French Colonial Kaskaskia Illinois

Imagine the courage it took to leave an established settlement and venture into the wilderness. There was so much risk involved, no guarantee that you would ever make it back home. I have a lot of admiration and respect for all of my ancestors, but especially those who had the courage to travel so very far away from everything and everyone they knew and loved. I also credit these brave men and women for my sense of adventure and curiosity. At least one of my ancestors just disappeared, never to be heard from again. I have found The Jesuit Relations (title shortened by me) to be a great resource in studying this time period  HERE.  There are plenty of genealogical tidbits found no where else buried in the text of this book.

In many cases, money was a motivating factor. People took a chance in order to get rich. I'm thinking specifically of those French fur traders who left home seasonally to seek wealth in the interior of the North American continent. There was a world-wide demand for fur, especially beaver. The pelts were used not only for the fancy top hat everyone thinks of but also for military and tricorn hats as far back as the early 17th century. The trappers and traders would go out to collect pelts and then take them to merchants or the companies they worked for.  They were always at risk of being robbed of their pelts, or killed, and if they took too long in getting them to market, the skins could rot.

Named for an indigenous tribe, the village of Kaskaskia was founded in 1703. Catholic missionaries had been in the area known as Le Pays des Illinois earlier, but this was the first European settlement in what is now Illinois. It was developed by French coureur du bois, or runners of the woods, Catholic missionaries, and members of he Kaskaskia tribe. The French got along well with the Kaskaskia. As a result, some European and indigenous marriages occurred and metis families were established.


European governments profited from the fur trade too, and they took steps to protect the trappers and traders working in the wilderness. One of the first forts established in Illinois was the French Fort de Chartres, very near Kaskaskia, in 1720. It's worth a visit, especially when they are hosting their annual Rendezvous (June 6-7 in 2020).
Of course, settlement sprung up around the fort, and the government sent French women and families to come to the colonies to discourage intermarriage with the Native American tribes the men encountered. Use of products imported from France, like housewares and wine, was strongly encouraged. The government wanted to keep the French people French.

This is a picture I took of the site of Fort Kaskaskia in 2015. 
The village lies under the Mississippi river now.

Kaskaskia and Fort de Chartres, Cahokia, and all of the early French villages couldn't have been farther from home, though.  They were isolated, and help came slowly or not at all, even for those in the military. People had to trust each other, and rely on each other in order to survive. As a result of this isolation, the settlers created a unique American culture of diversity, a blend of European, Native American, and African traditions in what is now Illinois and Missouri. They even developed their own music and language, known today as Missouri or Paw Paw French which was spoken throughout Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. This version of Frenchness remained, even when Spain took over the lands west of the Mississippi.


Being so far from home, and being isolated, was not easy, but the resulting communities that developed are worth remembering. One example is Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Unlike St. Louis, which saw rapid expansion and destruction in an effort to accommodate the rush of Americans moving west after the Louisiana Purchase, Ste. Genevieve was able to preserve much of its French heritage. In fact, it will now become a National Historic Park.
I can't wait to see how the additional funding helps the site, and I hope more Americans are able to learn about this important and overlooked aspect of our
U. S. history. It wasn't all East to West. There were people out here in the middle of the country way earlier than most people realize!