Why Randolph County, Illinois Thrives

Published on Thursday, October 31, 2024 by Chris Martin, Contributing Writer for Expansion Solutions

By Chris Martin, Economic Development Coordinator

As a native Hoosier, I grew up with basketball. In Summer, we played anywhere. When cold and snow came, we played in the freezing haylofts of barns. Round ball fans know the basics. Run. Dribble. Pass. Shoot. Sure, the game has evolved over the decades. Motion offense. Run and gun. Zone defense, etc. But the basics are extant. Run. Dribble. Pass. Shoot.

People in the economic/community development profession understand that in rural settings like Randolph County, development is distinct from the practice in metro areas, especially the politics. Yes, we work at retention, expansion, and attraction of manufacturers, and we help new small businesses start up. The run, dribble, pass, and shoot of community development.

We also promote tourism in unique ways. Visitors bring more than $40 million to Randolph County’s annual economy. We greatly appreciate the many who come each year. Your dollars help us create new small businesses, and provide jobs for those just entering the workforce, and for seniors who may want to supplement their retirement income.

We believe the key to progress begins with understanding the history, culture, and assets of our community. They are the base alloy that evolved small business, manufacturing, mining, agribusiness, and tourism in Randolph County.

35 years ago, a small group of people gathered to discuss ways they could help their rural community move into the future. All of them were born and lived their lives here. Some had gone away to college and then returned. They had one thing in common, a vision for Randolph County, one that included preserving the culture that had enriched their lives.

With unwavering support from the Randolph County Commissioners and certain small towns and villages, they hired a director. His name was Edward “Ed” Crow. Mr. Crow sought some of the community development grants emerging from federal and state government and realized that to apply, they would have to organize as a non-profit corporation. In 1989, they became the all-volunteer, Randolph County Progress Committee.

For 20 years, Ed Crow helped enhance Randolph County. He imagined a park at the confluence of the Kaskaskia and Mississippi Rivers. There, people could see barge tows and river cruise boats move up and down the waterways. Visitors could also study the variety of wildlife found only in the Mississippi Flyway.

Sadly, Mr. Crow passed in 2010, but his park was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers near the Jerry F. Costello Lock & Dam. It is unique, and thousands visit Confluence Heritage Park every year. They enjoy the firepit and huge stone seats that offer respite while marveling and taking photographs. There is even a modern campground there. The Progress Committee placed a monument to Mr. Crow at the center of the footpath leading through the park. On the monument is this phrase—Where Illinois Began—a favorite mantra of Mr. Crow’s and one he conceived.

Begin here, Illinois did, along an ancient animal path later named the Kaskaskia Cahokia Trail. (The KCT, the first “road” in Illinois, is now a State-Designated Historic & Scenic Route.)

A fascinating antiquity permeates Randolph County, Illinois. Humans moved to this continent more than 16,000 years ago. By 9000 years ago, later generations of those hunter/gatherers visited the American Bottom.

Archeologists excavating at the Modoc Rock Shelter in Randolph County, discovered a hunting camp the sojourners had frequented. These were the forefathers of the Mississippians whose culture is wonderfully portrayed at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site near Collinsville, Illinois. The Mississippians had stopped wandering, discovered agriculture, and evolved communal living.

The Illinewek, descendants of the Mississippians, together with the early European settlers, grew food grains in the American Bottom here. Disease, epic floods, and wars plagued the partners, but their work ethic, adaptability, and determination prevailed.

French history in America also began here along the Père des Eaux. Some examples include Kaskaskia, Fort de Chartres, and Prairie du Rocher. The Village of Kaskaskia, the Southern Origin of the Kaskaskia Cahokia Trail, became the first capital of Illinois.

Several people of note are connected to Randolph County. Among them are Lewis & Clark, who hired local Engages and experienced woodsmen for their historic expedition. George Rogers Clark came and conquered. Shadrach Bond was the first Governor of Illinois. Pierre Menard was the first Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. Pierre Laclede, who helped found St. Louis once lived along the KC Trail. General Lafayette, the hero of the American Revolution, visited Kaskaskia and was honored by the villagers.

Randolph County was once on the western boundary of young America, with the frontier just across the Mississippi. (To help preserve our history, sections of the French Colonial Historic District under U.S. Senate Bill S2865 and House Bill HR5558 may become a National Park.)

The grains grown in the American Bottom those first years fed many along the Mississippi from Kaskaskia to New Orleans. This early farming led to the first industry, the milling of grains.

Today, agribusiness remains a major wealth generator. More than 220,000 acres of farm crops are harvested each year in Randolph County, and most grains are shipped through the Evansville Dock of the Kaskaskia Regional Port District. The Kaskaskia River M3 Marine Highway offers a competitive advantage for Randolph County businesses. The Material Works at KRPD #2 Dock for example, is America’s largest processor of value-added, coiled steel products. TMW employs dozens of highly skilled operators.

The function of economic/community development is to raise wealth because the rising tide lifts all ships in the harbor. Manufacturing, agribusiness, and mining are considered the big three wealth generators and Randolph County is blessed with that triad. America is moving away from fossil fuels and little coal is mined here now, but coal mined in neighboring Perry County is trucked through Randolph County to the Mississippi and barge-shipped from Lone Eagle Dock. The process involves dozens of support and transportation jobs.

Missouri “scrubber” limestone moves up the Mississippi and Kaskaskia Rivers, then is railed to Prairie State Energy Campus, the last coal-fired power plant built in America (2012).

A diversified product base originates in Randolph County. Highly skilled workers manufacture esoteric ophthalmological surgical instruments, specialty crankshafts, steel processing systems, private label food products, custom conveyors and materials handling assemblies, and many other goods and systems. Hundreds work in manufacturing plants here. Their work ethic, adaptability, and determination, gifts of our forefathers, enhance family lives and help companies thrive.

