Fulton County Tourism Council

Spoon River Country

Fulton County is in the middle of what is called Spoon River Country. The Spoon River is a tributary of the much larger Illinois River. It is said that the Spoon River was named by the Native Americans possibly as far back as12,000 years ago. The Natives at the time used the mussel shells found in the river as utensils and evidently the main utensil must have been spoons. Visitors to the area can still see how these Native Americans lived by touring the Dickson Mounds Museum just a few miles from Havana, IL.

Visit the official website of the Spoon River Scenic Drive at: http://www.spoonriverdrive.org/

Bernadotte Bridge

AREA LINKS

Buells Marine
www.buellsmarine.com

Canton Daily Ledger
cantondailyledger.com

C.A.R. Financial
carfinancialonline.com

Canton, Illinois
http://www.cantonillinois.org/

Lewistown, Illinois
http://www.lewistownil.org

Chuck Taylor State Farm
Full Service Office
http://www.chucktaylor.biz/

McDonald's
tylaco@winco.net

700 East Oak, Room 301, Canton, IL 61520
309-647-6074
fultontourism@aol.com or info@fultoncountytourism.org

The Spoon River winds through the hills of Fulton County giving the already picturesque view the beauty of running waters. This region is so beautiful during autumn when the leaves of the many thousands of trees that blanket the area change their colors, that thousands of people from all over the country descend upon this county touring what is called the Spoon River Scenic Drive.

Bernadotte Spoon River Scenic Drive

During the first two weekends in the month of October hundreds of vendors from all over the area setup shop in large tents in every town in the county and along every highway. Visitors will find anything from the crafts of the local artisans to the homemade cooking of local churches. Every historical site isopened for visitors, local actors put on theatrical productions, and musicians fill the air with melody. For anyone wishing to have a down-home good time October is the month of the Spoon River Scenic Drive.

Bernadotte Spoon River Scenic Drive

AREA LINKS

Old School Center
http://www.oldschoolcenter.com/

Renaissance Care Center Inc.

State Representative
Michael K. Smith
mks@winco.net

Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive
http://www.spoonriverdrive.org

The Sweet Shoppe

Webb's Valley View Campground
clwebb@theramp.net

MidAmerica National Bank
midnatbank.com

The Nature Conservancy ~ Emiquon Project
www.nature.org

Swango Wood Creations

Tompkins State Bank

Pictures by Crystal Hardesty

To learn more about the Spoon River and Fulton County try finding a book called “A Spoon River Portrait Its History and Festivals” by Marjorie Rich Bordner. The book is out of print but the last time I checked there were still used copies for sale at Barnes & Noble's Online Store, or the next time you are in Canton, IL try looking up the author.

Marjorie Rich Bordner