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Port Byron, Illinois

Port Byron is a village in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States and part of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area. The population was 1,668 at the time of the 2020 census; up from 1,647 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Port Byron is located at 41.61806°N, -90.33278°W (41.618051, -90.332789).

According to the 2010 census, Port Byron has a total area of 2.48 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,676 people, 623 households, and 419 families residing in the village. The population density was 664.3 PD/sqmi. There were 659 housing units at an average density of 285.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 98.83% White, 0.07% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.63% of the population.

There were 623 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the village, the age distribution of the population shows 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $47,768, and the median income for a family was $59,000. Males had a median income of $44,926 versus $26,208 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,363. About 2.1% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Tug Fest
The event of the year in this small town is the Great River Tug Fest, held since 1987 on the second full weekend in August. Following a fireworks display on Friday night, the Mississippi River is closed on Saturday afternoon. The tug-of-war is made up of 10 men teams of 20 and one woman's team of 25. After a large rope is pulled across the river to Le Claire, Iowa, a tug of war takes place. The side with the most wins gets bragging rights for the year, along with the traveling alabaster trophy. Port Byron, the 2016 champion, holds an overall record of 21-11 in the competition. The rope used for the tug is 2700 feet in length and weighs about 700 lbs. Tug Fest is the only event in the United States that allows the Mississippi River to be closed down. The Illinois women are the only undefeated team in Tug Fest history.

Will B. Rolling
Will B. Rolling is the name of a 30' high statue of a rider perched atop his Penny-farthing. Erected on November 13, 2013, along the Great River Trail in Port Byron, the statue was a gift to the village from former mayor Lawrence Bay and his wife Carol. The "Will B. Rolling" statue was inspired by, and made from the same mold as, a statue named "Ben Bikin'" in Sparta, Wisconsin, and each year in October there is a bicycle-ride event from Port Byron to Sparta, called the "Will to Ben."

On April 25, 2014, River Action awarded Will B. Rolling the 2014 Eddy Award for Art.

Port Byron Online
The official city website is located on the internet at www.portbyronil.com.

Notable person

 * Bill Malarkey, MLB pitcher for the New York Giants

title: Port Byron, Illinois


text:
Rapids City, Illinois

Rapids City is a village in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 964 at the time of the 2020 census; up from 959 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Rapids City is located at 41.58111°N, -90.34444°W (41.581083, -90.344324).

According to the 2010 census, Rapids City has a total area of 1.62 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 953 people, 352 households, and 280 families residing in the village. The population density was 623.0 PD/sqmi. There were 367 housing units at an average density of 239.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 98.53% White, 0.10% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.10% of the population.

There were 352 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.2% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $44,474, and the median income for a family was $50,893. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $24,808 for females. The per capita income for the village was $24,499. About 0.8% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Rapids City, Illinois


text:
Rock Island, Illinois

Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 census. Located at the confluence of the Rock and Mississippi rivers, it is one of the Quad Cities along with neighboring Moline and East Moline in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities had a population of 384,324 in 2020. The city is home to Rock Island Arsenal, the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the US, which employs 6,000 people. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Arsenal Island.

European-American Settlement
The original portion of what is now known as Rock Island was called Farnhamsburg – after the original two homes were built by Colonel George Davenport and Russell Farnham in 1826. Davenport and Farnham were business partners, trading with the local Native Americans. The original city plat was filed on July 10, 1835, and was named Stephenson. It was renamed Rock Island in March 1841.

The southern portion of Rock Island, including today's Watch Hill area, was originally known as Searstown. It was named after David B. Sears - who built the Sears Power Dam on the Rock River. Searstown was annexed by Rock Island in 1915.

This area has been a fortuitous place first for settlement and then for steamboat traffic, bridges, and railroads.

Railroads and development

The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (RI) was founded here in 1851, known informally as the Rock Island Line; over the next century, the railroad grew to serve fourteen states but ended in bankruptcy in 1980. As part of later nineteenth-century development, two first-class hotels: the Harper House (built by Ben Harper and opened in February 1871) and the Rock Island House were built in town. The Rock Island Arsenal has manufactured military equipment and ordnance for the U.S. Army since the 1880s.

The Rock Island Southern Railway was an interurban line that ran from Rock Island to Monmouth, Illinois, then onward to Galesburg, Illinois. It was built between 1906 and 1910. A portion of the trackage, from Rock Island to Preemption, Illinois, was shared with the CRI&P line that served the coal mines in Cable, Illinois, and Sherrard, Illinois. The line finally folded in 1952.

Bridges
Due to its geography, Rock Island has a rich history of bridge building, including the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi (now gone), an unusual two-track railroad bridge, and the largest roller dam in the world.

The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River was built between Arsenal Island and Davenport in 1856. Many steamboat pilots felt that the bridge had been intentionally positioned to make it hard for them to navigate, and this conflict reflected a larger rivalry: St. Louis and its steamboats against Chicago and its railroads. Two weeks after the bridge opened, the steamboat Effie Afton collided with the bridge, caught fire, and damaged the bridge. The owner of the Effie Afton sued the bridge company for damages, and Abraham Lincoln was one of the lawyers who defended the railroad. This test case was appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the railroad in 1872. Although the original bridge is long gone, a monument exists on Arsenal Island marking the Illinois side. On the Iowa side, the bridge was located near where 4th and Federal streets intersect with River Drive.

The Lock and Dam No. 15 and the Government Bridge are located just southwest of the site of the first bridge. The Government Bridge, completed in 1896, is notable for having two sets of railroad tracks above the car lanes. There are only two bridges in the world with this feature. Three other bridges span the river between Rock Island and Davenport. The Crescent Rail Bridge is a railroad-only bridge, completed in 1899. The Centennial Bridge was completed in 1940 for autos only. The newest bridge is the Interstate 280 bridge, completed in 1973. Lock and Dam No. 15, completed in 1934 as a federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depression, is the largest roller dam in the world. The dam is designed for navigation, not flood control. During flood season, the rollers are raised, unleashing the full flow of the water.

