Starved Rock Lodge and Cabins - Utica, IL
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adgorn
N 41° 19.109 W 088° 59.688
16T E 333040 N 4576032
High atop a wooded bluff overlooking the Illinois River, surrounded by 2,630 acres of thick forests, 18 lush canyons and sparkling waterfalls is Starved Rock Lodge.
Waymark Code: WM4P31
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 09/14/2008
Views: 20
Situated on a high bluff just southwest of the rock itself is the stone and log lodge built in part by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, of full timbers in National Park Service Rustic style.
The Lodge was nominated as part of the Illinois State Parks Thematic Group Nomination. Locally quarried limestone, unhewn logs and wood shingles are used throughout to reinforce the rustic nature of the lodges. Joseph F. Booton, Chief of Design, Illinois Department of Public Works, was the architect. The Lodge was built by the CCC first as their camp residence, then turned over and converted as a public lodge.
The lodge has been refurbished, but still reflects the peaceful atmosphere of yesteryear. A new hotel wing has been added and features a registration lobby, an indoor swimming pool, children’s pool, whirlpool, saunas and an outdoor sunning patio.
The lodge offers 72 luxury hotel rooms and 22 comfortable cabin rooms. The original Great Room is furnished with decorative rugs and art and is centered around a massive stone fireplace.
The restaurant is open seven days a week and offers many house specialties. It can accommodate up to 250 people for banquets. The lodge’s conference area can accommodate up to 200 with four smaller meeting rooms also available.
Starved Rock State Park is one of the busiest State Parks in Illinois with yearly attendance over 1 million visitors each year.
For lodge reservations, call 1-800-868-ROCK (7625) or (815) 667-4211, or write Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center, PO Box 570, Utica, IL 61373.
History
Starved Rock State Park derives its name from a Native American legend of injustice and retribution. In the 1760s, Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa tribe upriver from here, was slain by an Illiniwek while attending a tribal council in southern Illinois. According to the legend, during one of the battles that subsequently occurred to avenge his killing, a band of Illiniwek, under attack by a band of Potawatomi (allies of the Ottawa), sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the hapless Illiniwek died of starvation- giving rise to the name “Starved Rock.”
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