Driving Around Dupo, Illinois in 4k Video

Filmed on Wednesday, April 23 2025, I drive around Dupo, IL to see what's going on. The area was first settled in 1750 by French settlers moving from Cahokia. Dupo was at a slightly higher elevation than Cahokia offering more protection from flooding of the Mississippi River. Dupo would have been a stop on the first wagon road in Illinois stretching from Cahokia to Kaskaskia. The village was originally called Prairie Du Pont which was shortened to Dupo in the early 1900s. The name was shortened after the instigation of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. In 1997, the town considered switching it's name back to Prairie Du Pont, but the initiative failed. In 2019, a Union Pacific frieight train derailed and caught fire, leading to the evacuation of many neighborhoods nearby. A 1.5 mile long freight train broke in half and a tank of methyl isobutyl ketone caught fire. #drivingtour #smalltownlife #illinois