Vishnu Springs, Illinois
Vishnu Springs is a ruined resort town located in a river valley in west-central McDonough County, Illinois. Not much of the town remains today; however, a few buildings still exist. The townsite is located in Tennessee Township. History Throughout the 1880s, groups as large as 2,000 people gathered in a western Illinois river valley in what is now Vishnu Springs. According to legend, the natural spring water was said to have had medicinal properties capable of solving a variety of physical and psychological ailments. Some time in the 1880s, the land was named after the Hindu god Vishnu because of the supposed healing power of the water. Near the start of the 20th century, a man named Darius Hicks took steps to start a town and health resort on the land around Vishnu Springs. He divided the land owned by his family into plots, and sold them for $30 each. The centerpiece of the town was a three-story hotel named the Capitol Hotel, which was built to attract people seeking the health and spiritual effects of the spring. The town featured two stores: a blacksmith shop and a restaurant. Transportation was provided by horse and buggy from the nearby town