A Guide to Treasure in Illinois and Indiana

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Illinois received its name from the Kaskaskia Indian word, Illini, meaning "real man." For thousands of years prior to the coming of the French, the region had been a favorite camping ground for different Indian tribes, chief among which were the Kaskaskia, the Cahokia, and the Peoria. The first European to explore the area was Joliet in 1673. Soon afterward, French traders and missionaries came in search of gold, silver, furs, and converts. The earliest mission was founded by Father Marquette at the Indian village of Kaskaskia in 1675. Between 1682 and 1750, the French built many forts, trading posts, and missions along the Wabash, Illinois, Kaskaskia, and Kankakee Rivers. Illinois was originally part of the Northwest Territory which was ceded to England by France at the end of the French and Indian War in 1763. Indian depredations kept the English from taking possession until 1765. During the British occupations, no permanent settlement was made because of the constant threat of Indian tribes on the war path. The French and English brought only place names and few people to Illinois. But after it was ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Americans began the permanent settling of the territory. Most of the pioneers came by way of the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Ohio Rivers and built their villages in southern Illinois along those water ways. Illinois was admitted to the Union in 1818. Indian resistance in the state was broken by the Black Hawk War in 1832. Twenty-eight years later, Illinois bore a notable part in the Civil War by contributing several thousand men, most of them to the Union Army.