Military Tract of 1812

The Military Tract of 1812 is the name of a region of the US territories in what later became western Illinois. Shortly before the War of 1812, the US Congress reserved the unorganized territory so that quarter-sections of land could be promised to men who enlisted to fight against the British. That encouraged both enlistment and later settlement although many soldiers eventually sold or traded their plots.

The Archives and Special Collections Unit at Western Illinois University Libraries has information on the history of the Illinois Military Tract.