Native Villages of La Salle's Illinois Country

ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEUR DE LA SALLE encountered four villages of the Illinois nation during his first journey to Illinois in 1679–80. Only the summer village of the migratory Kaskaskia has ever been correctly identified. It lies on the upper Illinois River, less than a mile and a half east of the landmark known as Starved Rock. As “the Zimmerman site,” it has hosted archaeological excavations in 1941, 1970, and 1991.1 However, two small winter villages and the Grand Village of the Illinois, which all families of the Illinois tribe called their home, have never been found. The documents left by La Salle and his contemporaries make the locations of these places surprisingly clear. Together, the historical records offer a new picture of the populous Illinois peoples, their migratory habits, and their relationship to the Europeans in their midst.In the early winter of 1679, La Salle and a small cadre of soldiers and naval craftsmen paddled canoes south from Fort Miami, their Lake Michigan base at the mouth of the St. Joseph River in southern Michigan. They traveled the St. Joseph to the portage near modern-day South Bend, Indiana, where they carried their birch bark canoes to the Kankakee River. This stream carried them to the Illinois River, forty-two miles east of Starved Rock. La Salle's Letters Patent from King Louis XIV commissioned him to “explore the Western part of New France,” where it was hoped that “a road may be found to penetrate to Mexico.”2 Secretly, the king and his chief minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, directed La Salle to explore the navigability of the Mississippi River to its mouth and create a settlement there to support a naval base. The existence of the river, its location, and the clandestine base and settlement were all national secrets protected by the state.3La Salle had already built a supply line from his Fort Frontenac at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. This included Fort Conti at the Niagara River and Le Griffon, a forty-ton barque to ferry tools and materials and craftsmen to Fort Miami en route to Illinois. Somewhere on the Illinois River, the ship's carpenters were to build a second ship to travel down to the Gulf of Mexico. The men would establish the king's seaport there. After the establishment of the port, La Salle would use his ship to explore the Gulf of Mexico to determine the exact location of the mouth of the Mississippi and then sail to France for supplies and reinforcements.In all of the historical accounts, the travelers used the league to estimate long distances. George A. Baker documented that the seventeenth-century French Canadian league equals 3.05 statute miles, and a comparison of La Salle's own estimated distances to actual distances in miles shows that he was using this same equivalence.4 The location of sites along the Illinois River can be identified using the mile markers on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Illinois Waterway Navigation Charts. These markers extend from the mouth of the Illinois River on the Mississippi (mile marker, or MM, 0) up to the mouth of the Chicago River at Lake Michigan.5Since La Salle's time, the Illinois River has been leveed and dammed, and every day, millions of gallons of water are diverted down it through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. In addition, entire prairies and forests have been converted to farmland. Because of these changes, many of the environmental features that La Salle described would be difficult or even impossible to locate. However, one map collection, The Federal Township Plats of Illinois (1804–1891), depicts the entire state before it was extensively modified. These survey maps can be used to help identify specific sites using the environmental landmarks mentioned in the accounts.6La Salle first encountered the Kaskaskia summer village at MM 233. The very first reference to it is found in Recit des Voyages et des Decouvertes du Pere Jacques Marquette, written by Claude Dablon, superior of the Jesuits in Quebec, describing the 1673 Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques of the Mississippi found on it Illinois a village of the Illinois called of They very and to that would to this village is on the of the upper of the Illinois River was the first of and the village was as La Salle of this location, the to the places where they the winter they in places which they make in the all the which they to use for in the and for during the summer them by to of and to down the as as the would this many of the Illinois nation had a migratory They in summer villages where they and in the they south to the in a The Kaskaskia village was a summer After and their its to the Illinois River where it and winter villages where they La Salle to the Kaskaskia The described the journey as he at the Kaskaskia the in of the village was up by of that were down from upper of the This the village from or early from the at the Kaskaskia village in La Salle down the Illinois River. on for four the along this La Salle on the be of at a which the in their this at in the found a of on of the river, and a of from of This second village was in the called which La Salle was from the Zimmerman The of the La and La Salle's the location of this The village was in the of MM location to the where La Salle the mouth of the his which was the of La Jean-Baptiste Louis the as the first of Lake the Illinois River from the The has been identified as one of the families that up the Illinois tribe was called and La Salle the village and at the same location, it is to that La Salle the stream the he found at its was a in the Illinois River It from down to the of MM and MM the called from MM to MM Lake of of water by of village was a small of Lake It of which one