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Village History
For many years, several Indian tribes populated the area around Elkhart Hill. When James Latham, the first white settler, arrived in 1819, the area became known as Elk Heart Grove. Elkhart City was . . . — — Map (db m162651) HM
In 1770, a group of Kickapoo Indians captured Ann Gilham and her 3 children from their cabin in Kentucky, and forced them to travel to this site known as Kickapoo Town, and was held in captivity for 2 years. Later, was ransomed by the husband, James . . . — — Map (db m159309) HM
George Washington was President in 1790 when a group of Kickapoo braves captured Ann Gilham, her daughter and 2 sons from their Kentucky cabin and forced them to travel overland to this place - known as Kickapoo Town, a major Kickapoo village in . . . — — Map (db m159311) HM
In 1816 while this land area was still a part of the Illinois Territory and before Illinois became a state on December 3, 1818, two brothers named Lorton from St. Joseph, Michigan came to this vicinity and built an Indian trading house which also . . . — — Map (db m33295) HM
Forcibly removed from northen Indiana to eastern Kansas, over 800 Potawatomi encamped here, cared for sick, and were allowed to hunt; 2 children and 1 woman died; 39 deaths occurred along the entire route.
Sponsors: Hanson Engineers, . . . — — Map (db m33284) HM
During the historical period, the earliest inhabitants of the present-day community of Bunker Hill were the Peoria, Kickapoo, and Winnebago Indians who established an encampment near North Washington and West Morgan Streets. Another Native American . . . — — Map (db m143178) HM
In remembrance of the pioneer days of this area and to the memory of the victims of the Wood River Massacre
who were killed by Indians near this site on July 10, 1814 - Rachel Reagan, Elizabeth 7, Timothy 3 wife and children of Reason Reagan - . . . — — Map (db m47661) HM
In 1673 Jacques Marquette reported that he and fellow French explorer Louis Jolliet discovered a Painting of what was probably two "Water Monsters" on the bluffs of the Mississippi River near present day Alton. By 1700 those pictographic creatures . . . — — Map (db m89339) HM
Cahokia was the largest prehistoric Indian community in America north of Mexico. It covered an area of six square-miles, including at least 120 mounds of different size and function. Initial occupation during Late Woodland times (AD 700-800) . . . — — Map (db m151122) HM
Monks Mound is the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas. Its base covers over 14 acres, and it rises to a height of 100 feet. It contains an estimated 22 million cubic feet of earth, all hand-carried in baskets from the many borrow pits . . . — — Map (db m62175) HM
The central ceremonial precinct of Cahokia was enclosed by a defensive wall, the Stockade (or Palisade). It was built of upright logs placed in 4-5 foot deep trenches and probably stood 10-15 feet high above the ground. It would take an estimated . . . — — Map (db m74887) HM
Route 66, the Mother Road, is an American icon that symbolizes romance and freedom of the open road. Born in 1926, Route 66 was one of the first numbered U.S. highways, journeying 2,500 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. Today, you can still "get . . . — — Map (db m144542) HM
Ninian Edwards, Illinois' third governor, was born in Maryland in 1775. Edwards attended college in Pennsylvania but left to study law in Kentucky, where he became chief justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1807. Edwards moved to Illinois in . . . — — Map (db m182844) HM
The remnants of Pogue Store, seen here, mark the center of Edwardsville's business district more than two centuries ago. In 1818, when Robert Pogue built his store, it was located directly across the street from courthouse square.
Pogue's was a . . . — — Map (db m160042) HM
At least five large post-circle monuments were built at this location from AD 1100 to 1200, each with a different diameter and number of posts. Woodhenge III is the circle most extensively excavated and is the one reconstructed here, in the original . . . — — Map (db m62174) HM
Scenic vistas, blossoming fields, soaring eagles and a rich history lure visitors off the main stretch of the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway to discover Godfrey during every season of the year. The beauty of the bluff region can . . . — — Map (db m220776) HM
In 1804-1806, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery on an epic journey. Charged by President Thomas Jefferson to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean through the newly acquired Louisiana territory, they mapped the . . . — — Map (db m163844) HM
Excavations on top revealed that a
large building, 104'x 48', once stood
on the back end of Monks Mound.
Large pits in the center held posts
supporting the roof, which could
have been 40' tall. A fenced
courtyard surrounded the building
and a . . . — — Map (db m161393) HM
Excavations here revealed that this
ramp had been enlarged several
times after AD 1150.