In 2010, Christopher Martin was hired as the new coordinator of economic development. “One of the factors that drew me to Randolph County was that three of the original Progress Committee incorporators continued to serve as board members … and they are still serving today,” said Martin. “Their knowledge and stability are fundamental to the most successful community and economic development. They know what works and more importantly, what does not work in a rural setting.”

Martin suggested a Community Foundation be formed and he offered to serve as volunteer president. The Community Foundation of Randolph County today provides scholarships for Randolph County high school students and assists with community enhancement projects. Martin and his wife, Stephanie provided the initial funds for the foundation and many other gifts followed, including those from the Progress Committee, the Southwestern Illinois Regional Leadership & Development Committee, First National Bank of Steeleville, the employees of the Baldwin Power Plant, and many other generous people and organizations.

More than 80 years ago, a shelter was built at the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It overlooked the Mississippi and Kaskaskia Rivers from high on the bluff. On Halloween night, 2012, that shelter burned in an accidental fire, leaving only four river stone corner pillars and the surrounding knee walls.

In 2018, the Community Foundation and County Commissioners Chairman, Dr. Marc Kiehna, helped raise more than $100,000 for a replacement shelter. Thanks in large part to the power of social media, something wonderful happened. People sent gifts from all corners of America. They held decades-old memories and recounted stories of weddings, family gatherings, camping, vacations, music festivals, and other recollections, all connected to the shelter. They wanted to help rebuild it … and they did. The new shelter was dedicated in October and the next year, the Community Foundation of Randolph County raised another $18,000 to refurbish the knee walls.

With the creation of good jobs always on their minds, the Progress Committee has helped bring millions in grants to Randolph County and partnered in first-of-their-kind projects that created employment for hundreds. Companies like Red Bud Industries, Secon Rubber & Plastics, and Roeslein keep expanding and adding valuable manufacturing jobs.

When Covid erupted in 2020, the Progress Committee and the Foundation helped bring hundreds of thousands of dollars in assistance to Randolph County. “There were people and organizations that wanted to help,” said Martin. “Because we had an established foundation with a record of helping our citizens, those organizations felt comfortable trusting the CFRC to distribute funds. Their gifts helped with food banks and with agencies that assisted with housing, utilities, and transportation.”

The Progress Committee has promoted the big business of tourism for many years, but with the advent of social media, the PC began in 2011 to focus on the unequaled attraction assets of Randolph County. “I was unfamiliar with Southwest Illinois,” adds Martin, “so I was amazed when I learned about what I have since called the best kept secret in the Midwest. I immediately began to collect photographs of our assets in all seasons.”

People visit to study and photograph antique barns as there are dozens of these relics in Randolph County and the surrounding area. The iconic Randolph County Courthouse offers a singular experience. The view from the observation deck is considered one of the most beautiful in America.

There is an eight-sided antique schoolhouse, one of only a few remaining in the United States. The Roscoe Misselhorn Museum is at Sparta. So is the World Shooting & Recreation Complex, home to the Grand American each August. Popeye was born in Chester and the Popeye Character Trail is open every day of the year. There are recreation areas with hiking paths. Forests with abundant wildlife. The Creole House. The Pierre Menard Home. The beautiful city of Red Bud. Fort de Chartres still welcomes Rendezvous and many other activities each year.

You may also see a Cougar, Bobcats, Foxes, Otters, Cayotes, and many other species. Fishing is great too, from Bluegill to Tiger Muskie, the fish of 10,000 casts.

“We know each year, how much revenue tourists bring to Randolph County,” says Martin. “It is interesting and very revealing that even in the Covid years, we generated outstanding numbers because people knew they could see so much of our community without exposing themselves or others to the potentially lethal virus.”

Progress in the Future

The Progress Committee has held membership in the P & C Development Corporation for years and served on a cross-river task group that lobbied to replace the aging Chester Bridge over the Mississippi, and then to help choose the best location for a new bridge.

That new crossing is under construction and will fittingly be called the Don Welge Memorial Bridge when it opens in 2026. Mr. Welge was president of Gilster-Mary Lee Corporation for decades with company headquarters in Chester and manufacturing facilities in Illinois, Missouri, and other locations. As one of America’s largest producers of private-label food products, Gilster-Mary Lee employs thousands. Mr. Welge was an early victim of Covid in 2020.
The Progress Committee is assisting with alternative energy installations, including Baldwin, Tilden, and another near Sparta. The solar projects will help fill the power grid gap as coal-fired energy plants are retired.

A four-lane rural expressway is planned that will pass through Randolph County, connecting Murphysboro with St. Louis. The Progress Committee has assisted the Southwest Illinois Connector Coalition. A recent federal/state grant release of $6 million dollars will fund a route study from Waterloo in Monroe County, through Randolph County, into Jackson County. Ultimately, four lanes will be available from St. Louis to Interstate 24, and that will open new possibilities for manufacturers.

Kaskaskia Regional Port District (KRPD), one of the largest inland ports in the U.S., has aggressive plans to expand its facilities and increase tonnage on the M3. Water cartage is the most efficient shipping system, a major advantage for agribusiness and Randolph County manufacturers.

Highways, multiple rail lines, and water transportation offer shipping options unavailable in most other locations. Another advantage to existing and potential new manufacturers.

The Progress Committee will continue to run, dribble, pass, and shoot as they work to enhance Randolph County. Always with an eye on the unique culture of this region.

And those three great guys that were there in the beginning? Still here. Many, many thanks to Ed Crow and all the Randolph County Progress Committee Board Members over the decades, but especially to Bob Myerscough, John Petkas, and Butch Stellhorn for their dedication and friendship.

Their wisdom has been integral to Progress … In Randolph County, Illinois.

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