Starved Rock historian will present virtual program for La Salle Library

Program will highlight the beauty, biodiversity, geology and human history of the park

The La Salle Public Library will virtually host park historian and author Mark Walczynski for a unique program about Starved Rock State Park at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 22.

Starved Rock State Park is considered one of the state’s most beautiful destinations. Seasonal waterfalls, awe-inspiring bluffs, and rugged canyons dominate the storied landscape. Following the paths explored in Mark’s newest book, “Hiker and Visitor Guide to Starved Rock State Park,” the program will highlight the beauty, biodiversity, geology and human history of the park, and will explore familiar and unfamiliar places, as well as provide interesting facts about the park’s flora and fauna.

The book, “Hiker and Visitor Guide to Starved Rock State Park,” by Mark Walczynski is available to purchase at the Starved Rock Foundation’s Le Rocher Gift Shop at the Visitor’s Center.

Walczynski is a park historian for the Starved Rock Foundation. His work has been published in historical journals including the Journal of Illinois State Historical Society, Le Journal, and Michigan’s Habitant Heritage. His books include “Starved Rock State Park,” “The First 100 Years,” “Massacre 1769,” “The Search for the Origin of the Legend of Starved Rock,” “Inquietus, La Salle in the Illinois Country, and The History of Starved Rock: 1673 to 1911.” He is retired from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The program is free and open to the public. It will be presented using the Zoom platform. Register at the following link – https://bit.ly/3g1IUjp. For more information, contact the La Salle Public Library at 815-223-2341 or email Rachael Blomquist at rblomquist@lasalle.lib.il.us.