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VOLUME 77, NUMBER 40

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October 7, 2015

Blackhawk Trail…a final look By Larry Nelson Correspondent

Photo by Larry Nelson

The monument at Kellogg’s Grove was erected in 1887, stands 34 feet tall and is made of native limestone. It is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. See more pictures on page 2.

ily made yearly visits to the monument each fall, stopping for lunch in the shelter house and then traveling on up to Terrapin Ridge near Elizabeth to enjoy the fall colors. The monument site is still one of my favorite ones in Stephenson County. When I taught at Le-Win, I made it a point to ask my students how many

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KELLOGG’S GROVE — I was somewhat surprised with the comments I received about our series on the StephensonBlackhawk Trail. As we stated, Dr. Eugene Vickery wrote the narrative, so the series was rather easy to put together. But there is one place that does not appear on Dr. Vickery’s travelogue, but it’s been on my radar since 1955. You probably know about the Blackhawk Monument at Kellogg’s Grove, southeast of Kent. It’s on a high hill and overlooks a battlefield where, in 1832, eight militia and at least nine Native Americans died during two skirmishes there. Chief Blackhawk led the fight, and the second one on June 25 occurred very close to the log cabin of Oliver Kellogg, who is best known for helping develop the wagon trail from Galena to Peoria. It is believed Abraham Lincoln helped bury the dead at Kellogg’s Grove. Fifty years later area farmers in the area collected the remains of other fallen soldiers and buried them at the site of the monument. There are 22 marked graves there, and the battles at the grove were the last of the Black Hawk War to be fought in Illinois. The monument was erected in 1887; one year after Stephenson County acquired the 1.5 acre plot. The monument stands 34 feet tall and is made of native limestone. It is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Now, back to 1955, our fam-

had heard of the beautiful hill south of Kent. Very few students raised their hands, and only one or two had visited the site.

A visit to the Blackhawk Monument would be a great experience for families wishing to share some local history. And I hope area history

teachers can find space in their curricula for a lesson on the Blackhawk Monument and perhaps treat their students to a visit there.

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