Lemont Area Historical Society and Museum

08/30/2026

Keepataw Days 1962!

08/30/2026

Maureen Egan
Queen of Keepataw Days 1956

08/30/2026

Big Tom 1950!

Keepataw Memories!
Support the Parade and Fest!

08/27/2026

210 years ago this week, a treaty helped pave the way for the future I&M Canal—but at a profound cost to the Native peoples of the region.

On August 24, 1816, the United States signed the “Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Limits…” with the Ottawa, Chippewa and Potawatomi having determined that the best way to build a "friendship" with the tribes in the region was to set boundaries.

In this case, literal boundaries.

The U.S. negotiated a treaty in which fourteen tribal leaders collectively gave up the rights to one of the most important pieces of land in the entire Midwest. This land (marked "78" on the map) would in 1848 become the site of the I&M Canal, which connected the Illinois River and Lake Michigan and was the final piece needed for an inland water route that ran from the East Coast to the Gulf of Mexico.

To understand the full impact of this and other interrelated treaties and how they changed the face of the U.S. to the benefit of Anglo settlers and the lasting detriment of Native American tribes, check out our Substack article at link in bio or by going here: https://bit.ly/IMBoundaries

08/23/2026

Free to good home! Donation to the museum is appreciated.

08/18/2026

Update! This event is now FREE and open to the public thanks to the support of the Joliet Arsenal Development Authority. Come and discover the rich history of Route 66 and its special connection to Lemont with a presentation by Jason Berry. Sunday, August 23 at 2:00 at the Lemont Area Historical Society.

08/13/2026

This is a picture of the Bodenschatz House at the corner of Stephen & Illinois Sts. circa 1900. The second picture is colorized and sharpened by Gemini.

08/09/2026