The Kaskaskia Curse ~Illinois, United States.
Kaskaskia is a historically important village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States.
Legend says Kaskaskia is cursed, and whether or not you believe in curses, it certainly seemed like Kaskaskia was plagued with bad luck.
Many years ago, Kaskaskia Island was part of the Illinois mainland, but the peninsula was cursed. By 1881, it was completely cut off by the river and nearly was destroyed.
Today the church that was moved in the late 19th century is still in use, with bricks on the second floor showing some discoloration where floodwaters rose in 1993. (Mass is on Saturdays because no priest can get there on Sundays.) Louis XV’s old bell — cracked, just like Philadelphia’s — still hangs in a nearby shrine, metaphorically ringing out Kaskaskia’s three centuries of history and fortitude.In the 2010 census the population was 14..The city's peak population was about 7,000, before the capital was moved in 1819 to Vandalia. Although the introduction of steamboats on the Mississippi River stimulated the economies of river towns, in the 19th century, their use also had devastating environmental effects. Deforestation of the river banks followed steamboat crews' regular cutting of trees, which were used to feed the engine boiler fires as fuel to power the steamboats. River banks, through rapid, man-made erosion, became unstable, causing massive amounts of soil to collapse into the flowing water.
According to legend, a fur trader named Bernard lived in a large home with his daughter, Mari, who fell in love with a young Native American who worked for her father. When Bernard found out, he was enraged and let the employee go. The former employee left town, but promised to return for Maria. Maria and the man escaped and Bernard hunted them down. He had the paramour tied to a log and thrown in the muddy waters of the Mississippi River. Before he drowned, he cursed Bernard and Kaskaskia, said the altars of the churches would be destroyed and swore he and Maria would be reunited.
Within a year, the curse appeared to be coming true. Maria died and was reunited in eternity with her lover. The river changed course and turned Kaskaskia into an island. The church was moved twice so the river would not overtake it, and the altar was destroyed by a flood in 1973.
He also swore that the dead in Kaskaskia would rise from the grave. IT HAPPENED! Kaskaskia was engulfed in many major floods over the years, and the flood in 1881 completely cut the town off from the state of Illinois. The altar of the church was destroyed in 1973, and one of the big floods made the cemetery move and caused the dead to surface and vanish beneath the river.
Full story HERE
One islander, as those who live in Kaskaskia are called, said just this summer that her husband’s nephew found a skull and bones in the area of old Kaskaskia, located about three miles from where the town sits today. And just a few years ago they discovered headstones dated back to the 1700s and 1800s.
“Once in a while a grave will wash up and they will see skulls and bones,” Brown said. “They’ll be one wash out after a high water.”
From St. Louis to the confluence of the Ohio River, the Mississippi became wider and more shallow, resulting in more severe seasonal flooding. In the late 19th century, the town was cut off from the Illinois mainland and mostly destroyed by repeated flooding and a channel change by the Mississippi River. Much of the former property of Kaskaskia and other French colonial towns on the river has been lost. Following the Great Flood of 1844, residents of Kaskaskia relocated the town to the south. The original location of Kaskaskia became an island, surrounded by the Mississippi River. The flood of 1881 destroyed all remnants of the original town and the Mississippi shifted into the channel of the Kaskaskia River, passing east instead of west of the town.
Parts of the town were rebuilt in the new area. 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. Now a bayou, the old channel is regularly flooded by the river. A small bridge carries traffic from the mainland over the bayou to Kaskaskia and its surrounding farmlands in the floodplain. A levee lines the river to the east. In 1893 the people of the town moved and rebuilt the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Kaskaskia. They also built a shrine in a similar style nearby to house the liberty bell.
When the clouds darken and the thunder and lightening begin, fellow Kaskaskians have a saying they use:”Let’s give the island back to the Indians.”
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EDN VIDEO: Kaskaskia River Flood - Vandalia, IL
Scenes from the Kaskaskia River flood recorded on 12/29/2015
Kaskaskia, Illinois
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Kaskaskia is a historically important village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States.In the 2010 census the population was 14, making it the second-smallest incorporated community in the State of Illinois in terms of population, behind Valley City .As a major French colonial town of the Illinois Country, in the 18th century its peak population was about 7,000, when it was a regional center.During the American Revolutionary War, the town, which by then had become an administrative center for the British Province of Quebec, was taken by the Virginia militia during the Illinois campaign.
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Flooding in Vandalia, Illinois
Heavy rains the morning of July 10th, 2013 caused flash flooding...This video was taken in the city park near the fast pitch softball diamond.
Flooding near Vandalia, Illinois 4/21/13
This video was uploaded from an Android phone.
2013-04-19 Record Flooding - Vandalia, IL
***NOT FOR BROADCAST - LICENSING AVAILABLE***
STORM CHASER TONY LAUBACH
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VIDEO DESCRIPTION
Record flooding is occurring along the Kaskaskia River at Vandalia in south-central Illinois. As of 5:30pm CDT Friday, April 19, the river was at 27.91', the second highest recorded depth (only behind the May-2002 record of 28.27'). It is forecast to crest around 29' Friday evening which would be a new all-time record for this location. The river is expected to slowly fall to below flood stage by Wednesday.
As a result of the flooding, levees near the town were being overtaken with water and several low-lying areas in town were inundated with as much as 6' of water due to many creeks feeding the Kaskaskia getting backed up due to the high levels of water.
Kaskaskia: First Capital of Illinois
The 2010 census shows Kaskaskia is now only the second-least populated Illinois town.
Gary's Good News: The Dragon of Vandalia
News 10 at 6PM
The Talk of Vandalia Illinois part 1.mp4
This is part of a video from the past that was on NBC about a man that wrote a book on Vandalia IL. There is a lot of neat video of old Vandalia.
Kaskaskia River Fishing
Sunday fishing was good.
Kaskaskia
Kaskaskia is a little piece of Illinois... on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River. On May 12, 2001, we claimed Kaskaskia for Missouri. This is our story.
DRAGON ATTACK!
Vandalia, IL
Illinois 2016 I 70 West Vandalia exit 61 to exit 21
After checking out the Kaskaskia Dragon we are back on I 70 West at exit 61 heading for Illinois Route 4 South at exit 21. If you have heard of the Madonna of the Trail there is one in Vandalia.
Title Loans Vandalia Illinois
- Best Title Loan Illinois in Vandalia will accept and approve most year 2000 and newer vehicles. Our application process is simple and free. We just need to know a bit about you, and some details about your car or truck. Just submit the basic information online or call us at 855-383-7562 today and become our next satisfied customer!
Kaskaskia Bell
The Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial is a brick building that houses a bell cast in 1741 by King Louis XV (1710-1774) of France as a gift to the Catholic Church of the Illinois Country. Originally located at the Immaculate Conception Parish at Kaskaskia, the bell was rung by villagers to celebrate their July 4, 1778 liberation from the British by American Colonel George Rogers Clark (1752-1818). It became known as the Liberty Bell of the West. The Memorial also contains murals depicting scenes from Kaskaskia history.
An annual Independence Day program celebrates the July 4, 1778 capture of Kaskaskia by Virginia troops commanded by George Rogers Clark during the Revolutionary War. Contact the Fort Kaskaskia site for details.
Springfield, Illinois to Vandalia, Illinois.(5)
Downtown Vandalia Illinois building demolition torn down
Roof collapsed on a old buildings in downtown Vandalia Illinois. Demolition crew started to take down the rest of the building while I was passing through today.
Remembering the Kaskaskia
fire breathing dragon
Vandalia, IL