THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
By W. O. Blanchard
Department of Geology, University of Illinois
Map questions.—-1. Using the scale of miles given in the margin of the map (Fig. n, Advanced Geography), determine what part of a journey from New York to San Francisco would be completed when you reached Illinois. 2. How does the distance of central Illinois from the Canadian boundary compare with its distance from the Gulf of Mexico? 3. What part of California is in the latitude of northern Illinois? What Pacific coast city is almost directly west of East St. Louis? What Atlantic coast city is in the latitude of Chicago? What large Southern city is almost due south of Cairo? Of Chicago? 4. In what land regions does Illinois lie (Fig. 63, Advanced Geography)?	5. Study the map
(Fig. 70, Advanced Geography), and describe the position of Illinois with reference to the Corn Belt. 6. What part of Illinois is important in wheat production? In grazing? (See Figs. 64 and 73, Advanced Geography.) 7. What great coal field covers part of Illinois? Estimate the proportion of the state underlain by coal (Fig. 75, Advanced Geography). 8. What position does the state occupy relative to the Lake Superior iron-ore district? 'Pennsylvania coal is better suited for iron smelting than is that found in Illinois. How could the latter be brought to Illinois? What part of the state would r naturally be the meeting point for the coal and iron? 9. How many miles is it from Chicago to New York by rail? By water? Name the waters traversed. Name some of the goods which might take this longer route. 10. Using Fig. 1 find the greatest width of the state; its greatest north-south length. Compare its area with that of England and Wales. Hi. From the physical map of the state (Fig. 1) determine the approximate elevation above sea level of your home region. Where is the highest part of the state? The lowest? 12. Study the maps and graphs showing rainfall (Figs. 12, 14), temperature ^(Fig. 13), and the length of the growing season (Fig. 10), and find what climatic conditions prevail in
your locality. Are the main climatic differences found in going from north to south or from east to west (Fig. 11)? How much difference is there in the length of the growing season from Rockford to Cairo? In rainfall? Notice whether or not the heaviest rainfall comes in the warmest part of the year. Of what importance is this for agriculture? 13. If the length of the state extended east and west instead of north and south, would the climatic differences within its boundaries be greater or iess than they now are? 14. How has the climate of Illinois affected the location of its dairy section? Corn-growing area? Fruit-producing district? See Figs. 10 and 17.	15. On Fig. 1 note the distri-
bution of cities, locate four or five of the largest, and tell what advantages they have had which caused their growth. 16. What is the position of Illinois with reference to the glaciated area of North America (Fig. 8, Advanced Geography)? 17. What sort of natural vegetation covered the state when * first settled? What portions were wooded? What portions were grass-covered? See Fig. 3. 18. What large waterways form a part of the boundary of Illinois? 19. Why may the state be said to occupy a bridgelike position between two great drainage basins? (See Fig. 77, Advanced Geography.) What other states occupy similar positions between the same drainage areas? How do the rivers show the location of the divide? In which one of the basins does the greater part of the state lie?
How Illinois was first settled. — What important branch of the Mississippi L.	*	, Why was
River crosses the state at about Illinois, far in
its center? Find on the map one the interior
^ of the United
or more streams entering Lake states, Michigan on its Illinois frontage.
By means of your scale of miles estimate the distance between the IllinoisTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
and Chicago rivers (Fig. i). What is such a barrier between two stream systems called?
It is largely to its bridgelike position that Illinois owes its early opening to the white
man. You
1.	The urge
of the	w i 11 r e -
fur trade	.
member from your history that the French who settled in eastern Canada shortly after the founding of Jamestown were interested in the new country mainly as a place to build up a great and profitable fur trade. Shut off from the New York passage to the Mississippi Valley, the great fur region, they had sought a route thither by way of the Great Lakes.
Thus it came about that in 1673, before even Pennsylvania
2.	The urge of ^-id Geor-
exploration gja ()n the
sea-board were colonized, Joliet and Marquette returning from a journey down the Missisisppi piloted their canoes up the Illinois and Des Plaines rivers, portaged to the Chicago River, and through it reached Lake Michigan. Trace this route on your map.
The explorer was followed by the fur trader and the priest, and forts and missions
Courtesy of University of Illinois
Fig. 2. — The surface features of the state in relief
Attempt to locate the unglaciated portions and then compare with the map showing glaciated and unglaciated areas (Fig. 16).
were soon built at three or four points along the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. The first settlements in the state were 3 The urge o{ made in 1700 at Kaskaskia and religion
Cahokia. The site of the former now lies beneath the waters of the Mississippi. How could this happen? It was, however, near the site of the present town of New Kaskaskia. Locate Cahokia and New Kaskaskia.
What reasons can you suggest why the first settlements were
made in TT„
What geo-
thlS re- graphic factors p. ; „ „ p determined _	' the location
Since the of the first
French settlements?
1. Waterways
came
chiefly to carry on the fur trade with the Indians, population grew very slowly until after 1800, when the Americans began to come in to make permanent homes and to develop the resources of the region. In the first ten years of the nineteenth century the population grew five times as much as it had in the preceding one hundred years.
Refer to Fig. 3 to note the distribution of prairie and woodland at this time. Compare with Fig. 4, which shows the populationTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
3
of Illinois in 1810. For what various uses would the early settlers need wood? Where would water be most easily obtained? You will no-
2. Easier conditions of life in the valleys
tice that most of the settlement is centered in the southwestern part of the state.
Here along the Mississippi were alluvial flats known as the American Bottoms, easily tilled and excellent for wheat.
Compare these conditions with those out on the open prairie, where there was no protection from the bitter winds of winter or the sweeping prairie fires of summer; where wood was lacking and water scarce and difficult to obtain; where the soil was covered with a sod too thick and tough to be plowed with the crude tools of the pioneer; where there were no highways over which to travel to mill or market — and you will easily understand why the pioneers were so slow in spreading out over the open prairie.
By 1823 the settlements had reached as far north as the vicinity of the present state capital. Three years later the opening of
Fig. 3. — Map showing original wooded areas and distribution of population in 1820
Early settlement was largely influenced by the waterways as natural highways. What other influences can you name?
the Erie Canal provided an easy route for Eastern immigrants coming to 3. opening of Illinois by way of the Great newroutes
Lakes. Heretofore the settlers had come largely from the Southern States. Why ? There was thus a new character given to the population. In what part of the state would these people, coming by way of the Great Lakes, most naturally settle? Through what point on Lake Michigan would most of them enter Illinois? What route would carry them into the center of the state? What would suggest itself to make this route a continuous waterway? In 1848 this demand was met by the building of the Illinois-Michigan Canal. On the population map for 1850 what regions remain most sparsely settled? This new waterway made it possible not only to bring lumber to build homes, but also to ship cheaply the produce of the farms. A study of Fig. 4 for the years i860 and 1870 shows that the Grand Prairie was last to be settled. What does this show as to the effect of natural transportation routes upon the settlement of the state?4
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
The presence of natural highways and the advantages of the valleys over those of the
4.	Mineral prairies were not the only fac-resources tors influencing the early settlement of Illinois. You will note that by 1820 settlers had spread
pretty well across the southern part of the state. On the southeastern border were the salt mines, which attracted people from far and wide.
In the south central part of the state what mineral influenced settlers?
The map shows the settlement of a very, small corner in, the northwestern part of the state in 1830, when no other place in northern Illinois, not even Chicago, had a population of two persons per square mile. This was the Galena section, the region at that time rich in lead. You will observe that by
the next decade this section had trebled its population.
A fourth geographic factor influencing the
5.	Location in early settlement of the state
wes?ward°f was its location directly in the migration path of the westward-moving
emigrants. Wisconsin did not become a
-2 PER SQ.Ml
2-6
6-18
state until thirty years after Illinois was admitted to the Union.
Why the surface of Illinois differs from that of the Eastern states. — The two features which seemed most striking to the
early
, Why Illinois settlers is called the
After Ridgley’s “Geography of Illinois"
Fig. 4. — Maps of population growth by decades
Explain the location of the first settlements. How may the great density of the period about 1850 be explained? Make a graph showing the population of the state by decades from 1820 to 1920.
coming from
the South and East were the extreme flatness of most of the surface and the wide treeless expanses that stretched for miles between the wooded valleys (Fig. 3). The French explorers had been impressed with the extent of these level grassy tracts and had called them “prairies,” which is the French word for treeless meadows. It is true that there are still more extensive prairies in the states west of Illinois, but since this was the first state in which such broad tracts of grassland were encountered by the westward-moving settlers, the name “ Prairie State” came to be applied to Illinois.
With the exception of Delaware and Louisiana, Illinois is the flattest state in the United States. One may stand almost anywhere on the upland and, looking in any direction,
45-50
“Prairie
State”THE CxEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
5
Why is the state so level?
i. How the Mississippi Basin was formed
find the horizon unobscured by hills and almost as level as the sea. It is true that in some parts of the state one may find sections where the surface is rolling or even hilly, but in most parts it is monotonously level. The explanation of this flatness lies in two events, both of which occurred thousands of years ago. Review that portion of the Story of Our Continent (pp.
8-10, Advanced Geography) which describes the formation of the Mississippi Basin and the work of the Great Ice Sheet.
When this Basin was raised above sea level, the rocks were for the most part left in their original level position.
Naturally, as in the course of long ages the top layers of these rocks were slowly changed to soil, the surface appeared fairly level. An exception to this occurs in a narrow strip across the southern tip of Illinois, where the rocks were so bent up that they formed a surface like that of a huge dome. While all these changes were taking place, we must remember that wind and weather were at work upon this newly raised surface. The domelike elevation was worn down into hills, now called the Ozarks, while into the level surface streams cut deep valleys with high ridges between them. It was over this rugged Illinois with its narrow steep-sided ridges dividing the valleys that the Great Ice Sheet moved in its southward advance, leaving but three small areas uncovered.
See Fig. 16. From your review of this event (pp. 8-10, Advanced Geography), describe the effects of this great
° .	2. The work of
mass of ice moving over hills the great and valleys. You will recall that glacier in some regions, as in many parts of New England, the glacial deposits are thin, consisting chiefly of large bowlders which greatly
Fig. 5. — An eroded field in Mason County
The depth of the gully may be appreciated by comparing it with the size of the man standing near the bottom of it. How may this sort of damage be avoided?
hinder the preparation of the fields for cultivation. In other places, the ice, instead of leaving more material, scraped off the loose soil already there and left the surface so barren and rocky as to be of little agricultural value. But in Illinois there were left great quantities of clay, sand, gravel, and silt, which filled up almost all the old valleys and buried even the ridge tops.
Thus, as a result (1) of the horizontal uplifting of the sedimentary rocks of the old6
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Mississippi Basin and (2) of the filling up by the glacier or ice sheet of the irregularities later made in this surface by erosion, the surface of Illinois is remarkably level except in those sections'not'reached by the ice. Of these the southern part of the state is particularly rough, both because it was not subjected to glacial action and because the surface rocks were bent up here. These “Ozarks,” really an extension of those in Missouri, are a belt of rugged, picturesque
hills running nearly across the southern tip
of the state. This belt is about twelve miles
wide and seventy miles long. The highest
hill is a little over a thousand feet in elevation.
One can hardly realize how important has
been this level character of the surface in the
development of the state. Even
influence of with a fertile soil and a favorable level surface .	,,	.	.
„	. climate, the farmer is at a serious
1. How it
affects the disadvantage if the surface is the land very rough. In the unglaciated portions much of the land is in sxich steep slopes that when the trees are removed and the land cultivated the. soil washes
so badly that the hillsides are soon bare or so cut up with gullies as to be useless. In such areas much of the land, if not left in forest, must be planted to orchards or used as pasture for live stock. Because of the restricted use of such land, would you expect it to be more or less valuable than the same soils in a level region? In Hardin and Pope Counties the land is worth on the average less than $24 per acre, while the average value of land in the state is seven times this amount. Locate this region on your map. What is the character of the surface here?
Another great advantage of level land is that it makes possible the use 2 Itg effect of heavy machin- uP°n the
cultivation and
ery for cultivât- harvesting of ing and harvest- crops ing the crops. Farms of the hilly counties in the Ozarks, as Hardin and Pope, have an average of only one fourth as much machinery as the average farm in the state. Since machinery can be used profitably on almost all the farms of Illinois, more land can be taken care of by one person and food can be produced more cheaply than in rougher regions. The increased use of machinery is one of the principal reasons for the gradual growth in the size of the farms, which increased an average of nearly six acres in ten years. In 1830 it took two and one half hours of human labor to produce a bushel of wheat which now requires only ten minutes. Since the extensive use of machinery calls for many horses, Illinois, as one would expect, is one of the leading states in
their nrndurtion.
Photo by J. C. Allen
Fig. 6. — Percherons drawing disk harrows, near Minier
Tractors will probably never displace horse-drawn farm machinery. Would you see scenes like this in the Ozark country?THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
7
Courtesy of University of Illinois
Fig. 7. — A modern farm machine in operation
Surface features determine the kinds of agricultural machinery and implements that may be used. What conditions have given Illinois first rank among the states in the number of tractors in use on farms?
Fertile soil and level land are, however, of little use to the farmer beyond supplying TT	his own needs, if
3. How it	7
affects	he can not get his
transportation	.	.
surplus to market.
Since in a hilly country it is an expensive process to build roads and railroads and keep them in repair, means of transportation develop much more slowly. The farmer in level country has a great advantage because road and railroad building follow so closely upon the heels of settlement. But even before such routes are established, in a level region there are usually navigable streams which can easily be connected by canals and thus cheaply I and quickly provide an extensive system of I
Fig. 8. — The highly important drainage ditch
communication. What have you learned as to the facilities of Illinois in this respect?
There are, however, some' difficulties in having a surface
so very flat. In ,,	What are the
the numerous disadvantages
shallow depres- of a very
level surface?
sions in the glacial drift, lakes formed. Few of them are now left, but their remnants in the form of marshes require extensive drainage in order to make them available for cultivation. The rivers too are inclined to be sluggish and to develop wide plains which are subject to floods. Expensive levees must be built (Figs. 9, 82) and drainage ditches constructed to make these low areas productive and safe for
In the level plateau and prairie states immense areas of highly productive land have been reclaimed by scientific drainage. Why are such undertakings cooperative rather than individual enterprises?8
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Fig. 9. —Building dikes to protect East St. Louis Protection of life and property in flood areas has been only partially achieved. It is a problem in which the National and State Governments are interested. This illustration shows the measures that were taken in June, 1903, against a Mississippi River flood. With what material are the sacks
filled?
