Blanchard, Rufus. History of Illinois, to Accompany an Historical Map of the State . Chicago: National School Furnishing Company, 1883. [format: book], [genre: history]. Permission: Schingoethe Center for Native American Cultures, Aurora University
Persistent link to this document: http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/file.php?file=blanchard.html

State papers and public documents, the current historic literature of the Northwest, and many rare works now out of print have been at my command in the preparation of this work.

But besides all these, I owe lasting obligations to Mr. J. G. Shea, of New York, whose contribution cites authorities not to be questioned regarding the settlement of Kaskaskia. This will confer a favor on many writers who have heretofore been in doubt, both as to the date and circumstances attending this early settlement and mission; to Mr. H. W. Beckwith, of Danville, Ill., whose chapter on the Indian tribes of Illinois, with maps accompanying, is compiled from researches of many years in this department of the history of our State; to Mr. E. M. Haines, of Waukegan, Ill., whose chapter on the Indian names of Illinois will be gratefully received by all who wish to retain these examples of the beauty and euphony of the Algonquin language; to Mr. Joseph Gillespie, of Edwardsville, Ill., whose contribution on early settlements is made largely from his personal knowledge, he having come to the State in 1819; to Mr. Aaron W. Kellogg, of Springfield, for his article on the powers and responsibilities of the State offices, and the duties of each department in the present government of the state; to Mr. Milo Erwin, of Marion, for information regarding the route of General George Rogers Clarke to Kaskaskia

and Vincennes; and, finally, to the many early settlers throughout the State whom I have had the pleasure to meet and consult, and whose valued aid has enabled me to date and locate many events that enhance the value of the work, and in some cases establish historical data that might otherwise have been lost.

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