Friends of the Hennepin Canal
Sheffield, IL 61361
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Friends of the Hennepin Canal
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May
editorial from IL DNR Director- Joel
Brunsvold Natural resources have been a life-long passion
of mine and, regardless of the
challenges that lie ahead, serving this state as director of the Department of
Natural Resources is an honor readily
accept. On one hand, the job of
director of DNR may appear straightforward—to be responsive to the citizens of
Illinois, to manage, protect and
sustain our natural and cultural resources and to provide resource-compatible
recreational opportunities. On the other hand, many of the issues facing DNR and
our constituents are complex, and
considerable effort must be spent to balance the demands of the environment,
user groups and development. As a member of the Illinois House of
Representatives for nearly two decades, I developed a
close relationship with DNR as chair of the Illinois House Agriculture
and Conservation Committee and member of the House Environment and Energy
Committee. In 1992, the late Sen. Harry “Babe” Woodyard and I
founded the General Assembly’s largest caucus, the Illinois Legislative
Sportmen’s Caucus. The mission of the caucus is to promote, preserve, foster
and protect State budgets are being formulated as
this issue of Outdoor Illinois goes to press. We have some tough times ahead of
us, but DNR is comprised of an energetic and creative team of employees who will
provide the highest -quality services for our constituents while at the same
time, protecting and managing our resources within the budgetary constraints. As
a former legislator, educator and coach, I recognize the value of an open avenue
of communication, so rest assured that the input I receive from Illinois’
citizens will be important in helping me make informed decisions. The upcoming years will have their share
of challenges, but I look forward to the opportunity to work with DNR employees,
constituents and the Legislature to address Illinois’ resource and user
needs. Note: This was the May editorial from the IL DNR web-site. From
the Superintendent by Steve Moser
Greetings
Friends It seems that winter has lasted way too long and we jumped right into late spring, with the grass trying to grow at a record pace. The mainline hard-surfaced recreation trail from Lock 2 to Lock 29 was opened for use in mid-December. Even though we did not have much of a snowmobile season, the hikers, bikers, and equestrians are now taking full advantage of the system. We still hope the 12-mile feeder section from the Summit Pool to Bridge 56 (Route 92) will be opened by July 1st and then we hopefully will have some type of official "Grand Opening." The vault toilet replacement project has been put on hold as have a few other purchases so hopefully the economic situation will turn round soon. We are also a few people short on our normal staffing plan so some of the things you have gotten accustomed to might take a little longer to get done. The used four-row planter that the board
graciously approved for purchase fell through. We actually had
check in hand but when we went to pick it up, we found it had some
problems we were not aware of, so we said "no thanks." If anyone
has a lead on a little four-row model, let us know as we are still looking. In closing, the crappie have been biting
pretty well and the bass are just starting to bite.
So get out your fishing pole, your bicycle, your canoe, or your walking
shoes, grab the sun screen and the sun glasses and enjoy some time outdoors.
See you along the Canal.Steve Member
Profile — JoAnne
Gernant Life time resident of Geneseo. Raised
two sons, taught school as physical and health education teacher in the junior
high- now changed to middle school. now retired. The Hennepin canal has
been my private play ground. Rode my first pony down the tow path, and learned
to eat fish as my parents fished along the canal. They would fish, clean, cook
the fish on the banks of the canal. All quiet activity in an afternoon of
fun. These experiences are the beginning of my love of outdoors and the
wonders of nature. Kids can always have fun when around water or just puttering
along the banks. As I grew we
learn to swim at the Geneseo Country club.
Parents would go golfing and we would go swimming. The girl scout
cabin was next to the canal and I had great memories while at
camp. My buddies and I would spend days at the canal canoeing,
swimming and just goofing around. As a director of the water front at
girl scout camp I taught canoeing. Fun time of teens, school, family and away
from the pleasures of the canal. Except
for pleasure drives along the canal and quiet nights watching the moon
rise. My sons would go to the canal and enjoy.
Now as time and age allow I spend many hours walking the paths and riding
my horses along the tow path. I have been able to
achieve the goal of riding the length of canal, and going up the feeder
almost to Rock Falls. Each area has a unique and
somewhat different display of wildlife and natural growth. The peace,
comfort and quiet beauty of the water and plant growth seem to take away
the inner tensions of every day life. The canal has
helped me solve inner conflicts as I walk, ride and let my mind return to
the priorities of life. The new bike
path has made a change. I hope for the positive. Now each time I go I see many
people enjoying the areas, biking, walking dogs, walking as a family, (the bike
path has made it possible to push a stroller) and of course fishing.
