- Ronald Reagan Trail
The Ronald Reagan Trail is a collection of
highway s in centralIllinois that connect villages and cities that were of importance to formerUnited States PresidentRonald Reagan . The trail was established in1999 by the state of Illinois' General Assembly, five years prior to former president Reagan's death in June of2004 .Destinations
The trail takes on the general shape of a
triangle , and can be summarized into the following segments:Monmouth to Eureka
The southwest segment of the trail follows
U.S. Route 34 fromMonmouth, Illinois toInterstate 74 east toGalesburg, Illinois . It then follows I-74 east toPeoria, Illinois , andU.S. Route 24 east toWashington, Illinois andEureka, Illinois . This segment has the following attractions:* Monmouth — Reagan lived in Monmouth from 1918-1919. There is also a separate exhibit in the city.
* Galesburg — Reagan attended the first grade in Galesburg. At some point Reagan also lived in Galesburg.
* Washington — A frequent stop of Reagan when traveling to and fromEureka College .
* Eureka — Reagan went to college atEureka College , located in the town of Eureka.Peoria to Tampico/Dixon
The east segment of the trail starts at
U.S. Route 24 in Peoria and followsIllinois Route 29 north toBureau Junction, Illinois . It then followsIllinois Route 26 toOhio, Illinois where it branches toTampico, Illinois onIllinois Route 92 andDixon, Illinois on Illinois 26. This segment has the following attractions:* Peoria Heights — Contains two visitor's sites not related to Ronald Reagan.
* Chillicothe — Home of one of Reagan's close friends, George Taylor.
* Henry — Home of the trail's national headquarters and Visitor Center.
* Princeton — An antiquing destination and frequentunderground railroad stop.
* Ohio — Another frequent stop of Reagan when traveling to and from college.
* Tampico — Birthplace of Ronald Reagan,Tampico Main Street Historic District , and theH.C. Pitney Variety Store .
* Dixon — Boyhood home of Ronald Reagan after age 9. The Dixon Historic Center, First Christian Church, Lowell Park, and the Wings of Peace and Freedom Park are all in Dixon.Princeton to Galesburg
U.S. Route 34 merely connects Galesburg to Princeton to complete the trail.External links
* [http://www.ronaldreagantrail.net Ronald Reagan Trail official page]
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