 Black
Hawk State Historic Site commemorates Native Americans of
the area, particularly the Sauk and Mesquakie (Fox) Indians,
who lived here from about 1750 to 1831. At the nearby site
of Saukenuk, an estimated 4,800 Sauk in 1826 comprised one
of the largest Native American cities in North America and
what may have been the largest city—Native American
or European American—in Illinois. In the late 1820s,
however, Anglo-Americans began developing settlements and
gradually forced the tribes across the Mississippi River.
In 1832, fifteen hundred Sauk and Mesquakie, led by the warrior
Black Hawk, returned to plant crops, precipitating a fifteen-week
conflict known as the Black Hawk War. Their defeat marked
the passing of Native Americans from Illinois.
 The
Watch Tower Lodge, built between 1934 and 1942 by the Civilian
Conservation Corps and the State of Illinois, is a one-story
limestone structure with rough-hewn timber construction.
The large main room has vaulted ceilings supported by cedar
timbers and two floor-to-ceiling stone fireplaces. Two Works
Progress Administration murals have been restored by the
state, and basement “nature rooms” are available
for science activities with school groups. Exhibits in the
John Hauberg Museum of Native American Life depict the daily
life of the Sauk and Mesquakie Indian nations. Dioramas
show the four seasons with a full-sized winter house, a
replica of a summer long house, an authentic dugout canoe,
and other objects relating to the Sauk and Mesquakie.  Another
exhibit describes the importance of the fur trade to the
Native Americans. Also located in the Lodge is an exhibit
outlining the 1934-1942 activities of the Civilian Conservation
Corps in developing Black Hawk Park. Watch Tower Lodge is
accessible to persons with disabilities. Outside the lodge is a large statue
of Black Hawk (1767-1838) executed in 1892 by sculptor David
Richards (1829-1897). The Lodge was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Singing Bird Nature Center, a smaller lodge building, is
used for programs sponsored by the Citizens to Preserve
Black Hawk Park Foundation.
The site includes a unique 100-acre “designated nature
preserve,” consisting of an oak-hickory forest with
numerous woodland flowers and bird species, including bald
eagles. In the nature preserve are four miles of hiking
trails. Another trail winds along the bluffs 150 feet above
the river, where visitors may view a geological scene created
350 million years ago. The Dickson Cemetery contains about
sixty graves dating from the early nineteenth century. Recreational
facilities include three day-use areas with picnic shelters
constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps,
and a one-acre prairie restoration.
Black Hawk hosts several special events and nature programs.
Programs are supported by the Citizens to Preserve Black
Hawk Park Foundation.
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