THE CHARM OF THE ROCK RIVER

Few of us that reside in Lee County have ever had the opportunity to traverse along the Rock River by boat. Those that live along its shore lines that meander through the area can observe the charm and beauty of nature at its best on a daily basis.

Living in Dixon for close to 24 years, I had only been on the "mighty Rock" once before. Through my gracious hosts for the day, Wendell Snell and Bobbie Hess, both from Dixon, and virtually having the river to ourselves, I was able to get a different perspective for what many of us seem to overlook and maybe just take for granted. It is understandable why folks from near and far want to see the picturesque Rock River Valley.

As we made our way leisurely up the river by pontoon boat from the vicinity of Dixon towards Grand Detour, various points of interest were discussed and how people from generations gone by had utilized the scenic spots for picnics and recreation. Along a huge sand stone cliff you can see names carved into the rock from perhaps young lovers who, generations ago, used the river in their courtship. Areas along the river banks, once saturated with oak, black walnut, willow, wild plum and thornapple trees along with varieties of wild fruit, such as berries and grapes that were in abundance, have given way to settlers that dot the river banks with homes.

The early French explorers and fur trappers which traveled through the central territories were amazed at the scenic beauty and abundance of game which was available in the newly discovered country for the white man. Indians for generations before had built their tiny villages along its path. Men like John Dixon, Leonard Andrus, Alexander Charters and Dr. Oliver Everett stated that they were charmed by the river's beauty before they even thought of its economic possibilities.

That it was so long closed to settlement was due solely to the fact that it was the home of the Indian and for close to a decade after Illinois was admitted to the Union in 1818, the red men paddled their canoes unmolested up and down the Rock River, in and out among the willow-covered islands that jutted out of the waters. Through hunting and trapping and bartering their furs to the occasional white trader who came their way or by carrying them to the old fur post which was located near Grand Detour, the Indians had little to do with those that were attempting to encroach upon their territory. Chief Black Hawk, as a conquered leader at the close of the war in 1832 said, "The Rock River was a beautiful country, I loved it and I fought for it. It is now yours. Keep it as we did."

One Indian tradition says that as the river came along from Oregon southward, the scenery was so beautiful that the river hated to go on and leave it. However, knowing that it must go on, it turned around and almost doubled back, for one last look at the beauty. This great turn or bend is now called Grand Detour.

As people settled the countryside the river allowed a means by which canoes and flat bottom boats could deliver supplies to towns along the waterway, an easier means than going overland by wagon. But rapidly these boats were being overshadowed by paddle-wheels with their steam engines and billowing smoke which traveled up and down the length of the river. Fish were taken from the river in great numbers and shipped to market. A once thriving claming enterprise quickly disappeared. Ice harvesting, a monumental task each winter came to an end. The small boats which carried tourists and visitors to the Assembly Park grounds and entertainment each summer and winter on Van Arnam's Island have disappeared.

The building of dams across the river for generating electricity brought an end to the big boats. Goods were now being delivered by trucks and the railroads The once pleasurable beaches in Lowell Park which entertained thousands each weekend are gone. The river, once an important part of daily life has slowly evolved through the years and today only provides recreation, fishing and picturesque qualities. One quality it still possess is that like the waters which flowed downstream many years ago, often times raging destruction along its path, are still able to do the same thousands of years later.

But there is just something about surveying the countryside from the view of a river which we do not normally observe in our daily lives. As we dined in the calm waters alongside a towering cliff, conversed on various topics and occasional items of history and watched the huge red ball of the setting sun go down behind the trees along with our subsequent ride back down the river, my thoughts reflected upon the activities of the day. An old clich‚ easily came to be truth, "It doesn't get any better than this."

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