Ghost Town, Living History Virtual Cache

Welcome to Kaskaskia, Illinois, Home of the "Liberty Bell of the West"

Kaskaskia, IL has the distinction of being the only town in Illinois west of the Mississippi River. It is also the first state capital and was once a bustling agricultural and trading hub, founded in 1703. Flooding is what caused the shift to the other side of the river, and ultimately led to a steep decline in population. Today, it's the second smallest town in Illinois - but one with a very rich history.

This virtual cache will take you to the home of the "Liberty Bell of the West", a gift from King Louis XV of France given in 1741. It rang in celebration when the town was liberated from British control during the Revolutionary War by Gen. George Rogers Clark on July 4, 1778. There is an additional waypoint for the nearby Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, once a Jesuit mission established in 1675 by the famous explorer Rev. Jacques Marquette, S.J.

You can read on about the history of the Bell, the Mission, and Kaskaskia below if you are would like to know more. The Logging Requirements for this Virtual are laid out at the bottom of this description, below the history.

"The Liberty Bell of the West"

In 1741, King Louis XV of France gave the Catholic Church in the Illinois Country a gift: a bell. Illinois was under French, not British, control prior to 1763 and the bell legitimized the Church in the territory, giving it a sign of royal recognition. The bell's inscription reads: "Pour l'église des Illinois par les soins du roi d'outre l'eau" — meaning "For the Church of the Illinois, by gift of the King across the water", the phrasing a deliberate statement of the king's claim on the territory.

The bell arrived in the Illinois Country in 1743 and was hung in the Church (now Chapel) of the Immaculate Conception here in Kaskaskia, where it served as the church bell. The chapel traces its roots to 1675, when Rev. Jacques Marquette, S.J. - famous for exploring the Great Lakes and Mississippi River with Louis Jolliet - founded the Mission of the Immaculate Conception near present-day Utica, IL at the “Grand Village of the Illinois.” The Mission was established to serve the Kaskaskia tribe of the Illinois (Illiniwek) Confederation. In 1703, both the tribe and the Mission moved south, settling on a five-mile-wide peninsula along the eastern shore of the confluence of the Mississippi and Kaskaskia Rivers.

In 1778, in the middle of the American Revolution, Kaskaskia was the site of one of the westernmost battles in the entire war. General George Rogers Clark captured the town for the Americans, liberating it from the British on July 4, 1778 and the bell was rung in celebration. From that day forward, it became known as the "Liberty Bell of the West" - even though it's actually older than the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

Throughout the years, the bell continued to serve as the church bell at Immaculate Conception and was rung as part of the town's Independence Day celebrations. Though retired as a church bell in the mid-19th century, it continued to be rung until the Great Flood of 1993 swept it from its display stand and dangerously widened a small crack first discovered in 1948. To prevent it from shattering, the bell was silenced. Today, it is housed here in the Kaskaskia Bell Shrine, where the community still gathers each July 4 for a patriotic ceremony and to show their respect to this historical treasure.

About Kaskaskia

Founded in 1703, Kaskaskia is one of the older settlements in the entire Midwest. The Kaskaskia tribe of the Illiniwek Confederation, and a group of French Jesuit missionaries settled here after moving down the Illinois River and eventually the Mississippi River. Due to its location near the confluence of the Mississippi and Kaskaskia Rivers, it was quickly settled by French fur traders. The fertile soil in the area helped the region grow into an agricultural powerhouse. During the French and Indian War, the French built Fort Kaskaskia in 1759 on the bluffs of the river to defend the town, but after the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, the French ceded control of "the Illinois Country" to the British.

In 1809, the Illinois Territory was established and Kaskaskia was named capital. When Illinois became the 21st state on December 3, 1818, Kaskaskia remained the capital though it was only meant to be temporary. At the time of statehood, most of the population lived in the southern third of the state but expansion into the northern and eastern parts of the state happened rapidly. Kaskaskia's location also created concern about the propensity of flooding, which by that time had become a common occurance due to deforestation along the bank of the Mississippi. By 1819, the capital was moved to a more central location 90 miles away in Vandalia. In 1837, the state legislature voted to move the capital again, this time to Springfield, thanks in part to the political maneuvering of a young lawyer and state representative named Abraham Lincoln.

Beginning in 1844, successive flooding caused the Mississippi River to slowly encroach east. A major flood in 1881 caused it to overtake the lower 10 miles of the Kaskaskia River, forming a new Mississippi channel and cutting off the town from the rest of the state. As the Mississippi continued to flow through its new bed, earth was deposited so that the village land became physically attached to the west bank of the river, which primarily lies within the boundaries of the state of Missouri. Yet legally, Kaskaskia remains Illinois. It was through this process that Kaskaskia became the only location west of the Mississippi River in Illinois.

 The 19th century flooding caused major damage to the town, and coupled with the loss of political influence which began when the capital departed for Vandalia, led many residents to depart, leaving Kaskaskia as the second smallest incorporated town in the state of Illinois. Kaskaskia is still prone to flooding, such as during the Great Flood of 1993, and even more recently in 2019 due to its location in the Mississippi flood plain. 

Today, only a handful of residents remain and, though not completely abandoned (current population: approximately 20), Kaskaskia is a living ghost town.

Logging Requirements

There are two requirements for logging:

1. At the posted coordinates, locate the cornerstone on the building (on your right side if you are facing the door) and email or message me the year on the cornerstone.
2. Please take a picture of yourself, GPS device, or piece of paper with your caching name and upload it with your found log. Your face does not need to be visible, but your photo should provide proof of your visit. The photo may be taken at either:

• the Kaskaskia Bell Shrine, the bell itself need not be in the background.

- OR -

• the sign for the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, which can be found nearby at the waypoint coordinates.

Once your answer is submitted , you may log the find. I will only contact you if you fail to meet BOTH specified requirements. If you are completing this virtual as part of a group, you may reference the group photo to meet the second requirement.

Virtual Rewards 5.0 - 2026-2027

This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between February 3, 2026 and February 3, 2027. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 5.0 on the Geocaching Blog.