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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the Village of Prairie Du
4Rocher on its 300th anniversary; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Prairie Du Rocher was founded by French
6colonialists in 1722 in what was called at the time New France;
7the village's famous Fort de Chartres was built in 1718 to 1720
8by Pierre Dugue de Boisbriand and served as the French seat of
9government and its chief military installation in Upper
10Louisiana from 1753 to 1763; due to flooding, the fort would
11begin to fall apart and would be rebuilt four times throughout
12its duration, first out of wooden logs then out of limestone,
13where it still stands to this day; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Prairie Du Rocher was founded for the purpose of
15supplying critical wheat and corn to New Orleans and other
16lower Louisiana territory communities; the fort was built to
17protect and develop France's holdings, which held great
18promise for economic opportunity at that time; the village and
19fort experienced constant flooding from the river and survived
20two wars and countless Indian incursions; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Prairie Du Rocher and the surrounding territory
22eventually fell under British control after the Seven Years'

 

 

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1War, known as the French and Indian War, when France ceded the
2territory in the Treaty of Paris; King George III's Royal
3Proclamation of 1763 designated all the land west of the
4Appalachian Mountains and east of the Mississippi River as an
5Indian reserve; this proclamation would be one of the causes
6of the American Revolutionary War; and
 
7    WHEREAS, During the American Revolutionary War, Prairie Du
8Rocher was captured by George Rogers Clark and his American
9soldiers, in which they were able to gain full control of the
10Northwest Territory, which consisted of Ohio, Indiana,
11Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois; even during these
12transformational changes, the village continued celebrating
13its French heritage; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Prairie Du Rocher still celebrates its French
15roots, from the Creole House showcasing French architecture to
16Fort de Chartres showcasing French engineering; during New
17Year's Eve, members of La Guiannee Society wear 18th century
18costumes; bearing candles, they carol from door to door
19performing the French folk song "La Guiannee"; this tradition
20remains unbroken since 1722, even though the custom has long
21disappeared in France; the village also celebrates
22"Rendezvous" during the summer at the fort, camping out at the
23fort and reenacting wars and celebrating the heritage of
24Indians and French soldiers of the mid-18th century; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Prairie Du Rocher might be small in size and in
2population, but it will never lose its French customs and the
3rich traditions that make it uniquely Illinoisan and American;
4therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
6HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we congratulate the Village of Prairie Du Rocher on its 300th
8anniversary and wish it many more wonderful years; and be it
9further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to the Village of Prairie Du Rocher as a symbol of
12our respect and esteem.