Traveling on the Springfield Road (Part 3)
•November 19, 2025•
by Janet Roney
Traveling across the prairie of central Illinois on the Springfield Road in the 1830s was not easy, whether on a horse, in a covered wagon, or on foot, as seen in the last two columns. An alternative way to travel was by stagecoach. The Springfield Road was laid out by the state in 1826 specifically as a route for stagecoach travel and for the US mail.
Unfortunately, stagecoach travel was not much better than going by wagon, horse, or walking. In The Sangamon Saga, one lady described riding in a stagecoach on a trail in Sangamon County as “one prolonged torture.” The body of the stage was suspended on leather straps between the wheels, which acted as a crude form of springs, but gave little relief from bouncing along on the rough, rutted trail.
“When she got into the stage at noon, she found her traveling companions included an elderly woman and six young men. The latter were all going west to seek their fortunes. The roads were so tough that the harness was broken twice that afternoon and had to be mended before they could continue.”
Somewhere in Sangamon County, they stopped at an inn, “which seemed about ready to fall down. For supper, there was greasy side meat, soggy and ill-smelling saleratus biscuits, and coffee made from parched corn. Flies swarmed the table unnoticed by the host.”
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