Illinois
...border it are Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. Lake Michigan also runs along 40 miles of the Illinois coastline. This area also includes Chicago.
History
"The Land of Lincoln" and "The Prairie State"are names we call Illinois. There is more to it then that. Illinois has a rich history from The Ice Age to the present.
The land we now call Illinois was once at the the bottom of an inland ocean.Yes, I'm talking about the land that is home to the nation's 2nd largest city, Chicago. Now, as I was saying, this inland ocean was constantly changing. The land underneath the ocean rose and sank, not quickly, ,but over 60 million years. The rising and sinking of Illinois happened from 3 to 5 times before finally staying above the ocean. However, nature was not through with Illinois. The Ice Age came and went, leaving the most fertile soil in the nation.
Not much is known about the early inhabitants of
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this rich and fertile land. All that we know is that they built huge dirt mounds. Some were places of worship, or so we think, some were burial places. These people were called Mound Builders. Another unsolved mystery is giant paintings with the wings of a bird, the body of a lizard, the legs of a lion, and the head of a human. Could it be Mrs. Peacock on the wall with the paintbrush? Probably not, but was it the Mound Builders?
The first white men to set foot in Illinois were Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet. They were sent by the Governor of Canada to explore the land near the Mississippi river. The pair met and made friends with the Indians on their journey. They not only discovered, but claimed the land for the King of France (Canada was ruled by France at this point in time). Before leaving Father Marquette promised to teach the natives about Christianity when he returned....
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