Starved Rock State Park is an Illinois state park located in Utica, Illinois, in rural La Salle County, Illinois, about 75 miles (120 km) west-southwest of downtown Chicago. The park is over 2500 acres (10 km²)in size and includes 13 miles (21 km) of hiking trails, numerous waterfalls (icefalls in winter) and other landforms. Starved Rock itself is a large eroded boulder overlooking the Illinois River. French explorers built a fort called Fort St. Louis atop the rock in 1682 but had abandoned it by the early 1700s. The rock derives its name from a story that a band of Illiniwek was trapped on the rock by a band of Potawatomi trying to avenge the death of the Ottawa Chief Pontiac. The Illiniwek starved on the rock. Camping, boating and fishing are popular activities in the park. On the property there is also a 1930s lodge built of full timbers by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center.
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