Illinois. The Prairie State. CultureGrams. 21st State. Climate. Geography. States Edition. Established 1818

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1 States Edition 2017 The Prairie State Established st State The word comes from the French version of Illiniwek, a Native American tribe. It means men. The first Dairy Queen opened in Joliet on 22 June The tallest man in the world was born in Alton in Robert Wadlow, also known as the Alton Giant, stood 8 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 490 pounds! The third week in September is Prairie Week, aimed at preserving native prairies. The Sears Tower, in Chicago, was the world s tallest skyscraper from 1973 until Renamed the Willis Tower in 2009, it has 110 stories and is the second-tallest building in the United States, at 1,454 feet (443 m). On St. Patrick s Day, the Chicago River is dyed green to celebrate the city s Irish heritage. Monk s Mound is the largest Native American burial mound in the United States. The world s first Ferris wheel was built in in 1893 and held 2,160 people. Glaciers covered almost all of during the last ice age. has about two thousand lakes, most of which were created by dams. The Mississippian city of Cahokia was one of the most advanced Native American civilizations north of Mexico. Climate stretches all the way from Lake Michigan in the north to the Ohio River in the south. Because of this great length, the weather can be very different depending on the region. The average winter temperature in the north is 22 F (-6 C), but it is 37 F (3 C) in the south. Winters are extremely cold and snowy in the north, and Chicago is known for its terrible blizzards. summers are hot and humid, with an average temperature of 70 F (21 C) in the north and 77 F (25 C) in the south. Winds, tornadoes, and sudden rainfall can sometimes make s weather dangerous and unpredictable. Average Seasonal High and Low Temperatures Spring: 60/39 F Summer: 83/62 F Fall: 63/42 F Winter: 34/18 F Geography 1

2 s flat prairies and farmland lie between two large bodies of water, Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. Lake Michigan lies on the northeast corner of, and the Mississippi River forms s western border. During the state s early years, these bodies of water made it possible for people to migrate (move from one area to another) to. Today, Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River make one of the nation s shipping centers. The state can easily ship its goods to many parts of the country. is the 25th largest state, with 57,918 square miles (150,007 square kilometers). Resources and Economy s rich black soil makes it one of the leading farming states in the nation. Corn is s main crop, and the state also produces large amounts of soybeans, oats, wheat, and livestock. Only a few ans actually work on farms, but many more work in farm-related industries. Some of these industries include food processing and farm machinery manufacturing. But the economy depends on much more than just farming. The state is a leading producer of coal, oil, and many minerals. Industries like communications, electrical equipment, publishing, banking, and finance play large roles in the economy. Chicago is a huge commercial center, and the city s O Hare Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, making the city an international transportation hub. Time Line 500 BC 500 BC AD 900 Woodland Native Americans hunt, gather, and farm in what is now AD Mississippian Native Americans establish large cities, such as Cahokia, in what is now AD 1600 AD 1600 The Illiniwek are the most powerful Native American peoples in 1673 French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet arrive in 1680s La Salle and Henri de Tonti establish the first French settlements in becomes part of the French colonies 1720 The French bring Africans as slaves to 1763 The British take control of at the end of the French and Indian War 2

3 1770s Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable establishes a trading post at what is now Chicago 1779 George Rogers Clark and his militiamen defeat British forces in 1783 The Revolutionary War ends; becomes part of U.S. territory becomes the 21st state 1832 The Sauk and Fox tribes are defeated in the Black Hawk War 1860 Abraham Lincoln is the first U.S. president from 1871 The Great Chicago Fire burns down 18,000 buildings 1886 Eight people die in the Haymarket tragedy, when labor unions protest for an eight-hour work day 1890 Chicago s population reaches one million Al Capone s gang kills seven mobsters during the St. Valentine s Day Massacre 1942 Scientists at the University of Chicago, led by Enrico Fermi, produce the world s first man-made nuclear chain reaction 1950 Gwendolyn Brooks becomes the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for her book of poetry, Annie Allen 1968 During the Democratic National Convention, antiwar protesters fight with Chicago police 1995 A heat wave creates all-time highs in Chicago, and over five hundred die from heat-related conditions 1998 Michael Jordan leads the Chicago Bulls to their sixth NBA championship in the 1990s temporarily puts a stop to executions in the state to review its death penalty procedures, sparking a national death penalty debate 3

