Nostalgic Ottawa

[Tiger]

Hey Butch, do you have any pictures of the I&M Canal in operation?

Thanks,
Tiger

[John]

Yes, I do. I have a book on the history of the I & M Canal which has numerous photos in it. I could probably scan some and post them if you are interested. This is a very interesting trail. Have you ever followed any part of it? We bicycled from Marseilles to Utica. What an interesting trip! My favorite parts are the aqueduct over the Fox River and the section just west of Ottawa where it runs along the old C&IV railroad bed. You can still see parts of the old locks in this section.

[John]

Here's one I found. This was taken in 1903.

[NatureGirl]

Really enjoyed seeing these old pics of Ottawa.
I saw a book titled "Ottawa and the Building of the I&M Canal" that has lots of old pictures of Ottawa in it.
This book is available in the book store at Starved Rock Visitor Center.

[Scott Lee]

Butch,
Keep the downtown Ottawa pics comin , if you got em

[John]

Scott, I don't have too many pics of Ottawa but I am always searching for old photos, so as I find them, I will share them.

[John]

Remember the Hiway Restaurant at the corner of Rt 6 and LaSalle St.?

[John]

The Starved Rock Yacht Club in May of 1980. Note the white SRYC in the grass. You can see the Block & Kuhl building in the background. Is this Ottawa's tallest building?

[Jess Wunman]

Recognize this place?

[John]

Jess said:

Recognize this place?

Well, being a boater practically all my life, and figuring this is the Illinois River, I should recognize it. Let me guess, under the Ottawa bridge, south bank, east of the bridge. Now known as Allen Park. Picture taken from Ottawa bridge.
Am I right?

[Jess Wunman]

Right, Butch. The photo was taken from the old Hilliard bridge. Scrap from the demolition of the bridge was used to create some existing park sculptures. This was Sanicula, a privately owned marina that introduced many Ottawan's to a cool concoction called 'Orange Freeze'.

Anyone know why it might have been named 'Sanicula'?

[John]

You've got me on the "Sanicula" name. I know the marina was called "Sanicula Restaurant and Marina" but I do not know why. The word "sanicula" has something to do with water.

Here we are going out with some boating friends in May of 1958. This dock was just west of the marina, almost directly under the bridge.
Note the water skier going past, this must not have been a "no wake" zone back then.

[Jess Wunman]

One of my esteemed online aquaintances, Job, sent me a message recalling that the term 'Sanicula' came from an old mineral water company located near the South side of the Illinois River bridge in Ottawa. That's absolutely correct. Here's a bit more information you never wanted to know about Sanicula.

In the late 1800's someone decided that this particular mineral spring, had medicinal benefits. Eventually, the water was commercialy marketed as 'Sanicula Springs'
mineral water. ('Sanicula' is a diminutive of the Latin word 'sanare', meaning "to heal".) An odd part of this story seems to be that the Gundlach family of Ottawa 'proved' the effects by drinking the water over a five year period, during which they suffered the most disgusting set of physical symptoms, which included "greasy, and brownish appearance of body", "stools turning green", and... much worse! How this led someone to the conclusion that the water had curative powers escapes me. Anyway, when the lock and dam system was installed during the 1930's, the source of the spring was covered and contaminated due to the expansion of the river. The restaurant / marina we remember so fondly was built near the site of this spring. If you travel East through Allen Park, you'll encounter a couple of pillars near a stop sign. A plaque on one of those pillars commemorates the Sanicula Springs.

[Job]

John Hilliard's book, Old Ottawa, has a large number of old photos, including one of the mineral spring.

[Hellonlinks]

WOW ! THIS IS SO COOL ! I LOVE YOUR PICTURES, THEY ARE GREAT !