Editing Royalton, Illinois (section)

==History==
According to the original surveys of Illinois, in the early 19th century the [[Lusk's Ferry Road]] ran through the middle of what is now Royalton, heading on a diagonal line toward the southeast. The Lusk's Ferry Road was an important early road connecting [[Kaskaskia, Illinois|Fort Kaskaskia]] with [[Lusk's Ferry, Illinois|Lusk's Ferry]] on the [[Ohio River]]. No trace of this road remains near Royalton. It is not clear whether the road figured in the early history of the town, or if it was long forgotten before Royalton came into existence.

Mr. Isaac Snider lived in nearby [[Six Mile Township, Franklin County, Illinois|Six Mile Township]] in the 1850s on the Mount Vernon-Murphysboro Mail Road. Mr. Snider built a store in the spring of 1856 and opened a post office named Osage because Osage trees grew there. On November 20, 1857, Mr. Snider plotted a village of 38 lots. The hamlet soon had two stores, a post office, drug store, blacksmith shop, a doctor and a telephone exchange.<ref name="royalhistory">{{cite web |url=http://www.royaltonillinois.com/Page2.html |website=History of Royalton |title=History of Royalton |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529224154/http://www.royaltonillinois.com/Page2.html |archive-date=May 29, 2017}}</ref><ref name="story">{{cite news |last1=Kern |first1=Mary Alyce |title=The Story of Royalton |publisher=The Daily American |date=1976}}</ref>

In 1904 Mr. Henry Pierce laid out a village just north of the mine and named it Pierce.
He set up a store and moved Osage Post Office the store and the name of the village changed to Pierce.  However Mr. Pierce died soon after this and he had not recorded his survey. His widow Elizabeth recorded the survey on November 3, 1905.  Mr. John W. Royal owned the farm north of the Pierce farm. He had a village surveyed on his farm by September 30, 1905, and recorded that same day. As a result, the town was given the name Royalton.<ref name="story"/>

The village was inhabited by European immigrants related to the mining industry of the area.<ref name="Homan">{{cite news |newspaper=Southern Illinoisan|last1=Homan |first1=John |title=Mines are long gone, but Royalton residents' spirits burn bright |url=https://thesouthern.com/news/local/mines-are-long-gone-but-royalton-residents-spirits-burn-bright/article_2df5d1b5-9270-5a7c-aaa8-3fe74d269708.html |date=Jun 9, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Paul">{{cite book |last1=Paul |first1=J.W. |last2=Smith |first2=H.I. | last3=Powell |first3=G.T. |title=General Report on Explosion at Royalton #1 Mine |url=https://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/Royalton_North_No1_October_27_1914.pdf}}</ref>

The opening of mines in Royalton led to a population explosion, reaching a peak of 3,800 people.<ref name="royalhistory"/>