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Friends
donate bench to Parkway
Canal
voted to have a bench made to enjoy the canal. Bernard Francque made an all
steel bench and the board decided to put it at Lock 24, just north of Geneseo.
Gary
Wagle, Ed Herrmann and JoAnne Gernant meant at the canal and built a form for
the bench. Thank goodness Gary had some experience in construction. Ed and I (JoAnne)
did the running and mixing while Gary did the organizing.
We were pleased with our work and went to the shelter
to wait for the concrete to dry. Gary helped us celebrate our hard work by
getting milk shakes. As we sat visiting in the nearby shelter and out of the
sun, a group of boys came up the path. We jumped up and went over to the drying
concrete. Guess what - three foot
prints! Gary went and got the trowel and got the prints out, but still a mark
remains. After lectures from old school teachers, Gary and myself, I do not
think the boys will walk through wet concrete again. Not a big deal but an
experience to remember.
We have been given a GIFT of a stone plaque (Friend of
the Canal 2004) from Chuck and Barb Dornfeld. This will make the bench
foundation special. We are blessed with friends that care about the canal.
Now put in the bench, sit, watch the water falls and enjoy the canal. All
in all it was a fun day.
This is the first of several benches that the
Friends of the Hennepin Canal intends to place for the public’s enjoyment. The
next one to be placed will probably be set in the Bureau County area, near Lock
2 or 3.
From the Superintendent by
Steve Moser
With
each Friends of the Hennepin newsletter, we ask Superintendent Steve Moser to
comment on the state of the canal. Because there is no formal connection between
the State Park and the Friends group, his comments do not necessarily represent
the views of the FHC.
Dear Friends,
When Mother Nature decides to dry things up, she really
does the job. After trying to trudge
through a wet spring, we spent much of the early summer trying to catch up with
the mowing. Though not quite there yet, what with manpower shortages and
equipment breaking down, we are making headway. The new toilet buildings
are coming along well; six sets are open and we are hoping the remainder are
done mid to late September. The
rehabilitation work at Aqueduct #4 near Mineral is going along nicely.
There are two water filled portable dams spanning the Canal at the aqueduct that
are allowing work crews down on the aqueduct floor proper to repair joints and
wingwalls. The June fish sampling provided some eye popping results.
I will not detail what or where but the fish biologist was extremely happy with
the entire Canal fisheries population. The recreation trail has seen a lot
more use and for the
most part is receiving a favorable rating.
Yours In Conservation,
Steve Moser, Site Superintendent
Hennepin Canal Parkway
16006 - 875 East Street
Sheffield, IL 61361
815/454-2328
A
(Good) Road Less Traveled
On the June 20th “Water Snake” hike, about a mile
East of the point where the Feeder joins the Main Canal (just west of Sheffield)
we met a lone cyclist riding down the trail. We could easily see that he was a
long distance rider by the fact that his bicycle was loaded down with gear. We
hailed him down for a little chat. His name was Christopher Wood, “from
Virginia.” He wasn’t too willing to tell his story, but he did tell us that
he was traveling from Bloomington, Indiana to Northwestern Missouri. He had
gotten on the Hennepin trail in Bureau Junction, Lock # 2, at the eastern end.
We also learned that he was hungry since he asked where he could go into town
for something to eat. We offered some of our trail mix, which he eagerly
gobbled. After taking a picture, we shook his hand—a most powerful grip—and
he was on his way. The last we saw him he was fading into the distance on his
way to the Rock River at Colon.
To Friend of the Canal
Being 90 years old, I almost forgot that
it was “Due” time. Quite often I
dream back at the pleasant times of growing up on the old Illinois &
Mississippi Canal. That was and
always will be the true name from starting to ending.
My family and relatives comprised the
largest group that I can recall. My
Dad, Conway Philpott lived at mile 35 (near Annawan) Locks 1, 8, 11 & 12;
his dad Billy lived at Locks 7 & 5, Mom’s dad George Hand lived at Locks 6
and 22; Bert Hand (uncle) lived at mile 20 on the feeder and Lock 9, Frank Hand
lived at the guard lock at Rack Falls from 1948-1951.
You can see why the old canal means a
lot to me. May the good Lord bless
all of you and the volunteers.
