Kaskaskia is a historically important village in
Randolph County,
Illinois,
United States. In the
2010 census the population was 14, making it the second-smallest incorporated community in the State of Illinois in terms of population, behind
Valley City (pop. 13). As a major
French colonial town of the
Illinois Country, in the 18th century its peak population was about 7,000, when it was a regional center. During the
American Revolutionary War, the town, which by then had become an administrative center for the
British Province of Quebec, was taken by the Virginia militia during the
Illinois campaign. It was designated as the county seat of
Illinois County, Virginia, after which, it became part of the
Northwest Territory in 1787. Kaskaskia was later named as the capital of the United States'
Illinois Territory, created on February 3, 1809. In 1818, when Illinois became the 21st U.S. state, the town briefly served as the state's first capital until 1819, when the capital was moved to
Vandalia.