107-538: Starved Rock State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Illinois , characterized by the many canyons within its 2,630 acres (1,064 ha). Located just southeast of the village of Utica , in Deer Park Township , LaSalle County , Illinois , along the south bank of the Illinois River , the park hosts over two million visitors annually, the most for any Illinois state park. A flood from
214-619: A Basketmaker burial. Reference is made to a slightly earlier article on Burnet Cave in The University Museum Bulletin from November 1931. The Dent site in Colorado was the first known association of Clovis points with mammoth bones, as noted by Hannah Marie Wormington in her book Ancient Man in North America (4th ed. 1957). Gary Haynes, in his book The Early Settlement of North America , suggested
321-535: A convex fold in underlying strata . This creates canyons and cliffs when streams cut across the anticline. The sandstone is pure and poorly cemented , making it workable with a pick or shovel. A similar geologic feature is found by near the Rock River between Dixon and Oregon, Illinois within Castle Rock State Park . Clovis points unearthed in the park indicate occupation by people of
428-526: A land lease from the U.S. government , while Mackinac National Park was handed down to become the first of the Michigan state parks . As with national parks, facilities at state parks are often leased to concessionaires to operate. Breaks Interstate Park is operated under an interstate compact by Virginia state parks , although it is also one of the Kentucky state parks , straddling both sides of
535-664: A "Clovis first" model, where Clovis represented the earliest inhabitants in the Americas, today this is largely rejected, with several generally accepted sites across the Americas like Monte Verde II being dated to at least a thousand years earlier than the oldest Clovis sites. The end of the Clovis culture may have been driven by the decline of the megafauna that the Clovis hunted as well as decreasing mobility, resulting in local differentiation of lithic and cultural traditions across North America. Beginning around 12,750–12,600 years BP,
642-445: A "shock absorber" to redistribute stress during impact, though others have suggested that it may have been purely stylistic or used to strengthen the hafting to the spear handle. The points were generally produced from nodules or siliceous cryptocrystalline rocks. Clovis points were thinned using end-thinning ("the removal of blade-like flakes parallel to the long-axis"). They were initially prepared using percussion flaking, with
749-519: A bison herd of at least 22 individuals. At the time of deposition, the site was a steep-sided arroyo (dry watercourse) that formed a dead end, suggesting that hunters trapped the bison herd within the arroyo before killing them. Beginning in the 1950s, Paul S. Martin proposed the "overkill hypothesis", suggesting that the Late Pleistocene megafauna extinctions in North America were driven by human hunting, including by Clovis peoples, with
856-589: A few exceptions such as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California, and Wood-Tikchik State Park in Alaska, the largest state park in the United States . In addition to preserving natural landscapes and providing recreational opportunities, many state parks also serve as important educational resources . They often offer guided tours, interpretive programs, and exhibits that help visitors learn about
963-545: A few miles to the south. With the growth of competitive sites, Walther struggled to keep the complex economically stable. In 1911, he sold the land to the Illinois State Parks Commission for $ 146,000. The Commission was initially headquartered at Starved Rock State Park after the land was acquired. The state initially acquired 898 acres and opened Starved Rock State Park as a public facility in 1912. During its early years, Starved Rock State Park
1070-635: A major renovation added amenities such as a heated swimming pool and a 30-room addition to the hotel. The Lodge and Cabins are operated as the Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center. The Starved Rock Lodge and Cabins were designed by Joseph F. Booton and constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps . The lodge has a central lounge, known as the Great Room, and hotel wings and a dining room wing. On its exterior,
1177-470: A melting glacier, known as the Kankakee Torrent , which took place approximately 14,000–19,000 years ago led to the topography of the site and its exposed rock canyons. Diverse forest plant life exists in the park and the area supports several wild animal species. Of particular interest has been sport fishing species. Before European contact, the area was home to Native Americans , particularly
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#17327831169051284-573: A rare lily in Illinois, was found in the park in 1939. A lady's slipper orchid has also been found in the park, it, like other orchids , is susceptible to invasive plant species , and changes in habitat. The stretch of the Illinois River that travels through the park contains several types of game fish that can be caught by anglers. These species include: catfish , bullhead, white bass , sauger , walleye , carp and crappie . However,
1391-699: A restaurant) for lodging at some parks. These typically use "Resort" in the name, such as "_____ Resort State Park" in West Virginia state parks and "_____ State Resort Park" in neighboring Kentucky state parks , which has 17 such resort parks, the most of any state. Other states use the Resort name inconsistently (like DeGray Lake Resort State Park , the only one out of three resorts in Arkansas state parks ), or have only one such park ( South Carolina state parks ' Hickory Knob State Resort Park ), or do not use
1498-439: A steep ravine, known as Fox Canyon, from the lodge. The cabins are constructed of unhewn logs with random corner notches and sit in heavily wooded areas meant to evoke a "camping in the woods" feeling. The 12 cabins and the lodge cover an area of 17 acres (6.9 ha). Despite the changes through modernization the lodge still retains much of the charm its architect intended. Starved Rock State Park's Lodge and Cabins were listed on
