Lusk's Ferry Road facts for kids

Lusk's Ferry Road was a very old and important road in Illinois. It connected two key places: Fort Kaskaskia on the Mississippi River and Lusk's Ferry on the Ohio River. This road was a great way to travel overland, avoiding a tough trip upstream on the Mississippi River by boat.

The Road's Early Days

The Lusk's Ferry Road likely started as a French military road. It probably connected Fort Massac, a French fort on the Ohio River, with Fort Kaskaskia. Fort Massac was abandoned and burned in 1763 after the French and Indian War. This war changed who controlled the Illinois Country from the French to the British. After Lusk's Ferry became a busy crossing point, a new road was built to connect it to the old Fort Massac road. When Fort Massac was no longer used, the southern part of the road changed, and it became known as the Lusk's Ferry Road.

George Rogers Clark's Surprise Attack

In 1778, a famous American soldier named George Rogers Clark led his army from Virginia to conquer Illinois. He crossed the Ohio River from Kentucky at Fort Massac. From there, he headed north and followed the Lusk's Ferry Road. This was a smart move! Fort Kaskaskia's defenses were set up to stop attacks coming from the Mississippi River. By using the Lusk's Ferry Road, Clark was able to approach the fort from inland Illinois. This allowed him to take Fort Kaskaskia by surprise.

Mapping an Ancient Path

The Lusk's Ferry Road was very old, even for Illinois. It existed before the first official land surveys around 1800. These surveys divided the land into "Townships" (six miles square) and "Sections" (one mile square). Even though surveyors weren't told to map roads, many did. This helped create accurate maps of the road, especially where it crossed the survey lines. The final maps were drawn in the 1830s, using the notes from around 1800.

This road was special because it was "engineered." Unlike most pioneer trails that followed natural paths, the Lusk's Ferry Road had long, straight sections. It ran mostly east from Kaskaskia, then made a sharp turn southeast, heading straight towards Fort Massac and Lusk's Ferry. This design suggests it was built for military purposes, possibly by the French in the 1750s or by Americans after Fort Massac was used again in 1794.

Challenges Along the Way

The road's path was chosen carefully. Near Kaskaskia, it went north to avoid crossing the Marys River. Then it headed east to cross the Big Muddy River as far upstream as possible. After the Big Muddy, the road aimed straight for the easiest pass through the Shawnee Hills.

Crossing the Big Muddy River was a big challenge. Even if there were bridges in the early 1800s, the Big Muddy has a wide, flat floodplain. To be an all-weather road, it would have needed long raised paths, called causeways, over a mile long.

In wet weather, travelers had other choices. They could go by boat down the Mississippi and up the Ohio. Another option was a much longer overland route. They would follow the Fort Vincennes road northeast to the Goshen Road, then southeast to Old Shawneetown, Illinois. This route was about eighty miles longer, but it had no difficult river crossings.

Journey Through the Counties

The Lusk's Ferry Road passed through several counties in Illinois. Early maps show its path, giving us clues about how people traveled long ago.

Randolph County

In Randolph County, where Kaskaskia was the first state capital, the Lusk's Ferry Road was clearly marked on maps. It crossed Mary's River and seemed to follow parts of what are now Illinois Route 150 near Steeleville and Illinois Route 4.

Perry County

The road entered Perry County and headed east towards a place once called Denmark. It then turned east again, crossing Beaucoup Creek. The road continued east towards DuQuoin. Just west of DuQuoin, the road turned southeast, heading towards the Big Muddy River.

Jackson County

The Lusk's Ferry Road cut through the northeast corner of Jackson County. It crossed the Little Muddy River before leaving the county.

Franklin County

The road also passed through the southwest corner of Franklin County, going through Royalton. In 1814, a famous artist named John James Audubon tried to cross Illinois on horseback. He lost his horse crossing the Big Muddy River near modern Plumfield. This suggests another east-west road might have crossed or branched off the Lusk's Ferry Road in this area. This other road might have led to forts built around 1811 during Tecumseh's War.

Williamson County

In Williamson County, the Lusk's Ferry Road headed southeast towards Herrin. It followed a path about a mile south of what is now Illinois Route 148. The road went straight through downtown Herrin. South of Herrin, the road entered an area with many old "Traces" (paths), but the Lusk's Ferry Road wasn't always clearly marked.

About five miles south of Herrin, there was once a town called "Bainbridge." Today, only the Bainbridge cemetery remains. This area was an important crossroads near the Shawnee Hills. Beyond Bainbridge, the Lusk's Ferry Road is harder to find on old maps.

There were two main ways to cross the Shawnee Hills to the south. The western path went through "Buffalo Gap" near Goreville. The eastern path went through "Mocassin Gap." While Buffalo Gap was lower, Mocassin Gap was a more direct route. A modern road from Creal Springs towards Lake of Egypt is likely the path of the old Lusk's Ferry Road.

Johnson County and Mocassin Gap

The road from Creal Springs entered Johnson County. It turned southeast, climbing the Shawnee Hills. A short part of the Lusk's Ferry Road is labeled on old maps in this county. This section lines up with a modern road and points towards Reynoldsburg, which some say was on the old road. The highest point of the Shawnee Hills in this area was probably Mocassin Gap.

Crossing the Sugar Creek valley and the ridge beyond it was probably very difficult. The original route might be hard to see today because easier paths were found and used later.

Pope County

Finally, the Lusk's Ferry Road entered Pope County near the village of Robbs. From there, it followed modern county roads through Glendale and Rising Sun. It then followed Illinois Route 146 into Golconda and finally to Lusk's Ferry.