River Bend (Illinois) River Bend (Illinois) The River Bend is a small region in western central Illinois and Southern Illinois that comprises parts of three counties: Madison, Calhoun, and Jersey. The name comes from a section of Mississippi River that flows roughly west to east instead of the usual north to south, causing a bend in the river. In this area, two other major rivers, the Missouri and the Illinois join the Mississippi River. This section of the Mississippi River is known as the Alton Lake The part in Madison County that locals consider part of the River Bend is the section north
Fox River (Illinois River tributary) near the Fox River included the Potawatomi, Sac, and Fox tribes. The Fox River has 15 dams, including McHenry Dam, which raises the river slightly to maintain depth in the Chain O'Lakes in northern Illinois, and a hydroelectric dam near Ottawa. In the winter, bald eagles can be found nesting along the banks. Early in the history of Illinois, the Fox River provided water for the Illinois and Michigan Canal via a feeder canal, allowing the canal to pass over the Fox River on an aqueduct. In 1996, a flood damaged the Farnsworth House in Illinois, a residence designed by