Starved Rock State Park: The Work of the CCC Along the I&M Canal

Visitors to Starved Rock State Park are often struck by the grandeur of its rustic lodge. They marvel at its massive fireplace and hand-hewn logs. Yet few realize that this structure is a tangible reminder of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which in the 1930s provided work for young men left unemployed by the Great Depression. Starved Rock Lodge was one of the biggest projects of the CCC boys along the Illinois and Michigan Canal, but it was far from the only one. Working as a team and liv...