Update: See the portion of Kaskaskia on the west side of the Mississippi in this post from February of 2026.

It’s hard to believe that the capital of Illinois, Kaskaskia, once lay where the Mississippi River now churns.

One remnant, the Pierre Menard House, once was on the outskirts of the town, but now has a panoramic river view.

In what is one of the more bizarre and evocative sights I have ever seen, the townspeople quickly moved a cemetery to higher ground to avoid the destruction of the Mississippi River when it changed course, cutting across the peninsula.