Steeleville, IL

Mary's River gives Steeleville its clearest geographic marker, running beside the Randolph County village before joining the Mississippi system. The area was settled by John Steele in 1807 and passed through names including Alma, Georgetown, and Steele's Mill before becoming Steeleville. An early road from Fort Kaskaskia crossed Mary's River near the village, tying the place to the old Kaskaskia-to-Ohio route. Today Steeleville Grade School and Steeleville High School keep education in the village, while the river and the roads through Randolph County still place it on the southern Illinois map. Steeleville is a small village where an old crossing, a river, and a school district still line up.