 |
 |
Illinois National Parks
| Illinois
& Michigan Canal National Corridor - The Illinois
& Michigan Canal, completed in 1848, connected the Great Lakes to
the Mississippi River watershed along a longstanding Indian portage
route. The 97-mile canal extended from the Chicago River near Lake
Michigan to the Illinois River at Peru, Illinois. It rapidly transformed
Chicago from a small settlement to a critical transportation hub between
the East and the developing Midwest.
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail - This site celebrates the heroic expedition of the Corps of Discovery, led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark. Thirty three people traveled with them into unknown territory, starting near what is now known as Wood River, Illinois in 1804, reaching the Pacific Ocean in 1805 and returning in 1806. Today's trail follows their route as closely as possible given the changes over the years. It is approximately 3,700 miles long, beginning near Wood River, Illinois, and passes through portions of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. |
Lincoln
Home National Historic Site - At the park's center
stands the two-story home of Abraham Lincoln, the only home he ever
owned. The house was constructed in 1839 as a one-story cottage. Abraham
and Mary Lincoln lived here from 1844 until Mr. Lincoln's election to
the Presidency in 1861. The home, which has been restored to its 1860s
appearance, reveals Lincoln as husband, father, politician, and
President-elect. It stands in the midst of a four-block historic
neighborhood, which the National Park Service is restoring so that the
neighborhood, like the house, will appear much as Lincoln would have
remembered it.
Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail - Led by Brigham Young, roughly 70,0000 Mormons traveled along the Mormon Pioneer Trail from 1846 to 1869 in order to escape religious persecution. The general route is from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Salt Lake City, Utah, covering about 1,300 miles. |
|
|
For more information visit the National Park Service website |
||