Western Illinois could have been part of 'Forgottonia'

By Tom Emery

In recent news, a measure will appear on the ballot in California to divide the Golden State into three separate entities. Every so often, someone in Springfield introduces legislation to break off Chicago from the rest of Illinois.

Fifty years ago, parts of western Illinois could have become their own state – though whether the move was fact or fantasy is somewhat unclear.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, pockets of a movement arose to create “Forgottonia,” composed of 16 counties of western Illinois, as its own municipality. The name was a play on the belief that the region had been “forgotten” by the federal government.

The 16 counties were bordered by the Mississippi River on the west and stretched from Calhoun County on the south to Mercer County on the north. Included were such locales as Jacksonville, Galesburg, Quincy, and Monmouth.

The movement – if there actually was one – was centered in Macomb, where Western Illinois University theater student Neil Gamm, a Vietnam veteran, was named governor of Forgottonia. The village of Fandon, barely more than a wide spot in the road south of Colchester, was selected as the capital. Forgottonia even had its own flag, a designated blank white sheet.

Gamm, a native of Table Grove who was often attired in classic suits and bow ties, became the face of Forgottonia, which he claimed was cooked up by himself and two others, the son of a community-minded Coca-Cola bottler and a member of the Macomb Chamber of Commerce Board.

The concept was in response to a series of economic blows to the region, which the locals blamed on an indifferent federal government. It was the era of interstate highways, which began in America in 1956, though western Illinois was reaping few of the rewards.

Federal funding for a highway from Chicago to Kansas City that was slated to roll through western Illinois was not approved by Congress at least three times, and passenger rail service from Chicago to Macomb was abolished in 1970. In addition, Carthage College, located in Hancock County since 1870, moved its campus to Kenosha, Wis., in 1964.

A 2010 account said that the movement “was a way to draw attention to the plight of the forgotten prairie.” In that same source, Gamm declared that “people were frustrated. They needed someone to speak for them…people just didn’t have any voice.”

Gamm admitted that he knew nothing of the issues back then and that “I was just in it to be funny,” but added “then I saw that people had legit concerns and they had nobody to talk to about it.” By that time, the ploy had become somewhat of a political issue, and Gamm’s appearances were in demand while politicians hesitated to buck the idea. As a result, Gamm’s celebrity skyrocketed, at least for a while.

The idea of Forgottonia has been called a “stunt” and “fictional political secession movement,” and indeed, many descriptions appear tongue-in-cheek. Still, Forgottonia was covered in such media as the New York Times, Philadelphia Enquirer, and Sacramento Bee, as well as numerous television and radio outlets. Gamm recalled that the media “was covering it like this was the real deal.”

By 1972, the movement began to slide away. Amtrak service, which began in 1971, took in parts of Forgottonia, and eventually, some major highways were built through the region. Gamm held a string of jobs mainly out of state, in Montana, Wyoming, and Oregon. He died at age 65 in November 2012.

Still, remnants of Forgottonia remain. A barn near Avon sports the words “Forgottonia, USA,” and some “supporters” of the movement still speak fondly of it. A blog that recalls the idea of Forgottonia is maintained by Steve Davis, a politically active resident of Elmwood.

In 2011, the History Channel series How the States Got Their Shapes featured a segment on Forgottonia, highlighted by an interview with Gamm.

Though it never passed the talking stage, the idea of Forgottonia is not unique in current American culture. In 2014, a Reuters poll revealed that 23.9 percent of Americans surveyed would like to see their state secede from the Union.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Ill. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or [email protected].