The story of Illinois

the long version

This volume is an attempt to present a short readable history of the state of Illinois, embodying the results of the latest research. Naturally it is based to a considerable extent on the five volume Centennial History of Illinois, but for most of the period covered by the volume the body of source material has been carefully examined. Still, my indebtedness to the other authors of the Centennial History, especially to Professor Clarence W. Alvord, will be apparent to anyone who is acquainted with their work. I have also to express my gratitude to Dr. Otto L. Schmidt for encouragement and kindly criticism.