The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-08-08
FIRST CAPITAL GOING
Court House Where Abraham Line In
pracitced VIII BE Forced alto
Missouri BY River.

All thai remains to Illinos Of hen
first capital. Kaskaskia, sac cunit
house where Abraham in son once
practicei, the walls Of this first ,crr.
torial legislative han tAe cll home
that surrounds tham, all rich in his
torical association, will probably be
taken from tlltib state ana forced into
Missouri. In this separation occurs
the politicians Of Chester Gay it Is i'm.
vodable-enough Democratic votes
Will be sent into the western state,
along with 5000 acres of land, to
change the political complexion of
Randolph county, leaving it Republl-
can.
The change will be made because
the channel of the Missouri river,
which forms the boundary between H.
linois and Missouri, is now entirely
in tae "Okaw chute" east of Kaskas.
kia, while the old bed of the section
is entirely dry.
/ The story of the wiping out of the
center of the village of Kaskaskia has
passed into history. The ancient
French settlement was busy place
in the spring of 1881, when the Mis-
sissippi river started to rise Its bus
mess was taken away forever in less
than an hour when the overlooking
waters reached the Okaw river across
a short neck of land, and, finding that
stream ten feet lower than the Missis-
sppi and several miles shorter in the
run to Chester, began TO tear wildly
at the alluvial banks, reducing them
with laundering crashes, until when
but forty feet of earth separated the
two streams this dam gave away with
roar and the whole current of the !
Mississippi went surging down its
shortened way.
1t swept through the center Of the |
,own while terrified citizens fed in
land. Buildings that had been on the !
old bank of the Okaw cayed into the |
charging stream in minute. Others |
followed. The streets went with \
them. An hour after the first opening |
VAS made the channel was 300 yards |
wide ana was racing sluiceway.
From that time on the remnants of |
Kaskaskia have toppled and disap- |
peared into the river one by one until
all have gone. The new channel, al
first open at high water, has deepened
and broadened and the old channel |
has filled with silt and sand until
now. when the Mississippi is at It's
lowest level. steamers daily charge
down between the prairie state and
its aforetime capital while the resi-.
dents of the latter walk dry shod
across the sands to buy their stores
at ST. Mary's, Mo.
Disputes innumerable have grown
out of the situation with regard to
land titles, and the oldest Kaskasld.
ans cannot remember the day when
there has not been trouble with the
over the possession OF
lands. The new law has held that no
owner could cross the channel to
claim new land. and that the bank
owner had riparian rights to acretions.
the 5000 to 5000 arces
claimed by the Missourians. which
that much loss to Illinois,
had long been a bone of bitter con
tention.
With the receding of the waters
rom the old channel of the river back
Of Kaskaskia Island the Missouri own
,rs have stretched out their claim to
between their land and the
'ormer eastern edge of the water In
LONG this they have included Blrch's
sand, formerly an Illinois possession
lose TO Kaskaskia. Kaskaskiains |
we're not disposed to make similar
.laims on Missouri especially In view
# the fact that they were not sure of
heir own Illinois citizenship. Those :
Who lost whole farms. however. and
Who could by the aid Of surveyor
ocate the place in the river bed
where they had formerly been, have
.ept up an agitation for a final settle
hent that would give them back their
and. This island of Kaskaskia. as ii
low is, embraces about $4,000 acres.
{ is seven miles long and from two to
i've broad. and shaded with the finest
lack walnut trees to be found in the
middle west On It's northwest cor
Ter stands the remains of the FIRST
apltal Of the state. All around the I
ract are prospcrous-looking farm r
ouses. providing housing in ali for c
population Of more than l.0n0 uf the =
most industrious citizens OF the state. r
q Burlington IIawkeye s
Diamond Joe All Right.