Last night, after work, I drove from Macomb to Jacksonville, IL, to meet up with my sister, (who lives in Springfield), for a scrapbooker’s convention (long story. Short version: she scraps, I don’t).
As I drove along, I enjoyed every second of that gorgeous gorgeous afternoon: farmers out in the fields; my moonroof actually open for once, wind blowing my hair every which way; the new Neko Case blasting from my car stereo.
As usual, this experience of taking the …. uh…. ‘scenic route’ ….led me to marvel at my surroundings.
When I turned south at Beardstown to head down Hwy 67/to 104, I noticed I was getting low on gas, but thought, “Well, surely there’ll be a station in the next town.”
(Thankfully, this does NOT turn into a story of me running out of gas in the middle of a two-laner in the depths of Forgotonia.
BUT.
Let’s just say, the next town over, Meredosia, is not a booming metropolis.)
As I drove along, anxiously eyeing my little gas-pump icon, I was still taking in all the sights around me–little oil wells pumping, irrigation systems everywhere (which seemed strange, considering the recent flooding), the broken-down little shacks; the picturesque landscape. I coasted into J-ville on “E,” but it all worked out ok.
Later, after our event was over and it was time for me to head back to Macomb, I again found myself focused on my surroundings, but this time for a different reason.
This time it was dark, and as I drove back toward Beardstown, I was focused not on the scenic surroundings of this path to Jacksonville that I’d never navigated before, but the fact that the narrow, two-lane road happened to be undergoing construction (“Rough Grooved Surface,” as the sign astutely put it), practically all the way back from Jacksonville to Beardstown.)
I passed a dead deer on the side of the road–and then, a few yards later, a young couple over on the shoulder giving a statement to a state cop.
Then, as I continued to squint and try to find my way down the un-striped highway, I got into a somewhat treacherous game of chicken with a farmer whose giant, lighted planter seemed like a spaceship in the night (but who, like most in his profession, was simply heading home from his workday at 10:30 p.m.)
It struck me that because I’ve stayed in this area my entire life, I might never know what it’s like to get stuck in traffic in the suburban sprawl.
And I may still lack the skills of knowing how to maneuver a car in downtown Chicago.
But I guess I can say I have braved through white-knuckling it, in the darkness, on an un-striped two-laner, through the truly BFE-ish location of Meredosia, IL.
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Chapter 2/ Postlogue
Thankfully, I made it home just fine.
But get this.
As I was reading the paper, trying to relax, my eyes landed on an an obit that just happened to mention the very (obscure) hamlet through which I had just navigated (and happened to include a somewhat strange connection to my hometown):
”[...]Cleo was a graduate of Carthage High School [...] During his years with the railroad he became quite a collector of railroad antiques. He even dismantled the Carthage Depot and restored it as a cabin at Smith Lake in Meredosia, with the help of his sons.”
Yeah.
I kid you not.
(But it gets even better.)
Today, I consulted Wikipedia for more info on Meredosia, the tiny little bump in the road that has caught my attention.
And what did I learn?
Apparently, little Meredosia is “the catfishing capitol of Illinois.” Charmingly, according to Wikipedia, “it is also home to the nuisance fish, Asian carps. There have also been reports that these same fish are kept as pets in many of the local pools throughout the Meredosia area.”
(If you’re so inclined, you can read about the existence of something called the Chicago- Meredosia Gun Club.)
(That’s right, folks. You read it here first.)
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(post edited significantly on March 20, 2012)
Tags: Beardstown, Carthage, catfish, Illinois, Jacksonville, Macomb, Meredosia, obits, people, places, rural, Rushville, small towns
There is also a National Wildlife Refuge just on the edge of town in Meredosia…
Ah yes, thank you for pointing this out! It’s quite the interesting spot…
There is actually a really great restaraunt at the foot of the bridge called ‘The Approach’ It’s worth the drive.
Ooh, this sounds interesting! Thanks for the tip!
Hey there! Stumbled upon your blog after googling “Chicago Meredosia Gun Club”. I was doing a property history search in Meredosia the other day (Feb 2011). Small town, nice librarian. Wish I’d known The Approach was good, I parked in their lot! Just an FYI, I’ve travelled the Macomb-Beardstown-Springfield route numerous times. I went to school in Macomb, lived in Beardstown for two years, and currenty work in Springfield. I’ll be adding your blog to my feed reader. Cheers!