Finding Old Trails

•July 16, 2025•

by Janet Roney

My hobby within my hobby of local history is finding old pioneer trails. I have told you about three ancient trails that passed through our county…the French Kaskaskia-Detroit fur trail, the Shelbyville-Vandalia Road, and the Charleston Road. There are more. Their routes are not neatly drawn out on a map or atlas, so it has taken research to locate them. 

Here’s how I identify old trails. Most country roads in central Illinois follow the grid of square mile sections that Thomas Jefferson set up over 250 years ago, going due north/south or east/west. Therefore, an angling or winding road causes notice. It’s one of the first clues you might be travel-ing on an old trail. 

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