[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2865 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2865
To establish the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial National Historical
Park in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 20, 2023
Ms. Duckworth (for herself and Mr. Durbin) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial National Historical
Park in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Prairie du Rocher French Colonial
National Historical Park Establishment Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) Prairie du Rocher and the French Colonial Historic
District are the finest historical and architectural examples
of French colonial heritage in the United States;
(2) Kaskaskia, Fort de Chartres, and Prairie du Rocher once
served as the western boundary of the United States;
(3) the 1752 French census documents that Kaskaskia was a
multi-ethnic community, with a population of--
(A) 275 White people;
(B) 246 Black people;
(C) 75 Indian people; and
(D) 77 people of mixed blood (White and Indian
ancestry);
(4) enslaved people from Africa began arriving in Kaskaskia
by 1720 with the skills needed to build the Fort of Kaskaskia
in 1759, such as blacksmiths, joiners, and masons;
(5) Fort de Chartres was--
(A) erected in 1720 by France;
(B) one of the most imposing French fortifications
in North America;
(C) the administrative center in the era of French
colonial control over Louisiana and the Illinois
country; and
(D) designated as a National Historic Landmark on
October 9, 1960;
(6) the powder magazine at Fort de Chartres is the oldest
stone building in the State;
(7) the guard house at Fort de Chartres contains--
(A) a Catholic chapel furnished in the style of the
1750s;
(B) a priest's room;
(C) a gunner's room;
(D) an officer-of-the-day room; and
(E) a guard's room;
(8) missionary Father Pierre Gibault taught and ministered
to the settlers and Native Americans at the guard house at Fort
de Chartres;
(9) the King of France made land concessions to certain
entrepreneurs that evolved into villages, including the village
of Chartres, which was located close to Fort de Chartres;
(10) the Mitchigamea, or Michigamea, was an Indian Tribe in
the Illinois Confederation that established a village north of
Fort de Chartres, including a village in the American Bottom,
inhabited from 1730 to 1752, which is one of the premier
archaeological sites in the region, known as the ``Kolmer
Site'';
(11) in 1763, Pierre Laclede Liguest quartered in the
Prairie du Rocher French Colonial District, planning the new
village of St. Louis, which Liguest established in February
1764;
(12) on July 4, 1778, General George Rogers Clark, with the
assistance of Father Pierre Gibault, captured Prairie du Rocher
and the village of Kaskaskia;
(13) on November 28, 1803, Meriwether Lewis and William
Clark visited the village of Kaskaskia seeking boatmen and
troops to accompany the Lewis and Clark expedition;
(14) a United States fort located next to the Garrison Hill
Cemetery was recently discovered that dates from 1803 to 1806;
(15) in 1818, the village of Kaskaskia served as the first
State capital of Illinois;
(16) in 1825, General Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert
du Montier de Lafayette visited the village of Kaskaskia;
(17) in 1876, a religious order, known as the ``Adorers of
the Blood of Christ'', established a convent near Prairie du
Rocher in rural Ruma to minister to the people of southwestern
Illinois through education and religious instruction;
(18) in addition, the health care needs of the people led
the Sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ to create and
operate hospitals;
(19) since 1877, the Sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of
Christ have staffed schools at the request of pastors;
(20) by 1938, the staffing of the Sisters of the Adorers of
the Blood of Christ at schools helped to open schools in 103
towns;
(21) the Sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ also
served in other outreach ministries throughout the region;
(22) the convent of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ--
(A) was built in 1876;
(B) was expanded in 1890 and 1925;
(C) was updated in 1980;
(D) served as--
(i) an educational institution; and
(ii) a high school that offered 30 hours of
college credit from St. Louis University; and
(E) contains a memorial to, and the remains of, 5
martyred nuns who ministered in Liberia in 1992;
(23) Sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ convent
had been serving in Liberia since 1971;
(24) on January 20, 1961, the Modoc Rock Shelter was
declared a National Historic Landmark;
(25) in 1973, the Creole House in Prairie du Rocher was
added to the National Register of Historic Places; and
(26) in 1974, Prairie du Rocher and the French Colonial
Historic District, which is an area of 22 square miles, was
added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with
the ancient Kolmer Indian site.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to recognize the importance of Prairie du Rocher and
the French Colonial Historic District as a nationally
significant architectural village that embodies the cultural
heritage of the United States;
(2) to establish the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial
National Historical Park--
(A) to serve as the focus of interpretive and
educational programs relating to the history of the
French Colonial Historic District; and
(B) to assist in the preservation of historic sites
within the French Colonial Historic District;
(3) to recognize the contribution of religious women in the
development of the United States through the missions and
intrinsic desire of the religious women to improve the lives of
people through education, health, social services, and other
ministries, with an emphasis on the contributions of such women
in southwestern Illinois; and
(4) to recognize the existence and contribution of the
early enslaved African Americans, Native Americans, and people
of mixed ancestry at Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher for their
skills as blacksmiths, joiners, and masons.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Historic district.--The term ``Historic District''
means the Prairie du Rocher and the French Colonial Historic
District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places.
