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HISTORY. OF KANE COUNTY.
almost only avenues of transportation. The Wabash has its rise in Northwestern Ohio, traverses a rich section of that great State, crosses Indiana diagonally, and becomes, for about a hundred miles, the dividing line between that State and Illinois. Far away in Western New York are the headwaters of the Allegheny, and, in West Virginia, of the Monon-gahela. Converging and flowing across the State of Pennsylvania, they unite at Pittsburg to form the majestic Ohio; which, after traversing a portion of Pennsylvania, becomes the dividing line of the States of Ohio and West Virginia, of Ohio and Kentucky, of Indiana and Kentucky, and at length of Kentucky and Illinois. Next the lovely Cumberland River comes winding through the heart of Kentucky and a large portion of Tennessee, to join the Ohio at Smithland. The charming French Broad River, from North Carolina, and the Holston, from Virginia, unite just above Knoxville, to form the historic Tennessee, that, with its affluents, taps both the Carolinas. It traverses all Eastern Tennessee, skirts a corner of Georgia, flows across the entire north end of Alabama and a portion of Mississippi. Then reversing the current of the streams of the Mississippi valley, it flows nearly due north across the entire breadth of Western Tennessee, and a portion of Kentucky, to its confluence with the Ohio at Paducah.
These are each large navigable streams, and for many miles all their waters flow along the southeastern boundary of Illinois. Immigrants could float with their current from a dozen States to the beautiful "Illinois Country," so easily bringing all their goods and household effects. At Cairo these waters unite with the mighty Mississippi, which forms the western border of the State for its entire length, and at no other point in the republic can be found such great waterways, converging and uniting and reaching back over so vast, so varied, and so rich an expanse of country.
The commanding importance of this delta, in both a military and commercial point of view, was recognized at a very early period. And its central location at the heart of the republic, its salubrious climate, its fertile soil and exuberant fecundity gave the "Illinois Country" an attractive name, and desirable significance, very early in the settlement of the continent. In 1634-but fourteen years after the landing of the Pilgrims-Jean Nicolet discovered the "Lac des Illinois" (now Lake Michigan), and in 1673 Louis Joliet and Pere Jacques Mar-quette paddled up the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers, and made the portage at "Chicago." Father Marquette wrote in his journal, "We have seen nothing like this, for the fertility of the land, its prairies, woods, and wild cattle." In 1680, a year before Penn landed at Philadelphia, the Sieur de La Salle and Henry Tonti erected Fort Crevecoeur near the foot of Peoria Lake. In 1765 the last French flag waving over the northwestern portion of the continent, was lowered at Fort Chartres to the proud ensign of England, and that, in turn, was the last emblem of the sovereignty of King George to float over any territory of the United States. Beside the struggles of the Indians to retain its possession, it has been schemed and battled for by Spaniard, Frenchman, Briton and American. The "Illinois Country" was first officially recognized by the "Continental Congress" in an act of July 13, 1775, creating it an "Indian Department," with Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson and Patrick Henry as Commissioners. Virginia, however, claimed the territory, and, in 1778, organized the County of Illinois, and appointed Col. John Todd "County Lieutenant." Thus, the brilliant Patrick Henry was the first Governor, and, through his lieutenant, directed the first election of civil officers at Kaskaskia and Cahokia in 1779. Virginia ceded her claims to the United States in 1783. By the famous Ordinance in 1787, Congress organized the Northwest Territory and President Washington appointed Gen. Arthur St. Clair its first Governor. In March, 1790, Governor St. Clair arrived at Kaskaskia and, during his stay of three months, he organized the county of St. Clair, embracing indefinitely the vast region lying between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Cahokia, Prairie, du Rocher and Kaskaskia. were established as county seats, where the first court proceedings under the English common law were held in 1796. The records, however, were preserved in the French language.
By act of Congress of May 7, 1800, the Northwest Territory was divided, and substantially that portion embracing the present States of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin was organized as Indiana Territory, and Captain -afterwards General and President-William Henry Harrison was appointed its Governor by President John Adams. In February, 1809, Indiana Territory was divided, and the Territory of Illinois, including the present
