The French Frontier: 1673 - 1779

1. French Exploration
2. Early Settlements and Historic Forts
3. British Colonialism and the American Revolution

French Exploration

The arrival of Europeans in the New World had a great impact on the Native American populations. Originally, the Europeans sought to establish relationships with the Native Americans for trading furs. Eventually, they came to covet the land for themselves. This resulted in years of hostilities involving the Europeans and the Indian tribes who had become their partners in trade. In addition, the Indians contracted diseases from the Europeans for which they had no immunity, such as cholera and small pox, and many Indians died. 

As the conflicts increased, many of the Indian tribes formed alliances with the various European powers. The Iroquois nations became allies of the Dutch, and then the English. The Huron and Algonkin nations supported the French. The Europeans introduced guns to their Indian allies and the bloodshed increased. At the beginning of the 1600's, warfare broke out among the Eastern Indian tribes. The Iroquois soon took control of the eastern part of the country and drove the weaker tribes from their lands.

As these tribes moved west, they began to encroach on the Indians already living in the Mississippi River Valley. The Potawatomi, who moved into southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, became involved in battles with the Indians living there, including the Illiniwek. The Illiniwek often found themselves at war with other neighboring tribes. The Miami, who lived in the northeastern part of Illinois and Indiana, were traditional enemies of the Illiniwek. In the 1630's, the Illiniwek fought the Winnebago. 

After gaining control of the eastern part of America, the Iroquois turned their attention to the west in 1655 and attacked the Illiniwek. By 1667, the Iroquois had forced the Illiniwek to move west of the Mississippi River. After the Iroquois made peace with the French, the Illiniwek were able to return to Illinois. Their villages became concentrated mainly in central Illinois near the Illinois River and along the Mississippi River in western Illinois.

The French claimed the land of Illinois in 1671 at a summit with Indians at the Chippewa village of Sault Ste. Marie in present day Canada. These Indians told the French about a great river to the south and west, now known as the Mississippi River. Eager to find a trade route to the Pacific, the French government in Canada sought to explore this uncharted land. 

In 1673, French explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet became the first white men to reach Illinois. Their mission was to locate and map the Mississippi River. Marquette and Joliet crossed the southern part of Wisconsin and entered the Mississippi River at the northwestern corner of Illinois. They traveled the river the entire length of the western border of the territory. On their return trip, they traveled up the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers back to Lake Michigan. Marquette and Joliet encountered many Illiniwek on their journey. Marquette later returned to the area and started a mission at a Kaskaskia Indian village near present day Utica. Later French settlers came to call the area Illinois after the Illiniwek whom they found living there.

This painting by Robert A. Thom shows Father Marquette and Louis-Joliet greeting the Illiniwek at the Old Kaskaskia Indian village near present day Utica in August 1673. (Picture courtesy of the Illinois State Historical Society Library)

The next French explorer to travel in Illinois was Robert Cavalier, Sieur de LaSalle, who was accompanied by an Italian soldier of fortune, Henri de Tonti. The Illiniwek welcomed LaSalle because they wanted to begin trading furs with the French. The fur trade was a lucrative but dangerous business, with rival French groups and Indian tribes at odds over who would control it. 

As trade between the French and Illiniwek grew, it drew the attention of the Iroquois, who felt the Illiniwek were taking animals from Iroquois land. The Iroquois attacked the Illiniwek again in 1680, and many Illiniwek were killed in the ensuing battles. As trading partners with the French, the Illiniwek fought other Indian tribes who opposed French settlement. These included wars with the Fox and Chickasaw in the mid 1700's. All of these conflicts greatly reduced the population and influence of the Illiniwek.

Additional Resources

Study Guide Questions

1. What consequences did the arrival of Europeans in North America have on the Native Americans?
2. How did the Indian wars in eastern North America affect the Illiniwek?
3. Why did Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet explore Illinois? What brought other French explorers to the region?
4. What type of relationship did the French have with the Illiniwek, and what effect did it have on the Illiniwek?
5. Why did the Iroquois attack the Illiniwek in the 1680s?
6. What was the effect on the Illiniwek of the frequent wars they engaged in with other Indian tribes? 

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