How did they live?

French settlements in Illinois followed traditional European patterns. The homes of farmers and tradesmen were clustered in a central area, and cultivated fields and pasture surrounded the village. The fields were often surrounded by a common fence. Within the fenced area, farmers owned land in long strips that stretched from the river to the bluffs. Long fields minimized the number of times plows and oxen needed to be turned.

Click on a number for a closer view.

Image: David Buisseret, Historic Illinois from the Air, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990; page 37

© Illinois State Museum 31-Dec-96