Peoria

Peoria is an Illinois river city set along the broad waters of Peoria Lake. The community shares its name with the Peoria, a Native American people of the Illinois Confederation. The national catchphrase ‘Will it play in Peoria?’ originated when touring vaudeville shows tested acts in local playhouses to measure mainstream public reaction.

Maui Jim produces polarized sunglasses equipped with glare-reducing glass lenses. Komatsu manufactures diesel-electric mining trucks designed for hauling rock in open-pit quarries. Caterpillar builds diesel engines, transmission systems, and earthmoving tractor components along the waterfront. ADM processes yellow dent corn into biofuel ethanol and livestock feed supplements. Waterfront shipping docks transfer bulk shipments of grain and agricultural limestone along the river channel. A dedicated freight rail network connects the waterfront terminals to continental railroad corridors.

French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle constructed Fort Crèvecoeur in 1680 on the eastern bluffs. Henri de Tonti established Fort Pimitoui across the water in the 1690s to exchange furs with indigenous communities. The United States erected Fort Clark during the 1810s following military campaigns in the Illinois Territory. The village expanded around the wooden stockade, and Peoria received its city charter in 1845. Steamboat traffic stimulated river commerce in the 1850s, and newly laid tracks connected area coal pits with northern mills. Commercial distilleries multiplied along the shore in the late 19th century, manufacturing bourbon whiskey until national prohibition halted production.

Bradley University educates students on a residential campus established by philanthropist Lydia Moss Bradley in the 1890s. The Peoria Riverfront Museum presents planetarium dome shows alongside regional art collections. Grand View Drive curves along high bluffs where Theodore Roosevelt traveled in an open carriage during the early 20th century. The Peoria Chiefs baseball club plays minor league games near the riverfront. Comedian Richard Pryor was born in Peoria and drew material from his Midwestern upbringing. Author Betty Friedan was born in the town before publishing influential feminist social studies.