Memorials
Thank you for the memorials given to honor the memory of two of our long time volunteers, Jim Nickel and Gary Ostrom. Both Jim and Gary gave bird tours for Stroll Through Springtime and Gary gave many programs on birds. The memorials have been used to add prairie plantings to attract birds, erect bluebird houses, replace the bird feeders lost in the windstorm, and provide educational material about birds for school children.
Memorials honoring the memory of Jack Edwards will include a commemorative plaque detailing his participation in the discovery of the dugout canoe on exhibit in the Hauberg Museum.
Memorials my be sent to Citizens to Preserve Black Hawk Park Foundation %Black Hawk State Historic Site, 1510 46th Ave., Rock Island, IL 61201 and may be designated for specific areas. All gifts are tax-deductible.

We’re still open!
As of publication date, the Historic Site buildings remain open. Permission has been granted to allow school field trips through September. Should the Lodge and Singing Bird Nature Center be closed because of State budget cuts, all weddings and Lodge rentals will be honored. Those wishing to rent the Lodge are encouraged to reserve a date while staff is on site.
With summer grounds help gone, removing storm damaged trees from the trails remain a challenge. Close to 100 trees have blocked the trails. Because the north side forest is a dedicated Nature Preserve, storm damaged trees are left in the forest. However trees can be removed from the actual trail. If you would like to volunteer to help with this trail clearing, please contact Site Manager Scott Roman at 788-0177.
We are still urging supporters to sign petitions, also available on line at www.blackhawkpark.org and to contact politicians asking for support of Historic Sites funding. We shall remain Black Hawk State Historic Site!

SAUKENUK EXHIBIT MOVES FORWARD

The new museum exhibit is still on! Will Thomson of Armadillo Arts in Iowa City has been hired to design and construct it. The new exhibit will round out the story of the Sauk and Mesquakie during their time of residence in this area, 1750 – 1831. While the current seasonal diorama exhibit in the museum is well done, the story is incomplete. The new exhibit will explain how the Sauk and Mesquakie came to establish their principal cities here and how they came to be dispossessed of their lands.
Three back-lit transparencies will frame the exhibit. The first will show the extent of Sauk and Mesquakie settlement across the northeastern United States and Canada and their gradual coalescing in the Quad City area in the mid eighteenth century. The second transparency will be a bird’s eye view of the local area, showing population centers, corn fields, and other points of interest. The third transparency will tell the story of the Black Hawk War.
The piece de resistance will be a 4 x 8 foot scale model of Saukenuk, capital city of the Sauk Nation. It was located about one half mile west of the Park. In 1824, there was an estimated population of 5000 people in Saukenuk, making it the largest city in the State of Illinois.
An additional exhibit case will be included in which museum staff can create temporary exhibits.
The exhibit will be completed and installed in April 2009. Plans are in the works for a grand opening celebration the weekend of May 9, 2009.
We are excited about moving forward on this project. It will be the most important addition to the Indian museum since the present exhibit was completed over 30 years ago.

DONATIONS AND GRANTS MAKE EXHIBIT POSSIBLE

The new Saukenuk exhibit is not cheap! The total price tag is $24,500. With the State of Illinois in dire financial straits, the Foundation has turned to seeking grants and private donations to fund the project. We are still $4600 short of the needed funds. We would like to take this opportunity, though, to acknowledge and THANK the organizations and many people who have contributed to the cause:
• Citizens to Preserve Black Hawk Park Foundation $10,000
• Riverboat Development Authority $ 4,000
• Illinois Historic Preservation Agency $ 2,500
• The Moline Foundation $ 1,000
• Community Foundation Great River Bend $ 1,000
• The Doris and Victor Day Foundation $ 800
• Individual, private donations by Foundation members $ 600

75th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS

The Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, was launched on April 1, 1933 when President Franklin Roosevelt signed its existence into law. Over the next nine years, the CCC was responsible for performing work in national and state forests and parks. Black Hawk State Historic Site (then State Park) was created through the work of the CCC. A camp was located here from December 1933 to July 1935. During those 19 months, the CCC “boys” established the trail system, built two picnic shelters, created three parking lots, planted thousands of trees and wildflowers, and built the east and west wings of the Watch Tower Lodge.
An exhibit about the work done by the CCC at Black Hawk is located in the east wing of the Lodge. The CCC exhibit is open to the public during museum hours.
A program commemorating the contributions of the CCC to the country will be held at the Lodge on Sunday November 9 at 2:00 p.m. Bill Jamerson, author of the CCC novel Big Shoulders, will present a 90 minute program. The program will include stories, original songs about the CCC, and a short video. The program, sponsored by The Citizens to Preserve Black Hawk Park Foundation, is suitable for all ages and is free and open to the public. Come join us and celebrate the wonderful contributions made by the CCC.

VOLUNTEER NATURALISTS

Every year thousands of local school children come to Black Hawk on field trips. Not only do they tour the museum and learn about the Sauk and Mesquakie, they also participate in a number of outdoor education programs. The combination of social studies and science instruction offered at Black Hawk is unique in the Quad Cities area. Our wonderful group of dedicated Volunteer Naturalists make it all possible!
Last April, nine new and seasoned Volunteer Naturalists participated in a Spring volunteer training workshop. Bob Motz and Chuck Wester taught sessions on birds, mammals, and wild flowers. Then, during the course of the Spring field trip season, the Volunteer Naturalists logged over 40 hours of volunteer time. Thanks go out to:
• Cynthia Fender
• Colleen Massey
• Leigh Mosenfelder
• Virginia Payton
• Elizabeth Russell
• Dan Sharp
• Lanora Welzenbach
• Julie Werthmann

A Fall volunteer training workshop will be held on September 8. Bob Motz, Marilyn Andress, and Chuck Wester will teach sessions on the geology of the Rock River trail and the tall grass prairie. The workshop will be held from 9:00 to 1:00 at the Watch Tower Lodge. Lunch will be served. Pre-registration is required. If you would like to participate (and we sure hope you do!) please call the museum (788-9536). Please let us know if you would like to attend the April training session.