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Randolph County, Illinois
The people of Randolph
County want you to know that this is “Where
Illinois Began.” It’s their motto, because of the
region’s role in the settlement of the state. Archaeological
evidence reveals that around 8000 B.C., the limestone bluff
today known as the Modoc Rock Shelter once provided refuge for
prehistoric hunters, and later for early Indian tribes in the
area.
The county was named for Edmund Randolph, a noted
Revolutionary War soldier and statesman, U.S. attorney general
and former Governor of Virginia. In fact, the area that is now
Randolph County was once part of
the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia eventually ceded its
frontier holdings to the Continental Congress which, in 1787,
established the Northwest Territory. In 1790, Ohio Governor
Arthur St. Clair proclaimed what is now downstate Illinois to
be called St. Clair County. On October 5, 1795, roughly the
southern half of then St. Clair County became Randolph County.
The population of the largely agricultural Randolph County is
about 34,000, and the county seat is Chester. Other cities in
Randolph County include Ellis Grove, Percy, Red Bud,
Steeleville and Walsh. Chester is the birthplace of Elzie
Segar, the creator of the cartoon character “Popeye, the
Sailor Man.” A statue stands next to the Chester Bridge as a
tribute. In addition, the annual “Popeye Picnic” is held
the weekend following Labor Day.
Randolph County is home to one of the state’s largest
parks. Randolph
State Park provides 1,101 acres of fishing, hiking,
picnicking, boating, hunting and camping opportunities, all
just five miles northeast of Chester.
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