Some just drive into the parking lots and have lunch away from the bustle
of work. Some meet friends and just sit and visit watching the water in the
locks or sitting at the tables in the shelters. In the winter snowmobiles, and
skiers are out after the first snow. Ice
fisherman seem to wait for the first hard freeze and then arrive with
gusto. The path has opened the beauty of the canal and made it more
assessable to walk ride and enjoy. I see more people each time I go
out. Yet can still find the personal solitude
needed. My only hope is that commercial exploitation does not take
over the gentle solitude that the canal's presence has always
given those who need quiet recreational time. Hiking the Hennepin Canal by
Ed Herrmann
April Hike The April 27th 4.1mile hike at Atkinson only drew
4 people on a warm spring day. We had Mike and Susan Pratt from
Dixon, Wayne Leader from Moline, and Ed Herrmann from Spring Valley. It
was the first canal hike for the Pratts. They really enjoyed the hike and
I believe they went home with a lot of new knowledge about the Hennepin
Canal. We noticed some repair work was in progress on the south side
towpath where beavers or muskrat had done some burrowing in the bank.
Litter report - this was one of the cleanest areas that we have found from all
of our prior hikes. Although we had few hikers, the area was teaming with
fishermen, many out in boats. Also we noticed a conservation police
officer checking for fishing licenses - new licenses for 2003 were required the
1st of April. I stopped in Sheffield after the hike and talked with
our Pat Stier. She reported that crappie and some walleye were being
caught in the area by the anglers that have come to her shop for bait. Pat
also noted that 18 canal hikers visited Sheffield after their Saturday hike and
took advantage of a dinner that was being served by a local church.
It is nice to hear that more people are using the new all-purpose path and
stopping to frequent local businesses along the canal. Just a little note of interest. On our March
hike, a lady from Aurora thought she knew me from somewhere out of the
past. It so happened she had worked in the Ottawa area with my brother and
we must look much alike. On this hike we had the Pratt's and I knew a lot of
Pratt's from my area. They were not related. In talking further with
them, I mentioned I knew no one from Dixon but had worked with a Henkel who was
originally from the Dixon area. She was Susan Pratt's cousin. It is
a small world! May Hike Lock 11 parking lot at the goat farm was the gathering
spot for the May 18th hike. Participating were Bruce and Becky Perry, Port
Byron - Sherri Whitmer, Manlius - Marcia Obenhaus & Louise Thompsen,
Princeton - Wayne Leader, Moline - Mike & Susan Pratt, Dixon - Sharon
Weindorf, No. Aurora - Janice Weindorf, Chicago - Melvin Monson, Rockford -
Harriet Epley & Ed Herrmann, Spring Valley - Alice Reeg & Sandy
Brown, no city listed. Because of the remote starting point , the hikers
left in 2 groups. In the 4.6mile hike we went by five locks, starting with
lock 6 and ending at lock 11. The Pratts did an extra trek to lock 12 to
see where Bureau Creek once ran under the canal aqueduct. The aqueduct is
gone and the canal water now runs under the creek through a reverse
siphon. This area of the Hennepin Canal is my favorite fishing area.
We spotted anglers wetting their lines all along the way, including
Harriet's husband. Note - don't block the access
areas! With so many people visiting the canal on Sunday, a
few had their cars illegally parked in those areas. The area we walked was
almost free of litter, we did not collect enough to fill 1 small bag.
Recent windstorms felled several trees but a work crew had them cut up and off
the trail. Among our hikers were 2 people that were interested in
historical data. Sharon Weindorf told me that her group meets monthly at
the Historical Museum at Lockport. Melvin Monson is involved with the
Railroad Museum at Union, Illinois. Mel did not tell me his age but he
married at age 35 and next year he and his wife will celebrate their 50th
anniversary. He does 5mile walks regularly so this was a snap for
him. To have cold water on hikes he puts his water bottle in the freezer
before going. The gals in our group were bird watchers and interested in
the wild flowers that had already established themselves along the new bike
path. They did spot a rather large snake along the trail and were not
afraid to get near it, the snake finally slid off into the brush. Before
our group got back to the parking lot we met the Perrys' peddling their tandem
bike down the path. June Hike Rock Falls was the site for our
June 22nd Hennepin Canal Feeder hike.
Participating were: Maureen Tyne - Bradford, Gary Wagle - Rock Island, Ed
Herrmann - Spring Valley, Mark Bauer - Geneseo, Wayne Leader - Moline, and Emily
Leader - East Moline. Mark had missed the past few hikes but he was in super
shape as he and Maureen lead the fast pacers on the hike. Wayne Leader brought
his granddaughter Emily for her first canal hike and we were the turtle paced
group. It took us 3 hours to do the
almost 5 miles. Emily keep asking if we were almost done and we kept replying
just a few bridges more. Gary was waiting for us when we finished. He asked Emily, "how was the
hike?" Well her attitude had changed after it was over and was just
bubbling telling Gary how much fun it was and all the animals and birds we saw
along the way. For anyone who has not done a hike yet, we do go at our own pace! Board Notes At our July 8th board meeting, Steve Moser reported
that the trail is almost finished. He
also informed us that there had been a fish kill on the feeder canal due to
problems with the gate up on the Rock Falls dam and that the corn planter deal
fell through. Back in our April Board meeting we had approved the
printing of a Trails Map for the Hennepin Canal.