Resp.
Glenn Philpott
Suggestions Needed
FRIENDS: We need your input! Suggestions
on how to get new members interested in joining the Friends of the Canal. This
is a very concerned group of people who wish to help preserve the
historical and recreational use of the canal. How to get the idea out to people
to join Friends of the Canal?? A volunteer group that is trying to keep up with
the working of the canal, and do what can be done to help. Without members
little can be done. Any ideas contact any one of the directors or talk to Steve
Moser at the Visitors Center.
Hiking the Hennepin Canal by
Ed Herrmann
FEBRUARY 15, 2004
“Bald Eagle Hike”
4.6 Miles
This is not the hike for couch potatoes, it being one
of the longest. We also have the snow and cold to contend with. Although I’ve
done this hike three prior years, this was the first time I could not find the
Steel Dam. The area has been upset due to highway construction and the “Steel
Dam” sign on the right has disappeared. Mary Cox from Rock Island also had
trouble finding it but her two daughters, Chelsea and Catlyn, were good
co-pilots and spotted the sign on the opposite side of the highway. Wayne Leader
from East Moline, Barb Mueller from Milan, and Pat Stier from Sheffield
completed our hiking group. Duke Mueller did not hike but helped with the
shuttling.
Bald eagles were spotted at once in the trees on the
island but not as many as in past years. The first leg of the hike was trudging
through the snow along the canal bank. We did have a path of sorts made by some
cross-country skiers that made it a little easier. It was in this section that
we spotted a small animal running across the ice with an eagle circling overhead
keeping an eye on it. After 1.5 miles we approached the paved path with a newly
constructed bench for us to take a rest. It was noted from a metal plaque on the
bench that this was the project of a local eagle scout. Great job! I have not
seen it yet but Geneseo also has a scout project of a kiosk that was erected
along the Hennepin Canal. We must give thanks to these scouts that have taken on
such ambitious projects in our communities.
Our next leg of the hike was snow free as the sun had
melted the white stuff off the paved path. Here we again met several dog walkers
and a few people walkers too. We were moving along rather good until I
discovered I had left some equipment back on the bench. The group waited till I
did my retrieve duty. To make up for some lost time we did a crossing over the
ice at the creek. This did make our hike a bit shorter.
We were on our last leg of the hike and back on the
snow again. It was called to our attention that the gate at the end of the trail
was locked so we opted to take the river route. We were almost back to the Steel
Dam when the group noted two eagles roosting in a tree just above Pat. It did
not take them long to wing it out of there. Lo and behold, Barb was there in the
parking lot waiting for us with hot chocolate and brownies. That hit the spot!
Barb had taken a shorter hike having had knee
replacement surgery last year. She zipped home and brought us the treats
March 21, 2004
“Great Blue Heron”
5.1 Miles
Spring is here, well that is what the calendar says. I
guess it can be expected of March to have these brisk windy days. It was not so
bad for us hikers as the sun was out and the wind was at our back when it blew.
A few fishermen at lock 3 called it quits after just a few minutes because of
the cold wind. First time hikers with our group were Kathy and Roger John from
Dunlap. They are both runners and run all winter long so this was a ‘walk in
the park‘ so to say for them. Also Darlene Jacobs from Kewanee and Lauren
Simer were new to the Hennepin Challenge. Lauren lives quite close to the
Hennepin Canal in Sheffield and decided to check out a new area of the canal.
Joining us for another leg were Stephen Carlson from Mendota and Ken Boquist
from Rock Island. Ken told me he has done the whole Hennepin Canal, including
the stretch from lock 2 to the Illinois River. Wayne Leader did this stretch
last year, there is no path. Three FHC board members also did the hike, Pat
Stier from Sheffield, Gary Wagle from Rock Island, and myself, Ed Herrmann from
Spring Valley. Gary, returning from Chicago, lost his hike instructions and had
to call the Visitor’s Center to find us. Last year was the first time this
area has been on our schedule and he had missed that hike.
