PEOPLE DON’T STUMBLE UPON US

from Starved Rock Country Magazine - Summer 2021

by Shaw Media

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW

‘PEOPLE DON’T STUMBLE UPON US’

Kishauwau cabins offer wooded seclusion, sense of peacefulness

Story by Mike Murphy, Photos by Tom Sistak and provided by Kishauwau Starved Rock Area Cabins

The trend, as Terisa King sees it, has vacationers moving to single-occupancy destinations.

“People look to rent homes rather than hotels. It’s nothing I see slowing down,” says the co-owner of Kishauwau Starved Rock Area Cabins, east of Tonica. “I’m not going to complain about being busy.”

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the compound of 17 cabins saw some weekends with record attendance in 2020, and has had good numbers this spring. The cabins are spread out over 20 acres and place a premium on privacy.

“There’s enough space between the cabins that it’s always quiet,” says Arlene Brennan, a Kishauwau regular since 1992, when the resort only had four cabins.

Originally a Boy Scouts camp, Kishauwau was purchased in 1986 by owners that included the late Ben and Ellen King, father and stepmother of Jamie King, Terisa’s husband and now co-owner of the 65-acre resort.

“We’re a little far away so people don’t stumble upon us,” Terisa King says.

Jamie and Terisa run the place along with other family members. The Kings built most of Kishauwau’s cabins at the year-round resort.

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“Peace and quiet is the way we run it. The owners live on-site. It has a true mom and pop feel. You don’t find a lot of places kind of like this anymore,” says King, who bought the place outright, along with her husband, in 2018.

Brennan appreciates the “noncorporate feel” of Kishauwau. So does Chicago resident Lorenza Ramirez, who doesn’t mind the absence of one particular modern convenience.

“They do not have internet. So as a family, we can relax without interruptions. Family quality time takes me to Kishauwau,” she says.

Each cabin does have a TV set, and guests can borrow free DVDs from the resort. The cabins also are equipped with fireplaces, full kitchens and barbecue grills, wood-burning stoves and fire pits on the outside of each. Food service is not available, so guests bring food and cook their own meals.

Miriam Becker, a Schaumburg resident, spends up to six weeks a year at Kishauwau, where she feels at peace far from the Chicago area.

Hiking is one of her favorite activities. Checking out from her cabin is not. “No matter what part of the year it is, I always leave with tears in my eyes,” Becker says.

Kishauwau is close to Starved Rock, Matthiessen, Buffalo Rock and Illini state parks. If you’re looking for an adventure, Skydive Chicago, horseback riding at Cedar Creek Ranch and Zip Chicago aren’t far, either.

The resort attracts people from other states and countries. “And we get the locals, too,” says King, who adds the resort can handle groups of up to 70 people in multiple cabins. The cabins can accommodate couples and up to 14 people. Some have whirlpools, and four are dog-friendly.

King says they do their best to offer top-of-the-line service to visits, shown in high marks from their guests. Becker recalls once having a flat tire, only to have the Kings help fix it.

“The people who run it are absolutely amazing,” Ramirez says.

Regular guests such as Brennan, Ramirez and Becker tend to look forward to the rustic resort once they’re back at home.

“We’ve been other places, but there’s nothing like Kishauwau,” Brennan concludes. For more on Skydive Chicago, turn to P. 14! C S R

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