The Ancient Americas

Which Indigenous peoples once lived in and are still living in what is now the Chicago area?

Indigenous peoples have always lived in, and continue to inhabit what is now the Chicago region. Archaeological evidence suggests a Native presence in Illinois as early as 12,000 to 14,000 years ago, at sites such as Lincoln Hills and Kimmswick, among others.

Before European contact, the Chicago area was home to various Native North American groups, including the Potawatomi, Miami, and Illinois. Native peoples known as the lliniwek (or the “Illinois,” as they were called by the European explorers who first encountered them) were eventually forced to leave their lands. The Peoria Tribe of Oklahoma peoples, descendants of the Illinois, are located all over the United States, but most notably in Miami, Oklahoma.

Chicago Timeline

	The 1800s—Factors such as European expansion into Native territories and disease diminished Native populations in what is now the Chicago area. Treaties forced Indigenous North American peoples to cede their lands to the American government. Yet Native peoples were never entirely displaced….
	1900s—Many Indigenous peoples began to move to Chicago for jobs and other opportunities. Later movement to Chicago was fueled in part by the federal government’s “relocation program” in the 1950s and 1960s. Many social clubs were formed to help Native North American peoples adjust to urban life.
	Today—At the end of the twentieth century, close to 40,000 Native peoples representing groups from across the United States and Canada live in the Chicago area.

To learn more about the early Native presence in Northeastern Illinois, take a look at The Illinois Association for the Advancement of Archaeology. Their website contains a list of many places you can visit to see archaeological evidence of Native habitation. [link to]

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