Outdoor Museum
In the 1840s, an army of workers hand dug a canal 96 miles from the Illinois River to Lake Michigan to help connect the waterways of the eastern and western United States. Today, that canal and the countryside surrounding it is preserved as the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Area (IMCNHA).
Established as the first National Heritage Area in the nation, the IMCNHA was designed as an “outdoor museum” that showcased the landscape of Illinois, as well as the history of the Native Americans, French explorers and immigrant canal workers who shaped the landscape throughout the centuries.
For groups, one of the most memorable experiences in the IMCNHA is a ride on a replica 1840s canal boat, pulled by mules that walk alongside the canal. The boats depart from the historic downtown of LaSalle. Tours include “Mule Tending 101,” when costumed guides introduce visitors to the mules that will be pulling the canal boats and tell them stories about the history of the canal.
Ancient Civilization
In the far eastern reaches of central Illinois, not far from the Mississippi River, today’s travelers can find mountainous evidence of a mysterious ancient civilization.
At the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, more than 70 towering earthen mounds are evidence of a city built by a group of Mississippian Indians. Though details on the city and civilization are scarce, historians believe that the mounds were constructed between A.D. 700 and 1000. At its peak, the city covered six square miles and had as many as 20,000 people.
Today’s visitors can learn more about the pottery, copper, stone and other evidence of the civilization on a visit to the site. They’ll also marvel at the size of some of the structures. The largest mound covers more than 14 acres at its base and served as a government and ritual building. Another mound was found to be the ceremonial burial site of more than 300 women, and a stockade structure is more than two miles long.