Lock 3 has a new large parking lot with easy access
which was our gathering spot for the hike. Parking lots at lock 2 and 6 both
require complicated directions. I told our group as we started our hike from
lock 6 to keep their eyes open, the local newspaper ran a picture of a rare
white deer in this area. It did not take long for our hikers to split into two
groups, the fast and the slow, we go at our own pace. Gary was first to note a
sign of spring, frogs singing away along the path. It was not a harsh winter and
they came through it! After passing lock 5, the second sign, geese staking out
their nesting areas on the opposite grassy banks. This area has abundant
wetlands. It was in this area that our group ran into Wayne Leader from East
Moline. Wayne just missed the shuttle and started out on his own on the opposite
equestrian path. He reported that the horse path did not have any litter. I was
not expecting much litter on the bike path side as I had done 2 cleanup hikes
this past winter in the area but you always miss some. I mentioned that the one
area was a spot that I had found quite a collection of beer bottles. Well
‘eagle eyes’ Wayne spotted one I had missed. When he went off the path for
the one bottle he un-covered another batch. By the time we reached Bureau all
our garbage bags were overflowing. Hopefully in the future the users of our
Hennepin Canal will be more considerate and won’t litter. It is our park and
we should treat it as our own.
Our hike ended without seeing a blue heron or the white
deer. I had to drive Pat back to her van at lock 6. I pointed out an area that a
lot of locals stop at to observe the deer in the corn fields. Pat spotted a deer
at once, and then noticed a herd feeding on the opposite side of the road. I am
always cautious of encountering deer crossing the road in this area in the
evening especially when returning home from a canal fishing trip. Note…after
leaving Pat at her van I did have a deer cross the road in front of me, I saw
this one coming and it missed me!
April 18, 2004
“Red Winged Blackbird”
4.9 Miles
Rig a
sail to your bike and you could complete this hike in record time. Windy, hang
on to your hats! I myself came with a new hat but decided to leave it in the car
rather than seeing it fly into the canal. Because of the strong south wind it
was decided to change the hike a little. The group walked from lock 22 to bridge
62 so that we could have the wind at our backs. I heard the local radio station
in my area did a great job of promoting this hike and that may have explained
the good number of participants from the region near the western end of the
Hennepin Canal. They included: Ginny Turner, Jim Turner, Betty Newman, and Les
Newman, from Granville; Bonnie Selski, Princeton; Delores Ringenberg, Normal
(former resident of
Princeton); Ed Herrmann, Spring Valley; Yung Chung and
2 other lady hikers, Ottawa. To complete the group we had: Wayne Leader, East
Moline; Ken Boquist, Rock Island; Darlene Jacobs, Kewanee; and one small dog on
a leash. Lucky for us the sun stayed behind the clouds. The day before we had
record heat and many of us had our air conditioners running. Only one in our
group found the hike too difficult and that was our little canine friend. She
refused to drink the canal water and had to be carried for part of the way
(quite unlike Joanne’s Spook).
I especially enjoyed talking to our hikers from Ottawa.
The Illinois & Michigan Canal runs through Ottawa but it does not have any
water flow in that area. I was pleased to have a tour of the I-M Canal from
LaSalle to Seneca just recently. It was quite interesting to compare our two
canals. Construction on the I-M began in1836 and the Hennepin in 1890. People
visiting the Hennepin Parkway for the first time are amazed at the great
recreational facility we have here.
This was one of the few times that our group had the
whole bike path for ourselves. Not another hiker or anyone out for a bike ride.
The anglers were spotted doing their thing in the Summit Pool and across the way
on the Feeder Canal. After shuttling back to the parking lot we were surprised
at the large number of families fishing at lock 22. This is a wonderful spot for
a family outing, you can both picnic and fish here and today it was fishing. It
could use another garbage container, we filled the one there to the top with the
stuff we picked up along the path on the hike.
May 16, 2004
“Cottonwood”
4.1 Miles
“Cottonwood“, a great name for our May hike. It is
that time when these huge trees make their presence known with all that fluffy
stuff in the air and on the waters of the canal. I find them a nuisance as a
fisherman as the cotton sticks to my fishing line and builds up in the eyelets
of my fishing rod. Sunday was a perfect day for our hike, temperature in the
lower 70’s and no rain! Joining us after a sort of maternity leave was Dana
Lunken from Putnam. In a double jog stroller were her 8 and 22 month olds, Adira
and Ronit. Also to keep them company was the family border collie, Lucy.
