The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-01-22

when nucU Ol tHC buHlHlL VI StaTNtu hONh u
, now composed!
, Facing the cast stand the remains OF the pail
sades, within which La Sale ana Tonti entrench
ed themselves as early as the almost forgotten
days of 1852. On a bleak December morning o
that year they cut away the trees that crossed
the rock, built sterehouscs and dwellings out o
their remains, dragged timber up the rugged
pathway and encircled the entire rock with
palsadc, and then and there, from above iht
wooden ramparts Of Fort st. Louis" for SO the,
named it, high and inaccessible as an eaglc'
nest the French flag was flung to the breeze
the cannon fired salutes in honor Of Louis XIV
and the soldiers shouted "pUd Ia roip The
concluding ceremonies Of dedication were Of the
most solemn and religious nature, and Father
Zcnobe, IN concluding, called on the Virgin
Mary to bless it and keep 1t in the true faith and
protect it from the unbelievers Of the Church!
That his prayers were heard needs no further
proof than that the Fort" with all its sur.
roundings, have long been and are now the
property Of SO pious, dcvout and sanity a man
as Col. d. F. Hit. ~
1 But two hundred years have made little or no
alteration in the appearance of Fort st. Louis
or Starved Rock. The same fort.like walls re-
main, but the palisades and ramparts are long
since non est, and all that ever indicated their
existence has disappeared, save a slight ridge
or embankment which may be traced half or
two. thirds around the summit. There are two
or three gulches or holes in the ground pointed
out as the magazines or storehouses where the
French kept their yaluables, trinkets and other
Indian stuff; but this is visionary view" as to
wnat they are or were. from the fact that every
! foot OF the summit of the rock has been turned
over time and again, and holes and bitches dug
by the early settlers and Others in their search
for gold and vauabcs which were said 10 be
buried there.
About midway on the summit stands ar i'm
mensc fat, smooth rock, upon which visitors
lay their spread and partake OF their lunch or
refreshments. But the attractive feature Of this
rock is the great number Of names engraved :;
some very nicely done, and Others displaying an
artistic style, but all reminding us that
Fools Names like their faces,
Are to be seen in public places"
The north or river side OF the rock is the most
interesting us well as the most historic. Here Il
narrow, rugged path leads down and wind-
along the most dangerous places, until, at least a
distance OF twenty feet below the summit, you
find yourself amid projecting lodges, stunted
pines and foliage, and from which point the awe
inspiring grandeur OF the rock is viewed. One
hundred and twenty-five feet beneath you behold
the river surging against the massive rocks, and
then shooting outward gliJes on in all its lowell.
ness through the beautiful valley. Moving for
ward o few steps you gaze down through the
dense underground along the projecting lodges
and catch glimpse Of the unexplored caverns.
Few visitors ever tread this path, and fewer still
are those that possess the courage to penetrate
its windngs.
In his Legend Of Starved Rock" Rev. Vim.
Rounseyille.says OF this particular point, "About
half way down the perpendicular sides Of the
rock, belt OF sbrubbery reached nearly around
it, BY carefully clinging to this person could
pass aronnd the face Of the precipice and'loo
down into the water below" When the remnant
of the Illinois tribe were prisoners here, their
only want water, and, after every means to pro.
cure it had failed, "a brave young chief was
willing to mperil his life for the salvation Of his
tribe, and gradually from rock to rock he made
HiS WY, anu, ISttiHS h'H'oci' ho"H iIuu pi'C
cedar to another, he arrived at point where the
rock jutted out and was bare of shrubs. Taking
firm hold of one that grew above him, it bent
beneath his weight and gently swung him down
the precipice. But he found no place for his
feet as all below him was smooth rock. To pro.
coed further was impossible and he must return,
so giving one spring upward the tree cracked,
broke from Its fastenings, and with shrek Of
despair the brave young warrior fell shapeless
mass upon the rocks, victim Of devotion to his
tribe"
Looking west the scene is charming; indeed, |
the eye OF man seldom rests upon anything
more beautiful, and especially during the season
when nature robes the landscape in her emerald
mantle. No wonder that Parkman, Matson !
and other distinguished visitors wrote so charm
ingly of this region, and were delighted on be- |
holding the broad and beautiful valley, as It !
lay spread out before them like map bounded
in the distance by low walls of the wooded hills
the river meandering In diverse channels among
the islands bordered with lofty trees. then far
away it could be traced Sowing calmly westward
through the vast meadows, ill its glimmering
ribbon was lost in the hazy distance. Then
turning to the east the picture is equally az
beautiful and romantic. A few rods away "The |
Maden's Leap" or "The Lovers Leap, or some.
thing Of that kind, with that "old old storyn Of
love, disappointment and suicide, for, as the
story goes,
"She would not cease to love-
And could not live without him"
Buffalo Rock. with its high promontory walls
and Evolutionary legends, almost as thrilling and
many Of them identical with Starved Rock, and
far away, in the dimly outlined distance, Otta
was church spires are seen to rise heavcnward,
while beyond are seen the high and picturesque
bluffs OF Rutland township.
In the days of Marquette, La Sale and Others
this rock was known AS Fort ST. Louis" ala
Rocher" and Rock Fort" but how II derived It's |