Introduction
Ottawa, the town of two rivers. The beautiful city lies just an hour away from the Bloomington, Normal area. The city connects the Fox River into the Illinois River. Famous for its rich history, Ottawa is home to the first Boy Scouts, the "Lincoln Douglas Debate" and the I&M Canal. It also has a lot to offer for tourist attractions including Skydive Chicago and Starved Rock State Park just a few miles west of town. Representative for Illinois Congressional District Adam Kinzinger has his office in Ottawa. It is also home to many old buildings including the court house which stands in the center of town. Ottawa has its own culture and way of doing things that many outsiders would find strange. Good or bad Ottawa is a proud community and has a lot to offer those who are looking for a good time.
History
Ottawa's name comes from the Indian tribe "Odawa" which means "trader". Many other Indian names are derived from this tribe including "Pontiac" and "Seneca" which are both neighboring cities.
Illinois and Michigan Canal
Stretching from La Salle, Peru all the way to Chicago, the I&M Canal carried huge amounts of agricultural goods back and forth during the 19th centaury. Ottawa became a huge proponent in its construction because it became home to so many Irish immigrants and labor forces. Father Marquette and Louis Joliet were the first to conceive this idea of a waterway that could easier connect their trading routes and expand the French empire. Many years later in 1824 with the territory now American, Samuel Lockwood hired contractors to survey the land for building a canal. They began building in 1833 and took more than ten years to finish due to poor funding. Construction was stopped two to three times over the years, and the money to finish eventually came from the federal government. Finally in 1848 the I&M Canal was opened. It made agriculture in northern Illinois profitable, opening up connections to eastern markets. With the expansion of agriculture, the canal created the city of Chicago. Without the initial stimulus of the canal, Chicago would not have attracted the populations, railroads and the industry that it did.
Lincoln Douglas Debate
The first in a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, representing the Republican Party, and the Democratic Senator, Stephen Douglas was held in Ottawa in 1858. The famous debates revolved around slavery, Lincoln's main concern was that Illinois was going to become a slave state along with all the other northern states. Douglas was just a radical abolitionist who contradicted almost every aspect of Lincolns political agenda. This was considered one of the most famous political debates in U.S. history. Lincoln eventually went on to win the senate seat in 1860. Today there stands a bronze statue in the center of town of the two conversing on a platform to commemorate the famous debates.
Starved Rock
Legend has it that sometime around the early 1700's an Illini man, thought to be named "Peoria", senselessly murdered the Ottawa Chief "Pontiac" somewhere in St. Louis. This caused the Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes to ban together to drive the Illini from their homes up into the area known as "Starved Rock". The area got this famous label because while fleeing the Potawatomi tribes, the Illini trapped themselves on an elevated area with no food or water for weeks causing them to die of starvation, hence the name. After the white man cleared everybody out, the area now stands today as a beautiful tourist attraction and lodging area. If you've never been to Starved Rock it is definitely worth making the drive. The area stretches over 2,500 acres and is home to many hiking trails through canyons and waterfalls. The park closes at night, but there is said to be the apparitions of two lovers who threw themselves over the cliffs during the starving of the rock. Looking for a getaway close to home? You could easily spend a day at Starved Rock.
Skydive Chicago
Imagine freefalling in the air for 60 seconds at 120mph, and then floating back to earth for 5 minutes. Skydive Chicago offers the experience of a lifetime and its just a mile outside of Ottawa, IL. The prices are reasonable, and the more people you bring with you the cheaper the cost! After less than an hour of instruction a contractor will give you the ride of your life. Hundreds of people jump everyday and it is truly a life changing experience. Most of the contractors have thousands of jumps. Each one is held to the highest standards above and beyond what is required. Check them out at www.skydivechicago.com/
Special Days and Events
Riverfest
The city's week long festival includes a carnival and beer garden with bands playing for most of the day and night. The Riverfest Committee works for about 10 months finding new and interesting talent and food vendors who offer some incedible edibles for the 'Taste of Ottawa' along with parade entertainment. If you happen to swing through town around the last week of July stop by Riverfest and enjoy some of Ottawa's great music and food.
Scarecrow Festival
Looking to bring the kids out for some fun in the fall? Come visit Ottawa's scarecrow festival, its every year the weekend before Halloween. They have free haystack rides, face painting, and a petting zoo, along with a farmer's market, as well as a mix of shops and boutiques offering special deals for one day only. Not to mention local artists surround the downtown block with all kinds of hand-made scarecrows that each have their own unique theme. Definitely the perfect place to take your family for a good time.
Places in town to visit
Rivers
The typical Ottawan spends his or her time on the beautiful Illinois and Fox River when the weather permits. There is a ton of enormous islands for anyone to dock there boat along the river. Those with boats might spend an entire day hopping from island to island checking out different areas to set up camp. A typical summer night you can see bonfires all along the river from people camping out in the sand. Bulls island is the hotspot for most river rats, it has a giant sandbar that separates it in half where people will dock their boats and swim. If you know the right people, there is even a secret freshwater lake hidden in the center of the island that belongs to the shoreline boat club. That is definitely one of the cooler spots in the area. It's equipped with a giant ropeswing and swimming dock. The water is so clear you can actually see right down to the bottom. The lake was man-made just a few years ago and during its construction a giant excavator was accidentally sunken into the lake. You can literally see it sitting down in there and almost swim to it if the water wasn't so deep.
Strip Clubs
The town also has gained fame through having not one but two, that's right two strip clubs. The elegant 'Silver Slipper Saloon' and the humble 'Lamp Liter'. If your looking for some satisfactory adult entertainment and you have money to blow, head to the Slipper just a few miles east of town. If your looking for the same but may be on a budget check out the Liter, its just a mile west of town, although I don't recommend going there on a Tuesday afternoon, some things are not meant to be seen by mortal eyes.
A picture from amateur night at the "Silver Slipper Saloon"
Tones Cones/Dog House
Tones is only open during warm weather, but if its cold out you can always head to the dog house for an excellent steamed chili dog. The owners have the best managed business in Ottawa killing the competition when it comes to ice-cream. On any given night in the summer Tones has a line stretching out the door, and a line of cars stretching down the entire block. The key to their success is the consistent speed and excellent quality of ice-cream that the owners pay top dollar to sell. Both places are cleaned spotlessly every night, and they always have your food or ice-cream ready at lightning speed. Go check them out a small cone is under 2 dollars.
