Columbia in Monroe County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail

Photographed by Thomas Smith, April 22, 2026

1. The Kaskaskia - Cahokia Trail Marker

Inscription.
The land you are on now is just east of an original section of the Kaskaskia Cahokia Trail. In 2014, the Illinois General Assembly proclaimed this ancient transportation route an Illinois Historic and Scenic Route. The land between today's Palmer Creek to the north and Carr Creek to the south, is one of the most beautiful spots on the old trail, with amazing sunsets almost every evening and rock-lined blaffs just to the south.

The trail had upper and lower routes and this segment of Buff Roead served the upland trail. Travel over it can be trace to prehistoric Native American people 13,000 years ago. Their migrations followed animal trails for economic government, social and religious purposes. Native American cultures in this region constructed large earthen mounds and several smaller mounds north of Illinois Highway 255, and other small Kaskaskia Cahokia Trail. Native American use of these paths continued and the Illini Tribes used these same trails. French fur trappers, traders and settlers began traveling over the trails in the late 1600s. After 1718, the French colonists and military began proving the upper trail

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from Cahokia to Kaskaskia. During the British and American periods, the road was called "the Road from Kaskaskia to Cahokia." Throughout history this upland trail provided reliable transportation for exploration, settlement and trade.

Captain James Piggot, the leader of the leader of the Fort Great Run Settlement was authorized by Governor Arthur St. Clair to extend "the road from Kaskaskia to Cahokia through the swamps to an east bank landing across from St. Louis. Piggot and his sons built the road and erected two log cabins on the riverfront for colonist traveling to St. Louis in the Louisiana Territory. He named his little settlement Washington. Piggot received permission from the Spanish Commandant at St. Louis to operate a ferry across the Mississippi. Passengers were transported across river in canoes, while freight and wagons were load on a wooden platform atop log canoes and poled across.

At Piggott's death of a fever" in 1799, his widow, Frances Ballew Piggot, grated partial ferry rights to others, and eventually sold the ferry to Samed Wiggins. Ferry service prompted other settlers to locate in the lowlands near

Photographed by Thomas Smith, April 22, 2026

2. The Kaskaskia - Cahokia Trail Marker

the river, James Piggot old settlement of Washington, which housed the workers of Wiggins Ferry, was abandoned due to annual flooding of the Mississippi. Illinoistown was established close by, survived the river rag and evolved into present day East St. Louis. Piggot is credited as being one of the founding fathers East St. Louis and the streets running from the old ferry landing is "Piggot Avenue"

James Piggot's widow, Frances, and other heirs owned 1.120 acres of land in the area surrounding the old fort. Frances overcame early resentment from pioneer wives who frowned on her decision to live with James Piggot before marriage. French law had denied Frances the right to marry until seven years after she was abandoned in Kaskaskia by her first husband After her marriage to Piggot, she became a respected pioneer wife and mother, the healer at Piggot's Fort, a proponent of education, a devote lay Methodist and an entrepreneur. She owned land north of the fort, had a small log cabin erected, and added a gated garden. In 1800, that log cabin on the sand bank was used as a schoolhouse. In 1817, James Pigg's grandson Levi Piggot was the

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teacher at that school. Frances Ballew Piggot eventually married and became Frances Collard, moved to St. Louis and was instrumental in establishing the first Methodist Church west of the Mississippi River.

Captain Piggot's son William and his grandson Levi farmed land above the bluffs. It was divided and sold several times, and currently holds the Bluff View Estates Subdivision, Columbia's West Park Center, Colombia High School, and the Bolm-Schukraft Park.

Around 1850, brothers Charles and Louis Schneider, immigrants from Germany, purchased 220 acres of Piggot's land and erected brick houses and brick barns. Louis Schneider's barn was built with 80,000 bricks made locally in Columbia. The barn stood near this marker and was blown down by a tornado in 1991. The Robert Schlemmer family purchased the farm and lived there for many years. The old brick home is currently the Sunsets Overlook establishment.

Charles Schneider purchased land south of Louis. His brick home was demolished, but the barn remained. In 1978, the University of Illinois dated two log cross sections of the barn's large timber floor joists to 1769-1794, encompassing the time period that Fort Great Run was erected. During the 1980s, without permission, someone removed the barn's wooden siding, revealing the original bricks. Exposed to weather, the bricks deteriorated and the barn became unsafe. The brick upper level had to be removed, but the foundation remains.

Erected by Kaskaskia - Cahokia Trail.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Patriots & Patriotism • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1600.

Location. 38° 27.066′ N, 90° 13.735′ W. Marker is in Columbia, Illinois, in Monroe County. It is on Bluff Road (County Road 6) 0.1 miles south of Old Bluff Road, on the right when traveling north. The marker stands near Sunset Overlook Restaurant. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11604 Bluff Rd, Columbia IL 62236, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater St. Louis.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

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 walking distance of this marker: Piggot's Fort Great Run (a few steps from this marker); Adam’s Road Patrol #4 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort Piggott / Land Grants / Piggotts Ferry (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sand Bank School (approx. 0.7 miles away); American Freedom Fighter and Palestinian Girl (approx. ¾ mile away); Four-Bent Pile trestle (approx. 0.9 miles away); Milepost 632 (approx. 0.9 miles away); Millstadt Junction (0) (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 9, 2026, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 25 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 10, 2026, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.