Illinois History Timeline 1818-1918

1818 - An act of Congress establishes the state of Illinois, and Kaskaskia becomes the first capital.
1820-The state's population is 55,211.
Vandalia is selected as the new state capital.
1824 - After a bitter struggle, Illinois voters refuse to call a convention to amend the state constitution to legalize slavery.
1830 - The state's population is 157,445.
The Thomas Lincoln family, including young Abraham, arrives in Illinois. 1833 - Chicago is founded. The final Indian treaty pertaining to Illinois land, the Treaty of Chicago, is concluded with the Potawatomi, Chippewa, and Ottawa tribes.
The first higher education institution for women in Illinois, the Jacksonville Female Seminary, is opened.
1837 - The Panic of 1837 creates economic hardship on the frontier.
Abolionist newspaper editor Elijah Lovejoy is murdered at Alton.
1839 - The state capital is moved to Springfield.
1840 - The state's population is 476,183.
1842 - The Northern Cross, the first railroad in Illinois, running from the Illinois River to Springfield, begins operation.
1844 - Mormon prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum are killed by a mob at Carthage.
1846 - Illinois soldiers participate in the Mexican War, which lasts until 1848.
1848 - The Illinois and Michigan Canal opens. After two years of conflict with non-Mormons, the Mormons are driven from Illinois.
1850 - The state's population is 851,470.
1851- The Illinois Central Railroad is chartered.
1853 - The first Illinois State Fair is held.
1855 - Legislation provides for a free public school system.
1857 - Illinois State Normal University is established, for educating teachers.
1858 - The Lincoln-Douglas Debates are held in seven Illinois communities.
1860 - The state's population is 1,711,951.
1861 - Lincoln is inaugurated as president. The Civil War begins, for which Illinois will supply 259,092 soldiers and 177 generals, including Ulysses S. Grant. 1865 - The Civil War ends, and Lincoln is assassinated.
1867 - The Office of Attorney General is established, and Peoria's Robert G. Ingersoll, later a renowned orator, is appointed to the position.
The Illinois Industrial University (later the University of Illinois) is established.
1868 - A new statehouse is authorized, and construction begins, but it will not be completed for 20 years.
1870 - The state's population is 2,539,891.
1871 - The Great Chicago Fire destroys some 18,000 buildings and kills about 300 people.
1880 - The state's population is 3,077,871.
1885 - The first skyscraper is constructed in Chicago.
1886 - The Haymarket Affair occurs in Chicago. Eight people die and seventy-six are wounded when a bomb explodes at a labor rally, and police open fire on the crowd.
1889- Jane Addams and her associates establish the Hull House.
1890 - The state's population is 3,836,352, and Chicago is a metropolis of 1,099,850.
1893 - John Peter Altgeld, a crusader for liberal causes, becomes the governor.
The World's Columbian Exposition, perhaps the greatest world's fair ever held, draws people and attention to Chicago.
1894 - The Pullman Strike occurs, leading to a general railway strike and mob violence.
1898 - The Spanish-American War begins.
1900 - The state's population is 4,821,550.
1903 - The Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago results in 571 deaths and prompts improved safety legislations across the country.
1907 - Illinois passes a local option law, which fosters conflict over legalizing liquor throughout the state. The Hennepin Canal is completed.
1910 - The state's population is 5,638,591.
1911 - Starved Rock State park becomes the first state park in Illinois.
1912 - Poetry magazine is founded in Chicago by Harriet Monroe,and it helps to launch the careers of Vachel Lindsay, Carl Sandburg, and other notable poets.
1913 - The Women's Suffrage Act is passed, extending voting rights for Illinois women.
1917 - The United States enters World War I, in which 314,504 Illinois men participate.
1918- Illinois celebrates its centennial.
The first bond issue is passed for constructing a statewide system of hard roads.
An influenza epidemic kills thousand of Illinois residents and more than 600,000 people nationwide.