246 miles – Total length of the Sangamon River from Arrowsmith, Illinois to its confluence with the Illinois River at Beardstown, Illinois. 7 feet – Distance across the Sangamon River at its confluence with Crooked Creek at our place during the drought of 2012. 12.67 feet – Height of the Sangamon River at the Fisher Gage where US 136 crosses […]

This week, Notes from the River gets in on the action from the latest breakaway hit cable reality-show phenom: Duck Dynasty: Mahomet. Recently we had the opportunity to interview several of the show’s stars, a hirsute, tight-knit family of common, everyday folks running a highly successful local Mahomet operation. In the past few years, they have seen the fame and […]

A cautionary tale. And a (sort of) true story. The Bears went on a canoe trip down the Big River. But before they left, Scotty Bear advised, “After that big rain, the river is high. Perhaps we should wait to give it a try.” “Never fear”, Poppa Bear spoke up. “Benny Bear needs some lessons on what he’s doing when […]