A true sign of Summer-The Canal Boat is Open for the Season!
In cental Illinois, it seems that Spring has been in the air since mid January. With our mild, and sometimes warm winter and the early blooming flowers in the Midwest landscape it has felt like Summer has been right around the corner for several months.
In La Salle, a sure sign that Summer is coming happens on May first with the premiere seasonal voyage of the Volunteer.
The Volunteer is a mule-drawn replica of a 19th century canal barge which travels along the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal. Visitors take an hour long ride on the canal, travel all the way back to 1848, and are told the story of the canal by various historic figures.
The mules are named Moe and Larry, and are kept company when they are not towing the barge by a goat named Curly. The mules are so popular with visitors that they have their own Facebook Page! The mules returned from their winter vacation on a lovely farm just a week before the first boat tour of the season.
La Salle is one end of the Canal which was dug by hand to connect Chicago (and Lake Michigan) with the Illinois River.
The Illinois and Michigan Canal is 96 miles long and was a link between the Illinois River and Lake Michigan. The Illinois River was shallow and not navigatable at that time and the canal was the link to ship goods between Chicago and the Gulf of Mexico to the rest of the world.
(A short drive away is the Illinois Waterways Visitor Center. There you can see the Lock and Dam engineered and built in the 1930's to make the Illinois River useable for shipping. It's pretty impressive!)
To help interperet history and teach visitors about the people effected by the canal there are wonderful silhouettes in each of the port cities along the canal telling their stories.
When the canal opened in 1848 the trip from La Salle to Chicago took 24 hours.
The Illinois and Michigan canal is now a National Landmark.
Make sure to see "The Way We Worked" exhibits through May 24 at the Lock 16 Visitor's Center and Cafe, where you can purchase tickets for the Volunteer. It is also a great place to stop for lunch, breakfast or a snack before or after your trip through history!
The Volunteer and Lock 16 Visitor's Center is located just 12 minutes from Starved Rock State Park, 10 Minutes from Utica, IL and the Illinois Waterway Visitor's Center. It is a fun stop along the Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway, and less than one tank round trip from Chicago.
What else is there to do in La Salle? Uptown Grill is just two blocks away for lunch or dinner. Make sure you check out Sasso and the Tri-City Frock Shoppe on your way. Or continue your trip through history by visiting the Hegeler Carus Mansion, a National Historic Landmark, just a short drive up the hill from the visitor's center. You can read more about the Hegeler Carus Mansion in this blog from last summer, and from their own blog, "Stories from the Big House".
 |
| Silhouette of John W. Connett, canal boat captain in front of the Volunteer in La Salle, IL. |
 |
| View of The Volunteer from Lock 14 |
In La Salle, a sure sign that Summer is coming happens on May first with the premiere seasonal voyage of the Volunteer.
The Volunteer is a mule-drawn replica of a 19th century canal barge which travels along the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal. Visitors take an hour long ride on the canal, travel all the way back to 1848, and are told the story of the canal by various historic figures.
The mules are named Moe and Larry, and are kept company when they are not towing the barge by a goat named Curly. The mules are so popular with visitors that they have their own Facebook Page! The mules returned from their winter vacation on a lovely farm just a week before the first boat tour of the season.
 |
| Lock 14 as viewed from the upper deck of The Volunteer. |
The Illinois and Michigan Canal is 96 miles long and was a link between the Illinois River and Lake Michigan. The Illinois River was shallow and not navigatable at that time and the canal was the link to ship goods between Chicago and the Gulf of Mexico to the rest of the world.
(A short drive away is the Illinois Waterways Visitor Center. There you can see the Lock and Dam engineered and built in the 1930's to make the Illinois River useable for shipping. It's pretty impressive!)
To help interperet history and teach visitors about the people effected by the canal there are wonderful silhouettes in each of the port cities along the canal telling their stories.
When the canal opened in 1848 the trip from La Salle to Chicago took 24 hours.
 |
| The Volunteer |
The Illinois and Michigan canal is now a National Landmark.
Make sure to see "The Way We Worked" exhibits through May 24 at the Lock 16 Visitor's Center and Cafe, where you can purchase tickets for the Volunteer. It is also a great place to stop for lunch, breakfast or a snack before or after your trip through history!
The Volunteer and Lock 16 Visitor's Center is located just 12 minutes from Starved Rock State Park, 10 Minutes from Utica, IL and the Illinois Waterway Visitor's Center. It is a fun stop along the Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway, and less than one tank round trip from Chicago.
What else is there to do in La Salle? Uptown Grill is just two blocks away for lunch or dinner. Make sure you check out Sasso and the Tri-City Frock Shoppe on your way. Or continue your trip through history by visiting the Hegeler Carus Mansion, a National Historic Landmark, just a short drive up the hill from the visitor's center. You can read more about the Hegeler Carus Mansion in this blog from last summer, and from their own blog, "Stories from the Big House".
Comments
Post a Comment