On the surfaces of the older ramps, impressions in the soil indicated where log steps were held in place with wooden pegs. A fence and . . . — — Map (db m161391) HM
Excavations on the southwest corner found that several large ceremonial buildings had burned around AD 1150. Next, a small mound and a new building on top were erected above this and rebuilt
eight times over the next 100 years. . . . — — Map (db m161392) HM
This path closely follows the route of the Stockade wall around central Cahokia. It was built four times; a new wall replaced an older decaying one. The Stockade's primary purpose was defense, indicated by the regularly
spaced bastions. . . . — — Map (db m161390) HM
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark originally planned to camp west of the Mississippi River during the winter of 1803-04. Carlos Dehault Delassus, the Spanish commandant at St. Louis, however, had not received formal notification from his government . . . — — Map (db m141787) HM
Home to thousands of men, women, and children, the Cherokee Nation once spread across parts of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. The 1830 Indian Removal Act required that the Cherokee and other southeastern tribes surrender their land . . . — — Map (db m154723) HM
University of Chicago archaeologists excavated at Kincaid from 1934 through 1944. Their work set a new standard for archaeological excavation in the United States, and the methods used here are the basis for much of today's archaeological practice . . . — — Map (db m233638) HM
Between 1000 and 700 years ago, the first people to practice large-scale agriculture in southern Illinois established Kincaid Mounds as the seat of their Chiefdom. These Native Americans were of the Mississippian culture and occupied Kincaid from . . . — — Map (db m233636) HM
By the late 1700’s, the Kickapoo people had established a major settlement here, close to fertile fields, abundant game and timber, and important trade routes. Opposed to American expansion, these Native Americans allied with the British during the . . . — — Map (db m157154) HM
This park is the location of the major village of the Kickapoo Indians in central Illinois. The French first recorded a well established Kickapoo presence here in 1752. The 1818 surveyor's map for the new state of Illinois showed the grand village . . . — — Map (db m157173) HM
From the early 1700s until 1832 this site was occupied by several thousand Kickapoo. This park is dedicated to those ancestors who lived and died here, a great Nation that once called this place home
As a people who honor their elders and . . . — — Map (db m157174) HM
The John Patton Cabin, originally situated 3½ miles southeast of this site, is a structure intimately linked with the relations of whites and Indians on the Illinois frontier. Built with the assistance of Kickapoo Indians from a nearby village, . . . — — Map (db m160059) HM
The Sangamon River lies just a few miles to the east. The river's flowing water served as a travel conduit for Native Americans and early European explorers to the region. Settlers also depended heavily on the river for powering their mills. The . . . — — Map (db m57345) HM
Abraham Lincoln visited Mercer County on at least two occasions. On May
7 and 8, 1832, at the onset of the Black Hawk War, Captain Lincoln led his
company of Illinois militia northeast from Oquawka to the Rock River at
Milan through Mercer . . . — — Map (db m230129) HM
Columbia's Main Street began as the Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail, a path created by Indians as long as 11,000 B.C. when the traveled from Old Kaskaskia [Kaskaskia Island] to Cahokia. The Trail played an integral part in French colonization, and remained . . . — — Map (db m171259) HM
Salt Lick Point marks the place where the manufacture of salt was carried on in early time. The Indians probably used this point to obtain their salt. This saline trade was one of the earliest established in the West. Gen. John Edgar, of Kaskaskia . . . — — Map (db m241422) HM
These earliest settlers Capt. James Moore, The leader. Shadrach Bond, Robert Kidd, Larken Rutherford, and James Garretson, were who served under George Rogers Clark in 1778.
They arrived with their families in the spring of 1782 and . . . — — Map (db m227340) HM
Ditch Tavern…
…was the first hotel in Waterloo located on North Main Street, and run by David and Hannah Ditch. David H. Ditch owned the land on which Waterloo was built until it was purchased by George Forquer in 1818.
The Old Tavern . . . — — Map (db m148322) HM
This stone arch bridge dates back to 1877 when it was built by Charles Liebheit and Christian Hartmann. It extends over a tributary of Fountain Creek, called Moore's Run (named after James Moore, one of the founders of Waterloo). This bridge is . . . — — Map (db m143476) HM
This statue pays homage to the buffalo, or bison which roamed the uplands of Monroe County thousands of years ago, trampling down prairie grasses, creating what became the Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trial. The trail was also used by Native Americans and was . . . — — Map (db m143250) HM
Early French traders who traveled the Rock River named the large bend southwest of this point, Grand Detour. Winnebago and Potawatomi villages in the area made it a prominent location for fur trading posts, and during the 1820's the United States . . . — — Map (db m131290) HM
The towering concrete statue known as "Black Hawk" is Lowden State Park's most famous landmark. The sculpture, a marvel of period engineering and technology, was created between 1908 and 1910 by sculptor Lorado Taft and artist and engineer John G. . . . — — Map (db m185025) HM
In the spring of 1832, the land along the Rock River was a battlefield. The United States was at war with a band of Sauk and Fox Indians. At stake were the Indians' tribal homelands of northwestern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.
