The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 273 miles (439 km) long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of 28,070 square miles (72,701 km2). This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route connecting the Great Lakes with the Mississippi. The French colonial settlements along the river formed the heart of the area known as the Illinois Country. After the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Hennepin Canal in the 19th century, the role of the river as link between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi was extended into the era of modern industrial shipping.
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Famous quotes containing the words illinois and/or river:
“An Illinois woman has invented a portable house which can be carried about in a cart or expressed to the seashore. It has also folding furniture and a complete camping outfit.”
—Lydia Hoyt Farmer (1842–1903)
“Naught was familiar but the heavens, from under whose roof the voyageur never passes; but with their countenance, and the acquaintance we had with river and wood, we trusted to fare well under any circumstances.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)