The Kaskaskia were one of the main entities in the
The Illiniwek Confederation and claimed ground along the upper
Illinois River near
La Salle (and present-day
Starved Rock State Park) extending into southern Wisconsin.
The first contact with Europeans is thought to be with Pere (Father) Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet in 1673. They recieved the small band of white men and, upon preparation to leave, asked that the explorers return to their village. This was probably due in part to the Kaskaskia's need for protection from warring tribes such as the Fox (in Wisconsin), the Iroquois (to the east) and the Sioux.
French missionaries and explorers returned to the area and in 1682, erected Fort. St. Louis. Other tribes aligned with the Kaskaskia in utilizing the fort and their numbers grew to more than 20,000. Even so, the Iroquois lay siege to the fort for six days in 1684.
The wars forced the removal of the tribe to the St Louis area and, in circa 1703, moved again--to the mouth of the Kaskaskia River.
