The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-10-06
Cir 9]aiigg Are,as,
Concluded from second page. !

! fort near what's now called Spring Bay. in
/ Woodford county, several miles northeast
Of Peoria but in this case we prefer the
authority of Reynolds. who was not onlv
accurately versed in the early French his,
tory of the State, but had, as a ranger
thoroughly explored that country. when
with other soldiers from Madison and 81
| Clair counties, he assisted, in 1912. in build.
| ing Fort Clark, on the present site of Peo
ria-and named it after Gen. Geo. Rogers
Clark, who conquered Illinois from the
4 British in ITS Peck also states that la
Sale after building Creve Occur visited
| Canada and again returned and descended
the Illinois to.the Mississippi, and the lat
ter to its mouth. On returning he lett
some of his companions TO occupy the
country, which is supposed to have been
the commencement of the villages of Kas-
kaskia and Cahokia As LaSalle sailed
/ for France in 1853. these villages must
have been founded in 1852, two years later
than Peoria
Reynolds confirms Peck's statement as
follows:
THE Rev. Father Allones, about the
year 1852, established the first white Chris
tan congregation in the west at the In
dian village of Kaskaskia, the same site
which Kaskaskia now occupies about the
same time Father Pinet founded church
at the present site Of Cahokia'
Another important authority, confrma-
tory of Reynolds statements, both as re-
CARDS the date of founding and exact loca
ton of Creve Ceur, is J. W. Foster, LII
D., author of ''The Mississippi Valley.
president of the American association for
the advancement of science. In regard to
LaSalle's explorations he spoke as below
'LaSalle and his party on the 30th OF
January, 1880, reached Peoria Lake, then
called Pimitoui. The next day they passed
the expanded waters to where they again
contract within the ordinary limits. Here
they encountered an encampment of In.
dians
Alarmed at reports of the ferocity Of
the savages, and also by dissension among
his followers, LaSalle at once set to work
to entrench himself
For this purpose he selected site &
mile and half below his camp (which il
| will be remembered, was at the lower ex
tremity of the lake. on the southern banl
of the stream, three hundred yards from
!. the waters edge 1t was knoll, inter
sected on each side by ravine, while il
front the low ground was subject to over
4 flow. Here he built a fort which ht
named Creve Ceur, as expressive of hi
, misfortune Traces of the embankmen
! thus thrown up are yet observable. Thi
was the first civilized occupation of Hin
DIS -
In relation to kaskaskia, Foster says
:" 1t was probably founded about 1888.
/ This is three years later than the foundin,
Of Creve Occur; but we think other evi
dence indicates that 1852 is the date O
kaskaskia' S settlement.
The testimony Of Foster is most impor
: tant. 1t confirms Reynolds account botI
, as to the time Creve Ceur was founded an,
the particular site. 1t also confirms Peck
date in regard to the founding, but cor
reefs his conjecture that the site of the oil
fort was near Spring Bay Reynolds,
will be noticed, asserts positively that Grew
: C9ur was occupied continuously by tn
French for over one hundred years, or III
til 1871, when they removed to the presen
site of Peoria, which settlement has cor
tinued to the present day 1t seems cor
elusive, then. that the vicinity of Peoria
the oldest settlement in Illinois, at leas
two years the senior of Kaskaskia and IA
hokia, which have hitherto claimed tn
honor of being the oldest settlements i
the State