A true story. Once upon a time, 250,000 years ago to be specific, at the dawn of the Pleistocene Epoch, there was a great river running through our fair Village. This river, originating off to the east in the area that was to become West Virginia, flowed westward through our area and on down from here to the Gulf of […]

Here on the Sangamon River, the quiet stillness of the night awakens the senses. As the nights lengthen and the trees stand naked against the night sky, full moons seem brighter and familiar winter constellations return to the sky. Orion the Hunter has returned! ‘Tis the season of the celebration of one of the few truly global phenomena; a celebration […]

The river once told me “people think I’m dirty” So they do. So it is. Many people continue to view the Sangamon River as a ditch that functions primarily to carry away water and drain fields. As a matter of fact, the river truly is quite “dirty.” According to the Illinois DNR, at peak concentration rates, the Sangamon River at […]

This time of year something wonderful happens to the Sangamon River. With little rain, the river settles, clears up and the decaying leaves turn the water the color of strong iced tea. The black tannined water creates a mirror reflecting the world above, taking my mind back to the southern rivers, swamps and oceans of my youth. I grew up […]

Suggested headline: “Notes from the Future: Looking Backward” Author’s note: I’ve been feeling a little under the weather lately, so I’m running a reprint instead of writing a column this week. But since I haven’t actually written many yet, I slipped through my time portal ten years into the future, flew into the Apollo Mart, picked up a Mahomet Citizen […]