In commemoration of the three-hundredth anniversary of European settlement
at Peoria, this book is concerned with the little-known first half of its history-the
150 years in which the Illinois Country was explored and settled by the French.
The book is based on the exhibit, “The Illinois Country, 1679-1846”,
produced by Dickson Mounds Museum, that was on view at the museum in
1991, and toured Peoria during its Tricentennial year.
Included are profiles of historic figures selected because of the significance of
their accomplishments, or because their lives graphically reflect their times.
These are Jolliet, Marquette, La Salle, Tonti, Pierre Delliette, Father Gravier,
Marie Rouensa, DuSable, Jean-Baptiste Maillet, Louis Chatellereau, Adeline
La Croix Chandler, and Louis Buisson. There are short features on the customs
and character of the Illinois Indians, Peoria and the American Revolution, the
Illinois fur trade, and the archaeological evidence of the French colonial period
along the Central Illinois River.