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Starved Rock State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Illinois, characterized by the many canyons within its . Located just southeast of the village of Utica, in Deer Park Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, along the south bank of the Illinois River, the park hosts over two million visitors annually, the most for any Illinois state park.〔〔(Fun Facts about Illinois Tourism ), ''Illinois Issues'', University of Illinois at Springfield, June 2011〕 Before European contact, the area was home to Native Americans, particularly the Kaskaskia who lived in the Grand Village of the Illinois across the river. Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette were the first Europeans recorded as exploring the region, and by 1683, the French had established Fort St. Louis on a large sandstone butte overlooking the river, they called ''Le Rocher'' (the Rock). Later after the French had moved on, according to a local legend, a group of Native Americans of the Illinois Confederation (also called Illiniwek or Illini) pursued by the Ottawa and Potawatomi fled to the butte in the late 18th century. The Ottawa and Potawatomi besieged the butte until all of the Illiniwek had starved, and the butte became known as "Starved Rock". The area around The Rock was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. The park region has been the subject of several archeological studies concerning both native and European settlements, and various other archeological sites associated with the park were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. In the late 19th century, the area was developed as a vacation resort. The resort was acquired by the State of Illinois in 1911 for a state park, which it remains today. Facilities in the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, which have also gained historic designation. A catastrophic flood approximately 14,000-17,000 years ago led to the topography of the site and its exposed rock canyons. Diverse forest plant life exists in the park and the area supports several wild animal species. Of particular interest has been sport fishing species. ==Geology== A catastrophic flood known as the Kankakee Torrent, which took place somewhere between 14,000〔"(Kankakee Sands Macrosite )", ''The Illinois Steward'', University of Illinois Extension, Summer 2009, Volume 18, Number 2, accessed June 15, 2011.〕 and 17,000 years ago,〔Moran, Janet. "(Kankakee River carved out its place in history )", ''The Times of Northwest Indiana'', November 15, 2009, accessed June 15, 2011.〕 before humans occupied the area, helped create the park's signature geology and features, which are very unusual for the central plains. The park is on the south bank of the Illinois River, a major tributary of the Mississippi River, between the Fox and Vermilion Rivers. The Vermilion created large sandbars at the junction of the Illinois, preventing practical navigation farther upriver. Rapids were found at the base of the butte before the construction of the Starved Rock Lock and Dam. The clay soil in the region retains water poorly, so the park is subject to frequent flooding in areas where water cannot flow into a stream. Starved Rock is known for its outcrops of St. Peter Sandstone. The sandstone, typically buried, is exposed in this area due to an anticline, a convex fold in underlying strata. This creates canyons and cliffs when streams cut across the anticline. A similar geologic feature is found by near the Rock River between Dixon and Oregon, Illinois. The sandstone is pure and soft, but pooly cemented, making it workable with a pick or shovel. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Starved Rock State Park」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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