Забытая область Иллинойса: История и протест против инфраструктурного неравенства.

Area of Illinois, United States

Forgottonia ('/f//ɔr//g//ɒ/,/t//oʊ//n//i//ə/), also spelled Forgotonia, is the name given to a 16 county region in Western Illinois in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This geographic region forms the distinctive western bulge of Illinois (area west of 90° Longitude West) that is roughly equivalent to "The Tract", the Illinois portion of the Military Tract of 1812, along and west of the Fourth Principal Meridian (see Principal meridian). Since this wedge shaped region lies between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, it has historically been isolated (except for river bridge access) from the eastern portion of Central Illinois. The name Forgottonia was created by Jack Horn, son of civically minded Coca Cola regional bottler Frank "Pappy" Horn; John Armstrong, Macomb Chamber of Commerce Board Member; and Neil Gamm, a Western Illinois University theatre student and a graduate of VIT (Vermont Ipava Table Grove) High School. In the 1970s, there were six Illinois River highway bridge crossings south of Peoria (Pekin, Havana, Beardstown, Meredosia, Florence, and Hardin), plus two free Illinois River ferries at Kampsville, and Brussels. The Valley City Eagle bridge for the Central Illinois Expressway in the southern section of the region was not completed until the late 1980s. There were issues with eagles nesting in the Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area, through which the highway passes. The Mississippi River highways bridges at that time were toll bridges with a few exceptions, and owned by railroads or cities along the river. The toll ferry across the Mississippi River at Canton, Missouri served Adams County, Illinois; it was closed in 2014.

Forgottonia represented a protest against inequalities in state and federal funding of infrastructure (e. g. transportation), communications and economic development in the region after World War II. In 1955, during the formation of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, the Chicago to Kansas City interstate route through the heart of this region was eliminated due to objections from Iowa and St. Louis as well as various granger railroads serving this region. In 1956, Missouri selected St. Louis based corridors to Joplin (US 66), Will Rogers Turnpike and Kansas City (US 40), Kansas Turnpike. A northern Missouri corridor (US 36) was viewed as a St. Louis by pass and not supported. Carthage College, in Hancock County, relocated its educational campus to Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1964. Federal highway bills throughout the 1960s that included funding for a Chicago–Kansas City Expressway were defeated and removed from the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1968. which added 1500 miles (2400 km) to the Interstate system (Interstate 15E in southern CA and Interstate 27 in northwest Texas). George H. Mahon, Texas member of the U. S. House of Representatives from 1935 to 1979 and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee after 1964, helped secure funding for the Interstate 27 route. The reintroduction of the Chicago to Kansas City Expressway was again defeated in the US Congress in 1972. These political and congressional actions resulted in the exodus of the region's businesses, long time industries, and population by 1970. Those significant events were the catalysts for more vocal public protests by residents. Variously described as a new U. S. state or an independent republic, Forgottonia eventually became a fictional political secession movement in the early 1970s conceived by residents of McDonough County, in the heart of this region. Western Illinois University student Neil Gamm was named governor, and the hamlet of Fandon near Colchester was to be Forgottonia's capital. The name would catch on because the region appeared to be "forgotten" by politicians and business developers. Due to the loss of train service in 1971, with the creation of Amtrak, the State of Illinois intervened at the request of the region's residents, Quincy University, Western Illinois University and public officials. This became part of the 1971 "Illinois Service" initiative and is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Denied access to the US Interstate highway network, the "Illinois Service" initiative for Amtrak rail service was approved in 1971. It is partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The Illinois Zephyr began daily round trip service from Chicago to Quincy in 1971, through the heart of the region. Amtrak's Southwest Chief and California Zephyr share trackage with the Illinois Zephyr as far as Galesburg. The state of Missouri's "Missouri Service" only funded the extension of the Ann Rutledge to provide daily service between Kansas City and St. Louis with continuing services to Chicago via Springfield. The Illinois Zephyr has become one of Amtrak's most successful routes, and is the longest continuously operated state supported route in the Amtrak network. As part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative and Illinois's partnership with Amtrak an additional daily train service on this Chicago Quincy line was added on October 30, 2006. This service expansion is part of the state sponsorship for increasing round trip train service between Chicago and downstate cities from three daily to seven daily schedules. The new Carl Sandburg train joined the existing Illinois Zephyr to provide both a morning and evening train in each direction. Proposals have been considered to extend the two routes across the Mississippi River to Hannibal and/or St. Louis. In February 2009, Thomas C. Carper, mayor of Macomb from 1991 to 2003, was elected as chairman of Amtrak's board of directors for a 4 year term, until February 2013. Mr. Carper rejoined Amtrak's board of directors on August 15, 2013, for a five year term. During fiscal year 2011, both the Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg carried a combined 225,000 passengers, a 6.9% increase over FY2010. The two trains had a total revenue of $5,580,227 in FY2011, a 10.6% increase over FY2010. The Interstate 172 spur for Quincy access to the Expressway was completed in 1995. This provided some relief for the southern counties and enabled Interstate access to the cities of Quincy, Pittsfield and Jacksonville from Springfield, Central Illinois and Indiana. Two decades later, the Missouri Department of Transportation, as part of NAFTA High Priority Corridor 61 Missouri corridors, completed their Interstate 72 and U. S. Route 36 Northern Missouri segment from Hannibal, MO through Cameron to St. Joseph, MO in August 2010. In coordination with Illinois DOT, the route from Cameron, MO to Hannibal, MO is marked as Chicago Kansas City Missouri Route 110.

