Muddy, IL

Muddy is a small incorporated village located in the Harrisburg Township in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The 2020 census counted 61 residents. During the 19th century, the site of Muddy was home to a small settlement known as Robinson's Ford, which was among the communities considered for the seat of Saline County after the county's creation in the 1840s. The modern village of Muddy had its start as a mining settlement established by the Harrisburg Big Muddy Coal Company, for which it was named, in 1903.

ATTRBrian Stansberry / CC BY 4.0

That mix gives Muddy a clear local shape within Illinois, with older layers still visible in current places. The local scoop is a place whose streets, landmarks, and institutions keep its earlier story close to the present. Muddy lies along U.S. Route 45 northeast of Harrisburg and southwest of Eldorado. The Middle Fork of the Saline River flows just southwest of Muddy. Muddy is home to a small settlement known as Robinson's Ford.