|
Thy Wondrous Story, Illinois IL54 |
|
|
The fertile prairies of Illinois attracted the attention of French trader Louis Jolliet and father Jacques Marquette as they explored the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers in 1673. France claimed this region until 1763 when she surrendered it to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris. During the American Revolution George Rogers Clark and his small army scored a bloodless victory when they captured Kaskaskia for the Commonwealth of Virginia. This area was ceded to the United States in 1784, and became in turn part of the Northwest Territory and the Indiana and Illinois Territories. On December 3, 1818, Illinois entered the Union as the twenty-first state. US 30 passes through historic territory. The old Sauk Trail roughly parallels US 30 from the Indiana Line to Joliet. the Potawatomi hunted in this area for at least a century before the coming of the settlers. The Indians used hickory wood in making bows and arrows and camped frequently in the Hickory Creek area. Settlers came into this region in the 1820's and communities on or north of US 30 trace their origin to the Hickory Creek settlement. An Indian village in the vicinity of Plainfield attracted Jesse Walker, pioneer Methodist circuit rider, in 1826. This dedicated missionary, known as 'Father Walker' and as the 'Daniel Boone of Methodism,' held the first camp meeting in the state in 1807 near Edwardsville. He died in 1835 after a long and effective career. He is buried in Plainfield.
North side US 30 at junction with IL 83 near East Chicago Heights Adams County Illinois.
|
Comments () |
|
|
|
|
|
Illinois 