Fort de Chartres
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
The gatehouse of Fort de Chartres was reconstructed in the 1930s. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression.
Nearest city:	Prairie du Rocher, Illinois
Area:	American Bottoms
Built/Founded:	1756
Architectural style(s):	Colonial French Fortification
Added to NRHP:	October 15, 1966
NRHP Reference#:	66000329[1]
Governing body:	State

Fort de Chartres was a French fortification first built in 1720 on the east bank of the Mississippi River (in present-day Illinois). Prairie du Rocher ("Prairie of the Rock" in French) is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The American Bottom is a Flood plain of the Mississippi River in southwestern Illinois, extending from Alton Illinois, to the Kaskaskia Year 1756 ( MDCCLVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for Year 1720 ( MDCCXX) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The Fort de Chartres name was also applied to the two successive fortifications built nearby during the 1700s in the era of French colonial control over Louisiana and the Illinois Country in North America. Louisiana (La celina+mario) was the name of an administrative district of New France. The Illinois Country ( Pays des Illinois) was the name used in the 17th century and afterwards to refer to an undefined region centered around present day southwest

A partial reconstruction of the third and last fort, which was built of local limestone shortly before the end of French rule in the Midwest, is preserved in an Illinois state park south of St. Louis, Missouri, four miles West of Prairie du Rocher in extreme northwest Randolph County, Illinois. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Prairie du Rocher ("Prairie of the Rock" in French) is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. Randolph County is a County located in the US state of Illinois. The site and its associated buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places, as a National Historic Landmark on October 15, 1966. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar.

The name of the original fort honored Louis, duc de Chartres, son of the Regent of France. Louis Duke of Orléans ( August 4, 1703 &ndash February 4, 1752) was a member of the royal family of France the House of Bourbon The fort's stone armory, which survived the gradual ruin that overtook the rest of the site, is considered the oldest building in the state of Illinois. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The state park today hosts several large re-enactments of colonial-era civil and military life each summer at the fort.

History

One of the reconstructed bastions at the fort.

The French

On January 1, 1718, a trade monopoly was granted to John Law and his Company of the West (which was to become the Company of the Indies in 1719). Hoping to make a fortune mining precious metals, the company built a fort to protect its interests. The original wooden fort was built in 1718-1720 by a French contingent from New Orleans, led by Pierre Dugué de Boisbriand, when administration of the Illinois Country was moved from Canada to New Orleans. Year 1718 ( MDCCXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1720 ( MDCCXX) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana Pierre Dugué de Boisbriand ( 21 February 1675 &ndash 7 June 1736) was a Canadian who commanded several areas in North America Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Governance was transferred to the Company of the Indies and the fort was built to be the seat of government and to control the Indians of the region, particularly the Fox. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States "Outagamie" redirects here For the Wisconsin county see Outagamie County Wisconsin. The original fort was a palisade of logs with two bastions at opposite corners. A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a Fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall (termed curtain with the shape

Within five years, flooding from the Mississippi had left the original fort in bad condition. Construction of a second fort farther from the river, but still on the flood plain, began in 1725. Year 1725 ( MDCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a This fort was also made of logs and had a bastion at each of the four corners. By 1731, the Company of the Indies had gone defunct and turned Louisiana and its government back to the king. Year 1731 ( MDCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

The second wooden fort deteriorated somewhat less rapidly, but by 1742 it was in bad repair. Year 1742 ( MDCCXLII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a In 1747 the French garrison moved to the region's primary settlement 18 miles to the south at Kaskaskia, and the French debated where to rebuild the fort. Year 1747 ( MDCCXLVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Kaskaskia is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. Discussions of a stone fortress had begun in the 1730s, with the reverseion of rule back to the French crown. Events and trends The Great Awakening - A Protestant religious movement active in the British colonies of North America The government in New Orleans wanted to move the garrison permanently to Kaskaskia, but the local commandant argued for a location near the original.

The decision was eventually reached to build in stone near the first forts rather than at Kaskakia. Construction began in 1753 and was mostly completed in 1756, however, construction continued at the site for another four years. Year 1753 ( MDCCLIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1756 ( MDCCLVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The limestone fort had walls 15 ft (3 m) high and 3 ft (1m) thick enclosing an area of 4 acres (16,000 m²). The stone for construction was quarried in bluffs about two or three miles (4 km) distant and had to be ferried across a small lake.

