge the duties of his office, the powers, duties, and emoluments of the office shall devolve upon the lieutenant governor and in case of his death, resignation, or removal, then upon the speaker of the senate for the time being, until the governor, absent or impeached, shall return or be acquitted; or until the disqualification or inability shall cease; or until a new governor shall be elected and qualified.
Sec. 20. In case of a vacancy in the office of governor, for any other cause than those herein enumerated, or in case of the death of the governor elect before he is qualified, the powers, duties, and emoluments of the office devolve upon the lieutenant governor, or speaker of the senate, as above provided, until a new governor be elected and qualified.
28.-3. The judiciary department. The judicial power is vested in one supreme court, in circuit courts, in county courts, and in justices of the peace; but inferior local courts, of civil and criminal jurisdiction, may be established by the general assembly in the cities of the state but such courts shall have a uniform organization and jurisdiction in such cities. Art. 5, s. 1. These will be separately considered.
29.-1st. Of the supreme court, its organization and jurisdiction. 1. Of its organization. 1st. The judges must be citizens of the United States; have resided in the state five years previous to their respective elections; and two years next preceding their election in the division, circuit, or county in which they shall respectively be elected; and not be less than thirty-five years of age at the time of their election. 2d. The judges are elected each one in a particular district, by the people. But the legislature may change the mode of election. 3d. The supreme court consists of a chief justice and three associates, any two of whom form a quorum; and a concurrence of two of said judges is necessary to a decision. 4th. They hold their office for nine years. After the first election, the judges are to draw by lot, and one is to go out of office in three, one in six, and the other in nine years. And one judge is to be elected every third year. 2. Of the jurisdiction of the supreme court. This court has original jurisdiction in cases relative to the, revenue, in cases of mandamus, habeas corpus, and in such cases of impeachment as may be by law directed to be tried before it, and it has appellate jurisdiction in all other cases.
30.-2d. Of the circuit courts, their organization and jurisdiction. 1st. Of their organization. The state is divided into nine judicial districts, in each of which a circuit judge, having the same qualifications as the supreme judges, except that he may be appointed at the age of thirty years, is elected by the qualified electors, who holds his office for six years and until his successor shall be commissioned and qualified; but the legislature may increase the number of circuits. 2d. Of their jurisdiction. The circuit courts have jurisdiction in all cases at law and equity, and in all cases of appeals from all inferior courts.
31.-3d. Of the county courts. There is in each county a court to be called a county court. It is composed of one judge, elected by the people, who holds his office for four years. Its jurisdiction extends to all probate and such other jurisdiction as the general assembly may confer in civil cases, and in such criminal cases as may be prescribed by law, when the punishment is by fine only, not exceeding one hundred dollars. The county judge, with such justices of the peace in each county as may be designated by law, shall hold terms for the transaction of county business, and shall perform such other duties as the general assembly shall prescribe; Provided, the general assembly may require that two justices, to be chosen by the qualified electors of each county, shall sit with the county judge in all cases; and there shall be elected, quadrennially, in each county, a clerk of the county court, who shall be ex officio recorder, whose compensation shall be fees; Provided, the general assembly may, by law, make the clerk of the circuit court ex officio recorder, in lieu of the county clerk.
32.-4th. Of justices of the peace. There shall be elected in each county in this state, in such districts as the general assembly may direct, by the qualified electors thereof, a competent number of justices of the peace, who shall hold their offices for the term of four years, and until their successors shall have been elected and qualified, and who shall perform such duties, receive such compensation, and exercise such jurisdiction as may be prescribed by law.

Illinois

Il·li·nois¹

Il·li·nois²

Illinois

Il•li•nois

Illinois

Illinois,

Illinois

Illinois,

Facts and Figures

Geography

Economy

Government, Politics, and Higher Education

History

Early Inhabitants and European Exploration

Statehood and Settlement

Industrialization and Abraham Lincoln

Discontent and the Rise of the Labor Movement

Diversification and Change

Bibliography

Illinois State Information

List of Illinois counties:

Illinois Parks

Illinois

Illinois

Illinois

Legal Holidays:

Illinois

Illinois

Illinois

Synonyms for Illinois

noun a midwestern state in north-central United States

Synonyms

Related Words

noun a member of the Algonquian people formerly of Illinois and regions to the west

Related Words

noun the Algonquian language of the Illinois and Miami

Related Words

Illinois

Il·li·nois 1

Il·li·nois 2

Illinois

Il•li•nois

Illinois

Illinois,

Illinois

Illinois,

Facts and Figures

Geography

Economy

Government, Politics, and Higher Education

History

Early Inhabitants and European Exploration

Statehood and Settlement

Industrialization and Abraham Lincoln

Discontent and the Rise of the Labor Movement

Diversification and Change

Bibliography

Illinois State Information

List of Illinois counties:

Illinois Parks

Illinois

Illinois

Illinois

Legal Holidays:

Illinois

Illinois

Illinois

Synonyms for Illinois

noun a midwestern state in north-central United States

Synonyms

Related Words

noun a member of the Algonquian people formerly of Illinois and regions to the west

Related Words

noun the Algonquian language of the Illinois and Miami

Related Words

Il·li·nois¹

Il·li·nois²