In 1832 the Sauk chief Black Hawk led a group of warriors and their families–a total of 1,500 people–across the glacier-flattened, sparsely settled prairie of northern Illinois and up into Wisconsin. Their goal was the recovery of former homelands on this side of the Mississippi, but near Lake Geneva, the strength of his party diminishing and an army of volunteer soldiers in full pursuit, Black Hawk decided to turn back. He headed west and north, into the hills of the driftless (nonglaciated) country west of Madison, and on to the steep, wooded bluffs on the east bank of the Mississippi. There the army finally caught up with him, and the slaughter was nearly total. Black Hawk was one of the few survivors.
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It’s a short drive from the hotel to the Black Hawk State Historic Site, just south of Moline (1510 46th Ave., Rock Island, 309-788-0177). Head south across the Mississippi at the Centennial Bridge and immediately turn right. At 11th Street turn left (south), and just past the mall with the giant Black Hawk in the parking lot turn left on Blackhawk Road (also known as 46th Avenue) at the TV store named for–you guessed it. At the historic site a beautiful park surrounds a lodge built in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, complete with massive exposed timbers and flagstone floors; there are meeting rooms here but, unlike a similar lodge at Starved Rock State Park, no guest rooms. A life-size statue of Black Hawk stands in a courtyard, pondering the impressive view of the vast quarry in the valley below. The Hauberg Indian Museum inside the lodge is worth the $2 donation, but don’t look here for Black Hawk’s route: the attendants are pleasant but relatively clueless about the chief’s trail. Investigate the interesting photos of his descendants and the well-done dioramas depicting Indian life on the plains, and hit the road.
Head northeast along Illinois 5, which becomes 92 and finally turns into U.S. Highway 88 just past Blackhawk College. The topography is pretty flat here, and you’ve got a lot of miles to cover, so eat up some ground on 88 while you can. Exit at 78 south to visit Prophetstown, named not, as you might expect, for the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith, but for the controversial Native American called the Prophet who was instrumental in Black Hawk’s decision to rebel. On the main street, just past the Pizza Pit (which was hosting a rummage sale in the foyer in June), you’ll find the Historical Society Museum (no phone–try the chamber of commerce at 815-537-5598 for information). It’s open until noon on Saturday, but if you’re lucky Marge Sommers will be hanging around until 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Sommers, who recently won three million dollars in the Illinois lottery, is a font of knowledge about Prophetstown and the surrounding area. She writes a weekly column on historical subjects for the local paper, and she doesn’t hesitate to acknowledge the shady character of the town’s namesake. Be sure to check out the collection of push mowers–in older days the cornerstone of the Prophetstown economy–in a corner of the modest museum.
After this incident Black Hawk detoured up to Lake Koshkonong, Wisconsin, where he left the women, children, and aged of the group, then ventured back west through Illinois with a war party in search of horses and supplies. His path is followed by Highway 20 from Rockford, past Freeport. A few miles south on Kent Road is Kellogg’s Grove, where a monument similar to that at Stillman Valley commemorates two small yet bloody battles. It’s set on a high hill on the edge of the driftless area in northwest Illinois, a good spot for a picnic, though it’s a long way to go for the payoff.
From the marker take Route 12 to Route 60 west, then 60 to County C north. Not far from here, according to Rand McNally, is the town of Blackhawk, a tiny black dot on the undulating curves of County Road C. You earn extra points if you can find this town at all; it seems to have vanished beneath the placid, rolling hills. Watch for Schweppe Drive, and after you give up the search for Blackhawk head west on it for ten miles of scenery as idyllic as any in the midwest. The twisting road winds through precipitous slopes, cows amble across glowing pastures, and songbirds hymn the sun. Watch the wildlife, but also watch where you’re going, because it’s easy to get confused in this land of unexpected T-intersections and missing road signs. Let the fate of the town of Blackhawk be a warning to you, and pay attention now. When Schweppe Drive ends at County B, go west (left). At Highway 23 go south (left) to Highway 14. Go west (right) on 14 and head for Richland Center, about 22 miles away–if you pass the little house bearing the sign Ringelstetter’s Dog Food Center you’re on the right track. Also along 14 you’ll see the Sauk County Forest and a giant fiberglass pumpkin. Somewhere around here Black Hawk abandoned the Wisconsin River and headed overland for the Mississippi.
