Lowden State Park, IL

One of the most picturesque sites along the Rock River is Lowden State Park, just north of Oregon IL. Legend has it that Chief Black Hawk, as he left the area after the Black Hawk War, talked of the beauty of the area and admonished his captors to care for the land as he and his people had. Lowden State Park was established to care for the land and allow visitors to share in the beauty as well. The park serves as a memorial to Governor Frank O. Lowden, who served Illinois during World War I.

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. You can enjoy many wonderful views of the Rock River from the park, but the best view of the statue is from IL Rt. 2. While the setting sun seems to bring the statue to life, it is a spectacular view any time of the day and during all seasons.

Most of our videos are filmed in a full 360 arc, this means you should be able to use your device to move the video around and up and down. If you are having issues or if you are watching with VR goggles, click over and watch our Hike360vr playlist directly on YouTube.

Winter camping at Lowden State Park. Sites 21, 22, 23 are all decent sites for winter camping. Most of the sites are closed for the winter and the shower house is also closed. On this trip, we encountered a crazy situation. Well, not that crazy, but a couple had driving into the campground and gotten themselves lost. It seems some prescription drugs and maybe a beer or 2 helped them get lost. The ground was covered in leaves and it was dark. When we checked in at the Ranger Station, they drove up to us and asked how to leave the park. We showed them and then went to our site. As we pulled into our site, they were driving in the middle of the camp grounds, dodging fire pits and picnic tables, and heading right for our car. I was already standing, but my dad was still in the driver’s seat and threw the car into reverse to avoid getting hit. This couple stopped exactly where we eventually placed our tents and I just started yelling at them. I mean, it was so dangerous and I had nightmares all night. My dad just started laughing when he saw me yelling. He said, “If Ryan starts yelling at you, you’re probably doing something pretty bad.”

The Black Hawk Statue overlooks Rock River at Lowden State Park, IL.

1,300 men were called to fight in the Black Hawk War of 1832 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_H…). Amazingly, 3 future US Presidents served together at this time including Zachary Taylor (#12)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zachary…) and Abraham Lincoln (#16)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham…). Jefferson Davis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffers…) was elected President of the Confederate States of America in opposition to President Lincoln. Of note, when Chief Black Hawk surrendered, Zachary Taylor assigned Jefferson Davis to escort Chief Black Hawk to prison. Taylor did so with respect and kindness, which Chief Black Hawk later noted in his autobiography. Upon researching this information, I discovered another interesting fact about these connections. While Jefferson Davis was under Zachary Taylor’s command, he fell in love with Zachary’s daughter Sarah. Shortly after the Black Hawk War, Zachary denied permission for his daughter to marry a military man. Jefferson Davis resigned from the military and married Sarah Knox Taylor. Sadly, she died 3 months later from Malaria.

A quick run across Oregon Park East to get a view and hear the sounds of the Oregon Dam. Oregon Park East is just down the road from Lowden State Park. Check out our extended Oregon Dam video here: https://youtu.be/dXf2DdDZoiU

We set up our camera to record the Oregon dam and the relaxing noise coming from it. Play this video, take some deep breathes and refocus yourself on your priorities for the day. The Oregon dam can be seen from our angle in Oregon Park East and can also be enjoyed in Oregon Park West, across the river.