West Frankfort, Illinois West Frankfort Frank's Fort, Frankfort Heights West Frankfort City Location of West Frankfort inside Illinois Location of West Frankfort inside Illinois Wikimedia Commons: West Frankfort, Illinois West Frankfort is a town/city in Franklin County, Illinois, United States.
1.2 West Frankfort Cardinals Although one might associate the name "West Frankfort" with the metros/cities named "Frankfurt" in Germany or Frankfort in Kentucky, the truth is far more local.
The name Frankfort is from a French trapper's hutte assembled on the hill long before the arrival of the Jordan brothers.
Frank's Fort (Frank Jordan's fort was assembled in today's Williamson County, IL near Corinth.
Thomas Jordan's fort, "Jordan's Fort", was in Cave Township, Franklin County, IL, near the town of Thompsonville.
Jordan also assembled a fort a several miles to the east, at Jordan's Settlement, near undivided Thompsonville, Illinois.
Since the Shawnee Trail, an meaningful trading route linking Kaskaskia, Illinois and Old Shawneetown, Illinois ran along the high ground in the vicinity of the fort, this region became an attractive destination for pioneer in search of inexpensive land made available by the recently passed Bit Act of 1805.
Frankfort was Franklin County's first governmental center of county until 1839, when the lower half of the county was set off as Williamson County.
After barns tracks linking Chicago, Paducah, and Memphis were laid 4 miles (6 km) west of Frankfort, many businesses and inhabitants migrated to the new commercial center which formed near the tracks.
This new improve came to be known as West Frankfort for its locale west of Frankfort.
The region of West Frankfort formerly known as Frankfort is still sometimes referred to locally as Frankfort Heights or, more commonly, simply as "the Heights", due to its higher altitude relative to the rest of the city.
A postal service was maintained in Frankfort Heights until its destruction by fire in 2004, making West Frankfort one of the smallest metros/cities in the United States to have two ZIP codes (the other zip code is designated as "Frankfort Heights, Illinois"). Beginning in 1904, the Deering Coal Mine Company took Franklin County and West Frankfort from no coal manufacturing in 1900 to the number one coal producer in the state by 1917.
By 1927 West Frankfort's populace reached 19,896.
West Frankfort Cardinals The West Frankfort Cardinals were a minor-league baseball team that played from 1947-50, serving as a Class D partner of the St.
The mine, positioned outside of West Frankfort, was one of the primary employers of the area.
Everyone in West Frankfort was affected by this tragedy as stated to life-long inhabitants including undertaking schoolers of the time who remember their own losses or the suffering of classmates - many saying they could never jubilate Christmas again.
The West Frankfort Junior High School became a temporary morgue for identification of the bodies.
West Frankfort is positioned at 37 53 55 N 88 55 24 W (37.898545, -88.923315). According to the 2010 census, West Frankfort has a total region of 5.011 square miles (12.98 km2), of which 4.97 square miles (12.87 km2) (or 99.18%) is territory and 0.041 square miles (0.11 km2) (or 0.82%) is water. Bruce Fasol, Hall of Fame Sports Broadcaster, Community Activist, Voice of the West Frankfort Redbirds calling over 4000 games.
Each year West Frankfort hosts the Old King Coal Festival.
West Frankfort Daily American journal Municipalities and communities of Franklin County, Illinois, United States
Categories:
Cities in Franklin County, Illinois - Cities in Illinois - Southern Illinois - Populated places established in 1811 - Coal quarrying disasters in Illinois - 1811 establishments in Illinois Territory - 1951 quarrying disasters - 1951 in Illinois - 1951 disasters in the United States - December 1951 affairs
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