Kaskaskia, Illinois

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/kaskaskia-illinois

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Where is Kaskaskia, Illinois?West bank of the Mississippi River, Randolph County, Illinois
2. What is the historical role?First capital of Illinois from 1818 to 1820
3. Why is Kaskaskia sometimes called a ghost town?Because it has a very small population and many people left after the Great Flood of 1993, which covered the town with more than nine feet of water.
4. How does the Mississippi River affect life in Kaskaskia?The river can flood the town, so residents must always be prepared for floods. It also helped the town grow when it was a capital by providing river trade.

Riparian Setting: Describes a location situated on or near the banks of a river or stream.
Alluvial Plains: Flat areas of land formed by sediment deposited by flowing water, typically very fertile.
Demographic Anomaly: A population characteristic that is unusual or deviates significantly from the norm.
Environmental Determinant: A factor in the natural environment that significantly influences human activities and settlement.