More Pictures to Share and Awards with Links to Great Garden Sites

The small city of Ottawa, Illinois climbs the sandy hills and snuggles into a glacial valley where the Fox and Illinois Rivers become one. The landscape surrounding Ottawa is a contrast of flat fertile fields of corn or beans and cliffs of sandstone that edge the rivers. Ottawa is an old river town with beautifully ornate buildings and a pre-civil war history. Still in use is a mansion, high on the south bank of the Illinois River, that was once part of the "Underground Railway". The very first of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates was held in downtown Washington Square on August 21st. 1858. Beautiful Starved Rock State Park, a few miles west of the city, gains fame from the sad story of one tribe of indians starving another to death after they had retreated to the top of "the rock". Ottawa is also a modern city with good parochial and private schools, many churches, businesses and organizations to accomodate every one's taste, good shopping, beautiful parks and a preserved river front. The locally based Chicago Sky Dive Club recently set the record of 264 linked sky divers for the Guinness Book of World Records. Ottawa is a nice town in which to live and raise a family, Joe and I have enjoyed being part of this community.