The Ronald Reagan Trail is a collection of highways in central Illinois that connect villages and cities that were of importance to former United States President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

. The trail was established in 1999 by the Illinois General Assembly, five years prior to former President Reagan's death in June 2004. The Reagan Trail was the brainchild of the late mayor of Eureka, Illinois Joe Serangeli. A volunteer-run Reagan Trail Association maintained a web presence and promoted the trail for its initial years, but the board was dissolved in July 2016 and website transferred to the care of the Ronald W. Reagan Society of Eureka College.

Destinations

The trail takes on the general shape of a triangle, and can be summarized into the following segments:

Monmouth to Eureka

The southwest segment of the trail follows

U.S. Route 34 U.S. Route 34 (US 34) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches elevation ...

from

Monmouth, Illinois Monmouth is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,902 at the 2020 census, down from 9,444 in 2010. It is the home of Monmouth College and contains Monmouth Park, Harmon Park, North Park, W ...

to Interstate 74 east to Galesburg, Illinois. It then follows I-74 east to

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

, and U.S. Route 24 east to Washington, Illinois and Eureka, Illinois. This segment has the following attractions: * Monmouth — Reagan lived in Monmouth from 1918-1919. There is also a separate exhibit in the city. * Galesburg — Reagan attended the first grade in Galesburg. At some point Reagan also lived in Galesburg. * Washington — A frequent stop of Reagan when traveling to and from

Eureka College Eureka College is a private liberal arts college in Eureka, Illinois, that is related by covenant to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Enrollment in 2018 was approximately 567 students. Eureka College was the third college in the Unite ...

. * Eureka — Reagan went to college at

, located in the town of Eureka.

Peoria to Tampico/Dixon

The east segment of the trail starts at U.S. Route 24 in Peoria and follows Illinois Route 29 north to Bureau Junction, Illinois. It then follows Illinois Route 26 to Ohio, Illinois where it branches to Tampico, Illinois on Illinois Route 92 and

Dixon, Illinois Dixon is a city and the county seat of Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 in 2000. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the R ...

on Illinois 26. This segment has the following attractions: * Peoria Heights — Contains two visitor's sites not related to Ronald Reagan. * Chillicothe — Home of one of Reagan's close friends, George Taylor. * Henry — Home of the trail's national headquarters and Visitor Center. * Princeton — An antiquing destination and frequent underground railroad stop. * Ohio — Another frequent stop of Reagan when traveling to and from college. * Tampico —

Birthplace of Ronald Reagan The Birthplace of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Graham Building, is located in an apartment on the second floor of a late 19th-century commercial building in Tampico, Illinois, United States. The building was built in 1896, and housed a tavern f ...

, Tampico Main Street Historic District, and the

H.C. Pitney Variety Store The H.C. Pitney Variety Store Building is a commercial building in downtown Tampico, Illinois, United States, constructed in 1900. The building is part of a two-story commercial block along Main Street. Between 1919 and 1920, H.C. Pitney operate ...

. *

Dixon Dixon may refer to: Places International * Dixon Entrance, part of the Inside Passage between Alaska and British Columbia Canada * Dixon, Ontario United States * Dixon, California * Dixon, Illinois * Dixon, Greene County, Indiana * Dixon, Indi ...

— Boyhood home of Ronald Reagan after age 9. The Dixon Historic Center, First Christian Church, Lowell Park, and the Wings of Peace and Freedom Park are all in Dixon.

Princeton to Galesburg

merely connects Galesburg to Princeton to complete the trail.

References

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External links