The Guebert site represents the principal summer village of the Kaskaskia Tribe of the Illinois Nation during the 18th century, circa 1720-1775. The site is known principally through several massive surface collections made by private collectors during the 20th century. These collections are the focus of FICAS' first research volume.

“The English Settlement” established by Morris Birkbeck and George Flower in 1817 is well known to historians of the Old Northwestern frontier. The first archaeological investigations at the site of Birkbeck’s 1817 estate were conducted in 2005. These encountered unusually rich and well-preserved archaeological deposits dating to the 1810s and 1820s.

Very shortly after the first contact between the Illinois and the French, a concerted effort to not only learn but interpret and record the indigenous language was made by several French Jesuit priests. The dictionaries they created are a priceless record of the language spoken by the Illinois and Miami nations at the time of contact with European. Today, these dictionaries are used to revitalize the use of the ancient language.

The Waterman site, located near Fort de Chartres, is part of a larger area occupied by the Michigamea Tribe since the late 17th century. The Waterman site itself was probably first settled after a disastrous attack on their nearby village in 1752. The new village was fortified for protection, and included several dozen houses. By 1770, the village was abandoned. Extensive excavations were conducted there in the early 1970s.

Prior to 2010, the existence of a “third” wooden Fort de Chartres was entirely unknown. Recent archival research, coupled with the re-examination of the archaeological remains of the French fortification known as the “Laurens site” in 2011-12, have completely revised our understanding of the history of this fort and the surrounding community. 

The Kolmer site was the locus of Michigamea village life for at least two generations, prior to its attack in 1752. The actual time depth of the site is unclear, but the 2013 excavation of a large, intact roasting pit produced only late 17th century artifacts. This site is the least understood of the Illinois Tribal villages, and is known primarily from unpublished private collections. ​

The Upper Village of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin was established during the first decade of the 19th century and represents a unique Metis and early American community with strong ties to French Canada as well as the Illinois Country. Excavations have been conducted on two village lots, and these encountered remains from three distinct occupations, all dating to the early 19th century.

In 1818, blacksmith William Holland settled at what was the northern edge of the Euro-American frontier in Central Illinois, at what would become known as “Indian Point” in Menard County. Here, he operated a blacksmith shop that served not only local settlers, but also the Kickapoo Tribe living to the north. Holland’s blacksmith shop was operated for only a brief time, and he moved north to Peoria around 1820.