I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5558 

To establish the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial National Historical Park 

in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 

Mr. BOST introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial National 

Historical Park in the State of Illinois, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS; PURPOSES. 

4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) Prairie du Rocher and the French Colonial 

6 Historic District are the finest historical and archi7 tectural examples of French Colonial Heritage in the 

8 United States. 


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1 (2) Kaskaskia, Fort de Chartres, and Prairie 

2 du Rocher once served as the western boundary of 

3 the United States. 

4 (3) The 1752 French census documents that 

5 Kaskaskia had a population of 275 White people, 

6 246 Blacks, 75 Indians, and 77 mixed blood (Indian 

7 and white ancestry) making it a multi-ethnic com8 munity. Enslaved people from Africa began arriving 

9 in Kaskaskia by 1720 with skills as blacksmiths, 

10 joiners, masons, etc., precisely the skills needed to 

11 build the 1759 Fort of Kaskaskia. 

12 (4) Fort de Chartres was erected in 1720 by 

13 France and is one of France’s most imposing for14 tifications in North America. It was the administra15 tive center in the era of French Colonial control over 

16 Louisiana and the Illinois Country. On October 9, 

17 1960, the Fort was declared a National Historic 

18 Landmark. 

19 (5) The Powder Magazine at Fort de Chartres 

20 is the oldest stone building in the State of Illinois. 

21 (6) The Guard House at Fort de Chartres con22 tains a Catholic chapel furnished in the style of the 

23 1750s, along with a priest’s room, a gunner’s room, 

24 an officer-of-the-day room, and a guard’s room. MisVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:06 Sep 22, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5558.IH H5558

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1 sionary Father Pierre Gibault taught and ministered 

2 to the settlers and Native Americans. 

3 (7) The King of France made land concessions 

4 to certain entrepreneurs that evolved into villages. 

5 The Village of Chartres was proximate to Fort de 

6 Chartres. 

7 (8) The Mitchigamea or Michigamea were a 

8 tribe in the Illinois Confederation who established a 

9 village north of Fort de Chartres. One of their vil10 lages in the American Bottom, inhabited from 1730 

11 until 1752, is one of the region’s premier archae12 ological sites; it is known as the ‘‘Kolmer Site’’. 

13 (9) In 1763, Pierre Laclede Liguest quartered 

14 in the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial District 

15 where he planned the new village of St. Louis which 

16 he established in February of 1764. 

17 (10) On July 4, 1778, General George Rogers 

18 Clark, with the assistance of Father Pierre Gibault, 

19 captured Prairie du Rocher and the Village of 

20 Kaskaskia. 

21 (11) On November 28, 1803, Meriwether Lewis 

22 and William Clark visited the Village of Kaskaskia, 

23 seeking Engages and troops to accompany them on 

24 the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 


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1 (12) Recently an American Fort was discovered 

2 that dates to 1803–1806. The site is next to the 

3 Garrison Hill Cemetery. 

4 (13) In 1818, Kaskaskia served as the first 

5 State Capital of Illinois. 

6 (14) In 1825, General Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves7 Roch-Gilbert du Montier de Lafayette visited the 

8 Village of Kaskaskia. 

9 (15) In 1876, the religious order, the Adorers 

10 of the Blood of Christ (ASC), established a convent 

11 near Prairie du Rocher in rural Ruma to minister to 

12 the region through education and religious instruc13 tion in southwestern Illinois. The health care needs 

14 of the people led the Sisters to also create and oper15 ate hospitals. Since 1877 the Sisters staffed schools 

16 at the request of Pastors. By 1938 their staffing 

17 helped to open schools in 103 towns. They also 

18 served in other outreach ministries throughout the 

19 region. The ASC Convent was built in 1876. It was 

20 expanded in 1890 and enlarged again in 1925. The 

21 entire complex was updated in 1980. It served as an 

22 educational institution and later a high school that 

23 even offered 30 hours of college credit from St. 

24 Louis University. 


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1 (16) The ASC convent site contains a memorial 

2 to and the remains of five martyred nuns who min3 istered in Liberia, West Africa in 1992. ASC Sisters 

4 had served there since 1971. 

5 (17) On January 20, 1961, the Modoc Rock 

6 Shelter was declared a National Historic Landmark. 

7 (18) In 1973, the Creole House in Prairie du 

8 Rocher was added to the National Registry of His9 toric Places. 

10 (19) In 1974, Prairie du Rocher and the 

11 French Colonial Historic District, an area of 22 

12 square miles, was created and added to the National 

13 Registry of Historic Places, along with the ancient 

14 Kolmer Indian site. 

15 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to— 

16 (1) recognize the importance of Prairie du 

17 Rocher and the French Colonial Historic District as 

18 a nationally significant architectural village of the 

19 cultural heritage of the United States; 

20 (2) establish a Prairie du Rocher French Colo21 nial National Historical Park to serve as the focus 

22 of interpretive and educational programs on the his23 tory of the French Colonial Historic District, and to 

24 assist in the preservation of historic sites within the 

25 Prairie du Rocher French Colonial Historic District; 


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1 (3) recognize the contribution of religious 

2 women in the development of the country through 

3 their missions and their intrinsic desire to better the 

4 lives of people through education, health, and social 

5 services, and other ministries and in particular 

6 southwestern Illinois; and 

7 (4) recognize the existence and contribution of 

8 the early enslaved African Americans, Indians and 

9 mixed bloods at Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher 

10 for their skills as blacksmiths, joiners, and masons, 

11 etc. 

