More about Shabbona:
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Once upon a time, the Potawatomi (also spelled
Pottawatomi) Indian tribe and its great peacemaker -- Chief Shabbona
-- roamed the vast and beautiful stretches of the Fox Valley.
Always hailed as a "Friend of the White Man", Shabbona continually
warned the settlers of the approaching Black Hawk War of 1832.
Chief Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk Indian tribe
and, along with other warriors, his "British Band" of Sauk and Fox,
staged a number of incursions across the Mississippi River and into
Illinois. One of these, known as the Battle of Stillman's Run,
ignited what became known as the Black Hawk War.
Incorporated in June of 1875, the small village of
barely 1,000 residents is located on US Route 30 in southwestern
DeKalb county, approximately 16 miles south of Northern Illinois
University in DeKalb. Shabbona takes its name from the great Indian
Chief. The village is easily accessible, located close to
several interstates and state highways.
Although relatively quiet most of the time,
Shabbona holds a secret that many dedicated fishermen and nature
enthusiasts would likely
prefer to be kept quiet: a lake and State Park that go by the same
name, located just south of the town. From the Illinois DNR
Website:
"Just miles west of Chicago, off U.S. 30,
urban sprawl gives way to 1,550 acres of rolling prairie and
features a 318.8 acre man-made fishing lake. Shabbona Lake State
Recreation Area provides a convenient, natural haven from the
hustle and bustle of daily life.
A unique mix of grass-covered meadows, upland mesic woods,
bottomland woods, and a native, undisturbed fen, make this an
ideal location for natural relaxation and outdoor activity. You
can see sedges, cattail, marsh marigolds, horsetail, skunk
cabbage, turtlehead, iris, blue joint grass and bulrushes. Also
enjoy the areas of prairie restoration throughout the park which
features prairie grasses such as Big Blue Stem and prairie
flowers such as purple cone flower.
With facilities for picnicking, camping, hiking, fishing,
hunting and winter sports, Shabbona Lake is a convenient and
comfortable retreat where you can refresh and reinvigorate
yourself in a rare, unspoiled environment."
The fishing there is excellent to outstanding; the
lake is affectionately referred to as the "Muskie Capitol of
Illinois" having produced four State of Illinois record Muskies
-- including the current record 37 pound, 13 ounce Muskie caught in
1997 (it was 49 1/8 inches long!) But it also holds Bass,
Walleye, Muskie, Bluegill, Crappie, Catfish and Stripers.
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