1605-652: Is a lock and dam facility managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along the Illinois River. It is part of the Illinois Waterway and was constructed between 1926 and 1933. The lock and dam was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Starved Rock Lock and Dam Historic District in 2004. The ending scene of the 1989 fantasy drama movie Prancer was filmed inside the park at Devil's Nose, and Park Conservation later fined
1712-522: Is another winter activity allowed in select canyons. Starved Rock Lodge and Cabins were built from 1933 to 1939 by the Depression-Era Civilian Conservation Corps. The lodge and cabins originally cost between $ 200,000 and $ 300,000 to build. Another $ 200,000 was spent on the construction of a 48-room hotel wing after the original construction was completed. Other alterations were completed between 1986 and 1988 when
1819-587: Is disputed, with some authors arguing for a generalist hunter-gatherer lifestyle that also involved the occasional targeting of megafauna. The effectiveness of Clovis tools for hunting proboscideans has been contested by some authors, though others have asserted that Clovis points were likely capable of killing proboscideans, noting that replica Clovis points have been able to penetrate elephant hide in experimental tests, and that groups of hunter-gatherers in Africa have been observed killing elephants using spears . In
1926-488: Is generally agreed that these groups were reliant on hunting big game ( megafauna ), having a particularly strong association with mammoths, and to a lesser extent with mastodon , bison , camel , and horse, but they also consumed smaller animals and plants. The Clovis hunters may have contributed to the Late Pleistocene megafauna extinctions in North America, though this idea has been subject to controversy. Only one human burial has been directly associated with tools from
2033-440: Is generally thought be the result of normal cultural change over time. In South America, the widespread similar Fishtail or Fell point style was contemporaneous to the usage of Clovis points in North America and possibly developed from Clovis points. On August 29, 1927, the first evidence of Pleistocene humans seen by multiple archaeologists in the Americas was discovered near Folsom, New Mexico . At this site, they found
2140-683: The Blackwater Draw in eastern New Mexico. Despite several earlier Paleoindian discoveries, the best documented evidence of the Clovis complex was collected and excavated between 1932 and 1937 near Clovis, New Mexico , by a crew under the direction of Edgar Billings Howard until 1935 and later by John L. Cotter from the Academy of Natural Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. Howard's crew left their excavation in Burnet Cave ,
2247-564: The Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration . Clovis Culture The Clovis culture is an archaeological culture from the Paleoindian period of North America, spanning around 13,050 to 12,750 years Before Present (BP). The type site is Blackwater Draw locality No. 1 near Clovis, New Mexico , where stone tools were found alongside the remains of Columbian mammoths in 1929. Clovis sites have been found across North America. The most distinctive part of
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#17327831169052354-500: The Clovis Culture , which was widespread by about 11,000 BC. Clovis hunters specialized in hunting the large Pleistocene mammals, but a variety of other plants and animals were also exploited. Archeological surveys have located Archaic period (8000 – 2000 BC) settlements along the Illinois River. These prehistoric indigenous peoples thrived by foraging and hunting a variety of wild foods; Havana Hopewell settlers during
2461-488: The Clovis point . Clovis points are bifacial (having flakes removed from both faces) and typically fluted (having an elongate flake removed from the base of the point ) on both sides, with the fluting typically running up a third or a half of the length of the point, distinct from many later Paleoindian traditions where the flute runs up the entire point length. Clovis points are typically parallel-sided to slightly convex, with
2568-736: The East Coast . Accompanying the French to the region were allied members of several native tribes from eastern areas, who integrated with the Kaskaskia: the Miami , Shawnee , and Mahican . The tribes established a new settlement at the base of the butte at a site now known as Hotel Plaza. After La Salle's five year monopoly ended, Governor Joseph-Antoine de La Barre wished to obtain Fort St. Louis along with Fort Frontenac for himself. By orders of
2675-648: The Illinois Confederation (also called Illiniwek or Illini) pursued by the Ottawa and Potawatomi fled to the butte in the late 18th century. In the legend, around 1769 the Ottawa and Potawatomi besieged the butte until all of the Illiniwek had starved, and the butte became known as "Starved Rock". In the late 19th century, parkland around 'Starved Rock' was developed as a vacation resort. The resort
2782-518: The Illinois Confederation , who inhabited the region in the 16th through the 18th centuries. They lived in wigwams made of lightweight material. The natives could easily dismantle these structures when they traveled to hunt bison twice a year. The women gathered tubers from nearby swamps as a secondary source of food. Small bands of aggressive Iroquois settlers arrived in northern Illinois in 1660 in search of new hunting grounds for beaver, stimulating intertribal warfare. The Kaskaskia struggled with
2889-746: The Iroquois temporarily drove the Kaskaskia out of the settlement during the Beaver Wars , as they were trying to expand their hunting territory. With an increase in French settlers in the area, the Kaskaskia returned by 1683. The French were able to provide the Kaskaskia with guns in exchange for other goods, which they used for defense against the powerful Iroquois, already armed by the English. French explorers led by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Henry de Tonty built Fort St. Louis on