On the south side of the city, overlooked by the Black Hawk State Historic Site, are auto and railroad crossings of the Rock River to Milan, Illinois. This set of bridges also crosses the historic Hennepin Canal and Sears Dam (this was named after the entrepreneur David B. Sears, who previously built the Sears Dam between Arsenal Island and Moline.) In 2007 a new bridge was completed between 3rd Street Moline/southeast Rock Island and Milan. It expedites the trip to Milan, the airport, and points south on U.S. Route 67.

Geography
Rock Island is located at 41.48917°N, -90.57306°W (41.489083, -90.573154).

According to the 2010 census, Rock Island has a total area of 17.872 sqmi, of which 16.85 sqmi (or 94.28%) is land and 1.022 sqmi (5.72%) is water.

2010 Census
In 2000 Census, there were 39,684 people, 16,148 households, and 9,543 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,492.0 PD/sqmi. There were 17,542 housing units at an average density of 1,101.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 77.13% White, 17.17% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.41% from other races, and 2.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.90% of the population.

There were 16,148 households, out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.97.

The city's population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,729, and the median income for a family was $45,127. Males had a median income of $32,815 versus $23,378 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,202. About 10.9% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Largest employers
According to the city's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Rock Island County Courthouse
Construction began in April 2017 for a new Rock Island County courthouse. The $28 million project was completed in the fall of 2018, and the old courthouse was expected to be torn down upon completion of the new building. However, resident opposition delayed the demolition, with the phrase "Save Our Courthouse" being used by opponents to the demolition. The old courthouse was demolished in April 2023.

Education
The majority of the city is served by the Rock Island–Milan School District with portions of the southwest area falling under the Rockridge School District. The Rock Island–Milan School District is currently home to 13 public schools, with one high school, two junior high schools, nine elementary schools, and one alternative education center. Several private schools also serve Rock Island, including Jordan Catholic Elementary School and Alleman Catholic High School.

High schools

 * Alleman High School
 * Rock Island High School
 * Rockridge High School (Taylor Ridge, Illinois)

Colleges

 * Augustana College
 * Bible Missionary Institute

Former schools
Villa de Chantal Catholic school closed in 1978, and the building was destroyed by fire in 2005. Schools that were closed and demolished include Franklin Junior High School, Central Junior High School, Lincoln Elementary School, and Audubon Elementary School.

Points of interest

 * Augustana College (Illinois)
 * Bally's Quad Cities Casino & Hotel
 * Black Hawk State Historic Site
 * Broadway Historic District
 * Chippiannock Cemetery
 * Hauberg Civic Center
 * Longview Park Conservatory and Gardens
 * Quad City Botanical Center
 * Rock Island Public Library
 * The Historic Rock Island Courthouse
 * Rock Island Arsenal is a National Historic Landmark
 * The District
 * Boetje's Mustard Factory

Rock Island, Illinois is the site of the Quad City Hindu Temple, a Hindu shrine dedicated chiefly to the deity Venkateswara. The temple opened in 2007. Prior to its construction, Hindu worshippers had to travel to St. Louis or Peoria to participate in Hindu festivals and worship.

Cultural organizations

 * Ballet Quad Cities
 * Genesius Guild
 * The Quad City Symphony Orchestra plays part of its Masterworks Series' concerts at Centennial Hall on the Augustana College campus.
 * Quad City Arts

Sports
The first football game in what was to become the National Football League was played at Rock Island's Douglas Field in September, 1920. It was hosted by the Rock Island Independents (1907–1926), who were a charter NFL franchise in 1920.

The Rock Island Islanders were a minor league baseball team that played for 37 seasons between 1901 and 1948. The Islanders played at Douglas Park and were affiliates of the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia A's.

The Rock Island Legion Post 200 baseball team won the 4th State Championship in its history in 2011 in Galesburg, Illinois. Post 200 would finish 4th that year in the Great Lakes Regional.

Karters flock to Rock Island every year for the prestigious Rock Island Grand Prix on Labor Day weekend, which attracts competitors from across the United States and the world. With exception to 1997, when the annual race was canceled due to legal liability issues, the Rock Island Grand Prix has been held every year since 1994.

Rock Island High School has won state championships in basketball, girls and boys track, softball, and wrestling. Additionally the football and basketball programs are perennial powerhouses. Rock Island Public Schools Stadium has an artificial surface and has a seating capacity of over 15,000.

Media
Rock Island is the location of television station WHBF-TV. Until 1963, WHBF was one of only two television stations in the Quad Cities area. (The other is WOC-TV on the Iowa side of the river.) Rock Island was also the longtime former home of WHBF-TV's former sister radio stations, WHBF and WHBF-FM, although it does remain the licensed city of those stations.

Also, National Public Radio member station WVIK is licensed to and located in Rock Island on the campus of Augustana College, and WGVV-LP, which is also licensed to the city of Rock Island.

Rock Island is the home base for NOAA Weather Radio WXJ-73, the Quad Cities' area NWR station, programmed by the National Weather Service in Davenport.

Transportation
Quad Cities MetroLINK provides bus service on numerous routes connecting Rock Island to destinations across the Quad Cities. District Station in downtown Rock Island serves as a hub of the system.

