On the western edge of Illinois, lying in precarious symbiosis with the Mississippi River, is a major remnant of the French colonial empire in North America. It is a strip of land roughly fifty miles in length that follows the Mississippi from Cahokia south to Chester, a strip of land that the Illinois Department of Conservation has designated "The French Colonial District.

    First seen by white men in 1673, during the Marquette and Joliet expedition, the French Colonial District was originally settled for religious reasons. It was a constant policy of the French government to christianize Indians within her domain, and to that end, the fathers of the Seminary of Foreign Missions established, in 1698, a church outpost among the Tammeroa Indians at what is now Cahokia. Within two years the Jesuits arrived, and the mission became the center of a large community, with two additional tribes - Cahokia and Michigami- settling near the church. Another subtribe of the Illinois nation, not wishing to further congest the area, settled to the south, on the shore of a river that came to bear thier name- Kaskaskia. Another Jesuit mission was established at the mouth of the Kaskaskia River, so that by 1702 the bounds of the present French Colonial District were established.

    Trade and commerce quickly followed religion into the Illinois country. Minerals and furs brought traders and miners into the area, followed in short order by farmers and merchants. Settlements sprang up throughout the region. North from Kaskaskia were the settlements of Prairie du Rocher, St. Anne, Nouvelle Chartres, St. Phillippe, Prairie du Pont, and Cahokia. Scattered along the roads connecting those villages were numerous farmsteads, each with a house and outbuildings surrounded by a log palisade.

    But not all traders were honest, nor did all Indians appreciate European religion and civilization. It was necessary to protect and govern the Illinois country, and in 1720 the French erected a fort eighteen miles north of Kaskaskia . Called "Fort de Chartres" (the first of three forts so named), it became the center of government for the Illinois country, first under the Company of the Indies and later under the royal government.

    The area prospered. As the "breadbasket of Louisiana," Illinois sent grain and pork throughout New France and as far as the mother country. The fur trade also became extremely lucrative, reaching into the Missouri headwaters and beyond.

    Even as the Illinois country prospered, however, New France as a whole floundered. In a series of colonial wars, the French lost their North American empire to England, surrenduring final control in 1763. Pontiac's uprising kept the British out of Illinois for two years, but the end was inevitable. In 1765 the French lowered their flag at Fort de Chartres, bringing to an end the French colonial empire in Illinois.

    To escape the British, many Frenchmen left the area, either returning to France or moving into Spanish Missouri. Subsequent waves of settlement- Americans (whose ownership of the area was secured by George Rogers Clark in 1778) and Germans- overshadowed the French culture in Illinois. And after two hundred years, only the surnames, a few cherished local customs, and some scattered buildings bear testimony to the existence of the French colonial empire.

    Soon, however, it may become possible to see the French Colonial District as a historical unit. Through the combined efforts of the Department of Conservation and local historical societies, the physical remains of French culture in the area are being restored, and a unified interpretation planned. Once again, the area is being regarded as a single entity.

    While the village of Kaskaskia has been destroyed by course changes in the Mississippi River, there are still some remnants of the French period to be seen. At the site of Fort Kaskaskia, the earthworks outlining the palisades are still visible, and the area is part of the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site. This French military post, built in 1757 as a response to British pressure, was never garrisoned and was burned in 1766.

    Below the fort, on the same site, is the Pierre Menard Home. Built at the beginning of the nineteenth century by a successful French fur trader, the home is the finest example of French colonial architecture in the Mississippi River valley. Its tasteful furnishings reflect the high quality of life in some parts of Illinois during the 1820s, an era usually associated with a roughhewn frontier existence.

    On the west bank of the Mississippi River, actually on an enclave into the state of Missouri, is the only tangible relic of the French village of Kaskaskia- the Kaskaskia Bell. A gift of the French king, the bell rang freedom into Illinois at the hands of George Rogers Clark. It has survived the ravages of time and water, and is still rung symbolically every July 4th.

    North from Kaskaskia, the Fort de Chartres State Historic Site marks the center of the French Colonial District. This once massive stone fort was destroyed by water erosion and local farmers seeking building material. Two buildings- the guardhouse and the trading post- have been restored; the fort walls and remaining buildings have been outlined in stones; and the gatehouse has been rebuilt. But the centerpiece of Fort de Chartres is the powder magazine. Built between 153 and 1756, it is the oldest datable structure in Illinois. Once used as a farm outbuilding, it has survived two hundred years and numerous restorations. Fort de Chartres's Peithmann Museum houses displays that detail life in the French Colonial District.

    At the northern end of  the district lies the town of Cahokia. The Cahokia Courthouse State Historic Site combines aspects of the French and American colonial periods. Its post-on-sill construction (vertical logs with bousillage) reflects the structure's original use as a French home. Purchased by the American government, it served as the first courthouse in the Illinois country. Cahokia Courthouse may also be the most widely traveled historic site in the United States. In 1904 it was disassembled and shipped to St. Louis for the World's Fair. After the fair, it was once again broken down and shipped to Chicago, where it was displayed for several years before being returned to its original site at Cahokia.

    Near Cahokia Couthouse stands the Chuch of the Holy Family, a post-on-sill church built in1795. This church, the oldest in the midwest, is exemolary for its construction and stands as a monument to the endurance of early missionaries. Next to the church is the Jarrot Mansion, a federalist-style house of great value. The oldest brick structure in Illinois (begun in 1795), the Jarrot Mansion is in need of restoratiopn and rehabilitation, and may soon become a state historic site. As a contemporary to the Menard Home, it will provide a striking contrast in style and construction.

    So that the traveling public may see the French Colonial District as a historical unit, the Department of Conservation is developing an interpretive program. It will include state sites, some private sites, and a system of signs denoting the locations of vanished sites. A series of signs on the old French road system from Kaskaskia to Cahokia will mark the location of homes, windmills, churches, and even vanished communities. A brochure describing the driving tour will be available at all sites. Historian Irvin Peithmann has completed a detailed map of the southern half of the road system, and thecartography of the northern half is now under way. In the course of mapping, several "lost" sites, such as the location of the Renault settlement of St Phillippe, were uncovered.

    In addition to the signs, there is also the possibility that several "calvaries" (roadside altars" will be erected, and teh "French Sun" has been adopted as a French Colonial District symbol, which will be used on all publicity and signs relating to the district. And finally, it is hoped that groups and/or individuals will develop local historical sites or landmarks. The Randolph County Historical Society is, for example, restoring the well known "Creole House" in Prairie du Rocher.

    As plans for the French Colonial District mature, the historically-minded tourist may soon discover that there was life in Illinois before Lincoln.

    This article is reprinted from the August 1979 issue of Historic Illinois Magazine

David Hamilton