Brookport (1,443), six miles up the Ohio from Metropolis, is the terminus of a railroad branch line. Brookport is oppo site Paducah, Kentucky (22,760), with which it is connected by a car ferry.
Cities of the Wabash Basin.—The Wabash River Basin in Illinois ex tends from Ford County on the north to Gallatin County on the south. Its north-south length is about 200 miles and its width varies from 40 to 60 miles. Its area is 8,770 miles, or 15 per cent of the area of the state. In this area there are 18 cities having a popula tion of 2,500 or more. The northern part of the basin is drained by the Vermilion River, a tribu tary which joins the Wabash in Indiana. This stream is sometimes designated as the Wabash-Vermilion to distinguish it from the Illinois Vermilion, which flows to the northwest and joins the Illinois River in La Salle County. Paxton (2,912) is the county seat of Ford County.
Rantoul (1,384) is in Champaign County, 15 miles north of Champaign. Shortly after the United States entered the world-war the citizens of Rantoul and vicinity secured the location of an aviation training camp at Rantoul. The camp is known as Chanute Aviation Field. The field occupies one square mile of very level land. More than a thousand men were engaged here as mechanics, instructors, and cadets, large classes graduating at frequent intervals and other candi dates taking their places.
Champaign (12,421) and Urbana (8,245) are adjoining cities, the seat of the University of Illinois. The campus with its numerous buildings is in Urbana, extending along the street which forms the boundary line between the two cities. The two cities form a compact urban area. Urbana was founded earlier than Champaign and before railroads were built. The survey for the Illinois Central Railroad carried the line 2 miles west of Urbana across the open prairie. A settlement was then started at Champaign. The "Big Four" Railroad passes through both cities. All Chicago traffic, however, is carried on through Champaign. Both cities have built good business establishments and excellent resi dential districts. Champaign has developed the more exten sive business district and has the larger population. The
two cities furnish homes for 40 per cent of the people of Cham paign County. Urbana is the county scat.
Hoopeston (4,698), in the northern part of Vermilion County, has important corn-canning factories.
Danville (27,871), the county seat of Vermilion County, is an important coal-mining center. Westville (2,607) and Georgetown (2,307), south of Danville, have coal mines. These four cities contain 4S per cent of the population of Vermilion County.
Tuscola (2,453), the county seat, and Arcola (2,100) are the principal cities of Douglas County.
Mattoon (11,466), the largest city between Cairo and Champaign, is an important railroad center in the western part of Coles County. It is a great broom-corn market, as broom corn is raised extensively in Coles and adjoining counties.
Charleston (5,884), the county scat of Coles County, is the seat of the Eastern Illinois State Normal School.
Paris (7,664), the county seat of Edgar County, is a good railroad center. An electric line connects Paris and Terre Haute, Indiana.
Marshall (2,669), the county seat, and Casey (2,157) are the principal cities of Clark County.
Toledo (900), the county seat, Neoga (1,074), and Greenup (1,224) are the principal towns of Cumberland County.
Effingham (3,898), the county seat of Effingham County, is the seat of a school of photography.
Newton (2,108) is the county seat of Jasper County.
Robinson (3,863), the county seat of Crawford County, is in the oil-producing district. It has an oil refinery and manufactures oil-well supplies. Oblong (1,482) is also in the oil region of Crawford County.
Lawrenceville (3,235), the county seat, and Bridgeport (2,703) are in the rich oil fields of Lawrence County. Lawrence ville has two oil refineries and an asphalt factory. Sumner (1,413) is in the western part of Lawrence County.
Olney (5,011) is the county seat of Lawrence County. "Larchmound," the country home of Robert Ridgway, Amer ica's noted ornithologist, and "Bird Haven," a tract of native woodland owned and set aside by Mr. Ridgway as a natural breeding-place for birds, are located near Olney.