Illinois: Preserving French Heritage Today
Many groups and individuals today continue to celebrate the French and French-Canadian heritage of le Pays des Illinois and its French-speaking habitants, with many stressing its continuity with present-day residents.
The group called Les Amis du Fort de Chartres works to support the fort—a State Historic Site–and organizes several events each year to evoke life at the 18th-century fort and village, including a Market Faire, twice-yearly Rendezvous reenactment events and the traditional winter celebration called the Guiannée. http://www.fortdechartres.us/
The Bourbonnais Grove Historical Society celebrates the continuity of the region’s French and French-Canadian roots with multiple projects. They have spearheaded the preservation of important historical structures like the George R. Letourneau home (the current home of the group’s museum) and the Log Schoolhouse. They led the successful effort to have a portion of Interstate 57 designated as the French Canadian Heritage Corridor to honor the contributions of French Canadians in Kankakee and Iroquois counties, including the towns of St. George, L’Erable, Papineau, and Ste. Anne. The group maintains a website showcasing the area’s French and French-Canadian history and providing numerous resources, including a suggested weekend tour of French-Canadian heritage in the Bourbonnais region. https://bourbonnaishistory.org/
If you wish to visit the area of French-Canadian heritage near Bourbonnais, you can access extensive information online describing a weekend tour of the French-Canadian corridor by clicking here. The material provided includes historical information as well as opening hours and suggests an itinerary.
A brochure prepared by Les Amis Saint Louis provides an excellent introduction to the French Creole Corridor including both Missouri and Illinois sites. The one- or two-day tour presented gives historical information as well as outlining routes to follow, providing an on-the-ground introduction to the Pays des Illinois, including both sides of the Mississippi. The brochure is available for download at their website at https://les-amis.org/about-the-creole-corridor/
The Peoria Riverfront Museum has as one of its goals to tell the story of the Peoria area’s rich history of French connections as part of a former French colony. Its collections include several pieces that recall the 18th century in France, at the time the Peoria area was part of Nouvelle France. https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/
The DuSable Heritage Foundation exists to promote the legacy of Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable, founder of Chicago, through educational and cultural activities. It was created in August 2002 and since then has welcomed individuals from diverse backgrounds with an interest in the life of DuSable, including the history and culture pertaining to the early settlement of the American Midwest. https://www.dusableheritage.com/
The international organization called the Alliance Française has as its goal “to promote the French language and francophone cultures and to foster exchanges between French speakers and local communities.” There are three chapters of the Alliance Française in the Chicago area: Alliance Française de Chicago https://www.af-chicago.org/, Alliance Française du North Shore https://afnorthshore.org/, and Alliance Française de DuPage https://afdupage.com/. Illinois residents in the St. Louis area are welcome to join in events at the Alliance Française de St. Louis https://www.alliancestl.org/. The chapters sponsor language classes as well as a wide variety of events that help participants better understand French and francophone cultures and that help to create ties between Americans and French speakers.
Supporting French teachers at all levels from kindergarten through graduate school, the American Association of Teachers of French has two chapters in Illinois, the Chicago-Northeast Illinois chapter (https://www.aatfchicagonorthernillinois.com/) and the Illinois Downstate chapter (https://downstateilaatf.weebly.com/). They offer professional development opportunities for teachers that are related to both French-Canadian and French language and culture.
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