History of Peoria, Illinois
Encyclopedia
The history of Peoria
, Illinois
begins when lands that eventually would become Peoria were first settled in 1680, when French
explorers René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
, and Henri de Tonti
constructed Fort Crevecoeur
. This fort would later burn to the ground, and in 1813 Fort Clark was built. When the County of Peoria
was organized in 1825, Fort Clark was officially named Peoria.
. Artifacts and Native American burial mounds show that people lived in the area as far back as 10,000 BC
.
and Louis Joliet explored the region, finding the Illini Indians who were part of the Algonquian peoples
. Those tribes that were part of the Illinois Confederacy at that time were the Peoria
, Kaskaskia
, Michigamea, Cahokia
, and Tamaroa
.
In 1680, two French explorers, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
and Henri de Tonti
, constructed the first fort on the east bank of the Illinois River
, and named it Fort Crevecoeur. Eleven years later, in 1691, another fort was built by de Tonti and his cousin, François Daupin de la Forêt. It is believed the fort was near present-day Mary and Adams Streets). Called Fort St. Louis II, it is also known as Fort Pimiteoui. The fort, and the town established around it, was the first European settlement
in Illinois.
, and George Rogers Clark
appointed Maillet as military commander. Maillet established a new village, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of the old one. It later became known as "La Ville de Maillet" and was on the present-day site of downtown Peoria.
, hosts a visit by Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta and is named Archbishop of Newark in 2001, shortly after September 11. The University Street and Pekin campuses of Illinois Central College
are completed. OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
starts Peoria's largest-ever private building expansion to build a new emergency room and a new Children's Hospital of Illinois; and Methodist Medical Center of Illinois and Pekin Hospital also expand. U.S. Representative Ray LaHood
becomes U.S. Secretary of Transportation under Obama; he is succeeded by Aaron Schock
. The Peoria Zoo
makes a major expansion and the Peoria airport is renamed.
decides to explore construction of a new high school.
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
begins when lands that eventually would become Peoria were first settled in 1680, when French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
explorers René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, or Robert de LaSalle was a French explorer. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico...
, and Henri de Tonti
Henri de Tonti
Henri de Tonti was an Italian-born soldier, explorer, and fur trader in the service of France.-Early life:Henri de Tonti, a Sicilian, was mostly likely born near Gaeta, Italy in either 1649 or 1650. He was the son of Lorenzo de Tonti, a financier and former governor of Gaeta...
constructed Fort Crevecoeur
Fort Crevecoeur
Fort Crevecoeur was founded near the present site of Creve Coeur, a suburb of Peoria, Illinois, in January 1680.-Founding:...
. This fort would later burn to the ground, and in 1813 Fort Clark was built. When the County of Peoria
Peoria County, Illinois
Peoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 186,494, which is an increase of 1.7% from 183,433 in 2000. Its county seat is Peoria....
was organized in 1825, Fort Clark was officially named Peoria.
Early history
What has become Peoria and environs bears many remnants of Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. Artifacts and Native American burial mounds show that people lived in the area as far back as 10,000 BC
10th millennium BC
The 10th millennium BC marks the beginning of the Mesolithic and Epipaleolithic period, which is the first part of the Holocene epoch. Agriculture, based on the cultivation of primitive forms of millet and rice, occurred in Southwest Asia...
.
17th century
The French were the first Europeans to explore the area that would become Peoria in 1673. Father Jacques MarquetteJacques Marquette
Father Jacques Marquette S.J. , sometimes known as Père Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. Marie, and later founded St. Ignace, Michigan...
and Louis Joliet explored the region, finding the Illini Indians who were part of the Algonquian peoples
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
. Those tribes that were part of the Illinois Confederacy at that time were the Peoria
Peoria (tribe)
The Peoria people are a Native American tribe. Today they are enrolled in the federally recognized Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. Historically, they were part of the Illinois Confederation.-History:...
, Kaskaskia
Kaskaskia
The Kaskaskia were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation or Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in the Great Lakes region...