2996-594: The Kaskaskia who lived in the Grand Village of the Illinois across the river. Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette were the first Europeans recorded as exploring the region, and by 1683, the French had established Fort St. Louis on the large sandstone butte overlooking the river, they called Le Rocher (the Rock). Later after the French had moved on, according to a local legend, a group of Native Americans of
3103-619: The Mississippi River , between the Fox and Vermilion Rivers . The Vermilion created large sandbars at the junction of the Illinois, preventing practical navigation farther upriver. Rapids were found at the base of the butte before the construction of the Starved Rock Lock and Dam . Starved Rock is known for its outcrops of St. Peter Sandstone . The sandstone, typically buried, is exposed in this area due to an anticline ,
3210-706: The National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1985. The Illinois Bureau of Tourism listed Starved Rock State Park as one of the "Seven Wonders of Illinois" in 2007. 2.1 million people visited the park in 2010. The summit of Starved Rock was the site of archeological excavations in 1947–1949 by archaeologists from the Illinois State Museum and the University of Chicago . The research was continued in 1950 by an archaeologist from State Department of Public Works and Buildings who had joined
3317-643: The Southern Plains , Clovis people created campsites of considerable size, which are often on the periphery of the region near sources of workable stone, from which they are suggested to have seasonally migrated into the plains to hunt megafauna. In the southeast, Clovis peoples created large camps that may have served as "staging areas", which may have been seasonally occupied, where a number of bands may have gathered for social occasions. At Jake Bluff in northern Oklahoma, Clovis points are associated with numerous butchered Bison antiquus bones, which represented
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3424-635: The Woodland period (1000 BC – 1000 AD) built earthwork mounds . They also made pottery and domesticated plants . The growth of agriculture and maize surpluses supported the development of the complex Mississippian culture . Its peoples established permanent settlements in the Mississippi , Illinois , and Ohio river valleys. They harvested maize , beans , and pumpkins , and were noted for their copper ornaments. The first interaction with other tribes occurred during this period: artifacts from
3531-466: The gomphothere Cuvieronius ) bison, equines of the genus Equus , and the extinct camel Camelops . A handful of sites possibly suggest the hunting of caribou/reindeer , peccaries ( Platygonus , Mylohyus ), ground sloths ( Paramylodon ), glyptodonts ( Glyptotherium ), tapirs , and the llama Hemiauchenia . Proboscideans (especially mammoths) are the most common recorded species found in Clovis sites, followed by bison. However,
3638-465: The sandstone cliffs of Starved Rock State Park white pine , Canada yew and northern white cedar are found; these plants are more commonly found further north. On the surfaces of the canyons and cliffs, where it is cooler, other plants are found, examples include: harebell , reindeer lichen , and mountain holly . A non-vascular plant , liverwort , is also found on the sandstone surfaces throughout Starved Rock State Park. The Indian cucumber root ,
3745-479: The 1940s, 1970s and 1990s revealed the presence of humans during several different cultural periods in North American history including, Paleo-Indian , Historic Native American, Archaic and Woodland . It is believed that Hotel Plaza was also the site of a large Native American village that helped support early French explorers in the region during the 17th and 18th centuries. In more modern historic times
3852-597: The 98,000 m Little Beaver Site. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1998, as part of the Archaeological Sites of Starved Rock State Park Multiple Property Submission. Shaky Shelter Site is the location of a prehistoric rock shelter site at the base of the sandstone bluff within the state park's Kaskaskia Canyon. In 1991 subsurface tests of the 183 m shelter site were made and determined that evidence existed only for occupation by Upper Mississippian groups. Shaky Shelter Site
3959-526: The Americas , particularly those from Central and South America, and less related to those from contemporary North America, including northern Mexico, though there is considerable variability in the genetic closeness of Central and South American indigenous peoples to Anzick-1, with older ancient South American remains generally being closer, suggesting that the Native American population had already diverged into multiple genetically distinct groups by
4066-505: The Clovis culture generally not found in subsequent cultures is "caching", where a collection of artifacts (typically stone tools, such as Clovis points or bifaces) were deliberately left at a location, presumably with the intention to return to collect them later, though some authors have interpreted cache deposits as ritual behavior. Over twenty such "caches" have been identified across North America. A few Clovis culture artifacts are suspected to reflect creative expression, such as rock art,
4173-402: The Clovis culture is not exclusively associated with large animals, with several sites showing the exploitation of small game like tortoises and jackrabbits . It is generally agreed that the people who produced the Clovis culture were reliant on big game for a significant portion of their diet (while also consuming smaller animals and plants), though to what degree they were reliant on megafauna
4280-425: The Clovis culture is to a degree ambiguous, the term being "used in a number of ways, referring to an era, to a culture, and most specifically, to a distinctive projectile point type", with disagreement between scholars about distinguishing between Clovis and various other Paleoindian archaeological cultures. A hallmark of the toolkit associated with the Clovis culture is the distinctively shaped lithic point known as
