In the early 1800s, Lusk's Ferry Road was an important road that connected Fort Kaskaskia with Lusk's Ferry on the Ohio River. The original survey maps of Illinois show a short segment of this road south of Creal Springs, in Johnson County. This old road most likely ran from Marion through Creal Springs before ascending to the summit of the Shawnee Hills. The modern road running toward the southeast into Creal Springs may be the old road. The road leading south out of Creal Springs toward Lake of Egypt links into the Wagon Creek Road, which leads to the segment mapped in the original survey. Modern maps also show traces of an older road that ran south out of Creal Springs along a less direct line.
The route south out of Creal Springs lead to a difficult passage over the Shawnee Summit. There was an easier, though longer, zigzag route east to New Burnside, southwest along modern U.S. Highway 45, and then back east to Reynoldsburg. Creal Springs may at one time have served as the junction of these alternative routes.

Santa Claus is a peculiar place. Because of its name it attracts a large tourist crowd and there is a big amusement park whose rollercoaster we could see from miles away across the soy fields as we approached. We were coming to town outside of the tourist season; the amusement park was closed and there was an air of desolation similar to that of a seaside resort during the winter months. Beyond the fenced-in amusement park though, there was absolutely nothing to suggest why people would want to come here - no windswept romanticism, no lingering sense of summer memories set in the long shadows of winter sun. This place was just weird. Here, where the 2 highways crossed in what one presumed was the centre of town, there was a strip mall with the usual gas station, pizza restaurants and liquor stores. On the edge of the strip was a clump of tourist stores, each with a Christmas theme – Frosty's Funhouse, Santa's Candy Castle. There were giant Santa Claus figures, plastic reindeers and sagging lines of Christmas lights. It was very surreal and starting to rain heavily as we traipsed toward the strip. Starving we headed for the only open place we could see, a Subway sandwich restaurant.