Illinois Route 103
State highway in Schuyler County, Illinois, US
Illinois Route 103 (IL 103) is a 9.18-mile-long (14.77 km) state route in west-central Illinois, United States. The route, entirely in Schuyler County, runs from U.S. Route 24 (US 24) near Ripley east to the intersection of US 67 and IL 100 across the Illinois River from Beardstown. In addition to connecting Ripley and Beardstown, IL 103 serves the community of Sugar Grove. The highway is part of both the National Highway System and the Lincoln Heritage Trail. It is maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The route was established in 1924 between Ripley and its current eastern terminus; its western terminus was moved north to its current location in 1932.
Route description
Route 103 begins at a junction with U.S. Route 24 in Woodstock Township in southern Schuyler County, northeast of Ripley. The route follows the LaMoine River eastward, passing through a forested area. After the river turns to the south, the highway continues east through farmland. Route 103 intersects County Route 9 before entering the unincorporated community of Sugar Grove, where it meets County Route 1.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Illinois Route 103” is state highway in Schuyler County, Illinois, US. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Illinois, Route and State, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “state highway in Schuyler County, Illinois, US” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 31, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1035004. Authority coordinates are 40.024, -90.539. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1924 and 1932.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Illinois Route 103”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Illinois Route 103 primary sources, Illinois Route 103 archive and Illinois research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Illinois Route 103”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Illinois Route 103” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.