Film, theater, and literary references

 * Around the World in Eighty Days (Jules Verne, 1873) has Phileas Fogg crossing the Mississippi River at Rock Island.
 * The song "Rock Island Line" was first recorded in 1934. Its many recorded versions include ones by John Lomax, Lonnie Donegan, Johnny Cash and Bobby Darin. A version is sung by Kevin Spacey in his film of Darin's life, Beyond the Sea.
 * In the 1936 Margaret Mitchell novel Gone with the Wind, Ashley Wilkes was imprisoned on Arsenal Island during the Civil War.
 * Rock Island Trail (1950), starring Forrest Tucker, was a Republic Studios production related to the building of the Rock Island Railroad across the Mississippi River.
 * The opening 'railroad train' number in Meredith Willson's The Music Man (1957) is titled "Rock Island", although the words "Rock Island" never appear in the song. The song takes place on a train journey from Brighton, Illinois to the (fictional) River City, Iowa, and the title suggests the journey includes the train's crossing though Rock Island.
 * Rock Island is one of the markers of the outer edge of the range of Project X in Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged.
 * Rock Island is mentioned several times in Jack Kerouac's book On the Road. Sal (Jack Kerouac) says that it was in Rock Island "for the first time in my life that I saw my beloved Mississippi River dry in the summer haze."
 * Rock Island Line is the title of a 1975 novel by David Rhodes.
 * In the 1977 episode "Breaker, Breaker" of Good Times, where Nathan Bookman hides a CB radio in the Evans' apartment, during a scene where Willona Woods gets on the CB with a man who says he's coming back into Chicago from "that Rock Island town" and wanted to know if she and Millicent "Penny" Gordon Woods could meet up.
 * The Blues Brothers are from Rock Island.
 * In the 1996 film Hard Eight, John, played by John C. Reilly, says that they are staying in Rock Island, Illinois.
 * In the 2001 film America's Sweethearts, Larry King takes a call from a viewer in Rock Island, Illinois.
 * Part of the film Road to Perdition (2002) takes place in Rock Island. The first track of the soundtrack is entitled Rock Island. The movie was based on the 1998 graphic novel, which was in turn based on the life of Rock Island gangster John Looney.
 * In the 2006 film Death of a President, Al Claybon, the character behind the assassination of George W. Bush, resided in Rock Island.
 * In the 2016 film War Dogs, the US military interviews main characters David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli at the Rock Island Arsenal.

Notable people

 * David Ackles, singer-songwriter, pianist, and child actor
 * Eddie Albert, Oscar-nominated actor and activist, known for television series, Green Acres and Switch, and films
 * Black Hawk, leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe
 * Ken Bowman, Ken Duncan and Herm Schneidman, players for NFL's Green Bay Packers
 * John Buford, Civil war general
 * Ransom R. Cable, President of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad from 1883 to 1898
 * George Davenport, American frontiersman, trader, U.S. Army soldier, and Indian agent
 * Steve Decker, catcher with the San Francisco Giants, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Anaheim Angels
 * Frederick Denkmann, lumber mogul and partner of Friedrich Weyerhäuser
 * Pony Diehl, Wild West outlaw
 * Booker Edgerson, Buffalo Bills
 * Lane Evans, former United States Congressman (Illinois 17th District); born in Rock Island
 * Russell Farnham, one of the first settlers of the area, and a partner of George Davenport
 * Therese Fowler, author of “Z” and other books. Born and graduated high school in Rock Island
 * Virginia Frederick, Illinois state representative
 * Alan Garber - Provost and acting President of Harvard University
 * Daniel G. Garnsey, former U.S. Congressman
 * Aaron H. Grout, son of Governor Josiah Grout and Vermont Secretary of State
 * June Haver, screen and radio actress; wife of actor Fred MacMurray
 * Chase Hilgenbrinck, former professional soccer player with the New England Revolution
 * Roger Imhof, actor and performer in motion pictures, vaudeville, burlesque and the circus
 * Jesse Johnson, musician, guitarist for group "The Time", as well as solo artist
 * Mark Johnson, Olympic wrestler and winningest wrestling coach at the University of Illinois
 * Charles Keller, former U.S. Army Brigadier General and the oldest Army officer to serve on active duty during World War II. Served as district engineer for the area.
 * Madison Keys, professional tennis player
 * Lou Kolls, MLB umpire
 * Kari Lake, news reporter and politician in Arizona
 * Helen Mack, screen and stage actress; born in Rock Island
 * Jerry Mansfield, NFL player
 * Elisabeth Maurus (aka Lissie), folk-rock singer and songwriter; born in Rock Island
 * Tim Moore, stage, screen and television actor; first black TV star
 * Don Nelson, forward and head coach with several NBA teams, most all-time wins as a head coach
 * Greg Norton, former bassist of the hardcore punk band Hüsker Dü
 * Col. Gary Payton, astronaut
 * Chasson Randle, basketball player and all-time leading scorer at Stanford
 * Paul E. Rink, Illinois judge, lawyer, and politician
 * Harry Sage, catcher with the Toledo Maumees
 * Bobby Schilling, U.S. Congressman from Illinois's 17th congressional district
 * Dred Scott, American slave who sued for his freedom
 * J. Clinton Searle, Illinois state representative and lawyer
 * Michael H. Sexton, Minor League Baseball executive
 * Tom Sexton, shortstop with 19th century's Milwaukee Brewers
 * Thomas P. Sinnett, Illinois politician and lawyer
 * Charles A. Spring, Presbyterian leader and son of Samuel Spring
 * Henry Strasak, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer
 * Lefty Taber, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies; born in Rock Island
 * Hiram Truesdale, lawyer and jurist
 * Jonathan Tweet, game designer, author, blogger
 * Samuel Rinnah Van Sant, Civil War soldier, Governor of Minnesota 1901-05
 * Henry Cantwell Wallace, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture 1921-24
 * Friedrich Weyerhäuser, lumber mogul
 * Bill Zies, catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals
 * Lester Ziffren, journalist and Hollywood screenwriter
 * Sherman McMaster, Wild West outlaw and lawman

General references

 * Spencer, J. W. and Burrows, J. M. D., The Early Day of Rock Island and Davenport The Lakeside Press, 1942
 * Tweet, Roald D., ''The Quad Cities: An America mosaic", East Hall Press, 1996
 * Wickstrom, George W., The Town Crier J. W. Potter Company, 1948

title: Rock Island, Illinois


text:
Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois

Rock Island Arsenal is a census-designated place (CDP) in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 149 at the 2010 census. The island contains the Rock Island National Cemetery.

Geography
Rock Island Arsenal is located at 41.51806°N, -90.53694°W (41.518033, -90.536959).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.6 sqmi, of which 1.6 sqmi is land and 1.0 sqmi (37.89%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 145 people, 43 households, and 40 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 90.9 PD/sqmi. There were 43 housing units at an average density of 27.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 62.76% White, 28.28% African American, 1.38% Native American, 3.45% from other races, and 4.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.76% of the population.

