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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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