Decisive dates in Illinois history; a story of the state, told in a record of events which have determined the history of Illinois and of the nation; with thirty illustrations

Front matter

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Contents

Page

Introduction — Prehistoric Illinois 7

Date I. 1673 — Discovery 17

Preface

ILLINOIS, now truly the " heart of the nation," has a proud present day, a promising future and an interesting past.

Its past, reaching back nearly as far as does that of the states on the Atlantic coast, has its period of romance, its period of telling events, and its period of commercial achievement, all of which are fraught with interest.

There are five events in the history of Illinois, which have proven strong factors in determining the history of the nation.

So important are these events, that the years in which they occur, may be called Decisive Dates. These years are 1759, 1778, 1818, 1824 and 1858. They lie within the hundred years between about the middle of the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries.

In 1759, the Indians from the Illinois Country agreed to the compact already existing between the Iroquois and the English this compact having come to the English as an inheritance from the Dutch. This agreement withdrew their support from the French at the time when it was needed to sustain New France in America.

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The direct result of this " being bound by the Silver Covenant Chain," as the Indians called the agreement, was the supremacy of the^ Anglo-Saxon over the Gaul in the New World.

In 1778, George Rogers Clark made his conquest of the Northwest by capturing Kaskaskia and St. Vincent in the Illinois Country, thereby restricting Great Britain's domain to the territory north of the Great Lakes rather than the Ohio River. This restriction made it possible for the states to preserve their dearly-bought independence.

In 1818, Nathaniel Pope had the northern boundary of Illinois extended and secured a coast line on Lake Michigan, also Chicago in Illinois, and fifty miles of territory out of which fourteen counties were created w^hich dominated state politics and decided national affairs in 1860.

In 1824, the question of Illinois being made a slave state was settled for all time by the defeat of the convention to amend the state constitution. Illinois as a slave state would have materially changed the history of the United States. In 1858, the Lincoln-Douglas debates marked an era in the history of the union.

We do well in this compilation to preface

Preface 3

these dates with the one of 1673, because that year marks the beginning of authentic history of lUinois — it is the date of its birth.

Ahhough it matters little to the world and has had insignificant effect upon subsequent history of the state or nation, that the French discovered the Illinois country in the seventeenth century, yet this date is not without significance.

There is little reason to think that the Mississippi valley would have attracted colonization from any other European power for a century after the time of the discoveries by the French.

England had enough space along the Atlantic coast for the time being to colonize; Holland was comfortably settled on the Hudson river and had no desire to push into the wilderness of the west; while Spain, in seeking wealth through the finding of precious metals, was led to the mountains rather than to the fertile plains, and went further and yet further west. So it was that France, and France alone, must colonize the Illinois coimtry if it was to be done for a hundred years to come.

Yet the fact remains that the discovery and subsequent hundred years of occupancy by France was without particular influence upon the history of Illinois.

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The strongest searchlight thrown upon that period, fails to reveal any event of special importance. It was the period of romance.

There have been many important events in Illinois history since 1858. In the better perspective of coming years there may be, here or there, one which will prove of more than local interest, and perhaps even of national importance and merit the record as a decisive date, but in the light of today none such can be discerned.

In the following pages a story of the State has been attempted to be told by a record of these years connected with each other by brief statements of less important incidents.

This plan has been followed for two reasons, first: to give due importance to these events, and second, to present them in such a way as to make a connected story which interests the reader.

As far as possible, the matter has been given at first hand, and Marquette, Sir William Johnson, Clark and others have told their stories in their own words, credit being given them.

So condensed a history must needs omit many details, but it is hoped Decisive Dates will arouse so deep an interest in the history of Illi-

Preface S

nois as that the reader may make continued research for himself.

To aid in this research, a short bibliography is given.