Muddy

History

During the 19th century, the site of Muddy was home to a small settlement known as Robinson's Ford, which was among the communities considered for the seat of Saline County after the county's creation in the 1840s. The modern village of Muddy had its start as a mining settlement established by the Harrisburg Big Muddy Coal Company, for which it was named, in 1903. The mine was sold to the larger O'Gara Coal Company in 1906. The former St. Ioasaph Orthodox Church in Muddy, built in 1913, is dedicated to Ioasaph of Belgorod. The church was located on South St. at . This church was attended by eastern European immigrants, including Russians, Slovaks, Poles, and Rusyns. It was dismantled in 2019.

Geography

Muddy lies along U.S. Route 45 northeast of Harrisburg and southwest of Eldorado. The Middle Fork of the Saline River flows just southwest of Muddy. The Tunnel Hill State Trail, a rail trail, passes through the village. According to the 2010 census, Muddy has a total area of , of which (or 99.67%) is land and (or 0.33%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,074
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,865
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,569
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,385
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,361
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,355
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  2,155
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,046

Most recent

• M 2.58 — 2025-08-09
  2 km ESE of Cynthiana, Indiana
• M 2.53 — 2024-03-05
  6 km ENE of Pinckneyville, Illinois
• M 3.07 — 2023-12-18
  5 km WNW of Waltonville, Illinois
• M 2.52 — 2023-06-03
  7 km N of Nebo, Kentucky
• M 2.52 — 2022-05-17
  6 km NNW of Mount Vernon, Illinois
• M 2.57 — 2022-04-13
  3 km SE of Springerton, Illinois