I&M Canal: Replica Canal Boat Rides in La Salle, IL

One of the many reminders of the 19th century ingenuity that led to modern American is the Illinois & Michigan Canal that runs from Chicago to La Salle, IL.

Completed in 1848, the 61-mile canal was created to form a link between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico (connecting Lake Michigan with the Illinois River, which connects to the Mighty Mississippi and, eventually, the Gulf).

Workers came from across the globe to help dig and build the canal. Many towns between Chicago and La Salle (such as my hometown of Morris) owe their very existence to the canal. We will feature a number of these towns here on this blog in the future (we already featured Seneca a few weeks ago), and today we feature the canal's end point in La Salle.

A few years ago, with the help of government funding, a replica canal boat was constructed in La Salle, in conjunction with the Lock 16 visitors center, on which visitors can take a short ride up the canal. The 60-minute ride features narration from a docent in period dress (the entire crew is in costume), as well as the ability to meet Larry and Mo, the two mules responsible for pulling the canal boat.

The Canal Corridor Association hopes to extend the boat rides (pending further funding, I believe), but the short ride is worth it, and perfect for small children. You can event host special events on the boat.

It's a great history lesson, and the docent who hosted our ride provided a great look at the rough-and-tumble experiences of those who worked long days and hours (many died) for very little pay to build the canal.

The canal doesn't look like much today, but it was a huge factor in Chicago becoming a major metropolitan center, and for the growth of much of north Central Illinois.

I feature a few photos from our visit above, and you can view more in the slideshow below:

The Historic Hogan Grain Elevator (Seneca, IL)

Yesterday, I posted about the heroes who worked at Seneca, IL's "Prairie Shipyard" during World War II.

I would be remiss if I didn't post about Seneca's other notable historic site: the Hogan Grain Elevator (see photos to the right).

Built in 1862, this grain elevator, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the last of the old 19th century grain storage structures in Illinois. It sits right on the Illinois & Michigan Canal, and adjacent to the railroad tracks. It's 65-feet tall and could store about 70,000 bushels of grain.

There are the remains of a short railroad track from the grain elevator to an old dump shed. Also photographed above is the old office that sits next to the grain elevator.

The Heroes of Seneca, IL

Seneca, IL, is a small Illinois River town that sits in LaSalle County, IL (with a small portion in Grundy County), between the towns of Morris and Marseilles.

We began attending church at St. Patrick's Parish in Seneca almost four years ago, making the scenic 20 minute drive from Morris each Sunday. During the course of all those drives, I didn't know much about Seneca other than the fact that it once had some sort of popular shipyard and a championship high school basketball team.

That all changed a few weeks ago, when I learned that Seneca played a key role in America's victory effort during World War II.

It turns out that Seneca wasn't just home to some shipyard — it was once home to a massive shipyard that constructed "Landing Ship, Tank" (LST) naval vessels that supported amphibious operations during World War II by transporting vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an enemy shores. These very vessels (how many were constructed in Seneca, I'm not certain) were used to land troops and vehicles on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.

Today, Seneca has a population of about 2,000 people, but during World War II, the town was home to 27,000 people — mostly shipyard workers who worked on constructing these large vessels.

It may seem odd that a town in the middle of the Prairie State was chosen for a wartime shipyard — but apparently the sandstone base under the river bed off Seneca was ideal for construction of the shipyard. The Illinois River is also a major waterway through the Midwest. Head south, and you'll make your way to the Mississippi and, eventually, the Gulf of Mexico. Head north and you'll enter Lake Michigan in Chicago and, eventually, the Atlantic Ocean.

Here is a great article on the history of the "Prairie Shipyard." The first LST was built in Seneca on December 13, 1942, and a total of 157 LSTs were constructed over a three-year period.

The photo above is the memorial, located in Seneca's Crotty Park, to the Prairie Shipyard workers who built the LSTs, and the men and women of the Navy and Coast Guard who sailed them.

Also above is a photograph of the Seneca bridge that crosses the Illinois River, near the spot where LSTs would have been built and launched during World War II.

Following is a photo, courtesy of the National Archives at Chicago Facebook page, that shows a photo of the "Prairie Shipyard" as it looked during its heydey during World War II:

Who is Chief Shabbona?

If you're a regular traveler through Illinois, it's hard not to miss the name, "Shabbona."

DeKalb County is home to Shabbona Lake State Park. LaSalle County is home to Shabbona Park. Morris, Illinois (my hometown) is home to Shabbona Middle School. Heck, even my parents' old office building in Lisle was named "Shabbona Place."

So who, exactly, is or was Shabbona?

Shabbona was the name of a Potawatomi Indian chief who resided in Illinois during the 19th Century. He grew up in the Ottawa tribe, and historians believe he was either born in Ohio, Ontario or in Illinois.

Click here to view a portrait of Shabbona that now hangs in the Grundy County Historic Museum in Morris, IL.

The Ottawa and Potawatomi were very close, and Shabbona was actually the grandnephew of Chief Pontiac, whom we learned about in this post. In fact, Shabbona fought with Pontiac at "Pontiac's Rebellion" and then later fought alongside the famed Chief Tecumseh in the War of 1812.

Despite his participation in Pontiac's Rebellion, and fighting against the British in the War of 1812 — Shabbona later gained notoriety for being a friend of the white settlers. On more than one occasion, he warning the settlers of oncoming Indian attacks.

One of these occasions was during the Black Hawk War, in which Shabbona rode across northern Illinois to warn settlers of the impending attacks. One of these settlers was William Davis, leader of a settlement located in what is now LaSalle County, just north of Ottawa, Illinois. Davis failed to heed Shabbona's warning and he and his fellow settlers were victims of what is now known as the Indian Creek Massacre of May 21, 1832.

Later in life, Shabbona migrated west (probably to Nebraska) with the Potawatomi, but then returned to Illinois. He finally settled in Morris, Illinois where he died and was buried at Evergreen Cemetery, which I visited last week. His grave is marked by a large boulder (see photo above), which sits next to the graves of his wife and children. The cemetery is open from dawn to dusk and visitors are welcome.

Morris, IL is also the ending point of the Chief Shabbona Trail, which was created by the Boy Scouts in 1950 to honor Chief Shabbona. It basically follows the I&M Canal from Joliet to Morris, and is open year round to bikers, hikers and runners.

In the near future, I plan to visit the Indian Creek Massacre memorial that currently stands in Shabbona Park in LaSalle County.