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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate the Village of | ||||||
| 4 | Bourbonnais on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and | ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, Between 1829-1832, the settlement Bourbonnais | ||||||
| 6 | Grove was founded by Francois Bourbonnais Sr., a | ||||||
| 7 | French-Canadian fur trader who lived north of Bourbonnais | ||||||
| 8 | Creek and traded with the Potawatomi people, and in 1834, | ||||||
| 9 | French-Canadian fur trader Noel LeVasseur established a | ||||||
| 10 | trading post in the settlement, which became a focal point for | ||||||
| 11 | the community; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, In 1853, the Illinois State Legislature formed | ||||||
| 13 | Kankakee County out of the north part of Iroquois County and | ||||||
| 14 | the south part of Will County, which included the north and | ||||||
| 15 | south banks of the Kankakee River, and Bourbonnais Grove | ||||||
| 16 | became a part of Kankakee County; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, The village grew as an agricultural community and | ||||||
| 18 | was shaped by its Catholic traditions; in 1858, the Maternity | ||||||
| 19 | of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church was built by the residents | ||||||
| 20 | and served as a cultural cornerstone for the community; and | ||||||
| 21 | WHEREAS, In 1875, Bourbonnais Grove was incorporated as | ||||||
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| 1 | the Village of Bourbonnais, with George R. LeTourneau as its | ||||||
| 2 | first mayor; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, St. Viator College for boys was founded as an | ||||||
| 4 | academy for boys in 1865 and received a university charter | ||||||
| 5 | from the State of Illinois in 1874; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, The Illinois State Legislature passed a | ||||||
| 7 | resolution designating a portion of Interstate 57, including | ||||||
| 8 | Bourbonnais, as the French-Canadian Heritage Corridor in 2015; | ||||||
| 9 | and | ||||||
| 10 | WHEREAS, Today, Bourbonnais celebrates its rich history | ||||||
| 11 | while serving as a hub for education and culture and will | ||||||
| 12 | commemorate its sesquicentennial with special events for | ||||||
| 13 | residents throughout the year, including the Soiree do | ||||||
| 14 | Bourbonnais, which will take place on May 17, 2025; therefore, | ||||||
| 15 | be it | ||||||
| 16 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 17 | HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 18 | we congratulate the Village of Bourbonnais on the occasion of | ||||||
| 19 | its 150th anniversary; and be it further | ||||||
| 20 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 21 | presented to the Village of Bourbonnais as an expression of | ||||||
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| 1 | our respect and esteem for 150 vibrant years. | ||||||