Shane Wagner, of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Tom Smith, president of the Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail Coalition, are pictured with a recently installed informational sign along the KC Trail. This sign tells the story of Fort Gage Village which included the area around the Pierre Menard home below Fort Kaskaskia in Randolph County. The sign was installed in time for Randolph County’s America 250th Celebration which was held at Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site on Saturday, June 20. The Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site preserves the earthwork remains of an 18th century French fort and commemorates the vanished French settlement of Kaskaskia, a key hub for trade and a site of American Revolutionary War significance. Located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the site features the fort’s 1754 earthworks, Garrison Hill Cemetery for early settlers, a scenic overlook, picnic areas and a campground, with a path leading to the nearby Pierre Menard Home. It’s also a stop on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, as the expedition recruited members there in 1803.