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 […]

Since I’m really into the latest technology, I decided it would be cool to go down the river sending “tweets” to my “followers” as I make my way. But I actually don’t have a Twitter account nor any actual followers (that I’m aware of), and besides, since I’m so into the latest technology, why would I want to risk dropping […]

(Latest Notes from the River column Now that I’ve been at this for a few weeks, my reader mailbag is filling up. So this week, we reach down into the ol’ mailbag and answer a few of your most pressing questions about the Sangamon River. Q: “Scott, have there ever been any historic places along the Sangamon River that were […]

One evening a few years back, our teenage daughter informed Carol and me how she was having trouble fitting in with the popular crowd in Junior High. So she wanted us to move from our little house in Philo to a new town. Naturally, we informed her that teenage girls were teenage girls no matter where you live and that […]