Old Fort Chartres

This old landmark of former times was located near the Mississippi River, and in the northwest corner of Randolph county.  The fort was built by the Louisiana company in 1719, and continued to be the seat of government as long as the French were in possession of Illinois.  It stood about one half mile from the river, but connected with it by a slough or bayou, through which boats passed to and from the fort.  It was originally a wooden structure, but in 1856 a stone one with high thick walls, containing towers and bastions, took its place.  The walls enclosed about four acres of ground, and within this arena were many large buildings for officers and solders’ quarters.  This fort was built of faced blocks of limestone, brought from a cliff on the opposite side of the river, three miles above, and the structure is said to have made a very fine appearance.

Fort Chartres at the time of its construction was considered the most imposing fortification in North America, and over its battlements waved both the French and British flags.  A village of about forty houses, called St. Anne de Fort Chartres, sprang up around the fort, and here was not only the seat of government for Illinois, but it became the center of wealth, business, fashion and gayety.

During the great flood of 1772 a portion of the wall, about one hundred feet in length, was undermined and fell into the river.  In consequence of this breach in the walls Fort Chartres was abandoned and went to ruin, the seat of government moved to Kaskaskia, and the inhabitants of the village of St. Anne left for other places.  A small portion of the walls is still standing, and the magazine remains whole, excepting that a part of the main arch has given way and the great iron door is gone.  The foundation and part of the walls of two buildings are standing, with forest trees growing within the enclosure.  Most of the large hewed stones of which the main walls were constructed have taken away to build up towns along the river, and the massive stone arches that encircled the door and gateways now ornament public buildings elsewhere.

These grand old ruins are now in the midst of a forest, with trees more than three feet in diameter standing within their walls; and were the origin of these relics of former times unknown, it might furnish a theme for antiquarian speculation.

In 1788 Congress reserved a tract of land one mile square around Fort Chartres, and this reservation came into market in 1849, and sold the same as other government lands.

American Bottom

This section of country, so oft times referred to by the early western historian, lies on the east side of the Mississippi, extending from Alton to the mouth of Kaskaskia River, a distance of about seventy miles in length, and from three to eight miles in width.  This tract of land consists of timber and prairie about equally divided, and much of its subject to inundation, but for fertility of soil it probably is unequaled in the western country.  During the first century of the French occupation of Illinois the only permanent settlement (except Peoria) was made on this bottom, and here the descendants of the early pioneers continue to live.  The old towns on this bottom still remain French in language, customs and habits, and the people have but little intercourse with those speaking the English language.

The name American Bottom had its origin about a century ago, at the time Illinois came under United States jurisdiction, and from the following circumstance: the west side of the river being known as Louisiana, or New Spain, while on the east, in the river bottom, was called American – hence American Bottom, which name it continues to bear.

In the early settlement of the country the valley of the Mississippi from the Gulf of Mexico to the lakes was known as Louisiana, designated as upper and lower country.  In after years the settlements on both sides of the Mississippi were known as Illinois country, and the same laws were in force, it being one country.  After the west side ceded to Spain it became known as Louisiana, and the territory assumed the name of Missouri about the year 1810, five years after it was ceded to the United States.

Prairie Du Rocher

The old French village of Prairie du Rocher is located at the foot of the bluff, three miles from the Mississippi River, and in the northwest corner of Randolph county.  There is a rocky cliff, thirty miles long and about two hundred feet high, bounding a fertile bottom, which gives to the place a romantic and picturesque appearance.  Its secluded situation, fine scenery, rich soil and large spring of gushing water attracted the attention of early pioneers, and caused it to become a place of importance.  A short distance above the town, at the base of a rocky cliff, is a large spring, sending forth an immense volume of water, whose crystal purity might have been taken for the fountain of life, which gave immortality to youth and vigor, so much sought after by the early Spanish explorers.  Near this spring is a remarkable cave in the high rocky cliff, but it has never been explored to any great extent, as its chambers are filled with foul air, which is thought to be destructive to life.