4387-845: The Clovis culture toolkit are Clovis points , which are projectile points with a fluted, lanceolate shape. Clovis points are typically large, sometimes exceeding 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in length. These points were multifunctional, also serving as cutting tools. Other stone tools used by the Clovis culture include knives, scrapers , and bifacial tools, with bone tools including beveled rods and shaft wrenches, with possible ivory points also being identified. Hides, wood, and natural fibers may also have been utilized, though no direct evidence of this has been preserved. Clovis artifacts are often found grouped together in caches where they had been stored for later retrieval, and over 20 Clovis caches have been identified. The Clovis peoples are thought to have been highly mobile groups of hunter-gatherers . It
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4494-629: The Clovis culture was succeeded by more regional cultures, including the Folsom tradition in central North America, the Cumberland point in mid/southern North America, the Suwannee and Simpson points in the southeast, and Gainey points in the Northeast – Great Lakes region. The Clovis and Folsom traditions may have overlapped, perhaps for around 80–400 years. The end of the Clovis culture
4601-641: The Clovis culture: Anzick-1 , a young boy found buried in Montana, who has a close genetic relation to some modern Native American populations, primarily in Central and South America . The Clovis culture represents the earliest widely recognised archaeological culture in North America (though in western North America, it appears to have been contemporaneous with the Western Stemmed Tradition ). While historically, many scholars held to
4708-600: The Grand Village, whose population rapidly expanded in the next several years. Marquette returned to the village in 1675 to set up the Mission of the Immaculate Conception , the first Christian mission in modern-day Illinois. Marquette was joined by fellow Jesuit priest Claude-Jean Allouez in 1677. By 1680, the Grand Village was home to several hundred native cabins and a large population. In 1680
4815-541: The Illinois River. Corbin Farm Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1998, as part of the Archaeological Sites of Starved Rock Multiple Property Submission . Hotel Plaza Site is another archaeological site in the park that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hotel Plaza was listed under the same Multiple Property Submission as Corbin Farm on June 18, 1998. Excavations in
4922-539: The Iroquois, who were armed with guns seized from or traded by Europeans in the eastern United States. In 1673 Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette were the first known Europeans to explore the northern portion of the Mississippi River. On their return, they navigated the Illinois River, which they found to be a convenient route to Lake Michigan . Along the river, they found seventy-three cabins in
5029-524: The Pacific coast) but more common in the very earliest Indigenous Americans. Some authors have suggested that the Clovis culture lasted for a relatively short period of a few centuries, with a 2020 study suggesting a temporal range, based on ten securely radiocarbon-dated Clovis sites, of 13,050 to 12,750 calibrated years BP, ending subsequent to the onset of the Younger Dryas , consistent with
5136-509: The Shaky Shelter Site, are areas used by human inhabitants that occur in rock overhangs that offer a moderate level of protection against the elements. By 1998 14 occupied rock shelter sites had been identified within the state park. At the time of Shaky Shelter's National Register of Historic Places listing it was the only rock shelter in the park determined to have undisturbed prehistoric features of archaeological significance. At
5243-477: The Starved Rock Hotel and a natural pool near the base of Starved Rock, as well as a concession stand and dance hall. The French and Native American heritage of the region also drew visitors to the site. Walthers set up a variety of walkable trails and harbored small boats near the hotel that made trips along the Illinois River. Visitors could also visit Deer Park (modern-day Matthiessen State Park )
5350-688: The U.S. National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1985, as part of the Illinois State Park Lodges and Cabins Thematic Resources Multiple Property Submission . By the National Register's criteria the Lodge and Cabins are considered significant in the areas of architecture and entertainment/recreation. The size of the lodge and the land area the cabins cover are both nearly unrivaled in the Illinois state park system; only Pere Marquette State Park's Lodge and Cabins come close. Starved Rock Lock and Dam, also known as Lock and Dam No. 6,
5457-897: The administration of the government of each U.S. state , some of the Mexican states , and in Brazil . The term is also used in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales . The equivalent term used in Canada, Argentina, South Africa, and Belgium, is provincial park . Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies. State parks are thus similar to national parks , but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly, local government entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g., regional parks or county parks . In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with
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#17327831169055564-607: The base of the point being concave. Although no direct evidence of what was attached to Clovis points has been found, Clovis points are commonly thought to have served as tips for spears /darts likely used as handheld thrusting or throwing weapons, possibly in combination with a spear thrower , for hunting and possibly self-defense. Wear on Clovis points indicates that they were multifunctional objects that also served as cutting and slicing tools, with some authors suggesting that some Clovis-point types were primarily used as knives. Clovis points were at least sometimes resharpened, though
