Show CURSE WASHES AWAY MOST OF KASKASKIA illinois first fint capital rapidly disappearing I 1 kaskaskia Kas kaskla ni in fulfillment of a legendary indian curse the waves of the mississippi river lapping awny away roost most of the site of old kaskaskia illinois first capital have destroyed the hope ot of the illinois state historical society of placing a marker there with alth practically all of tile the ancient streets of the village covered by tile the rippling expanse of the father of waters caters only a small island remains to mark what was once the capital of all the territory ory between hie he alle gli enles and the Ilo ckles the island 1 early grows smaller the historical society succeeded in securing a brick from the old capitol building in which the ilist arst territorial and state legislatures met in its disappearance e tradition has it that n B legendary indian curse lias has been fulfilled situated on a small peninsula at the mouth of the kas kaskia or okae river which joins tile the mississippi river within a short distance the lie site was made an island in 1881 when the two rivers met behind the town history of the curse the story of the curse has its beginning two centuries ago when the french emigrated from canada and came to kaskaskia Kas kaskla to settle among the tradition tells how jean benard his wife and ten year i earold daughter marle came with them As the village grew benord benard pros pr 09 as a trader and his daughter grew more beautiful each jay dav benard grew wealthy and was tile the lead lc ad ing citizen of the settlement the legend tells of the numerous suitors who were rejected by marle marie firmly but politely until one evening she set eyes on a stalwart indian youth one of the converts of the village the indian boy had bad endeared him self to both his tribe and the whites by his unassuming but enterprising ways jean benard seeing the prom ising youth about the village took him into the trading business with him marle marie fell in love with her fathers much to the amazement of her parents indignantly benard sev ered his business connections with the boy and everything possible was wai done tu to discourage the building budding ro malice marles marle s suitor left tile the village and R nd for a number of years was ii as not heard hear of marie apparently had outgrown the lie affair when suddenly the boy UP ap einred conred and tile the two eloped A search ing party set out anti and three dav days a later inter found in a camp down awn the mis MI 9 sIs sippi river S sets e ts indian adrift bean rd was a riven given the privilege to do its as lie liked with the bo boy up lip tied lied tin the indian to v raft face toward HIP lie pl ky and tet set hini adrift in tin the river As the raft floated out from froin shore the doomed indian cursed benard an annl kaskaskia and as asked ked that I 1 he ie be kill killed I 1 hi by his own white people and that the river destroy the village the girl vias as placed in a convent where she died benard was later killed by a frenchman in A duel the legend sa says YS and the river completed the fulfill ment of the curse b by engulfing old kaskaskia Kas kaskla more afore credulous people still believe that the ghost of tile the indian appears on the stormy nights nig lits floating face up tip ward on the waves over the vanished billage v older than llian st louis or new or leans tills this early mission post which provided it a resting place tor for voyagers vova gers and the first territorial and state capital of illinois lives only in his tory lory as a place to hang a stor story on or material for a poets dream |