A State in eastern USA (8)

I believe the answer is:

illinois

(Other definitions for illinois that I've seen before include "State to west of Indiana" , "Springfield is the State capital" , "The Prairie State" , "Oil is nil, strangely, in this state" , "US state and river" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.