Illinois Valley Community College will commemorate Native American Heritage Month with a presentation by alumnus and speaker Gerald Savage on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Savage will present "Starved Rock History from a Native Perspective" at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Life Space on the Oglesby campus, the college said.
Savage, an elder in the Ho-Chunk Nation, will explain how Starved Rock State Park got its name and journey through the park's history and development, according to the college.
The free presentation is open to the public for ages 10 and older. It is sponsored by the campus DEI Committee.
Illinois Valley Community College is located at 815 N. Orlando Smith Road in Oglesby. More information is available at www.ivcc.edu.
Background
Starved Rock State Park sits along the south bank of the Illinois River in LaSalle County and is one of the most visited state parks in Illinois, according to the Illinois State Archives. The park takes its name from a Native American legend: around 1769, the Ottawa and Potawatomi are said to have besieged a band of the Illiniwek atop a 125-foot sandstone butte to avenge the death of Ottawa leader Pontiac, trapping them there until they starved. The Illinois State Archives notes the park derives its name from that oral tradition, though its authenticity has never been verified.