5671-566: The blades typically carried in the mobile toolkit. Bifaces served a variety of roles for Clovis hunter-gatherers, such as cutting tools, preforms for formal tools such as points, and as portable sources of large flakes useful as preforms or tools. Other tools associated with the Clovis culture are adzes (likely used for woodworking), bone "shaft wrenches" (suggested to have been used to straighten wooden shafts), as well as rods, some of which have beveled (diagonally shaped) ends. These rods are made of bone, antlers, and ivory. The function of
5778-458: The complete extermination of the Illiniwek. Apart from oral history, there is no historical evidence that the siege happened. An early written report of the legend was related by Henry Schoolcraft in 1825. In 1919 Edgar Lee Masters , author of Spoon River Anthology , wrote a poem titled "Starved Rock" in which he voiced a dramatic elegy for the Illini tribe whose tragic death thus gave rise to
5885-738: The country's state parks. The NASPD further counts over 43,000 miles (69,000 km) of trail, 217,367 campsites, and 8,277 cabins and lodges across U.S. state parks. The largest state park system in the United States is Alaska State Parks , with over 100 sites encompassing 3.3 million acres. Many states include designations beyond "state park" in their state parks systems. Other designations might be state recreation areas , state beaches, and state nature reserves . Some state park systems include long-distance trails and historic sites . To encourage tourism in rural areas, several states have simple lodges, inns, hotels, or motels (usually with
5992-492: The culture likely originated from the expansion of a single population. In Western North America, the Clovis culture was contemporaneous with and perhaps preceded by the Western Stemmed Tradition , which produced unfluted projectile points, with the Western Stemmed Tradition continuing in the region for several thousand years after the end of Clovis. The end of the Clovis culture may have been driven by
6099-508: The decline of the megafauna that the Clovis hunted, as well as decreasing mobility, resulting in local differentiation of lithic and cultural traditions across North America. This is generally considered to be the result of normal cultural change through time. There is no evidence that the disappearance of the Clovis culture was the result of the onset of the Younger Dryas, or that there was a population decline of Paleoindians following
6206-478: The designation at all (such as the lodges of Georgia state parks ). The term "lodge" may also refer to a hiking lodge , essentially a large cabin for hikers rather than a large facility with private rooms and a restaurant. Other lodging may include yurts and tipis . Not all parks owned by a state are necessarily part of its state-park system, such as Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta. Some Texas state parks are
6313-753: The earliest recognisable archaeological culture in North America, were suggested to represent the earliest inhabitants of the Americas south of the Laurentide Ice Sheet . However, since the beginning of the 21st century, this hypothesis has been abandoned by most researchers, as several widely accepted sites, notably Monte Verde II in Chile (c. 14,500 years BP) as well as Paisley Caves in Oregon (c. 14,200 years BP) and Cooper's Ferry in Idaho (c. 15,800 years BP) are suggested to be considerably older than
6420-733: The east and west of the continent. The area of its origin remains unclear, though the development of fluted Clovis points appears to have occurred in North America south of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and not in Beringia . The Clovis culture may have originated from the Dyuktai lithic style widespread in Beringia. While some authors have suggested that the Clovis culture resulted from diffusion of traditions through an already pre-existing Paleoindian population, others have asserted that
6527-458: The end of the Clovis culture. The Clovis culture was succeeded by various regional point styles, such as the Folsom tradition in central North America, the Cumberland point in mid/southern North America, the Suwannee and Simpson points in the southeast, and the Gainey points in the northeast-Great Lakes region. The Clovis and Folsom traditions may have overlapped, perhaps for around 80–400 years. A number of authors have suggested that
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#17327831169056634-402: The far western side of the park. From December through February bald eagles can be viewed at the park, either fishing below the Starved Rock Dam , where turbulent waters stay unfrozen during the cold winter months or roosting on the Leopold or Plum Island . The Starved Rock State Park Visitor Center loans out binoculars to aspiring birders in exchange for the birder's driver's license. During
6741-402: The first in situ Folsom point with the bones of the extinct bison species Bison antiquus . This confirmation of a human presence in the Americas during the Pleistocene inspired many people to start looking for evidence of early humans. In 1929, 19-year-old Ridgely Whiteman, who had been closely following the excavations in nearby Folsom in the newspapers, discovered the Clovis site near
6848-424: The first professionally excavated Clovis site, in August 1932, and visited Whiteman and his Blackwater Draw site. By November, Howard was back at Blackwater Draw to investigate additional finds from a construction project. The American Journal of Archaeology , in its January–March 1932 edition, mentions Howard's work in Burnet Cave, including the discovery of extinct fauna and a "Folsom type" point 4 ft below
6955-405: The fort are found at the site today. The region was periodically occupied by a variety of native tribes who were forced westward by the expansion of European settlements and the Beaver Wars . These included the Potawatomi and others. There are various local legends about how Starved Rock got its name. The most popular is a tale of revenge for the assassination of Ottawa leader Pontiac , who
7062-451: The fort in 1691. De Tonty reorganized the settlers and constructed Fort Pimiteoui in modern-day Peoria . French troops commanded by Pierre Deliette may have occupied Fort St. Louis from 1714 to 1718; Deliette's jurisdiction over the region ended when the territory was transferred from Canada to Louisiana . Fur trappers and traders used the fort periodically in the early 18th century until it became too dilapidated. No surface remains of
