Starved Rock waterfall stamp celebrated at ceremony

Photographer David Vernon said he struck gold with his photograph of the La Salle Canyon waterfall at Starved Rock State Park.

Now his treasured image can be enjoyed by the masses.

Vernon, of Normal, was one of six speakers Friday at a ceremony at Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center dedicating 12 new waterfall U.S. postal stamps, including one of them with the La Salle Canyon waterfall photo he captured.

Vernon called Starved Rock State Park a glorious place.

“The more I come, the more I find,” he said.

The stamp series was released June 13 and the stamps are available at post offices. La Salle Canyon, and the state park’s waterfalls, are considered among the top attractions in the region. The hike to La Salle Canyon is about 2.6 miles from Parkman’s Plain parking lot off Route 71.

Friday’s ceremony gave residents the opportunity to purchase the waterfall collection of stamps, including La Salle Canyon, as well as get a specialized postmark for “Oglesby, IL 61348, Illinois Department of Natural Resources at Starved Rock State Park.”

Postmasters Heather Goodman, of Oglesby, and Brett Inskeep, of Utica, also spoke about the importance of the park to the region, including their love for taking hikes in the state park.

John Rogner, assistant director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said it is nice to see Starved Rock receive national prominence. He said the stamp will help market the park and Illinois.

“Illinois has a perception problem, not a real problem,” Rogner said. “There’s so much to offer here.”

La Salle Canyon shared its billing with Deer Creek Falls, Arizona; Nevada Fall, California; Harrison Wright Falls, Pennsylvania; Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Wyoming; Waimoku Falls, Hawai’i; Stewart Falls, Utah; Niagara Falls, New York; Dark Hollow Falls, West Virginia; Grotto Falls, Tennessee; Sunbeam Falls, Washington; and Upper Falls, North Carolina.