Visiting Dees

The August 6, 2004, entry in the original BTST mentions some idle vanity of mine that led me to the US Geological Survey web site, National Mapping Information. I searched the nation for places named "Dees" and, to quote myself, came up with "...39 hits for 'Dees' as a place name... It included two towns, or 'populated places,' to use USGS parlance: Dees, Alabama; and Dees, Illinois, (!) which is a hamlet in Cumberland County, near the burg of Effingham, which puts it in the south-central part of the state, a little far for a casual drive."

A little far for a casual drive from metro Chicago, but not if you happen to be in the neighborhood anyway, as we were over Memorial Day weekend. While out looking at Amish buggies and inspecting quasi-Lincoln sites in east central Illinois, I wasn't about to let the change to see Dees, Illinois, elude me.

The map that I consulted for the task was the DeLorme Illinois Atlas & Gazetteer, and Dees is on page 72, in Greenup Township just south of the town of Greenup (Effingham is to the west, but Greenup is the biggest thing in the vicinity). From the town of Greenup, you go southward on Illinois 130 -- which has a junction with I-70 in Greenup -- until you reach 350N, an east-west road through the township. Turn right. At the intersection of 350N and 1650E -- it's a T intersection, actually -- DeLorme's map says DEES.

So we followed that route exactly. I was amused by the water tower in Greenup, which said, "Try Greenup First." It's a small town, and it petered out by the time we got to 350N. I was fully planning to take a picture of the place named Dees, if there were a sign there with that name on it. So we got to the T intersection, and there was a house. And another structure, possibly a school, under construction not far away. That was it. Dees, Illinois. Did the residents of the house know that name, or was a Geological Survey fiction, maybe a relic name from decades and decades ago? I didn't stop to ask.

Still, I've been to Dees, and not many people can say that. A small bonus of this little side trip came during our return to our campground at Walnut Point State Park. We drove back to Greenup, and then to Casey, Illinois, by way of US 40. That's part of the National Road. Route 66, big deal. The National Road, now that's cool.