Winter Warm Up: French Illinois  

Friday, February 16  (10-11am)

The expeditions of Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette claimed the vast region of New France in the 1600s in what is now the Midwestern United States. French colonial settlement concentrated primarily along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers in what is now the states of Illinois and Missouri. The French were the first Europeans to make contact with Native Americans in Illinois, build forts, and establish both government and religious missions. 

Dr. Mark J. Wagner, professor of anthropology and director for the Center for Archaeological Investigations at Southern Illinois University Carbondale will discuss the remarkable influence of the French in forming the heritage our state, and efforts to formalize a French Colonial Corridor in Illinois. A representative from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth's office will join the discussion via Zoom to talk about U.S. Senate Bill 4525, which proposes to establish the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial National Heritage Park in Randolph County.