The National Road

•December 3, 2025•

by Janet Roney

All history books that feature the story of the settlement of the Midwest tell the history of the National Road. It was created by Congress in 1806 and became the principal route for westward migration. It went from Wheeling, West Virginia, passed through Columbus, Indianapolis, and Terre Haute in Ohio and Indiana, then on through Effingham before ending at Vandalia, Illinois.

The route of the National Road, which US Highway 40 generally follows, is designated as a historical landmark in every community it passes through. They hold festivals celebrating their history. Inns along its way have been restored. A whole shelf full of books has been written about the old road. I have nothing to add to what has already been said about that road...except, maybe, the fact that the National Road was not the only important trail across central Illinois, as I hope you have been noticing in these articles.

The National Road deserves all the attention it gets, but I just think there might be a little more attention paid to old trails and roads that are a lot less famous. They affected history, too, and in some places, unlike the National Road, they still look like the old trail, only with a few layers of oil or gravel thrown on top.

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