Illinois became the 21st state to join the union exactly two hundred years ago today, on Dec. 3, 1818, 

On the state’s birthday, we turn back the clock a couple hundred years to take a look at the early days of the Illinois frontier. Morning Shift sits down with Ann Keating, professor of history at North Central College, the co-editor of the book Encyclopedia of Chicago and author of Rising Up From Indian Country: The Battle of Fort Dearborn and the Birth of Chicago.

GUEST: Ann Keating, professor of history at North Central College

LEARN MORE: Illinois (History.com)

Happy birthday, Illinois — where the fix was in from the start (Chicago Tribune 12/3/18)