Thursday, July 25, 2013

About The Lodge

Pere Marquette State Park Lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1933-1939, opening for business in 1940 at a cost $352,912.00. The massive poles, as much as 3 feet in diameter- that were used as roof and wall supports, as well as other wood in the chalet-like buildings, are Douglas fir, western cedar from Oregon, and peckey cypress. Limestone, which was taken from the Grafton rock quarry, was used in the construction of the seven cabins, the floor in the lodge, and the 700-ton stone fireplace, which dominates the lobby Kayaking on the River Photoand dining room.
The inmates of one of the prisons in Illinois constructed the furniture in the lodge. The Civilian Conservation Corps did all of the metal work, such as the chandeliers in the lobby and dining room, door handles, window locks, etc. Three hots and a flop comprised the bulk of a corpsman’s payday. Today their dedication and craftsmanship are here for all of us to enjoy.

 The Park was named in memory of Father Jacques Marquette, the French Jesuit missionary priest, who in 1673 along with explorer Louis Joliet, were the first Europeans to enter what is now the State of Illinois at the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. A large white cross, at the park entrance alongside route 100, marks where these two men landed.

At one time, an Indian village was located where the Lodge now stands. Indian tribes in the area were the Hopewell and Illini. The Illini Indians were the tribe to put the Piasa Bird (bird that devours man on the bluffs at Alton. Marquette recorded the first account of the Piasa Bird painting in the summer of 1673 on what is Lodge Photonow the Great River Road/National Scenic Byway. The Piasa Bird has been moved several times to make way for road construction. In 1998 the present bird was painted on the bluffs at Alton.

Native Americans controlled the Mississippi valley with their flourishing fur trade centered on the Illinois River until the French and Indian wars of 1760. The British took over in 1763, and the area became the State of Illinois in 1818.

Grafton became a booming business community and important river port in the late 1800's. It reached its peak in the early 1900’s and the population began to decline by the 1920’s. Today, Grafton retains its charm and commerce and is steaming steadily ahead.

In 1932, 2,600 acres were given to the State for a park, and the State bought an adjoining 2,500 acres of conservation area. These parcels were combined into Pere Marquette State Park by legislative action in 1967. Later acquisitions and recent land purchases have brought the total to approximately 9,500 acres.