There were 43 households, out of which 79.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 88.4% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 4.7% were non-families. 4.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.37 and the average family size was 3.46.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 41.4% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 45.5% from 25 to 44, 9.0% from 45 to 64,. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $45,417, and the median income for a family was $34,375. Males had a median income of $29,063 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $15,710. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.

title: Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois


text:
Silvis, Illinois

Silvis is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. It is part of a larger metropolitan area known as the Quad Cities. The Quad Cities Metropolitan Area is situated across four counties in Illinois and Iowa. It is located 4 mi from the intersection of Interstate 80 and Interstate 88, 165 mi of Chicago, and 165 mi east of Des Moines. It sits next to East Moline and Moline, Illinois.

Silvis is near two major medical centers, including a critical access center. Silvis also has two community college districts, a liberal arts college, a public university auxiliary campus, two private universities, and two extension services in the area.

Demographics
As of 2019, the population of Silvis is 7,475 with 2,984 households, and 1,939 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,993.8 PD/sqmi. There were 3,135 housing units at an average density of 859.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 86.09% White, 3.45% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 6.51% from other races, and 2.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino ethnicities made up 14.36% of the population.

There were 2,984 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18, 47.2% were married couples, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41, and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city, the population was 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.9% aged 18 to 24, 26.9% aged 25 to 44, 22.3% aged 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,047, and the median income for a family was $41,390. Males had a median income of $32,451, versus $22,050 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,764. About 8.4% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

History
The City of Silvis (initially named Pleasant Valley) was incorporated in 1906. The city took its name from Richard Shippen Silvis, one of the original settlers whose family operated the Silvis Mining Company. Some older sources give the alternate spelling of "Sylvis" although this spelling is not regularly used today.

Rock Island Line Silvis Workshops
In 1902, the Rock Island Line decided to build its largest railroad locomotive repair workshop in Silvis, on a 900-acre site between the railroad's main line and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad’s Rock Island branch. Construction began on May 1, 1903; the facilities eventually included a general stores department, repair shop, 45-stall roundhouse with a 90-foot turntable, and two large freight yards east and west.

The need for cheap labor attracted a number of immigrants from Mexico, who worked in the stores, the workshops, or as part of the track laboring team. The railway developed housing for all of its workers and families. This was rented to the workers at favorable rates, which were possible under an agreement with the town that meant the occupants paid no property taxes. The Mexican section, with its own Mexican-run general stores and a Mexican-themed band, became known as La Yadra. When the band waned, the railway-donated boxcars that had once housed its instruments were refurbished to create the Lady of Guadalupe church, dedicated on Easter Sunday in 1927. In 1929 the no-property-tax agreement came to an end, and the city authorities evicted the railway workers. Many moved their houses to the area that became second, third and fourth streets.

After The Rock was liquidated in 1980, the locomotive workshops, yards and facilities were used for storage of locomotives and railcars that soon would be sold off to other railroads. The facility later was sold to National Railway Equipment, with the workshops remaining a maintenance and refurbishment hub for the wider North American railroad industry. Railroading Heritage of Midwest America bought the facility in late 2021 to develop a museum and for refurbishing and maintaining steam and heritage diesel locomotives along with associated rolling stock. In November 2022 heritage equipment from the Union Pacific was moved into the shop. Included were 4-6-6-4 Union Pacific 3985, 2-10-2 Union Pacific 5511 and EMD DDA40X Union Pacific 6936.

Golf course
The city is home to TPC Deere Run, a public golf course designed by former PGA Tour professional D.A. Weibring along the area's famous Rock River. Golf Digest once ranked it No. 42 among U.S. public golf courses, while Golfweek Magazine has called it among the state's top five courses. Since 2000, TPC Deere Run has hosted the PGA Tour's annual John Deere Classic, previously known as the Quad Cities Open. The John Deere Classic is held in July the week before the British Open.

Hero Street USA
The name of the city's Second Street—a muddy two-block thoroughfare that was once home to Mexican immigrants who worked for the Rock Island Railroad—was changed in 1967 to Hero Street to honor people who lived on the two-block street and served in the U.S. military. A total of 84 men served in World War II, Korea, and in Vietnam. Eight died during World War II: Joseph Gomez, Peter Macias, Johnny Muños, Tony Pompa, Frank Sandoval, Joseph "Joe" Sandoval, William "Willie" Sandoval, and Claro Solis.

Eduvigis and Angelina Sandoval immigrated to the U.S. from Romita, Mexico. Their son, Frank, was a combat engineer assigned to help build the Ledo Road in Burma. He was killed when his unit was sent to the front to fight for control of a key airbase. His older brother, Joe, assigned to the 41st Armored Infantry Division in Europe, was killed in April 1945, just days before the war ended.

Joseph and Carmen Sandoval also immigrated to the United States from Mexico. When the war broke out, they consented to their son Willie's request to enlist in the army. Trained as a paratrooper and assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, he fought in Italy and Germany, and was killed on October 6, 1944, during a combat mission related to Operation Market-Garden, the largest airborne operation of all time.

Silvis Mayor, William Tatmen renamed the street Hero Street USA in May 1967. On 30 October 1971 a city park was built and dedicated as Hero Street Park to honor the eight deceased Hispanic (Latin American) servicemen from Hero Street USA. The park contains a pictorial monument, a grotto, a playground, and a pavilion. The monument contains pictures and biographies of the eight-deceased veteran from Hero Street, the grotto displays the names of all war dead from Silvis.

In 2015, Fourth Wall Films released a documentary, "Letters Home to Hero Street", by Emmy-nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle.

Schools
Silvis public schools belong to three districts, Carbon Cliff-Barstow School District 36, East Moline School District 37, and Silvis School District 34. There are three Silvis preschool schools., three elementary schools, one junior high school and one high school belonging to the Silvis school districts.

