Information and history of the state of Illinois

French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, in 1673, were the first Europeans of record to visit the region.

In 1699 French settlers established the first permanent settlement at Cahokia, near present-day East St. Louis. Great Britain obtained the region at the end of the French and Indian Wars in 1763.

In 1778, George Rogers Clark claimed the Illinois Country for Virginia. In a compromise, Virginia ceded the area to the new United States in 1783 and it became part of the Northwest Territory, to be administered by the federal government and later organized as states.

Illinois became a state on December 3, 1818.

Some Illinois Symbols

1. State Bird	2. State Mammal	3. State Flower	4. State Butterfly	5. State Fruit
6. State Tree	7. State Mineral	8. State Fossil	9. State Fish	10. State Reptile

1. Northern Cardinal - llinois schoolchildren selected the cardinal as the State Bird of Illinois, made official in 1929 by the Illinois General Assembly. One of America's favorite backyard birds, cardinals are distinctive in appearance and song - known for their "cheer cheer cheer," "whit-chew whit-chew" and "purty purty purty" whistles.
2. White-tailed Deer- Illinois schoolchildren voted the white-tailed deer as the state animal in 1980. An animal of incredible beauty and power, white-tailed deer are able to run up to 40 miles per hour, jump 9 foot fences, and swim 13 miles per hour.
3. Purple Violet - The incentive for adopting state flowers was inspired during the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Illinois was the first of 4 eastern states to designate the purple violet as official state flower nearly 100 years ago.
4. Monarch Butterfly - Illinois schoolchildren lobbied for the monarch butterfly and in 1975 it was officially designated the state insect of Illinois.Both the caterpillar and adult monarch butterfly are brilliant in color as a warning to predators.
5. Goldrush Apple -Illinois designated the goldrush apple as official state fruit in 2008. Goldrush apples are a cross of golden delicious and an experimental variety of apple developed by the disease-resistant apple breeding program of the University of Illinois, Purdue University and Rutgers University in New Jersey.
6. White Oak - Illinois designated the white oak as the official state tree in 1973.
7. Fluorite - Fluorite was designated as the official state mineral of Illinois in 1965. Illinois is the largest producer of fluorite in the United States.
8. Tully Monster - The Tully monster was designated the official state fossil of Illinois in 1989. The Tully monster was a soft-bodied prehistoric marine animal which lived 280 to 340 million years ago during the Pennsylvanian geological period.
9. Bluegill - Bluegill was designated as the official state fish of Illinois in 1986. A member of the sunfish family, bluegill are found throughout Illinois. Bluegills can be recognized by their stripy olive to yellow colors and the distinctive black spot behind its gills.
10. Painted Turtle - The painted turtle was designated as official state reptile in 2005 after winning the vote of the citizens of Illinois in 2004.

Did you know?

• The world's first Skyscraper was built in Chicago, 1885.
• Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery. 1865
• Before Abraham Lincoln was elected president he served in the Illinois legislature and practiced law in Springfield. Abraham Lincoln is buried just outside Springfield at Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site.
• The first Aquarium opened in Chicago, 1893.
• Illinois had two capital cities, Kaskaskia, and Vandalia before Springfield.
• Des Plaines is home to the first McDonald's.