Calhoun
County, Illinois
 Bald
eagles can be seen in abundance in teensy Calhoun
County – sometimes referred to as The Kingdom of
Calhoun – located in southwestern Illinois, with its
southernmost tip situated at the Mississippi River and
the Illinois River. The county is 37 miles long and 7
miles wide at its widest point, and is basically a
long peninsula between the rivers. Four ferries and
the Joe Page Bridge take people back and forth, from
state to state.
Calhoun County was named after John Caldwell Calhoun,
who served as vice president under both John Quincy
Adams and Andrew Jackson, and secretary of state under
President John Tyler. The county was established in
1825, seven years after Illinois became a state. Prior
to becoming a county, the area that’s now Calhoun
County was part of the Military Tract. These were
bounty lands given to War of 1812 veterans.
Calhoun County has only five incorporated towns, and
Hardin, its largest, is the county seat. Though only
1,100 people live in Hardin, there is a surprising
amount of things to do and see there. Nature lovers
will appreciate the Two Rivers Wildlife Refuge, which
offers 8,500 acres of protection to endangered and
threatened species (such as bald eagles); the
24,000-acre Mississippi River State Fish &
Wildlife Area; and the McCully Heritage Project, a
940-acre outdoor classroom for students and teachers,
and 12 miles of hiking trails.
History lovers should visit the Center for American
Archeology in Kampsville, which features excavations
of early American Indian habitation sites. Formed in
1953, the CAA exists to uncover the story behind
10,000 years of human occupation and thousands of
recorded archaeological sites in the area surrounding
the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers,
often referred to as the “Nile of North America.”
<< Back
to Community Page
|
