| Bourbonnais Illinois is called the Village of Friendship | | | | was given to Francois Bourbonnais Sr.'s wife |
| because of its pleasant, neighborly people with | | | | Catish; another section was established for |
| their welcoming smiles. Located on the scenic | | | | Francois Bourbonnais Jr.'s daughter Mawteno (for |
| Kankakee River forty miles south of Chicago, | | | | whom the present town of Manteno is named). |
| Bourbonnais healthcare system is considered | | | | Two sections were established for |
| among the best in the state; and Bourbonnais' | | | | Me-she-ke-te-no, the chief of the Pottawatomi |
| famous Friendship Festival every June brings | | | | Indians. In 1858 the Maternity BVM Roman |
| visitors from all over the country. | | | | Catholic Church was begun; and in 1860 the parish |
| The Kankakee River was originally called the | | | | priest brought 3 nuns from Montreal to teach and |
| Te-ok-e-kee, which means "wolf", by the | | | | established the first Bourbonnais Illinois healthcare. |
| Pottawatomi Indian inhabitants of the area. Later | | | | Two years later Notre Dame Academy was |
| the name changed to Kankakee. In 1679 Cavalier | | | | founded with ten students to provide citizens with |
| de LaSalle, the celebrated French explorer, visited | | | | higher education. This college continued until 1940 |
| the region and began trade with Native Americans | | | | when the campus was purchased by Olivet |
| along the river. In the year 1830 Francois | | | | Nazarene College. |
| Bourbonnais Sr., an agent for the American Fur | | | | A referendum was held in 1875 to incorporate the |
| Company, arrived in the area to hunt, trap, and | | | | town, which then became known as Bourbonnais |
| trade furs. The town of Bourbonnais Grove was | | | | Village. In May 1875 the first Village Board was |
| named for this pioneer. In 1832 two more fur | | | | elected, with George R. LeTourneau named the |
| traders - Gurdon Hubbard and Noel LeVasseur, | | | | first mayor of the Village. George R. LeTourneau's |
| settled in Bourbonnais Grove. The next year the | | | | original home, located at 698 Stratford Drive E., is |
| United States Congress approved the Treaty of | | | | presently open to the public as a historical |
| Tippecanoe, which established reservations for | | | | museum operated by the Bourbonnais Grove |
| Native Americans living in the area. One section | | | | Historical Society. |