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Illinois extends from Chicago, on the shores of Lake Michigan, to the vast woodlands of the Shawnee National Forest. It is a major transportation center, and its resources include wheat, corn, soybeans, livestock, minerals, coal, oil, and an immense diversity of manufactured goods. The growth of this industrial-agricultural giant has been remarkable. In less than two centuries, it has evolved from a frontier to a vast empire of cities, farms, mines, and mills. The state is home to nearly 1 million factory workers; more than 90 percent of the land is cultivated, producing more than 40 different crops with an annual value of $4.2 billion. Livestock value averages more than $1 billion annually.
 
The state takes its name from the confederated tribes who called themselves the Iliniwek ("superior men") and inhabited the valley of the Illinois River. In 1673, the first known white men entered the land ...

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