In the late eighteenth century, members of Kentucky colonist James Gillham's family were abducted by Indians.1 The men took their captives to what would later become Illinois. Sometime after Gillham recovered his wife (Ann) and children, the family relocated to the Illinois country and eventually settled in what would become Chouteau Township in Madison County. Gillham decided to move to Illinois because of the impressive prairies, soil, and natural resources he noticed during his search for his family.
This is the basic outline of the Gillham captivity narrative, a foundational story in the Euro-American history of Madison County, Illinois.2 Doubtless there are similar stories that serve as cultural touchstones in other parts of the American West. But how true are they? Does it matter?
Origin stories provide explanations for how groups of people came to be in a particular place. Such tales confer a degree of psychological debt....
