News Progress

Who Was Isaac Hill and How Did He know Jefferson?

by Janet Roney

We’ve been following another ancient trail into the interior of Illinois that Isaac Hill followed in 1809-1811 while exploring for Thomas Jefferson and spying on the British still hanging around between the lower Kaskaskia (or “Ocar”) and the Illinois River to the north. This time, I have Hill’s hand-drawn map that leads through Bond, Montgomery, Fayette, and Shelby County towards Moultrie.

•January 8, 2025•

Champaign Park District’s annual winter race, Frozen 5K, has made its mark as a fun and creative way to stay active during the cold Illinois winter. As Champaign Park District continues to innovate programming to ensure it best meets residents’ needs, the organization has decided to mark the final chapter of the event in 2025 to make way for new fitness events.

Jefferson’s Clock

•January 8, 2025•

By Janet Roney

In 1808, the last year of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, he authorized Isaac Hill to explore the interior of Illinois along the third principal meridian to survey the land, find natural resources and mill seats, and locate trails. He was also to spy on activities of the British who were still hanging around in frontier Illinois 25 years after our independence.  

Hill left a map and a report about his 1809-1811 expedition into Illinois, but his will written in Warren County, Kentucky in 1846 sheds more light on the story and provides more authenticity to the expedition. His will distributed his land, slaves, and his “Jefferson Clock” to his heirs.

•January 1, 2025•

Each New Year’s Eve, thousands of revelers gather at the intersection of Seventh Avenue, Broadway and 42nd Street in the heart of New York City’s “Time Square” to count down the final moments of the year. Millions more watch the festivities on television. This annual tradition is something people look forward to each December, with many making pilgrimages from far and wide to stand outside for hours just to be at the crossroads of the world. 

Isaac Hill’s Mission for Jefferson…Part 2

•December 25, 2024•

by Janet Roney

In this series of articles, we’ve been following old trails into the past of Moultrie County and central Illinois. We’ve covered the Kaskaskia-Detroit Road used by the French in the 1700s, the path the Long Knives of George Rogers Clark used to cross Illinois during the Revolutionary War that secured Illinois, including Moultrie, for the United States, and I sickened some of you when you read about the Eagle Pond duck dinner a la’ feather observed by Indian captive William Biggs while traveling through Moultrie on the trail from Cahokia, Vandalia, and Shelbyville in 1788. All of these trails are discussed in history books.