Editing Eldorado, Illinois (section)

==History==
Eldorado was first platted on May 24, 1858, by a surveyor named Martin D. Gillett. The post office was established on December 8 of that same year. Just before the Civil War, the first businesses were started in the town.<ref name=":0" /> The original village was incorporated in 1870. It was founded by Francis Elder and his neighbors who were brothers William and John Reed.<ref name=":1" />

In the early days, Eldorado had several railroads which came through town. It was at an intersection of the Louisville & Nashville and Cairo & Vincennes railways. The "eastern extremity" of the Belleville & Eldorado Railway (St. Louis Short Line) also came through town.<ref name=":1" /> According to Illinois Historian Neil Gale: "This settlement, by 1896, could boast of exceptional railroad facilities - The Illinois Central, The Louisville and Nashville, and The Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati and St. Louis. Like several other villages, when the railroad company placed the name on the station, the name was spelled Eldorado, instead of Elderedo, and it has been known by that name since that time."<ref name=":0" />

The city provided relief efforts to neighboring communities affected by the [[Ohio River flood of 1937|Ohio River Flood of 1937.]] Shelter was provided at the city hall, and food provided by the Calvary Baptist Church, led by the Red Cross with local help.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DENEAL |first=TRAVIS |date=2017-02-08 |title=River-ravaged region |url=http://www.dailyregister.com/news/20170208/river-ravaged-region |access-date=2019-06-22 |website=The Daily Register |language=en-US}}</ref> When the [[2012 Leap Day tornado outbreak|Leap Day Tornado]] of 2012 struck nearby Harrisburg, Eldorado immediately provided emergency assistance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DENEAL |first=TRAVIS |date=2017-02-28 |title=Leap Day Tornado remembered |url=http://www.dailyregister.com/article/20170228/news/170229765/ |access-date=2019-06-22 |website=The Daily Register |language=en-US}}</ref>

Current and former residents often reflect with nostalgia growing up in Eldorado, and doing business in the downtown area. At the center of it is a five-way [[Intersection (road)|intersection]]. A [[Ben Franklin (company)|Ben Franklin store]] stood for decades on the corner of Fourth and Locust streets. The [[Dairy Queen]] was a popular hangout, until it relocated outside of the downtown in the 1990s. At one time there were over 20 grocery stores in Eldorado, most were small neighborhood stores. Eventually, these stores and downtown businesses began to disappear due to job loss, population decrease, and the move to businesses on the highways.

The [[Eldorado City Hall|former city hall building]] is on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].
Eldorado has four official Historical Markers, with the most recent one unveiled on September 18, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Markers and War Memorials in Saline County, Illinois |url=https://www.hmdb.org/results.asp?Search=County&?Search=Place&State=Illinois&County=Saline%20County |access-date=February 8, 2024 |publisher=[[Historical Marker Database]]}}</ref>

Eldorado thrived for much of the late 1800s until the 1980s as a coal mining town, until several major mines shut down.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2005 |title="Pick, Shovel, Wedge, and Sledge" A Historical Context for Evaluating Coal Mining Resources in Illinois |url=http://www.illinoisarchaeology.com/IDNR/Coal%20Mines/Coal%20Context%202.pdf |access-date=2019-06-22 |website=Illinois Archaeology}}</ref> Another major employer, [[Roundy's]] (formerly Scot Lad) closed in 2005, laying off 170 workers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ILLINOIS |first=JOHN D. HOMAN SOUTHERN |date=March 7, 2005 |title=Picking up the pieces: Former Roundy's workers trying to make adjustments |url=https://thesouthern.com/news/picking-up-the-pieces-former-roundy-s-workers-trying-to/article_e0c51068-95f4-54cb-96da-acbdbc743b65.html |access-date=2019-06-22 |website=The Southern |language=en}}</ref>

Today, the railroad tracks have been paved over in favor of bike paths,<ref>{{Cite web |date=Feb 2014 |title=Illinois Bike Trails Map |url=https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/publications/documents/00000642.pdf |website=Illinois Dept of Natural Resources}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Eldorado Bicycle and Walking Path {{!}} Illinois Trails {{!}} TrailLink |url=https://www.traillink.com/trail/eldorado-bicycle-and-walking-path/ |access-date=2019-06-22 |website=traillink.com}}</ref> and most of the downtown businesses are gone.

