Travelog post for: Eisa

Today I got to go on my first real outing! We went north to Alton, Illinois. There's nothing too flashy about this town, but it's full of history, old buildings, and even brick roads in the downtown area. It wasn't a very beautiful day either, but it seemed to fit the town in a way.

I was a little bit excited and looking at the sign in this photo. Oops!


Also, because we learned SO much on this trip, I've decided to do this in several different updates just so it's not overwhelming.

Our first stop in Alton was to visit the legendary Piasa bird cave.


I didn't know much about the Piasa to be honest, so Mystery and I found this and began to read about him.

Quote:

Many thousand moons before the arrival of the palefaces, when the great magolonyx and mastodon, whose bones are now dug up, were still living in this land of green prairies, there existed a bird of such dimensions that he could easily carry off in his talons a full grown deer. Having obtained a taste of human flesh, from that time he would prey upon nothing else.     He was as artful and he was powerful, would dark suddenly and unexpectedly upon an Indian, bear him off into one of the caves of the bluff, and devour him.     Hundreds of warriors attempted for years to destroy him, but without success.  Whole villages were nearly depopulated, and consternation spread throughout all the tribes of the Illini.     At length, Ouatoga, a chief, whose fame as a warrior extended even beyond the great lakes, separated himself from the rest of his tribe, fasted in solitude for the space of a whole moon, and prayed to the great spirit, the master of life, that he would protect his children from the Piasa.     On the last night of the fast, the great spirit appeared to Ouatoga in a dream, and directed him to select twenty of his warriors, each armed with a bow and poisoned arrow, and conceal themselves in a designated spot.     Near the place of their concealment, another warrior was to stand in open view, as a victim for the Piasa, which they must shoot the instant that it pounced upon his prey. When the chief awoke in the morning, he thanked the great spirit, and returning to his tribe, told them of his dream.     The warriors were quickly selected and placed in ambush, as directed, Ouatoga offered himself as the victim. He was willing to die for his tribe.     Placing himself in open view of the bluff, he soon saw the Piasa perched on the bluff, eyeing his prey. Ouatoga drew up his manly form to its utmost height, and planting his feet firmly upon the earth, began to chant the death song of a warrior.     A moment after, the Piasa rose into the air, and swift as a thunderbolt, darted down upon the chief.     Scarcely had he reached his victim, when every bow was sprung and every arrow sent, to the feather, into his body.     The Piasa uttered a wild, fearful scream, that resounded far over the opposite side of the river, and expired.     Ouatoga had held an invisible shield over him.     In memory of this event, the image of the Piasa was engraved on the bluff.     Such is the Indian tradition.

This sounded pretty scary to me, but Mystery seemed unafraid and I wasn't about to look like a scared little TV.


We also learned a little more about how the painting on the wall came about.

Quote:

In 1673, Jacques Marquette reported that he and fellow French explorer Louis Jolliet discovered a painting of what was probably two "water monsters" on the bluffs of the Mississippi River near present day Alton. By 1700 those pictographic creatures were no longer visible. In 1836 the novelist John Russell described an image cut into the bluff of a legendary dragon-like creature with wings. According to Russell, the creature was called Piasa, "the bird that devours men." That version of the pictograph as well as myths about the Piasa have become prominent in folklore.

We went allowed to do much exploring in the cave today because it seems that they close it off during the winter months. Maybe I'll be able to come back some day and look at it all. 


Across from the Piasa bird cave is the Mississippi River. Around this time of year, Bald Eagles migrate to the Alton area and we were pretty excited to see them. We weren't able to get in a photo of any since Steph had to zoom in REALLY close to get any photos.