1,723,000 acres of Illinois land, or an area about the size of the state of Delaware, that can be drained. This land is mainly in river bottoms which, if drained, would be worth $130,000,000 and capable of producing 55,-000,000 bushels of corn annually.
Chief facts to be remembered. — 1. Relation of Illinois to the prairies. 2. Reasons for the flatness
What conditions influence the climate of Illinois?— From your study of Isitaffected various countries bytopog-you have learned raphy? that besides latitude the climate of a region is more or less dependent upon other conditions. Thus the Bolivian plateau, although it lies but a few degrees from the equator, is so cold that the human race has been able to make but little progress in civilization there. Again in California, in the same latitude as the southern part of Illinois, snow covers many mountain peaks the year round. From what you have learned of the surface of Illinois, would you expect its elevation to modify its climate?
Another condition which may affect the climate of a region is its distance from the
sea. You remember that Florida,
,	.	.	What effect
because it is so nearly sur- has its
rounded by water, has a very distance mild and even climate. On the other hand, while we should expect Illinois, by reason of its latitude, to have cold winters
homes. Sometimes, even after this is done, an unusual flood will rise over the levee and destroy much property. Among the states in the Union, Illinois ranks third in the amount of capital invested in draining land. It has been estimated that there still remain
of its surface. 3. Important results of its level character.
Problems.—-1. Name some of the benefits to Illinois that have resulted from the visit of the Ice Sheet. 2. Compare Illinois with Wisconsin in the number of lakes. What has become of the glacial lakes of Illinois? 3. How would flood plains like those of the Illinois be made use of if they were in China? 4. Name some of the disadvantages of flood plains as homes for people. 5. Why are steep slopes often left in forest?THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
9
and hot summers, its position in the middle of a broad continent has made the winters still colder and the summers still hotter. In other words, Illinois has a continental climate in contrast to the mild oceanic climate characteristic of places near the sea though in the same latitude. For example, the coast of central California is as far north of the equator as southern Illinois, but winds from off the Pacific blowing over the land make it a region of cool summers and mild winters. The difference between the hottest and the coldest months of the year
at San Francisco is 29.8°; at Springfield, 50.2°.
Not only are there great changes in temperature from winter to summer, but there
may be decided changes in the
.	How do the
weather from day to day or even cyclonic
from one part of the day to	a£fe^
another. This is because Illinois
lies in the belt of westerly winds — the belt
in which occur the cyclonic storms. (Review
pp. 237-238, Advanced Geography.) These
cyclones — which must not be confused with
tornadoes — passing eastward across theió
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Fig. 12	Fig. 13
state cause rapid changes in the weather, as from clear to cloudy, from wet to dry, from warm to cold, and from calm to windy. It is such a climate as this, scientists believe, that is most favorable to human health and activity. A climate of continuous bitter cold for months like the winters of Siberia saps energy and ambition almost as much as the continuous heat of the tropics. No doubt Illinois, in common with many other parts of the United States, owes much of the industry and vigor of its population to the changes brought about by these cyclonic storms.
By reviewing pp. 64-65 and 69, Advanced Geography, you will recall that Illinois is part of the “ granary ” of the United States.
For the suitability of this region for cereal raising favorable temperatures and rainfall are in a large measure respon- How doeg sible. No part of the state is climate affect unproductive agriculturally be- agriculture? cause of adverse climate. It has an average rainfall of about 38 inches and a growing season of six months. Fortunately most of the rain comes during the months when most needed by the growing crops. Occasionally dry periods during the summer may reduce the size of the harvest, but crop failures are extremely rare. These conditions of temperature and rainfall favor the growth of cereals. What is Illinois’ rank in the production of corn, whèat, and oats?THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
ii
Differences within the state
Since the state is so long from north to south — 385 miles — there is considerable difference in the climate at the two extremities. At the south it borders the warm Cotton Belt; at the north is the cool, hay-pasture-dairy section.
Study Fig. 10. How much longer is the growing season at the south? Which section has the greater rainfall?
Considering the greater warmth in the southern part, do you think that more or less rainfall is required for plant growth than in the north?
Thus, within the state the variations in the climate, that is, in rainfall and temperature, together with differences in soil, are chiefly responsible for the changes in the main crops which one notes in crossing the state. In only very small- areas, principally in the unglaciated sections, is the roughness of the surface sufficiently important to affect the distribution of crops.
Important facts about the climate. — 1. Influence of the position of the state. 2. Importance of the
cyclonic storms. 3. Suitability of the climate for agriculture and people.
Problems. — 1. How do we know that the climate of Illinois was once much colder than now? 2. What section of Europe lies
Fig. 14. — Map of average annual rainfall
In general what change is to be observed in the amount of precipitation as one goes from north to south? What is the average rainfall in your vicinity?
in the same latitude as your home? Compare the crops there with those in your vicinity.
3.	What advantage does Cairo possess over St. Louis or St. Paul in the length of the navigable season of the Mississippi ?
4.	Would the climate be better if the state were on the sea coast?
How Illinois soils were formed. — The
Great Ice Sheet
which gave Illinois
such a „. .	. ..
Their relation
level sur- to the Great face also Ice Sheet brought the bulk of its soil materials. Important changes have, however, taken place in these materials since the ice dropped them: (1) Where rivers have cut valleys in the drift, some of the materials have been ground finer, carried to other places, assorted, and deposited. (2) The winds sweeping over the bare wastes after the ice had melted carried immense quantities of fine dust which was distributed so widely as to form the surface deposit over most of the state. This type of soil, called loess, is, in12
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
places near the Mississippi, over one hundred feet deep. (3) The various agents of weathering have been at work, breaking it up into finer materials. (4) The rock waste formed by the ice was not really soil. However, in the thousands of years since the ice melted, plants have grown and decayed, adding humus to it and forming soil.
Thus we see that, with the exception of the three small unglaciated areas, the soils of the
■■■■ FOREST WAMMa WOODLAND EACH POT REPRESENTS 10.000 ACRES
place to place in depth, fineness, and composition. In some places the soil is mostly of clay, in others it consists of What diffgr sand or of gravel. The prairie ence does soils contained much humus sofemake
from the decay of grasses cen- in crop
,	p, ’	a.1 r 4. j distribution?
tury after century; the forested
portions had much less. Since all crops do not thrive equally well updn the same soil, this variety of conditions, together with differences in climate, has given the state rather well-defined areas especially suitable for certain crops.
Essential fact regarding soils.
— 1. Work of the ice, water, wind, and plants in forming the soils of the state.
Problems. — 1. Why should some glacial soils be sandy, others clayey, and still others gravelly? 2. In what way was the glacier kinder to Illinois than to New England? 3. From what direction did the ice bring material to this state?
Fig. 15. — Map showing wooded and unwooded areas
Can you picture settlers coming by way of the Ohio, Mississippi, and Illinois rivers into the central part of the state? Is it any wonder that they called it the “Prairie State”? Suppose they had come from northern nlowa would they have used this name?
state for the most part have not been formed by the gradual decay of the rock directly underneath, but have been brought from a distance by ice, wind, and water. Unlike the glacial deposits of New England, those in Illinois were fine and deep, and the soils formed from them have made some of the best agricultural lands to be found anywhere in the world.
In the same way that the glacial deposits of New England differ from those in Illinois, so within the state the soils differ from
Why has Illinois become a great agricultural state?
— What four conditions exceedingly favorable to agriculture have you seen thus far that Illinois possesses? What one or more of these do the North- 0fwhat eastern States lack? ^ The West- importance
ern States? A fifth requisite for character of a great agricultural common- the popuia-wealth is an intelligent and in- tlon? dustrious population. The Indians lived, we do not know how long, in the midst of the same resources that surround you today. Did they make any use of them? With intelligence, industry, and enterprise the white man has taken advantage of13
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Fig. 17. —Agricultural provinces, 1920
Data modified from Illinois Soil Survey. Note the three Note the location of the fruit areas and recall what you small areas of unglaciated surface. About what propor- have learned about frost drainage in the hill country, tion of the whole state was covered by ice? What is loess? Compare this map with the various dot maps.
this wealth of resources and given Illinois one of the leading places among the world’s producers of foods.
How much of Illinois land is improved? Next to Iowa this is the highest percentage for any state. Why should not the older Eastern states exceed Illinois in this respect? What proportion of the land of the state is in farms? This is a large proportion, especially when one considers that Illinois is also one of the leading
What place does farming hold in the industry of Illinois?
manufacturing states as well as one of the important mineral producers and that both these industries require much space not only for carrying on their work but also for homes for the workers.
Although there were in 1910 almost twice as many people employed in manufacturing as in agriculture and although the value of manufactured products far exceeded that of agricultural products, the capital invested in the latter is far greater than that in any other industry. Moreover, it is from the14
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
farms that a large part of the raw materials come. Name some of the important manufactures directly dependent upon farm products and occupations. Thus we may say
Fig. 18. — Corn acreage in 1919
Data based on U. S. Census Reports. One dot represents one thousand acres. What sorts of climate, soil, and surface are best suited to corn? Why is there less corn grown in northern and southern Illinois than in the central portion? What other important crop is also produced there?
that agriculture is a basic industry — and doubtless the most permanent one. The time will come when the coal will be exhausted and when the iron from Lake Superior will have been worked out, but
there will always be the industries of the soil and — with proper care — of a fertile soil.
We have seen that the climate of Illinois changes from south to north; that the soils are not the same over the whole state; that in a few areas there cultural^ are extensive bottom lands and g®^ marshes, in others, rugged hills; that some regions are close to market, others far away. For these reasons some parts of the state are adapted to certain types of crops or live stock which in other sections would be much less profitable. If we study the maps showing the distribution of the main crops and animals, we can divide the state as shown in Fig. 17 into “ agricultural provinces.” Within each of these certain groups of crops and certain animals are produced more extensively than in the sections adjoining it.
The corn-oats-swine-beef province lies in the heart of the world’s greatest Corn Belt. Why this Belt is located where wherethe it is, you have studied in Ad- com crop is vanced Geography, p. 69. In raised Illinois the corn section is about one hundred fifty miles wide and occupies the north-central half of the state. Here the loam soils of the rich level prairie -— mainly in the section covered by the latest ice sheet, — a summer temperature of about seventy-five degrees with warm nights as well as days, a rainfall averaging over two and one-half inches for each of the three growing months, and cool autumn days and nights provide ideal conditions for corn raising. The increased warmth farther south and the cooler temperature to the north bring lower yields.
Comparing the maps of distribution of the various crops of Illinois, which one would you say occupies the largest acreage? From Fig. 24 how does the corn crop compare inTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
15
value with other cereals ?
With the annual mineral production? Itis cance^the difficult to realize
stated	the immensity of
corn crop
the Illinois corn crop and what it means, not only to the farmers of Illinois, but to the meat industries and to the people of Illinois and other states in general.
In the first place, in 1919 it occupied over one fourth of the farm land in the state, or enough to make a band one-half mile wide entirely around the earth at the equator, producing about one seventeenth of the corn supply of the world. What rank did Illinois hold in corn production in 1919?
Fig. 20. — Results of an experiment in corn breeding
This illustration shows what may be accomplished in scientific breeding for high and low ears. Which of the two kinds would be more desirable as silage for a dairy farm, if the grain produced were the same?
Fig. 19. — The leading corn states, 1920
This graph aptly represents also the leading swine states. Illinois ranks second to Iowa in production of both corn and hogs.
In that year Iowa produced seventeen per cent of the total corn crop of the United States and Illinois produced eleven per cent. While an Illinois landscape may lack the picturesqueness and variety afforded by mountains, lakes, and valleys, the far-reaching prairies with their shocks of golden wheat, their great fields of dark green corn, and their stretches of gray-green oats are without question a beautiful sight.
Since corn is one of the best foods for swine and beef cattle, it is in the
.	Why the
corn province swine and
that we find the cattl® areT\ the Corn Belt
largest numbers of these animals. Champaign County, which lies in the heart of it, has only about one third as many dairy cattle as McHenry Countyi6
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
in the dairy section, but it has almost twice as many swine and five times as many beef cattle.
The climate and soil of the Corn Belt are likewise well suited to oats. The need of i. other draft animals for drawing the products	heavy machines used in this
section provides a local market for oats — one of the best of horse foods. Furthermore, the planting and harvesting of oats come
&r*!i
farthest from the Chicago markets. The explanation for this lies in the cost of marketing. In central and northeastern Illinois the corn is marketed as grain; in points more distant, as meat. Where a long-distance haul is necessary, it is cheaper to feed the bulky corn to swine and beef and ship these “condensers” to market (Fig. 21). Swine represent about one fifth and cattle one tenth of the weight of the corn it takes to produce them. Many of the beef cattle were born on the Western plains and then shipped to the Corn Belt for fattening before being slaughtered (Fig. 27).
Another and humbler, though by no means insignificant, contribution of Illinois Illinois an
Courtesy of L.
Fig. 21. —A drove of Hampshire hogs Illinois “corn condensers” on the way to market.
earlier than the corresponding periods for corn, so that the farmer can distribute his labor advantageously by having fields of each. How did Illinois rank in oats production in 1919?
While it is true that the Corn Belt may as well be called the swine belt or, in a smaller 2 Effect of measure, the beef belt, the nearmarketing ness to market affects the dis-
conditions
tnbution of these animals within the province. An examination of Figs. 23 and 25 shows that the main swine and beef centers lie in those parts of the Corn Belt
to the meat sup- imP°rtant
poultry state?
ply of the nation is her poultry. What rank does Illinois hold in this respect? Account for the location of the leading poultry states. Poultry not only supplies meat but another important food product in the form of eggs. In 1919 the value of the chickens and eggs was almost one half as great as that of the bituminous coal mined and more than twice as much as that of the petroleum and natural gas produced.
How did Illinois rank in wheat production in 1919? Study the distribution maps for cereals (Figs. 18 and 26). Where, Where does with relation to the corn section, Illinois grow does the most important wheat her wheat? region of the state lie? Consult Fig. 64, p. 64, Advanced Geography. You will see that this same region is one of the important*7
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Fig. 22. — Oats acreage in 1919
Data based on U. S. Census Reports. One dot represents one thousand acres. What other crop has a very similar distribution to that of oats? Why are both these crops often raised on the same farm? Give two reasons.
