Goshen Road facts for kids

The Goshen Road was a very old and important path in Illinois. It stretched from Old Shawneetown, Illinois on the Ohio River all the way northwest to the Goshen Settlement, which was close to Glen Carbon, Illinois and the Mississippi River. In the early 1800s, this was the main road for traveling across Illinois from east to west.

History of the Goshen Road

The Goshen Road began as a natural trail, like paths made by Native Americans and migrating animals. It wasn't a single, clear road. Instead, it was many faint paths running side-by-side, changing a bit with the seasons and over time.

Why Salt Was So Important

Over time, the need for salt made the road super important. Early settlers really needed salt, and it was hard to get. Historian Barbara Burr Hubbs wrote that people building the Goshen Road looked east to find salt, which was a very valuable item. Settlers in Goshen even paid $9 for a barrel of salt!

The Goshen Road helped many new people move into Illinois. They came in wagons, on horseback, or even walking. Many stayed, and by 1818, enough people lived along the road for Illinois to become a state! This road was like a busy highway for pioneers.

John Reynolds, who later became the Governor of Illinois, said that a wagon road was officially laid out in 1808. This was the Goshen Road we know. To find the straightest path for the southern part of the road, they used a clever trick. They took a mother horse a day's journey away from her baby foal. Then, they let the mother horse go. She instinctively took the straightest way back to her foal, and people marked the trees along her path.

The Route of the Goshen Road

Around 1800, the Illinois Territory was surveyed, which means its land was measured and mapped. Surveyors didn't get paid to map roads, but they often marked the Goshen Road because it was such an important feature. This helps us know where the road was, even if only at one-mile (1.6 km) intervals.

The Goshen Road generally followed the Saline River area northwest. It then followed the high ground (called a divide) between the Big Muddy River and Ohio River watersheds. This helped travelers avoid the swampy areas around the Big Muddy River. The road eventually crossed the Big Muddy area in northern Jefferson County and then the Kaskaskia Bottoms (a low, wet area) to reach the Goshen Settlement near Glen Carbon.

Gallatin and Saline Counties

Old maps don't clearly show the Goshen Road in Gallatin and Saline Counties. A road from Old Shawneetown, Illinois to the salt works at Equality, Illinois is shown, going around the Shawnee Hills. The Goshen Road likely continued from Equality toward Eldorado, Illinois, but there are no clear marks on the old maps.

Hamilton County

The Goshen Road first appears on original Illinois surveys in the southwestern part of McLeansboro Township, Hamilton County. It followed the high ground between two small river areas. Today, no signs of the road remain here.

The road then ran northwest across Knight's Prairie Township in western Hamilton County. Modern roads that don't follow the usual straight section lines show where the old road was. It passed near the "Goshen Trail Unit" of the Ten Mile Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area. One of the first settlers in Hamilton County, William Hardisty, claimed land next to the road in 1819. In western Hamilton County, the Goshen Road generally followed the high ground (a divide) between the Big Muddy River and Wabash River.

Jefferson County

The Goshen Road entered Jefferson County from Hamilton County near the southeast corner. The earliest settler in Jefferson County, Andrew Moore, settled next to the road in 1810. The road continues into Jefferson County as a modern road that doesn't follow the usual straight property lines.

The original Goshen Road turned north toward modern Opdyke, following the high ground between the Big Muddy River and Wabash River. While a road going northwest toward Mt. Vernon is called "Goshen Road" today, it was actually built later. The original road went around what became Mt. Vernon to avoid the very swampy areas to the south and west.

Hank Lee has mapped the Goshen Road well across Jefferson County. Signs with a fancy "G" have been placed along modern roads near the old path. There's some confusion because the county has named newer roads "Goshen Road."

In Opdyke, the original Goshen Road went straight north through the middle of the village. Today, only a three-block street that crosses the railroad tracks remains of the old road. From Opdyke, the road went north toward Two Mile Creek. The original survey didn't map this area well, and no signs of the road seem to remain.

There's a local story that the Goshen Road ran through the cemetery at Hopewell Church, near Miller Lake. However, the original survey maps show the road running east-west about 1,000 feet (300 m) north of the cemetery.

From Hopewell Church, the road went northwest toward modern Miller Lake. It crossed Casey Creek south of the dam. You can still see deep wagon ruts where the road climbed the hill west of Casey Creek. A large, man-made dirt mound, about 1,000 feet (300 m) long, 100 feet (30 m) wide, and 50 feet (15 m) high, sticks out from the hill. This might have been an old defensive mound to control the crossing point.

From the Casey Creek crossing, the road went northwest to modern Dix. Few signs remain, even though the original survey mapped it. Northwest of Dix, the road generally followed the path of what became the Southern Railway. Old roads run parallel to the tracks a little to the north. It's not clear if these are parts of the old road or if they were built after the railroad covered up the original path around 1900. The Goshen Road left Jefferson County near Walnut Hill.

Marion County

The Goshen Road entered Marion County just south of Walnut Hill. It crossed the road between Fort Kaskaskia and Fort Vincennes at Walnut Hill. A modern road running northwest from Walnut Hill toward Centralia seems to be a part of the Goshen Road. It matches the road shown on the original surveys and meets U.S. Route 51 just south of Centralia.

Madison County

The Goshen Settlement was located in what became Madison County. A modern road south of Edwardsville is called "Goshen Road" and is believed to be a part of the old path. This road connects Illinois Route 143 with Route 159. It's near the upper part of Judy's Creek. From there, the road likely followed the creek valley down to the Goshen Settlement, which was at the bottom of the bluff where Judy's Creek flows into the American Bottom on its way to the Mississippi River.