7169-403: The governor, traders and his officers were escorted to Illinois. On August 11, 1683, Prudhomme obtained approximately one and three quarters of a mile of the north portage shore. During the French and Indian Wars , the French used the fort as a refuge against attacks by the Iroquois, who were allied with the British. The Iroquois forced the settlers, then commanded by Henri de Tonty , to abandon
7276-469: The hunting and extinction of large herbivores having a knock-on effect causing the extinction of large carnivores. This suggestion has been the subject of controversy. The timing of megafauna extinction in North America also coincides with major climatic changes, making it difficult to disentangle the effects of various factors. In a 2012 survey of archaeologists in The SAA Archaeological Record , 63% of respondents said that megafauna extinctions were likely
7383-437: The idea that they were continually resharpened "long-life" tools has been questioned. The shape and size of Clovis points varies significantly over space and time; the largest points exceed 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in length. The points required considerable effort to make and often broke during knapping, particularly during fluting. The fluting may have served to make the finished points more durable during use by acting as
7490-447: The large butte by the river in the winter of 1682. Called Le Rocher , the butte provided an advantageous position for the fort above the Illinois River. A wooden palisade was the only form of defense that La Salle used in securing the site. Inside the fort were a few wooden houses and native shelters. The French intended St. Louis to be the first of several forts to defend against English incursions and keep their settlements confined to
7597-422: The local flora , fauna , geology , and cultural history of the area. These programs are designed not only to enhance the visitor experience but also to promote conservation awareness and encourage responsible enjoyment of natural resources. There are 6,792 state park units in the United States, according to the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD). There are some 813 million annual visits to
7704-414: The lodge is primarily constructed of stone, unhewed logs, clapboard and wood shingles . Booton's design intended to impress upon visitors the idea of a "woodsy retreat." This is seen in the way he designed round log purlins whose unevenly hewn ends extend beyond the lodge's eaves. Surrounding the lodge are 12 cabins. Two large cabins are sited just west of the lodge while the other ten are situated across
7811-405: The major regional chiefdom and urban complex of Cahokia , at present-day Collinsville, Illinois , have been recovered at Illinois River sites. The earliest group of inhabitants recorded by the colonial French in the region were the historical Kaskaskia , whose large settlement on the north side of the Illinois River was known as the Grand Village of the Illinois . The Kaskaskia were members of
7918-417: The manufacture of a biface are struck from prepared edges of a piece and travel from one edge across the face", with limited removal of the opposite edge. Whether or not the overshot flaking was intentional on the part of the stoneknapper has been contested, with other authors suggesting that overface flaking (where flakes that travel past the midline but terminate before reaching the opposite end are removed)
8025-569: The most extensively used park in the system. Franklin D. Roosevelt 's New Deal legislation in the 1930s called for the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to provide jobs for young men. The focus of this group was to preserve natural areas in the rural United States. CCC Camp 614 was deployed to Starved Rock State Park from the Jefferson Barracks Military Post in Missouri . Unlike most CCC groups in
8132-508: The movie company $ 1,800 for chopping down a 125-year-old tree. Due to the incident, no further motion picture production has been allowed in the park. State park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under
8239-501: The name of the dramatic butte overlooking the Illinois River . (Macmillan Company, N.Y., 1919.) Daniel Hitt purchased the land that is today occupied by Starved Rock State Park from the United States Government in 1835 for $ 85 as compensation for his tenure in the U.S. Army . He sold the land in 1890 to Ferdinand Walther for $ 15,000. Recognizing the potential for developing the land as a resort, Walther constructed
8346-537: The nation, Camp 614 included African Americans . The group, composed of roughly 200 men, constructed trails, shelters, and benches throughout the park. In 1933, the group was joined by Camp 1609 from Fort Sheridan via Readstown , Wisconsin . Camp 1609 constructed the Starved Rock Lodge, several surrounding log cabins , and a large parking lot . The lodge was particularly noted for its elegant fireplaces, constructed from limestone imported from Joliet. Men from camps 614 and 1609 lay more than 25 miles of trails. Camp 614
8453-400: The oldest Clovis sites. Historically, it was suggested that the ancestors of the people who produced the Clovis culture migrated into North America along the " ice-free corridor ", but many later scholars have suggested that a migration along the Pacific coast is more likely. The Clovis culture is known from localities across North America, from southern Canada to northern Mexico and across
8560-619: The park was 112 °F (44 °C) in 1936, and the record low was −25 °F (−32 °C) in 1985. January is the coldest month at the park, July is the warmest, and June is the wettest. Starved Rock State Park averages 35.7 inches (910 mm) of precipitation . There are over 13 miles (21 km) of hiking trails in Starved Rock State Park. The trail system received the National Recreation Trail designation in 1981. There are 18 deep canyons in
