Between the Bottomlands & the World

Beardstown, Illinois, is a relatively small town with a current population of around six-thousand that is located on the Illinois River, south of Peoria. It was founded in the early 19th century by Thomas Beard on land known as Indian Mound Village, a name suggestive of the indigenous inhabitants that have been all but eradicated from any visible history. The river has played a huge role in how this land has been shaped, facilitating the movement of earth, wildlife, people, and ideas. Today, the river’s importance to the town is still visible, if muted, but there are other vectors of change that have superseded it. What follows is a set of stories about some of the contemporary conditions of Beardstown in the form of a glossary. These terms came to define many of our experiences there and provide one entry into the complex set of relationships that bind the town to the midwestern region and to the larger world.