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)

IL 97 starts off in

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 v ...

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 I ...

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 (1965), commonly referred t ...

, 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