platform. From 1848 to 1860, Lincoln practiced law in the Illinois Eighth Judicial Circuit, which meant he regularly crossed the river as he traveled around the circuit. The Potawatomi Trail of Death passed through here in 1838. The river today Despite its environmental problems, the Sangamon River is a focus of recreation for the people of Central Illinois. Key parklands along the river, moving from upstream to downstream, include Shady Rest, Robert Allerton Park, the parks bordering Lake Decatur, Rock Springs Conservation Area, Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park, Springfield's Carpenter Park and Riverside Park, the Sangamon River State Fish and Wildlife Area, Lincoln's New Salem, Saybrook, and the Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area. The river was mentioned in Sufjan Stevens's song "Decatur, Or, Round Of Applause For Your Stepmother!". Singer songwriter Ben Bedford references the Sangamon in several of his songs, one of which is titled after it. References External links Abraham Lincoln and the Sangamon River Northern Illinois University: Sangamon History Illinois Genealogy Trails: Following Lincoln on the Sangamon John Knoepfle: Poems from the Sangamon Fox (Meskwaki) wars Prairie Rivers Network Sangamon Watershed (PDF) Surf the Upper Sangamon with USEPA Surf the Lower Sangamon Surf the South Fork of the Sangamon River Surf the Salt Watershed Getting Involved with the Sangamon Watershed Rivers of Illinois Tributaries of the Illinois River Rivers of McLean County, Illinois Rivers of Cass County, Illinois Rivers of Champaign County, Illinois Rivers of Sangamon County, Illinois Rivers of Menard County, Illinois Rivers of Macon County, Illinois Rivers of Mason County, Illinois Abraham Lincoln