Editing Macoupin County, Illinois (section)

==History==

The region was inhabited by [[Illinois Confederation|Illinoisan]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] when the first white explorers arrived.  ''{{lang|mia|Macoupin}}'' is an adaptation of the Miami-Illinois term for the [[American lotus]] ''Nelumbo lutea''. None of the native Indians remain, although some descendants of the earliest European settlers claim partial ancestry. The first European contact was by [[French people|French]] explorers in the seventeenth century, travelling southward down the major rivers. The main European settlement was from the southwest, as people moved inland from the established transportation route of the [[Mississippi River]].
[[File:Macoupin County Illinois 1829.png|thumb|upright|Macoupin County at the time of its creation in 1829]]
Macoupin County was established on January 17, 1829.<ref>
{{Citation
 | last =Adams
 | first =James N. (compiler)
 | year =1989
 | publication-date =1989
 | editor-last =Keller
 | editor-first =William E.
 | title =Illinois Place Names
 | publication-place =Springfield
 | publisher =Illinois State Historical Society
 | pages =[https://archive.org/details/illinoisplacenam00adam/page/592 592]
 | isbn =0-912226-24-2
 | url-access =registration
 | url =https://archive.org/details/illinoisplacenam00adam/page/592
 }}</ref> It was formed out of Greene and Madison Counties and was named after [[Macoupin Creek]],<ref name="Moses">{{Citation
 | last =Moses
 | first =John
 | publication-date =1892
 | volume = II
 | title =Illinois, Historical and Statistical
 | publication-place =Chicago
 | publisher =Fergus Printing Company
 | pages =1137
 | url =https://archive.org/details/illinoishistoricv2mose
}}</ref> which runs near Carlinville and meanders southwest to the [[Illinois River]]. The [[economy]] was based on [[subsistence agriculture]], and communication was to the southwest.

In the middle 19th century, Illinois developed and changed rapidly. The greatest change was in the building of [[Rail transport in the United States|railroads]], and Macoupin County was on the rail and road transportation link between [[St. Louis]] and the still-young metropolis of [[Chicago]]. The county lies midway between St. Louis and the relocated state capital of [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]]. The economy was still based entirely on [[agriculture]], but there was now easier market access. Towns were small and sparsely distributed, and any new communities were founded along the railroad lines that provided transportation. Culturally, the county remained closer to its historical ties with St. Louis than to more northerly areas.

Agriculture remained a mainstay of the economy, but this was joined by [[coal mining]], an industry that partially changed the complexion of the county. With coal underlying the entire region, the most economical development was to place mines alongside the railroad tracks (for transportation of coal) and located in or near already-existing towns. By the twentieth century, there were mines in many towns, all of them with substantial populations of foreign-born miners [[European ethnic groups|from everywhere in Europe]].

During the twentieth century, agriculture and coal mining remained the mainstays of the county's economy, and the county's fortunes rose and fell with them. Farming was still [[Family farm|family based]]. Macoupin County was often at the center of major labor disputes between mine owners and miners and was a hotbed of [[Trade union|union]] activity. The county had previously played a significant role in violent 1890s disputes that brought unwanted national attention, was at center stage when the [[United Mine Workers]] rose to power, and was again prominent during the internecine war between the UMW and the [[Progressive Miners of America]] of the 1930s.

Agriculture remained the county's prime economic activity, but farming became a large-scale [[Corporation|corporate]] enterprise, with small family farms rapidly disappearing. Coal mining decreased and has almost disappeared entirely. Buildings and structures related to coal mining were torn down as they were wasted away, so there is now little to see of this once-major industry.

Towns were (and still are) characterized either by a midwestern [[town square]] layout or by a [[Main Street|main street]] layout. In the former, a central city block may be a small [[Urban park|park]] with a [[gazebo]], with the [[small business]]es of the town surrounding it. In the latter, a single street will have the small businesses of the town lining either side of it. Carlinville has a city square layout, with the main county building occupying the central city block. This building houses all the offices of the county.{{verify source|No single building contains all county offices.|date=July 2020}} Typically, [[Church (building)|churches]] of the various [[Religious denomination|denominations]] will lie within two or three blocks of the town square, or sometimes will lie mainly along a single street near the town's center.

With modern roads easily accessible, some towns in the northern part of the county became virtual [[Commuter town|bedroom communities]] as people commuted to Springfield to work and shop, hastening the decline of small businesses in the towns. The same effect was felt in the southernmost part of the county, and in 2005, the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] included the county in the [[St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area]] due to increased commuting patterns and employment in St. Louis and the [[Metro-East]].