Rock Island in Rock Island County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Illinois in the American Revolution

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 9, 2022

1. Illinois in the American Revolution Marker

Inscription. The Sauk Indian village on the Rock River marks the site of the westernmost conflict of the Revolutionary War. In the summer of 1780, an American force under John Montgomery, with French and Spanish allies, destroyed the village of Saukenuk. Colonel George Rogers Clark had ordered the expedition in retaliation for Indian participation in the British attempt to capture Cahokia and St. Louis. The Sauk rebuilt their village and remained there until 1828 when most of them moved across the Mississippi. Some families, led by the warrior Black Hawk, made their home there until after the Black Hawk War of 1832.

Erected 1976 by The Illinois Bicentennial Commission • The Illinois State Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Illinois State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1780.

Location. 41° 27.839′ N, 90° 34.38′ W. Marker is on Rock Island, Illinois, in Rock Island County. It can be reached from 46th Avenue (Illinois Route 3) ¼

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mile east of 15th Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is on the Black Hawk State Historic Site Trail behind the Hauberg Indian Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1510 46th Ave, Rock Island IL 61201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Illinois

and in the Quad Cities.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Black Hawk: Saux Warrior (here, next to this marker); To the Memory of La Main Cassee "The Broken Hand," a Fearless Sauk Chief (within shouting distance of this marker); The Black Hawk Inns (within shouting distance of this marker); Figure Eight Roller Coaster and Balloon Ascension Tower (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Soldiers and

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 9, 2022

2. Illinois in the American Revolution Marker

Sailors Monument (approx. 1.3 miles away); Chippiannock Cemetery (approx. 1.3 miles away); Lincoln and the Black Hawk War (approx. 1½ miles away); Robert Wagner House (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rock Island.

Regarding Illinois in the American Revolution. It is believed the Sauk rebuilt Saukenuk on the south bank of Rock River, about 1½ miles east of present-day Milan, Illinois. That is based on skeletal remains of at least 34 people found in the area since the late 1950s.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 884 times since then and 105 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 11, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.