The French in Illinois

The French in "Illinois Country"

Which places in our state have French heritage?

Let's get started!

On these pages, hover over a boldfaced word to see a definition!

France in North America

In the 16th century (the 1500s), North America was populated by many Native American tribes. But the French, like the English and the Spanish, thought they could benefit from this rich land--a land that was new to the French.

Notice all these French place names in the Midwest, including Illinois!

At that time, the French wanted to develop their trade with China and Asia. From France, it was difficult to go to China by traveling toward the east on land. Maybe they could go to China by boat, if they could find a water route that went through North America! So they wanted to explore.

What places in Illinois have a French name? Make a list!

France in North America

The French king decided to send men to explore this new continent. First, Jacques Cartier came down the huge St. Lawrence River several times starting in 1534. He met Native people who lived in that region. But the French did not begin to build any towns at that time.

In 1603, Samuel de Champlain first came to North America. In 1608 he established a small "habitation" or settlement on a site where Native people lived already. Today, this is Quebec City.

Who were the Native people living in Canada?

Next, the French founded a second settlement on an island in the St. Lawrence River, a site that was also inhabited by Native people: this was Montreal!

France in North America

By 1645, the French had founded small settlements in Canada: Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, and Montréal. Frenchmen continued to travel from these towns toward the region of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. Louis Jolliet and Father Marquette, Jean Nicolet, René- Robert Cavelier de LaSalle, and other men traveled into the middle of the continent.

In 1673, Louis Jolliet and Father Marquette were the first Frenchmen to see the Mississippi River. They came down Green Bay and crossed what is today Wisconsin by taking the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. They had to portage between the two rivers. On their way back, they went through what is now Illinois, on the Illinois River! On their trip, they were guided by Native people and they met other Natives up and down the Mississippi.

The Native people of Illinois

The Fur Trade and Native People

The French saw that they could buy furs (also called pelts) like beaver in North America and send them to Europe to sell them there. In Europe, there was a large demand for furs. The French thought that they could make money through buying furs from the Natives and sending the furs back to Europe to sell them there. This business--the fur trade- -seemed like it might be very valuable!

Who were the Native people that the French traded and lived with? In Illinois and the area around the Great Lakes, there were many tribes: Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Illinois, Menominee, Ho-Chunk, Miami, Meskwaki, Hurons, and more!

The Native people were important partners for the French in the fur trade and they were very important in helping the French survive.

A fur (pelt) of a beaver stretched on a frame. They had to process the furs before sending them to France.

What have you learned?

Native People and the French

In North America, the French needed Native people for several reasons.

• The Native people knew how to survive in this environment, which was different from France!

• The Native people supplied the furs that the French people wanted to export to Europe.

• The Native people could help the French be integrated into the trade network that already existed among Native tribes.

• Even though Native people lived everywhere in this region, the French said that the whole territory was a French colony. The Native people continued to see this land as their land.

Forts and villages

PROJECT: Research one of these Illinois sites!

After the explorers, French-speaking people came little by little to live in the territory that is Illinois today. They built:

• forts
• religious missions (churches)
• villages

Who came? Traders, soldiers, habitants and priests.

Why are these sites on rivers?

Who were habitants?

One fort in Illinois was Fort de Chartres. The village next to it was Prairie du Rocher. The village called Cahokia was on the Mississippi River.

At Kaskaskia, also on the MIssissippi, there was a religious mission along with a village.

There were other forts that did not last very long, like Fort de Massac or Fort le Pouz.

Plaque in Québec City stating it was founded by Champlain

New France was divided into two regions: Canada (in the north) and Louisiana (in the south). The area that includes Illinois was known as "Illinois Country." It was sort of between Canada and Louisiana.

+ info

The territory in blue on this map was the colony that they called "New France." The smaller red area was the British colony.

What have you learned?

The end of "New France," but ...

In 1763, France lost the French & Indian War to Great Britain. As a result, all the territory east of the Mississippi became British territory. (To the west of the Mississippi it became Spanish territory.) It was no longer New France. And, at the end of the 18th century the area that is now Illinois became part of the new country, the United States of America. For the Native people, of course, this was still their territory. They still had to deal with European people, whether they were French or British.

This part of North America became British after 1763. Then, after 1783, it became part of the new United States of America!

French culture continued to be present in Illinois territory! In the village of Prairie du Rocher, the residents, who spoke French, continued to trade with the Native people, to farm, and to speak French in the 1700s and 1800s.

French continued in Illinois!

The fur trade business continued in the 1700s and the 1800s, and many leaders in this business were French speakers: Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable for example was born in Haiti and he founded a trading post on the site of Chicago on Lake Michigan in about 1780.

Statue of Jean-Bapiste Pointe DuSable in Chicago

When Illinois became a state in 1818, some of the leaders of the new state were French speakers like Pierre Ménard, the state's first lieutenant governor. You can visit his house near Chester, Illinois!

LeTourneau House, Bourbonnais

In the 19th century, French speakers from Canada--people from Quebec like Noël LeVasseur--came to live in Illinois and they founded the village of Bourbonnais.

What have you learned?

Let's think about it!

• The French needed their Native trade partners in order to survive! Make a list of the things that the French needed, in this new land, which the Native people could give them or help them with.

• French settlements--forts, missions, or villages--in Illinois are almost always on rivers. Why?

• Research the Native tribes that were in "Illinois country": Potawatomi, Illinois, Miami, Kickapoo. Where do these tribes have land now?

• Choose a French site in Illinois and research it. Create a brochure for tourists or other visitors that gives them good information about this site.

The French in Illinois

Which places in our state have French history??

For more info...

LET'S EXPLORE!

Traders and habitants

What's the difference between fur traders and habitants?

Traders traveled a lot to trade for furs with the Natives and usually didn't have farm crops. Traders often married Native women.

"Habitants" raised crops and didn't travel as often, though they often did some fur trading. The land of much of Illinois was rich and productive!

Although French-speaking traders and habitants lived in Illinois in the 17th and 18th centuries, the villages were not large. Villages like Kaskasia or Prairie du Rocher often had no more than 200 French speakers living there!

Fort de Chartres