{"nrhp_refnum":"66000325","name":"Starved Rock","other_names":["11-Ls-12","Site of Fort St. Louis-Le Rocher"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"6 mi. from Ottawa on IL 71, Starved Rock State Park","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ottawa","county":"LaSalle County","state":"IL","lat":41.320335187500035,"lon":-88.99064090996349,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1960-10-09","areas_of_significance":["Historic - Non-Aboriginal","Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Starved Rock is a sandstone bluff about 150 feet high on the south bank of the Illinois River, within Starved Rock State Park about six miles west of Ottawa, La Salle County, Illinois. It is the site of the French Fort St. Louis, built in 1682-83.","why_significant":"Fort St. Louis, built by La Salle and Henri de Tonti, was the first major center of French influence in the Illinois country and the base for La Salle's planned administration of the Mississippi Valley. It was meant to be a link in a chain of forts to confine the English colonies to the east coast. Its position above the Illinois River rapids controlled a main route from Canada to the south, and the site is associated with the nearby Kaskaskia-Illinois villages.","narrative":"Starved Rock is a flat-topped sandstone bluff rising about 150 feet from the south bank of the Illinois River, near Ottawa in La Salle County, Illinois. It is the centerpiece of Starved Rock State Park. In the winter of 1682-83, La Salle and Henri de Tonti built Fort St. Louis on its summit, using palisades and houses along the edge of the rock. La Salle chose it as the base for governing and developing the Mississippi Valley after claiming the region for France, and it was intended as one link in a chain of forts to hem in the English colonies. The Illinois resettled nearby, and several other tribes gathered around the fort. Tonti abandoned the post in 1691, and it was permanently given up in 1718. No visible remains of the fort survive. At least four archeological investigations have found pits holding mixed European and Indian materials. Today a path, stairs and a walkway serve visitors on top of the rock.","period_of_significance":"1682-83--1691","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"The form describes the property as good condition, occupied, a public park. No visible remains of the 17th century fort survive on the top of the rock; a path, stairs and a walkway are present.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.35165-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/15/8916/28891615/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/66000325_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000325/66152b4488-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000325/66152b4488-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Chris Light (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starved_Rock_Illinois_on_Illinois_River.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Chris Light (talk)</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starved_Rock_Illinois_on_Illinois_River.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891615","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q32358657"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/lasalle-county/starved-rock-66000325/"}