Mattoon

History

One of the main factors determining the settlement of Mattoon and Coles County in general was the topography. Coles County straddled a timberline in the southern half and prairie in the north. The forested areas were primarily fed by two major rivers: the Embarras River in the east and the Kaskaskia in the west. The prairie, known as the "Grand Prairie", was generally wet and swampy. An early historian described the geography: "Away from the timber to the north, the face of the country is generally quite level, broken only by long undulations. It is almost entirely prairie land in this part, and was allowed to remain uncultivated until after the opening of the railroads. It was largely used for pasturage during this period, and often presented signs of great animation as the herds of cattle, under the care of their drovers, moved about over its grassy, slightly undulating surface." Groves could be found scattered throughout the area. Early settlers to the area started homesteads in the timberline, which provided building materials and fuel. Since the vast majority of early settlers came from wooded areas of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee (by way of the Ohio and Wabash River valleys), the forests also provided a sense of familiarity. In 1826, Kentucky émigré Charles Sawyer became the first white man known to settle in the Mattoon area, just north of the timberline (known as the Wabash Point Timber) along the Little Wabash River. Levi Doty built Sawyer's cabin while the latter returned to Kentucky to retrieve the rest of his family. Within a year, a few families very quickly settled around Sawyer in the area of Paradise Township, including Dr. John Epperson, the county's first physician. Settlers built log cabins using pegs (no iron or nails). "The luxuries of life…

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Mattoon has a total area of , of which (or 99.96%) is land and (or 0.04%) is water. Nearby rivers have been dammed to form Lake Paradise and Lake Mattoon south of the city. The terminal moraine of the Wisconsin Glacier is located just to the south of Mattoon. Heading south on I-57 there is an impressive vista from the top of the moraine at the south Mattoon exit. While the moraine is of Wisconsinan age (about 10,000 years before present), the land to the south is of Illinoian age (about 100,000 years before present). The small oil field to the south of the moraine is also attributed to glacial activity: The weight of the glacier to the north created cracks in the underlying bedrock. Oil collected adjacent to these cracks.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  4,375
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,340
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,517
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,334
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,330
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,209
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,071
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,999

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2026-01-20
  4 km NW of Ohlman, Illinois
• M 3.26 — 2025-05-13
  7 km SSW of Lerna, Illinois
• M 2.58 — 2023-10-26
  6 km SSE of Herrick, Illinois
• M 2.5 — 2007-11-28
  5 km S of Hutsonville, Illinois
• M 2.9 — 2004-09-05
  3 km WNW of Saint Peter, Illinois