Changes

In its heyday the village had around 7,000 residents and was originally the capital of Illinois Territory and, briefly, the first capital when Illinois became a state.

In its heyday the village had around 7,000 residents and was originally the capital of Illinois Territory and, briefly, the first capital when Illinois became a state.

A port city at the confluence of the Mississippi and Kaskaskia Rivers, the city was virtually wiped out in April 1881 by flooding, which also created a geographical oddity: the Mississippi River changed course and now flows '''''east''''' of the village, thus making the village an exclave of Illinois accessible only via a small bridge over a bayou (which was the original Mississippi River channel, now mainly silted in) from Missouri (there is no highway access from Illinois).  As such, it actually has a Missouri ZIP Code but an Illinois Area Code.

A port city at the confluence of the Mississippi and Kaskaskia Rivers, the city was virtually wiped out in April 1881 by flooding, which also created a geographical oddity: the Mississippi River changed course and now flows '''''east''''' of the village, thus making the village an [[exclave]] of Illinois accessible only via a small bridge over a bayou (which was the original Mississippi River channel, now mainly silted in) from Missouri (there is no highway access from Illinois).  As such, it actually has a Missouri ZIP Code but an Illinois Area Code.

[[Category:Illinois Cities and Towns]]

[[Category:Illinois Cities and Towns]]