Chautauqua is a populated place in Jersey County, Illinois. Also known as the New Piasa Chautauqua Historic District which is a private semi-gated summer resort that started as a 19th-century tent settlement. The name Piasa is taken from a nearby Native American painting of a mythical bird, called the

Piasa Bird The Piasa ( ) or Piasa Bird is a creature from Native American mythology depicted in one of two murals painted by Native Americans on cliffsides above the Mississippi River. Its original location was at the end of a chain of limestone bluffs i ...

, which was painted on the bluffs high above the Mississippi River. Chautauqua is located between Elsah and

Grafton Grafton may refer to: Places Australia * Grafton, New South Wales Canada * Grafton, New Brunswick * Grafton, Nova Scotia * Grafton, Ontario England * Grafton, Cheshire * Grafton, Herefordshire *Grafton, North Yorkshire * Grafton, Oxfordshi ...

Jersey County Jersey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 21,512. The county seat and largest community is Jerseyville, with a population of 8,337 in 2010. The county's smallest incorporated co ...

. Today, it is bordered by and has access from the

Great River Road The Great River Road is a collection of state and local roads that follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States. They are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Miss ...

(

Illinois Route 100 Illinois Route 100 (IL-100) is a state highway in the southwest Illinois. It generally parallels the Illinois River. Starting in downtown Alton, it trends northward to Buckheart Township near Canton. It makes up much of the Illinois River Roa ...

). It has functioned as a private non-denominational

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

summer resort for over a century.

History

Founded in 1885 by Methodist leaders, Piasa Chautauqua attracted thousands of people from the St. Louis area and other places in Illinois. Arriving first by packet boat, and later by automobile or the trains that ran by as often as six times a day, the vacationers were entertained, educated, and inspired by guests including William Jennings Bryan, evangelists Sam Jones, Billy Sunday and

Gypsy Smith Rodney "Gipsy" Smith MBE (31 March 1860 – 4 August 1947) was a British evangelist who conducted evangelistic campaigns in the United States and Great Britain for over 70 years. He was an early member of The Salvation Army and a contemporary of ...

, the Swiss Bell Ringers, John Philip Sousa’s band and "

Sunny Jim "Sunny Jim" is the name of two completely unconnected characters used in advertising and product branding: (1) a cartoon character created to promote ''Force'' cereal, the first commercially successful wheat flake; (2) the name of a brand of pean ...

," reputed to be one of the Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. The physical situation of the settlement added to its appeal as the hottest summer days had cool valley breezes and some evenings might require a jacket. Before the days of air-conditioning, this offered a welcome relief from the heat of the city. An early swimming pool, that used to be filled with cold spring water, remains a popular attraction. A 1912 brochure described the area: :"''Piasa Chautauqua is located less than 40 miles from St. Louis in a beautiful valley between high, massive bluffs with the great Mississippi serving as a guard in front and almost unexplored forest at back, one of nature’s most picturesque spots, unknown to thousands but dear to those who have enjoyed its beauties and regained health from its wonderful springs and its clear, pure air, delightful cool nights, beautiful scenery and outdoor amusements, boating, swimming, fishing, bathing, lawn tennis, croquet, baseball...''" In an Illinois tourists' guide in 1932, the author celebrates the region's "grandeur... urpassingthat of the Palisades on the Hudson." The New Piasa Chautauqua Historical Society, founded in 1983, is working to integrate the Chautauqua history with that of the surrounding area. It has been designated as the New Piasa Chautauqua Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Today, there are over two hundred cottages and substantial homes at Chautauqua. Many are occupied by the descendants of earlier owners.

References

External links

Official Web Site

Chautauqua memories of Paul Terry Walhus on the Spring

Chautauqua discussion

Chautauqua, Illinois pictures

Roque in Chautauqua, Illinois
{{authority control Populated places established in 1885 21st-century Chautauquas Chautauqua Unincorporated communities in Jersey County, Illinois Illinois populated places on the Mississippi River Unincorporated communities in Illinois