8667-415: The park were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. A catastrophic flood known as the Kankakee Torrent , which took place somewhere between 14,000 and 17,000 years ago, before humans occupied the area, helped create the park's signature geology and features, which are very unusual for the central plains . The park is on the south bank of the Illinois River , a major tributary of
8774-538: The park. Chester Weger was convicted of the murders and became Illinois longest-serving inmate. The murders were the subject of docuseries on HBO Max . The butte has eroded 18 to 48 inches (46 to 122 cm) due to foot traffic since the park was developed. To curb this, the Illinois Young Adult Conservation Corps installed a platform and staircase on the landmark in 1981. The CCC-era Starved Rock Lodge and Cabins were added to
8881-402: The park. Open-air occupation sites are archaeological sites that occur within open areas, such as floodplains or uplands. There are 21 open-air occupation sites within Starved Rock State Park, as of 1998 four of those had been subject to subsurface examination . Those sites include: Hotel Plaza Site, Starved Rock Site, Simonson Site, and Devil's Nose Site. Rock shelters, such as the one found at
8988-617: The park. Today, the site is part of a picnic area. Field investigations were done in 1992 and 1994 and pottery analysis determined that the site was primarily settled during the Late Woodland Period , during the second half of the First Millennium . The site, also known as the Salt Well Site, was the location of a farmstead from c. 1870–1940. Corbin Farm Site covers nearly 69,000 m and is located 10 m south of
9095-477: The park; French, LaSalle, Ottawa and St. Louis Canyons feature the more long-lasting waterfalls at Starved Rock. A trail along the river offers scenic views from attractions such as Lover's Leap Overlook, Eagle Cliff Overlook and Beehive Overlook. Camping , boating and fishing are among the other activities offered in the park. There are 133 campsites at Starved Rock State Park, of which 100 can be reserved. There are also horseback riding trails at Starved Rock on
9202-501: The point being finished using pressure flaking . Clovis blades —long flakes removed from specially prepared conical or wedge-shaped cores—are part of the global Upper Paleolithic blade tradition. Clovis blades are twice as long as they are wide and were used and modified to create a variety of tools, including endscrapers (used to scrape hides), serrated tools, and gravers. Unlike bifaces, Clovis blade cores do not appear to have been regularly transported over long distances, with only
9309-403: The project the year before. Archaeologists from the University of Illinois Chicago restarted testing at the site for a season in 1974, and later an archaeologist from Illinois State University continued testing. The 1947–1950 excavations provided the "greater part of the knowledge of the archaeology of Starved Rock". The Corbin Farm Site is a site of archaeological significance located within
9416-468: The recent appearance of the invasive silver carp or Asian carp has greatly affected native fish populations and has likely spurred their decline. No official studies have been undertaken yet to confirm this, but local anglers have reported large catches of silver carp absent any native species. Northern Illinois has a humid continental climate , featuring mild summers and cold winters capable of producing snow storms. The highest recorded temperature at
9523-453: The result of a "combination of factors". The only known Clovis burial is that of Anzick-1 , an infant boy who was found near Wilsall, Montana , in 1968. The body was associated with over 100 stone and bone artifacts, all of which were stained with red ocher, and it dates to approximately 12,990–12,840 years BP. Sequencing of his genome demonstrates that he belonged to a population that is ancestral to many contemporary Indigenous peoples of
9630-402: The results obtained in a 2007 study by the same authors. Other authors have argued that some sites extend the range of the Clovis culture back to 13,500 years BP, though the dating for these earlier sites is not secure. Some scholars have supported a long chronology for Clovis of around 1,500 years. Historically, many authors argued for a "Clovis first" paradigm, where Clovis, which represents
9737-633: The rods is unknown and has been subject to numerous hypotheses. Rods that were beveled on both ends are most often interpreted as foreshafts to which stone points were hafted, with a pair of rods surrounding each side of the point (or alternatively, the point being surrounded by a single beveled rod and the end of the wooden shaft, ) while rods that are beveled on only one end, with the other being pointed, are most often interpreted as projectile points. The rods may have served other purposes, such as prybars. Clovis people are also known to have used ivory and bone to create projectile points. A distinctive feature of
9844-481: The site was the location of a hotel within the state park. The Little Beaver Site is an archaeological site that has been the location of multiple settlements from various periods including, Archaic, Early Woodland , Middle Woodland and Upper Mississippian . Based on artifacts recovered the primary period of occupation at Little Beaver was Middle Woodland. Little Beaver is a village and mound site and contains two groups of mounds. In total, there are 13 mounds within
9951-474: The state line. Other multi-state parks are legally two separate parks with the same name and more informal cooperation between them. The title of oldest state park in the United States is claimed by Niagara Falls State Park in New York , established in 1885. Several public parks previously or currently maintained at the state level pre-date it. Indian Springs State Park has been operated continuously by
10058-454: The state of Georgia as a public park since 1825, although it did not gain the title "State Park" until 1931. In 1864 Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove were ceded by the federal government to California until Yosemite National Park was proclaimed in 1890. In 1878 Wisconsin set aside a vast swath of its northern forests as "The State Park" but, needing money, sold most of it to lumber companies within 20 years. Mackinac National Park