Preschools

 * George O. Barr Elementary
 * Learning Tree Child Care Center
 * It's a Child's World

Elementary schools

 * George O. Barr Elementary
 * Eagle Ridge
 * Bowlesburg Elementary

Middle/Junior High schools

 * North East Junior High School

High schools

 * United Township High School

Transportation
Quad Cities MetroLINK provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Silvis to destinations across the Quad Cities.

title: Silvis, Illinois


text:
Carrier Mills, Illinois

Carrier Mills, formerly Carrier's Mills and Morrilsville, also known as Catskin, is a village in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,672 at the 2020 census. Carrier Mills was named after George Washington Carrier's saw and grist mills, and was one of the early Cairo and Vincennes Railroad boomtowns. Founded as a mill town and then a coal mining community, Carrier Mills has slowly lost 44% of its population since the 1920 census high of 3,000, due to the decline of the local coal industry. The village has primarily become a bedroom community, located seven miles (11 km) southwest of Harrisburg, which is the village's main source of employment, entertainment, and shopping. It is the third largest community in the Harrisburg Micropolitan Statistical Area outside of Eldorado and Harrisburg, and included in the Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky Tri-State Area. Carrier Mills also has a large African American population at 15%, compared to its neighbors, due to migration from the nearby community of Lakeview, the oldest African American settlement in the state of Illinois.

The village is host to the annual Catskin Days Fair and Parade, a multi-day fall festival event in October commemorating the history and culture of the village.

History
The first settler in the village now known as Carrier Mills was Hampton Pankey. He was also one of the earliest settlers in Saline County. Pankey was living in the area in 1804 or 1805 and he registered his land deed in 1814, the earliest date that was available to register them. In about 1811 the settlers began building blockhouses for protection from American Indians. A blockhouse was built on his land around this time. One of his sons was John Pankey, who was one of the founding fathers of Harrisburg.

The village was surveyed by Benjamin D Lewis and platted in November 1872 for William Housely as Morrillsville, named after H. L. Morrill, the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad superintendent who sealed a real estate deal with mill owner G. W. Carrier. It was commonly known as, and eventually renamed, Carrier's Mills after inventor G. Washington Carrier ("Uncle Wash") who helped found the town when he built an elaborate steam powered saw mill and a grist mill just to the south of town on the Saline River watershed, near the old Tuller Mansion farming and property site. Carrier's Mills was the farthest north cypress trees grew at the time, which made lumber milling in the town profitable. Carrier was the first of many to set up wood working factories within the city limits. The mills were first used for the making of lumber to construct bridges and ties for the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad, then later the businesses and homes in the town soon followed. Carrier and Morrill closed a real estate deal to build a train depot there. The town was platted adjacent and north of the newly completed Cairo and Vincennes Railroad. In 1873, the first postmaster was appointed to Carrier's Mills (the name the railroad had assigned to the new stop). The town's name changed again to "Carrier Mills" when several more woodworking factories were built. The village was incorporated on September 18, 1894. After an influx of settlers from the south, due to the Civil War, the tiny village amidst timber and farms grew quickly. Today, in legal documents its name remains Morrillsville. Carrier Mills did not have a single brick building and the sidewalks were of boards. The business district was mainly on Oak Street from the First National Bank west to the Texaco Gas Station, and all of frame construction. A disastrous fire in February 1908 burned everything on the north side of Oak Street. In March 1908, fire burned everything on the south side of the street, from Main to Mill, except the Old Woolcott Mill Exchange. The businessmen began immediately to rebuild, all of brick construction.

Tuller Mansion, or "Tuller Place" was a Victorian, 1910, two-story manor, constructed of red brick from the Terre Haute Block Company built on the outskirts of town. There was a grand entry staircase with marble floors, clawfoot tubs, built-in china cabinets, and fine mahogany wood throughout. A large, elegant patio served to entertain guests in hosting social dances, and even a carport existed for the two vehicles that Tuller owned. The mansion was built on the Carrier-Vennum estate, nicknamed "Inland Farm", by Arthur V. Tuller, inlaw of George Washington Carrier, the town's founder. The house burned in the 1990s.

After the lumber boom died out, Coal mining had a great influence on Carrier Mills. Over one hundred coal mines were privately and publicly operated around Carrier Mills between near the turn of the 20th century and the late 1990s. from 1913 to 1933, was the southern terminus of the Southern Illinois Railway & Power Company's Interurban Line. The trolley would take residents from downtown, and along Carline Street toward Harrisburg. During the town's heyday, some 3,000 people bustled around the busy streets. After the coal mines closed the population dwindled to nearly 1,500 according to the 2010 census. The entire county has suffered dearly from the closing of the coal mines, making Carrier Mills a near ghost town. In 2009 Carrier Mills ended a 70-year-long prohibition. During the 2012 Leap Day tornado outbreak an EF-4 tornado touched down just north of Carrier Mills at 4:51 a.m. on February 29, 2012, destroyed a church and damaged homes along Town Park Road and then traveled ENE toward Harrisburg, where it damaged and destroyed entire neighborhoods of the city.

Local school history
The first school in Carrier Mills was a large, two-story wooden structure with a bell tower. It was built in the early 1820s and located near the old Sahara Coal Company preparation plant (now abandoned), just northwest of the village. The little structure was made of logs and had a clay chimney. School year began in August and ended in October because of the extreme cold. A typical school in 1850 was a subscription school - a fee of $2.50 was charged for a two-month period. From the Civil War period until 1875, the only formal school was located near Salem.

In 1887, the first school building in Carrier Mills Village was purchased for the purpose of being a prescription school at the corner of Walnut and Main St. The first major public school in the town was opened in 1903 on Furlong St. The first recognized two-year high school course was started in 1915. In 1917, the high school became a registered three-year high school until 1926 when it became a community high school fully accredited by the state of Illinois.

Around 1940, the Carrier Mills Public School building burned down after a disastrous fire starting during a Boy Scout meeting in the basement. A much larger school was built a year later as a grade school around the frame of the first burnt school.

On February 4, 1938, the present High School was completed and occupied, with the gymnasium and auditorium added in 1940. The current enlarged gym was built in 1950–51. At the beginning of 1963, the small town of Stonefort joined the Carrier Mills school district creating the Carrier Mills-Stonefort Unit 2 School District.

