Prophetstown State Park is an Illinois state park on in Whiteside County,

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

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Situated on south bank of the Rock River adjoining modern

Prophetstown, Illinois Prophetstown is a city in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,080 at the 2010 census, up from 2,023 in 2000. Geography Prophetstown is located at (41.670504, -89.935869). According to the 2010 census, Prophetstown h ...

, it was the site of a native American village founded by Ho-Chunk chief Wabokieshiek (also known as White Cloud) along the

Sauk Trail The Sauk Trail was originally a Native American trail running through what are present-day Illinois, Indiana and Michigan in the United States. From west to east, the trail ran from Rock Island on the Mississippi River to the Illinois River near ...

and populated in the early 19th century by Native Americans of various tribes who did not wish to evacuate across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

as whites emigrated to the area. It became a strategic target during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the " British Band", cros ...

. Illinois militia general Samuel Whiteside ordered the recently abandoned village burned on May 10, 1832. Pursuant to the efforts of newspaperman and 10-term Prophetstown mayor George S. Brydia, who also served many terms as a representative in the Illinois General Assembly, the state park was founded in 1947. Gov. William G. Stratton formally dedicated the park on September 18, 1953. It has a campground and other facilities, but may be closed (especially before May 1 annually) due to flooding or budget constraints.

References

* * State parks of Illinois Protected areas of Whiteside County, Illinois Protected areas established in 1947 1947 establishments in Illinois {{WhitesideCountyIL-geo-stub