Fig. 23. — Number and distribution of beef cattle,
1919
Data based on U. S. Census Reports. One dot represents seven hundred fifty cattle. How does the distribution of beef cattle compare with that of swine? With that of dairy cattle? Give any reasons you can for these differences.
Fig. 24. —Value of cereals produced in 1919
How does the total value of the five principal cereals compare with the value of the state’s manufactured products? How does it compare with the total value of principal mineral products? See Fig. 44.i8
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Fig. 25. — Number and distribution of swine, 1919
Data based on U. S. Census Reports. One dot represents seven hundred fifty hogs. Compare this map with the map showing corn acreage (Fig. 18). Why do the corn growers farthest from Chicago raise many hogs? Why are there so few hogs raised in the southern part of the state?
wheat areas of the United States. You will remember that it is a region of broad alluvial flats called in early days the “American Bottoms.” As early as 1745 this small district,. besides supplying its own needs, shipped to New Orleans 2000 barrels of flour and during the last year of the French and Indian War sent many provisions to furnish support for the soldiers. Why does this part of the state raise more wheat than corn? There are
Data based on U. S. Census Reports. One dot represents one thousand acres. Why is not winter wheat grown more extensively in northern Illinois? Soils in the winter wheat section are usually heavy and can not be worked early in the spring. How would the planting time for winter wheat suit chis section better than that for corn?
two reasons:	First, the more southerly
location makes danger of being winter killed less probable than in the northern counties. This means that they raise what type of wheat here? The second reason lies in the condition of the soil. This part of Illinois was glaciated earlier than the central and northern parts; so the glacial deposits are more weather-worn, finer, and more compact. In addition to this there are theTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Courtesy of University of Illinois
Fig. 28 (below). — A threshing machine operated by a tractor
A scene like this is becoming increasingly common in the wheat province. In what parts of the state would you expect to find such machines doing similar work?
Fig. 27 (at right). — Choice 2-year-old Shorthorns feeding
Many cattle raised on the Western ranges are finished off in the Corn Belt before being sent to the packing houses.20
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Illinois ranks second among the wheat-growing states. What kind of wheat is raised? Why? Oklahoma had a larger acreage but produced a smaller crop than Illinois produced. How may this be explained?
alluyial deposits of the valley. What great wheat region of the United States is made up of an old lake bed? Since both types of soil are what are known as “heavy” and since much of the land is low, the ground remains moist too long in the spring to get corn planted in time to mature. Winter wheat, on the other hand, can be planted the preceding fall and will require no cultivation the following spring. Wheat occupies almost as much land as oats in Illinois but only one half that of corn. Although spring wheat is raised in some parts of the state, only winter wheat is an important crop.
Why dairy farming has become an important industry.
— Remembering that green summer pastures are one of
the essentials in the dairy industry, would you expect
more dairying in .I.,	• How does
the northern or m IUinois rank
the southern part as a dairy
of the state? state‘
t—, t	i. Effect of a
Explain. xOU comparatively
have seen that fortnKrowing the growing season of northern Illinois is a little too short to make extensive corn growing the most profitable type of agriculture. How does the growing season here compare in length with that of central Illinois? Except for a narrow strip along the lake the frosts continue slightly longer in the spring and come a little earlier in the fall, so that a farmer sometimes loses his whole summer’s labor as far as grain corn is concerned. . If corn is raised for ensilage, it can
««4
Courtesy of University of Illinois
Fig. 30. — Field of wheat at one of the Experimental Farms The State University is rendering great aid to farmers by publishing the results of agricultural research and experiments. Accurate records are kept of the treatment of crops and harvests.THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
2. Effect of city markets
be cut while still green and stored in silos for winter use.
This is one of the best foods for dairy cattle. Figure 32 shows two silos on a dairy farm in Illinois.
The distribution map of dairy cattle shows, besides in the northern and northeastern sections, a considerable dairy industry in the southwest (Fig.
33). What large city is in the center of this region?
This brings us to a second factor which has much to do in determining the location of this industry. Why do New York State and several of the New England States give so much attention to dairying? What large market for dairy products is found in north-
Courtesy of University of Illinois
Fig. 31. — Dairy herd at the Agricultural College
Areas of dense population make dairy farming profitable. In what part of the state is the dairy industry important? Can you tell what breed of cattle is shown here?
eastern Illinois? that in 1919
© Keystone View Co.
Fig. 32. — A farmstead near Quincy
The cattle are prize Holsteins. Note the ideal watering place, the barns, sheds, and silos. Are these dairy or beef cattle? Why is the dairy industry profitable in the vicinity of cities? Why are silos usually found on dairy farms?
The Census of 1920 shows on an average each man, woman, and child in the United States used 196 quarts of milk and cream, 16 pounds of butter and 4 pounds of cheese. At this rate what quantity of each one of these was consumed by the people of Chicago that year? By the people of East St. Louis? How much would be the daily consumption? How far away could this milk and cream be produced? Why? Would the cheese, butter, and condensed milk be made in the cities nearest to Chicago or those somewhat farther away? Why?
In addition to (1) proper climatic conditions for pasture2 2
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
and fodder, and (2) good transportation facilities to a market near by where such
3. Effect of perishable goods may find early labor supply	sale? a	factor enters into
the dairy industry.	That is the labor
Data based on U. S. Census Reports. One dot represents seven hundred fifty animals. Compare this map with Fig. 34, showing hay and forage acreage, and with Fig. 67, showing distribution of cities and population-Give two reasons why northeastern Illinois is well suited to dairying.
supply. Would this be easily met near large industrial centers? While machinery has taken the place of many laborers in the fields, a large proportion of the labor on a
dairy farm must still be performed by hand and so the dairy industry must be near fairly dense populations. Is this the case in the leading countries of western Europe?
This then is another reason why, aside from the neighborhood of East St. Louis, the most important dairying in the state is done in the northern part. What is the leading dairy state in the United States? Give all the reasons you can for its being so.
The center of the industry in Illinois is in McHenry County, where in 1919 the average farm had 23 dairy cattle and produced $2157 worth of dairy products. In this same year the average farm for all of northern Illinois possessed 10 dairy cattle and produced $655 worth of dairy products. In the central part of the state the average farm had one half that number of dairy cattle with less than one third the value of the output.
How does southern Illinois compare with the rest of the state in dairying? What kind of surface has this part of the state? Is such a surface better Why southern or worse adapted to pasturage much hayS than to tillage? What are two and pasture disadvantages of this section for Adaptation dairying? No doubt this region farming will some day take up this industry more extensively. Much of the land that is now under tillage there should never have been used for anything but pasture or woodland. For this reason the Ozark country should be one of the main hay and pasture sections. What does Fig. 34 show in this respect? From southern Illinois bales of clover and timothy are shipped for live-stock feed. On this same map note the important hay and forage districts of the state and compare or contrast the uses made of the produce in various sections. (Remember that ensilage is a type of forage crop.)23
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
sents one thousand acres. What are the principal forage crops? Compare this map with Fig. 33, showing the distribution of dairy cows, and with Fig. 18, showing corn acreage. In the north much of the hay and forage is marketed as dairy products; in the south, as baled hay. Why?
Fig. 35. — Distribution of orchard fruit, 1919
Data based on U. S. Census Reports. One dot represents five thousand trees of bearing age. What three counties show large fruit production? Compare this map with that showing glaciated and unglaciated regions and explain any resemblances. Why is the southern part of the state better adapted for many fruits than the northern section?
The growing importance offrait culture. —
In the unglaciated portion of the state, you remember, is Calhoun County. What does this suggest as to its surface? On the distribution map, how does this county compare with others in fruit raising? What other places appear important in orchard fruit production? They are all in what general section of the state? Suggest
Where
Illinois raises her fruits
1. Influence of frost drainage
why. Perhaps one reason that you will not think of is the fact that a rough surface not only affords different exposures to the sun and protection from wind but also provides what is called frost drainage. That is, the cold air flows to the bottoms of the valleys, and a difference in elevation of just a few feet may make a difference of several days in the length of the growing season.24
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
agriculture. Formerly many small orchards were planted only to be neglected. To-day large numbers of these are only a mass of dead wood. Is this profitable? In the production of orchard fruits Calhoun County led in 1919 with an output of almost a million barrels, practically all of which were apples. Peaches and pears are each year being grown in larger quantities, while cherries and nectarines are also raised.
The production of small fruits, such as berries, and of vegetables, is, like that of milk and cream, especially important near large cities. Another reason that may not occur to you I Southern Illinois, however, because of its is that land here is cheaper than in some | earlier spring, is able to produce berries
2.	Effect of other parts of cheap land the gtate. Why?
Since land is cheap, the farmer can afford to plant orchards which require much space and with which he may have to wait several years for a profitable crop.
It is interesting to note that, although the number of , apple trees has
3.	Results of 11
scientific fruit decreased notice-cuiture	ably in the last
ten years, the production of fruit increased markedly.
This is due to more knowledge about the care and treatment of trees and fruit and is indicative of a growing tendency toward more scientific
Ccurtesy of B. Pickett
Fig- 37- — Packing apples in Pike County
In 1915 the apple crop amounted to 14,000,000 bushels, and only four states had a larger production,
Fig. 36. — An apple orchard in Cumberland County
Apples are the most important orchard fruit, being grown in all the one hundred two counties. Control of insects and fungous diseases has greatly increased the crop.THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
and vegetables and ship them to cities in the northern part of the state a month before the local supply of that section is ready. Strawberries and melons, particularly, are produced in large quantities for this market.
Essentials to be remembered. — i. The conditions which favor agriculture. 2. The characteristics of each of the agricultural provinces. 3. The main crops and animals found. 4. Three important factors in the development of the dairy industry.
Problems. — 1. In which one of the agricultural provinces do you live? 2. What crops besides those mentioned in the text are produced in your vicinity? 3. Is the corn of your county shipped as grain or is it fed and marketed as meat? Why? 4. How far is it to the nearest State Experimental Farm? If it is near by, find out what crops are recommended for that section. What fertilizers are suggested? 5. Why are mules used more than horses in southern Illinois? 6. How has it been possible to increase the state’s production of apples even though the number of trees has decreased? 7. How may good roads make farming more profitable? 8. Why does wheat make better bread than corn? 9. Why are the farms in Cook County so small?
How transportation advantages have helped make a great agricultural and industrial state. — How does the How did surface of Illinois differ from
nature help
furnish	that of large portions of the
routes?rtatl°n Northeastern States? How has this made a difference in the use to which the streams could be put? How was Illinois reached by the French? By American settlers? Are the divides between the streams high or low? What effect would this have upon the ease with which canals to join streams could be built (Fig. 1)?
We have seen that one reason for the earlier settlement of the valleys as compared Waterways as with the prairies was the need highways for highways. Even when roads
began to be built, it was easier and cheaper to build them to the nearest streams. In
the absence of roads the streams furnished a route ready at hand over which people could travel and ship goods in and out. A glance at the map. will remind you how well
Fig. 38. — Value of all farm property
Data based on U. S. Census Reports. One dot represents one million dollars. This map shows the value of land, buildings, and machinery, and its distribution. What crop map does this one most resemble? Is there any reason for this resemblance?
favored Illinois is in the possession of natural waterways. The Mississippi, Ohio, and Wabash Rivers, together with the frontage on Lake Michigan, provided over 800 miles of such transportation on the borders of the state, while the Illinois, reaching up into the2Ô
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Fig. 39. — The leading states in the value of all farm crops, 1919
Texas and Iowa both surpass Illinois in total value of all farm crops. What advantage does Texas have over other states?
heart of the country, added 278 miles more. Thus in the days when the lack of railroads would have made development of some regions impossible, Illinois had the steamboat to serve as the long-distance carrier. St. Louis early became the chief river port for the settlers, as well as the main market for the
products of their farms and their source of supplies.
Separating the Illinois River from Lake Michigan was a low short divide.
To provide a con- How man .
.	has increased
tmuous waterway transportation
from the Great facillties Lakes to the Mis- MidhganCana'l sissippi by way of the Illinois River, the Illinois-Michigan Canal was cut, in 1848, across the strip over which the early boatmen had been obliged to portage. This hundred miles of waterway did much to help bring settlers into the section it traversed, besides turning to Chicago the trade which formerly had gone south to St. Louis and New Orleans. Lumber from Michigan and Wisconsin could now be brought to the prairies of central Illinois entirely by water.
Though boats could now go from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi, the Illinois River
Fig. 40. — An Illinois River steamer at Pekin
Waterway transportation after a long period of decline will probably become important again. What undertaking is now under way to help this traffic?THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
27
portion of the route was still unsatisfactory. Finally, about 50 years after the first waterway had been opened, the Mississippi, United States Government built Caiminnepm a canal from the Upper Illinois near Hennepin to the Mississippi at Rock Island. Boats may now pass directly from Lake Michigan into the Illinois-Michigan Canal, through 15 miles of the Upper Illinois River, then into the Hennepin Canal, and by this waterway into the Mississippi. However, the Hennepin Canal is shallow and the railroads meanwhile had become the main carriers of goods, and so it never was much used.
A third waterway had been constructed alongside the . Illinois-Michigan
3.	The Chicago	°
Drainage route from Lake
Canal	_	.	. .
Michigan to Lockport on the Des Plaines River, a tributary of the Illinois. This was built principally to provide an outlet for Chicago’s sewage. Formerly much of it went into the Lake, contaminating the drinking water. This canal was constructed both wide and deep in the hope that it might sometime become part of a deep waterway from the Great Lakes to the Gulf.
At present there is under construction a project known as the Illinois Waterway.
4.	The Illinois This is planned to improve the Waterway Lower Des Plaines and Upper Illinois Rivers for a distance of sixty-five miles with a depth of at least eight feet. This will join navigable water on the Lower Illinois with the Chicago Drainage Canal.
Fleets of barges will be able to carry coal, cement, stone, and similar heavy materials at a very much cheaper rate than they can now be carried by rail. Besides, it is estimated that sufficient water power will be developed at the locks to take the place of 550,000 tons of coal used annually for power production.
