Settlers of the Prairie - Lost on the Prairie - The Illinois Prairie - The Plow
When European explorers came to the Illinois country in the 1600s, they were amazed at what they saw. They had seen oceans of water, but they had never seen land that looked like an ocean of grass. Since they had no word to call this land, they used the French word "prairie," which means meadow, to describe the great grassland ocean.
When the first White settlers came to the Illinois country in the early 1800s, they were very impressed with the beauty of the prairie. They had come from the eastern United States where the land is rolling and covered with forests. Many of the settlers had felt hemmed in by the hills and trees of the East, and as they walked out onto the flat, sunny prairie and faced the prairie wind, they felt a rush of freedom. By reading the letters, journals, and personal accounts of the Illinois pioneers you can learn a great deal about the people and their journey to the prairie and their experiences in Illinois.
