Ottawa, Illinois

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Rivers & Roads in Song near Ottawa

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Ottawa.

9 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

• Washington Park Historic District (Ottawa, Illinois) · 1.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  Imagine this quiet park filled with thousands of people, hanging on every word of a debate that would shape the nation. On August 21st, 1858, Washington Park was the site of the first of seven Lincoln-Douglas debates.…

• John Hossack House · 1.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  This unassuming house played a vital role in the fight for freedom. The John Hossack House, built in 1854, was a crucial stop on the Underground Railroad. John Hossack and his family, staunch abolitionists, risked…

• Spring Valley House–Sulfur Springs Hotel · 7.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  Imagine weary travelers seeking respite and healing at this unusually large hotel, drawn by the promise of sulfur springs. This is the Spring Valley House–Sulfur Springs Hotel. Built around 1849, this four-story brick…

• Grand Village of the Illinois · 7.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  Imagine this: centuries ago, this wasn't just farmland, but a bustling Native American metropolis. This is the site of the Grand Village of the Illinois, the best-documented historic Native American village in the…

• Starved Rock Lock and Dam · 8.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  Before this lock and dam, the Illinois River was a wild, unpredictable waterway, making reliable navigation nearly impossible. Construction on the Starved Rock Lock and Dam, also known as Lock and Dam Number 6, began in…

• Starved Rock State Park · 8.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  Legend says a band of Illiniwek Native Americans met a tragic end here, giving this canyon-filled park its haunting name. Starved Rock State Park's dramatic bluffs and deep canyons weren't always this way. Approximately…

• Starved Rock State Park · 9.1 mi · Historical Marker

  A 125-foot sandstone butte along the Illinois River, named for a siege in which a group of Illiniwek were starved atop the rock in the 1760s.

• Hegeler Carus Mansion · 13.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  Imagine a zinc empire rising from the Illinois prairie! That's the story behind the Hegeler Carus Mansion right here in La Salle. Edward Hegeler, a German immigrant and partner in the Matthiessen Hegeler Zinc Company,…

• Hotel Kaskaskia · 14.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb

  Ever wonder where presidents and celebrities stayed when passing through LaSalle? The Hotel Kaskaskia is your answer. Opened in 1915, this six-story hotel was designed by the prestigious architectural firm of Marshall…