With the coming of the railroad the decline in water traffic, except on Lake Michigan, has continued until it is now of little
importance. River transport is slow. It can reach points only along the
Why Illinois
water courses. It can not oper- riVers and ate when the water is frozen canals are
...	.	little used
and is often handicapped by shallow water. In addition the Mississippi and Illinois run south, instead of east, which is the direction of most traffic.
Lake Michigan, which borders the state for 50 miles, is an exceedingly important waterway. Chicago occupies almost one half of this entire lake frontage -of Illinois and
Fig. 41. — Transportation routes at Split Rock
Surface features often affect modes of traveling. How many different kinds of transportation routes are shown here? How do you account for their converging here?28
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Courtesy of Illinois Geological Survey
Fig. 42. — The same road in Kankakee County before and after improvement
practically all Lake traffic passes through the two harbors of that city. Vessels to
the number of 63sSt with a total Lake Michi-	t oo o 1	*. A
gan an	cargo of 8,848,332 tons, entered
important and cleared Chicago in 1021. waterway
The vast extent of the Great Lakes gives a port like Chicago easy access to a great variety of materials: ores, lumber, grain, and coal. From what state or states would each of these come? Should the St. Lawrence be deepened sufficiently to admit ocean vessels to the lakes, or should the Great Lakes to the Gulf waterway scheme ever be carried out, Illinois will probably be in a position to profit more than any other state.
Though many of the large cities owed their early growth to the advantages of water
transportation, to-day they de-Railroads the	. .	,.	,	,	.
main depen- pend for the most part on the
dence for railroads. Even Chicago, located transportation
upon the best of inland waters, does most of its shipping by rail. See Fig. 1.
You can readily see that geographical conditions would be exceptionally favorable for railroad building in Illinois. What are some features of railroad building that add greatly to the expense of construction in a rough or mountainous region which may he avoided here?
Absence of natural obstructions in railroad building
From Lake Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico is about 800 miles. Almost one half this distance is covered by Illinois.
Since most of the great railroads Advantages of the United States run east location
and west, many of them would makin£ a
,	.	.	great railroad
cross the state even if it had state
nothing of its own to attract
them. Furthermore, the Northern states
are much better developed and have more
railroads than the Southern and so really
about two thirds of these lines actually
traverse the state. (See Fig. 17, Advanced
Geography.)
Though furnishing admirable water transportation, the Great Lakes are too wide to be crossed by railroads. If you „
J	J Focusing
will look at any map of the effect of Lake
United States, you will see that M'chlgan the east-west roads must keep far enough to the south to pass around the end of Lake Michigan. The focusing of these lines here has made Chicago the greatest railroad center in the world, with a passenger train leaving it on an average of one every minute. Passing westward across northern Illinois, as the railroads begin to separate again, they give to that part of the state an excellent transportation system.
Illinois is one of those Northern states whose wealth has attracted railroads andTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
29
boat service to it. One has but to remember Illinois	its high rank in agriculture,
weidih	mining, and manufacturing to
railroads	realize how important a part
t0 14	transportation must play in its
development.
The result of these favorable conditions is shown in the fact that it ranks second among the states in rail-
1.	Their
mileage and	road mileage,
importance ,	.	.	.
having enough to make four tracks from New York to San Francisco. Its principal city, Chicago, besides being the largest railway center in the world, is the terminus of two fifths of the railroads of the United States.
(See Fig. 233, Advanced Geography.)
With the excellent waterways available in early days „ , „ and the equally
2.	Early effect	7 J
on highway	adequate railroad
construction	,	, . ,
network which later covered the state, Illinois did not feel so acutely the need of improving her highways as did some states.
While the levelness of the surface did away with many of the difficulties of road making, the lowness, heavy soils, and lack of good drainage made some of the roads, after a rain, almost impassable. Moreover, in many parts of the state, the lack of gravel and stone for years made hard surfacing of roads out of the question, with the result that Illinois in this respect lagged behind some of her neighbors.
The extensive use of the automobile has hastened the improvement of highways. In 1917 the state adopted an extensive
scheme for better roads. Forty-eight hundred miles of hard-surfaced high- The automo-ways are to be built at an ulti- bil® and
highway
mate cost of $60,000,000. Up building to the present time eighteen program hundred miles have been completed, while the 1922 program calls for an additional thousand miles.
Courtesy of Belleville Board of Trade
Fig. 43.—Hangar for aerial station, Scott Field, Belleville
The building, one of the largest in the world, is 910 feet long, 165 feet high, and 200 feet wide. An appreciation of its size can be obtained by comparing it with the freight trains inside.
Essential facts about transportation. — i. The
early reliance upon streams. 2. The growth of the railroad and decline of river traffic. 3. The advantages of the state for land and water transportation. 4. The need of hard-surfaced roads.
Problems. — x. Is it proper for the state to spend money for a canal in northern Illinois? To build levees along the rivers? 2. Why has river transportation declined? Why are there larger cities on Lake Michigan than on the Ohio? 3. How is crude petroleum transported cheaply? 4. Why is farm land so valuable in Cook County? 5. Which of the two proposed deep waterways from the Great Lakes3°
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Fig. 44. — Pyramid of values of three important occupations Data from U. S. Census Reports. One inch represents five hundred million dollars.
abundance of the very useful ones.
Just as corn, would not
^ ^ ^ r 4. u expect Illinois one of the t/berichln
to the sea would benefit Illinois the more? Why? 6. Do you think the meat packers use the Great Lakes for shipping meats? Explain.
The state’s principal mineral resources. —
The first railroad built in Illinois was
for the
Relation of
transportation purpose
to the mineral q£ carry-industries .	J
mg coal from a mine near the present site of East St. Louis. Minerals, like grain, are bulky and cheap. Therefore they can not be developed far from markets unless there is cheap transportation. Coal makes up a large share of the freight of our railroads; so we see that the development of minerals and transportation depend upon each other.
Minerals likewise furnish power and raw materials for manufacturing.
Illinois’ high rank in the output of its mines is not due to the possession of the precious minerals, but rather , to the
lines
It has been estimated that the original coal beds contained more than 200,000,000,000 tons of coal. The productive oil area is about 250 square miles in extent. Pipe lines which cross the state bring oil from the fields of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to refineries farther east.
most valuable mineral food plants, holds such a high wealth place among the farm crops of the state, so coal, the most useful of minerals, is the chief item in the output of its mines. Study the
diagram, Fig. 58, and tell what proportion of the state’s mineral output it furnishes.
Study the map, Fig. 75, Advanced Geography, and estimate the proportion of Illinois underlain by coal beds. What other states possess part of this same field? How much of this field lies in each of the states it reaches?
The nature and extent of the mineral industries. — We
USUally Relation of expect to minerals to
findmines land regions in mountainous or plateau regions, such as the Appalachian or the Rocky Mountain section. By referring to the discussion of the Western States, tell what proportion of our gold, silver, and copper is mined in that districtTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
3i
(Fig. 188, Advanced Geography). What important mineral is found in that part of the Laurentian Plateau which reaches into Minnesota? In that part of the Allegheny Plateau which is found in Pennsylvania and West Virginia? You have learned that Illinois is a flat plains region made up of fertile farm land. But underneath this cover of deep rich soil are valuable mineral deposits, especially coal and petroleum. This unusual combination of agricultural and mineral resources has given Illinois high rank among the wealth-producing states, among the leaders in mineral production as well as in the value of crops. In fact only three other states — Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Oklahoma — produced minerals of greater	value than
Illinois in	1919.
In spite of its importance in mineral production we must remember that the farms of Illinois are far more valuable than its mines.
In 1919 the value of all
crops in the state was about four the mineral times that of the mineral OUt-wealth	pUt.	Furthermore,	with	proper
importance	care	and fertilization	these	farm
with agricul- ]an(ls will be growing crops long tural wealth?	0	,	0
after the mines have been exhausted, so that, in the future even more than at present, the soil will come to be depended upon as the greatest resource of the state.
Coal, the chief mineral resource, and its relation to manufacturing. — The coal beds found in Illinois are mined much more easily
than those in many other parts of the world. There are several reasons for this. In the first place, the coal is not buried „„ ..... . very deeply. In some places coal is so indeed only loose glacial drift easily nuned covers the veins, while in others it is only necessary to remove a few feet of rock to uncover the coal. The deepest mines in the state are only about 1000 feet deep, while in
Pennsylvania many of them are much deeper (Figs. 46, 47, 48).
A second advantage possessed by these coal beds is their position. In mountainous states like Pennsylvania the coal beds have been tilted up so that in places they run into the earth at quite vertical angles, making the work of mining very much more difficult. In Illinois the coal layers are horizontal or nearly so, which makes it easy to follow them and remove the coal.
Again, the layers of coal extend long distances without much change in thickness.
Courtesy of Illinois Geological Surrey
Fig. 46. — A view of the coal seams at Streator
A bed of coal in a pit is here shown underlying a clay stratum. Can you estimate the thickness of the layer?32
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
If the state were mountainous, these beds would be likely to be broken up and moved How Illinois about so that mining would be coal is mined much m0re uncertain and expensive. On the other hand the coal in mountainous districts is often of better quality
Courtesy of Illinois Geological Survey
Fig. 47. — Mining coal by stripping near Marion
Glacial drift is scraped off the coal seam. The coal is then broken up and loaded into the waiting cars. Compare the ease of mining here with that shown in Fig. 48.
than that in the plains. Thus the hard coal or anthracite is entirely lacking in Illinois.
The coal beds, of which there are very many, are separated from one another by „ , layers of rock. The coal seams stripping vary from three feet to eleven process	feet in thickness. Most of our
coal comes from uneven beds. In a few cases where the. bed being mined is covered
only with loose glacial material, a steam shovel is used. It scrapes off the gravel and clay, then scoops up the coal and loads it directly into cars. This makes the cost of mining very little indeed. One of these mines is shown in Fig. 47. They are called “strip mines” because the material covering the coal is “stripped” off before mining is begun.
More often the coal seams, originally lying buried beneath rock, have had valleys cut through them by streams and 2> From the consequently the coal has ap- dnft mmes peared at the surface on the valley sides. From this sloping surface the coal seam could be followed far back underground. This type of mine is called a slope or drift mine. After a mine has been worked in this way for some time, a shaft may be sunk to make it a “shaft” mine.
The deep coal can be reached only by digging a hole like a well from the surface down to the deposit. Sometimes 3. In the shaft several coal beds, one above the mines other, will be reached by the same opening as shown in Fig. 23, Advanced Geography. From each of these beds coal is mined, is hauled by mule cars or electric cars to the main opening or “shaft” as it is called, and is hoisted to the surface of the ground. Most of the coal of Illinois is produced from these shaft mines. In general, the thickest seams and best coals are deepest. Most of the shafts are but a few hundred feet deep, though the deepest are over 1000 feet.
Though the first coal discovered in the United States was found by the early French explorers in La Salle County as How coal has long ago as 1679, no effort was influenced the made to mine it until about one deveIoPment hundred thirty years later. The rapid increase in coal production is shown in Fig. 49.THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
33
The only coal extensively mined up to 1850 was along or near the large rivers. Since it was into these valleys that the first settlers came, these deposits were most convenient. But more important still was the fact that the rivers could be used to transport the coal. Roads were poor and often impassable, and railroads did not begin to be extensively built till about half a century later. Indeed the first railroad was built mainly to haul coal, and the presence of this valuable fuel hastened their further construction. With the railroads to bring in machinery and carry out coal, the development of the coal mines spread inland from the rivers.
The presence of coal has been one of the principal reasons for the great growth of manufacturing in Cheap fuel led to the use in manufacturing not only of raw materials produced within Illinois, but gradually of meats, grain, ores, and lumber shipped in from states not producing coal. More will be said on this question in the consideration of the manufactures of the state. Thus, Illinois is an important smelter of zinc, although most of the ore comes from outside the state. Since the smelting of zinc ore required much fuel, it was found cheaper to bring the ore to such cities as Peru, La Salle, and Danville, where coal is abundant, rather than to carry the coal to the zinc mines.
The coal of Illinois is all bituminous; and while it is better than most coal found far-
ther west, it is not so well suited to certain purposes as is the Eastern coal. WhyIllinois This is especially true in the also uses manufacture of steel and iron, Eastern coal in which, much coke is used. For this purpose coal is shipped in from Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Because the thicker veins and better coal are found in the southern part of the state,
Relation of coal to manufacturing
the state.
Courtesy of Illinois Geological Survey
Fig. 48. — Loading a car in a shaft mine
Machinery is becoming increasingly employed in mining processes. Underground haulage is variously carried on — by motors, by cables, by mules, and by hand.
that section has gradually become the most
important in the coal industry.
Over one half of the counties of ^hy.Ye ,
should mine
Illinois produced coal in 1920, and the state has a greater amount of unmined coal than any other state except Colorado. Of the vast coal supply it originally possessed, about one per cent has already been mined or wasted. This may seem small, but the best and most easily mined coal is taken out first, and so in time the thinner and poorer
and use our coal without waste34
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
90,000,000
80,000,000
70,000,000
60,000,000
50,000,000
30,000,000
10,000,000
'05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 'll '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 Fig. 49. — Coal production, 1905-1920
increased. This is largely due to better mining methods employed in the larger works, especially the greater use Notable of machinery in place of men improvements and horses. There is still much already made waste; and because many people buy all their coal in the fall, the demand is very irregular. This leads to employment during part of the year only — a great waste which we can correct in part by buying coal earlier in the summer. In Illinois the miners have work about two thirds of the time. Why does this mean higher prices for coal? Since the industry employs about 78,000 men, this is a very serious condition. If each of these men has a family of four, how many people in Illinois are directly dependent upon coal mining for a livelihood?
Data based on Illinois Geological Survey. Is the general tendency of the state’s production toward greater production? How does the state rank as a coal producer? Is anthracite mined in the state?
deposits and those mined only with greater difficulty will have to be used. Furthermore, the coal of Pennsylvania and West Virginia is being used very rapidly; and when those fields are exhausted, the Illinois reserves will be drawn upon much more heavily. This added demand, together with the greatly increased amount used by the industries of the Middle West and the constantly greater use of machinery requiring coal for its running, should warn us not to use it wastefully.
