7-22-24 Utica and LaSalle, IL

 The big money and commerce guys in our new country just had to find a water route so they could transport goods and people.  The farther the better, hopefully across the continent but not just yet.  Well, there was a problem at the south end of Lake Michigan.  They wanted to connect Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River.  The Illinois River was close but not close enough.  So they used slave labor (Irish immigrants) to dig a canal with picks and shovels to create the I & M Canal.  That is the Illinois and Michigan Canal and it connected Lake Michigan to the Illinois River and thus the Mississippi all the way to New Orleans. 

The I & M Canal connected
the south end of Lake
Michigan to the
Illinois River and thus,
basically, Europe to
New Orleans!

Goods and people were transported on boats pulled through the canal by mules who walked along the shoreline, pulling the boats with ropes.  That’s where we come in.  The Volunteer canal boat, pulled by Mo the Mule, transported us up and down the I & M Canal as the guides explained the history of the 1800s events.  Ryan walked along side of Mo.  Ryan is called a muleteer, a guy who drives mule teams.  The slang for that is, “mule skinner,” and don’t ask me why because I don’t know.

Ryan the mule tender and
Mo pull our canal boat.
(I know it doesn't look much
like a river.  Algae and scum.)

Canal boat Volunteer (replica)

Captain Nicholas

Ryan the. "mule skinner," and Mo
pull our boat.

Mule skinner Ryan

Mo and his babysitter and the
fellow at the tiller of our boat

Locks from the 1800s used 
by the packet boats

 

Aren’t we supposed to be heading west toward home?  What in the world are we doing in Utica, Illinois?  That’s a good question and I have the answer!  I have no idea where I learned of this but it has been on my bucket list for years:  The Middle East Conflicts War Memorial in Marseilles, IL.  In past years, we visited the war memorials in WA D.C.;  Korea, WWI, WWII, Viet Nam and gave thanks and paid our respects to the brave there but we had not done the same for those who gave all in the Middle East.  There was no monument for them.  I finally found this one.  Some of the dates of death go back to 1967.  There are 21 year old patriots’ names etched on the wall who died in the 1980s in the conflict in Beirut.  Many were victims of IEDs.  There are nearly 8,000 names on the panels.  The backdrop of the monument is the white waters of the Illinois River, a peaceful place of rest where you can sit on a park bench to take a moment.  By the way, this memorial was established in 2004 by a large group of motorcyclists as a finger to the war protestors in Chicago.  They organized what was named The Freedom Run Organization to fund the project.  On their first ride, they expected 3-400 cyclists to show up.  Surprise… 15,000!  The memorial was built 100% by volunteers and private donations.  Originally, there were 5 panels and today there are 15.  It is a beautiful, moving and stately monument.

A quiet moment for Rob

Middle East Conflicts War Memorial
in Marseilles, IL

For those of you who may
have an interest, you can
hover over this code with you
phone and a website will
help you find a name etched
on one of the panels.

 

We are parked at Starved Rock Family Campground.  Everywhere we see this:  Starved Rock grocery, Starved Rock hospital, Starved Rock car repair, Starved Rock Lodge, Starved Rock Hotel. So we paid a visit to the Visitor Center at… you guessed it… Starved Rock State Park.  Frontier legend has it that an Illinois warrior murdered Chief Pontiac of the Odawa tribe.  The Odawa retaliated, attacked the Illinois, chased them and forced them into retreat. 

Starved Rock from the other
side of the Illinois River.
Covered by a lot of trees and
shrubs a century later... 

The Illinois warriors found safety atop the monstrous rock, however, they were captive there until finally, they died of starvation.  There is no evidence that provides truth to this story, nevertheless, Starved Rock retains its name to this day.  The Starved Rock State Park and the surrounding area are a huge recreational attraction for Illinois residents.  There are dozens of hiking and biking trails, hotels, a big lodge with a wonderful restaurant (that serves walleye and fine wine), a variety of shops and great opportunities to watch water birds and eagles on their own island sanctuary.  Starved Rock is truly an unknown diamond in the rough for us. 

That's a BIG fireplace in the lodge!

The beautiful Starved Rock Lodge

 

Today is another day on the back roads through tiny towns like Princeville, Monica, Laura and Biggsville.  Some of the little country roads are in horrid shape;  irregular pavement, potholes and cracks galore.  Looks like the road crew guys didn’t go to Paving College, or maybe they called in sick on smoothing day.  Other roads were perfectly beautiful and, as Rob would say it, were paved by Road Scholars.  We’re settled in and it’s time to go have a look at the rest of the park.

And if you ever find 
yourself in LaSalle, IL,
you might want to stop
into the HAZE Smokehouse
for a quick bloody mary!