Enjoy a tour of Monroe County,
Illinois and find some caches along the way. This tour will
take you around the county to historic and scenic places.
Most of the containers are micros so if you do not like those
you might want to skip the tour. Please respect the location
of some of these caches and when parking along a roadway stay
safe. The majority of the caches are close to the road or
within short walking distance. One is a hike up a hill but I
guarantee the view from the top will be worth it.
As of this date the caches are
numbered from north to south with # 1 being the northern most
cache. Since people will be starting from different locations there
is no set route. You do not have to do these in numerical order,
and you may not want to complete all of the tour in one
trip.
Some of the placements are not the
very "exciting" type, but you will have something to look at while
there and upon completion of the tour I hope you will say it was
worth it, including the common hides. At a couple of locations if
you have not been there before you may want to include the time to
stop and stay awhile.
There is only one rule for this tour
and it is that the hours are daylight only. There will be less
problems if you follow this rule and I am sure the residents and
police will appreciate it. Illinois state law prohibits the entry
of a cemetery after sunset. Enjoy, bring your own pencil and
additional stages may be added later.
# 31 - Prairie du Rocher
Located approximately 50 miles south
of St. Louis is the town of Prairie du Rocher which translates to
"prairie by the rock." The fourth European settlement in Illinois,
this village was founded in 1722 shortly after the establishment of
Fort de Chartres on a tract granted by the Royal Indian Company to
Pierre Dugue Boisbriant, the commandant and builder of the fort.
Situated on the fertile farmland beneath the Mississippi River
bluffs now called the American Bottoms, Prairie du Rocher provided
grain and other foodstuffs to New Orleans and other lower Louisiana
Territory communities. A common field was granted in 1730 and the
town’s first church was built in 1734.
Four miles east of Prairie du Rocher is the reconstructed Fort de
Chartres. The first fort was a wooden stockade built in 1718 to
provide a base for civil authority and military protection for the
region. This fortification and a second both succumbed to the
ravages of the Mississippi River floods. A third fort, this time
built of limestone quarried in the bluffs overlooking Prairie du
Rocher, was completed in 1760. Fort de Chartres was the last French
fort east of the Mississippi River to be ceded to the British after
the French and Indian War. Following British occupation many French
citizens moved across the river to settle in towns such as Ste.
Genevieve and St. Louis rather than live under British rule leading
to a decline in French cultural influence in the area. The fort
fell into disrepair after the British moved their headquarters to
Kaskaskia. By the early 1900's all that was left was the ammunition
house. The fort was reconstructed in the 1930's and the King's
Storehouse is home to the Piethman Museum covering the history of
the area.
Prairie du Rocher was one of the outposts captured during the
Revolutionary War by George Rogers Clark and his "Long Knives"
during their expedition that culminated in the capture of
Vincennes, Indiana. The success of this campaign gave control of
the northwest territory (Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and
Illinois) to the forces that would eventually become the United
States of America, and opened the region to settlers from the east.
Clark’s younger brother William made note of Fort de Chartres in
his journal on his way to the winter encampment in Wood River in
1803 before setting off on the Corps of Discovery expedition that
explored the Louisiana Purchase.
Even as control of the town changed hands the French heritage
continues. On New Year's Eve, members of the La Guiannee Society
wear 18th-century costumes and bearing candles go from door to door
performing the French folk song "La Guiannee." This tradition has
been unbroken since 1722 even though the custom has long
disappeared in France.
Events occur throughout the year, particularly at Fort de Chartres.
Every June the Fort hosts one of the Midwest’s largest rendezvous
gatherings with as many as 1,000 participants and 30,000 visitors.
Other annual Living History events include the French and Indian
War Assemblage held in October. An Apple Festival is held every
autumn at the Creole House, which dates back to 1800 and represents
a combination of French and American architecture.