Although the number of mines has been decreasing, the amount of coal mined has
if
Courtesy of Illinois Geological Survey
Fig. 50. — Shooting an oil well
Sometimes a charge of nitroglycerine is exploded in a well. This shatters the rock strata and causes an increased flow of oil.THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
35
Why these products were developed later than coal
i. Results of
geologic
differences
The discovery and use of petroleum and natural gas. — We have seen that in Illinois the coal beds in many places appeared at the surface so that they were early discovered and easily developed.	Of	the	pe-
troleum and natural gas this is not true. They	lie,	for	the
most part, at a much greater depth than do the coal beds, concealed by hundreds, or even thousands, of feet of	rock. Then too
while the	coal beds often
cover many square miles of territory, the deposits of oil and gas are frequently small and scattered. In order to reach the petroleum which, you have	learned, lies in
“pools” or layers of porous rocks saturated with oil in the hollows far below the surface of	the earth, holes
must be drilled, sometimes thousands of feet deep, often through very hard rock.
Many of you have seen these drilling machines digging either for oil or for water.
Have you ever seen an oil field with its hundreds of derricks? Natural gas, like the oil, is found imprisoned in the rocks.
Study the map in Fig. 45, noting the “patchy” appearance of the oil and gas fields. Their total area in Illinois is only 250 square miles, or about one half the size of an ordinary county. Compare this with the extent of the coal fields. After oil or gas has been found in a locality, other wells are sunk a few rods away; but many such wells
never yield any oil or gas. Out of 267 wells drilled in 1921 in the state, 102 proved to be dry. Since it costs from $6000 to $7000 to drill a well, even in the part of the state where petroleum is most easily obtained, the risk is too great to encourage digging without pretty certain prospects of success. It is not surprising then, when one considers how uncertain are the chances of finding oil or gas, that the development of
Fig- 5i-
Courtesy of III nois Geological Survey
A tank farm in the petroleum district
2. Effects of greater risks involved
The crude oil must be refined in order to secure naphtha, kerosene, gasoline, and the hundreds of by-products. How is the petroleum transported to the refineries from these tanks?
these resources has been slower than that of coal.
In fact it was not until 1904 — less than 20 years ago — that Illinois became an important producer of petroleum. Thg story of In that year the Clark-Craw- the petroleum ford-Lawrence County field was develoPment opened. Locate this field on your map. Here the rocks which contain the oil and gas lie from 400 to 1900 feet below the surface. Later, oil and gas were found in other parts of the state, but this first field in the south-36
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
CD
Cd
Qd
<
OQ
20,000,000
10,000,000
8,000,000,000
'05 '06 '07 ’08 '09 ’10 ’ll '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 Fig. 52. — Marketed production of petroleum, 1905-1921
Data from Reports of the U. S. and the Illinois Geological Surveys. Compare this graph with Fig. 53, showing natural gas production. Is petroleum production increasing or decreasing?
eastern portion is still the principal producing section. From a study of Fig. 52 make a statement as to the progress of the petroleum industry in Illinois. In 1921 this state produced over 10,000,000 barrels of crude petroleum, having a value of almost $30,000,000. How does this compare in value with the coal produced? How is petroleum transported from the field to the refineries?
Illinois refines much more petroleum than it produces.
From where would the rest probably come ? Judging from the production in Illinois, do you think the petroleum industry is more or less permanent than the coal industry?
The wealth of the state in other mineral resources. — Aside from the coal, oil, and gas, the other "mineral industries of Illinois
consist principally of stone quarrying, clay, gravel, and sand extraction, and the mining of fluor spar, zinc, and lead. How do these compare in importance with coal? With oil and gas? See Fig. 58.
The last two, which are now of little importance, at one time played an important part in the industries and de-. velopment of the state. The existence of lead in the northwestern part of the state in what is now Jo Daviess County, from which most of the present output comes, was known to the Indians. The early French explorers learned from them of the rich deposits, but little was mined until early
Influence of lead and zinc mining on early
settlement
In
LU
Lu
O
CÛ
ZD
O
6,000,000,000
4,000,009,000
2,000,000,000
What other minerals does Illinois possess?
'06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 21
Fig» 53« — Natural gas production, 1906-1920
Data taken from Reports of Illinois Geological Survey. Is the state’s natural gas production increasing or decreasing? With what other mineral product is gas usually found?THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
37
in the 19th century, when a settlement sprang up around what is now Galena. This lead region, which extends into southwestern Wisconsin and northeastern Iowa, at once became a center of great commercial activity, with boats plying the Mississippi carrying the lead to St. Louis and New Orleans and bringing back supplies to the miners. After a railroad was built to Chicago from Galena, the route for the shipment of the lead was changed to the east, and returning trains brought immigrants and supplies from the east instead of from the south. The supply of lead was, however, becoming exhausted by this time, and then the zinc, which is found in the same region but usually deeper, was mined. At present there is little of either lead or
Fig- 54-
uourcesy oj imnois ideological survey
Asphalt plant showing product ready for shipment
Fig- 55- — Vinegar Hill mine near Galena
What ore is produced in this section? Where is it smelted? Give a reason for the latter answer.
Out of what raw material is most of our asphalt made? For what purpose is this product used? From what Caribbean country does asphalt come?
zinc mined, though the influence of this early mining activity is still felt in this part of the state. Some lead is also taken out in the extreme southern part of the state.
In this same section are located also the largest fluorspar mines in the The mining of world. This min- fluor sPar eral is used chiefly in the manufacture of steel, though small quantities are also used in making frosted glass for doors and in the manufacture of ornamental objects. In mining the fluor spar a very little silver and lead are taken out with it. Thus the little lead and zinc now mined in Illinois are found in the part38
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
of the state where there is no glacial drift and where the land is comparatively rough. Indeed, in Jo Daviess County in many cases ores were exposed on the hillsides.
You have learned, however, that by far the greatest part of Illinois has a level surface
© Keystone View Co.
Fig. 56. — A quarry and Portland cement plant at La Salle
Cement has made possible the extensive use of concrete in construction work. From what raw materials is it made? Make a list of the uses to which you have seen concrete put. Why is Portland cement so called? What effect will the completion of the Illinois Waterway have on the cement industry?
with deep soils. What was the origin of these soils? How would their presence affect the quarrying of large beds of rock? From your study of various sections of the United States what states did you learn were important in the production of building stone? How do the surface and soil in these states compare with those of
Why Illinois is not an important stone producer
Illinois? Make a statement from these facts showing one reason why this state is not a great producer of quarried stone.
Most of the quarries of Illinois are located either where the streams have cut their channels into the rock or along the eastern and western edges of the state where better rock is nearer the surface.
•The most valuable quarry rock in the state is limestone, but for various Kinds of reasons this is rock used not in as great *■ Limestone demand as formerly. You recall that the first settlers in Illinois dwelt together in the valleys where there was plenty of wood. But when they began to spread out over the prairies where wood was scarce, they needed something to take its place in building their homes, and stone was rather widely used for this purpose. But in recent years more and more cement and brick are being used where once stone was employed and, in addition, from Indiana comes the better Bedford limestone which has largely taken the place of the Illinois rock. Illinois limestone is now quarried chiefly for use in railroad and highway construction. In 1919 three fourths of what was quarried was used for these purposes.
The sandstone that was quarried in Illinois in this same year was worth only about one third as much as the lime-
.	2. Sandstone
stone. Near Ottawa there is
found a very pure sandstone which may beTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
39
used in the manufacture of bottles and other glass articles.
If you examine carefully the glacial drift, you will find it contains much sand and Sand and	gravel mixed with
gravel, and	the bowlders and
their uses	clay< Where
streams or waves have washed the drift, the water has taken out the fine material and left the sand and gravel white and clean, and therefore much more valuable. Since the drift is so widely distributed over the state, sand and gravel may be obtained almost everywhere. The sand is used chiefly for building purposes, the gravel in making concrete and hard-surfaced roads.
Clay, like sand and gravel, is found in the glacial drift and so is equally widely dis-ciay and tributed. This makes it possible clay products have brick and tile factories scattered throughout the state near the places where it will be used, and to avoid shipping this heavy, bulky material long distances. Illinois produces more common brick than any other state. What county in
Illinois do you think would use the greatest quantity of brick? What county would probably be the largest producer? The particular kind of clay that is suitable for
pottery and sewer pipe is not found so widely scattered over the state.
Essentials to be remembered.—i. Most important mineral resources of Illinois. 2. Relation of
the minerals, especially coal, to manufacturing. 3. The relative importance of coal among the’ minerals of the state. 4. The necessity of preventing waste in the mining and use of coal. 5. The basis of the brick and tile industry.
Problems. — 1. How does Illinois rank in coal production and supply? How does this compare in usefulness with the precious metals? 2. Why is not Illinois coal taken to Missouri to smelt the zinc mined there instead of zinc being brought to the coal?
3.	Is the coal you use in your furnace mined in Illinois? If not, from where does it come? Answer with respect to that used for heating your school building.
4.	Compare thé value of Illinois coal production with that of the gold of the
United States. 5. What mineral resources may be the result of glacial deposition? 6. How does it happen that Illinois sells much coal and yet buys from outside the state?
Courtesy of Illinois Geological Survey
Fig. 57- — A sand pit in Kane County Do you find these pits in the unglaciated regions? If there is a sand pit in your vicinity, visit it and make a written report of what you learn.
Others
H Petrol, and Gas |
1C 0 A LI
Fig. 58. — Pyramid of values of mineral and quarry products, 1919
Data based on U. S. Census Reports. One inch represents thirty-three million dollars. How does coal rank among the mineral products of the state?40
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Courtesy of Cairo Chamber of Commerce
Fig. 59. — Coal tow coming down the Ohio, opposite Cairo
The smaller cost of transportation of coal and other bulky materials by water greatly decreases the cost to the consumer. From what region has this coal probably come? For what ports is it bound?
What has made Illinois an important manufacturing state? — To answer this we Why indus must recall the needs of a factory trial sections owner. Cheap power to run his develop machinery and nearness to a supply of raw materials and to a good market are the first essentials. If nature supplies these conditions, people (labor) and capital (money) will go there, and manufacturing industries will develop. Let us see to what extent Illinois has these advantages.
Power for running factories is usually obtained from petroleum, natural gas, waterfalls, or coal. Illinois, as a
What power
resources whole, possesses all -these pos-does the state sibilities for power development,
possess?	1	1	'
but in varying degrees in differ-
ent sections.
Because the state is flat, the rivers are, in general, better suited to navigation than to water-power development. However, in the
northern part of the state there are a few waterfalls suitable for power de- The velopment. You will remember has little
.	waterpower
that northern Illinois was more recently glaciated than the part farther south. As in New England, this has caused streams to be shifted and waterfalls to be formed. Thus the Keokuk Dam across the Mississippi between Iowa and Illinois, and the power sites at Joliet, Lockport, and Marseilles, along the Illinois Waterway, supply power to these and near-by cities.
Illinois is, as you have learned, an important producer of petroleum and natural gas. Both these serve as sources
.	,	r	2. Petroleum
of power for local manufactur- and gas as ing industries. In 1914 Illinois *fs°”ceer factories used over 4,000,000 barrels of oil and gasoline. Pipe lines from the oil fields bring this fuel directly to the great industrial centers like Chicago.THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
4i
3. Greatest power
dependence is upon coal
Water power, petroleum, and natural gas are of small importance, however, in comparison with the coal of the state.
Ranking third in production in the Union and with a larger reserve supply than any state east of the Mississippi, Illinois must look to coal for power.
Although the coal fields lie in central and southern Illinois, the chief manufacturing regions are not there. Illinois
factories have grown so large that they must get their raw SsMc^s has^ materials and find their markets
been
determined
How the location of
in all parts of the country. For this reason the northern section of the state has developed as the principal manufacturing region, because it has the advantage of better transportation facilities, and is, at the same time, near large coal fields. Chicago, for example, has access to
Fig. 61. — Principal states for steel and rolling-mill products
the agricultural and mineral products of Illinois, to the forests of Wisconsin, the iron ore of Minnesota, and to the high-grade coal of Pennsylvania.
Chicago, with its large population and excellent means of transportation, produces about two thirds of the value of the total* manufacturing products of the state and among the cities of the United States ranks next to New York. Peoria, Joliet, East St.
Louis, Rockford, and Moline rank next in the order given. It will be seen that all but one of these lie in the northern third of the state.
The state ranks third in the value of its manufactured products^ and is The state,s the leading pro- high rank in ducer of meat- manufacturing packing products and agricultural implements. In each of these lines it produces about a third of the total United States output. The Corn Belt, with its live stock, is42
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Courtesy of Armour and Co.
Fig. 62. — Panorama of a Chicago meat-packing plant
Make a list of the principal cities in which similar plants are located. Compare them in transportation facilities with reference to shipment of cattle and distribution of products. What are Chicago’s advantages for this industry?
the great source of supply for the meatpacking industry, while it also provides a large local market for agricultural implements. The iron and steel industry, on the other hand, shows a dependence upon fuel and ores from without the state: the ore from Minnesota and the coking coal from Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Essentials to be remembered. — 1. The state’s power resources. 2. The influence of transportation facilities. 3. Why manufacturing is so important in the northern part.
Problems. — 1. Find out whether your butcher slaughters his own meat or has it sent to him from the packers. Can you suggest why his method is cheaper? 2. Why is water power often cheaper than coal? What advantages does coal have for some localities? 3. What manufacturing is there in your county? Find out where the raw materials are obtained and the markets found. Name the advantages of your county for manufacturing. What disadvantages are there? 4. Why is Illinois a good place for the manufacture of agricultural implements? 5. Why have clay and rock been so important in the prairie region?
Why the people of Illinois live where they
do. — How does Illinois rank in population
other states?
among the states? What is its density of population? How many acres Hqw doeg ^ per person is this? If its popu- density of lation were as dense as that of
compare with
Rhode Island, how many people that of would there be in the state? In what section of the United States do most of the states with a denser population lie? Suggest two possible explanations of this condition. Compare the density of population in Illinois with that of the states adjoining it.
This density may be explained by the fact that it is more accessible to newcomers or that its resources may have Why so many been relatively more attractive, people live Undoubtedly both have been here important factors.
You will recall that, in the early days, the great number of navigable waterways allowed the settlers to enter the
1. The advan-
state from three sides or to tagesof
,	,.	...	1	easy access
penetrate the interior by way of the Illinois River; that later the splendid network of railroads spread over the state so completely that to almost any point theTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
43
flow of passenger and freight traffic was very easy.