Almost 30 . . . — — Map (db m185021) HM
The Indians called this area Nanusha (buffalo). The first settlers arrived here in 1829 and six years later a village, St. Marion, was laid out. About 1840 the name was changed to Buffalo Grove and the village prospered until 1855 when the railroad . . . — — Map (db m208581) HM
Early in the Black Hawk War Indians concealed near this spot in Buffalo Grove, May 19, 1832, killed William Durley, a member of a six man detail carrying dispatches from Colonel James M. Strode at Galena to General Henry Atkinson at Dixon's Ferry. . . . — — Map (db m208585) HM
Here, on May 14, 1832, the first engagement of the Black Hawk War took place when 275 Illinois Militiamen under Maj. Isaiah Stillman were put to flight by Black Hawk and his warriors. So thoroughly demoralized were the volunteers that a new army had . . . — — Map (db m59710) HM
In memory of the Illinois volunteers who fell at Stillman's Run, May 14, 1832, in an engagement with Black Hawk and his warriors.
Captain John G. Adams
Sergeant John Walters
Corporal James Milton
Private Isaac Perkins
Private Joseph . . . — — Map (db m131319) HM WM
Gomo or Masemo (Resting Fish) (b. ca. 1750- d. 1815), a Potawatomi leader, respected by members of many tribes, the residents of French Peoria, governor of the Illinois Territory Ninian Edwards, and William Clark, then U.S. agent for Indian affairs. . . . — — Map (db m183548) HM
When Father Marquette, the missionary, and Louis Joliet, the trader, first white men to see the site of Peoria, came ashore here in the summer of 1673, there was an Indian village at this location. 100 years later, the French had built a village . . . — — Map (db m183623) HM
The city of Peoria was named for the Peoria tribe of the Iliniwek Indian confederacy who once lived here. It was in 1673 that Jacques Marquette and the explorer Louis Jolliet traveled through the widened portion of the Illinois river known as Lake . . . — — Map (db m150580) HM
Meaning “fat lake,” Illinois Indian name for Peoria Lake. Here passed Jolliet and Marquette in 1673. Established near the lake were Ft. Crévecoeur, 1680; Ft. St. Louis, 1691-92; Old Peorias Fort and village, 1730; Peorias, 1778; Ft. . . . — — Map (db m150584) HM
We honor the pioneers and the three Native Americans who died here while on the Trail of Death march in 1838 and are buried in this cemetery — — Map (db m33255) HM
About 800 Potawatomi Indians camped at Pyatt’s Point during a forced march from Twin-Lakes, Ind. To the reservation on the Osage River, Kansas. One woman, three children were buried during this stop. — — Map (db m33262) HM
On Oct. 5, 1838, about 800 Potawatomi Indians camped at McKee’s Creek near here on the forced removal from Indiana to Kansas, known as the Trail of Death. They crossed the Illinois River by ferry. Leaving the river they had to seek water, because of . . . — — Map (db m135378) HM
Built by A. H. Buel, who received a
deed to the lot 18 October, 1841 from
Daniel Field. Family members, some
of whom lived in the house until 1986,
thought Mr. Buel, a tanner, built the
house shortly after the deed was
executed.
The . . . — — Map (db m159835) HM
Kaskaskia Village was formed in 1703 by Kaskaskia Indians, attended by a French priest and fur traders. It grew to be the center of French life in the Illinois Country.
Occupied by British, 1765. Captured for Virginia by George Rogers Clark, . . . — — Map (db m163787) HM
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark arrived in Kaskaskia with twenty-four men on November 29, 1803. Here they acquired the expedition's third boat, a pirogue. After recruiting twelve more soldiers, the Captains hired expert boatman and interpreter . . . — — Map (db m143581) HM
1703- The Illini tribes establish a village on the Kaskaskia River seven miles north of its confluence with the Mississippi. The Jesuits and other French people in the area settle in with the natives. The historic French colonial village of . . . — — Map (db m192533) HM
In 1722, as part of the old French colony that developed in the Mississippi Valley, a tract of land donated
by the Royal Indies Company was settled as Prairie du Rocher. The motivation for this settlement was
agriculture, mining, and a home for . . . — — Map (db m206205) HM
The Modoc Rock Shelter site was discovered in 1951 by archaeologist Irvin Peithmann. As a result of road grading, Peithmann
observed artifacts on the surface under or near the bluff at the site on Bluff Road. This spurred major excavations in . . . — — Map (db m206022) HM
As early as 8000 B.C. prehistoric Indians were camping in the shelter of this great sandstone bluff. These nomadic people, who lived by hunting animals and gathering plants for food and fibers, came here regularly for more than 6000 years. Later . . . — — Map (db m161319) HM
Modoc Rock Shelter is best known for campsites of the Archaic Period, ranging in age from 8,900 to 4,000 years ago.
