Historical Markers StoppingPoints.com Historical Markers, Sightseeing & Points of Interest Scenic Roads & Points of Interest
About Us | Photo Gallery | Free Widgets | Featured States | Search Site
Register or Edit LoginRegister
Home Illinois Randolph County Ellis Grove Historical Markers The American Bottom

The American Bottom

Ellis Grove, IL , USA

Latitude & Longitude: 38° 3' 9.600012", -89° 56' 0.300012"
  Illinois IL State Historical Marker
Illinois State
Historical Marker

 
A more congenial soil for general cultivation I believe no where exists, it may be called the Elysium of America.' That is how a settler in 1817 described the American Bottom, the lowland between the Mississippi River and the bluffs to the east which stretches from the Wood River to the Kaskaskia. Hundreds of years ago an agricultural people settled in this silt-filled channel of an ancient river and raised crops to feed their large cities. Today many mounds in the area stand as monuments to this early civilazation. The American Bottom served as the center of settlement for the French, the British and finally the Americans in Illinois for over a hundred years. At the height of French activity after 1700 probably no more than 2,000 Frenchmen and Negroes lived in the region but they produced the grain for posts on the Ohio and lower Mississippi, explored the surrounding territory for mineral wealth and established Fort de Chartres. The British took the land form the French in 1763 but their interest in the American Bottom was slight. When Goerge Rogers Clark led his small army to the area in 1778 he captured Kaskaskia and the other villages without striking a blow. Under the Americans, Kaskaskia became the territorial and the first state capitol . Illinois highway maps indicate several parks and memorials between Chester and East St. Louis which will take you back into the intriguing history of the American Bottom.

Last updated: 2/14/2015 15:17:00
 
   
 
See all Illinois African American History locations.
 
Editor Note: StoppingPoints.com does not condone the use of racist terms. In some instances, our guide displays these terms when quoting the text found on historical markers. Please consider the use of antiquated/offensive terms in this context as merely documenting history involving African-Americans and other persons of color, and is in no way intended as an endorsement nor insult.
 
 
 
The American Bottom Historical Marker Location Map, Ellis Grove, Illinois Map