IL HR0217

Designates a section of Interstate 57 as the "French-Canadian Heritage Corridor" to commemorate the first non-Native American settlers in Illinois, primarily French-Canadian pioneers who immigrated to Kankakee and Iroquois Counties from the late 1820s to 1850s.

Requests the Illinois Department of Transportation to erect two signs on I-57 by July 15, 2015: one for southbound traffic just north of the Manteno exit 322 and one for northbound traffic just south of Ashkum exit 293.

Recognizes French-Canadian settlements including Bourbonnais Grove, Le Petit Canada, Rockville, St. George, L'Erable, Papineau, and St. Anne as historically significant communities in the region.

Honors key French-Canadian figures including Noel Levasseur who recruited settlers from Quebec, George Letourneau who became mayor of Bourbonnais and Kankakee and served as State Senator, and Father Charles Chiniquy who led religious and educational development of the area.

Notes the lasting French-Canadian cultural influence in the region, including the continued use of French as a primary language until the 1950s, French-Canadian family names in local records, and the fleur-de-lis as the official symbol of Bourbonnais.