4 2004 Barack Obama becomes the fifth African American U.S. Senator 2009 Barack Obama becomes the 44th president of the United States and the first African American president; Governor Rod Blagojevich is impeached (accused of breaking the law) for abuse of powers 2011 Ex-governor Rod Blagojevich is found guilty of corruption PRESENT The Mound Builders For centuries, Native Americans inhabited the land that is now. During the Woodland Era, somewhere between 500 BC and AD 900, they began to live in permanent villages. They used the bow and arrow to hunt for food and also grew Indian corn, or maize. These groups are called the Mound Builders because they built large mounds of earth as burial monuments, temples, or other ceremonial sites. Long before Europeans arrived in, the Woodland people gave way to the Mississippians. The crowning achievement of the Mississippians was the city of Cahokia. Exploration to Statehood In 1673, French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet became the first Europeans to reach. Traders and priests were soon building forts and missions in the new French territory. The area did not stay French for long, though. When Britain defeated France in the French and Indian War, land became British property. With the victory over the British in the Revolutionary War, changed hands again. The new United States gained control of it. By 1818, had become the 21st state. Black Hawk s People As new settlers moved into, many Native Americans were forced off their lands. However, Chief Black Hawk of the Sauk tribe refused to leave. The U.S. government had sent the Sauk and Fox tribes from into Iowa. Despite this order, Chief Black Hawk continued to lead these people back to each spring for three years. In the fourth year, the government sent troops to keep them out. The battles that followed are known as the Black Hawk War (1832). The tribes were badly beaten, and the government took over all the remaining Native American lands in. This was the last major conflict in between Native Americans and the U.S. government. 4

5 The New Settlers With the Black Hawk War over, a new flood of settlers moved into the state. Settlement of actually moved from the south to the north, with the earliest settlers from Virginia and Kentucky. In the 1830s, Yankees began to arrive in middle and northern. New developments in transportation made settling northern areas of the state easier. The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, linked to the eastern states. When it opened in 1848, the -Michigan Canal joined the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. The railroad came in the 1850s, bringing with it more people and more trading opportunities. Lincoln and the Civil War The most famous an is Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln began his career as a lawyer in Springfield. He lost a campaign to be a U.S. senator from in 1858, but two years later he was elected U.S. president. The Civil War began just a few months after Lincoln s election. sided with the North and became an important source of supplies, troops, and army leaders. The North s general, Ulysses S. Grant, came from and later became president of the United States. When the Civil War was over, became the first state legislature (lawmaking body) to ratify (approve) the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery. Rise of the Windy City After the Civil War, Chicago became a huge center of industry. Only two hundred people lived in Chicago in 1833, but more than a million lived there by 1890! Problems sometimes arose because so many people were living so close together. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which spread quickly through the wood buildings of the time, killed 250 people and left thousands homeless. Also, working conditions in the city were bad. At least eight people died in a violent labor protest called the Haymarket tragedy. In the 20th century, Chicago became associated with mobs and gangsters like Al Capone. Capone killed seven rival gangsters in the St. Valentine s Day Massacre in About 750,000 Chicagoans were without work during the 1930s economic slump called the Great Depression. Despite these setbacks, Chicago has developed into one of the nation s most important cities. Population is a very urban (city) state. The majority of its residents live in cities, especially Chicago. Chicago is the third largest city in the United States, but the central and southern parts of the state are rural (countryside). Most people in these areas live in small towns or on farms. Some people refer to the rural part of as downstate. In fact, many ans see their state as having two very different parts: urban Chicago and rural downstate. 5

6 Government Capital: Springfield State Abbreviation: IL Governor: Bruce Rauner (Republican) U.S. Senators: 2 Richard Durbin (Democrat) Tammy Duckworth (Democrat) U.S. Representatives: 18 Democrats: 11 Republicans: 7 State Senators: 59 State Representatives: 118 Counties: 102 The first capitol building was established in Kaskaskia. It was a simple two-storey brick building that rented for $4 per day. In 1992, s Carol Moseley-Braun became the first African American woman to be elected U.S. senator. Famous People Miles Davis Jane Addams Social worker Gwendolyn Brooks Poet who described the experiences of African Americans Miles Davis Jazz musician Walt Disney Film animator and producer Betty Friedan Feminist and author Ulysses S. Grant 18th U.S. president and Union Civil War general Dorothy Hamill Olympic champion figure skater Ernest Hemingway Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Old Man and the Sea Abraham Lincoln 16th U.S. president 6