(2) Historical park.--The term ``Historical Park'' means
the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial National Historical Park
established by section 4(a).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Illinois.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PRAIRIE DU ROCHER FRENCH COLONIAL NATIONAL
HISTORICAL PARK.
(a) In General.--To assist in the preservation and interpretation
of, and education relating to, the Historic District, the contribution
of religious women to the development of the United States, and the
multi-ethnic community that was Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher, and to
provide technical assistance to a broad range of public and private
landowners and preservation organizations, there is established in the
State the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial National Historical Park.
(b) Area Included.--The Historical Park shall consist of the
following:
(1) Land and structures associated with Fort de Chartres
and surrounding adjacent land, including the Kolmer Site, the
village of Chartres, and the site of the home of Pierre
Laclede.
(2) The Creole House, which is a French creole vernacular
post-in-ground or ``poteaux-sur-sol'' structure constructed in
1800, 1 of only 5 remaining in the United States.
(3) The home of Pierre Menard, the first Lieutenant
Governor of the State, which was constructed in 1803.
(4) Land and structures associated with the Doiron
Bienvenue House, which is a post-in-ground structure
constructed in 1860.
(5) The Adorers of the Blood of Christ convent, which was
originally built in 1876 and updated in 1980, including an
education wing and surrounding structures and adjacent parcels.
(6) A portion of the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site,
which--
(A) is a 200-acre park that celebrates the vanished
frontier village of Kaskaskia;
(B) is home to the earthen remains of Fort
Kaskaskia; and
(C) preserves Garrison Hill Cemetery, at which
Pierre Menard and dozens of veterans are interred.
(c) Map.--
(1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a map
depicting the boundaries of the Historical Park.
(2) Availability.--The map prepared under paragraph (1)
shall be available for public inspection in the appropriate
offices of the National Park Service.
SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION.
The Secretary shall administer the Historical Park--
(1) in accordance with--
(A) this Act; and
(B) the provisions of law generally applicable to
units of the National Park System, including section
100502 and chapter 3021 of title 54, United States
Code; and
(2) in a manner that--
(A) preserves resources and cultural landscapes
relating to the history of the Historic District; and
(B) enhances public understanding of the important
cultural heritage of the Historic District.
SEC. 6. INTERPRETIVE VISITOR CENTER COMPLEX.
(a) Acquisition.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may acquire the Adorers of
the Blood of Christ convent and surrounding structures--
(A) to operate and maintain an interpretive visitor
center complex, conference center, and lodging
facilities;
(B) to provide for the general information and
orientation needs of the Historical Park and the
Historic District;
(C) to serve the needs of the Historical Park; and
(D) to serve as a residence for the Superintendent
of the Historical Park, as appropriate.
(2) Consultation.--For purposes of the planning and
development of the interpretive visitor center complex
authorized for acquisition under paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall consult with--
(A) the State;
(B) Randolph County, Illinois;
(C) the village of Prairie du Rocher; and
(D) the State Department of Natural Resources.
(b) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may enter into
cooperative agreements with the entities described in paragraph (2) of
subsection (a) for the development of--
(1) the interpretive visitor center complex authorized
under paragraph (1) of that subsection; and
(2) educational programs and materials to facilitate the
public use of the Historical Park and the Historic District.
SEC. 7. ACQUISITION OF LAND.
(a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), the
Secretary may acquire land and interests in land within the boundaries
of the Historical Park by--
(1) donation;
(2) purchase with donated or appropriated funds; or
(3) exchange.
(b) Exception.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), land and interests
in land that are owned by the State or any political subdivision of the
State may be acquired for the Historical Park under that subsection
only by donation or exchange.
SEC. 8. DONATIONS.
(a) Acceptance.--The Secretary may accept donations of funds,
property, or services from individuals, foundations, or other public or
private entities for the purposes of providing programs, services,
facilities, and technical assistance that further the purposes of this
Act.
(b) Expenditure.--Any funds donated to the Secretary under
subsection (a) may be expended by the Secretary without further
appropriation.
SEC. 9. GRANT ASSISTANCE.
(a) In General.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, the
Secretary may make grants to partners of the Historical Park for
eligible projects described in subsection (b).
(b) Description of Eligible Projects.--An eligible project referred
to in subsection (a) is a project--
(1) that does not require Federal involvement other than
the provision of financial assistance;
(2) for the construction and development of non-Federal
land and structures within the boundaries of the Historic
District;
(3) that support the purposes of the Historical Park; and
(4) that enhances public use and enjoyment of the
Historical Park.
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