Editing Gallatin County, Illinois (section)

==History==
Salt production served as the state's first major industry in the early 19th century. Saltworks developed first by Native Americans, and the French had settled at the Great Salt Spring on the south side of the [[Saline River (Illinois)|Saline River]], about five miles downstream from [[Equality, Illinois|Equality]]. Beginning in 1803, salt works were also developed at Half Moon Lick, southwest of Equality on the north side of the Saline River. Half Moon Lick is now on private land, but the [[Illinois Salines|Great Salt Springs]] are on public lands in the [[Shawnee National Forest]], about one mile west of the Saline River bridge across [[Illinois Route 1]] on Salt Well Road.<ref>Jon Musgrave. 2004, Rev. ed. 2005. ''[http://www.illinoishistory.com/books Slaves, Salt, Sex & Mr. Crenshaw: The Real Story of the Old Slave House and America's Reverse Underground Railroad]''. Marion, Ill.: IllinoisHistory.com. 57-65.</ref>

Gallatin County was organized in 1812 from land formerly in [[Randolph County, Illinois|Randolph County]]. It was named for [[Albert Gallatin]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gannett, Henry |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ |title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |publisher=Govt. Print. Off. |year=1905 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n132 133]}}</ref> who was then Secretary of the Treasury. The bank at Shawneetown was the first in Illinois. It was originally in the [[John Marshall House Museum|John Marshall House]], which has been rebuilt and serves as the museum of the Gallatin County Historical Society. This should not be confused with the  [[Shawneetown Bank State Historic Site|State Bank of Illinois building]], which is a state historic site a block away in [[Shawneetown, Illinois|Old Shawneetown]]

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File:Gallatin County Illinois 1812.png|Gallatin County created in the [[Illinois Territory]] period between 1812 and 1815
File:Gallatin County Illinois 1815.png|Gallatin between 1815 and 1816
File:Gallatin County Illinois 1816.png|Gallatin between 1816 and 1818, including unorganized territory (formerly part of Johnson County) temporarily attached to it.<ref>White, Jesse.  ''Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties.'' State of Illinois, March 2010.  [http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/ipub15.pdf]</ref>
File:Gallatin County Illinois 1818.png|Gallatin between 1818 and 1847
File:Gallatin County Illinois 1847.png|Gallatin in 1847, when a cession to Hardin and the creation of Saline County reduced it to its current territory
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