The Mackinaw River, also called "Mackinac River", is a river located in the U.S. state of Illinois. It flows through what was once the Grande Prairie region of Central Illinois. This region is now a zone of intensive crop farming, and high-productivity farming techniques have extensively altered the river from its natural state. A U.S. state is any one of the fifty states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, along with the District of Columbia, form the United States of America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 25th 149,998 km² 340 km 629 km 4. ... Prairie refers to an area of land in North America of low topographic relief that principally supports grasses and herbs, with few trees, and is generally of a mesic (moderate or temperate) climate. ... Crop has several meanings: A crop is a plant domesticated for use in agriculture, considered as a group (eg. ... Bales of hay on a farm near Ames, Iowa A farm is the basic unit in agriculture. ...

The headwaters of the river are located near Sibley, Illinois, in western Ford County. Flowing west through McLean County, the Mackinaw River provides drainage to part of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area. Sibley is a village located in Ford County, Illinois. ... Ford County is the name of several counties in the United States: Ford County, Illinois Ford County, Kansas This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... McLean County is the name of several counties in the United States: McLean County, Illinois McLean County, Kentucky McLean County, North Dakota This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This refers to the adjoined cities of Bloomington, Illinois and Normal, Illinois located in the McLean County of Central Illinois. ...

The Mackinaw River then flows west through Woodford County before turning southwest and draining much of Tazewell County. The river's course describes several bends and meanders typical of alluvial rivers before flowing northwards into the Illinois River just south of Pekin, Illinois. Woodford County is a county located in the state of Illinois, USA. As of 2000, the population is 35,469. ... Tazewell County is a county located in the state of Illinois. ... This article is about the river in the U.S. state of Illinois. ... Pekin is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois. ...

A parcel of Mackinaw River hillside land, in far eastern Tazewell County just east of Mackinaw, Illinois, is preserved as the Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area, a state game preserve. Mackinaw is a village located in Tazewell County, Illinois. ...

Most central Illinois towns and cities were founded as a result of transportation on local railroads, not rivers. Even though this river drains much of three counties, only one town of any size, Mackinaw, Illinois, is actually located on the Mackinaw River. This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ...

It is believed that the Mackinaw River was named in the early 1800s in honor of an unnamed fur trader from Mackinac Island, Michigan who traded goods at or near the river. Mackinac Island is a city located on Mackinac Island and Round Island in Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. ...

See also

• List of Illinois rivers

This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Illinois: Apple River Big Muddy River Bonpas Creek Chicago River Des Plaines River DuPage River Edwards River Embarras River Fox River Green River Henderson Creek Illinois River Iroquois River Kankakee River Kaskaskia River Kishwaukee River La Moine River...

References

• Geographic Names Information System entry