7 David Mamet Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Ronald Reagan 40th U.S. president and actor Carl Sandburg Poet who called Chicago the City of the Big Shoulders Sam Shepard Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and actor Adlai Stevenson Statesman Frank Lloyd Wright Architect Walt Disney Ernest Hemingway Abraham Lincoln Native America The native inhabitants of were a group of tribes known as the Illini Confederation. They called themselves the Illiniwek, meaning men or people. The Illini were part of the Algonquin family and included the Cahokia, Peoria, Kaskaskia, and Tamaroa peoples. They spoke Algonquin, each tribe using a slightly different dialect (way of speaking or pronouncing). The tribes planted crops in their villages, left for the hunting season, and returned to harvest their crops in the fall. Each year they organized large buffalo hunts across the northern plains. Since they had no horses, they had to surround the buffalo to catch them. Illini mothers often carried their babies on cradleboards (baby carriers) on their backs, and children played with homemade toys, such as dolls made from cornhusks or small bows and arrows. The men and women sometimes tattooed themselves to mark special events in their lives. Their lives changed after the first French explorers reached. After the Revolutionary War, as more and more European settlers arrived, many tribes resisted being forced from their land. However, the majority of the tribes were eventually forced to resettle in Oklahoma and Kansas. There are no reservations today in. The Chicago School 7

8 Chicago has long been known for its unique architecture. When the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed much of the city, Chicagoans rebuilt the city with the latest in architectural design and with new fire safety policies. By the turn of the twentieth century, a new generation of architects, known as the Chicago School, continued this trend in architectural modernization. They created many of the first skyscrapers, and their designs focused on vertical lines. The Chicago School made use of large areas of plate glass as well as steel frames (instead of the commonly used cast iron) in their construction. Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the 20th century s greatest architects, worked in Chicago. He developed his own architectural genre (category) the Prairie School. Today the Chicago skyline includes some of the most striking buildings in the world. Sports Teams Chicago, the Windy City, is home to several professional sports teams, including football s Bears, baseball s Cubs and White Sox, hockey s Blackhawks, soccer s Fire, and basketball s Bulls and Sky. The Bulls dominated the NBA during the 1990s, when Michael Jordan led them to six NBA championships. The Bears have more players (32) inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame than any other NFL team. The Blackhawks were one of the Original Six teams that made up the NHL in its early years. The Cubs are one of the most beloved sports teams in the nation, despite the fact that, until 2016, they had not won the World Series in over one hundred years. Fans affectionately refer to them as the Cubbies. Their rivalry with Chicago s other team, the White Sox, is one of the longest-running in baseball. State Symbols State Bird Cardinal The cardinal is famous for its song and beautiful red feathers. State Tree White oak This tree grows to 100 feet (30 meters) and can live for four hundred years. State Flower Violet The violet won a statewide vote of schoolchildren in

9 State Animal White-tailed deer This deer almost went extinct in the early 1900s, but it is now found throughout the state. Other Symbols Folk Dance: Square dance Fish: Bluegill Fossil: Tully monster Prairie Grass: Big bluestem Insect: Monarch butterfly Mineral: Fluorite Song: State Motto State Sovereignty, National Union This motto emphasizes both the state's independence and its loyalty to the nation. Major League Sports Teams Chicago Bears (NFL) Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) Chicago Bulls (NBA) Chicago Cubs (MLB) Chicago Fire (MLS) Chicago White Sox (MLB) Chicago Sky (WNBA) Chicago Red Stars (NWSL) For More Information See or contact the Bureau of Tourism, 100 West Randolph Street, Suite Chicago, IL 60601; phone (800) 2CONNECT; web site ProQuest LLC and Brigham Young University. It is against the law to copy, reprint, store, or transmit any part of this publication in any form by any means without strict written permission from ProQuest. 9 ProQuest 789 East Eisenhower Parkway Ann Arbor, Michigan USA Toll Free: Fax:

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