WELCOME TO THE MYTHIC MISSISSIPPI PROJECT!
THE MYTHIC MISSISSIPPI PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY A UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS SYSTEM-WIDE GRANT FROM THE “PRESIDENTIAL INITIATIVE TO CELEBRATE THE IMPACT OF THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES IN ILLINOIS”
The Mythic Mississippi is a major public outreach and engagement project of UIUC and UIS. The project’s primary goal is to positively impact downstate Illinois communities by helping them to deploy their cultural heritage resources for economic and social development by means of participation in multiple regional-level heritage tourism trails linking local towns.
The project advocates use of cultural heritage resources for community development. “So many little Midwestern towns are hidden treasures full of history and memories. They are a testament to our heritage, to the times that once were, and to the people who populated them. Those people left remnants of their lives here, in the form of the buildings and homes they constructed and accounts of important events that helped set the stage for our country’s future.” (SOURCE: https://owlcation.com/humanities/Hidden-History-in-Winchester-Illinois)
The “Mythic Mississippi Project” was inspired by the issue of under-exploitation of cultural heritage resources in the state – even the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Cahokia Mounds. Yet Illinois has many fascinating cultural heritage resources. Our project focus is downstate where we are seeking to develop multiple regional-level tourism trails that will link local towns according to particular heritage themes. The project moreover seeks to “layer” cultural heritage trails in particular towns, wherever possible, so as to achieve “attraction density” and thus promote visitation. A small increase in tourism can produce modest economic development that in turn can promote stronger communities. Particularly in towns hit by loss of industry and employment, regional tourism can contribute to the regeneration of the local economy as well as to community identity and pride. Importantly, as a recent article in The Economist (July 27, 2024, page 24) suggested: “Growing up in a thriving community is crucial for children’s future outcomes.” We want these downstate communities to thrive.
Why do we call the project “The Mythic Mississippi”? The Mississippi is the river that made America. It was a corridor of culture, civilization and commerce for more than a thousand years. The Mississippi looms large in the American imagination and even larger in the factual history of our nation. The longest stretch of the river borders the state of Illinois and it is impossible to understand the development of our state without reference to the river. It played a preeminent role in the river towns along its course as well as in inland communities.
The project co-directors are Dr. Helaine Silverman (Department of Anthropology, U of I at Urbana-Champaign) and Dr. Devin Hunter (Department of History, U of I at Springfield). You can reach us at:
helaine [at] illinois.edu
dhunte2 [at] uis.edu
Please watch this brief video introduction to the project: CLICK HERE
Our fundamental premise is this[TM] slogan:
The sketch map below is our current rendition of the project’s conception of the themed tourism routes or trails:
- African American heritage: Underground Railroad sites in towns such as Alton, Quincy, Godfrey and Jacksonville; free Black communities such as Brooklyn and New Philadelphia National Historic Landmark; linking to the Lincoln National Heritage Area and specifically to Springfield with the Central Illinois African American History Museum, Lincoln Home NPS, Illinois Freedom Project, and the 1908 Springfield Race Riot Site and Lincoln Monument. A less well known but very important Underground Railroad region is present in Randolph County. The African American trail intersects French colonial heritage through African/African American slavery. Moreover, there is an important history of African American miners, thereby linking to the coal heritage route.
- Coal mining heritage/labor heritage: Illinois was the first place in North America where Europeans discovered coal: along the Illinois River in 1673. Indeed, Illinois sits on a vast bed of coal and coal’s massive development as an energy resource generated some of the greatest labor struggles in U.S. history, many of which played out in southern Illinois. Note that a statue of a coal miner stands on the grounds of the State Capitol in Springfield. Moreover, coal mining was intimately connected to large European immigration into Illinois, particularly Italian, Croatian and Lithuanian.
- Mormon heritage: Nauvoo was the pioneer epicenter of the early Mormon religion from which Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) caravans started west, crossing the Mississippi River. We believe the towns of Nauvoo and Carthage can be developed as major American historic and heritage sites beyond their attraction for the Mormon community. We also include Warsaw because of its historically significant anti-Mormon sentiment in the early days of that church in Illinois. And we include Quincy which gave refuge to the Mormons when they were forced to flee Missouri. A Mormon link can furthermore be drawn to Springfield.
- The Great Western Illinois Experience Trail: Our area of interest lies within what has been called “Forgottonia” and that includes the 1812 Military Tract. It consists of a circular route starting in Springfield and running through Morgan, Pike, Adams, Hancock, McDonough, Fulton, Mason, and Menard counties. TGWIE layers early pioneer settlers (including Mormon), Native American and African American heritage. Abraham Lincoln appears throughout many of the included counties. Additional tourism narratives include unique individuals such as Lizzie Magie of Macomb, and great industry such as International Harvester in Canton, and the dramatic commercial landscape of the Illinois River, for instance at Havana.
