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 To a Sunken City
N 37° 58.125 W 089° 54.651
16S E 244299 N 4206345
A city sunken, and a state divided by a possible indian curse...
Waymark Code: WM8C
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 08/18/2005
Views: 116
Look on any map of Illinois, and just south of St Louis, below where the Kaskaskia River confluences the Mississippi, you will notice a major piece of land owned by Illinois on the West Side of the River. Even though these boundry "zig-zags", are common, Kaskaskia is the ONLY CITY in the nation that is across the River then it's own state.
Kaskaskia IL, now Population 12 (twelve) is a ghost town that is under the Mississippi River. All that remains is a church, and about 5 farmhouses. That is what you will see if you take a drive on the island itself, but the story, and the haunting feeling comes from the Overlook that is on the other side of the River, yes in Illinois (across from Kaskaskia, Illinois)
Kaskaskia was a powerful trading area, all within range of the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, and Kaskaskia Rivers come together, traders from all over the world came here. French, British, Spanish, Americans, Indians all participated in trading here. They had also planned for the Oriental to trade here as well, as Lewis and Clark were on thier way to find a waterway to the Pacific.
The French called her "The Paris of the West" Many others called her "The Mother of a Thousand Cities". In fact, Kaskaskia, is where Lewis and Clark recruited the most men on thier expidition, and was the first capitol of Illinois. But in 1881, the river took it's toll. Flooding casued the River to cut a shortcut, which took over the entire city. It destroyed the Capitol and the Statehouse buildings. This place has pictures of the Statehouse being destroyed, as well as a Before and after Map of the area.
But legend has it, that there is more to this then Just nature taking it's course. There are stories about an old indian curse. Very briefly, An indian (Ampakaya) fell in love with a french land owner's daughter. The father forbid him form the town, but one day, he came back in discuise, and the landowner's daughter ran away with him, and they ran off to secretly get married.
The town set a serch and found them near Cahokia (up river), and brought both of thme back to Kaskaskia. They bound Ampakaya up to a log and shoved him in a river, and he annonced this curse before he went under...
"...May the filthy spot on which your altars stand be destroyed,
may your crops be failures, your homes be dilapidated.
May your dead be disturbed in their graves and
your land become a feeding place for fishes!.."
1881 came and the river rolled over Kaskaskia. The Church was destroyed (now restored), all the land was flooded, and continues to keep getting flooded, and at the Kaskaskia Cemetary, air pressure in the caskets caused them to erupt out of the ground, float on top, then sink into the mud beneath the river.
At the site is a Triphtych (three plaques in a stone wall). The story of the curse is not here, but after reading the plaques, this sorrowful lament will make you wonder...
This lament was Preserved by:
The National Society of
The Daughters of the American Revolution
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE SIGNING OF
THE FIRST CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
AUGUST TWENTY SIX - ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN
The Left Plaque
TO A SUNKEN CITY
KASKASKIA<"3">
FATHER OF WATERS, NATIVE GOD FORGET
THE YESTERDAY OF AGES YOU WERE FREE
NOR COUNT TOMMOWROWS AEONS YOU WILL YET
REMAIN UNTRAMMELED IN YOUR MAJESTY.
WHEN BOLD INVADERS CAME, WITH BOAST PROFANE
TO MAKE YOU SLAVE, YOU BORE THEM LANGUIDLY;
TILL, WITH UNWONTED FEAR FOR YOUR DOMAIN;
A CITY HERE YOU GRAPPLED TO YOUR BREAST.
PLUNGING HER TOWERS IN YOUR TORRENT'S LANE
WHERE STILL THEY LIE, MAN'S WEAKNESS TO ATTEST;
BEWILDERED WHO THEIR SLEEP SHOULD THUS MOLEST;
IN VAIN THEY SEEK THE CITY WHERE THEY DIED.
HER GLORIES VANISHED AND THIER REST DENIED
The Center Plaque
TO A SUNKEN CITY
KASKASKIA<"3">
O MISSISSIPPI,MONARCH OFTHE PLAIN,
DESPOILER OLD! WE MOURN YOUR VICTIM LOW.
NOW STAY THE MIGHTY MINIONS OF YOUR TRAIN,
THAT THIS POOR VALE MAY NO MORE HAVOC KNOW;
BID NOT FAR MOUNTAINS BURST TORRENTIAL SPLEEN,
NOR TEMPESTS WREAK THIER LIGHTNING SOULS IN WOE.
FOR HERE BENEATH YOUR FLOOD'S DISSEMBLING SHEEN,
A CITY LIES, HER WALLS AND SPIRES DOWN-HURLED;
NO STONE IS LEFT WHEREON SOME CHISEL KEEN
MAY TELL HER RAVISHED FAME UNTO THE WORLD,
AND, THOUGH YOUR RUTHLESS FURY HER DEFILED,
NOW O'ER HER MIRY TOMB YOUR WAVES ARE PEARLED
WITH SUNBEAMS, ALL TOO FAIR TO BE REVILED,
The Right Plaque
TO A SUNKEN CITY
KASKASKIA<"3">
GOD'S TEMPLE FLOOR THESE LEVEL WATERS RAVE.
AND BY THESE HILLS HIS ALTERS ARE DEFINED;
THE AZURE-CIELING HEAVEN DOMES THE NAVE,
WHILE, FAR BELOW, TO WAT'RY CRYPT ASSIGNED,
THE MOTHER OF A THOUSAND CITIES LIES,
IN NATURE'S VAST CATHEDRAL DEEP ENSHRINED.
BUT NEVER ON THAT BARREN FLOOR OUR EYES
MAY NEVER FIND INSCRIPTION O'ER HER SODDEN CELL:
HOW SHE AROSE A STAR IN WESTERN SKIES;
HOW HER HOPE THERE BROKE A DREADFUL KNELL;
AGHAST WITH FEAR, FROM DOOM SHE COULD NOT STIR;
SHE PALED HER GLORY CLUTCHING AS SHE FELL,
DESPOILED FOREVER! YET THE SOUL OF HER
WENT NOT INTO THE SUNKEN SEPULCHER.
I have a geocache that starts here as well
Type: Unexplained Phenomena
Referenced in (list books, websites and other media):
well get book reference later.
Below website is HISTORY AND HAUNTINGS OF ILLINOIS... CURSE OF KASKASKIA.
Website Reference: [Web Link]
Additional Coordinates: Not Listed
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