Sangamon River

The Sangamon River lies a few miles to the east and served as a travel conduit for Native Americans and early European explorers to the region. Settlers also depended heavily on the river to power their mills. The river's floodplain and bluffs were generally covered with forests, which appealed to arriving settlers mostly from the uplands of the southern states. The timber provided logs for their houses, fences for newly cleared agricultural fields, and fuel for heating their homes during the long, cold winters.

Illinois · United States