Kendall County Times

Illinois, also known as the  “Land of Lincoln” as it was the home of President Abraham Lincoln for many years, celebrated its 203rd birthday last week, according to History.com. 

On Dec. 3, 1818, Illinois achieved full statehood and at the time, the population of Illinois was only around 35,000. 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, so they mostly built up their settlements in southern Illinois. Gradually, as determined farmers worked with the prairie soil, they discovered it was extremely fertile. This discovery led to more farmers settling in the northern part of the state, and by 1840, more Illinois residents were living in the north than the south.

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

According to npd117.net, Illinois was given the official state slogan “Land of Lincoln” in 1955. It is known as a symbol of democracy, as the 16th president called the state his home from the age of 21 in 1830 until he became president in 1861. 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. Lincoln lived in Springfield, and his home is a National Historic Site. 

Aside from being the home of the former president, Illinois is known widely for its prairies and donned the nickname “The Prairie State." It was noted on npd117.net 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.