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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Kaskaskia Bell State Memorial Liberty Bell of the West
This is the Kaskaskia Bell (1741) It can be found in the State Memorial in Kaskaskia Illinois. founded in 1703. This bell is older than the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia
Kaskaskia on the Ruckus with Aurora.
Heading North on US 61 to St Mary's MO, then turning right to Kaskaskia Illinois ( On the Missouri side.
KASKASKIA TRAILER.mpg
This 2 DVD set is available for $29.95 (includes S&H) and can be ordered through saveillinoishistory.org
Nearly 4 hours of Awesome traditional live music entertainment for your family!
Filmed on location at the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic site located in southern Illinois along the ever changing bluff's of the old Mississippi river. The home of the 22nd Annual Traditional Music Festival at Chester, Illinois. Best of the Best performances include various music genre, Bluegrass, Cajun, Irish, Blues and more...National Fiddler Champion George Portz, Junior Fiddle Champion-Heather Storz, Illinois & Missouri State Flat Top picker-Dave Montgomery , Harmonica Champion-Matt McElroy, World Class Fiddlers-Ian Walsh & Kevin Buckley, Dennis Stroughmatt-Cajun Fiddler, The Howling Brothers of Hermitage,TN., Charlie N the Girls, Marissa Harms, Thunder & Lightning Cloggers and more...Help keep this traditional music festival alive.
Show your support by visiting saveillinoishistory.org and obtain your own 2 DVD set of this one of a kind annual music festival that continues to roll on the Mississippi river...
Mary's River Covered Bridge Chester, Illinois
covered bridge
high above baldwin illinois
video taken from high above baldwin illinois
Overlook at Fort Kaskaskia State Park
Looking to the west from Kaskaskia overlook. Kaskaskia Island and Missouri in the background
Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site
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Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site is a 200-acre park near Chester, Illinois, on a blufftop overlooking the Mississippi River.It commemorates the vanished frontier town of Old Kaskaskia and the support it gave to George Rogers Clark in the American Revolution.
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Kaskaskia Road to Fort de Chartres
Music by G. M. Granier: Bybe Bye, Travances and Arabesque
Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site and Campground
I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (
Illinois Adventure #1608 Pierre Menard Home State Historic Site
Sitting at the base of Garrison Hill Bluff, almost directly below Fort Kaskaskia, The Pierre Menard Home is one of the finest examples of Southern French Colonial architecture in the middle Mississippi River Valley. Pierre Menard, a French Canadian fur trapper and entrepreneur, began construction on this post-on-sill home in 1800 in the manner that most homes in the area were built, with hand-hewn timbers laid on the foundation (sills) and vertical studs mortised and tenoned into the sills. Local sandstone and limestone was used for the foundation, walks, and walls. Native woods used for the frame construction and finishing included oak, walnut, ash, cypress, and poplar. The home was built in a pecan grove and when the home was built it was at the edge of Kaskaskia village. Floods and erosion forced Kaskaskia to move and the Menard Home is all that is left of the original village that was once the first State Capitol of Illinois.
Garrison Cemetery and Fort Kaskaskia, Illinois Part 2 of 4
Video taken durning an investigationof an unknown figure like mist. 11/14/08
Garrison Cemetery and Fort Kaskaskia, Illinois Part 3 of 4
Unknown figure past in front of the camera when summoned. Nothing of this sort was near the camera during this time
The Chesterville Witch Investigation!
Ben, Quade, Dave and the family head over to Chesterville Illinois to investigate the story of the Chesterville Witch!
SHS Marching Band '92 (part 1)
The 1992-92 Sparta High School Marching Band performs at half-time of a football game.
Eclipse Time Lapse 2017
Captured at Fort Kaskaskia Historical Site along the Mississippi river in Ellis Grove, Illinois. A large cloud was threatening to spoil the show but it dissipated just before the peak. You can see a bright star off to the side as totality nears. It was surreal to witness the silence around us as the eclipse neared totality. The sky suddenly and dramatically darkened and then the crickets started singing . A few jet contrails add to the drama in the video. The whole experience of witnessing the eclipse was amazing and way beyond expectations. Note that the GoPro will not show the actual crescent progression of the eclipse because the sun flares out the image due to being so bright.
Asian Carp Silver Fish Kaskaskia River Evansville Illinois
flying asian silver carp fish in the kaskaskia river at evansville illinois
The Dens at Panther Den Wilderness - Shawnee National Forest - Episode #2
The United States Congress designated Panther Den as a wilderness area in 1990. It now has a total of 1195 acres, 1081 acres is National Forest System and other portion is the Crab Orchard Wilderness. The primary trail system is the River to River Trail. This trail is well marked and has several loops are in the system. Several other trails branch off the River to River Trail and support the main trail system.
Directions: From Carbondale 3 miles east to Spillway Rd. turn south go 11 miles to Wolf Creek Rd. turn south and go 7 miles to Mt Hebron Rd. turn west and go 2 miles to Wayside Lane turn north 2miles into the wilderness area.
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Shawn J. Gossman
P.O. Box 368
Hurst, IL 62949
All photos and video footage are copyright by Shawn J. Gossman.
Bluegrass Festival
Chester, IL at Fort Kaskaskia. Me and my dad were watching the National Harmonica Champion perform at the time.
Bill Bailey Jam
Bill Bailey jam at a hotel in Chester, Illinois. During the 21st Annual Ft. Kaskaskia Traditional Music Festival (Sep 25 & 26). Brenda Cook (vocals), Ranger Dave (guitar), George Portz (fiddle), Wailin Wood (harmonica), and Zane Prosser (guitar).