Hotel Plaza site

The Hotel Plaza site (Ls-36) is located near Starved Rock, on the Illinois River across from the Zimmerman site (aka Grand Village of the Illinois. It is a multi-component site representing prehistoric, protohistoric and early historic periods, with the main occupation being an early Historic component associated with the French Fort St. Louis. Early French explorers Joliet, Marquette, Allouez and Tonti were present at the Grand Village of Kaskaskia between 1673 and 1680. The Kaskaskia were a subdivision of the Illiniwek Confederacy. Other Illiniwek groups also had a presence at the site, most notably the Peoria, Tapouaro and Coiracoentanon. Later, other tribes such as the Miami and Shawnee were present at the site. In the fall of 1680 the village was burned down by an Iroquois war party and abandoned. After the Grand Village was abandoned, in 1682 the French started building Fort St. Louis to reassure their Native American allies of their commitment. Shortly thereafter the Illinois and other tribes begin to gather nearby in hopes of obtaining protection. The Hotel Plaza site is located near the site of an early 20th Century hotel on Starved Rock, within a few hundred yards of the former Fort St. Louis location.