Shetland Ponies for Sale near Peoria, IL

About Peoria, IL

Peoria is the oldest settlement in Illinois, as explorers first ventured up the Illinois River from the Mississippi. The lands that eventually would become Peoria were first settled by Europeans in 1680, [ citation needed ] when French explorers René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Henri de Tonti constructed Fort Crevecoeur. This fort would later burn to the ground, and in 1813, Fort Clark, Illinois was built. When the County of Peoria was organized in 1825, Fort Clark was officially named Peoria. Peoria was named after the Peoria tribe, a member of the Illinois Confederation.