Completing our group and sporting Extra-arm pick up tools were: Wayne Leader,
East Moline; Ken Boquist, Rock Island; Ed Herrmann, Spring Valley. I believe
that this was the first time our pace was set by a dog. Lucy is an older dog and
when she needs a rest she wades in the canal for a break. Of course the rest of
us took a breather too. Lucy is a great dog, she did not give any of us a free
shower from her dips.
For such a nice day we had the bike path to ourselves.
A few anglers were tossing in lines at each bridge access area along the way.
One fisherman at bridge 50 showed off a nice channel cat in his afternoon
efforts. He said he has a lot of luck fishing in that spot all summer long. We
twisted his arm and got him to take a few group pictures of our crew. Maybe Pat
will be able to insert one of them in our newsletter. Our IDNR driver had
pointed out that this bridge access area will have a restroom in the future. A
flag marked the spot
June 20,
2004
“Water snake”
4.8 miles
Summer arrives tomorrow but you could not ask for a better day for a hike.
Taking advantage of the cooler weather were: Gary Wagle, Rock Island; Karna
Parpart, Princeton; John Oliver, Kewanee; Pat Stier, Sheffield; Wayne Leader,
East Moline; Ed Herrmann, Spring Valley. Bridge 15 where our group gathered is
one of the sites where new toilet facilities are under construction. I have
noticed 2 other sites where construction activity is going on but this Sheffield
site is farther along to completion. I heard that at the
Lock 6 site they keep hitting water when
trying to situate the vaults, so it’s not as far along. Just one other note on
construction, the new wider bridge at lock 3 has been erected and looks great.
That area was on our March hike.
Karna was our only first timer on the “Hike
the Hennepin Challenge.” She had seen the notices several times and decided to
take the leap this month. “Daddy Longlegs” Gary had a Father’s Day
commitment and had to step ahead of our group to meet his time schedule. Pat and
myself loved our slower paced hike; it gave us time to observe more along the
way. Karna was our bird spotter; a brightly colored oriole was one of her finds.
It was one of the times we wished we had a pair of binoculars with us as we
could hear the birdcalls but could not spot the birds. John on the other hand
answered all our plant questions. We met a lot of bikers. The recumbent bike
must be the in-thing as we saw several types as we went along. The “passing on
your right/left” warning had not caught on in our area as we were surprised by
a few quiet ones that sneaked up on us. “Water Snake” was a very appropriate
name for this month’s hike. Karna noticed a rather fat snake sunning itself on
a tree in the water. This was at a spot where we were picking up cans and
bottles along the bank. I decided to go down the bank at this area to retrieve a
few more cans floating in the water; the snake was far enough away as not to
bother me. It was when climbing back up to the trail that I noticed something
moving at my feet. I leaped and yelled! No one had spotted this one.
*Update,
I noticed the problem was solved and the vaults are now in.
July 18, 2004
“Kingfisher”
3.2 MILES
It was a very pleasant day for our July hike and quite
a few people were out on the Hennepin Canal parkway, however there were only 5
hikers. First time hiker on the canal was Kim Jalley from LaSalle. I know Kim
from the fitness center at IVCC and had already introduced her to catfish
fishing on the canal last month. Veteran hikers made up the balance of the
group: Wayne Leader, East Moline; Pat Stier, Sheffield; Ann Pomatto and Ed
Herrmann, Spring Valley.
The group met at lock 21 and were shuttled to lock 17
for the start of the hike. Before heading to lock 17 we re-checked the parking
area west of the lock to see if additional hikers had missed the Lock 14 proper
sign (it is not as noticeable). There were no other hikers but people were
camping, picnicking, fishing, and a family had just arrived with 2 kayaks. On
the trail it was warm but we did have an occasional cooling breeze. We met a lot
of bicyclist using the path, including a gentleman with red, white and blue
stars and stripes shorts that passed us twice. You can’t forget those
patriotic shorts! A group of youngsters from Wyanet had biked the path and were
enjoying wading in cooling Bureau Creek. We spotted and heard them from above as
we crossed the aqueduct over Bureau Creek. More people were fishing along the
way but with not much luck. Fishing has been slow and spotty the last few weeks
on the canal. One group of anglers were busy grilling hamburgers at one lock as
they waited for a bite. Nearing the end of our hike, a group of four on
horseback approached us from the rear. Note to other users on the path, move to
the side and don’t make any sudden moves until the horses have passed you.
