What is the history of Kell, Illinois?
Today Kell is located on Kell Road, a road that serves Kell, but seems to go nowhere, and comes from nowhere. There is an elevator and a rail line there, but these were built long after the settlement was founded. One might therefore ask: why did Kell ever come into existence? The answer may lie in Kell’s location at the junction of the Kaskaskia/Big Muddy/Ohio Divides. Before there were bridges, pioneer roads tended to follow the ridges, or divides, between watersheds. Along these ridges there were only small creeks that could be easily crossed, often without even getting one’s feet wet. At the junction of two divides, Kell was a natural intersection for pioneer roads. Prior to its destruction in the New Madrid Earthquakes in 1811-1812, Kaskaskia, IllinoisKaskaskia was the capital of Illinois, and the economic center of the Illinois Territory. Vincennes, IndianaFort Vincennes, on the Wabash River, was also an important center. Although these centers were mainly accessible by river, th
