| One of the most picturesque sites along the Rock River is just north of Oregon in Ogle County. Legend has it that Chief Black Hawk, as he left the area after the Black Hawk War, talked of the beauty of the area & admonished his captors to care for the land as he & his people had. Lowden State Park was established not only to care for the land but to allow visitors to share in the beauty as well. The park serves as a memorial to Gov. Frank O. Lowden, who served Illinois during World War I.
River sceneYou can enjoy many wonderful views of the Rock River from the park, but the best view of the statue is from Illinois Route 2. Just north of Oregon, the bluffs are graced with a majestic image of an American Indian gazing over the Rock River Valley. This is no ordinary statue. It is a 50 foot, concrete-reinforced wonder that is awe-inspiring. A tribute to all Native Americans, but more commonly associated with Chief Black Hawk, the statue was designed by sculptor Lorado Taft. The setting sun seems to bring the statue to life, but it is a spectacular view any time of the day.
History
Chicago attorney Wallace Heckman, who was also assistant manager of the University of Chicago, purchased the land in 1898 that was to become Lowden State Park. He & his wife had developed a great love of the outdoors while college students. In Chicago society, the Heckmans also became patrons of the arts. They combined these two interests in an artists' colony they established on their Rock River property. The colony was called "Eagles' Nest," referring to a tall, dead cedar tree that clung to the high river bank. The bare outstretched limbs of the tree inspired Margaret Fuller, a poet of the Concord Group, to write the poem,"Ganymede to His Eagle."
For nearly 50 years, Eagles' Nest was a popular home for creative people. The original group included artists Ralph Clarkson, Charles Francis Browne & Oliver Dennet Grove; writers Hamlin Garland, Henry B. Fuller & Horace Spencer Fiske; architects Irving D. & Allen B. Pond; sculptors Lorado Taft & Nellie Walker; organist Clarence Dickinson; & University of Chicago Secretary James Spencer Dickerson. Although Taft was the moving spirit behind the colony, it continued to flourish until 1942, six years after his death.
About a year after the last of the artists & their families left the colony, Gov. Lowden died, & the legislature appropriated $25,000 toward the cost of a memorial to him. The citizens of Oregon & the vicinity, with help from the Department of Natural Resources, matched that amount so that the former Eagles' Nest land could be purchased as a memorial park. In 1945, the 63rd General Assembly designated the 273-acre site as Lowden State Park.
Six years later, the 66 acres that composed the actual Eagles Nest Colony were transferred to Northern Illinois University at DeKalb for use as a outdoor teacher education program. The site, called the Lorado Taft Field Campus, was renovated by NIU's Industrial Arts classes & is used year-round for conducting natural science classes in an outdoor setting.
The Statue
Native American StatueLorado Taft, who created the 50-foot statue as a tribute to Native Americans, is said to have thought of the figure one evening as he & other members of the Eagles' Nest colony stood gazing at the view from the bluffs. According to a story attributed to Taft, he & his colleagues tended to stand with their arms folded over their chests. The pose made him think of the Native Americans who were so reverent of the beauty of nature & who probably had enjoyed the same view.
With the help of John G. Prasuhn, a young sculptor of the Chicago Art Institute, Taft created a figure almost 50 feet tall, including a six-foot base. Reinforced with iron rods, the hollow statue is eight inches to three feet thick. The interior is accessible to park employees through a door at the base. The outer surface composed of cement, pink granite chips & screenings, is three inches thick.
The figure is estimated to weigh 100 tons & is thought to be the second largest concrete monolithic statue in the world. Although Taft dedicated the statue to Native Americans, it has become commonly associated with Black Hawk. |
Lowden - State Park Campground Web Site
Driving Direction GPS Coordinates:
42.034551, -89.325112
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Campground: Lowden - State Park in Oregon Illinois *