Kaskaskia

Hamlet and historic site in southwestern Illinois, on the west bank of the Mississippi River, across from Chester, Illinois; population (1990) 30. It was the capital of the Territory of Illinois from 1809 and served as the first state capital in 1818–20. Old Kaskaskia was destroyed by floods in 1844, 1881, and subsequent years.

One of the oldest European settlements in the West, Fort Kaskaskia was built by the French in 1733 and became one of the largest French communities in the Mississippi Valley. All that remains today are a few structures in the Fort Kaskaskia Historic Site, near Ellis Grove, and the Kaskaskia Bell memorial, a State Historic Site. Floods in July 1993 caused serious damage here.