What is the history of Walnut Hill, Illinois?
Walnut Hill was at one time the intersection of two of the main roads in Illinois: the George Rogers Clark Trace, and the Goshen Road. The original capital of Illinois was at Kaskaskia, IllinoisKaskaskia. The overland route from Kaskaskia to the interior of the State followed the Kaskaskia/Big Muddy divide, which went through Walnut Hill. George Rogers Clark marched through Walnut Hill in February, 1779 in his march from Fort Kaskaskia to Vincennes, IndianaFort Vincennes, which resulted in the conquest of Illinois by the army of Virginia. Traces of the Kaskaskia/Vincennes road can be seen in several short stretches of road in northwestern Jefferson County, which point toward Walnut Hill, ignoring the surveyed Section boundaries. Northeast of Walnut Hill, the Kell Road is a winding, pioneer road up to its intersection with Interstate 57, from which it follows the modern Section lines to Kell. Walnut Hill was also on the Goshen Road, an early road across Illinois, from Old Shawneetown, I
