Kaskaskia Village was formed in 1703 by Kaskaskia Indians, attended by a French priest and fur traders. It grew to be the center of French life in the Illinois Country. It was occupied by the British in 1765, captured for Virginia by George Rogers Clark in 1778, served as a gateway to the Northwest, was the capital of Illinois Territory from 1809 to 1818, and was the first capital of the State of Illinois from 1818 to 1819.