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Why did people settle Illinois?

Updated: 12/10/2022
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16y ago

Best Answer

They got lost on their way to Michigan. Kidding... just kidding.

In reality, the question depends a lot on what people you're referring to. We must keep in mind that originally, Illinois was settled long before Europeans arrived. The Native settlers to the area we know as Illinois (Illini, Chickasaw, Dakota Sioux, Shawnee, Miami, et al) enjoyed fertile land, plentiful animals, and lush forests. When European settlers arrived, they were initially French traders, who came to Illinois to trade with Native Americans. These traders found that Illinois had ample furs, as well as access to two important waterways: the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes.

Illinois Territory was later claimed by George Rogers Clark for Virginia; Virginia later ceded control of the territory to the newly formed United States after the Revolutionary War. Illinois became an official territory in 1809 and a state in 1818. Settlers from Kentucky and other nearby territories flowed into Illinois for the same reasons that made the land so attractive to the initial Native American settlers.

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16y ago
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