on of the the of Europeans on their and the of the village La to for the he had from the village and his to build a ship and the at to in all However, the of the tribe had the villages in the they “the all the of were would be he had the Illinois to La Salle from had been the of to and the of the upper The of these was Father Claude had the St. in As as he of La Salle's of and of to La Salle's Illinois he a Miami to the to create a the was at the Miami village on the St. Joseph River, from its that La Salle was to the Illinois. a Miami and or to the Illinois to La Salle and to him from the Mississippi River. They the La the of the tribe were in their winter and his left the up and which to they were to the They traveled miles to the at the southern end of Lake at the of the Illinois were from to Salle at the village for before down to the Because he that it for many of the to from La Salle at their village at one winter village was south of the winter La Salle at this village and he the village It to the it was that the Illinois, La Salle the men and them that the of their on the them and all of the as to them two and that was a of the that had a in the of their that it was them and and in that there was of their by journey and to that that would be of men were to very and that as was they to to by La the at in that they had their and his that and to their clandestine La Salle the and him to the on as the of his La Salle for to his the of one of the Kaskaskia him and his men to a that the on the of him to the that they to the Mississippi River they would of on its would to They would and that would them La Salle that of his men the he the Salle to by that he and his men were and to the he that the described by have been by of his were and he had from they were to the of La Salle then down and his La Salle was After had La Salle that he was of their the would lies he was that they the lies and their was for that picture of the he described to by and in as of the The and which he to make these are in this where have them in the he to as as he had this he is a him in the as Salle had been at the village of near New the a Miami by had there to a the the Illinois. La Salle the lies that had have known his Fort Frontenac or his the had never been there. that during the his he and his men have they were of and even at that very his men many of the he to their by La Salle's the Illinois to him a However, of La Salle's men the that had in their and they that as men their to where they that La Salle to a where he build a small in to his men from the Illinois and build his map of Fort at the end of Lake La Salle that he left in of he paddled Illinois up to the in La Salle's Claude correctly that the southern end of Lake was one league from the the southern end of Lake at MM the was miles to the at MM on the south of Illinois village in to by that they to a a near the Illinois where the La Salle to to build a by the end of already a part of their the of the in the which was half a league the superior to they were to to their chief had as his in the and La Salle had him to of Because La Salle where the Illinois and that village was half a league from his at the same miles at MM that he was to the on their to their along his that he the summer the Illinois to their that village was a winter which were at that it had been the of for of before the French than in described the as a that the of the Illinois it was and in at its base. However, the the of using from the to in the early that the was and in the of this in the it was found to the of Illinois village that La Salle was the Grand Village of the The of this village in the his of the there in to this village in to It was the village to which his men Fort in and it was the village that was by that However, it was that this village was at the Zimmerman the existence and location of this village has the of for than of Marquette, and La Salle up this and correctly this village on the the of to to the Illinois River to establish his of the his journey on from the of on the River near two Jacques and was from which he called the this on his journey down the Mississippi Jolliet in Because of his he was to a difficult winter in a small on the Chicago River, near the Chicago his journey in the first of he the summer village of the on the upper Illinois River, and paddled down to the Grand Village of the documents of journey to the of Jacques Marquette, the of the and the of Father Jacques Marquette, and a written to Father by Father of these documents the first of the Grand Village of the Illinois. These documents along the of La and a of the village and identify its of the and the of Father Jacques has been to in his and he on en route from the Grand Village to of the have from and These men for the the journey and him on the of Lake Michigan. to Quebec, they map and which he used to the a at the at and In his to these same two they were down to from as as they had them at their every the and his that which would be to and are from the men were of his and the winter at the eastern end of the Chicago the of was from their winter by the Chicago River, and they to where they The day, he traveled the that this on the River near its was where he had the portage before The had and he was by on a south to to the where the French at a of from that would have on the Illinois River near MM on The and that two small was by on on the to the south they found the Grand Village of the Illinois where the Father was as from the the was of his winter by water on he paddled the and where he had the portage This was on the River near its was by of and that he hoped to the to the of the near MM two small and and from a of at the Grand Village of the for the is one the and the that his winter on the and that was on This is and can be by the that had written which the The of the the of journey