Horses can be spooked even by fishermen moving their fishing rods. The lock 21
area has a very nice area for people to bring their horses and to use the
multi-purpose path. Along our way back to lock 21 we did pick up a few small
bags of garbage but for the most part it was rather clean. We disposed of our
bags there at lock 21 and then has some cold drinks as we sat on the benches at
the lock. Pat Stier said that in the evening you can see from Route 6 all the
benches being used by people fishing. I think too people just like to go there
just to relax and listen to the water cascading over the lock as we were doing
after our hike..
Volunteer
Clean Up
Just a reminder to those who have volunteered to clean
up sections of the Canal that it would be good to inspect your designated area
for Summer trash. A more thorough clean up can usually be done during winter
months when the foliage isn’t hiding debris. But a quick cleaning will keep
things looking good for summer visitors. Many thanks to those who have already
been out there.
800E oiled & chipped
Being
a Sheffield resident I have noticed that the “backroad” (800E) into the
Visitor’s Center has been oil & chipped.
That is a much needed improvement and will be very appreciated to all
those who make a nightly trek out to the Visitor’s Center to see if they can
spot some deer.
Of course the downside is that the lead foots can take it at a higher
rate of speed.
Board Notes
March 16, 2004 -
regular board meeting
The
Friends held a regular board meeting on March 16, 2004 at the Visitor’s
Center.
In the
meeting Steve Moser reported
¨ Snowmobiling had been allowed for a
short time this past winter.
¨ The White Tails Unlimited purchased a 4
row corn planter for the canal.
¨ The new bridge at Lock 3 is not quite
finished.
¨ The new block restrooms will have to
wait until May 1 due to the posting of the county highways.
¨ In June they hope to roll & sweep
the recreational trail.
Weber
mentioned that the Governor wants to combine the Conservation Police Office with
the State Police. It was felt that
this is not a good move and complains should be directed to the Governor’s
office and our legislators.
Saturday,
May 29 was set to hold a Spring Warm-UP Bike Ride.
The ride will be from Lock 24 (Geneseo) to Bridge 23 (Annawan) and back.
Water and juice would be made available to the riders.
It was
decided to purchase 2 h-style benches and place them at Locks 3 (Bureau) and 24
(Geneseo) with the approval of the state. We
will try to put them in by May 29.
Wagle is
working on getting the second printing of the Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park
Trail Map brochure.
Wagle
also noted that their was an article on the Hennepin Canal in the American
Canals fall 2003 issue.
It was
reported that senate bill SB2572 which create the Rails-to-Trails Immunity
Act is in the Senate for passage. If
is passes it will then go to the House.
May 18, 2004 - regular
board meeting
The
Friends held a regular board meeting on May 18, 2004 at the Visitor’s Center.
Steve
Moser reported:
¨ Work on the new restrooms is in
progress.
Actions taken:
¨ Advertise
the Spring Warm UP Bike Ride on Mediacom for 2 weeks for $4 per week.
¨ Place a
gray color steel bench at Lock 24 with a plaque stating it was donated by the
Friends of the Hennepin Canal.
¨ Set
Sunday, October 3 as the date for the Hikemabika event with it being held at the
Visitor’s Center. Planning date
for the Hikemabika will be July 20 at the Visitor’s Center at 6:30pm.
¨ To donate
$25 to the Illinois Trails Conservancy in memory of Bob Moore.
It was suggested that the secretary
could email the minutes to the directors previous to the meeting.
Weber noted that on the American
Discovery Trail website that the Hennepin Canal Parkway was to be avoided
because it was a dirt trail and missing aqueducts.
The page has not been updated since 1999.
Weber will inform them that their information is no longer correct.
The GITAP ride on June 14-15 will
include parts of the Hennepin Canal recreation path.
The next board meeting will be Aug 17 at
6:30pm.
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