In January 1680, La Salle built Fort Crèvecœur on the east bank of Lake Peoria — a small wooden fort intended as a base from which to descend the Mississippi River. The name, French for 'heartbreak,' captured his mood after a brutal overland journey from Lake Michigan. He left a small garrison under his lieutenant Henri de Tonti and traveled back overland to Fort Frontenac on Lake Ontario, a 1,000-mile walk in winter, to bring up more men and supplies. While he was gone, the Fort Crèvecœur garrison mutinied. They looted the storehouse, destroyed the fort, and fled — reportedly scrawling a defiant message on a plank before leaving. Tonti and a handful of loyal men escaped further upriver to the Illinois village at present-day Starved Rock. The site itself is gone today, submerged or built over near the modern town of Creve Coeur, Illinois; only an Illinois state historic site marks the approximate location. Crèvecœur foreshadowed everything that would later destroy Fort St. Louis in Texas — overextended supply lines, frustrated men, leaders too far away.

15.4 mi away

Everything Near Metamora

19 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Metamora Courthouse State Historic Site · 0.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine a future president, not in the White House, but right here, arguing cases! This is the Metamora Courthouse, where Abraham Lincoln practiced law in his early career. Built in 1845, this courthouse served as the…
Adlai E. Stevenson I House · 0.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine a future Vice President pacing these very streets! This is the Adlai E. Stevenson I House, where the future politician and his wife, Letitia Green, lived in the late 1860s. Stevenson was a circuit lawyer,…
Dement-Zinser House · 6.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Built in 1858 for a riverboat owner, this Greek Revival house whispers tales of river commerce. Richard C. Dement, a local businessman who made his living on the Illinois River, commissioned this house. He only lived…
Denhart Bank Building · 6.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wonder where farmers in Illinois got the money to grow the breadbasket of America? This may have been one of those places. Two brothers, Charles Anthony and Henry Denhart, founded Denhart Bank here in Washington,…
Eureka College · 7.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Passing by Eureka College, you're near the alma mater of a future President of the United States: Ronald Reagan. Reagan graduated from Eureka College in 1932, majoring in economics and sociology. He was also a star…
Farm Creek Section · 10.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
This hillside is one of the first places geologists studied layers of earth, revealing secrets of the planet's past. The Farm Creek Section near East Peoria showed Ice Age geological formations, which were already well…
Marshall Site (Chillicothe, Illinois) · 11.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine finding clues to the past etched in stone right here in Illinois. This boulder, now known as the Marshall Site, holds petroglyphs, or rock carvings, made by Native Americans centuries ago. Archaeologists believe…
Benson Water Tower · 13.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Right here, this spot matters because it was once protected by a giant water tower! The Benson Water Tower was built in 1891 after a series of fires threatened the village. It stood tall, a brick tower topped with a…
Academy of Our Lady/Spalding Institute · 13.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine two worlds, separated only by a city street. That was life for students at the Academy of Our Lady and Spalding Institute in downtown Peoria. The Academy of Our Lady, a girls' school, had roots stretching back…
Peoria, IL · 13.7 mi · Local history
Peoria, Illinois, owes much of its identity to the heavy rumble of engines and the glint of yellow paint. Here, Caterpillar Inc. took root and grew into a global powerhouse, shaping not only the city's economy but also…
Peoria station (Rock Island Line) · 13.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb
All aboard for a glimpse into the golden age of rail travel at this beautifully preserved turn-of-the-century depot! This is the old Rock Island Depot. In 1899, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad built this…
Peoria Union Station · 14.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Once a bustling passenger rail hub, this Second Empire-style station connected north-central Illinois. Peoria Union Station was built on Depot Street near the Illinois River. At its peak, it had seven tracks operating.…

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Francis W. Little House I · 15.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over for a second; you're about to drive past a piece of Frank Lloyd Wright history. This is the Francis W. Little House I, a beautiful example of Wright's Prairie School design. Built in 1902 and completed in 1903…
Creve Coeur - La Salle's Fort Crèvecœur · 15.4 mi · Historical Event
In January 1680, La Salle built Fort Crèvecœur on the east bank of Lake Peoria — a small wooden fort intended as a base from which to descend the Mississippi River. The name, French for 'heartbreak,' captured his mood…
Allentown Union Hall · 16.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
This unassuming building in Allentown is a survivor; it hosted community events in a town that nearly vanished from the map. In 1892, the Allentown Union Hall was built. Back then, getting around wasn't easy, so locals…
Mackinaw station · 17.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
This unassuming spot in Mackinaw was once a vital link connecting communities across Illinois. From 1909 to 1953, the Illinois Terminal Railroad's Mackinaw station served as a hub for passengers and freight. The…
Peoria Lock and Dam · 17.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Before you is the Peoria Lock and Dam, a structure that tamed the Illinois River and shaped the region's economy. In the late 1930s, as part of a larger effort to improve navigation on the Illinois River, the U.S. Army…
El Paso freight station · 18.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine the goods and people that passed through this historic freight depot, connecting El Paso to the wider world via two major railroads. El Paso was founded in the 1850s because landowners wanted the spot to become…
Peoria State Hospital · 18.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wonder what secrets are hidden behind those imposing buildings? You're now near the former Peoria State Hospital, once known as the 'Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane'. Opening its doors in 1902, the…

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Creve Coeur - La Salle's Fort Crèvecœur

Everything Near Metamora

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