- Native American heritage: Anchored by Cahokia (the great capital site of the eponymous great Mississippian civilization), a Native American trail includes Dickson Mounds Museum in Lewistown, Rockwell Mound in Havana, the Potawatomi Trail of Death markers, the Center for American Archaeology Museum in Kampsville and the Illinois State Museum in Springfield. Note, too, that Native Americans controlled the salt licks of later interest to the French, thus intersecting the French Colonial trail. We also include the Piasa cliff drawing at Alton.
- French Colonial heritage: Southern Illinois has tremendously important sites pertaining to the early French settlement of the state. This includes various inscriptions on the National Register of Historic Places such as the French Colonial Historic District (1974). There is also Cahokia (the French town, not to be confused with the ancient mound site), Prairie du Rocher, Fort de Chartres, Kaskaskia, Fort Kaskaskia, the Pierre Menard Home and Garrison Hill Cemetery, all of which offer a fascinating history as well as a rich architectural heritage. Alongside our mapping, FICAS (Foundation for Illinois Colonial and American Studies) and the Les Amis French Creole Corridor group are building an excellent French Colonial heritage route. Our particular contribution to their work is our engagement with Chester, the gateway to the French Colonial heritage of Illinois.
The Mythic Mississippi Project works collaboratively with local governments, businesses, schools and community partners in the selected towns. In addition to the abundant material on this website which has great educational value and enhances the tourist experience, the project is contributing to exhibitions about local heritage in collaboration with local partners. The project has produced three films and recorded numerous interviews with local experts speaking about various historic topics and thematic issues.
This project is led by CHAMP/Collaborative for Cultural Heritage Management and Policy at UIUC in partnership with the Public History Program at UIS and in collaboration with local communities. The pages on this website present the many components of this project as it evolves. The website is frequently updated.
RESEARCHERS AND PARTNERS
PROJECT Co-PIs
Helaine Silverman (Department of Anthropology, UIUC)
Devin Hunter (Public History Program-Department of History, UIS)
UIUC FACULTY CONSULTANTS
Benjamin Bross (Architecture)
Steven DiNaso (Anthropology Research Affiliate)
Christopher Fennell (Anthropology)
Susan Frankenberg (Anthropology and Museum Studies)
Robert Pahre (Political Science)
Cele Otnes (Emerita, Business Administration)
Laura Payne (Recreation, Sport and Tourism)
Carla Santos (Recreation, Sport and Tourism)
Michael Twidale (Library and Information Science)
CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENT ASSISTANT
Nathan Cooper (History, UIS)
INDIVIDUAL COLLABORATORS
Joann Condellone (Mother Jones Museum, Mt Olive)
Laura Davis (Independent Heritage Consultant)
Hannah Kline (Illinois History Collaborative)
Layne Knoche (Landscape Architect, BLA, UIUC)
Cequyna Moore (ICOMOS USA)
Penny Schmidt (Alton Works & Alton Main Street)
Ian Trivers (Urban & Regional Plannning, Washington University)
Dave Tucker (Curator, Gillespie Coal Museum)
Stephanie Young (Principia College and All Town, USA)
INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANTS
Andreas Pantazatos (University of Cambridge, UK)
Mike Robinson (Nottingham Trent University, UK)
Taking our lead from the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, this project has a broad vision of its stakeholders. We seek to engage with local communities, local authorities, the State, the private and public tourism sector, cultural organizations, business and industry, NGOs, volunteers, educators, and the scientific and technological communities. We welcome all who wish to partner with us.
USING THIS WEBSITE: Please note that various web pages cross-list with others, as is the intent of the project’s concept of layering.
WE BELIEVE THAT THE ENTIRE MISSISSIPPI RIVER SHOULD BE NOMINATED TO THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST.
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University of Illinois Land Acknowledgment Statement. This project takes place in downstate Illinois and therefore on land that was once occupied by Native Peoples who were forcibly removed from their homelands. We recall the Peoria, Kaskaskia, Peankashaw, Wea, Miami, Mascoutin, Odawa, Sauk, Mesquaki, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Chickasaw Nations.
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Note: All images on this website were either taken by the project personnel or are in the public domain or are used with permission. The project brand phrase “Mythic Mississippi” is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ©© by this project (“The Mythic Mississippi Project”) and copyrighted ©. Any use of the “Mythic Mississippi” phrase must attribute it to the Project.