Starved Rock State Park…A Hike Down Memory Lane
Recently I took a trip to Starved Rock State Park in Oglesby, Illinois. I met up with a hiking group of about twenty-five people in the parking lot, and as we introduced ourselves, I could not help but reminisce about my youth.
I became familiar with Starved Rock when as a child of about six, I attended nearby Camp Illini. Every year, the staff would load us up on seven or eight yellow school buses that had terrible suspension systems and we would head out on the gravel road flanked by rows of corn on the right side and the raging river on the left. We sang camp songs that I don’t remember, happy to go out for a day of hiking. I guess I have been an outdoor person ever since. I loved those bumpy bus rides because they gave me a chance to laugh and tease some of the other kids on the bus. Those were some great memories.
Starved Rock State Park is located less than an hour and a half from Chicago along the Illinois River. About two million people a year visit the park. It is a place where people come to picnic, and fish for Channel Catfish, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, and Walleye. Some people like to hike the narrow trails amid breathtaking waterfalls. They have a lodge, a campground, and a visitors center also.
We started down the trailhead, and I deliberately took up the rear because I wanted to get some footage for my YouTube video. Almost immediately a lady up ahead spotted a big bird in the trees, possibly an eagle.
The story of Starved Rock goes back to the 1500s when it was home to about 8,000 Native Americans.
According to history, in 1673, French explorers Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette passed through on the Illinois river from Mississippi. Two years later Marquette returned to found a Christian mission.
Later when the French claimed the region, they built Fort St. Louis atop Starved Rock in the winter of 1682. War parties from the Iroquois attacked, and the French abandoned the fort by the early 1700s.
Starved Rock Park derives its name from a Native American legend. Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa tribe, was slain by an Illinois brave while attending a tribal council in Southern Illinois. According to the legend, during one of the battles that ensued to avenge his killing, a group of Illinois, under attack by a band of Potawatomi, who were allies of the Ottawa, took refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the Illinois died of starvation, giving rise to the name “Starved Rock.” The area around The Rock was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. The park region has been the subject of several archeological studies concerning both native and European settlements, and various other archeological sites associated with the park were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starved_Rock_State_Park)
This is based on oral history, so there is no historical evidence that the siege happened.
We continued our hike on some pretty interesting trails that led up to some challenging stairways and back down into the forest.
Soon, we arrived at Lasalle Canyon which featured a breathtaking waterfall that fed into a cool running spring.
The group took photos of the waterfall and of each other and then some of us began the arduous trek back to the parking lot. Altogether, I hiked about 10 miles, while some people in the group opted to go on for an even longer hike (yikes!).
I made it back to the car and cooled off with a cold bottle of water from my cooler. I had a great time on this hike and met some new people. I’m looking forward to going hiking with them again.
I put together a list of some exciting activities to do at the park:
5 Things to Do at Starved Rock
- Kayaking- Tours and kayak rentals are available. For more information, click here.
2. Accommodations— There are plenty of options for overnight stay at Starved Rock Lodge which includes cabins and dining options. There are catering and space for weddings and corporate events, and so much more. For more information, click here.
3. Camping — There is a campground that accommodates 129 sites. Click here for more information.
4. Wine Tasting — August Hill Winery and Clarks Run Creek in Utica, Ill. have a wine tasting in a relaxed environment.
5. Waterfalls Watching—Waterfalls are created when rain flows along the Illinois River. You can view the waterfalls in the canyons along the Green Interior Canyon Trails leading to French, Wildcat, LaSalle, Ottawa, Kaskaskia, Aurora, and St. Louis Canyons.
The best time of year to observe the waterfalls is Spring from March to May. Check the Starved Rock Lodge website for current information. Happy hiking! Follow for more articles like this.