According to Jesuit history Prairie du Rocher was incorporated into a village in the year 1722, and a large track of land granted to its citizens, with an additional tract bounding the Mississippi River for a number of miles for school purposes.

The old Jesuit chapel of St. Joseph, built in 1734, is still standing, and is probably the oldest building on the American Bottom.  Within its portals have been christened the infants of four succeeding generations, and the marriage vows of the people of Prairie du Rocher have been heard at its sacred altar for century and a half.  The register of the chapel, commencing in 1734, containing a record of births, marriages, deaths, etc., was taken to Kaskaskia in 1855 for the purpose of being copied, and, unfortunately, was lost.

Kaskaskia

According to the most reliable traditionary accounts Father Allouez established a mission at Kaskaskia 1686, and built a chapel in the Indian village.  He gave this mission the sacred name of Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin, and its register from 1695 is still preserved among the church papers of the parish.  Emigrants from Canada, with fur traders, came to Kaskaskia, and in a few years it became a place of great importance.  The congregation continued to occupy the Jesuit chapel until 1721, when a permanent church was built, and occupied as a place of worship for nearly a century.  The bell now hanging on the large brick church was brought from France and placed on this building, being the first to ring for public worship in the Mississippi Valley.  Its measured strokes have tolled for marriages and funerals of three successive generations, and still the bluff and tall timber around the old town continues to echo its musical peals.

In 1736 a fort was built at Kaskaskia, but never occupied by troops, and burned down after standing thirty-six years.  When Fort Chartres was abandoned, in 1772, the government built a new one here called Fort Gage, in honor of the commander-in-chief of the British forces in America, and the relic of this fort can still be seen on the bluff near the river.

After Clark’s conquest of Illinois, American emigrants came to Kaskaskia, it being the seat of government for the territory, and also for the state, for about fifty years.  People coming to the country made this a place of stopping until a location could be selected elsewhere, and for many years it was the largest and most important town west of the Alleghany mountains; but owing to many floods in the Mississippi River its greatness has long since departed, and at present it is only a small town of but little importance.

The Kaskaskia and Cahokia Indians when the French came to the country lived in the towns that bore their respective names, but they had other villages on the American Bottom.  These Indians lived on friendly terms with the early settlers, and it was the boast of one of their noted chiefs, Ducogna, that his people had never shed the blood of a white man.

After the northern bands of the Illinois Indians were annihilated their country came into the possession of the victors, consisting of Pottawotmies, Ottawas, Chippewas and Kickapoos.  These tribes made war on the Kaskaskia and Cahokia bands, and a number of bloody battles were fought between the contending parties.  The hunting grounds lying between these tribes, included a large portion of the central division of the state, became overrun with game, and for many years neither party would risk hunting here, as they were liable to be attacked by the enemy.  In 1782 a battle was fought between these tribes on Battle Ground Creek, twenty-five miles east of Kaskaskia, and for many years the ground of this battlefield was covered with human bones.  Another battle between these Indians was fought about the same time on Cacho River, now in Johnson county, and the bones of the slain can still be seen in a cave near the battleground.

As late as the year 1809 the Kaskaskia Indians had a village of about eight hundred inhabitants near Prarie du Rocher, and one nearly as large on the Kaskaskia River.  At that time the Cahokia Indians had two small villages near their old town, but their number is not known.

There was a band of Kaskaskia Indians at one time on Cache River, known as the wild band, who were engaged in some of the border wars, and were a party to Wayne’s treaty at Greenville in 1795, and received annuity from the government.  A large portion of this band fell victims to the Kickapoos during one of their raids, and in order to be protected by the whites they left their former home on the Oache River and lived in a village near Prairie du Rocher. 

The Kaskaskia and Cahokia Indians claimed all the land in the state south of a line from the mouth of the Illinois River to a point on the Wabash near the present site of Terre Haute.  These lands were ceded to the government at a treaty at Edwardsville on September 25, 1818, for a small amount of money, payable annually for twelve years.  As the country settled up game became scarce.  These Indians went west at different times, the last of them leaving the country in 1833, and a remnant of these bands are now living in the Indian territory south of Kansas.

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