La Salle County Landmarks



The road less travelled to Starved Rock-
drive through Oglesby, turn North at
LeHiegh Park to cross the
Vermillion River.



There are three national historic landmarks in La Salle county and 28 locations which are designated on the National Register.

According to the National Historic Landmarks website, National Historic Landmarks are buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that have been determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be nationally significant in American history and culture. Many of the most renowned historic properties in the Nation are Landmarks. Mount Vernon, Pearl Harbor, the Apollo Mission Control Center, Alcatraz, and the Martin Luther King Birthplace in Atlanta, Georgia are Landmarks that illustrate important contributions to the Nation's historical development.  

In La Salle County we have three National Historic Landmarks-two are open to the public.

The Old Kaskaskia Village is along the bank of the Illinois River between Utica and Ottawa along Dee Bennet Road.  It was designated as an NHL in July of 1964 and is the best documented Native American Village in the Illinois River Valley.  The Old Kaskaskia Village is protected and not open to the public.

Nearby Starved Rock at Starved Rock State Park is also an NHL.  The rock is a sandstone butte which overlooks the Illinois River.  It is a steep hike to the top of the butte, but the view is spectacular!   According to a native legend, a group of Illini pursued by the Ottawa and Potawatomi fled to the butte in the late 18th century. The Ottawa and Potawatomi besieged the butte until all of the Illini had starved, and the butte became known as Starved Rock. The butte area was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1960.

The Hegeler Carus Mansion in La Salle is the third and newest NHL  in La Salle County, designated in March 2007.  This sixteen-thousand square foot mansion was home to the Hegeler and Carus families for over 130 years.  Hegeler Carus Mansion, is an American center of philosophical, scientific, and religious dialogue. The Mansion and the Julius W. Hegeler 1 Home across the street are both also on the National Register.