Not only was it convenient to reach various points of the state, but there were tempting resources offering rich returns sources Offered to the settlers who would exploit opportunities them. A healthful climate, a fertile soil, and valuable minerals were the chief attractions. Compare each of the neighboring states and Illinois with respect to advantages of transportation by water and land, to climate, to agricultural conditions, and to mineral resources. This combination of favorable circumstances has made the state the home of more people in proportion to its area than any of the states bordering it.
Recalling what has been said about the variation in Effect of agricultural con-differences in ditions over the
agriculture state, can you see upon density how this would of population	, ,	.
r	result in more
people living in some sections than in others? Compare the number of people required to care for 200 acres of corn and oats in Champaign County with the labor required on the same size dairy farm in McHenry County or 200 acres of truck gardens in Cook County. Consult the 1920 Census Report on agriculture and compare the sizes of the average farm in each of these three counties. Why the difference?
Still more striking differences in the distribution of people are shown when one compares the manufacturing, mining, and agricultural districts. A few acres of tall
factories may employ as many people as a whole county devoted to raising Why people corn or wheat. In some places are crowded in the state good-sized cities in Clties depend almost entirely upon two or three near-by mines. We may expect to explain, then, the differences in population density in different parts of the state by finding what occupations have developed there.
It is interesting to see how, in the course of
years, conditions in different parts of Illinois have changed, causing the Influence of population to shift from one changes in section to another. Explain how condltions each of the following may have affected the population of the community mentioned:
(1) In 1904 the drilling of the first successful petroleum wells, in Lawrence County. (2) The extension of railroad building, upon the growth of river towns which had depended only upon water transportation. In this connection look up the population of Eliza-
Courtesy of Armour and Co.
Fig. 63. — A bird’s-eye view of the stock yards
An area of more than one square mile is covered by the Chicago Union Stock Yards, a portion of which is shown here.44
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Courtesy of Armour and Co.
Fig. 64. — Scene in a Chicago packing house
A close-up view of the beginning of the cleaning process. In the modern packing house every part of the carcass is used for some product. There is no waste.
bethtown, county seat of Hardin County. (3) The exhaustion of the lead mines near
Galena. (4) The shifting of the Mississippi channel eastward across the site of old Kaskaskia. (5) The establishment of the capital at Spring-field, with reference to Vandalia (the former capital). (6) The building of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal with reference to Chicago. (7) The invention of the refrigerator car, with reference to Chicago. (8) The prohibition amendment with reference to Peoria, one of the leading distillery cities of the United States. (9) The invention of new labor-saving farm machinery, with reference to agricultural districts. (10) The growth of industries in the coal districts of southern Illinois.
The most marked change in the population of Illinois is the shift from farm to city. Though this is true of the United States as a whole, the
Courtesy of International Harvester Co.
Fig. 65. — The world’s largest farm-machinery factory
McCormick Works of the International Harvester Company ships machinery to all parts of the world. Why is Chicago well located for the manufacture and distribution of farm machinery? What other cities of the state are engaged in this type of manufacturing? How does the state rank in this industry?THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
45
Courtesy of Illinois Steel Co
Fig. 66. — A view of an Illinois steel plant
The steel industry here is not dependent on raw material obtained locally. Where are the ore and coal for this plant obtained? What part of the state is best located for steel manufacturing?
rate of change in this state is more rapid , than the average for the nation, growth of city Consult the Appendix and tell population what proportion of the state’s population is urban. What is the meaning of “urban”? What is the smallest population a city may have to be classed as “urban” by the Census Bureau?
Since northeastern Illinois is the most industrialized part of the state, it is the most crowded. Thus Chicago alone contains over two fifths of the entire population. Indeed the Chicago district may be considered to include not only cities of northeastern Illinois, but also those of southeastern Wisconsin and northwestern Indiana. What are some of them? The transportation advantages are much the same throughout this whole section, and these cities are either residential or industrial suburbs of Chicago.
The dense population of northeastern Illinois
i. The Chicago industrial and residential district
The cities of the Illinois Valley and of the north-central part of the state in general are smaller than those near Lake ■ ..
2. The cities of
Michigan. Peoria is the largest north-central of the group. These cities depend more upon local raw materials and the local market than do the cities of the Chicago district. Thus Peoria, in the midst of the Corn Belt, is a large manufacturer of cereal foods.
In the south, on the other hand, many of the cities depend upon coal exploitation. In the Big Muddy Basin, for ex-	_ .
ample, there are more small cit- the southern ies than anywhere else in the state except about St. Louis and Chicago. The rapid development of the coal industry of Franklin and Williamson counties has caused the population here to increase very fast.
If one might except the Chicago district, the state does not have an unusually highTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
46
proportion of urban population for one so important in several lines of industry.
Important facts to be remembered. — 1. Why the
population is not evenly distributed. 2. Relation of density of population to agriculture, manufactur-
ing, and mining. 3. Location of the ten largest cities.
Problems. — 1. What reasons can you give for the decline in rural population? 2. How will the Illinois Waterway affect the distribution of population? 3. Galena was once larger than Chicago; it was thought at one time Cairo would be the metropolis. Give reasons for the changes. 4. What type of transportation is of greatest importance to cities? 5. What are some of the disadvantages of a crowded section? Of a sparsely settled country
section? 6. How do different types of farming result in differences in density of population?
What may Illinois look forward to for the future? — Compare the area of England and Wales with that of Illinois; the
population. Would the people ^ni^homes of the state be more or less for- and support tunate with a population equal p°r0^e?e to that of England and Wales?
Explain. Until the last few decades the free lands of the West offered opportunities to people seeking better living conditions. At this time too our immigrants were largely of the agricultural type — looking for farms rather than city occupations. To-day these lands are practically all taken up, and, besides this, most of our immigrants are swelling our city populations. While Illinois, in the interior rather than on the sea-board, will not get the first swarms, her manufactures, mines, and railroads will attract large numbers of them. This naturally means an ever increasing population. What counties today have the largest percentage of foreign-born whites? (See 1920 Census.) Why? It is true that it will be many years, perhaps a hundred or more, before our state is as densely populated as England, but in order to accommodate so large a population many readjustments of present conditions will be necessary.
The food supply will be the first consideration. We have seen that there will be room for homes, because other
7	1. The ques-
countries are much more densely tion of food populated than is Illinois; but sttpply where will the people get their food? England, as you know, imports most of hers. Can the farms of Illinois produce more food than at present? Let us see. With almost ninety per cent of the land already in farms it might seem at first glance impossible toTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
47
do so without driving out the miners and manufacturers.
There still remain, however, unused, because undrained,
a.	Dependent on ^ ?7 ^ 3,000 acres of
draining Uni land in Illinois.
In addition twenty acres of the average Illinois farm are still unimproved.
In a more intelligent and intensive use of the soil, however, lies the most important means of agricultural
b.	Dependent on extension. The
scientific farming farms Qf IHinois
yield to-day but a fraction of what they could be made to produce. Forty experiment fields conducted by the Agricultural College of the University of Illinois by proper rotation of crops and by application of inexpensive fertilizers have doubled and trebled production of certain
Fig.
Courtesy of Illinois Geological Survey
68. — Highly productive reclaimed valley land
This illustration shows a section of the Illinois flood plain, opposite Beards-town, which has been reclaimed by drainage. Why are the buildings placed near the edge of the valley? What is the crop shown? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of agriculture on flood plains?
grains. With the average wheat yield for the state about sixteen bushels and the aver-
.	'	i
age corn yield about thirty-six bushels, ex-
Courtesy of University of litmus
Fig. 69. — Experiment plots of the College of Agriculture In the background may be seen a grove of trees that have been set out and are being scientifically cared for48
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
périment plots yielded forty-eight bushels per acre of wheat and almost eighty bushels of corn. As you recall, the peoples of western Europe have already learned to treat their soil more carefully than we in the United States. How does the average wheat yield per acre in Illinois compare with that in England? (See p. 297, Advanced Geography.) You can readily see that, in many cases, to fertilize properly a field of corn or
Courtesy of Illinois Agricultural Extension Service
Fig. 70. — Experts engaged in crossing wheat
Better varieties of grain are often developed by fertilizing the pistils of the blossoms of one kind with the pollen from another.
oats and to plant it in rotation requires very little more labor, and yields showing two or three times the profit are the result.
The enterprise of the people of Illinois has already led them to see what possibilities lie in this direction, and the wealth and prosperity of the state have made possible the first steps in increasing its already great agricultural wealth. Consult the most recent School Report for Illinois. Here you will find what the schools
What the schools are doing to increase prosperity
I. The normal schools
are doing to improve farm life and methods. There are in Illinois five State Normal Schools. Where are they? Their courses of study show that agriculture is recognized as the great basal industry. The students are not only trained by actual practice in the care of crops and soils, but they learn to judge and care for live stock. What is the value to the state of the study of the various breeds of swine? Of cattle?
In addition to Normal schools there are many private schools. The
2. The umver-
state possesses sities and ,.	,	. private schools
three large universities of high rank. Besides the University of Illinois at Urbana, there is the University of Chicago at Chicago and Northwestern University k	a*- Evanston. The work of
the Agricultural College at Champaign and Urbana has been mentioned. In no better way is the wealth and enterprise of the state shown than by its support of its schools, which carry education into every corner of the state at little cost to each individual.
Increased agricultural production will not only provide more labor for farm workers but also more raw materials for factories. Recall some of
How educa-the tion in agri-
agricultural products that must culture wil1
make possible
pass through manufacturing a larger processes before being used, manufacturing
J	0	population
What effect will an increase have
on the number of people employed in their
manufacture?
So much emphasis on agriculture must not be taken to mean that familiarity with theseTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
49
Is education in agriculture all that is necessary?
i. State investigation of mineral resources
facts is all that is necessary to maintain a great and prosperous state. The State Geological Survey is making studies of mineral resources including road-surfacing materials. What are the prospects for future mineral development? The state still has vast supplies of clay, sand, and rock for its brick, tile, glass, and cement industries. These supplies must be drawn upon for the increasing population, particularly as the wood production grows smaller. The increasing need for hard-surfaced roads will make heavy demands upon the stone and cement resources. Since the minerals of the state are of the kind that the world
Courtesy of Illinois Agricultural Exyeriment Station
Fig. 72. — Yearling heifers in a field of sweet clover This leguminous plant extracts nitrogen from the air and stores it in the ground, enriching the soil. It also furnishes fine pasturage for cattle. To what breed does this herd belong?
(c) Keystone View Co.
Fig. 71. — Interior of a commercial seed house at Bloomington
Experts are engaged in the selection of “mother ears” of corn for a breeding plot. The success or failure of the great corn crop depends largely upon the care and intelligence with which the seed is selected.
needs every day in the year, one maj? expect a constantly increasing activity in their production.
You remember that about two thirds of the state is underlain by coal
2. Conserva-
and that of these tion of natural ■«	t	resources
large coal reserves about one per cent has already been used or wasted. BetYr training in mining methods and in the use of coal and its by-products means that the remaining ninety-nine per cent will be used more efficiently than the first one per cent. This not only means steadier labor for miners but more workers to manufacture the by-products.THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
5o
With these huge coal reserves and with the possibility of further development of water power, with more raw tie^uturV” materials from the farms, with better highways over which to carry goods, what does the future promise for manufacturing? What effects on agriculture may be hoped for on the completion of the new waterway? On mining? On manufacturing? On commerce?
The growth of urban population. — Compare the urban population of Illinois for 1910 and 1920. What does it show as to present tendencies in the manufacturing industries?
In general, then, we may safely predict that Illinois will be able to provide opportunities for a far greater population than it possesses at present. In all three lines of its main activities there appears to be a promising future.
Courtesy of University of Illinois
Fig- 73- — Southdown ewes on the University farm
Sheep raising is not an important industry in the state. Give as many reasons as you can for this fact.APPENDIX A
GROWTH
bt
DECADES
How its position affected its growth
Chicago in less than a century has grown from a frontier trading post to the position of fourth city in the world and second in the western hemisphere. The increase in its population in the past ten years alone would make a city larger than San Francisco. Within its limits live about two fifths of the people of Illinois.
Much of Chicago’s remarkable growth may be attributed to its advantageous posi-tion near the end of Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes have worked to the advantage of the city’s development in two ways:
(i) They have furnished a cheap and easy transportation by water to a wide area.
How many states touch the Great Lakes? The mines of the states to the north and northwest have sent cargoes of iron ore and copper; their forests, valuable timber, and their soils have furnished agricultural products, especially grain. From the east have come coal and manufactured goods. The water transportation was especially important in pioneer days, giving the city an early start.
1920
19101
1900
18331840
Fig. 74-
(2) Though the use of the Lakes is not so
important now as formerly, their presence
has served to give the city the advantages
of other and more important carriers. You
will recall that ,	Influence of
the east-west thg Lakes on
railroads in railroad
.	routes
avoiding Lake
Michigan focused at the end
of the Lake, making that
point a great railroad center.
Since the city to-day may
use either water or land
routes eastward, railroad
rates are kept low by the
competition. Thus the Lakes
have oddly enough been the
means of giving Chicago not
only an excellent natural
waterway but also a much
greater number of land
routes. The greater speed,
regularity, and convenience
of the railroad have resulted
in most of the city’s trade
making use of that carrier,
while its Lake commerce has
remained at about 10,000,000
tons for several years.
The city was not located
at the extreme
1890
fs>
5
0»
»
u>
ro
Vi
o
o
«>
Chicago’s growth by decades
Local ad-end of the Lake vantages for
because the Chi- a harbor
cago River offered a better harbor. Twelve miles to the south is the Calumet River. Chicago has spread over both these streams, their channels being dredged to form harbors.52
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
As shown by Fig. 75, the city is on a flat plain, formerly a part of the bed of Lake The Chicago Michigan. At the southwest plain and corner of this plain is a low outlet	passage only twelve feet above
the level of the lake leading to the Des Plaines-Illinois Rivers and so on to the Mississippi.
This depression was cut by a stream which during glacial times drained Lake Michigan southward. In early days goods could be portaged across this low divide, and it came naturally to be the gateway by which many routes approached the city from the west. The origin of this pass and its utilization by man for trade routes reminds one of a more important valley in New York.
Name it. How would the realization of the Great Lakes to the Gulf Waterway plan affect Chicago? The carrying out of the deep St.
Lawrence project?
