Pere Marquette State Park
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Pere Marquette State Park is an 8,050-acre (32 km²) protected area in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located near Grafton, Illinois, at the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Illinois River. The park is located on Illinois Route 100, which at this location is also part of the Great River Road. The park is operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and is Illinois's largest state park.
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[edit] History of park
The Pere Marquette State Park is named in honor of Father (Pere) Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit priest who was the co-leader, with his comrade Louis Jolliet, of a 1673 voyage of exploration on the Mississippi River. Marquette was the first European to map the mouth of the Illinois River, which he and Joliet used to return from the Mississippi to the Great Lakes.
[edit] What they found
At the mouth of the Illinois River, the explorers found one of the richest and most densely settled regions of North America, fully utilized by Native Americans of the Illini Confederacy. Large catches of fish, shellfish, and waterbirds were yielded from the rivers and adjacent wetlands. On top of the river bluff, fertile windblown loess and topsoil could be used to grow corn, beans, and squash.
During the years since 1673, many changes have taken place to this region. The beds of mussels and other shellfish have dwindled, harmed by over-harvesting and possible disease. Exotic fish, such as the Asian carp, have swum into the rivers and have partly replaced native species such as largemouth bass, bluegill, catfish, and crappie.
One signature Pere Marquette State Park species, the American bald eagle, made a remarkable comeback in the 1990s. Hundreds of eagles that nest in wetland areas to the north congregate in and around the Pere Marquette ares in late winter to catch and eat fish during the cold months.
[edit] Amenities and things to do
The Pere Marquette State Park was founded in 1931 as the Piasa Bluffs State Park, but was soon renamed. The park's heart is a Civilian Conservation Corps-built lodge, raised in the 1930s and expanded in 1985 to contain 72 rooms. A visitor center, with exhibits on local ecology and history, opened in 1997.
The park contains approximately 12 miles (20 km) of marked trails. A 20-mile (32 km) paved bike trail accompanies the Great River Road eastward to Alton, Illinois. Approximately 230 species of birds have been logged in the park, and a horseback riding stable operates during the warmer months. The is a 2,000-acre (8 km²) public hunting area for deer, squirrel, wild turkey, and other target species. There are launching ramps for private boats to enter the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.