During the early part of the Archaic Period, Native Americans camped here for short periods. They hunted deer, trapped . . . — — Map (db m163695) HM
This sandstone bluff provided shelter for Native American groups beginning shortly after the Ice Age, then continuing for almost 8000 years. Periodic floods from the Mississippi River and nearby Barbeau Creek buried the abandoned camps, creating . . . — — Map (db m163697) HM
[East face] In memory of ten U.S. regulars, four Illinois rangers, one woman and one child killed July 19, 1814 in a battle between U.S. soldiers under Lieut. John Campbell and Sac and Fox Indians under their war chief Black Hawk.
. . . — — Map (db m230228) WM
This Peace Garden interprets the history of the Native American tribes, the Sauk and Mesquakie, who resided in this area from 1750 to 1831. The Mesquakie, called “Renards” (the Fox) by the French, and the Sauk were separate tribes with close . . . — — Map (db m230233) HM
Black Hawk, famous Sauk warrior, was born in 1767 at the Sauk town of Saukenuk on the Rock River, located about one mile west of this spot. Black Hawk was not a chief. He was a warrior and leader of a political faction within the Sauk nation. Black . . . — — Map (db m202051) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m202047) HM
A true friend of the American cause during the Revolutionary War. His village occupied these and adjacent grounds and withstood a British war party on its way to attack General George Rogers Clark in 1779.
This also commemorates the burning of . . . — — Map (db m201880) HM
This area of some 143 acres located approximately two miles south of Carrier Mills was inhabited by prehistoric people throughout three different archaeological periods. Until the turn of the century, the South Fork of the Saline River was a . . . — — Map (db m146461) HM
Migration into Illinois began with the French from 1690 and reached its' peak about 1750 mostly along the Mississippi. English settlement began in Ernest in 1790 but these settlements had important differences in the way they were begun. The French . . . — — Map (db m146830) HM
Potawatomi
Trail of Death
Sept 4 - Nov 4, 1838
McCoys Mill
Encampment
During a drought, 850 Potawatomi Indians were force-marched more than 600 miles from Indiana to Kansas. 40 died, mostly children.
After a 17 mile march from the . . . — — Map (db m32537) HM
Potawatomi
Trail of Death
Sept 4 - Nov 4, 1838
Island Grove
Encampment
During a drought, 850 Potawatomi Indians were force-marched more than 600 miles from Indiana to Kansas. 40 died, mostly children.
After a 6 mile march from McCoy's . . . — — Map (db m32538) HM
"Love is Eternal" were the words engraved in the plain gold band that Abraham Lincoln slipped on Mary's finger at their wedding in Springfield on November 4, 1842. The inscription reflected the ideal of "romantic love" that swept America in the . . . — — Map (db m48874) HM
On Sept. 29, 1838, 800 Potawatomi Indians marched through Springfield on the forced removal from Indiana to Kansas. Although many had died and they faced severe hardship, they were encouraged by Judge Polke and Chief I-o-weh to exhibit pride, so . . . — — Map (db m34320) HM
Approximately 800 fatigued Potawatomi camped in this area on September 28, 1838, on a forced removal from Indiana to Kansas. Two children died during the night. Chief I-O-Weh led his people through the town of Springfield the next day. — — Map (db m156778) HM
An important trail in the history of Illinois ran atop this ridge. Called the Edwards Trace, an early word for trail, its use reaches back to antiquity when herds of bison and other large mammals traveled along its path. For millennia, prehistoric . . . — — Map (db m156781) HM
One of the first Republican caucuses in Sangamon County was held at Williamsville in 1856; they strengthened their numbers, held meetings, and expressed their vigorous opposition to slavery over the next three years. They referred to the foremost . . . — — Map (db m156863) HM
Founded on May 14, 1699 as an Indian mission by missionary priests from the seminary of foreign missions at Quebec, Cahokia was the first European settlement in the entire Mississippi Valley.
