I came from a small town, Palestine, IL. They claim it is the oldest town in IL. There was a fort there (Fort LaMotte) named after John LaMotte. He was a Frenchman from the Lasalle party that settled in the area in 1678. There was a battle fought there during the war of 1812. They have recreated the fort where it was originally stood right next to the rodeo arena where a rodeo is held every Labor day since the late 60s. They claim the world record bull ride was performed there scoring 99 points.
