Emigrants
This latter-day image depicts the progress of a group of white settlers in their trek across the prairie. Although the Thomas Lincoln family did journey from Indiana to Illinois on foot in 1830, many of antebellum Illinois' immigrants arrived in the Prairie State by way of boat or train. By the time that legions of white Americans set out for the far west, Illinois was itself no longer the frontier. Instead, cities like Chicago and Rock Island often served as starting points for these treks by covered wagon. More often, Illinois' merchants outfitted wagon trains setting out from cities and towns farther west.
Image source: Public domain
©Copyright 2002 Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project