Continuing our tour of Kaskaskia Precinct, Illinois leads us to one of the few building left from the pre-flood days. The Church of the Immaculate Conception traces it heritage back to 1675 when the intrepid missionary and explorer Father Jacques Marquette established a mission for the Kaskaskia Indians near Starved Rock on the Illinois River. The Beaver Wars in the 17th Century between the Iroquois and just about every other tribe in the Great Lakes region pushed the Kaskaskia tribe south and west to the Mississippi River. The town of Kaskaskia was founded in 1703 and the Jesuit missionaries built their first stone church in 1710. Louis XV of France donated a church bell in 1741 that is still in a small building next to the rectory. It is known as "The Liberty Bell of the West" after it was rung on July 4, 1778 to celebrate George Rogers Clark capturing the town from the British during the American Revolution. The present church was built in 1843 and moved brick by brick to drier ground in 1894. The church has been badly damaged by floods in 1973 and 1993 with water reaching half way up the windows. Restoration work continues and the church is open for Mass every Saturday at 3:30 PM. Many families with French names from 300 years past still look after the Church of the Immaculate Conception.