Big Bureau Creek

Big Bureau Creek in a rough area.

The Big Bureau Creek is a 73-mile-long (117 km)^[1] tributary of the Illinois River in central Illinois. It rises approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Mendota and flows southwest into Bureau County, turning south at Princeton and then flowing east into the Illinois River floodplain.^[1] Among the creek's more notable features is the Red Covered Bridge, built in 1863 which passes over Big Bureau Creek and was once part of the Peoria Galena Trail. The bridge, located just north of Interstate 80, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[2]

Ecology

Guillaume de L'Isle's 1718 map, Carte de la Louisiane et du cours du Mississipi shows la Rivière de Chachagouche, between le Rocher (Starved Rock) and Lake Peoria.

Currently, there is an effort underway to maintain this watershed as well to evaluate its current condition with the Big Bureau Creek Watershed Inventory and Evaluation (I&E) begun in 2003. Because of its vitality to surrounding lakes, the Illinois River, and of course the Mississippi River, a small group of environmentalists are highly concerned.^{[citation needed]} Nitrogen levels from surrounding farmland, sedimentation, and low water levels are the main problems to be assessed.

History

The stream is named for Michel or Pierre Bureau. Their original surname was probably Belleau, but local aboriginals may have had difficulty pronouncing the "l" sound. One or both of the brothers ran a trading post near where Big Bureau Creek empties into the Illinois River from 1776 until 1780 or 1790.^[3][4] The stream was called the "Chassagauch," "Chassagoach," or "Chachagouche" River on early maps of the region.^[5][6][7] These are European renderings of the Miami-Illinois language word šaahšaakweehsiiwa, which once meant "copperhead" (agkistrodon contortrix) but now means "garter snake."^[8][9] Šaahšaakweehsiiwa was also the name of a chief and diplomat of the Kaskaskia at the Grand Village of the Illinois, opposite Starved Rock, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.^[10]

Recreation

Most land surrounding the banks of the Big Bureau Creek is privately owned. Canoeing on the creek is possible in some areas. There have been reports of class II and III rapids in high water. Brush buildup, beaver dams, and submerged rocks are always a point of concern.^{[citation needed]}

Fish populations in Big Bureau Creek are stable with reports of 3-4 lbs. Smallmouth bass and 10-20 lbs. Channel catfish caught by fishermen on the stream.^{[citation needed]}

Canoe along the creek.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 26, 2011
2. ^ National Register Information System^{[dead link]}, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
3. ^ Pierre de Beuro, an Indian trader Pioneers of Illinois by Nehemiah Matson, 1882, p. 229
4. ^ Jean Baptiste Point de Sable : the founder of modern Chicago by John F. Swenson, 1999- . Retrieved 11 November 2010.
5. ^ Carte de la Louisiane ou des voyages du Sr. De La Salle by Jean Baptiste Louis Franquelin, 1684. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
6. ^ Carte de l'Amerique Septentrionnale by Jean Baptiste Louis Franquelin, 1688. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
7. ^ Carte de la Louisiane et du cours du Mississipi by Guillaume de l'Isle, 1718. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
8. ^ Native American place names of Indiana by Michael McCafferty, University of Illinois Press, 2008, p. 24. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
9. ^ "Shall Indian languages be preserved?" by Jacob Piatt Dunn, Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1908-1984), Vol. 10, No. 1 (Apr. 1917), p. 91. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
10. ^ Chachagouesse, Dictionary of Canadian biography online. Retrieved 4 August 2010.

External links

• USGS Information about Big Bureau Creek
• City of Princeton, Illinois
• BureauCounty.US