Kaskaskia

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaskaskia
Kaskaskia (Illinois)
Kaskaskia
Kaskaskia
Location in Illinois
Basic data
Foundation : 1703
State : United States
State : Illinois
County : Randolph County
Coordinates : 37 ° 55 '  N , 89 ° 55'  W Coordinates: 37 ° 55 '  N , 89 ° 55'  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Residents : 9 (status: 2000)
Population density : 32.1 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 0.28 km 2  (approx. 0 mi 2 ) of
which 0.28 km 2  (approx. 0 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 114 m
Postal code : 62233
Area code : +1 618
FIPS : 17-39129
GNIS ID : 411319

Kaskaskia is a place on the Mississippi in Randolph County in the state of Illinois in the United States . Kaskaskia was the first capital of Illinois, but lost that status to Vandalia in 1820 . The great flood in April 1881 destroyed large parts of the city. The flood changed the Mississippi riverbed from the west side of the city to its east side. The old state line remained, however, so Kaskaskia is the only place in Illinois that is west of the Mississippi. The old river bed is now a bayou . The land area of ​​Kaskaskia Island is 0.28 km², which in 1993 was again almost completely flooded by the Mississippi.

Demographics

Between 1800 and 1820, Kaskaskia had the highest population in its history with around 7,000 inhabitants and was the largest city in Illinois. In 1950 only 112 people lived in Kaskaskia due to the constant danger of flooding and the population decline continued. Around 1970 there were only 79 inhabitants and in 1980 only 33 people lived in the village. The 2000 census found 9 residents for Kaskaskia.

history

When Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette explored the Mississippi in 1673, they met the Kaskaskia tribe on the Illinois River . They were warmly welcomed and founded the Immaculate Conception mission there . The mission was postponed several times until it finally found its location at the confluence of the Kaskaskia River and the Mississippi. The village of Kaskaskia was founded in 1703 by Father Marest and some French fur traders with their Indian wives. The place, built on fertile land in the alluvial land of the Mississippi (now called American Bottoms), soon became the center of the fur trade and agriculture in the region. When the French and Indian War broke out in 1756, the French built Fort Kaskaskia on Garrison Hill. After France lost the war, the fort was destroyed by the residents of Kaskaskia. Earth walls and moats can be viewed at the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site . In order not to have to live under British laws, many residents of Kaskaskia moved across the Mississippi to Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis .

In 1771 the British fortified a large stone building inside the city that they named Fort Gage. This building had previously served the French Jesuits as a mission until the British took it over and used it as a barracks. In the American War of Independence led George Rogers Clark 's Long Knives ( long knife ) to Illinois and attended the July 4, 1778 Fort Gage one without dropped a shot. After the end of the war in 1786 there were no more civilian or military security forces in the place and the region around Kaskaskia was ruled by bandits under the leadership of John Dodge. They made Kaskaskia their headquarters and terrorized the area. The situation only calmed down when the military marched in in 1790. The US Army renovated the fort and eleven soldiers of the crew joined the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1803 . During the war of 1812, the fort served as a protection against raids by the Indians allied with the British.

In 1809 Illinois was declared a territory and Kaskaskia its capital . Already in 1820 the more centrally located Vandalia became the capital of the state of Illinois. Kaskaskia lost its importance and rival neighboring cities emerged due to increasing immigration into the state. The biggest problem, however, was the Mississippi, whose great flood nearly destroyed the city in 1844. Another great flood in 1881 dug a new river bed, almost wiping out the old Kaskaskia. Most of its surviving residents fled inland or across the river to St. Louis. The flood of 1881 created Kaskaskia Island.

Individual evidence

  1. a b History of Kaskaskia
  2. Fort Kaskaskia

Web links