The Cannon Ball Route was a historic auto trail that ran from Hannibal, Missouri

Hannibal, Missouri

Hannibal is a city in Marion and Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. Hannibal is located at the intersection of Interstate 72 and U.S. Routes 24, 36 and 61, approximately northwest of St. Louis. According to the 2010 U.S. Census the population was 17,606...

 east-northeast to Chicago, Illinois. The route was included in the 1917 Map of Marked Routes provided by the Illinois State Highway Department, a precursor to the modern-day Illinois Department of Transportation

Illinois Department of Transportation

The Illinois Department of Transportation is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers fuel tax and federal funding to local juridictions in the...

.

Route description

In 1917, the Cannon Ball Route was marked as running north from Quincy along modern-day Illinois Route 96

Illinois Route 96

Illinois Route 96 is a north–south state road in far western Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 100 in Kampsville, not far from a ferry crossing across the Illinois River, to Illinois Route 94 north of Terre Haute. This is a distance of ....

 with the Rushville

Rushville, Illinois

Rushville is a city in Schuyler County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,212 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Schuyler County.-Demographics:...

 & Quincy Trail. It turned east at modern-day U.S. Route 24

U.S. Route 24 in Illinois

In the U.S. state of Illinois, U.S. Route 24 is a major arterial road that runs from the Missouri state line at the Mississippi River in Quincy to Sheldon. This is a distance of .-Route description:...

, before turning north at Camp Point

Camp Point, Illinois

Camp Point is a village in Adams County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,244 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Quincy, IL–MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.Journalist and historian Allan Nevins was born in Camp Point on 20 May 1890....

. It eventually followed modern Illinois Route 61

Illinois Route 61

Illinois Route 61 is a rural state road in western Illinois that runs north and east from Illinois Route 96 in Ursa to the intersection of U.S. Route 136 west of Tennessee. Illinois route 61 is long.-Route description:...

 to Bowen

Bowen, Illinois

Bowen is a village in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 535 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bowen is located at ....

, where the route ran east. The route follows Illinois 61 to its terminus at U.S. Route 136 near Tennessee

Tennessee, Illinois

Tennessee is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 144 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tennessee is located at ....

.

The route follows U.S. 136 east to the main road to Bardolph

Bardolph, Illinois

Bardolph is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 253 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bardolph is located at ....

, where the route diverts from U.S. 136, then runs east to modern-day Illinois Route 41

Illinois Route 41

Illinois Route 41 is a north–south highway in rural west-central Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 136 near Macomb north to U.S. Route 34 and Illinois Route 164 in Galesburg, a distance of . Illinois 41 is maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation.-Route description:Illinois 41...

. The Cannon Ball Route then ran north to Galesburg

Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....

 and ran very close to what is now U.S. 34

U.S. Route 34 in Illinois

In the U.S. state of Illinois, U.S. Route 34 is an east–west highway that runs from the Iowa state line at Gulport west of Galesburg to Illinois Route 43 and Historic US 66 at Harlem Avenue in Berwyn. The entire highway in Illinois is named the "Walter Payton Memorial Highway"...

 from Galesburg to Chicago, except for diversions to the city centers of Buda

Buda, Illinois

Buda is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 592 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Buda is located at ....

, Leland

Leland, Illinois

Leland is a village in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 970 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Leland is located at ....

, and Bristol

Bristol, Illinois

Bristol, Illinois, is an unincorporated community in Bristol Township, Kendall County in the U.S. state of Illinois, just south of the Kane County border...

.

Near Yorkville

Yorkville, Illinois

Yorkville is a city located in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,189 at the 2000 United States Census and is estimated to be 16,505, . It is the county seat of Kendall County...

, the route turns northeast onto Cannonball Trail to Bristol. The route then passed through downtown Montgomery

Montgomery, Illinois

Montgomery is a village in Kane and Kendall County, Illinois. The population was 5,471 at the 2000 census, and was 14,407 in a 2006 special census...

 and Aurora

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...

 before running east-northeast to Naperville

Naperville, Illinois

Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...

. Here, the Cannon Ball Route may have followed any of a number of streets before joining the Chicago-Kansas City-Gulf Highway in Maywood

Maywood, Illinois

Maywood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It was founded on April 6, 1869 and organized October 22, 1881. The population was 26,987 at the 2000 census.-Overview:...

for the remainder of the journey into Chicago.