10165-566: The stone tools found at a site were hundreds of kilometers away from the source stone outcrop, in one case over 900 kilometres (560 mi) away. The people who produced the Clovis culture probably had a low population density but with geographically extensive cultural networks. The Clovis culture is suggested to have heavily utilized hides, wood, and natural fibres, though no direct evidence of this has been preserved. Clovis culture artifacts have often been found associated with big game, including proboscideans ( Columbian mammoth , mastodon , and
10272-569: The time of the 1998 addition of the Corbin Farm and Little Beaver sites to the National Register, it had been determined that there were three "village and mound" sites within the park. Besides Corbin Farm and Little Beaver, the Simonson site, an open-air occupation site, is also considered a village and mound site. Simonson Site has faced significant alterations over the years Approximately 150 types of plants grow at Starved Rock State Park. On
10379-580: The time of the Clovis culture, followed by subsequent migration of these populations later in the Holocene . Like other Native Americans, Anzick-1 is closely related to Siberian peoples , confirming the Asian origin of the Clovis culture. He belongs to Y chromosome Haplogroup Q-L54 , which is common among contemporary Native Americans, and to mitochondrial haplogroup D4h3a, which is rare among contemporary Native Americans (occurring in only 1.4%, primarily along
10486-410: The type of fluted point thereafter associated with megafauna (especially mammoths) at over a dozen other archaeological sites in North America would have been more appropriately named "Dent" rather than Clovis, the town near Blackwater Draw that gave the type of point its name. A feature considered to be distinctive of the Clovis tradition is overshot flaking, which is defined as flakes that "during
10593-880: The use of red ochre , and engraved stones. The best-known examples of this were found at the Gault site in Texas and consist of limestone nodules incised with expressive geometric patterns, some of which mimic leaf patterns. Clovis peoples, like other Paleoindian cultures, used red ocher for a variety of artistic and ritual purposes, including burials, and to cover objects in caches. Clovis peoples are known to have transported ocher 100 kilometres (62 mi) from its original outcrop. They are also suggested to have produced beads out of animal bones. Clovis hunter-gatherers are characterized as "high-technology foragers" who utilized sophisticated technology to maintain access to resources under conditions of high mobility. In many Clovis localities,
10700-444: The winter, sports such as ice skating, tobogganing , cross-country skiing and sledding are allowed in parts of the park. Snowmobiling is not allowed at Starved Rock State Park. Waterfalls become constantly changing ice falls during the winter as well. 14 of 18 waterfalls transform into scenic ice falls, with those at LaSalle, French, St. Louis, Tonty, Wildcat, Hennepin, Ottawa and Kaskaskia Canyons being especially scenic. Ice climbing
10807-508: Was acquired by the State of Illinois in 1911 for a state park, which it remains today. Facilities in the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, which have also gained historic designation. The Rock was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. The park region has been the subject of several archeological studies concerning both native and European settlements, and various other archeological sites associated with
10914-437: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places on the same date, June 18, 1998, and as part of the same Multiple Property Submission as the Corbin Farm, Hotel Plaza and Little Beaver sites. Besides the five sites – Starved Rock, Corbin Farm, Hotel Plaza, Little Beaver, and Shaky Shelter – entered on the National Register of Historic Places, there are several other sites of archaeological significance found within
11021-455: Was directly accessible only by railroad . Visitors had reached Starved Rock by rail and ferry since at least 1904, while the property was still a Walther-run resort. Between 1904 and 1908 more than 160,000 people used the ferry that connected Starved Rock to the electric railway line. In 1912, the year the park was opened to the public, attendance was 75,000. By the 1930s other state parks were opened in Illinois but Starved Rock State Park remained
11128-473: Was established in 1875 as the second U.S. national park before being converted to a state park in 1895. The first state park with the designation of "state park" was Itasca State Park in Minnesota , established in 1891. Many state park systems date to the 1930s, when around 800 state parks (and several national ones) across the country were developed with assistance from federal job-creation programs like
11235-553: Was eventually reassigned to Illini National Forest . The men were replaced by those of Camp 2601 from Fort Sheridan in 1934. Camp 2601 constructed the Wildcat Canyon bridge, among others. When Illinois Route 71 was opened in 1942, it allowed easy automotive access from Chicago . Starved Rock was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960. That same year, three women from the Chicago suburbs were brutally murdered in
11342-590: Was killed in Cahokia on April 20, 1769, by an Illinois Confederation warrior. According to the legend, the Ottawa, along with their allies the Potawatomi, avenged Pontiac's death by attacking a band of Illiniwek along the Illinois River. The Illiniwek climbed to the butte to seek refuge, but their pursuers besieged the rock until the tribe starved to death, thereby giving the place the name "Starved Rock". The legend sometimes maintains, falsely, that this resulted in
11449-410: Was the primary goal. Other elements considered distinctive of the Clovis culture tool complex include "raw material selectivity; distinctive patterns of flake and blade platform preparation, thinning and flaking; characteristic biface size and morphology, including the presence of end-thinning; and the size, curvature and reduction strategies of blades". It has long been recognised that the definition of
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