The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-02-22
STARVED ROCK.


The sale of the famous Starved
Rock, on the Illinois river eight miles
west OF Ottawa, to wealthy Chicago
company, as announced in our issue of
Sunday, is an event OF more than or
binary local interest, the announce
ment Of the sale being coupled with
another, that the object OF the pur.
chase is to make the Rock and its en-.
virons first class health and summer
resort. 1t has been the latter already
on small scale, for number of years,
thousands of visitors every summer
being attracted to it by the beauties
of the spot and its surroundings, as
well as by its interesting historical as
ISOLATION.
If the place in its crude state
has such attractions, what may not
be expected of it when art and wealth
are laviShed on its adOrnment? The
rock itself is no idle curiosity. Ris-
ing sheer 1876 feet from the plain, an
oval shaped prominence with perpen-
dicular SIDES, the top, about half an
acre in extent, accessible by rude
stairway, covered with a beautiful
spontaneous growth of elms, cedars,
arbor vitas, etc, spot of beauty and
a Joy forever in itself, affords one of
the most magnificent prospects eye
can rest on.
Then its surroundings, embraced in
the 100 acres covered by the purchase,
include mine of landscape beauties.
The surface broken and variegated
with grottos, ravines, purling springs
and babbling brookletS, covered with
such Il spontaneous growth of trees
and Shrubbery as no art can initiate,
the capabilities Of the locality seem
indeed endless. Talk of Lincoln Park.
Here is a park laid out and SO adorned
by nature as to need few, indeed, of
the fairy touches of art to place it far
in advance of what patient toll can
create on the sandy level of the lake
shore.
But in the immediate vicinity are
other attractions even greater than
the Rock itself. A roadway that can
be built at a trtling expense of less
than a mile will lead the pleasure
seekers, comfortably domiciled at the
Rock Hotel, to the famous CANYONS
which are said to excel the noted
Watkins Glen in New York in their
wild and picturesque beauty, and
thence by an easy boat ride up or
down the river, other wonderful gor-
ges and magnificent scenery pass be-
fore the entranced beholdcr like Il
weired colossal panorama.
The company is said to start with a
capital of 100000. OF this $4,000
will be put into hotel, and the rest
expended in identifying the grounds
and improving road ways to render
them of easy access. But the pur-
chase also includes an option on 300
acres more, and should the success Of
the first years venture give favor
able promises for the future, no doubt
the whole 400 acres will ultimately be
included in the magnificent Starved
Rock Sanitarium and Park.
AS an encouragement to the under
taking the Rock Island Railway com
pany make the most liberal promises
of extending aid by way of special
trains and low fares to visitors to the
Rock. The Illinois Central and even
the c. :B. &. q. will no doubt find it
to their interest to do the same. OF
necessary to extend her electric rail
way to a point near the Rock; and
Utica will have to do something of the
same kind. Oh, there will be ways t.