Downtown abandonment

The traditional downtown business district in Carrier Mills stretched from Route 45 down Main Street to Washington Street, and down Oak and Railroad streets between Main Street and Mill Street, but by July 2006, most of the Carrier Mills downtown was condemned and demolished by the city. Citizens of Carrier Mills said it was better to see empty lots than rotten buildings. Most citizens found it sad that it had to come to such a conclusion.

The business district has been in a slow decline for at least 25 years. No single big event can be tied to the decline of downtown Carrier Mills. Will Scarlet Mine closed in 1987. Sahara's mines closed in 1993, putting hundreds out of work. Each of those closures reverberated through the local economy. Sahara had a reputation for buying locally—when their purchasing ceased it was a big blow to local businesses. But the Carrier Mills downtown area slowly declining even before the big mine closures.

In its heyday, Carrier Mills was home to several hotels, two theaters (The Knox, and the Grand Theater, opened in 1936 and closed in 1970), two banks (Dodds Bank and the First National), several stores and markets. Nearly all have been slowly torn or burned down over the past 20 years.

There were small stores on Friend, Main, East End and Washington Streets—in some instances a small store could be found every few blocks. The small grocery stores gradually shut down as car ownership increased and people were therefore more mobile—something that contributed generally to the decline of small towns like Carrier Mills.

A new building ordinance was set in July 2006 for future construction plans in the vacant downtown area. According to Mayor Louis Shaw, "What we're concerned about is when you walk into town, it doesn't look like a farm."

In April 2007, Carrier Mills Village Board approved entering an agreement with Bob Vancil and Associates to set up a tax increment finance district in an effort to draw new homeowners and businesses. The TIF district is a chance for the village to increase the quality of life with new houses and incentives for improving houses that are in disrepair. Village Board members described establishing the TIF district as a roll of the dice. Vancil will set up the TIF for $15,000 with $5,000 paid up front. If the Scarlet Lake annexation does not happen and the board learns the TIF will not be of benefit to the village, they will not owe the additional $10,000. Vancil said the village will be responsible for paying $3,000 in legal requirements for the TIF, which include giving notice to all businesses and legal advertising in newspapers.

The Scarlet Lake subdivision is a series of 52 lots within the old Will Scarlet strip pit mining area. It will be added to the Village limits as part of the TIF/Annexation project.

In June 2011, the two-story Field and Dime Store building collapsed in Carrier Mills due to disrepair, one of only four original downtown structures that remained in the village.

Lakeview (Pond Settlement)
Carrier Mills has a great African American history and influence. Free blacks founded the small early pioneer settlement of Lakeview, a mile south of Carrier Mills, shortly after the War of 1812. The History of Saline County (published by Saline County Genealogical Society in 1997) states that "Lakeview, a colored community south of town (Carrier Mills), is an older settlement than Carrier Mills. It is the oldest black settlement in Illinois. It was first named Pond Settlement because of the swamp land that surrounded it. According to local tradition free blacks living in the Pond Settlement helped runaway slaves and indentured servants escape from the saline works and the Old Slave House near Equality, Illinois.

Lakeview had its own school and grocery store along with many homes. In 1850, a Union Church was established near Carrier Mills in Saline County, Illinois. Most members were either Baptist or Methodist. An African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized at the home of Irvin Allen, who built a one-room log church building on his property. After the church burned, the congregation rebuilt and moved the church to Carrier Mills, where it sits today. This congregation is now Baber Chapel AME Church. The Lakeview cemetery has become a state historical landmark. The area of Lakeview is still a nearly 100% black area. After the closure of the Lakeview school in the 1950s, many people moved to the east side of Carrier Mills, named "East End" by locals and in the Carrier Mills Register newspaper. There was much tension felt between the white and black populations in the town.

In 2022 a preliminary application for a federal historical designation district was submitted by Lakeview descendant Brendan Jennings. The Saline County Tourism Board voted to create a committee to spearhead the project.

In 2023 the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) was awarded a $75,000 grant from the National Park Service to recognize significant African American heritage properties in southern Illinois. It was a collaborative effort between the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office, a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the Center for Archaeological Investigations at Southern Illinois University to be used to produce National Register nominations for three resources associated with Black history in southern Illinois. Additionally, the project will amend the existing National Register nominations for the following sites including the Carrier Mills Archaeological District, to reflect the African American heritage of the Pond Settlement, also known as Lakeview.

Carrier Mills Archaeological District
The area, some 143 acre located approximately two miles south of Carrier Mills was inhabited by prehistoric people in three different archaeological periods. Until the start of the 20th century, the South Fork of the Saline River was a meandering stream with large areas of swamps and shallow cypress lakes nearby. These areas were rich in plants and animals that prehistoric inhabitants sought for food. Therefore, the locality became a natural focal point for human settlement. In 1978 and 1979, archeologists intensively investigated this area. Excellent preservation conditions permitted the recovery of many tools and animal and plant remains that have provided significant new insights into the prehistory of southern Illinois.

Sporadic use of the area by small groups of hunters and gatherers can be dated to 8000 BC, and the area was used more or less continuously until 1400 AD. Settlement activity increased dramatically during the late Middle Archaic Period, 4500 to 3000 BC, when the area was inhabited by larger groups with a more settled lifestyle. These occupants left archaeological evidence containing many artifacts and burials. The area also saw heavy use during the Middle and Late Woodland periods, 200 BC to 900 AD. The peoples of those times increasingly focused on the collection and storage of plant foods and began to domesticate some native plants. The final prehistoric inhabitants were Mississippian Period Indians (900 to 1400) who lived in scattered farmsteads and cultivated corn and squash.

Catskin Days
Carrier Mills has been nicknamed "Catskin" due to both an abundance of stray cats in town, and a late-19th century story of the first local merchandise and liquor store owner, Wes Cole, who was tricked by local kids into thinking a skinned cat hide was a mink stole in trade for a jug of whiskey. To this day The village is host to the annual Catskin Days Fair and Parade, a multi-day fall festival event in October commemorating the rich history and culture of the village. The township's school mascot is also the Wildcat.