from Chicago to the Grand the of the that the two It that on the Chicago River, on and the The in the of traveled the and the can be to the of from his winter to the on the had been for time, his had him the of miles on to the of two near MM it was miles to the Zimmerman This have been in one day, that traveled for from his on the a of to the Grand the Grand Village near MM in the one miles the Zimmerman the in the and the from The two which are of and to The are in The two that on four of from the Chicago were the two that water from Lake Michigan the Illinois River the Chicago Sanitary and Ship the of the south of the water by water is to the As a its two of very Lake that he had to Lake before the Grand would have traveled miles for four to the miles from his on the River to the southern end of Lake This is than in the and Illinois and is his that he to travel on at at the he was as from and to all in in a which he called in the the small to all the The was of and in a the and of all the They than the and are the village of or on the to the south they found the Grand Village of the Illinois where the Father was as from a at which he to the of the Because it was a village of or and to and he the in a village of up to and there was a to the village where he was to on all of his had their that was and his two their journey up the Illinois. The that the Illinois for on his and that was from the Chicago at the Grand Village of the Illinois, the first that was ever It of to in and early and it was the of the the summer Kaskaskia village that on the upper Illinois in 1673 of and of the Grand Village near MM the Kaskaskia village would have been one miles to the The that left the Grand the Illinois him up the Illinois River and a These Illinois were the Kaskaskia were from to their summer village at the Zimmerman and the portage was in the of the summer The portage have been at the at Starved or at the miles at all of the of the of the Jesuits in their the of to the Grand Village of the Illinois, of a to the Illinois, by Father Claude was written by It to his at the Grand the was the of that was to at the Grand Village of the Illinois. at the in which Father had found this village a it was of one that of at the time, there are in the first the the of the as to the of that they are in which are as of them are the of the one of it is a long of and on the a of which are the and to and to and of they in this location, as they can from it their there is that was at the very same Grand Village that in is and described a village to and of that the village had in the to After he from his journey down the Mississippi River, a at the this time, of the Illinois tribe and his to to the summer Kaskaskia which is on his Because to from the Grand the small summer village the Grand Village and that the village had had his the and that was at the Grand Village of the Illinois, which was very and that there was a on one of the In addition, the very on the of the village the there was a the Grand Village was a Kaskaskia of of the Illinois nation at the Grand Village of the Illinois. of these are the summer of La Salle to the Illinois the same map he a of which are than the of families which make up the tribe of the Illinois, the and the village of the Illinois which of La Salle men at this Grand Village of the Illinois, La Salle's was a village of of the families that up the Illinois La Salle had been to the Grand Village during the winter of and the village was which that it was in the La Salle was on his to Illinois in this village on and the Illinois of the Mississippi as La Salle Fort St. Louis Starved the to Illinois and near the to Claude in the early of La Salle of the and was by the of the Illinois the and La Salle identified the families that up the Illinois, he a very he these were included the Illinois they are and there were families of in the village of Kaskaskia are the they had their than a from one La Salle's the of the village and the that it a village families to the Kaskaskia village of the Grand This was the village La Salle had described to The the of the village of Illinois. La Salle that all of in the villages the Illinois from the as This included of the Kaskaskia village at the Zimmerman his to Colbert, La Salle them Illinois has left the Illinois, his which he has left up in that this to This during the winter of 1679, La Salle was at the Grand Village of the Illinois, where his and the village was It that the Grand Village have been at the Zimmerman La Salle was at the Zimmerman before he his it was La Salle's the Grand Village in the from Fort Because all of the Illinois villages that La Salle encountered during the winter of were in the his the Grand Village in the Grand Village the summer and the in a of the This village was in the of Fort where and their own in Illinois village of or Father and had a for the of the French This that there was one Grand Village at that this the Zimmerman as a location from the Grand Illinois Village he identified the location of “the village of the Illinois of the of Lake a at of the of the Grand Village to Fort the of the men at Fort he of them were Father to the Illinois where had on a the Father at and the of the and the called were in the same in their Father was in the of the on his to the Grand the the village and Fort was than a of The village which was half a league from Fort have been the Grand The Grand Village was from Fort men Fort the they As a Father and the men to the Grand Village during the summer of and by they were there by had the summer to was at the Grand Village of the Illinois, to which he had the of his to was was to La Salle on his to the Gulf of Mexico. the from France to the many La Salle and of the men were La Salle in Illinois, these he of the that during La Salle's to the of the Mississippi River, which is from during the This included