ILLINOIS RIVER ROAD Route of the Voyageurs CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT PLAN - FEBRUARY 2005 Prepared for Illinois River Road: Route of the Voyageurs Steering Committee and Corridor Communities Prepared by Susan Peitzmeier Romano, Western Illinois University & FERMATA, Inc. Mary Jeanne Packer, FERMATA, Inc. Carol Thailing, FERMATA, Inc. Bill Fontenot, FERMATA, Inc. Mike Wiant, Dickson Mounds Museum Julie Barr, Dickson Mounds Museum Vickie Clark, Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Dane’ Johnson, Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Acknowledgements The Illinois River Road: Route of the Voyageurs Corridor Management Plan was prepared through the enthusi- astic efforts of the people and com- munities of the Illinois River valley. Outstanding support was provided by Illinois Department of Transportation, Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, and North Central Illinois Council of Governments. Cover photo credits Clockwise from upper left: sunset, Bob Martin; Illinois River Cruiser, Ted Lee Eubanks/FERMATA, Inc,; Bald Eagle, Wildlife Prairie State Park; LaSalle Canyon, Illinois Department of Natural Resources; clay pot, Dickson Mounds Museum. Monarch/Jim Miller Illinois River Road: Route of the Voyageurs Corridor Management Plan TAB LE OF Contents CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 • Illinois River Road: Route of the Voyageurs Vision Statement 2 • Illinois River Road: Route of the Voyageurs Mission and Objectives 3 • Description of the Route 3 • Land Uses 5 CHAPTER TWO: SIGNIFICANCE 8 • Summary of Intrinsic Qualities and Their Context 9 • Demonstrating Signifi cance 10 • Connections with Other Illinois Scenic Byways 11 • Strategy for Maintaining and Enhancing Intrinsic Qualities 12 CHAPTER THREE: INTRINSIC QUALITY - NATURE 13 • Illinois River Country Nature Trail 14 • Fifteen Points of Interest 24 • Legacy of Resource Conservation and Restoration 31 CHAPTER FOUR: INTRINSIC QUALITIES - HISTORY & ARCHEOLOGY 33 CHAPTER FIVE: INTRINSIC QUALITY - CULTURE 42 CHAPTER SIX: INTRINSIC QUALITY - RECREATION 49 CHAPTER SEVEN: INTRINSIC QUALITY - SCENIC 52 CHAPTER EIGHT: ACTION PLAN 56 CHAPTER NINE: COMMITMENT & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 66 APPENDIX A: SCENIC BYWAY COUNTY MAPS AND ROUTE DESCRIPTIONS APPENDIX B: ILLINOIS RIVER COUNTRY NATURE TRAIL LOOPS AND SITE DESCRIPTIONS APPENDIX C: CULTURAL EVENTS APPENDIX D: COMMUNITY PLANNING APPENDIX E: COMMUNITY RESOLUTIONS APPENDIX F: SCENIC BYWAY DEFINITIONS Illinois River Road: Route of the Voyageurs Corridor Management Plan Steering Committee Members and Areas of Responsibility These representatives of agencies, groups, and individuals assisted with the preparation of this Corridor Management Plan and are committed to guiding the on-going imple- mentation of the CMP. Vickie Clark Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chair and Management Hala Ahmed Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, Regional Development Nora Ballerine North Central Illinois Council of Governments, Regional Development Tammy Barry Starved Rock State Park Lodge & Conference Center, Northern Gateway and Illinois & Michigan Canal Connectivity Dane’ Johnson Peoria Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Communication and Coordination Terry Kohlbuss Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, Regional Development Brad McMillan Office of Congressman Ray LaHood, Congressional Liaison Marc Miller Liaison to the Illinois River Coordinating Council and the Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn Michael Reuter The Nature Conservancy, Protection and Restoration of Natural Areas Kim St. John USDA-NRCS Prairie Rivers RC&D, Regional Development Terry Svob City of Havana, Economic Development Jon Oliphant North Central Illinois Council of Governments, Regional Development Michael Wiant Dickson Mounds Museum, Archeological and Historical Resources Diane Banta National Park Service Rivers and Trails Program (Midwest), Natural Areas and Trail Development Reed Wilson Office of Congressman Jerry Weller, Congressional Liaison Illinois River Road: Route of the Voyageurs Corridor Management Plan CHAPTER ONE: Introduction LaSalle Canyon, Starved Rock State Park/Illinois Department of Natural Resources 1 Illinois River Road: barge crews pushing grain, fishermen, plea- sure boaters, wildlife-watchers... all have Route of the Voyageurs known the Illinois. Vision Statement The Illinois is an ever-changing “River of Clay pot/Dickson Mounds Museum Life” that has and always will unite travel- Day breaks in the Illinois River Valley ers from migrating birds to humans seeking some 2000 years ago. As an early morning a connectedness to earth’s pleasures. The mist lifts from the flood plain a prehistoric Illinois River Country is a natural path