From Prairie to Fruited Plain:
The History of Illinois Agriculture
The History of Illinois Agriculture Web Exhibit features the Illinois State Museum’s collections and research to explore the history of the land, people, plants, animals, and technology that led to today’s agriculture in Illinois.
Learn how the Ice Age glaciers left fertile soils that we use for agriculture. See Native American and pioneer tools, machinery by Illinois inventors, such as John Deere. View records, including early photographs of farms in different parts of the state. Hear interviews with farmers and their descendants. Read about the different ethnic and racial groups who have participated in Illinois agriculture.
Lesson plans and interactives help viewers do family and community research, date artifacts, and test their knowledge of plants and animals.