Geography
Carrier Mills is located at 37.68694°N, -88.62917°W (37.686923, -88.629149).

According to the 2010 census, Carrier Mills has a total area of 1.221 sqmi, of which 1.21 sqmi (or 99.1%) is land and 0.011 sqmi (or 0.9%) is water.

Carrier Mills sits upon a heavily undermined hillside that overlooks a shallow flatland to the south, where its sister community of Lakeview was built in a region of swampy land drained by the South Fork of the Saline River. In the distance, two ridges of the Shawnee Hills can be seen from town in a distinct blue haze.

The village is split into two distinct sections with Washington Street being the only main east–west oriented avenue connecting them. In between the two sections is the elevated  New York Central Railroad bed, now  the Tunnel Hill State Trail, on a large swath  of grass, and the now defunct streetcar bypass on Carline  Street, splitting  the village in a southwest to northeast angle. Downtown is located in the southwest corner, the largest section  of the village to the northwest, and East End to the southeast, US Route 45 borders the southern edge, giving Carrier Mills its distinctive 'L' shape.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,653 people, 744 households, and 463 families residing in the Village. The population density was 1,522.9 PD/sqmi. There were 866 housing units at an average density of 760.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 86.6% White, 14.8% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population.

There were 744 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18, 43.4% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% aged 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.

The median household income was $25,493, and the family median income was $35,037. Males had a median income of $31,458 compared to $16,756 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,314. About 13.2% of families and 17.7% of the population were living below the poverty line, including 23.4% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those aged 65 or over.

title: Carrier Mills, Illinois


text:
Eldorado, Illinois

Eldorado is a city in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,122 at the 2010 census, with a 1980 peak of 5,198. Although the city's name is spelled as if it were Spanish, the name was originally "Eldereado" or “Elder-Reado” (depending on the source)—a combination of the last names of the town's two founders, Judge Samuel Elder, his son William, grandson Francis Marion, and neighbor Joseph Read, and his brother William. According to legend, a signpainter for the railroad painted the name "Eldorado" on the train depot; as a result, the spelling and pronunciation (el-do-RAY-doh) was forever changed.

Eldorado is included in the Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area and is a bedroom community in the Harrisburg micropolitan statistical area.

History
Eldorado was first platted on May 24, 1858, by a surveyor named Martin D. Gillett. The post office was established on December 8 of that same year. Just before the Civil War, the first businesses were started in the town. The original village was incorporated in 1870. It was founded by Francis Elder and his neighbors who were brothers William and John Reed.

In the early days, Eldorado had several railroads which came through town. It was at an intersection of the Louisville & Nashville and Cairo & Vincennes railways. The “eastern extremity” of the Belleville & Eldorado Railway (St. Louis Short Line) also came through town. According to Illinois Historian Neil Gale: “This settlement, by 1896, could boast of exceptional railroad facilities - The Illinois Central, The Louisville and Nashville, and The Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati and St. Louis. Like several other villages, when the railroad company placed the name on the station, the name was spelled Eldorado, instead of Elderedo, and it has been known by that name since that time.”

The city provided relief efforts to neighboring communities affected by the Ohio River Flood of 1937. Shelter was provided at the city hall, and food provided by the Calvary Baptist Church, led by the Red Cross with local help. When the Leap Day Tornado of 2012 struck nearby Harrisburg, Eldorado immediately provided emergency assistance.

Current and former residents often reflect with nostalgia growing up in Eldorado, and doing business in the downtown area. At the center of it is a five-way intersection. A Ben Franklin store stood for decades on the corner of Fourth and Locust streets. The Dairy Queen was a popular hangout, until it relocated outside of the downtown in the 1990s. At one time there were over 20 grocery stores in Eldorado, most were small neighborhood stores. Eventually, these stores and downtown businesses began to disappear due to job loss, population decrease, and the move to businesses on the highways.

The former city hall building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Eldorado has four official Historical Markers, with the most recent one unveiled on September 18th, 2021.

Eldorado thrived for much of the late 1800s until the 1980s as a coal mining town, until several major mines shut down. Another major employer, Roundy's (formerly Scot Lad) closed in 2005, laying off 170 workers.

Today, the railroad tracks have been paved over in favor of bike paths, and most of the downtown businesses are gone.

Eldorado was known as a sundown town until the 1960s.

Geography
Eldorado is located at 37.81417°N, -88.44083°W (37.814212, -88.440937) in Saline County. It is in the Southeastern region of Southern Illinois. The nearest major city is St. Louis, Missouri (129 miles). Residents do a lot of business in Evansville, Indiana (59 miles), and Paducah, Kentucky (62 miles).

According to the 2010 census, Eldorado has a total area of 2.431 sqmi, of which 2.39 sqmi (or 98.31%) is land and 0.041 sqmi (or 1.69%) is water.

It is located within the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone, and just north of the Cottage Grove Fault System.

The junction of the pioneer Kaskaskia and Goshen Trails was located just south of the city. The Goshen Trail began in Old Shawneetown, Illinois and ran along the east side of Eldorado and on to the Goshen Settlement, a community near the present day East St. Louis. It is just north of the Shawnee National Forest.

Climate
Average high temps are 67.5 °F, average lows 45.3 °F. Average temp 56.4 °F. Average annual precipitation-rainfall 47.46 inches. Average annual snowfall is 5 inches.

Government
The current mayor is Rocky James (as of 2019). There is also an elected city council, city clerk, and city treasurer. Their offices are at city hall, located at 901 4th street.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010 there were 4,122 people, 1,796 households, and 1,044 families residing in the city. There were 2,053 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 97.3% White, 0.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 1,945 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.85.

The median age was 43 years. The unemployment rate 17.5%.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,799, and the median income for a family was $36,361. The per capita income for the city was $17,715. About 25.2% of families and 28.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.6% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those aged 65 or over.

Education level of those aged 25 and over: 6.1% less than ninth grade; 11% grade 9–12 with no diploma; 32.1% high school graduates; 24.7% some college, no degree; 9.6% Associate degree; 12.3% Bachelor's degree; and 4.3% graduate level or higher. Overall, the percentage of high school graduates is 83%. Approximately 7% of the population are veterans.

