Truck traffic, two railroads—with one traveling the rails across the river—and Illinois River boaters make Chillicothe one of the busiest small town shipping areas in the Midwest.

Since 70 percent of the state drains into the Illinois River, weather can cause changes to our riverfront. Pounding waves from the boats can create problems. Is the river coming up or going down? The local loyal river watchers know. You bet they can tell you about the floods!

Our local docks serve the fisherman, the pleasure boaters, and crew changes for the passing tugboats. During Easter vacation week in April, the one block was transferred into a mini-drama scene with unique machinery and supplies. The purpose was to install gigantic metal tubes over the current pilings that keep our docks secure. It was quite a show!