Illinois State Museum

• Native American Settlements

• Early Settlement

• Developed Farms

• Gentlemen Farmers

• Modern Farming

Developed Farms (1850-1900)

During the last half of the nineteenth century, the farms that were settled in southern and western Illinois developed more fully and the northern part of the state rapidly developed. Mechanization started to appear on larger farms and among groups who shared the cost of machinery.

Immigration continued, including people who built the railroads that became so important to the marketing of agricultural commodities. Newcomers arrived from Ireland, Germany, England, and from other states. By 1880, most of the people listed in the census had been born in Illinois.