Housing
The median home value in 2010 was $45,900 with 56.6% valued below $50,000. No homes were valued $500,000 or greater. There were 1,855 housing units in the city, with 87.1% occupied. Of the 81.7%, 69% are owner-occupied, and 31% occupied by renters. Median rent rate was $619. The housing overall is aging, with 28.9% units built before 1939, and 12.9% of housing units were vacant. The city has been working to demolish derelict homes for several years.

Media
Eldorado used to have the smallest daily newspaper in Illinois until recently when declining circulation and advertising revenue for the Eldorado Daily Journal forced its parent company to scale back publication to only three days per week. The Journal had been a daily paper since 1911.

Local television stations include WSIL channel 3 (ABC), WPSD channel 6 (NBC), KFVS channel 12 (CBS), WSIU channel 8 (PBS), and KBSI channel 23 (FOX).

Closest local radio station is WEBQ AM 1240 (Country), and WEBQ FM 102.3 (Adult Contemporary), based in nearby Harrisburg.

Education
The Eldorado elementary school system consolidated in 1979, combining four schools (3 located in Eldorado, one from nearby Raleigh). Grades Pre-K through grade 5 attend Eldorado Elementary. Eldorado Middle School serves grades 6–8, and Eldorado High School grades 9-12. The high school mascot is the Eagles. As of the beginning of the 2018–2019 school year, there were 1,157 students (Pre-K-12) enrolled in Eldorado Community Unit #4 schools (Elementary 598, Middle School 243, High School 351). 2019 Grant Loudy was elected School board Member. The middle school and high schools were rated “commendable schools” on the 2018 Illinois School Report Card.

To the south of Eldorado is Southeastern Illinois College (junior college). The nearest major university is Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

Health care
In 1925, Dr. J.V. Ferrell founded Ferrell Hospital, which exists today as a 52-bed facility operated by Southern Illinois Healthcare. Effective March 1, 2004, SIH entered into an agreement with Alliant Management Services to return the hospital to local ownership and governance. On April 1, 2005, Ferrell Hospital Community Foundation became a stand-alone facility managed by Alliant Management Services. As Ferrell is a small hospital, services are routinely provided via other hospitals by transportation via ambulance for non-critical issues, and Air Evac Lifeteam Air Ambulance (for transport to Evansville, IN hospitals Deaconess, or St. Mary's) for critical emergencies. As of 2019, it is undergoing a significant expansion.

At one time, Eldorado supported an additional hospital, a 56-bed facility named Pearce Hospital (after another local physician). Pearce Hospital opened in 1949, and closed 40 years later, in 1989 due to financial issues and a dwindling patient load.

Leisure activities
In downtown Eldorado there are several murals painted on the sides of old buildings. The artists were longtime residents Phyllis Finnie (1925-2019) and Zettie Shults (resident from 1963 to 2005).

Town & Country Days is an annual festival held every third weekend in September.

Just south of Eldorado are wonderful sightseeing opportunities at the Shawnee National Forest and Garden of the Gods. Cave-in-Rock is 32 miles southeast.

Glen O. Jones Lake is also a short drive, just south of neighboring Equality, and a popular location for fishing.

Sports
Eldorado holds a few records within the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Basketball star Mike Duff is ranked #28 for career points (2,558), #4 for most points in a season (1,097-accomplished in 1977), and #13 with highest scoring average, season (32.2-accomplished in 1977). In baseball, #6 for most consecutive wins at home (26).

In December 1977, tragedy struck when former Eldorado basketball standouts Mike Duff and Kevin Kingston were killed in the crash of Air Indiana Flight 216 shortly after takeoff in Evansville, Indiana. Both were members of the Evansville Aces basketball team. The high school gymnasium was renamed in their memory.

George Harrison’s First U.S. Gig
Eldorado is notable as being the location of George Harrison's first gig in America. On September 28, 1963, five months before The Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show brought them stardom in the United States, George Harrison performed at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Eldorado with a local band called The Four Vests. This was the first performance by a Beatle in the United States. At the time, Harrison and his brother were visiting their sister, Louise, who had recently relocated with her husband to nearby Benton. Around 75 people were entertained by Harrison at the VFW that evening.

Popular culture
The book “Murder in Little Egypt” by Darcy O’Brien was centered in Eldorado. The subject of the book, Dr. John Dale Cavaness, practiced medicine in Eldorado.

Notable residents

 * Todd Duffee, mixed martial artist
 * David D. Phelps, former U.S. Congressman
 * William David Sanders, known as Dave Sanders, teacher killed during the Columbine High School massacre, saved multiple children and staff from being killed.
 * Maryanne Wolf, professor of neuroscience and author

title: Eldorado, Illinois


text:
Galatia, Illinois

Galatia is a village in Saline County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 933.

History
Galatia is named for Albert Gallatin. The village was established as a tobacco farming hub in the mid-1800s. Tobacco grown in the area was hauled to Shawneetown to be shipped along the Ohio River. Two coal mines opened near Galatia in the early 1900s, the Harco Mine and the Galatia Colliers Mine.

Geography
Galatia is located at 37.84028°N, -88.61083°W (37.840409, -88.610815).

According to the 2010 census, Galatia has a total area of 1.979 sqmi, of which 1.95 sqmi (or 98.53%) is land and 0.029 sqmi (or 1.47%) is water.

There are coal mines in the vicinity of Galatia which have been used for climate change studies.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 933 people, 420 households, and 262 families residing in the village. The population density was 516.5 PD/sqmi. There were 455 housing units at an average density of 232.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 98.12% White, 0.10% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.20% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 420 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 21.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 26.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $30,833. Males had a median income of $25,956 versus $16,154 for females. The per capita income for the village was $12,810. About 12.9% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Galatia School District is one of four in Saline County. The other three school districts are Eldorado, Harrisburg, and Carrier Mills.

Notable people

 * James D. Fowler, law enforcement officer and state legislator, was born in Galatia.

title: Galatia, Illinois