Hanging Rock (Wabash River) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hanging Rock |
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Postcard of Hanging Rock in the early 1900s
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 30.5 m (100 ft) |
| Prominence | Low |
| Geography | |
| Location | Wabash County, Illinois, United States |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Sandstone |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Wabash River |
Hanging Rock is a cool natural rock formation made of sandstone. It hangs right over the Wabash River in Wabash County, Illinois, in the United States. You can find it north of Mount Carmel, Illinois. This amazing rock was shaped long ago when huge glaciers melted and carved out the land. Long before anyone else, Native Americans lived around Hanging Rock. Later, the Hinde family owned the land and even used the rock to attract tourists!
Contents
History of Hanging Rock
Early Native American Life
Long ago, before European settlers arrived, Native Americans used the area around Hanging Rock as a camping spot. They built many mounds there. These first groups eventually moved away. After some time, the Piankashaw Indians settled near the rock. This happened after the French arrived in the area.
Some old records say that Hanging Rock once had many Native American items and ancient mound sites. Another record mentions a village of about 40 wigwams belonging to the Oujatanons tribe right at Hanging Rock.
Hinde Family and Early Business
After special agreements, called treaties, were made between Native Americans and William Henry Harrison, a man named Thomas S. Hinde bought Hanging Rock and the land around it. In 1842, Hinde suggested to the United States Congress that a dam should be built at Hanging Rock. His idea for the dam was not approved.
In the early to mid-1800s, the area near Hanging Rock was a busy place. It was used as a loading dock for steamboats traveling on the Wabash River. Thomas Hinde's grandson, Frederick Hinde Zimmerman, later used Hanging Rock to attract visitors. He had a hotel nearby called the Grand Rapids Hotel.
Geology and Nature
In 1875, a scientist named A. H. Worthen gave the sandstone in this area the name "Hanging Rock" sandstone. He described it as a strong, gray rock that turned olive-brown over time. It was filled with tiny crushed shells.
In the late 1880s, Robert Ridgway, who grew up in Mount Carmel, loved to hike and hunt turkeys around Hanging Rock with his father. He later wrote an article that mentioned one of his hunting trips there.
Location and Features
Hanging Rock is located on the Wabash River in Illinois. It's about three miles northeast of Mount Carmel, Illinois. People have described Hanging Rock as a "semicircular rock wall." In the middle, its huge peak rises over 100 feet above the water. It also sticks out over the river quite a bit.
The Grand Rapids Dam was once located a short distance downstream from Hanging Rock. The United States government stopped using this dam in 1931.
