<P> The capital is centrally located within the state . The city lies in a valley and plain near the Sangamon River . Lake Springfield, a large artificial lake owned by the City Water, Light & Power company (CWLP), supplies the city with recreation and drinking water . Weather is fairly typical for middle latitude locations, with hot summers and cold winters . Spring and summer weather is like that of most midwestern cities; severe thunderstorms may occur . Tornadoes hit the Springfield area in 1957 and 2006 . </P> <P> The city has a mayor--council form of government and governs the Capital Township . The government of the state of Illinois is based in Springfield . State government entities include the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor of Illinois . There are three public and three private high schools in Springfield . Public schools in Springfield are operated by District No. 186 . Springfield's economy is marked by government jobs, and the medical field, which account for a large percentage of the city's workforce . </P> <P> Springfield's original name was Calhoun, after Senator John C. Calhoun of South Carolina . The land that Springfield now occupies was originally settled by trappers and traders who came to the Sangamon River in 1818 . The settlement's first cabin was built in 1820, by John Kelly . It was located at what is now the northwest corner of Second Street and Jefferson Street . In 1821, Calhoun became the county seat of Sangamon County due to fertile soil and trading opportunities . Settlers from Kentucky, Virginia, and as far as North Carolina came to the city . By 1832, Senator Calhoun had fallen out of the favor with the public and the town renamed itself Springfield after Springfield, Massachusetts . At that time, Springfield, Massachusetts was comparable to modern - day Silicon Valley--known for industrial innovation, concentrated prosperity, and the celebrated Springfield Armory . Most importantly, it was a city that had built itself up from frontier outpost to national power through ingenuity--an example that the newly named Springfield, Illinois, sought to emulate . Kaskaskia was the first capital of the Illinois Territory from its organization in 1809, continuing through statehood in 1818, and through the first year as a state in 1819 . Vandalia was the second state capital of Illinois from 1819 to 1839 . Springfield became the third and current capital of Illinois in 1839 . The designation was largely due to the efforts of Abraham Lincoln and his associates; nicknamed the "Long Nine" for their combined height of 54 feet (16 m). </P> <P> The Potawatomi Trail of Death passed through here in 1838 . </P>

When did springfield become the capital of illinois