[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2865 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2865

To establish the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial National Historical 
         Park in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 20, 2023

  Ms. Duckworth (for herself and Mr. Durbin) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial National Historical 
         Park in the State of Illinois, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Prairie du Rocher French Colonial 
National Historical Park Establishment Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) Prairie du Rocher and the French Colonial Historic 
        District are the finest historical and architectural examples 
        of French colonial heritage in the United States;
            (2) Kaskaskia, Fort de Chartres, and Prairie du Rocher once 
        served as the western boundary of the United States;
            (3) the 1752 French census documents that Kaskaskia was a 
        multi-ethnic community, with a population of--
                    (A) 275 White people;
                    (B) 246 Black people;
                    (C) 75 Indian people; and
                    (D) 77 people of mixed blood (White and Indian 
                ancestry);
            (4) enslaved people from Africa began arriving in Kaskaskia 
        by 1720 with the skills needed to build the Fort of Kaskaskia 
        in 1759, such as blacksmiths, joiners, and masons;
            (5) Fort de Chartres was--
                    (A) erected in 1720 by France;
                    (B) one of the most imposing French fortifications 
                in North America;
                    (C) the administrative center in the era of French 
                colonial control over Louisiana and the Illinois 
                country; and
                    (D) designated as a National Historic Landmark on 
                October 9, 1960;
            (6) the powder magazine at Fort de Chartres is the oldest 
        stone building in the State;
            (7) the guard house at Fort de Chartres contains--
                    (A) a Catholic chapel furnished in the style of the 
                1750s;
                    (B) a priest's room;
                     (C) a gunner's room;
                    (D) an officer-of-the-day room; and
                    (E) a guard's room;
            (8) missionary Father Pierre Gibault taught and ministered 
        to the settlers and Native Americans at the guard house at Fort 
        de Chartres;
            (9) the King of France made land concessions to certain 
        entrepreneurs that evolved into villages, including the village 
        of Chartres, which was located close to Fort de Chartres;
            (10) the Mitchigamea, or Michigamea, was an Indian Tribe in 
        the Illinois Confederation that established a village north of 
        Fort de Chartres, including a village in the American Bottom, 
        inhabited from 1730 to 1752, which is one of the premier 
        archaeological sites in the region, known as the ``Kolmer 
        Site'';
            (11) in 1763, Pierre Laclede Liguest quartered in the 
        Prairie du Rocher French Colonial District, planning the new 
        village of St. Louis, which Liguest established in February 
        1764;
            (12) on July 4, 1778, General George Rogers Clark, with the 
        assistance of Father Pierre Gibault, captured Prairie du Rocher 
        and the village of Kaskaskia;
            (13) on November 28, 1803, Meriwether Lewis and William 
        Clark visited the village of Kaskaskia seeking boatmen and 
        troops to accompany the Lewis and Clark expedition;
            (14) a United States fort located next to the Garrison Hill 
        Cemetery was recently discovered that dates from 1803 to 1806;
            (15) in 1818, the village of Kaskaskia served as the first 
        State capital of Illinois;
            (16) in 1825, General Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert 
        du Montier de Lafayette visited the village of Kaskaskia;
            (17) in 1876, a religious order, known as the ``Adorers of 
        the Blood of Christ'', established a convent near Prairie du 
        Rocher in rural Ruma to minister to the people of southwestern 
        Illinois through education and religious instruction;
            (18) in addition, the health care needs of the people led 
        the Sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ to create and 
        operate hospitals;
            (19) since 1877, the Sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of 
        Christ have staffed schools at the request of pastors;
            (20) by 1938, the staffing of the Sisters of the Adorers of 
        the Blood of Christ at schools helped to open schools in 103 
        towns;
            (21) the Sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ also 
        served in other outreach ministries throughout the region;
            (22) the convent of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ--
                    (A) was built in 1876;
                    (B) was expanded in 1890 and 1925;
                    (C) was updated in 1980;
                    (D) served as--
                            (i) an educational institution; and
                            (ii) a high school that offered 30 hours of 
                        college credit from St. Louis University; and
                    (E) contains a memorial to, and the remains of, 5 
                martyred nuns who ministered in Liberia in 1992;
            (23) Sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ convent 
        had been serving in Liberia since 1971;
            (24) on January 20, 1961, the Modoc Rock Shelter was 
        declared a National Historic Landmark;
            (25) in 1973, the Creole House in Prairie du Rocher was 
        added to the National Register of Historic Places; and
            (26) in 1974, Prairie du Rocher and the French Colonial 
        Historic District, which is an area of 22 square miles, was 
        added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with 
        the ancient Kolmer Indian site.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to recognize the importance of Prairie du Rocher and 
        the French Colonial Historic District as a nationally 
        significant architectural village that embodies the cultural 
        heritage of the United States;
            (2) to establish the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial 
        National Historical Park--
                    (A) to serve as the focus of interpretive and 
                educational programs relating to the history of the 
                French Colonial Historic District; and
                    (B) to assist in the preservation of historic sites 
                within the French Colonial Historic District;
            (3) to recognize the contribution of religious women in the 
        development of the United States through the missions and 
        intrinsic desire of the religious women to improve the lives of 
        people through education, health, social services, and other 
        ministries, with an emphasis on the contributions of such women 
        in southwestern Illinois; and
            (4) to recognize the existence and contribution of the 
        early enslaved African Americans, Native Americans, and people 
        of mixed ancestry at Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher for their 
        skills as blacksmiths, joiners, and masons.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Historic district.--The term ``Historic District'' 
        means the Prairie du Rocher and the French Colonial Historic 
        District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic 
        Places.
            (2) Historical park.--The term ``Historical Park'' means 
        the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial National Historical Park 
        established by section 4(a).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (4) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Illinois.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PRAIRIE DU ROCHER FRENCH COLONIAL NATIONAL 
              HISTORICAL PARK.

