Illini State Park, an Illinois State Park near Aurora, Morris, Ottawa, Romeoville, Shorewood

USA

Illinois

Illini State Park

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State Park Photo Gallery:
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State Park Event Calendar:
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Nearby Parks:
Marseilles State Fish and Wildlife Area
Fox River State Park (historical)
La Salle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Norwegian Settlers State Memorial
Buffalo Rock State Park
Starved Rock State Park
Gebhard Woods State Park
Matthiessen State Park

State Park Contact Information:
	Illini State Park
Adopt-A-Park Contacts:
	Yogi's Helper: volunteer positions open Nature Programs: volunteer positions open Photography: volunteer positions open

State Park Overview:

Illini State Park is the kind of park you think of when you think of big picnics and family gatherings. With its rustic Civilian Conservation Corps buildings and riverside picnic areas, Illini State Park offers beautiful views and a sense of history not found in many other parks.

Named for the native Americans who once inhabited the area, Illini State Park is located south of the Illinois River from Marseilles and U.S. Route 6. The northern edge of the 510-acre park is bordered by the Great Falls of the Illinois River. In just two miles, the river drops three feet, creating beautiful roaring rapids. The east end of the park is the former site of the prestigious Marsatawa Country Club.

Reviews By Park Visitors:

visitor rating:

(2 votes) |Post Your Own Review

Great place for familes and pets.

Playgroune, campling, boat ram, icecream stand, waliking trail, benches to sit and watch the boats on the river. It has the nicest pavillion with a fire place at both ends. We love it.

Written by Marseilles resident 6-Sep-2008

Illini State Park

It is a great place to camp if you intend to bike on the I & M Bike Trail. The sounds of the boats going by on the river is very relaxing.

Written by jhaydel 23-Sep-2008

Camping:

There is something for every type of camper at Illini State Park. Both tent and trailer sites, including electric and sanitation service, are offered and some of the sites offer breathtaking views of the river. A youth area is available for youth groups and should be reserved in advance through the site office. All campers should obtain permits from the site staff or campground host upon arrival.

Picnicking:

Scattered throughout the park are picnic areas and shelters with tables, outdoor grills, drinking water, toilets and playgrounds. Several of the shelters also have working fireplaces.

Boating:

A boat ramp is available for visitors' boats, but rental boats are not available. Although there is no motor limit on the Illinois River, boaters should be aware of the danger of barge traffic and the close proximity of the Marseilles Lock and Dam.

Fishing and Hunting:

Anglers will find ample supplies of crappie, bass, bluegill, catfish, carp, bullheads and many other species in the Illinois River.

History of the Area:

Several reminders of America's Industrial Age can be seen at Illini State Park. The area is part of an old glacial feature called the Marseilles Moraine and is underlaid by 100 feet of coal. A large coal mine one mile south of the park supplied coal to Marseilles industries until World War II. The Illinois Traction System, an interurban electric transit system that ran from Chicago to Princeton, was one of those industries. The Marseilles powerhouse for the ITS can still be seen on the north bank of the river.

Less than one mile north of the park is the historic Illinois-Michigan Canal, which was completed in 1848, when the section from Marseilles to Morris opened. The I & M Canal carried the area's commerce until the railroads became the transportation giants.

Although the Illinois River rapids are wonderful to watch, they made barge traffic difficult. In the mid-1920s, the Army Corps of Engineers built a barge canal to bypass the rapids. The canal borders the park on the north, and visitors can watch as large barges pass by the park and through the Marseilles Locks.

The prestigious Marsatawa Country Club once graced the east end of the park. Organized by Ottawa resident W.D. Boyce, who also founded the Boy Scouts of America, the club boasted one of the premier golf courses of its day.

In the 1930s, two companies of the Civilian Conservation Corps converted the golf course to a park and built park buildings that are still in use today. The former country club building was moved into Marseilles and serves as the American Legion Hall.

The CCC camp at the west end of the park was converted into a semi-correctional boys' camp that provided maintenance in the park until it was closed in the late 1960s.

Illini entered the state park system in 1934 and was dedicated in 1935.

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