[5] According to legend, a signpainter for the railroad painted the name "Eldorado" on the train depot; as a result, the spelling and pronunciation (el-do-RAY-doh) was forever changed.

The "eastern extremity" of the Belleville & Eldorado Railway (St. Louis Short Line) also came through town.

"[4] The city provided relief efforts to neighboring communities affected by the Ohio River Flood of 1937.

[7] When the Leap Day Tornado of 2012 struck nearby Harrisburg, Eldorado immediately provided emergency assistance.

[8] Current and former residents often reflect with nostalgia growing up in Eldorado, and doing business in the downtown area.

[11] Today, the railroad tracks have been paved over in favor of bike paths,[12][13] and most of the downtown businesses are gone.

However, the school and the Black residents faced significant racial violence and opposition from the local white community.

In a tragic turn of events, in May 1902, a white mob stoned the house of Reverend Peter Green, a pastor at the African Methodist Episcopal Church, who was also involved in opening a Black school.

The mob continued their assault by attacking the school itself and firing shots into the homes of Black residents.

The Harrisburg Newspaper reported that the Afro-American Protective League, an organization made up of Black citizens of Saline County, met and adopted resolutions denouncing an individual named Alston, labeling him a "traitor to the race" and unfit to lead.

In response to the escalating violence, the board of trustees for the Eldorado school reached out to Illinois Governor Richard Yates for protection.

The sheriff, however, refused to deputize Black residents to help protect the school and their property, leaving the community vulnerable.

In a letter published in the *Inter Ocean* newspaper in Chicago on July 8, 1902, the governor replied, indicating that he was aware of the situation and made promises to protect the school and its members.

In the correspondence, Governor Yates noted, "I suggest you return to Eldorado and open your school at the proper time...

Despite these assurances, the violence and resistance persisted, eventually leading the board to relocate the school to Metropolis.

Due to the continued violence, the board voted in August 1902 to relocate the school to Metropolis, Illinois.

He delivered the commencement address at the Frederick Douglass School in Marion, Illinois, in June 1912, and his death certificate lists his occupation as a printer.

Yet, the Eldorado Normal and Industrial Institute, which he had worked so hard to establish, could not overcome the entrenched racism in the town.

This was part of a broader trend seen across southern Illinois, where Black communities were violently driven out or severely marginalized.

The text notes that Eldorado became known for its exclusionary practices, as the school, which could have been a long-standing institution for African American education, was destroyed by the overwhelming racial hostility in the area.

[20][19] It is located within the Wabash Valley seismic zone, and just north of the Cottage Grove Fault System.

when declining circulation and advertising revenue for the Eldorado Daily Journal forced its parent company to scale back publication to only three days per week.

Effective March 1, 2004, SIH entered into an agreement with Alliant Management Services to return the hospital to local ownership and governance.

Pearce Hospital opened in 1949, and closed 40 years later, in 1989 due to financial issues and a dwindling patient load.

[29] Just south of Eldorado are wonderful sightseeing opportunities at the Shawnee National Forest and Garden of the Gods.

Glen O. Jones Lake is also a short drive, just south of neighboring Equality, and a popular location for fishing.

On September 28, 1963, five months before The Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show brought them stardom in the United States, George Harrison performed at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Eldorado with a local band called The Four Vests.

At the time, Harrison and his brother were visiting their sister, Louise, who had recently relocated with her husband to nearby Benton.