Wanting to get an overview of the State of Illinois, and especially more information on its native peoples, we visited the Illinois State Museum, in Springfield, Illinois, just next to the state capitol building today. We loved the fact that as part of the state’s Historic Preservation Division, admission is free. We were disappointed that not all the galleries were open. As would be expected, the museum covers the history of the state from its geologic formation to present day with some pretty impressive artifacts and well crafted displays. Both of us noted that interpretation of the indigenous people began with European contact, although perhaps more information might be available in a temporarily closed gallery. One of the impressions we came away with is that we tend to gain so much more when the displays, artifacts, and written descriptions are augmented with audio-visual, docents, or living history support which this museum did not offer, at least at the time that we visited.
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