A significant mission and a principle fur trading . . . — — Map (db m142085) HM
Pontiac was an Ottawa Indian, born about 1720 in the Detroit area. By 1755, Pontiac had become a Chief. In 1763 warfare began between the Indian tribes and the English. The Indians were unsuccessful in their attack on Fort Detroit and Fort Pitt . . . — — Map (db m142121) HM
Cahokia was occupied on July 6, 1778 by Captain Joseph Bowman and about 40 men and Kaskaskians. Capt. Bowman selected an old stone house, known as the DuVerger Home, built in 1763, as headquarters.
George Rogers Clark set up a civil government . . . — — Map (db m142088) HM
Cahokia was the largest prehistoric Indian community in America north of Mexico. It covered an area of six square-miles, including at least 120 mounds of different size and function. Initial occupation during Late Woodland times (AD 700-800) . . . — — Map (db m219556) HM
In 1806, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation creating America's first federal highway. The National Road would join the bustling cities of the East to the resource-rich wilderness of the West, connecting state capitals, county seats, . . . — — Map (db m144040) HM
The heart of Cahokia was the Grand Plaza situated between Monks Mound and the Twin Mounds. Archaeological testing has confirmed that the plaza was, in part, artificially created by filling in low areas and reducing high points to create a flat, . . . — — Map (db m147237) HM
Prior to the construction of the Interpretive Center, excavations revealed the location of over 80 structures and hundreds of pits and postholes.
Careful analysis of the materials showed how this neighborhood changed from AD 1000-1200. House . . . — — Map (db m187687) HM
Excavations into Mound 55 (Murdock Mound) took place in 1941, when about nine feet of the mound still remained, as it had been plowed over. Several pre-mound structures were found, one a larger circular building, and another a rare cross-shaped . . . — — Map (db m219555) HM
Archaeologists from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, led by Dr. Melvin Fowler, excavated about two-thirds of Mound 72 from 1967-1971. He selected this mound for excavation because:
• It was along a hypothetical "centerline" of Cahokia
• . . . — — Map (db m144597) HM
Excavations here in 1968 discovered that four of the Stockade walls ran through this part of the site, including one wall with a round bastion and two with rectangular bastions. The partial reconstruction seen here represents one of the . . . — — Map (db m219559) HM
This large pair of mounds, known as the Twin Mounds, is probably a mortuary complex, although no excavations have been made into these mounds. We believe that a building on top of the flat-topped mound (# 60 or Fox Mound) may have served as a . . . — — Map (db m219558) HM
Several universities and public field schools searched for the route of the Stockade along the west side south of the Grand Plaza. Along a low north-south ridge in this area, they located several segments of Stockade wall trenches and portions of . . . — — Map (db m219557) HM
Before starting construction on the Interpretive Center in 1988, archaeologists excavated for two years in this area and discovered evidence of residential use, including over 80 houses and storage buildings, and several hundred storage and . . . — — Map (db m151121) HM
"They related that there are mines of gold and silver.... There is reason to believe that the French who will settle among the Illinois Indians will make all these rich discoveries when the colony becomes more thickly populated." Thus, John Law, . . . — — Map (db m143282) HM
The Village of Shiloh was originally called "Three Springs" because of three nearby natural occurring springs. The Tamoroa Indians often camped near the springs for a source of water. Folklore from around 1785 mentions the Indians seeing a "Hairy . . . — — Map (db m224149) HM
Narrow test trenches were dug into the south and east sides of Mound 50 that showed this was a low, dome-shaped mound built in at least two stages and probably dates to the 1200s. Several large pits were dug into it and at least two large posts . . . — — Map (db m161396) HM
Mound 51, or Persimmon Mound, was an oval platform mound. It has been reconstructed since the original mound was sold for fill by a former owner. Excavations done when the mound was being leveled identified a couple building stages, some hearths and . . . — — Map (db m161395) HM
At Kellogg’s Grove, four miles south of here, two engagements were fought during the Black Hawk War. On June 16, 1832, Capt. A.W. Snyder’s company defeated a band of Indians; but on June 25, Indians led by Black Hawk defeated Maj. John Dement’s . . . — — Map (db m233217) HM
In 1851, when the Illinois Central Railroad began surveying land in Union County, the county seat of Jonesboro was thought to be the logical choice for the location of the tracks. However, the city fathers declined to pay the required $50 surveying . . . — — Map (db m161071) HM
Home to thousands of men, women, and
children, the Cherokee Nation once spread
across parts of Georgia, North Carolina,
Tennessee, and Alabama. The 1830 Indian
Removal Act required that the Cherokee
surrender their land and move west.
In . . . — — Map (db m161434) HM
