McLean County Times

More than two centuries ago the state of Illinois was known for its vast prairies and later became the home state of president Abraham Lincoln. 

On Dec. 3, 1818, the small area populating about 35,000 people became the 21st state of the United States of America and has since been recognized for these features. Sen. Sue Rezin celebrated the birth of the state on Facebook.

“Illinois was added to the union 203 years ago today! This made Illinois the 21st state. #HappyBirthday #LandofLincoln,” tweeted Rezin on the anniversary.

According to history.com, the state was given the nickname “Land of Lincoln” in 1955, as it was the home of the 16th president during his young political career.

Lincoln lived in Illinois from the age of 21 in 1830 until he became president in 1861, according to npd117.net. He was in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1847 and 1849, and also a member of the Illinois Legislature for four terms spanning 1834 to 1841.

His home in Springfield has been named a National Historic Site, as has the Lincoln tomb. Aside from being the home of the former president, Illinois is known widely for its prairies and was given the nickname “The Prairie State.”

At first, the majority of the prairie was not yet settled and early settlers were uncertain of how to farm the prairie ground and survive with few trees. In response they mostly built their settlements in southern Illinois. 

Farmers discovered the soil was exceptionally fertile and this led to more people settling in the northern part of the state. By 1840 there were more Illinois residents living in the north than the south.

NPD117.net states that the North American prairie is an endangered ecosystem, where in some areas 99% has been destroyed in just the past century or so. Illinois was the 21st state in the union and came one year after Mississippi and a year before Alabama, according to statesymbolsusa.org.