St. Clair’s proximity to the city of St. Louis makes the southwestern Illinois county a popular destination for day-tripping Missourians. The county was organized in 1790 – the first county established in Illinois from the Northwest Territory. It was named after the first governor, Arthur St. Clair.

Some of the cities in St. Clair County include, Caseyville, East Saint Louis, Lebanon, National City, Saint Libory and Washington Park. The county seat is Belleville, and is located 15 miles southeast of St. Louis near the Mississippi River and the Missouri state line. It was founded by mostly German settlers, and the architecture of the city and the history it exemplifies are distinctly German.

The area has a variety of golf courses, and Belleville Area College. Other can’t-miss sites in Belleville:

• Lady of the Snows. The nation’s largest outdoor shrine sits on 200 acres just 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis.

• Victorian House Museum. Built in 1866, this adaptation of a Greek revival home was built by Moritz Dobschultz, a German immigrant who became very prosperous in Belleville.

• Cathedral of Saint Peter. Founded in 1842 and dedicated in 1866, it is modeled after the Cathedral of Exeter, England. The English Gothic style of architecture utilized high, pointed arches aiming toward heaven. This type of architecture is actually a forerunner of today's modern skyscrapers.