In 1989, the idea of a Chicago to Kansas City expressway was revisited. A tri state economic and highway study was performed and found that a full, limited access tollway running from the Kansas Turnpike at Kansas City to the Indiana Toll Road at Gary or Tri State Tollway near the Joliet area would cost $2 to $2.5 billion, if funded entirely by private investors. The study was useful in providing an expenditure number (1989 dollars) to Illinois and Missouri legislatures and public officials for building the highway. Missouri DOT's higher priority from 1989 to 2000 was completing their section of the Avenue of the Saints and 2000 to 2010 for completing the Missouri portion of Interstate 72. Illinois DOT was struggling in 1990s with funding to finish existing highway upgrade projects (Interstate 39, Interstate 172) from the 1980s.

In 2009, the construction of Illinois Route 336 from Quincy was extended from Carthage to Macomb partially built along with former U. S. Route 136 alignment, on which it runs concurrently, and a new alignment bypassing Tennessee and Colchester to end temporarily west of Macomb. This provides these communities (Quincy, Carthage, Macomb) with a southwestern connection (Kansas City and St. Joseph, MO) to Interstate 72. A bypass around Macomb was under construction, with funding secured in 2014. It was eventually completed in 2018 but only opened one lane in each direction.

The Cannon Ball Trail Association, which was based in Leon, Iowa, marked the Missouri and Iowa portions of the route in 1912. The Chicago Auto Club marked the Illinois segment of the highway in 1913. By 1915, the route was considered "one of the best marked highways between Quincy and Chicago", and an extension from Quincy to the St. Louis – Kansas City highway at Monroe City was posted. In 1917 the Illinois State Highway Department, a precursor to the modern day Illinois Department of Transportation, produced a Map of Marked Routes for the new automotive owner. The route from Hannibal, MO to Chicago, IL roughly paralleling the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, was marked as the Cannon Ball Route. In a joint resolution between the Illinois House and Senate in late May 2010, an expressway project connecting Chicago to Kansas City will be named Illinois Route 110. The path, 532 miles in total, follows parts of the existing Illinois Route 336, Interstate 88, Interstate 172, Interstate 72, Interstate 74, U. S. Route 136, U. S. Route 67, and connect the cities of Quincy, Macomb, Galesburg, a number of communities of the Chicago metropolitan area, including Chicago itself on Interstate 290.

Since the 1970s, new Mississippi River highway bridges providing western access (Missouri, Iowa) to this region have been built: Mark Twain Memorial Bridge at Hannibal, Bayview Bridge at Quincy, Keokuk Hamilton Bridge at Keokuk Hamilton, and the Great River Bridge at Burlington. The 1928 Champ Clark Bridge at Louisiana, MO carrying U. S. Highway 54 was in poor condition and replaced by a new Champ Clark Bridge in 2019. The railroads, serving the region, Kansas City Southern Railway, BNSF Railway, and Norfolk Southern Railway have replaced, performed major upgrades, or demolished their Mississippi and Illinois river bridges (Keithsburg Rail Bridge). Some of these railroad bridges require further upgrades, based on the increasing transcontinental rail traffic. However, the Illinois River highway bridges providing eastern access to central Illinois, especially at Hardin, Florence, Meredosia, Beardstown, Havana, Lacon, and Henry are over 50 years old. While Illinois DOT has performed major maintenance on these structures, they are not currently funded for replacement. The first bridge to be replaced, as funds become available, is the Florence drawbridge on Illinois 100/106, formerly US 36 and 54. A replacement highway bridge at Meredosia was completed in 2018. The next planned bridge replacement is for US 67 at Beardstown. This is planned for the eventual upgrade of US 67 to an expressway (four lanes) north from Chaplin, IL.