Gary Wagle brought to the Board the first printing of the Hennepin Canal Parkway
State Park Trail Map. The
brochure splits the canal into three maps - a) Feeder Canal, b) West Branch of
the Main Canal and C) East Branch of the Main Canal.
The maps are keyed to denote the type and locations of the trails.
The brochure also includes a mileage chart, trail etiquette, and other
useful information. It was reported that the GITAP bike ride had many
positive reports and that it may possibly become an annual event.
There were some reports of loose gravel along some areas of the path.
Moser says some of the gravel will be removed and that there are plans to
roll the path. The next meeting of the Board will be September 9 at 6:30pm at the Visitors Center. Just a note -
The storms this July have not been kind
to the Visitor’s Center. Lightening
struck a tree just outside of the Visitor’s Center, during one storm and
knocked out their phone system, some modems, an air conditioning unit and a
scanner that was donated to them by one of our “Friends”.
Then they were without power for a couple of days after a storm, as
Illinois Power was busy trying to get Galva back on line. A CANAL CHRONOLOGY Canals have played a major part in
civilization. One of the first known canals was built about 4,200 years ago in a
place we now call Iraq. Here’s a
sketch of canal construction up through the first millennium. 4,000 B.C
King Menes builds a canal in Upper Egypt
on about this date. 2,200 B.C.
The approximate date that Mesopotamia's
Shatt-el-hai Canal is built, linking theTigris and Euphrates Rivers.
(Today’s Iraq) 1,700 B.C.
Egypt builds a second canal near Wadi
Haifa, extending navigation of the Nile 600 B.C.
China's 260-mile Wild Goose Canal links
the Yellow River to the Huai River. 400 B.C.
The approximate date of the building of
the Han-kou (Han Ditch) connecting China's Huai River to the Yangtze as well as
a canal south of the Yangtze toward Soochow and Hangchow. 103 B.C. Romans
build a canal connecting Arelate (Arles), France, to the Mediterranean. 102 B. C.
Marius
builds a canal from the lower Rhône River to the Mediterranean. 66
Nero attempts to build a canal through
Greece's Isthmus of Corinth but soon abandons the attempt. 120 The Romans in Britain build the Foss Dyke, connecting
Lincoln with the Trent River at Torksey. 600
Construction begins on China's Grand
Canal. 605
China's Sui rulers complete the Yung-Chi
Canal. 609
The approximate date of the Pien section
of China's Grand Canal. 610
The Grand Canal is finished. 640
Egypt makes repairs to Ramses' canal. 983
Chaio Wei-yo invents the chambered
lock(like those of the Hennepin), on China's Grand Canal. To be continued in the next issue. David Minor, Eagles Byte Historical
Research 1996 Hennepin Canal - Technical Survey
Submitted by Gary Wagle The Hennepin Canal can be imagined as an
inverted “T.” The Feeder forms
the stem of the T; and the Main Canal, with it’s 32 locks, forms the cross
line of the inverted T. The water that fills the Canal comes from the Rock
River, located at the top of the inverted T’s stem, called the Guard Lock,
which is in Rock Falls. The water from the Rock River flows down the Feeder,
with no locks, for 29.3 miles where it joins the Main Canal just West of
Sheffield. The water then flows both East and West. The water flowing East
spills into the Illinois River at Bureau Junction at Lock 1. The water that
flows West spills back into the Rock River at Colona, Lock 29. The area where
the Feeder junctions the main Canal is called the Summit Pool, and the Summit
Pool, located between locks 21 and 22, is 11 miles long. The distance East from
the Summit Pool to the Illinois River is 18 miles and the drop down to the
Illinois River is 196 feet, which is stepped down through 21 locks. The distance
West from the Summit Pool to the Rock River at Colona is 32.9 miles and the drop
down to the Rock River is about 90 feet, which is stepped down through eight
locks. Canal boats traveling West that wanted
to travel the Mississippi River would, after leaving Lock 29 at Colona, travel
down the Rock River to Milan where they would reenter the Canal at Lock 30, just
upstream of the Steel Dam. The Canal continues from Lock 30 to the Mississippi
River at Lock 32, located on Big Island, West of Rock Island. The Main Canal, including the 8.8 mile
trip on the Rock River is 75.2 miles. The combined distances of the Main and
Feeder Canals is 104.5 miles
Mark you calendars - Hikemabika
- Sunday, October 5 Hikemabika
Notes - The Hikemabika committee met
on July 22 to discuss the plans for the event.
We are looking for sponsorship of the event and if you know of any
possible sponsors, just let us know via e-mail (fhcanal@mchsi.com) or drop us a
note at Friends of the Hennepin Canal, 410 W. Railroad, Sheffield, IL 61361.
Hikemabika will take place on Sunday, October 5.
It will be hosted at the Geneseo Campground, just north of Geneseo on Rt
82. The individual rates ($15 per
person before Sept 23) remain the same, however we have changed the family rate
to $50 for 4 or more. Children under
six are free. Proceeds of the
Hikemabika will go towards canal improvements. |
