You can reach me via email me at mdsuble@ilstu.edu; telephone me at 309-438-5808; FAX me at 309-438-5310; or write Michael D. Sublett, Department of Geography-Geology, Illinois State University, Campus Box 4400, Normal IL 61790-4400.
My professional interests include these items.
Historical/Political/Administrative Geography
Illinois and the Midwest
Professional Practice/Internships
Advanced Placement Human Geography
Among my personal interests are the following.
St. Louis Cardinal Baseball
Bicycling, Horticulture, Reading
Family and Friends
Doing Geography (Geography 204) Fall only
Illinois (Geography 220) Spring only
Field Geography
(Geography 310) Fall only
Seminar in
Geography (Geography 315) Spring only
Professional
Practice: Internship in Geography (Geography 398.01)
Indian treaties from the late 18th and early 19th centuries officially transferred title of Illinois land from the various tribes to the federal government. Today there is, in several areas, landscape evidence of these old treaty boundaries; and that landscape evidence (plus map evidence) is what I have been seeking and cataloging. One such area stretches from south of Danville to Mt. Carmel. Another is the Indian boundary that separated the so-called (Illinois and Michigan) Canal Corridor from lands to either side. That corridor runs from Lake Michigan to the Kankakee River and from the lake to the Fox River. Federal land surveys took place inside the corridor before occurring outside it, and there are slight irregularities in survey lines, property boundaries, and roads as one crosses these two boundary lines. Places, such as Indian Boundary Prairies and Indian Boundary Golf Course, take their names from the treaty lines. A third area of landscape influence runs from the Fox River west to the Mississippi, at Rock Island. An article on this topic will appear soon.
Many states have areas that residents of the principal population centers of those states consider part of the "other." In Illinois, that "other" portion is Downstate. In New York and South Carolina, it is Upstate. For Missouri and Nebraska, the "other" is Outstate. This research focus will require taking a look at each of the 50 states to identify "other" areas. Then I want to track the evolution of the Downstate-Upstate-Outstate terminology and just see where the research takes me.
Enjoy Illinois (State tourism homepage)
St. Louis Cardinals (The official Website for an ancient and honorable franchise)
Created 1 April 1997. Last revision occurred 6 December 2011.