Peabody Coal Company donated the 2,642 acres of reclaimed surface mining land to the State of Illinois for the purpose of providing the Illinois Army National Guard with training ground.

Located approximately 45 miles southeast of St. Louis, Missouri and 40 miles northwest of Carbondale, Illinois in the southwest part of the state, the Sparta Training Area (STA) consists of training ground broken into 14 separate training areas. STA is located in northeastern Randolph County, just north of the city of Sparta, Illinois and is served by three Illinois state highway routes - 154, 153, and 4.

 The ground consists primarily of relatively open, lightly rolling grassland separated by numerous ponds and sections of wooded areas.  The site contains nine lakes, some of which are 150 feet deep, and cover approximately 300 acres.

STA began operation in May 2007 and is presently in a development period continually adding new training assets for using units.

  

MISSION STATEMENT: Provide the necessary personnel and equipment to conduct training, logistical and administrative support for the using organizations.  On order, conduct sustained operations in support of Federal or State declared emergencies.