The British

In 1763 the Treaty of Paris was signed and the French transferred control of the Illinois Country to Great Britain. Year 1763 ( MDCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on February 10, 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The stone fort had served as center of French administration of the region for only ten years. Almost all of the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River from Florida to Newfoundland became a Native American territory called the Indian Reserve following the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of The Indian Reserve was a territory under British rule in North America set aside in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 for use by Native Americans The Proclamation of 1763 was issued October 7, 1763 by King George III following Great Britain 's acquisition of French territory The British had difficulty getting a regiment to their newly acquired fort, but on October 10, 1765, the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment took control of the fort and surrounding area. Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1765 ( MDCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Settlers were ordered to leave or get a special license to remain. This was to cause many of the French settlers in the area to move to St. Louis. ^[2][3] The fort was renamed Fort Cavendish. The British, however, saw little value in the fort and abandoned it in 1771. Year 1771 ( MDCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a ^[4]

Ruin

The fort's powder magazine prior to restoration.

The Mississippi continued to take its toll after the fort was abandoned, and in 1772 the south wall and bastion fell into the river. Year 1772 ( MDCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The remaining walls deteriorated, and visitors noted trees growing in them by the 1820s. Events and trends Nationalistic independence helped reshape the world during this decade Greece gains independence from the Ottoman Empire Locals carted away the stone for construction bit by bit over the years, and by 1900 the walls were gone. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar The only part of the original fort that remained was the stone building that had served as the powder magazine.

Reconstruction

The fort's powder magazine, here restored, is thought to be the oldest standing building in Illinois.

The State of Illinois acquired the ruins in 1913 as a historic site and restored the powder magazine in 1917. Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The powder magazine is thought to be the oldest existing building in the state of Illinois. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. In the 1920s foundations of the fort's buildings and walls were exposed, and in the late 1920s and through 1930s the WPA rebuilt the gateway and two stone buildings. The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. The Works Progress Administration (renamed in 1939 the Work Projects Administration; WPA) was the largest New Deal agency employing millions of people A combination museum and office building, built in 1928 on the foundation of an original fort building, houses exhibits depicting French life at Fort de Chartres. Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The large stone “Guards House,” built in 1936, contains a Catholic chapel furnished in the style of the 1750s, along with a priest’s room, a gunner’s room, an officer-of-the-day room, and a guard’s room. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events and Trends Scientific Navigation is developed The Seven Years' War ( 1756 - 1763) fought between two rival alliances Also on the grounds are an operating bake oven, a garden shed built of upright logs in French Colonial poteaux-sur-solle (French:post on sill) construction, and a kitchen garden with raised beds of produce that would have been grown in eighteenth-century Illinois.

Partial reconstruction of the fort's walls on the original foundations followed in 1989. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) ^[5] The frames of some additional buildings were erected as a display of the post and beam construction techniques used on the originals. Timber framing (Fachwerk or Half-timbering, is the method of creating framed structures of heavy timber jointed together with pegged Mortise and tenon joints Other buildings' foundations and cellars were exposed for educational display as well.

Today the site has a museum and small gift shop. It plays host each June to a Rendezvous that is one of the largest and oldest in the country, celebrating frontier French and Indian culture. "Reenactment" redirects here For the 1968 Romanian film see The Reenactment. A frontier is a Political and Geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary, or of a different nature The site is protected by modern levees, but the Mississippi is still an occasional menace. Dike (constructionEmbankmentA levee, levée, dike (or dyke) embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial In the flood of 1993 the levee was breached, and water fifteen feet deep lapped at the top of the walls. The Great Flood of 1993 occurred in the American Midwest, along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries from April to October

References

Location

• Fort de Chartres is at coordinates 38°05′05″N 90°09′29″W / 38.084652, -90.157968 (Fort de Chartres)Coordinates: 38°05′05″N 90°09′29″W / 38.084652, -90.157968 (Fort de Chartres)

External links

• Fort de Chartres State Historic Site