Starved Rock State Park

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After parting ways with my friend Abigail in St. Louis I was continuing

on my massive northeast road trip with my sights set on Starved Rock

State Park in Illinois. This park was rated the #1 attraction in the whole

state and I was hoping to see some beautiful fall colors and

waterfalls while I was there.

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LUNCH ON ROUTE 66

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On my way from St. Louis to Starved Rock State Park I stopped

for lunch at a Route 66 gem called The Cozy Dog Drive In in

Springfield, IL. This family owned restaurant has been living on the

famous Route 66 since 1949 and claims to be the home of

the “original” hot dog on a stick, dipped in batter, and deep

fried. (AKA a corndog lol) This restaurant really leaned into their

Route 66 location like all of the other businesses around, but

honestly that was something I really liked about it. (One of my bucket

list items is to drive all of Route 66, preferably in my 1967 Chevy Impala.)

It all seemed very original much like the batter recipe they still use for their corndogs.

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Now in all honesty, these were not the best corndogs I have

ever had. There definitely was a unique flavor to the batter

that I have never tried before. In fact, I thought the batter was

spicy. Yeah I know that sounds crazy, but I am telling you that

breading had a kick to it! This kind of made the dogs lose some

flavor points for me since I do not like to eat spicy food anymore.

However, even though I wasn't a huge fan of their flavor it is hard

to beat the price. I got 2 Cozy Dogs and water for less than $5. Now

would I return to have these corndogs again? Well, probably

not, but I am really happy that I stopped.

Cozy Dogs

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THE LEGEND OF STARVED ROCK

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Starved Rock gets its name from a Native American legend. In

the 1760s chief of the Ottawa tribe, Pontiac, was slain by an

Illiniwek tribe member which thus sparked a string of battles

between the Ottawa and Illiniwek tribes to avenge his death.

During one of these battles the Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes

surrounded the Illiniwek who sat atop a 125-foot butte and kept

them there until all the Illiniwek members starved to death...hence

the name “Starved Rock.” There is no evidence that says this actually

occurred, but it is an interesting story for sure.

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HIKING - Let’s Get Lost (Literally)

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The first trail I went on in the park was a trail that loops around

the infamous Starved Rock from the legend (0.3 miles). This trail

features a LOT of stairs and truthfully I wasn’t all that impressed

with the views. However, I do think it is one you should still go on

just to see the rock that gives this park it’s name and learn some

history from the placards present on the trail.

See? Lots of stairs....

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Refusing to listen to TLC, I next set out to chase some waterfalls!

It didn’t look like the area had really received much rain as of

late so I wasn’t holding my breath, but I was at least going to try!

The first trail known for its waterfalls is close to the visitor

center (only about half a mile away) and is called the French Canyon

Trail (2.5 miles). I really liked how this trail flowed with the canyon/woods

instead of cutting a line straight through it all. Unfortunately there was

no waterfall to be had at French Canyon that day, but it was still a pretty trail.

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After finishing the French Canyon trail I went searching for the

Saint Louis Canyon trailhead. Y’all I have absolutely zero sense

of direction and apparently cannot, for the life of me, read maps.

I swear I searched for this trailhead for what felt like hours!

However, just when I was about to give up and move on to my next

destination, some divine force stepped in and guided me to the trailhead

THAT I HAD WALKED PAST LIKE 5 TIMES. *sigh* At least

I found it eventually I guess. Lol

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You will legit walk through a pasture. Have to admit that walking this alone definitely was a little unsettling.

I will say that I am really glad I stuck with it and stayed to hike

the Saint Louis Trail. It was my favorite hike of the entire park

with a beautiful boardwalk, gorgeous scenery (minus a creepy

cabin in the woods I had to walk very close to while all alone), and

the one thing I was really looking for, a waterfall! This waterfall is the

only waterfall in the park that usually has water running all year round

because it is fed by a natural spring and not based on the amount

of rainfall that the park receives. I even got to experience this waterfall

all on my own with no one else around. It was perfect.

Part of the creepy cabin

Standing underneath waterfall

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How to find the Saint Louis Trail for the directionally challenged

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You can get to the Saint Louis trail via the main parking lot. You

will want to park your car on the back end of one of the first two

rows you see when you first enter the parking lot. There will be a

wooden post on the back end of the parking lot right in front of a big

pasture. Do not ignore this wooden post! I know it doesn’t look like it, but

it is your trail marker! You will follow the trail through the pasture

and then come out the other side at a crosswalk. Use this to cross the

paved road and go into the woods. You will want

to follow the signs for the Bluff trail and then on to Saint Louis Canyon.

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TRUE CRIME IN STARVED ROCK

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Being a true crime junkie one of the reasons why I was so set

on visiting this park was because of the brutal triple homicide that

happened here in the 1960s. (Is that weird? Lol) 3 women in their

late 40s and early 50s, Lillian Oetting, Frances Murphy, and Mildred

Linquist were bludgeoned to death while hiking through the park

near St. Louis Canyon by 21 year old Chester Weger.

From left to right: Frances, Mildred, and Lillian

Chester Weger

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Chester worked at the Starved Rock Lodge as a dishwasher and

while out on a hike through the park he ran into the 3 women

who, according to him, he only intended on robbing. Chester was

arrested for the murders not long after the bodies were found and

confessed claiming, however, that he was scared into confessing

by the police (who threatened him with electrocution) and he later

rebuked his confession and plead not guilty to the crimes. This didn't

matter though because on his 22nd birthday Chester was convicted

of the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment. While in prison

he wrote an autobiography claiming his innocence and after 24 attempts

was released on parole in February 2020. (I was in the park in September

of 2020 hiking alone.) He was 80 years old when he was released

and to this day claims he never committed the murders.

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Cave where the women's bodies were found. I walked right by and inside of this cave while I was there.

You can read more about this crime here:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-viz-chester-weger-starved-rock-murders-htmlstory.html

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DINNER

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I finished the Saint Louis Canyon a little before sunset and

was two hours behind schedule due to how many times I

got lost in the park so I decided it was definitely time to head

out of there and move on to my hotel for the night. However, before

I got to the hotel I needed some food and as luck would have it

I noticed on Google Maps that there was a Texas Roadhouse right

on the way. Y’all after the day I had in the park, constantly getting lost

and frustrated, you had better believe that I NEEDED some of those

wonderful rolls to get me through. Oh but of course my bad luck

wasn’t about to stop there because on my way to Texas Roadhouse

I was pulled over by an Illinois State Trooper. Yup. You know me, rebel

without a cause always having some run in with the law. Lol Oh and

my offense? Driving too closely behind a semi. Smh. However, it all

worked out in the end. I sat on the side of the road and had a 20

minute conversation with this state trooper who was extremely

concerned for my own personal safety after finding out I was road tripping

alone and he let me go without so much as a warning. Moral of

the story? Be nice to the cops. Lol

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Finally got my rolls. 🤤

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TIME TO TURN IN

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After finally putting one of the greatest foods on all the earth

inside my belly, I drove on to my hotel for the night which was

the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham in Michigan City, Indiana.

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FINAL THOUGHTS ON STARVED ROCK

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I thought that Starved Rock was a really pretty park, but I

personally thought that the trails in the park were not marked

very well at all and I legit spent more time lost than I did on trails

which really frustrated me. Definitely isn't a park I would go out

of my way to see again, but I do think that it is a great place to stop

and stretch your legs if it is along your route.

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Have you been to Starved Rock? Do you visit places because of their true crime history?

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