12 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PRAIRIE DU ROCHER 

13 FRENCH COLONIAL NATIONAL HISTORICAL 

14 PARK. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—In order to assist in the preserva16 tion and interpretation of, and education concerning, of 

17 Prairie du Rocher, the French Colonial Historic District, 

18 the contribution of religious women to the development of 

19 our country and the existence of a multi-ethnic community 

20 that was Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher and to provide 

21 technical assistance to a broad range of public and private 

22 landowners and preservation organizations, there is hereby 

23 established the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial Na24 tional Historical Park in the State of Illinois. 


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1 (b) AREA INCLUDED.—The historical park shall con2 sist of lands and interests therein as follows: 

3 (1) Lands and structures associated with— 

4 (A) Fort de Chartres, France’s most im5 posing fortifications in North America, and sur6 rounding adjacent land including the Kolmer 

7 Site, the Village of Chartres and Pierre Laclede 

8 Home site; 

9 (B) the Creole House (1800), a French 

10 creole vernacular post in ground (poteaux-sur11 sol) construction—one of only five remaining in 

12 the United States; 

13 (C) the Pierre Menard Home (1803), Men14 ard was the first Lieutenant Governor of Illi15 nois; 

16 (D) the Doiron Bienvenue House, post in 

17 ground (poteaux-sur-sol) construction (1860); 

18 (E) the ASC Convent, built in 1876 and 

19 updated in 1980, including an education wing, 

20 and surrounding structures and adjacent par21 cels; and 

22 (F) a portion of the Fort Kaskaskia State 

23 Historic Site, a 200-acre park, which celebrates 

24 the vanished frontier Village of Kaskaskia, is 

25 home to the earthen remains of Fort 


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1 Kaskaskia, and preserves Garrison Hill Ceme2 tery, where Pierre Menard and dozens of vet3 erans are interred. 

4 SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION; MANAGEMENT. 

5 (a) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall admin6 ister the historical park in accordance with this title and 

7 with provisions of law generally applicable to units of the 

8 National Park System, including— 

9 (1) section 100502 of title 54, United States 

10 Code; and 

11 (2) chapter 3201 of title 54, United States 

12 Code. 

13 (b) MANAGEMENT.—The Secretary shall manage the 

14 historical park in such a manner as will preserve resources 

15 and cultural landscapes relating to the history of the his16 toric district and to enhance public understanding of the 

17 important cultural heritage of the historic district. 

18 SEC. 4. INTERPRETIVE VISITOR CENTER COMPLEX. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

20 (1) CONSTRUCTION; LEASE.—The Secretary is 

21 authorized to acquire the ASC convent and sur22 rounding structures to operate and to maintain an 

23 interpretive visitor center complex, conference cen24 ter, and lodging facilities in the convent, to provide 

25 for the general information and orientation needs of 


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1 the historical park and the historic district and serve 

2 the needs of the historical park. The ASC facility 

3 also includes a house to serve as the residence for 

4 the Park Superintendent. 

5 (2) CONSULTATION.—When the planning and 

6 development of the ASC Convent as the interpretive 

7 visitor center complex, the Secretary shall consult 

8 with— 

9 (A) the State of Illinois; 

10 (B) Randolph County; 

11 (C) the Village of Prairie du Rocher; and 

12 (D) the Illinois Department of Natural Re13 sources. 

14 (b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary is 

15 authorized to enter into cooperative agreements for the de16 velopment of the interpretive visitor center complex, edu17 cational programs, and other materials to facilitate public 

18 use of the historical park and historic district with— 

19 (1) the State of Illinois; 

20 (2) Randolph County; 

21 (3) the Village of Prairie du Rocher; and 

22 (4) the Illinois Department of Natural Re23 sources. 


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1 SEC. 5. ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY. 

2 (a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—Except as otherwise pro3 vided in this section, the Secretary is authorized to acquire 

4 lands and interests therein within the boundaries of the 

5 historical park by donation, purchase with donated or ap6 propriated funds, and exchange. 

7 (b) STATE AND LOCAL PROPERTIES.—Lands and in8 terests therein that are owned by the State of Illinois, or 

9 any political subdivision thereof, may be acquired only by 

10 donation or exchange. 

11 SEC. 6. DONATIONS. 

12 The Secretary may accept and retain donations of 

13 funds, property, or services from individuals, foundations, 

14 or other public or private entities for the purposes of pro15 viding programs, services, facilities, or technical assistance 

16 that further the purposes of this Act. Any funds donated 

17 to the Secretary pursuant to this section may be expended 

18 without further appropriation. 

19 SEC. 7. GRANT ASSISTANCE. 

20 The Secretary is authorized to make grants to park 

21 partners for projects not requiring Federal involvement 

22 other than providing financial assistance, subject to the 

23 availability of appropriations in advance identifying the 

24 specific grantee and the specific project. Projects funded 

25 through grants under this section shall— 


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1 (1) be used only for construction and develop2 ment on non-Federal property within the boundaries 

3 of the historic district; 

4 (2) support the purposes of the historical park; 

5 and 

6 (3) enhance public use and enjoyment of the 

7 historical park. 

8 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

9 In this Act: 

10 (1) HISTORIC DISTRICT.—The term ‘‘historic 

11 district’’ means the Prairie du Rocher French Colo12 nial Historic District listed on the National Registry 

13 of Historic Places. 

14 (2) HISTORICAL PARK.—The term ‘‘historical 

15 park’’ means the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial 

16 National Historical Park established by section 2(a). 

17 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

18 the Secretary of the Interior. 

Æ 


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