The Tambora volcano in Indonesia erupted in 1815, causing global climate change and economic disruption, which by 1819 had led new settlers to the Sangamon country. Sangamon County s humble beginnings seem so distant as we approach the bicentennial of the founding of the county on Jan. 30, 1821. Our founders owed their survival largely to the fertile soils created by glaciation, primarily during the Illinoian Period of 191,000 to 130,000 years ago. Native Americans introduced early settlers to corn and several varieties of squash, which became dietary essentials. And the utilization of corn in distillation of alcohol became one of the most traded items and facilitated economic exchanges when other forms of currency were scarce. Honey from wild bee populations substituted for cane sugars and was commonly traded. The Sangamon River and its tributaries, prairie grasses and stands of timber greeted new arrivals. Timber margins extended u