Wood River Massacre, 1814

One of two memorials to the victims of the Wood River Massacre, placed in 1980, can be found at this stop in Gordon F. Moore Park in Alton, Illinois. The other memorial marker, erected in 1910 by the descendants of one of the victims, can be found near the Hilltop Auction and Banquet House at 2612 Fosterburg Road.

In 1812, Illinois was home to approximately 12,000 white settlers, as well as many Native Americans. Like their white American counterparts, many of these Indigenous people were recent arrivals to the Illinois territory, having been pushed out of their homelands by westward American expansion. When the War of 1812 erupted between England and the United States, many tribes in the region allied with the British who promised to help prevent American settlers from expanding further into their homelands. As the war progressed, the British paid bounties for American scalps.

In 1814, a group of Kickapoo traveling through Madison County attacked and killed 15 white Americans: three men, two women, and ten children. News of the attack spread quickly and became known as the Wood River Massacre. Victims of the Wood River Massacre included Abel Moore’s two young sons and two of his nephews, as well as Rachel Reagan and her two young children. The attack on the family occurred late afternoon on Sunday, July 10, 1814. Two of the men in the families were on ranger duty, and a third man was attending a church service; meanwhile, Mrs. Reagan spent the day with Mrs. Moore and her children. In preparation for their supper, the pregnant Mrs. Reagan returned home to get beans for the meal accompanied by all six children. When they failed to return, Abel’s brother, William, searched for them but found only Mrs. Reagan’s body; the children were not found until morning. The attackers scalped all of the victims.

After the attack, nearby settlers sheltered at blockhouse forts. Researchers believe that a group of perhaps 10 Kickapoo, who had come from northwestern Illinois, were responsible for the fatal attack. However, it has also been suggested that a group of Osage from the Missouri territory may have crossed the Mississippi. Regardless, retribution was quick. Territorial Governor Ninian Edwards offered a $50 bounty for every Indigenous person killed. The commander of Fort Russell, Captain Samuel Whiteside, led a group of nine rangers northward in pursuit of the attackers. They located the group in Macoupin County, near present-day Virden, trying to ford the Sangamon River. Some were able to escape, but one Native person killed by the rangers had Rachel Reagan’s scalp in their bag.

Two monuments honor the victims of the Wood River Massacre. The first, erected in 1910 by the descendants of Captain Abel Moore, stands on Fosterburg Road; the second, erected in 1980, stands on Route 140 in Gordon Moore Park. The seven victim's graves lie in what is now known as Vaughn Hill Cemetery on Highway 111. Captain and Mrs. Moore are buried in a private cemetery on the Moore homestead near Gordon Moore Park. Because individual coffins were not available, the victims were buried in graves fashioned using wooden planks. Two of the crude limestone headstones still exist, one in private ownership, and the other in the Alton Museum of History and Art.

The inscription on the 1910 monument reads:

“IN MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE WOOD RIVER MASSACRE, JULY 10, 1814. WILLIAM AND JOEL AGED 10 AND 8 YRS. SONS OF CAPT. ABEL & MARY MOORE; JOHN AND GEO MOORE, AGED 10 AND 3 YRS. SONS OF WILLIAM MOORE, RACHEL REAGAN AND HER CHILDREN, ELIZABETH AND TIMOTHY, AGED 7 AND 3 YRS. THIS OCCURRED ABOUT 300 YDS. IN THE REAR OF THIS MONUMENT. DEDICATED SEPT. 11, 1910 BY THE DESCENDENTS OF CAPT. ABEL MOORE.”

Written by Reed Richardson, Edited by Jessica Guldner

Emery, Tom. “Wednesday marks 205 years since the Wood River Massacre.” Alton Telegraph, Sunday 7 July 2019.

“Fifteen Persons Massacred By Indians in This County.” Edwardsville Intelligencer, Sunday 14, November 1937.

Huber, Don. “Remember the Wood River Massacre.” Alton Telegraph, 25 Jun 2006.

Wilson, Williams, The 1814 Wood River Massacre, 2014.