2012 Map of Vandalia

About this map

Vandalia serves as the focal point of this Fayette County survey, situated along the meandering path of the Kaskaskia River. The landscape is a study in early Illinois burial sites and water management, featuring the Old State Burial Ground and the Vandalia City Cem alongside numerous outlying family and community plots such as Mitchell Family Cem and Pinhook Cem. To the south and west, the river's complex hydrology is evident in features like Horseshoe Lake, Inman Slough, and Hook Lake, while the low-lying Pecan Island sits between the main channel and Richland Creek. This era of the landscape is defined by its transition from natural wetlands to managed agricultural land, highlighted by the straight-line engineering of the Sandy Run Ditch and the Vandalia Ditch, which work to drain the fertile but flood-prone bottoms surrounding Bluff City.