Meredosia

History

In 2011, Ameren Energy Resources Company announced the closure of its power station in Meredosia. The closure resulted in a loss of over 50 jobs, a major economic hit for the small community. The plant closure was related to the cost of meeting environmental regulations. The plant may reopen at some point as a facility to test clean coal technology, according to Ameren. In June 2018 the community celebrated the opening of a new bridge over the Illinois River. The former bridge, constructed in 1936, had become too narrow for modern traffic, and was dismantled during the summer of 2018. The bridge not only links Meredosia to Quincy, Illinois, but serves as an important transportation link between western Illinois and the center of the state.

Geography

Meredosia is in far northwestern Morgan County, on the east bank of the Illinois River, the border with Pike County. Illinois Route 104 passes through the village as its Main Street, leading east and then southeast to Jacksonville, the county seat, and west across the river and to Quincy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Meredosia has a total area of , of which , or 4.11%, are water. The Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge is directly north of the village, within the Illinois River floodplain. Marais d'Osier, meaning willow swamp, was the original French name given to the area in the early 1800s.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  452
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  400
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  389
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  381
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  345
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  343
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  293
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  281