    (a) In General.--To assist in the preservation and interpretation 
of, and education relating to, the Historic District, the contribution 
of religious women to the development of the United States, and the 
multi-ethnic community that was Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher, and to 
provide technical assistance to a broad range of public and private 
landowners and preservation organizations, there is established in the 
State the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial National Historical Park.
    (b) Area Included.--The Historical Park shall consist of the 
following:
            (1) Land and structures associated with Fort de Chartres 
        and surrounding adjacent land, including the Kolmer Site, the 
        village of Chartres, and the site of the home of Pierre 
        Laclede.
            (2) The Creole House, which is a French creole vernacular 
        post-in-ground or ``poteaux-sur-sol'' structure constructed in 
        1800, 1 of only 5 remaining in the United States.
            (3) The home of Pierre Menard, the first Lieutenant 
        Governor of the State, which was constructed in 1803.
            (4) Land and structures associated with the Doiron 
        Bienvenue House, which is a post-in-ground structure 
        constructed in 1860.
            (5) The Adorers of the Blood of Christ convent, which was 
        originally built in 1876 and updated in 1980, including an 
        education wing and surrounding structures and adjacent parcels.
            (6) A portion of the Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site, 
        which--
                    (A) is a 200-acre park that celebrates the vanished 
                frontier village of Kaskaskia;
                    (B) is home to the earthen remains of Fort 
                Kaskaskia; and
                    (C) preserves Garrison Hill Cemetery, at which 
                Pierre Menard and dozens of veterans are interred.
    (c) Map.--
            (1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a map 
        depicting the boundaries of the Historical Park.
            (2) Availability.--The map prepared under paragraph (1) 
        shall be available for public inspection in the appropriate 
        offices of the National Park Service.

SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION.

    The Secretary shall administer the Historical Park--
            (1) in accordance with--
                    (A) this Act; and
                    (B) the provisions of law generally applicable to 
                units of the National Park System, including section 
                100502 and chapter 3021 of title 54, United States 
                Code; and
            (2) in a manner that--
                    (A) preserves resources and cultural landscapes 
                relating to the history of the Historic District; and
                    (B) enhances public understanding of the important 
                cultural heritage of the Historic District.

SEC. 6. INTERPRETIVE VISITOR CENTER COMPLEX.

    (a) Acquisition.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may acquire the Adorers of 
        the Blood of Christ convent and surrounding structures--
                    (A) to operate and maintain an interpretive visitor 
                center complex, conference center, and lodging 
                facilities;
                    (B) to provide for the general information and 
                orientation needs of the Historical Park and the 
                Historic District;
                    (C) to serve the needs of the Historical Park; and
                    (D) to serve as a residence for the Superintendent 
                of the Historical Park, as appropriate.
            (2) Consultation.--For purposes of the planning and 
        development of the interpretive visitor center complex 
        authorized for acquisition under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
        shall consult with--
                    (A) the State;
                    (B) Randolph County, Illinois;
                    (C) the village of Prairie du Rocher; and
                    (D) the State Department of Natural Resources.
    (b) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may enter into 
cooperative agreements with the entities described in paragraph (2) of 
subsection (a) for the development of--
            (1) the interpretive visitor center complex authorized 
        under paragraph (1) of that subsection; and
            (2) educational programs and materials to facilitate the 
        public use of the Historical Park and the Historic District.

SEC. 7. ACQUISITION OF LAND.

    (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), the 
Secretary may acquire land and interests in land within the boundaries 
of the Historical Park by--
            (1) donation;
            (2) purchase with donated or appropriated funds; or
            (3) exchange.
    (b) Exception.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), land and interests 
in land that are owned by the State or any political subdivision of the 
State may be acquired for the Historical Park under that subsection 
only by donation or exchange.

SEC. 8. DONATIONS.

    (a) Acceptance.--The Secretary may accept donations of funds, 
property, or services from individuals, foundations, or other public or 
private entities for the purposes of providing programs, services, 
facilities, and technical assistance that further the purposes of this 
Act.
    (b) Expenditure.--Any funds donated to the Secretary under 
subsection (a) may be expended by the Secretary without further 
appropriation.

SEC. 9. GRANT ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, the 
Secretary may make grants to partners of the Historical Park for 
eligible projects described in subsection (b).
    (b) Description of Eligible Projects.--An eligible project referred 
to in subsection (a) is a project--
            (1) that does not require Federal involvement other than 
        the provision of financial assistance;
            (2) for the construction and development of non-Federal 
        land and structures within the boundaries of the Historic 
        District;
            (3) that support the purposes of the Historical Park; and
            (4) that enhances public use and enjoyment of the 
        Historical Park.
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