Chicago has come to be a
great trade cen-
Chicago, a	T, ,
commercial ter. Its stores
and industrial an(j warehouses
ppntpr
contain goods
gathered from every land, and from here they are as widely distributed again.
Even greater than its commercial activities are the manufacturing interests of the metropolis. In fact a list of the “made in Chicago” articles would include almost everything we use.
The most interesting and important industry is meat packing. In 1920, in Packing-
town, as this district is called, there were
received over 15,000,000 cattle,
hogs, and sheep. Not only are paCk,sng and"
varieties of meat prepared all!e<\
r Jr	industi
Fig- 75- — The Chicago plain
This plain was once the bed of a lake whose retreating waters left the level land on which the city is now situated. On the left may be seen the low pass through the ridges of glacial moraine. This pass is used for canals, railroads, and roads entering the city from the West.
all
and distributed all over the world, but a great variety of useful articles are made from other parts of the animals. Practically every part finds some use: the hides are tanned for shoes; the hair is used in plaster, the bristles for brushes, the hoofs and horns for buttons and glue, the ox gall in ink, the gelatinous material in food products and for making writing paper smooth, the wool for clothes. Even the isinglass used for automobile curtains, the hair used for the cushions, and their leather covering are packing-house products. The refuse is used for fertilizers. See Fig. 64.
What advantages do these great packing plants have over small slaughter houses in using these by-products?
Chicago is the world’s greatest grain
2. Its leader-
and lumber mar- ship in grain
...	,	. and lumber
ket m addition
to leading in the manufacture of meat products and agricultural implements. What advantages does the city have for these commodities?
Chicago is an important center for higher education,being the home of four universities: Chicago, Northwestern (Evans- 3. As an edu_ ton), De Paul, and Loyola. cational center The Art Institute, Armour Institute ofTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
53
Technology, Lewis Institute, and the medical and dental branches of the University of Illinois are also located here.
Peoria is the largest city in the Illinois Valley and the second city in size in the
state. How many such cities Peoria 76,121	, .. .	,	,	.
would it take to make one the
size of Chicago? It was located where the channel of the Illinois River became narrow. Thus with the advantages not only of an extensive river traffic, but of roads and, later, railroads focused there to cross the wide river, it became an important manufacturing and trade center. Formerly it was an important distilling center, but to-day the manufacture of cereal foodstuffs, cooperage, and printing and publishing make up the bulk of its industries. As a railroad point it ranks after East St. Louis. Bradley Institute, one of the important technical schools of the state, is located here.
East St. Louis is the most important Illinois city on the Mississippi River. Situ-East st. Louis ated on the left bank at a most 66,767	convenient crossing, it is geo-
graphically a part of St. Louis. The wide flood plain on which the city is built requires extensive levees to protect it from floods. Like Peoria, its early growth was due to its location where land routes and water routes crossed. The St. Louis district owes its importance to its location near the junction of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, which made it a great center of river traffic in early days. Later these two valleys were used by the railroads. East St. Louis, with its thirty-six lines, is to-day second only to Chicago as a railroad center. Six docks offer water transportation facilities. Cheap power from the Keokuk Dam as well as from the near-by Illinois coal fields has been a great , asset in developing its manufacturing. East St.
Louis is the world’s largest horse and mule market, the second largest hog market, and the third in grain and cattle. It is the country’s leading manufacturer of aluminum products. Situated like Peoria in the wheat province, its largest single industry is the manufacture of flour and gristmill products.
1919
1914
1890
I860 Ü22
1880H
■I
Fig. 76. — Growth and value of Chicago’s manufactured products
One of the oldest settlements in the state, at Cahokia, is near by, while a group of famous mounds, work of the prehistoric mound builders, is also in the district.
Rockford, located on the Rock River in northern Illinois, has grown to be an important furniture-manufacturing Rockford city. It has developed a variety 65>65i of industries, including knitting mills, foundries, farm implement and carriage works. It is the home of Rockford College.
Just below the city on the east side of the river was established during the World War one of the great military camps of the United States. This made the region one of great activity during the war, as the troops num-54
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
bered a population greater than that of the city.
Springfield, the state capital, occupies an advantageous position in the central part of
the state. Besides its political importance Springfield it is in a rich agricultural and 59.183	coal-mining district with excel-
lent railroad accommodations. Its attractions include many beautiful public buildings and monuments, among which are Lincoln’s home and tomb. Concordia College is
located here. Springfield ships much grain, stock, and coal. Sangamon County ranks second in coal production in the state. The city has about ninety manufacturing establishments; stoves, shoes, agricultural implements, and flour are made. A zinc smelter is located here. Springfield owes much of its importance to its central location and to the fact that it is the capital of a great state.
Cicero is one of the numerous suburbs of Chicago and geographically is a Cicero part of that city. 44,995 It has had a remarkable growth, more than trebling its population in the last ten years. Almost one half of the total population is employed in manufacturing, metal products being most important.
Decatur, Macon County, is in the heart of the Corn Belt. Its agricultural re- Decatur sources together 43,818 with coal mined near by have furnished the basis for its industries. Corn milling, flour and starch manufacture, and the making of agricultural implements show the influence of its surroundings. It is an important railroad center with railway repair shops, brickmaking plants, and foundries.
Oak Park is a residential suburb of Chicago, adjoining that city on oak Park the west.	39,858
Joliet on the Des Plaines River has the excellent transportation facilities characteristic of the region about Chicago and, in
Fig. 77. — The State Capitol at Springfield
The State House was begun in 1867 and was completed in 1888. It is in the form of a Greek cross with granite porticoes and a dome 361 feet high. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the United States.THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
55
addition, lies upon the Illinois Waterway. Both water power from the river and coal Joliet	from mines to the southwest fur-
38,442	nish cheap power. Its largest
industry, that of steel manufacture, requires coke made from Eastern coal. Iron ore from Minnesota is shipped via water to Chicago, then transshipped by rail. The Northern State Penitentiary is located here.
Evanston is one of the larger suburbs of Evanston Chicago.
37,234	Situated
on the shore of Lake Michigan 12 miles north of Chicago, it has extensive beaches, parks, and a 17,000-acre Forest Preserve.
It is a residential and educational center,
Northwestern University being located here, rather than an industrial district, and takes high rank among the most beautiful cities of the country.
Aurora is one of the more distant suburbs of Chicago, being Aurora	located on the Fox River. It
36,397	has excellent steam and electric
railroad facilities and possesses railroad repair shops. It manufactures heavy machinery and textile goods.
Quincy, situated on the Mississippi in Adams County, is one of the older Illinois cities. Cheap power from the Keokuk Dam
Courtesy of Springfield Chamber of Commerce
Fig. 78. — Lincoln monument at Springfield
This memorial was erected from contributions by individuals and organizations throughout the Nation. Memorial Hall, within its base, contains many relics associated with the life of the martyred President.
higher up on the Mississippi is one of its advantages. It is a manufac- Quincy turer of iron and steel goods, 35,978 prepared meats, and flour. St. Francis Solanus College, now called Quincy College, and the State Home for Soldiers and Sailors are located here.
Rock Island is located on the Mississippi River just above the R0ck island mouth of 35,i77 the Rock River. A United States Arsenal is located on an island in this river at this ] point. Agricultural implements, lumber, and planing mill products are the chief industries. It is the home of Augustana College.
Danville, situated in the Wabash Basin, is ill One Danville of the im- 33,776 portant coal-mining counties. Its industries include coal production, brick and tile making from local deposits of clay and shale, and foundry specialties. Railroad shops are located in the city. The coal has also attracted to the vicinity one of the state’s zinc-smelting works. A National Soldiers’ Home is located here.
Moline, situated on the Mississippi near Davenport, has won a national Moline reputation for the manufacture 3°,734 of agricultural implements — especially56
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Courtesy of Springfield Chamber of Commerce
Fig. 7g. — The Lincoln homestead at Springfield
This is one of the capital’s historic buildings. It is the only home ever owned by Abraham Lincoln and was presented to the state in 1887 by Mr. Robert Lincoln, his son.
plows. Automobiles and carriages are also made here.
Bloomington is located near the center of the state in the Corn Belt.
Bloomington One of the 28>72S	University of
Illinois’ experimental farms is located northeast of the city. It is the home of Illinois Wesleyan University, and at Normal, just north of the city, is located one of the Illinois State Normal Universities and the Soldiers’ Orphans Home. It has large car and railroad repair shops and manufactures agricultural implements and canned goods.
Elgin is close enough to Chicago to get the benefit of the latter’s extensive
transportation. It is famous for its manufac- Elgin ture of watches 27>454 and clocks and also for its dairy interests. Being in the center of a dairy region, it has a large number of cheese and butter factories. Foundry and printing works are second in importance. The Northern Hospital for the Insane is located here.
Belleville, county seat of St. Clair County, southeast of East St. Louis, is Belleville really a part of 24,283 the outlying urban district of that city, as are Aurora and Elgin in the Chicago district. Its situation in the coal region, together with the fact that it is an important railroad junction point for East St. Louis, makes it
Courtesy of Springfield Chamber of Commerce
Fig. 80. — Centennial Building at the state capital In 1917 the State Legislature provided for the construction of this Memorial Building to be used by the various State Departments. The corner stone was laid on October 5, 1918, just one hundred years from the date of the inauguration of the first governor.THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS	57
Courtesy of University of Illinois
Fig. 81. —Buildings at the College of Agriculture
The high rank of the State University attracts students from all over the country and from foreign lands.
profitable to manufacture such heavy articles as stoves, furnaces, and steam fittings. Besides these, flour-mill and gristmill products are also manufactured. The United States Government recently established Scott Field here as an airship station. See Fig. 43.
Alton manufactures among other things glass bottles, explosives, washing machines, Alton	tools,	and meat products. Its
24,682	location on the Mississippi makes
it a shipping point for agricultural produce. Quarries near by furnish limestone for steel works and for a crushed-stone plant.
Galesburg, county seat of Knox County and a railroad center for the uplands be-Galesburg tween the Mississippi and Illi-23,834	nois rivers, has railroad shops
as its principal industry. Boilers, engines, creamery and agricultural implements are
the main products. It is the site of Lombard and Knox Colleges.
Freeport is a railroad and industrial center on the Pecatonica. Druggist Freeport supplies, foundry machinery, oil J9,66g engines, farm implements, and toys are among the products.
Its position as a suburb of Chicago gives Chicago Heights many of the same advantages as that city has. Its in- Chicag0 dustries are largely steel plants Heights and brick works.	19,653
Waukegan is likewise a part of the Chicago manufacturing district and is not far from Milwaukee. A good harbor Waukegan makes some Lake commerce pos- 19>226 sible. Asbestos, roofing materials, and metal fencing are among the industrial products.
Kankakee (16,721), on the Kankakee River, has cheap power. A large knitting58
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
mill is located here as well as several ironworks and brick plants.
Kewanee (16,026), in the coal district, has fuel for manufacturing steel products.
Champaign (15,873) is in the heart of the Illinois corn belt. It and Urbana, which are
geographically one city, are the site of the State University. It is largely a center of education and of agricultural trading, but also does some manufacturing, principally of light steel goods.
Jacksonville (15,713). Here are the Illinois schools for the Deaf and for the Blind, the Hospital for the Insane, the Illinois Women’s College, and Illinois College. Woolen goods and structural steel are the principal manufactures,
Cairo (15,203), situated at the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, is for this reason the most important city in this part of the state. Its transportation facilities have made it a great shipping point for lumber and grain. A federal barge line operates between St. Louis, Cairo, and New Orleans, carrying bulky and nonperishable goods. This service is principally for exporters and importers, as it does no local business.
Streator (14,779), in the midst of large clay, shale, and sand deposits and surrounded by coal mines, has become an important manufacturer of brick, tile, and glass, besides some metal goods.
Granite City (14,757), near East St. Louis, is geographically a part of that industrial center with its many advantages. In value of manufactured products, consisting largely of steel and tin-plate goods and refined lead, it ranks eighth in the state.
Berwyn (14,150) is a residence suburb west of Chicago. Mattoon (13,552), an important division point and location of the car shops of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway, is in a rich agricultural region and at the same time near the coal fields. Its industries are concerned chiefly with farm needs, such as feed and elevator companies. Broom corn is raised in the vicinity and brushes and brooms are manufactured.
La Salle (13,050), located at the head of navigation of the Illinois River, is well fitted.
y
© Keystone View Co.
Fig. 82. — Shipping and levee at Cairo
This city, located at the confluence of the Ohio and the Mississippi and enjoying excellent railroad facilities, is an important shipping point. In Fig. 59 note the bridge of the Illinois Central Railroad.59
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
to be a manufacturer of heavy products. Extensive deposits of clay, cement rock, sand, and coal have made possible zinc smelting and the production of cement and brick. Clocks are manufactured.
Centralia (12,491) is a coal -and railroad center for the Kaskaskia Basin. The shops of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad are located here. Envelopes and heels are made, electric power is generated, and coal is mined.
Pekin (12,086) is on the Illinois River opposite Peoria. In the center of a rich agricultural section, it manufactures cereal products, cooperage, and farm implements. Transportation facilities make the near-by coal readily available.
Maywood (12,072) is mainly a residential suburb west of Chicago. It has a few factories making principally cans and railway supplies, oil tanks, and boilers.
Lincoln (11,882), in Logan County, has valuable coal mines and brick and tile works. The Lincoln State School and Colony and also Lincoln College are located here. Shipments from this point consist chiefly of grain and coal.
Herrin (10,986) is a coal-mining city in northern Williamson County, the leading county in coal production in the state.
Canton (10,928) is located in a rich agricultural section and has access to the cheap coal of Fulton County. Its chief manufacturing industry is that of agricultural implements.
Ottawa (10,816), located on the Illinois River, is in a very rich agricultural and manufacturing district. Valuable deposits of sand, clay, sandstone, and limestone are exploited. Brick, tile, and glass are extensively manufactured. Both coal and water power are used. Between Ottawa and La Salle is located one of the picturesque parks of the state — Starved Rock State Park.
Forest Park (10,768) is a suburb of Chicago on the west, adjoining Oak Park on the south.
Murphysboro (10,703) is in the coal-mining section of Jackson County. Railroad repair shops are located here.
