Editing Carbondale, Illinois (section)

==History==
In August 1853, Daniel Harmon Brush, John Asgill Conner, and Dr. William Richart bought a {{convert|360|acre|km2|adj=on}} parcel of land between two proposed railroad station sites ([[Makanda, Illinois|Makanda]] and [[De Soto, Illinois|De Soto]]) and two county seats ([[Murphysboro, Illinois|Murphysboro]] and [[Marion, Illinois|Marion]]). Brush named Carbondale for the large deposit of coal in the area.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} The first train through Carbondale arrived on [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]] 1854, traveling north on the main line from [[Cairo, Illinois]]. By the time of the [[American Civil War]], Carbondale had developed as a regional center for transportation and business, surrounded by agricultural development. This part of Illinois was known as "Little Egypt" because of the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, where the town of [[Cairo, Illinois|Cairo]] is located.

The city has had a college since 1856 beginning with the [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]]-founded Carbondale College which was later converted to an elementary school. Carbondale also won the bid for the new state teacher training school for the region, and [[Southern Illinois Normal University]] opened in 1874. This gave the town new industry, new citizens, and a supplement to public schools. In 1947, the name was changed to [[Southern Illinois University Carbondale|Southern Illinois University]] (SIU). It has become the flagship of the Southern Illinois University system. This institution, now recognized as a national research university, has nearly 18,000 students enrolled (as of 2014) and offers a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate specialties.

On April 29, 1866, one of the first formal [[Memorial Day]] observations following the Civil War was held at the city's Woodlawn Cemetery.<ref name="history">[http://www.ci.carbondale.il.us/Historical/history.html City of Carbondale – A Short History<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223061817/http://www.ci.carbondale.il.us/Historical/history.html |date=December 23, 2007 }}</ref> Local resident, General [[John A. Logan]], gave the principal address.<ref name="history"/> Logan, as co-founder of the Civil War veteran's group the "[[Grand Army of the Republic]]", issued General Order #11 on March 3, 1868, calling for a national day of remembrance for Civil War dead. This order served as the basis for the creation of a formal Memorial Day.<ref>[https://armyhistory.org/general-john-a-logan-memorial-day-founder/ Armyhistory.org]</ref> Logan called observance day "Decoration Day" and proposed it for May 30, to assure flowers would be in bloom nationwide.<ref>[http://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-memorial-day History.com]</ref>

In the early 20th century, Carbondale was known as the "Athens of Egypt," due to the expansion of the college and university, and the region's moniker of "Little Egypt."<ref>February 24, 1921. "Slogans of the Various Illinois Cities," ''Woodland Daily Democrat'' (Woodland, California), p. 2</ref> The phrase dates to at least 1903, when it appeared in a local paper.<ref>January 7, 1903. "Local Items." ''The Free Press'' (Carbondale, Ill.) 3. A social item was reprinted from the ''Mt. Vernon News:'' "Mrs. Dr. McAnally, née Pace, of Carbondale has returned to the Athens of Egypt after a week's visit with her sisters..."</ref> By 1922, the ''Carbondale Free Press'' was using the phrase on its flag.<ref>''Carbondale Free Press'' (Carbondale, Ill.), March 31, 1922, p. 1</ref>

On November 12, 1970,<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 12, 2013|title=Carbondale police shootout with Black Panthers 43 years ago|url=https://www.kfvs12.com/story/23949087/carbondale-police-shoot-out-with-black-panthers|url-status=live|access-date=February 22, 2021|website=[[KFVS-TV]]|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702003632/http://www.kfvs12.com:80/story/23949087/carbondale-police-shoot-out-with-black-panthers |archive-date=July 2, 2016 }}</ref> a largescale shootout occurred between local police and members of the local chapter of the [[Black Panther Party]] who were meeting at a house in town.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bode|first=Gus|date=February 28, 2002|title=The Dark past of the panthers|url=https://dailyegyptian.com/33454/archives/the-dark-past-of-the-panthers/|url-status=live|access-date=February 22, 2021|website=[[The Daily Egyptian]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116003905/https://dailyegyptian.com/33454/archives/the-dark-past-of-the-panthers/ |archive-date=January 16, 2021 }}</ref> The event was later chronicled in the documentary ''778 Bullets'', made by a professor at SIU.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Duncan|first=Dustin|date=August 23, 2013|title='778 Bullets' raises broad discussion|url=https://thesouthern.com/news/local/778-bullets-raises-broad-discussion/article_4e48ceb4-0baa-11e3-8c68-0019bb2963f4.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 22, 2021|website=[[The Southern Illinoisan]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130180107/https://thesouthern.com/news/local/778-bullets-raises-broad-discussion/article_4e48ceb4-0baa-11e3-8c68-0019bb2963f4.html |archive-date=January 30, 2022 }}</ref>

An area near campus known as "The Strip" was also the site of several infamous riots on [[Halloween]] in the 1980s and 1990s. The last Halloween riot occurred in 2000, when students clashed with and were tear gassed by police. Property and trees in the area of The Strip were destroyed. After the 2000 riot, measures were taken to prevent violence on Halloween weekend. The campus and the bars along Southern Illinois Avenue were closed on Halloween in following years.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Illinoisan|first=Molly Parker The Southern|title=For first time since 2000, Carbondale won't have Halloween restrictions|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/illinois/for-first-time-since-2000-carbondale-wont-have-halloween-restrictions/article_2a7b3431-fbf1-52a7-a7c4-5c83b0e9349a.html|access-date=2021-01-22|website=STLtoday.com|language=en}}</ref>

===Eclipse Crossroads of America===
{{multiple image
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 | image2 = AMS Media Briefing- The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse & NASA (SVS14519 - Slide1).jpg
 | caption2 = Carbondale experienced two total solar eclipses in seven years.
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The area was in totality during the [[solar eclipse of August 21, 2017]], with [[Giant City State Park]], just south of the city, experiencing the longest period of totality during the eclipse (approximately 2 minutes and 40 seconds). It was also within the path of totality of the [[solar eclipse of April 8, 2024]], making it one of only a handful of cities within the direct paths of both eclipses. The combination of these events earned it the nickname "Eclipse Crossroads of America".{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} In February 2017, the City of Carbondale spent $98,000 to rebrand itself with a new eclipse-themed logo, hiring the marketing consultation firm North Star Destination Strategies, Inc., based out of Colorado, to design the new logo. This rebranding effort aimed to capitalize on the prominence of these celestial events.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.carbondaletimes.com/20171222/news/carbondale-mayor-stands-behind-new-city-logo/ |title=Carbondale Mayor Stands Behind New City Logo |publisher=Carbondale Times |access-date=2024-08-23}}</ref>