Center for Great Lakes Culture
Illinois

Collections

Illinois State Historical Society - Supporting Illinois history through publications and programs
Illinois Historical Survey - Special Collection for Advanced Historical Research
University of Illinois Archives - Red Grange, Lorado Taft, Chief Illiniwek and more
Illinois Humanities Council - Programs, speakers, grants, calendar and membership
Illinois Heritage Association - Help for Historic Preservation Projects and Questions
Historic Local Government Records Database - Illinois State Archives IRAD System
Illinois State Museum - Located in Springfield. Great programs for kids
Illinois & Michigan Canal Virtual Tour - First opened in 1848
Illinois Central Historical Society
Illinois Railway Museum
Illinois Natural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
Illinois Natural History Survey - Ecology, Wildlife, Fauna, Climate
The Illinois State Archives - Depository of State Government Records of Permanent Value
Illinois Library Directory - Connections to every public, private, and school library in the state
Illinois State Historical Library - Non-circulating collection of books and manuscripts. Major photo, historic newspaper, genealogy and Lincoln collections
Maps, Government Records and Databases
A List of All the Web Servers in Illinois - Large list of commercial as well as educational, local government and organizations
Database of Marriages in Illinois before 1900
Links to Illinois' Educational, Historical, and Cultural Institutions
Genealogy in Illinois and Beyond
Cemetery Records of Illinois
Early Land Sales, Maps, Analysis, and Records  
Illinois Public Domain Land Sale - Information at the State Archives
Homepage of Illinois Counties
Historical Maps of Illinois and the Northwest Territory
A Color Map of the 102 Illinois Counties - or Historic Air Photo Project
Map History of Illinois County Boundaries: 1790 - Present
1895 Map of All Counties
Spanish-American War (1898) Veterans from Illinois - Online database. Search for Participants by Name
Chronology of Illinois History
The Illinois "Find It" Database
Government in Illinois
Photo Tour of Capitol
Early Days of Coal Mining in Northern Illinois - Coal Mining in Illinois
Famous Places, Memorials, and Historic Sites in Illinois
The Words to Illinois' State Song
Genealogy For Kids and Other Beginners
List of all Illinois Governors
Biographies of all Presidents and First Ladies Online - including Lincoln, Grant, and Reagan
Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress - Look up any U.S. Senator or Representative who ever served from Illinois
Biographies of People with Illinois Connections - Look up U.S. Grant, John Logan, Ronald Reagan, Jane Addams and others
Cherry Coal Mine Disaster - 1909
The 1908 Springfield Race Riot
Illinois' Veterans: Korean and Viet Nam War Memorials - State-level Casulty Lists from The Korean Conflict (1951-1957) located at the National Archives. Search by name or "home of record"
Disease and Public Health Timeline (1674-1900)
Illinois Labor History - (Mother Jones, Coal Mining, Strike Breaking and much more)
Chronology of Illinois Labor History
History of Women's Suffrage in Illinois
Early Illinois Women and Other Unsung Heroes 1818-1918
Native Americans in Illinois - History of the Illini Confederation
"Chief" Black Hawk and the Sauk Nation and Trail of Black Hawk
Black Hawk War Veterans - Database of Illinois men who served 1831-1832
History of Illinois and Prairie Indian Nations
Detailed Tribal Histories
The Illini Confederation: Lords of the Mississippi Valley - Kaskaskia, Peoria, Cahokia, Tamaroa and Michigamea
Prehistoric Cahokia
Kaskaskia Indians
Legend of the Piasa
The French in Illinois
Early Colonial History
Detailed History of Peoria
George Rogers Clark in Illinois - Includes information about Sons of the Revolution and Colonial Wars living in Illinois
Special Topics: Native Americans, French settlement, Railroads, Vandalia, Illinois and Michigan Canal
Illinois and the Civil War
Slaves in Illinois - Database of Servitude and Emancipation Records (1722-1863)
The Underground Railroad in Illinois - written in 1902. See also the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Abraham Lincoln and Related Topics
Illinois' State Slogan: "Land of Lincoln"
Sites Related to Lincoln - Illinois and the United States
Lincoln's Tomb in Springfield
Lincoln Documents Online - at the Illinois State Archives
The Lincoln Legal Papers
Abraham Lincoln Association - Find out what Lincoln said and Bibliography of latest Lincoln scholarship
The Lincoln Museum - Lincoln Quiz and Lincoln Lore
Abraham Lincoln Online - The Mother of All Lincoln Links
Lincoln Assassination Pages
Mary Todd Lincoln Homepage
Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project
Abraham Lincoln in Macon County
Lincoln at the History Place - Photos, timeline of his life, text of speeches
Sheet Music - About Lincoln, Emancipation, and the Civil War
Chicago: Past and Present
Chronological History of Chicago - List of historical events developed by Municipal Reference Librarians
Deaths, Distrubances, Disasters and Disorders in Chicago - Compiled by Chicago Public Library Reference Librarians. An excellent source for reports about the Lady of Angels Fire, Iroquois Theatre Fire, Eastland Disaster, etc
Demographics: Population, Ethnicity, Gender and Age - also Population of Chicago and Modern Crime Statistics and Crime Statistics 1860-1920
Chicago History Research Guide - Links to the locations of city records and photos for serious researchers. Chicago bibliography
Chicago Historical Society
The Newberry Library
The City of Chicago Web Site
Chicago Mayors: Pictures and Biographies
Proceedings of the Chicago City Council (1833-1871)
Cook County Coroner's Inquest Record Index, 1872-1911 - Searchable database of decedents
Chicago Police Department Homicide Record Index, 1870-1930
Notable African-American Chicagoans
Chicago Architects - Oral histories of 56 master builders
Chicago Landmarks - Historic buildings and the Chicago Commission
Fort Dearborn
The Chicago Fire An Online Exhibit
Jane Addams & the Hull House Museum
The Chicago River - maps and history of The Des Plaines River, The Calumet River and the Fox River
History of Bridgeport and the Origin of the Illinois & Michigan Canal
Jazz Age Chicago: Urban Life from 1910 to 1945 - Movie palaces, Marshall Fields, Leopold and Loeb Case, Aragon Ballroom, White City Amusement Park and more
The Elevated Train System
Chicago Tunnel Company - All about the tunnels and freight railway system under Downtown Chicago
Graveyards in Chicago - Over 200 excellent photos and history of Chicago's most famous tombs and cemeteries
Broadcasting in Chicago - The history of radio and TV from 1921-1989
Suburban Chicago Local History Information - and Oak Lawn Community History  
The Chicago Public Library's List of Illinois Colleges, Universities, and Libraries
The Virtual Illinois Catalog - or access 40 million library items found in Illinois in Links to Advanced History Research Tools from the University of Illinois History Department

Scholarly Work

The Haymarket Tragedy
The World's Columbian Exposition - Chicago 1893 - Or see another interpretation at: The World"s Columbian Exposition: Idea, Experience, Aftermath

Public Programs

Visiting State of Illinois
"Enjoy Illinois"
Illinois High School Alumni
Towns, Tourism, Maps and People in Illinois

Help with School Work: State Symbols, History, Genealogy
Illinois Facts
Illinois' State Symbols, Song, Flag, Official Seal, and Slogan
State Symbols - Grades K-8
Our State's Capitols, Capitals, Flag and More - Grades K-8
At Home in the Heartland - Grades 4-10 Excellent new resource about the history of Illinois people, culture and objects. Timelines, maps, teacher resources
Kid ZoneLearn Illinois
Explore Nature
Envirofun