Kaskaskia, Illinois

Kaskaskia
Village
Kaskaskia Church
Location of Kaskaskia in Randolph County, Illinois
Kaskaskia Show map of Illinois Kaskaskia Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 37°55′17″N 89°54′59″W / 37.92139°N 89.91639°W / 37.92139; -89.91639
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Randolph
Area [1]
• Total	0.11 sq mi (0.27 km2)
• Land	0.11 sq mi (0.27 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	374 ft (114 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	21
• Density	198.11/sq mi (76.84/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5
ZIP Code(s)	63673
Area code	618/366
FIPS code	17-39129
GNIS feature ID	2398330[2]

Kaskaskia is a village in Randolph County, Illinois. Having been inhabited by indigenous peoples, it was settled by France as part of the Illinois Country. It was named for the Kaskaskia people. Its population peaked at about 7,000 in the 18th century, when it was a regional center. During the American Revolutionary War, the town, which by then had become an administrative center for the British Province of Quebec, was taken by the Virginia militia during the Illinois campaign. It was designated as the county seat of Illinois County, Virginia, after which it became part of the Northwest Territory in 1787. Kaskaskia was later named as the capital of the United States' Illinois Territory, created on February 3, 1809. In 1818, when Illinois became the 21st U.S. state, the town briefly served as the state's first capital until 1819, when the capital was moved to more centrally located Vandalia.

Most of the town was destroyed in April 1881 by flooding, as the Mississippi River shifted eastward to a new channel, taking over the lower 10 mi (16 km) of the Kaskaskia River.^[3] This resulted from deforestation of the river banks during the 19th century, due to crews taking wood for fuel to feed the steamboat and railroad traffic.^[3] The river now passes east rather than west of the town. The state boundary line, however, remained in its original location. A small bridge crosses the old riverbed, now a creek that is sometimes filled with water during flood season.

In the 2020 United States Census the population was 21,^[4] making it the third-least populous incorporated community in Illinois behind Valley City (pop. 14) and Florence (pop. 17).^[5] Kaskaskia has an Illinois telephone area code (618) and a Missouri ZIP Code (63673). Its roads are maintained by Illinois Department of Transportation, and its few residents vote in Illinois elections. The town was evacuated in the Great Flood of 1993, which covered it with water more than 9 ft (3 m) deep.