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.