===Sundown Town===
Eldorado was known as a [[sundown town]] until the 1960s. The Eldorado Normal and Industrial Institute was a historically Black college (HBCU), formed with a vision for African Americans to have access to education<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.umbrasearch.org/catalog/a87c480748cdfedd19502761162df6dd3561294c | title=Umbra Search African American History }}</ref> It was patterned after the Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington. According to the text, J.D. Alston, a notable figure, arrived in Eldorado in 1882 and led the establishment of the school. He was an active leader in the Black community and a driving force behind the school's development.

However, the school and the Black residents faced significant racial violence and opposition from the local white community. In a tragic turn of events, in May 1902, a white mob stoned the house of Reverend Peter Green, a pastor at the African Methodist Episcopal Church, who was also involved in opening a Black school. The mob continued their assault by attacking the school itself and firing shots into the homes of Black residents. This act of terrorism forced many Black families to flee Eldorado, and all Black residents eventually left the town due to the threats and violence.

====Resistance from the White Community====
Throughout the early 1900s, the Black community in Eldorado faced relentless opposition. For instance, in 1902, a mob targeted the Black settlement, causing destruction and fear, leading to the eventual exodus of Black residents from Eldorado.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=SPS19020621-01.2.60&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA--------0------ | title=The Silver Standard June 21, 1902 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection }}</ref> The text also recounts how Black students in Eldorado, like “Tilda,” who was one of eleven Black students at the school, faced social exclusion and were prohibited from studying alongside white students. Tilda's desire to attend the same school as white students led to further animosity, as “Negroes did not want to go to the white school” but were still subjected to exclusion and violence.

====The local authorities and newspapers contributed to the atmosphere of racial tension.====
The Harrisburg Newspaper reported that the Afro-American Protective League, an organization made up of Black citizens of Saline County, met and adopted resolutions denouncing an individual named Alston, labeling him a "traitor to the race" and unfit to lead. This internal conflict likely stemmed from the pressures of surviving in a deeply racist environment.

====The Response from Governor Richard Yates====
In response to the escalating violence, the board of trustees for the Eldorado school reached out to Illinois Governor Richard Yates for protection. The sheriff, however, refused to deputize Black residents to help protect the school and their property, leaving the community vulnerable. In a letter published in the *Inter Ocean* newspaper in Chicago on July 8, 1902, the governor replied, indicating that he was aware of the situation and made promises to protect the school and its members.

In the correspondence, Governor Yates noted, "I suggest you return to Eldorado and open your school at the proper time... I will furnish you by telegraph the assurance that I will furnish you and all members of the school with protection." Despite these assurances, the violence and resistance persisted, eventually leading the board to relocate the school to Metropolis.

Due to the continued violence, the board voted in August 1902 to relocate the school to Metropolis, Illinois. Despite this decision, the harassment didn't stop. In 1903, the board thanked the governor, the AME Church, and others for their support, but by then, the damage was done. Black residents had left Eldorado, and the school, which had been a beacon of hope for Black education, was eventually demolished in 1994 due to termite infestation.

J.D. Alston's legacy is somewhat bittersweet, as he continued to contribute to Black education. He delivered the commencement address at the Frederick Douglass School in Marion, Illinois, in June 1912, and his death certificate lists his occupation as a printer. Yet, the Eldorado Normal and Industrial Institute, which he had worked so hard to establish, could not overcome the entrenched racism in the town.

====A History of Violence and Exclusion====
The violent and systematic exclusion of Black residents from Eldorado is evident in these events. By 1902, Eldorado had essentially expelled its Black population. This was part of a broader trend seen across southern Illinois, where Black communities were violently driven out or severely marginalized. The text notes that Eldorado became known for its exclusionary practices, as the school, which could have been a long-standing institution for African American education, was destroyed by the overwhelming racial hostility in the area.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Loewen |first=James W. |title=Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism |publisher=The New Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-1565848870 |pages=95, 187, 425}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=France |first=Kim |title=Black Settlements of Southern Illinois |publisher=The History Press |year=2024 |isbn=978-1467155595 |pages= 45, 46, 47}}</ref>