, Michigamea, Cahokia
Cahokia
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is the area of an ancient indigenous city located in the American Bottom floodplain, between East Saint Louis and Collinsville in south-western Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri. The site included 120 human-built earthwork mounds...
, and Tamaroa
Tamaroa
Tamaroa may refer to:*Tamaroa , a tribe of Native Americans in the United States*Tamaroa, Illinois, a village in the United States*USCGC Tamaroa, a United States Coast Guard Cutter*Tamaroa, Kiribati, a village in the Republic of Kiribati...
.
In 1680, two French explorers, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, or Robert de LaSalle was a French explorer. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico...
and Henri de Tonti
Henri de Tonti
Henri de Tonti was an Italian-born soldier, explorer, and fur trader in the service of France.-Early life:Henri de Tonti, a Sicilian, was mostly likely born near Gaeta, Italy in either 1649 or 1650. He was the son of Lorenzo de Tonti, a financier and former governor of Gaeta...
, constructed the first fort on the east bank of the Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
, and named it Fort Crevecoeur. Eleven years later, in 1691, another fort was built by de Tonti and his cousin, François Daupin de la Forêt. It is believed the fort was near present-day Mary and Adams Streets). Called Fort St. Louis II, it is also known as Fort Pimiteoui. The fort, and the town established around it, was the first European settlement
European colonization of the Americas
The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492. The first Europeans to reach the Americas were the Vikings during the 11th century, who established several colonies in Greenland and one short-lived settlement in present day Newfoundland...
in Illinois.
18th century
The settlement became legally British in 1763 after the French & Indian War, but remained French in practice. By 1778 the village had become part of the territory of the new United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
appointed Maillet as military commander. Maillet established a new village, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of the old one. It later became known as "La Ville de Maillet" and was on the present-day site of downtown Peoria.
19th century
During the later half of the 19th century vaudeville became widely popular. Peoria was a main stop on the circuits and the phrase "if it will play in Peoria" came about.2000s
The revision of Interstates 74 and 474, and work on the McClugage Bridge is completed. Peoria's Catholic bishop, John J. MyersJohn J. Myers
-References:...
, hosts a visit by Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta and is named Archbishop of Newark in 2001, shortly after September 11. The University Street and Pekin campuses of Illinois Central College
Illinois Central College
Illinois Central College, often called ICC, is a large Illinois community college with its largest campus in East Peoria, Illinois, off Illinois State Route 116 near U.S. Route 150 and the McClugage Bridge...
are completed. OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, located in Peoria, Illinois, United States, is a teaching hospital for the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria and part of the OSF Healthcare System...
starts Peoria's largest-ever private building expansion to build a new emergency room and a new Children's Hospital of Illinois; and Methodist Medical Center of Illinois and Pekin Hospital also expand. U.S. Representative Ray LaHood
Ray LaHood
Raymond H. "Ray" LaHood is a Republican politician from Illinois who is currently the United States Secretary of Transportation, having served since 2009. Previously, he represented the Illinois's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for seven terms .-Early life and...
becomes U.S. Secretary of Transportation under Obama; he is succeeded by Aaron Schock
Aaron Schock
Aaron Schock is the United States Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is based in Peoria and includes part of Springfield. At the age of , Schock is currently the youngest U.S. representative and the first member of the U.S. Congress born...
. The Peoria Zoo
Peoria Zoo
The Peoria Zoo is a zoo located in Peoria, Illinois, in the United States. The zoo is owned and operated by the Peoria Park District and is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day.The Peoria Zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos...
makes a major expansion and the Peoria airport is renamed.
2010s
Peoria District 150, suffering from high levels of student poverty and red ink, closes Woodruff High School and decides whether to construct a new Glen Oak School and a charter school; Peoria Notre Dame High SchoolPeoria Notre Dame High School
Peoria Notre Dame High School is a Catholic parochial high school in Peoria, Illinois. It is the largest parochial school in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria with approximately 815 students and has a college preparatory curriculum. According to the school, more than 99% of students graduating...
decides to explore construction of a new high school.
External links
- Historic Peoria
- Peoria History on the Peoria Historical Society website