Illinois Route 71 is a southwest-to-northeast state highway in north central

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. It runs from the end of Interstate 180 in Hennepin to

U.S. Route 34 U.S. Route 34 (US 34) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches elevation ...

in Oswego. This is a distance of .

Route description

Veteran's Memorial Bridge-Ottawa Illinois 20180916 1117

Outside of Hennepin, the road stretches east to an intersection with

Interstate 39 Interstate 39 (I-39) is a highway in the Midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois, at I-55 to State Trunk Highway 29 (WIS 29) in the town of Rib Mountain, Wisconsin, which is approximately south of Wausau. I- ...

near Oglesby, paralleling I-39 to the north for several miles on a concurrency with

Illinois Route 351 Illinois Route 351 is a north–south state route that leads from Illinois Route 71 and Illinois Route 251 by Oglesby through downtown LaSalle to Interstate 80. It is long. Route description Illinois 351 is the former Business U.S. Route 5 ...

before turning eastward again near LaSalle-

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. Between LaSalle-Peru and

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Route 71 parallels the south bank of the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

and passes

Starved Rock State Park Starved Rock State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Illinois, characterized by the many canyons within its . Located just southeast of the village of Utica, in Deer Park Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, along the south bank of the ...

. It then crosses the Illinois River on a simple four-lane girder bridge. It overlaps

Illinois Route 23 Illinois Route 23 (IL 23) is a north–south state highway in northern Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 116 in Pontiac north to U.S. Route 14 south of Harvard. This is a distance of . Illinois 23 was established in 1918 as one of the or ...

through downtown Ottawa and

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...

east from Route 23 before intersecting with

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

. From here it continues to the northeast, passing through

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

, and Yorkville. Its eastern terminus is near downtown Oswego at an intersection with

U.S. Highway 34 U.S. Route 34 (US 34) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches elevation ...

and Wolfs Crossing Road. The now-defunct Prairie Parkway project, a limited-access highway, would have had an interchange with Route 71 southwest of High Point Road near Yorkville. The stretch between US 34 and Orchard Road in Oswego was widened to four lanes in each direction, with the addition of center turn lane, in which the project was completed in the fall of 2015. There are also current plans to build a silica sand mine off of IL 71 near Starved Rock State Park, pending final approval by the City of Ottawa. The plan is currently opposed by environmental groups due to the intended use of the sand in fracking practices and the potential damage caused by airborne dust and blasting operations.

History

Before 1938, Illinois Route 71 originally connected from US 51 (now IL 251) at Twelvemile Corner to US 30 at

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. In 1938, IL 71 moved onto a new route as US 30 was rerouted through Twelvemile Corner. It traveled from IL 29 near Bureau Junction to IL 23 at Ottawa. Before that, it was part of

Illinois Route 89 Illinois Route 89 (IL 89) is a rural, north–south state highway in central Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 34 (US 34) in La Moille southward to IL 116 in Metamora. IL 26 and IL 89 are the main north–south roads ...

as well as Illinois Route 7A, and Illinois Route 89A. In 1939, a ferry that crossed the Illinois River was replaced by a truss bridge. In 1942, IL 71 was extended towards US 34 in Oswego. In 1947, the road between Norway and Yorkville was finished and then opened to traffic. In 1969, IL 71 was truncated from Bureau Junction to Hennepin after IL 26 was extended to Peoria.

Points of interest

Just south of Norway, there is a memorial dedicated to Norwegian immigrants who settled in the area, with a small park, a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

, and a plaque from

King Olav V Olav V (; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Norw ...

. This memorial commemorates the Fox River Settlement. Dating from 1834, this was the location of the first permanent

Norwegian-American Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the ...

immigrant settlement in the Midwest.''Norwegian Settlers Memorial'' (Illinois Historic Preservation Agency)
Near E. 26th Road, south of

Norway, Illinois Norway is an unincorporated community in Mission Township, LaSalle County, Illinois. Located along the Fox River, the community was the site of an early Norwegian-American settlement. Today it is the site of the State of Illinois Norwegian Set ...

, there is also a crashed airplane that serves as a "memorial" of sorts to commemorate the 1980s agricultural crash, which affected the rural farming county.

Major intersections

References

External links

*{{ccat-inline 071 Transportation in Putnam County, Illinois Transportation in LaSalle County, Illinois Transportation in Kendall County, Illinois