Experience Bureau County Illinois 2021 Visitors Information Guide You’re invited to visit beautiful Bureau County -Come see what we have to offer! FREE PUBLICATON BUREAU COUNTY “Simple Pleasures and Hidden Treasures” Welcome to beautiful Bureau County. When you visit you will find the “Simple Pleasures and Hidden Treasures” that make our county a great place to visit and to live. This guide just barely skims the surface of the many events, small and large, that take place throughout Bureau County each year. Bureau County is located in North Central Illinois. Bureau County is located 100 miles west of Chicago, one hour east of the Quad Cities and one hour north of Peoria. Princeton is an Amtrak community with a depot that services over 30,000 people a year. Eastbound trains go to Chicago’s Union Station daily or you can hop on the California Zephyr to head west. Interstate 80 runs right through the middle of the county, making it easily accessible to visitors. As you travel down Interstate 80 watch for the four huge Flags of Freedom that are located at exit 56 in Princeton which honor our veterans. Bureau County has 869 square miles of fertile farm land, beautiful rural country sides, and many unique villages and towns. We hope you will visit the many communities in Bureau County. Each one has something special to offer, from historical sites to antique shops, recreational areas, festivals, museums and great shopping experiences. Watch our Facebook page for information about our community festivals, Festival 56 Theater performances, 5K races, and much more. This Guide also features each of our area museums, parks and golf courses and information about the 101 colorful Barn Quilts at 88 locations within the the County. If you like quieter activities, a day spent fishing or walking along the Hennepin Canal is ideal. Along its banks you will find areas for camping, fishing, horseback riding, canoeing and bicycling. Bureau County is well known for unique restaurants which specialize in delicious fried chicken and other homestyle specialties. The Chestnut Street Inn in Sheffield is an award winning bed & breakfast that features gourmet Mediterranean cuisine featuring locally grown foods. A relaxing night’s stay there will recharge and refresh. As you plan your visit we hope you will plan an overnight stay in beautiful Bureau County. There is something for everyone in the family to enjoy. You will want to come back again and again to experience all of the “Simple Pleasures and Hidden Treasures” we have to offer. www.bureaucounty-il.com 815-866-3606 Follow us on Photo Credits: Mike Vaughn, Cecile Gerber, Bureau County Republican, Kathy Bauer, and Valerie Jensen Hindsight is 2020 – ain’t that the truth! Just a year ago, so many events and festivals were planned or in the planning stage at the first of the year. The year was going to be filled with concerts, car shows, fireworks, carnivals, garage sales, 5K runs, 100-mile run, boat races, fishing tournaments, tractor pulls and much, much more. And then the coronavirus COVID-19, a pandemic hit. Sadly, we lost family and friends to the virus. Businesses that were not deemed essential had to shutter their doors. Schools were closed and had to quickly come up with a plan on how to teach the students remotely. School sports were cancelled. Restaurants were carry-out only. Some businesses offered curb-side pick-up only. Festivals and events and even weddings were cancelled or put on hold. Non-essential workers had to stay at home, some got to work remotely and unfortunately some lost their jobs completely. It hit hard all aspects of not only our county, but our country and the whole world. We learned a new normal. We learned to flatten the curve, social distancing, masking up, washing hands frequently, and ZOOM meetings. As things start to open up this year due to less exposures and more citizens being vaccinated, we still encourage following the guidelines set by the local health department by still wearing masks and social distancing. We will not let 2020 defeat us, we will come back, it may take time but it will happen. We encourage you to visit our web site (www.bureaucounty-il.com) and Facebook (Bureau County Tourism) page to keep up with the happenings as they open up this year. We invite you to come to Bureau County, but please respect our volunteers, stores and restaurant employees and your fellow tourists. Please mask, social distance and wash your hands frequently. Thank you for your support. Inside Flags of Freedom..............................3 I-80 Barn Lost ..................................23 Historic Bridges .............................4-5 Places to Stay/Camping ................24 Spring Valley Has Much To Offer ....6-7 Barn Quilts of Bureau County ...26-27 Home for the Holidays .....................9 Pictorial of Bureau County ........28-29 Scenic Highways, Trails & River Roads 10-12 Bureau County Museums ..........30-31 Owen Lovejoy .................................13 Bureau County Parks .................32-35 We’re Making a Comeback! ....14-16 What is the Hennepin Canal .....36-37 The Old Danish Church .............17-18 Where is Bureau County? ..........38-39 Witness Tree ....................................19 Soldiers & Sailors Monument ........41 County Map ...............................20-21 Content has been provided by the Bureau County Tourism committee. Every attempt has been made to verify the information provided in this publication but due to the COVID-19 virus events may have been cancelled or rescheduled following publication. To avoid disappointment check the Facebook or web page or call ahead. Bureau County Tourism is not responsible for incorrect, outdated or omitted information. The Bureau County Tourism committee would like to thank our advertisers in the 2021 Tourism Guide. We couldn’t present this guide without them. If you see their advertisement in this guide, please let them know you saw it. Simple Pleasures, Hidden Treasures 1 www.bureaucounty-il.com Experience Bureau CountY This year’s guide does not include the Calendar of Events. Please check the website for 2021 scheduled events. www.bureaucounty-il.com At press time the State of Illinois has not increased the amount of people who can gather at an event. It’s the hope of all of the event organizers that this will happen soon. Please check to be sure an event is still being held before you attend. Exciting Motocross in Bureau County Come Have A Great Time! Track events can be found at www.facebook.com/Sunset-Ridge-MX Follow us on instagram for updates 24558 1100 East St., Walnut, Illinois (815) 379-9534 SM-PR1868947 Simple Pleasures, Hidden Treasures 2 www.bureaucounty-il.com FlagsFlag photographed of at a Fall ConcertFreedom on Main The Flags of Freedom Memorial was flags remain flying. The weather is very completed on Sept 10, 2005. Four flagpoles harsh on the flags. They try to lower them are located at the intersection of exit or take them down completely when there 56 from Interstate 80 and Rt. 26 at the is inclement weather to prevent them north edge of Princeton. The flagpoles from getting torn. The flags are expensive are positioned on each corner of the intersection. The “Flags of Freedom” stand in tribute to the men and women who have served, are currently serving or will serve our country in the future. They are a reminder to future generations of the sacrifices made to keep our Nation free and secure. costing $1500.00 each and 12 to 15 are needed each year. The current committee Each flag weighs 100 pounds and measures consists of approximately 15 members 30’ X 60’ feet (1800 square feet) and are who are diligently trying to get donations hung on 135-foot tall poles. A standard to “keep the flags flying”. They have flag is 3 x 5 feet so you can see why these purchased a sewing machine and do their four magnificent lighted flags capture the own repairs as the flags get tattered. They attention of travelers on Interstate 80. are rotated approximately every six weeks to be repaired. Repaired flags that are too The “Flags of Freedom” committee, a non- short to be used are sold as “repurposed” profit organization, was re-established in to anyone wishing to use them in parades July of 2016 in order to financially support or special events. To donate to the fund – the four large flags. The committee is see their Facebook page “Flags of Freedom working to raise funds to ensure that these I-80”. Simple Pleasures, Hidden Treasures 3 www.bureaucounty-il.com Historic Bridges of Bureau County Captain Swift Bridge Location: West of Princeton (Directions) From North Main St. in Princeton, turn west on Backbone Road at (Beck’s Gas Station) to Epperson Road and turn left. Go 1 mile and road will fork. Take the right fork and the Bridge will be around the curve. You can also take W. Railroad Ave in Princeton to Epperson Road and turn left. When the 90-year-old, steel bridge over Big Bureau Creek in Princeton Township needed replacement, the Township envisioned a timber covered bridge that would complement the picturesque rural landscape of the area. An innovative design from Willett, Hofmann & Associates, Inc. made the bridge economical by requiring the minimum amount of wood possible. Built entirely out of wood using 1800’s concepts, the Captain Swift Timber Covered Bridge offers two traffic lanes, a 16’-3” vertical clearance, a 28-foot minimum roadway width, and bragging rights as the only two-lane, all-timber covered bridge in Illinois. The bridge was completed in 2006. Though it has the look and feel of a 19th century covered bridge, the Captain Swift Bridge was designed to 21st century safety and traffic standards through a unique meld of modern materials, historical accuracy, and innovative design.