the that in Illinois La Salle to in he was at Fort Frontenac many at the Illinois. as had them the two and in this which the had to make at a The to make on this Frontenac the he one of the and or and is that they a was to and had been left by La Salle in this same to the he had The of and Frontenac all that during the summer of in the near Fort They that the Grand Village of the Illinois was in the during the summer of the were of all the never he up his the Illinois by them all the he built on the La Salle's or by them in the use of and many in the As during the a that the to and the he them to by and even them a of had they had a and have they would have been in a to was to La Salle's which that he had to the ship and build a for the Illinois. the summer La Salle's directed the of the the small at the was called Fort and a from the the in in Illinois and the day, they the village where and his were he was La Salle a of the the and the at the French and Illinois were there. La Salle's of the and it the from the and accounts, it is to identify the location of the Grand Salle The village of the Illinois was on the of the on the the south there is a very and all in one where it down to the of the water for a of one or two and a from and is a a very long by the River which the of the Illinois which it is a of at this than two the village and it is all along by a of was La Salle's first of the River. that the River in the was the River, La Salle the village on that La Salle's the and The Grand Village of the Illinois was miles east of the on the of the River. the south of this the southern of this has a to the where the down to the of the In La Salle's time, this was and it was in of the village from the was the of the which miles to the The through this and the Illinois River miles from La Salle's reference which was miles the village on the south of the The of the was by Salle's of the Grand Village included “the which of along the and its for a of one league in and a of a league in or The village along the of the for a of miles, and it the which was of a mile to the the of the has been and leveed and the mouth of the miles south to its location of was at to the the and south of from the the the of the This in many that are as the southern of the were or by small Illinois to this on the south of the from the early in the at their La Salle the were all in a on this of the the River and at to to the of were miles east of the village in the was in the and the were near the miles of the to help the Illinois first of the they the and of the They them the that was near the the Grand Village on the River east of the are They were the and to the and of the village La Salle to the village for he the in the where the Illinois had their This was the Illinois travel down the of the to the of the Illinois River. they down the southern of the and at the end of the southern of Lake This would for the reference to the the River location La Salle's of the village that was It the and accounts, which that the village was the a and a The of the and were to the of the and to the south and east was the of the River to has been written the Zimmerman during this it was a small summer village of the the La Salle down the is the village of the Illinois had the village the by the The of the which have had built there has them many It is half a league the After the all of the Illinois villages were the Zimmerman was The Zimmerman was La Salle Fort St. Louis half a league at Starved are of that the that was at the Zimmerman the support the that he was at the Grand Village on the River. have La Salle's that it him and a half to from the mouth of the Illinois River to the Illinois village that was by the in This travel is the village was near it is impossible the village was from Starved have La Salle's in that he had from the mouth of the Illinois River to the “the had to be on the the was which had never La Salle's of the Kaskaskia village in that the Illinois River at that all of the journey to the Mississippi River state that La Salle and his men canoes the from the Chicago portage the Kaskaskia village to the where they encountered at the Kaskaskia village is one the Illinois the during the La Salle's that the had never in of the village that was by the that the Grand Village be the Kaskaskia village at the Zimmerman where the the La Salle was in Illinois, there was La Salle that the had the Illinois of their before the It is known the Illinois east of the Mississippi before and it is known they villages at the four sites that La Salle encountered in the early of the Illinois east of the Mississippi River in many of them near Fort St. Louis at Starved In La Salle to the as many as from The of the Kaskaskia village was by the Illinois, there is of the of the Grand Village at that However, many maps of the the to a village at have been the of the Grand Village known to the village are the of La and which their on The mouth of this was a for La Salle and his the River is found on and maps of the Because map was La Salle's using his and the was on that his maps of the Illinois River on La Salle's they the as The using the the La Salle and his men left the the was and the of the village was are that that the was the However, the that the of one that was a and that were as the were by the early that this was to its by the of the four Illinois villages that La Salle encountered during his first journey to Illinois were the village of the near Starved for the Grand Village of the Illinois. However, the the Marquette, and La Salle that they were two It was that Lake was La Salle's Lake La Salle's Lake MM and MM the for that the River La Salle describing the Grand Village was the River. of this the for the and locations of the four Illinois villages that La Salle encountered in of

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