Editing Jackson County, Illinois (section)

==History==
Human occupation of Jackson County began about 11,500 years ago. Extensive documentation of the area's [[Native Americans in the United States|indigenous peoples]] is ongoing. Exploration from the European explorers began with the [[Louis Joliet|Joliet]]-[[Jacques Marquette|Marquette]] exploration along the [[Mississippi River]]. It was not until the 18th and 19th century when pioneer farmers began to settle in the area's inexpensive land along the Mississippi River and in the forested Shawnee hills with its one-hundred-foot trees.

As early as 1810 William Boone and his indentured servant Peter mined coal from the banks along Big Muddy River. This was Illinois' first coal mine. By 1813, [[Conrad Will (politician)|Conrad Will]], namesake of [[Will County, Illinois|Will County]], conducted a large salt extraction operation using [[Slavery in the United States|slave]] labor on the banks of the [[Big Muddy River]], south of today's Murphysboro. As this was in the "free" [[Northwest Territory]], Will had to have a legal exemption to own slaves.
Jackson County, Illinois' ninth county to be organized, was organized in 1816, having been carved out of Randolph County, Illinois on the north and Johnson County, Illinois on the South. It was named for [[Andrew Jackson]], who had just defeated the [[United Kingdom|British]] Army at the [[Battle of New Orleans]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ|title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States|publisher=Govt. Print. Off.|author=Gannett, Henry|year=1905| page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n166 167]}}</ref> Brownsville, located near Will's salt works, was established as the county seat. When the courthouse burned in 1843, the county voted to move the county seat to a more central location. Murphysboro, located on land owned by Dr. John and Elizabeth (Jenkins) Logan, became the second county seat in September 1843. It was named after William C. Murphy, one of the three Commissioners appointed to select the site.

Civil War Major General [[John A. Logan]], Dr. John and Elizabeth Logan's son, was born in what is now Murphysboro on February 9, 1826. During the Civil War he moved to Carbondale, about {{convert|10|mi|km}} east of his birthplace. He moved to Chicago in 1871. During his residence in Carbondale, he took part in a Memorial Day observation at that city's Woodlawn Cemetery. In 1868, Logan, as Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued General Order No. 11 which established [[Memorial Day]] as a national holiday.<ref>Eclebarger, Gary, Black Jack Logan: An Extraordinary Life in Peace and War</ref>

On March 18, 1925, the great [[Tri-State Tornado]] ripped through Jackson County, leaving devastation in its path. The villages of Gorham and De Soto and the city of Murphysboro were hit especially hard.

The county courthouse is in downtown Murphysboro. The current reinforced concrete courthouse, completed in 1928, replaced earlier brick structures.
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File:Jackson County Illinois 1816.png|Jackson County (1816–1818), 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:Jackson County Illinois 1818.png|Jackson County (1818–1827)
File:Jackson County Illinois 1827.png|Jackson County (1827–present)
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