“We're kind of in our own world over here.”
Dave Gendron, Mayor of Kaskaskia, Illinois
Comeback Kid
If you look at statistics, Kaskaskia, Illinois is a happening place: an impressive 55 percent spike in population over the last 10 years. But statistics can be misleading. That’s not to say that Kaskaskia isn’t notable. Here are some facts:
· The town is 300 years old.
· It was the state’s first capital.
· It’s the only Illinois town west of the Mississippi.
· And until the latest Census, it was the smallest town in Illinois.
You see, in the 2000 Census Kaskaskia had only 9 residents, but after its boom in the last decade, it now has 14, passing up little Valley City, population 13. This may not seem like a big deal, except for one more fact: in 1993 the town disappeared completely under 15 feet of the Mississippi River. The folks in Kaskaskia say that’s no big deal; they’re used to being flooded. They figure it all goes back to the banished lover’s curse placed on the town early in its history. That, and being surrounded by the Mississippi River.
The people who did return to Kaskaskia after the 1993 floods say they were drawn by the peaceful atmosphere and the hunting and fishing—more deer than people populate the tiny island—and you never have to worry about cars and trucks rushing by.
To find out more about the legend of the banished lover’s curse, and the rest of the intriguing history of this tiny town, click on the link below.
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