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Morris History |
Early History |
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In 1673, Canadian fur trader, Louis Joliet, and Jesuit missionary, Father Jacque Marquette, passed through the Illinois River Valley. It was Joliet who had a vision for a canal from the Illinois River to Lake Michigan that would connect the Atlantic with the Mississippi River. One hundered sixty-three years later his dream became a reality when construction began on the I&M Canal. |
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The first map of this area drawn by French fur trader Robert Cavalier Sieur de la Salle between 1679-1690 shows a village of 1,500 Mound Builders that were located near the present site of Morris. Nineteen of these mounds were found along Canal Street (now Illinois Avenue). The mounds were 2-4 feet hight and 17-30 feet in diameter at the base. Construction of the canal in the 1840's uncovered several artifacts and skeletons. Over 10,000 similar mounds have been discovered throughout Illinois. |
Believed to be over 300 years old, the oldest monument in Morris is the Red Cedar Pole that once stood in the center of a mound on Wauponsee Street, marking the grave of Illini Chief Nucquette. Worn away by time, the 30-ft height is now ten feet shorter and the carvings on its surface that told about the Chief's life are gone. Since red cedar does not naturally grow in Illinois, its origin is a mystery.
The Illini ("Superior Men") tribes were the first inhabitants that the French explorers encountered on the expedition across this area. The "ois" ending from the French language was added creating our state name - Illinois. Illini huts were made from tree bark or mats unlike the animal skin tipis (teepees) of the other tribes. |
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Cheif to a tribe of Potawatomi by marriage, Shabbona (left) was nicknamed "a friend to the White Man" when he helped save the lives of settlers during the Black Hawk War of 1832. He lived in Grundy County until his death at age 84 and was buried at Evergreen Cemetary.
Wauponsee, another Potawatomi Chief, was also helpful to the first settlers. His name meant "Bright Place in the Sky." He lived in this area until 1835. |
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City of Morris • 320 Wauponsee Street • Morris, IL 60450 • (815) 942-0103
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