Illinois Route 97 (IL 97) is a north–south state highway in the central and western portions of the U.S. state of
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. It extends from I-55 Business (Business Loop I-55) in
Springfield
Springfield may refer to:
* Springfield (toponym), the place name in general
Places and locations Australia
* Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast)
* Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council)
* Springfield, Queenslan ...
northwest to
U.S. Highway 150 (US 150) near
Galesburg. It crosses over the
Illinois River
The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...
on a bridge west of
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. . This is a distance of .
Route description
![US24 East - IL100 North with IL97 North Signs (41149630870)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/US24_East_-_IL100_North_with_IL97_North_Signs_%2841149630870%29.jpg)
IL 97 starts off in
Springfield
Springfield may refer to:
* Springfield (toponym), the place name in general
Places and locations Australia
* Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast)
* Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council)
* Springfield, Queenslan ...
on East Clear Lake Avenue. It heads west, forming a
concurrency with
IL 125. IL 97 splits off and north shortly after, entering
Menard County.
In Menard County, along a concurrency with
IL 123 in
New Salem, it passes
Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site
Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site is a reconstruction of the former village of New Salem in Menard County, Illinois, where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1831 to 1837. While in his twenties, the future U.S. President made his living in this vi ...
near
Petersburg, the home of
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
in the 1830s. It afterwards passes through
Mason County. The road enters
Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat:
*Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton
*Fulton County, Georgia
*F ...
immediately after crossing a bridge concurrent with
US 136 and
IL 78.
It then passes both the
Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge and
Dickson Mounds
Dickson Mounds is a Native American settlement site and burial mound complex near Lewistown, Illinois. It is located in Fulton County on a low bluff overlooking the Illinois River. It is a large burial complex containing at least two cemeteri ...
State Memorial. Afterwards, it drops the concurrency with IL 78 and US 136 but picks up
US 24. During and after it gains concurrency with
IL 100, it heads north throughout hills. It enters
Knox County after a brief concurrency with
IL 9. It continues north through hills until its northern terminus at
US 150
U.S. Route 150 (US 150) is a 571-mile (919 km) long northwest-southeast United States highway, signed as east–west. It runs from U.S. Route 6 outside of Moline, Illinois to U.S. Route 25 in Mount Vernon, Kentucky.
Route description
Il ...
near
Galesburg.
[Delorme Illinois Atlas & Gazetteer]
History
IL 97 is the site of a pioneering work of
highway beautification Highway beautification is landscaping and control of the usage of the land by highways.
In the United States, highway beautification is subject the Highway Beautification Act, Section 131 of Title 23, United States Code
In the law of the Uni ...
, the planting in 1934 of what was once a line of 'red haw'
hawthorns and other Illinois native trees along the tourist route from west of Springfield to New Salem. The work, done by the
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...
and the Illinois Federation of Garden Clubs, is commemorated by a marker installation at ''Tallula Junction'', the southern intersection of Illinois Route 97 and Illinois Route 123.
Major junctions
References
External links
*{{ccat-inline
097
Transportation in Sangamon County, Illinois
Transportation in Menard County, Illinois
Transportation in Mason County, Illinois
Transportation in Fulton County, Illinois
Transportation in Knox County, Illinois