In 1990, U. S. Route 67 in Missouri was designated as NAFTA Corridor 61, but north of St. Louis U. S. Route 67 in Illinois, through the heart of this region, does not carry this NAFTA priority designation. Portions of U. S. Route 67 in Illinois north of Macomb were upgraded to a four lane expressway with bypasses around Monmouth and Roseville. It is four lane but with many at grade intersections and a few signals. A bypass around Jacksonville has been completed which extends from near Chapin to the north to near Roodhouse to the south. Except for the expressway near Jacksonville, no other sections from Macomb extending south to Jerseyville have been completed. The 4 lane divided highway starts again at the Jersey County line, south to Godfrey where it intersects with Illinois 255. A new section of four lane highway, near Chapin, is to open in 2013. Sections farther north have some studies completed and right of way bought; no funding is in place to upgrade or complete further studies.

Since 1993, the Illinois portion of U. S. Route 34 has been incomplete between the new Great River Bridge at Gulfport, Illinois, to the eastern edge of Monmouth, Illinois. If and when the 4 lane to Monmouth is complete, U. S. Route 34 would merge with U. S. Route 67 at the south western edge of Monmouth and a new limited access bypass south and southeast of Monmouth connecting with the existing 4 lane U. S. Route 34 and continuing east to Galesburg. The Great River Bridge at Burlington was completed and open to traffic on October 4, 1993. The Iowa Department of Transportation completed the Des Moines to Burlington "Super 4" expressway project, Iowa Highway 163, on November 18, 2008. This expressway intersects the Avenue of the Saints at Mt. Pleasant. By 2020, U. S. Route 34 across southern Iowa between Ottumwa, Iowa, and Plattsmouth, Nebraska, is planned for Super 2 upgrades with a new bridge across the Missouri River bridge to Nebraska as part of these upgrades. Nebraska is studying an upgrade of their U. S. Route 34 section between Plattsmouth and Interstate 80, near Lincoln, Nebraska.

By 2003, the Macomb to Peoria Expressway, through the former coal mining regions of Fulton County was planned and routes proposed, but is not currently funded (DOT Job No. P94 025 00 URS Job No. 25364560; July 7, 2003). Hence, Peoria and Fulton Counties have no direct (short distance) highway route to Hannibal/Quincy or NAFTA trade routes to southwestern USA and Mexico. There are Fulton county opponents for improved highway access. The interchange (Exit 3) at Interstate 474 for this expressway segment was completed in the late 1970s. Currently, it is a partial cloverleaf to a short spur to the west that ends on Maxwell Road leading one mile south to Illinois 116.

Peoria, Illinois, at the eastern edge of the region, failed in the 1990s to gain central Illinois support for completing the Peoria to Chicago Highway, which was the eastern segment for the original 1955 routing of the Chicago–Kansas City Expressway. This highway segment upgrade is tabled indefinitely (low priority). Peoria was bypassed in the 2010 Chicago–Kansas City Expressway / Illinois Route 110 alignment by the Illinois legislature.

Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university located in Macomb. Knox College is a private liberal arts college located in Galesburg. Carl Sandburg College is a two year community college based in Galesburg with a branch campus located in Carthage and an extension center located in Bushnell. Quincy University is a private liberal arts Catholic university in the Franciscan tradition located in Quincy. John Wood Community College is a two year community college located in Quincy with educational centers in Pittsfield, Perry, and Mt. Sterling. Spoon River College is a two year community college located near Canton with a second campus in Macomb and learning centers in Havana and Rushville. Illinois College is a private liberal arts college located in Jacksonville, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA). Monmouth College is a private liberal arts college located in Monmouth. Lincoln Land Community College has branches in both Jacksonville and Beardstown.

In 1970, the west central region of Illinois was one of the few areas in the United States without a PBS station. Fringes of this region were served from PBS stations outside the region or state: WILL TV in Urbana; WTVP in Peoria; and KIIN in West Branch, Iowa. Cable television networks in north central Illinois communities and Macomb carried Iowa Public Television or WTVP PBS programming to their residents.

In 2011, The History Channel series How the States Got Their Shapes focused its first season, second episode, The Great Plains, Trains, and Automobiles to the historic inequality given to this western Illinois region, as a result of Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act (Public Law 84 627) and later legislation. Neil Gamm, governor of Forgottonia, was interviewed by host Brian Unger in 2011 for the series. Neil Gamm died on November 16, 2012, at the age of 65.

Forgottonia Brewing, opened in Macomb, Illinois, in 2019, is named after the Forgottonia social movement.