Urbana (10,244), situated in one of the world’s richest agricultural counties, together with Champaign, is the home of the University of Illinois. It is primarily a residence and educational center.APPENDIX B
GROWTH OF ILLINOIS CITIES, 1910-20
City
Chicago Peoria .. . East St. Louis Rockford . Springfield
Cicero . Decatur Oak Park . Joliet . Evanston .
Aurora . Quincy-Rock Island Danville Moline .
Mt. Vernon Collinsville . Marion . Harvey .
Peru
East Moline
West Frankfort Dixon Sterling .
Paris
De Kalb . Wilmette
Madison Virden . Elmhurst Morris . Olney
Batavia . River Forest Westville Wheaton Oglesby .
Population	Population	Population
1920	1910	City	1920	1910	City	1920	1910
2,701,705	2,185,283	Bloomington .	28,725	25,768	Berwyn	14,150	5,841
76,121	66,950	Elgin ....	27,454	25,976	Mattoon	13,552	h,456
66,767	58,547	Belleville .	24,823	21,122	La Salle	13,050	ri,537
65,651	45,4oi	Alton ....	24,682	17,528	Centralia .	12,491	9,680
59,183	51,678	Galesburg .	23,834	22,089	Pekin ....	19,086	9,897
44,995	14,557	Freeport .	19,669	17,567	Maywood .	12,072	8,033
43,818	3IA4o	Chicago Heights .	19,653	14,525	Lincoln	11,882	10,892
39,858	19,444	Waukegan	19,226	16,069	Blue Island	11,424	8,043
38,442	34,670	Kankakee .	i6,753	13,986	Herrin ....	10,986	6,861
37,234	24,978	Kewanee .	16,026	9,307	Canton	10,928	10,453
36,397	29,807	Champaign	15,873	12,421	Ottawa	10,816	9,535
35,978	36,587	Jacksonville	15,713	15,326	Forest Park	10,768	6,594
35A77	24,335	Cairo ....	15,203	14,548	Murphysboro .	10,703	7,485
33,776	27,871	Streator	14,779	14,253	Urbana	10,244	8,245
30,734	24,199	Granite City .	14,757	9,903			
			APPENDIX c				
		ILLINOIS CITIES, 1920 —		POPULATION 5000-10,000			
Population			Population		Population		Population
	9,8i5	Belvidere	7,804	Pontiac .	6,664	Taylorville .	5,8o6
	9,753	West Hammond	7,492	Charleston .	6,615	Zion City	5,58o
	9,582	Mt. Carmel	7,456	La Grange .	6,525	Woodstock .	5,523
	9,216	Duquoin	7,285	Spring Valley .	6,493	Hoopeston .	5,451
	8,869	Denton .	7,201	Carbondale .	6,267 •	Edwardsville	5,336
	8,675	Melrose Park .	7T47	Litchfield	6,215	Savanna	5,237
	8,478	Johnston City .	7T37	Highland Park .	6,167	Carlinville .	5,212
	8,191	Harrisburg .	7,125	Pana	6,122	Normal .	5U43
	8,182	Beards town	7,111	Staunton	6,027	Lawrenceville .	5,080
	7,985	Macomb	6,714	Clinton .	5,898	Metropolis .	5,055
	7,871	Winnetka	6,694	North Chicago .	5,839	Eldorado	5,004
	7,814						
		CITIES OF ILLINOIS, 1920		— POPULATION	2000-5000		
Population		•	Population		Population		Population
	4,996	Princeton	4,126	Averyville .	3,8i5	Nokomis	3,465
	4,682	St. Charles .	4,099	Lake Forest	3,657	Salem	3,457
	4,594	Gillespie	4,063	Havana .	3,614	Des Plaines	3,45i
	4,505	Hinsdale	4,042	Sycamore	3,602	Frankfort Heights	3,423
	4,49i	Effingham .	4,024	Brookfield .	3,589	Carterville .	3,404
	4,395	Summit .	4,019	Shelbyville .	3,568	Marseilles .	3,39i
	4,358	Mendota	3,934	Flora	3,558	Park Ridge .	3,383
	4,241	Venice .	3,895	Downers Grove	3,543	Robinson	3,375
	4A37	Jerseyville .	3,839	Mount Olive	3,503	Sparta .	3,340
	4T35	Naperville .	3,830	Wood River	3,476	Benld	3;3i6
61Ó2
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
Vandalia Rochelle Harvard Greenville . Georgetown
Paxton . Anna Morrison Galya White Hall
Roodhouse Rock Falls Chester . Glen Ellyn Watseka
Geneva . Mound City Fairfield
CITIES OF ILLINOIS, 1920 — POPULATION 2000-5000 — Continued
Population
3,316
3,3io
3,294
3,091
3,o6i
3,033
3,oi9
3,00°
2,974
2,954
2,928
2,927
2,904
2,851
2,817
2,803
2,756
2,754
Abingdon
Bushnell
Lockport Carmi Auburn . Pinckney Farmington
West Chicago Tuscola . Lyons Riverside Fairbury
Sullivan Depue . Toluca . Villa Grove Fulton .
Population		Population	
	2,721	Witt ....	2,443
	2,716	Petersburg . Sandwich	2,432 2,409
	2,684	Girard ....	2,387
	2,667 2,660	Divernon	2,382
	2,649	O’Fallon . . .	2,379
	2,631	Mascoutah . Carrier Mills	2.343 2.343
	2)S94	Ziegler ....	2,338
	2,564	Lemont ....	2,322
	2,564	Steger ....	2,304
	2,532	Monticello .	2,280
	2,532	Lewistown . Rushville	2,279 2,275
	2,532 2,525	Dwight ....	2,255
	2,503	Arlington Heights .	2,250
	2,493	Crystal Lake	2,249
	2,445	Gibson ....	2,234
Aledo Oregon .
Marshall Momence East Peoria Nashville Casey
Pittsfield Carthage Bradley . Libertyville Minonk .
Newton . Royalton Ladd Warsaw . Carlyle . Carrollton
APPENDIX D
AREA AND POPULATION OF COUNTIES: 1920
Population
2,231
2,227
.	2,222
2,218 2,214 2,209 2,189
2.129
2.129 .	2,128
2,125
2,109
2,083 2,043 .	2,040
2,031 .	2,027
.	2,020
County	Land Area in Square Miles	Population		County Seat	County	Land Area in Square Miles	Population		County Seat
		IÇ20	1910				1920	1910	
Adams .	842	62,188	64,588	Quincy	Douglas .	417	19,604	19,591	Tuscola
Alexander	226	23,980	22,741	Cairo	Du Page	345	42,120	33,432	Wheaton
Bond	388	16,045	17,075	Greenville	Edgar	621	25,769	27,336	Paris
Boone	293	15)322	15,481	Belvidere	Edwards	238	9,431	10,049	Albion
Brown	297	9,336	10,397	Mt. Sterling	Effingham .	511	19,556	20,055	Effingham
Bureau .	881	42,648	43,975	Princeton	Fayette .	729	26,187	28,075	Vandalia
Calhoun .	256	8,245	8,610	Hardin	Ford .	500	16,466	17,096	Paxton
Carroll .	453	19,345	18,035	Mt. Carroll	Franklin	445	57,293	25,943	Benton
Cass .	371	17,896	17,372	Virginia	Fulton .	884	48,163	49,549	Lewiston
Champaign .	1,043	56,959	51,829	Urbana	Gallatin .	338	12,856	14,628	Shawneetown
Christian	700	38,458	34,594	Taylor ville	Greene .	515	22,883	22,363	Carrollton
Clark	493	21,165	23,517	Marshall	Grundy .	433	18,580	24,162	Morris
Clay .	462	17,684	18,661	Louisville	Hamilton	455	15,920	18,227	McLeansboro
Clinton .	483	22,947	22,832	Carlyle	Hancock	780	28,523	30,638	Carthage
Coles	525	35,iq8	34,5I7	Charleston	Hardin .	185	7,533	7,oi5	Elizabethtown
Cook	933	3,053,017	2,405,233	Chicago	Henderson ;	376	9,770	9,724	Oquawka
Crawford	453	22,771	26,281	Robinson	Henry	824	45,162	41,736	Cambridge
Cumberland	353	12,858	14,281	Toledo	Iroquois .	1,121	34,841	35,543	Watseka
De Kalb	638	3i,339	33,457	Sycamore	Jackson .	588	37,091	35,143	Murphysboro
De Witt . .	415	19,252	18,906	Clinton	Jasper	508	16,064	18,157	NewtonTHE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
63
AREA AND POPULATION OF COUNTIES: 1920 — Continued
County	Land Area in Square Miles	Population		County Seat	County	Land Area in Square Miles	Population		County Seat
		1920	1910				192Q	1910	
Jefferson	603	28,480	29,111	Mt. Vernon	Peoria	636	111,710	100,255	Peoria
Jersey - .	367	12,682	13,954	Jersey ville	Perry	451	22,901	22,088	Pinckneyville
Jo Daviess .	623	21,917	22,657	Galena	Piatt .	451	15,714	16,376	Monticello
Johnson .	348	12,022	i4,33i	Vienna	Pike .	786	26,866	28,622	Pittsfield
Kane	527	99,499	91,862	Geneva	Pope .	38s	9,625	11,215	Golconda
Kankakee	668	44,940	40,752	Kankakee	Pulaski .	190	14,629	15,650	Mound City
Kendall .	324'	10,074	10,777	Yorkville	Putnam .	173	7,579	7,56i	Hennepin
Knox	711	46,727	46,159	Galesburg	Randolph	587	29,109	29,120	Chester
La Salle . .	1,146	92,925	90,132	Waukegan	Richland	357	14,044	15,970	Olney
Lake .	455	74,285	55,058	Ottawa	Rock Island	424	92,297	70,404	Rock Island
Lawrence	ss«	21,380	22,661	Lawrenceville	St. Clair .	663	136,520	119,870	Harrisburg
Lee .	742	28,004	27,750	Dixon	Saline	399	38,353	30,204	Springfield
Livingston .	1,043	39,070	40,465	Pontiac	Sangamon	876	100,262	91,024	Rushville
Logan	617	29,562	30,216	Lincoln	Schuyler	432	13,285	14,852	Winchester
McDonough	588	27,074	26,887	Decatur	Scott	249	9,489	10,067	Shelbyville
McHenry	620	33>i64	32,509	Carlinville	Shelby	772	29,601	31,693	Toulon
McLean .	1,191	70,107	68,008	Edwardsville	Stark	290	9,693	10,098	Belleville
Macon .	585	65U75	54,186	Salem	Stephenson .	559	37,743	36,821	Freeport
Macoupin	860	57,274	50,685	Lacon	Tazewell	647	38,540	34,027	Pekin
Madison	'737	106,895	89,847	Havana	Union	403	20,249	21,856	Jonesboro
Marion .	569	37,497	35,094	Metropolis	Vermilion	921	86,162	77,996	Danville
Marshall	396	14,760	15,679	Macomb	Wabash .	220	14,034	I4,9I3	Mt. Carmel
Mason	555	16,634	17,377	Woodstock	Warren .	546	21,488	23,313	Monmouth
Massac .	240	13,559	14,200	Bloomington	Washington .	561	18,035	i8,759	Nashville
Menard .	3i7	11,694	12,796	Petersburg	’ Wayne .	733	' 22,772	25,697	Fairfield
Mercer .	540	18,800	19,723	Aledo	White . .	507	20,081	23,052	Carmi
Monroe .	389	12,839	13,508	Waterloo	Whiteside	679	36,174	34,507	Morrison
Montgomery	689	41,403	35,3n	Hillsboro	Will . . .	844	92,911	84,371	Joliet
Morgan .	576	33,567	34,420	Jacksonville	Williamson .	449	61,092	45,098	Marion
Moultrie	338	14,839	14,630	Sullivan	Winnebago .	529	90,929	63U53	Rockford
Ogle . . .	756	26,830	27,864	Oregon	Woodford	528	19,340	20,506	Eureka
Land area.................
Population 1920	....
Population per square mile . Per cent of increase 1909-1920
APPENDIX E
AREA AND POPULATION OF ILLINOIS
35,867,520 acres 6,485,280 II5-7 • iS%
Urban population 1920..................4,403,153
Rural population 1920..................2,082,127
Per cent increase in urban population,	1910-1920	26.6
Per cent decrease rural population	...	3.764
THE GEOGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS
APPENDIX F
AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL STATISTICS
(From 1920 Census of Population for Illinois, Statistical Abstract of U. S., 1919, State Geological Survey Report,
U. S. Mineral Industries Report.)
Value of farm land alone			. . . $5,250,294,752	Exceeded by Iowa
Value of farm land per acre				Exceeded by Iowa
Value of farm land and buildings ....		. . . $747,698,813	Exceeded by Iowa
Value of implements and machinery ....			Exceeded by Iowa
Number of tractors on farms			. . . 23,102	Ranks first
Number of automobiles on farms ....		. . . 139,090	Exceeded by Iowa
Per cent of land area in farms				
Per cent of farm land improved				Exceeded by Iowa
Acreage of farm land drained				Exceeded by California
Value of live stock on farms			. . . $446,154,064	and Iowa Exceeded by Iowa
Number of bushels of corn ......		. . . 285,346,031	Exceeded by Iowa
Value of corn crop			• • • $413,751,746	
Number of bushels of wheat .		. . . 70,890,917	Exceeded by Kansas
Value of wheat crop			. . . $155,960,014	
Number of bushels of oats				Exceeded by Iowa
Value of oats crop			• • • $103,283,734	
Hay and forage			• • • 7,063,254 tons	Exceeded by Wisconsin,
Value hay and forage				New York, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Ohio
All fowls raised			• • • 32,352,888	Ranks first
All eggs produced				Exceeded by Missouri,
Value of chickens and eggs produced		. . . $63,771,952	Iowa, Ohio
Value of all farm crops .		• • • $864,737,833	Exceeded by Texas and
Value of all farm property			. . . $6,666,767,235	Iowa Exceeded by Iowa
Estimated wealth of the state			. . .$15,484,450,232	Exceeded by New York
Bituminous coal produced				Ranks third
Natural gas production				
'Crude petroleum production				
Value of all manufactures				
Value added by manufacture: Value of products less cost of raw materials		. . . $1,937,598,000	
Electric railway mileage			. . . 3,724	Exceeded by New York,
Railway mileage (steam)			. . . 12,133	Pennsylvania, Ohio Exceeded by Texas
Railway mileage per 10,000 population .		• • • I9-4