to woman witnesses something she has never discovery... seen before – a bird unlike any other – a bird with a peculiar spoon-shaped beak. A Roseate Spoonbill. The two pause to About Our Scenic Byway Name consider one another before the bird takes The Illinois River Road: Route of the flight and she is so moved by this sacred Voyageurs is an established roadway encounter that while making a small pot- along both sides of the Illinois River. tery jar, she incises the bird’s image into the Currently much of this route is signed by soft wall of clay. the Illinois Department of Transportation under authority of the state legislature: Time passes, as an ebb and flow of many “Appropriate plaques may be erected by Native peoples are drawn to the Illinois – the Department of Transportation and her water, wildlife and unlimited mysteries. local agencies in their respective juris- They live and die along her banks and leave dictions along the “Illinois River Road monuments for us to remember them by. – Route of the Voyageurs” between the Soon others from lands beyond the hori- City of Joliet and the City of Grafton in recognition of the designation.” (Source: zon appear on the landscape to ply Illinois P.A. 79-820, as amended by P.A. 89- waters. They are overwhelmed by what they 0229). This Corridor Management behold and write in their journals: Plan is for the section of the River from Ottawa to Havana, Illinois, a route stra- “We have seen nothing like this river that we tegically entwined by a focus on nature enter...” – Pere Jacques Marquette, 1673. and already established loops of over 100 experiential sites for a visitor’s This ancient course – the Illinois – was delight. The goal of the Byway Steering born through the violent forces of glacial Committee is to work with communities melt-waters that cascaded down the Illinois to the north and south of the current River Valley over 15,000 years ago. Flood termini to someday extend the route the waters, at times one hundred feet deep entire way from Joliet to Grafton. pushed earth and boulders here and there creating the bluffs and wetlands that future creatures would roam and draw life from. Since that time countless generations and cultures of people have traveled her course becoming intimately acquainted with her beauty, power and resources. Runaway slaves, bootleggers, river boat captains, “Illinois River Road” highway sign/Mary Jeanne Packer, FERMATA, Inc. 2 Illinois River Road: Route of the Voyageurs Corridor Management Plan Illinois River Road: amenities, and other attractions along the Byway. Route of the Voyageurs Objective 5: To connect visitors and resi- Mission and Objectives dents to the Byway’s intrinsic qualities and help them to learn about, and explore, Queen Anne’s Lace/Bill Fontenot, Mission the nature, history, and archaeology of FERMATA, Inc. The mission of the Illinois River Road: the region through consistent symbolic Route of the Voyageurs is to provide a wayfinding and directional signage, edu- museum without walls that will enhance peo- cational programs, interpretative messages, ple’s experience of the nature, history and and marketing initiatives including printed archaeology, and other intrinsic qualities of maps and itineraries, and a website with a the byway, while providing and maintain- clickable image map and itinerary planning ing unique recreational and educational capabilities. experiences for visitors and residents, and sustaining local communities’ economies and quality of life. Description of the Route Objectives The Illinois River Road: Route of the Objective 1: To protect and enhance the Voyageurs unifies and connects a num- rich natural, historic, and archaeological ber of different geological regions, natural resources intrinsic to the Byway through areas, plant communities, and wildlife habi- appropriate infrastructure development and tats unique to the Illinois River Valley. The interpretation for enjoyment by Byway visi- Byway is a series of roadways paralleling the tors and others now and in the future. Illinois River on both sides of the river (and highway bridges crossing the river) in cen- Objective 2: To help visitors to the Byway tral Illinois. See detailed driving directions experience the historic connection between for the east and west routes in Appendix A. the Byway and the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor including Towns and municipalities along the west the link provided by the Canal Corridor to route of the Byway are: the Great Lakes; and to develop partner- Ottawa ships with the Canal Corridor Association Naplate and others for creating these connections. Utica La Salle Objective 3: To partner with other Illinois Peru byway organizations including Meeting of Spring Valley the Great Rivers Scenic Route, The Great Depue River Road, and the Lincoln Highway for Bureau