Tuesday, September 4, 2007 2:17 PM CDT

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Government mistake now a serene park

By Scott Richardson
srichardson@pantagraph.com

SHEFFIELD -- The Hennepin Canal has become one of Illinois' little-known outdoor treasurers after beginning as a government boondoggle a century ago.

Known today as the Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, celebrations are being held along the 104.5-mile canal this year to mark the 100th birthday of the state's longest linear park. Rock Falls hosts its canal birthday party on Sept. 8.

The goal when the canal was conceived in 1834 was to link the Illinois River near Hennepin to the Mississippi River near the Quad Cities. The canal was created to cut more than 400 miles from the barge trip between Chicago and Rock Island. But construction was delayed until 1892, and by the time it was completed in 1907, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had begun widening the locks on both the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. That meant barges could be built bigger, and they grew too large to fit the narrower Hennepin Canal. As a result, the canal was obsolete when the first boat floated through it.

But it wasn't an entire waste. The canal had become a boy's outdoor paradise by the time Gary Wagle grew up in Rock Island a quarter mile away. Wagle, 68, a retired high school teacher, remembers fishing, skinny-dipping and exploring the canal any chance he got. His mom didn't wonder long about where he was when he was late for supper.

"I spent my youth on the banks of the canal. It was adventure," said Wagle, who is president of the Friends of the Hennepin Canal, a group organized a few years ago to promote the canal's recreational uses and to preserve it.

Wagle calls the Hennepin Canal's origins a "serendipity." Though an expensive mistake at first, "It's become a marvelous park," he said, noting it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Steve Moser, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' site superintendent, said estimating the number of visitors to the canal is difficult because people can hike, jog or ride a bike, float a canoe or kayak, camp, fish or picnic anywhere along its tree-lined length without passing through entry gates. His best guess is about a million people visit each year.

The site became more popular after 2000 when the DNR completed a project to hard-surface about 90 miles of the old tow path to improve cycling. The trail along the main canal is surfaced from Bureau Junction near the Illinois River to Colona on the Rock River.

Mountain bikes are no longer required. But the surface is still not smooth, so mountain bikes or hybrid bikes are still preferred over road bikes. Hikers, joggers and cyclists also use a similar path along a 29-mile feeder canal built to link the main canal to the Rock River at Rock Falls to provide water to the Hennepin Canal.

Take water

The DNR recommends visitors bring their own refreshments. Drinking water is available at only three places, Locks 21 and 22 and the Visitors Center near Sheffield.

Horses have the right of way. Hiking is available on a total of 155 miles of trails. The most challenging length is located at the main complex near Sheffield. DNR classifies its 4.5 miles as moderately difficult as it winds through a variety of scenery including tall timber, grasslands and marsh.

Wagle guessed fishing draws the most people to the canal. DNR fisheries biologist Ken Clodfelter said the water hosts good numbers of bass, catfish, bluegill and crappie. The canal also boasts a fair population of walleye and sauger, especially in spring and fall.

With nearly 100 miles to choose from, a fishing hole is not a problem. The locks are routinely stocked, so it's hard to pinpoint one place that's better than others, Clodfelter said.

Wagle said the Hennepin Canal also is a great place to canoe and kayak. DNR warns that the main canal requires several portages around locks. Moser advised to avoid the east end entirely where 18 miles feature 21 locks.

"But the feeder is about 30 miles without locks, and it's 80 feet wide. That's a pretty good length," Clodfelter said. "The current isn't bad. From the Rock Falls bridge 45, it's 15 miles to the boat ramp at Highway 92. Or, go all the way down to the main canal."

One proviso: Don't make the entire trip on the feeder by canoe or kayak in one day. The distance is too far, Moser said. Also be aware, no campsites have been developed along the feeder, though some are planned. The main Hennepin Canal offers primitive camping at eight sites.

Fishing boats have no horsepower restrictions between bridge 37 and lock 24. Otherwise, a 10-horsepower limit is enforced. Launch ramps are available at: the Visitor Center; locks 21, 22 and 24; Illinois 82 north of Geneseo; Illinois 92; Illinois 78 north of Annawan; bridge 39, bridge 28 and bridge 45.

Horseback riding is permitted from April 15 to Oct. 31. Forty-eight miles of trails are open to horses on the main canal and 25 additional miles are open on the feeder canal.

The canal is hard to beat for family outings. Picnic tables and primitive outdoor toilets are available at several sites and large groups can reserve a large shelter at the park's headquarters near Sheffield.

The canal will be open to archery deer hunting this year for the first time.

No motorized vehicles are allowed on the canal's path with the exception of snowmobiles, which are restricted to times when ample snowfall combines with enough cold temperatures to freeze the ground to avoid damage to the trail.

Moser said the rural setting of the canal has kept urban sprawl from encroaching on the site that comes to life in the fall.

"It's beautiful, especially on the east end where the canal parallels Bureau Creek. There are a lot of hard woods, the colors are just gorgeous," he said.

The Hennepin Canal staff oversees a total of 7,000 acres, including sites along the main and feeder canals and others along the Mississippi River. The sites include;

• A 1,500-acre tract on the Rock River, a popular destination for walleye and catfish;

• Mautino State Fish and Wildlife Area, a reclaimed strip mine that encompasses 900 acres. Fishing is the main recreation. Dove hunting is allowed in September. The site hosts archery deer hunting;

• The Bradford Pheasant Habitat Area is 104 acres open three days a week during hunting season;

• Elton Fawks Eagle Refuge is 200 acres located on bluffs above the Mississippi River. No entry is allowed from Oct. 1 through the end of March to protect roosting eagles;

• Andalusia Waterfowl Area is 165 acres managed as a bird refuge along the Mississippi River.

If you go

The Hennepin Canal Parkway Visitor Center: Located a mile south of Interstate 80, just west of Illinois 40. East or westbound interstate travelers should take exit 45 and turn right (south) on 40. They almost immediately cross the canal. In about a mile, a brown sign directs them to the Visitors Center.

Rock Falls Hennepin Canal 100th Anniversary Celebration: The event includes a Civil War family, historians, canal re-enactors, hydro plant tours and more from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 8. Ribbon cutting ceremony begins at 1:15 p.m. Visit http://www.rockfallschamber.com/hpwelcome for more information.

Friends of the Hennepin Canal: Call Gary Wagle at (309) 786-6681 or visit www.friends-hennepin-canal.com

For more information on the Hennepin Canal: (815) 454-2328 or visit http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/rl/hennnepin.htm

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Take a look

Once a government mistake, the Hennepin Canal Parkway, a 104-mile linear park, is one of Illinois' overlooked recreational opportunities. A lock on the Hennepin Canal appears much as it did 100 years ago. (For the Pantagraph/GARY WAGLE)

Gary Wagle, president of the Friends of the Hennepin Canal, calls the canal's origins "a serendipity." (For the Pantagraph/GARY WAGLE)

Fall on the Hennepin Canal can be both beautiful and lonely. (For the Pantagraph/GARY WAGLE)

Visits to the Hennepin Canal rose after officials improved the surface to attract cyclists. (For the Pantagraph/GARY WAGLE)

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