Several important Native American settlements were located close to the lake, like the main villages of the Kickapoo and Potawatomi tribes.[2] Other tribes may have used it as a game preserve during the winter while living in the Kaskaskia village, as the area was known for its "fat beasts".[2][3][4][5] The Peoria tribe remained near the lake after the Kaskaskia departed before 1700.[6][7][3][8][9]
Peoria Lake was mentioned by the Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette expedition in 1674. During early European colonization, the lake was called Pimitéoui ("Fat Lake").[4][6][10][5] A French Fort on its banks was called Fort Pimitéoui (1691), later known as Old Fort Peoria.[6][11][8] The French remained in the Peoria area until about 1819.[6]
Geology
The lake is formed by a broadening of the Illinois River. It is approximately 21 miles (34km) in length.[2] The Peoria Lake originated during the Woodfordian substage of the Wisconsin glaciation.[1][12] It is part of the Bloomington moraine.[12]
Due to the flat stream bed, the water moves slowly, allowing sediment to settle at the bottom.[12]
The lake is currently a regional tourist attraction and is used for practice of many watersports. It is also the usual site for the City of Peoria's Fourth of July fireworks display.[16][17]
Several public lands border the Peoria Lake,[15] including:
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.