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Nauvoo State Park
980 S Bluff St.
Nauvoo, IL 62354
(P) 217-453-2512
Site Email
Site Directions
Follow Hwy 96 through Nauvoo. Watch for signs.
Common Site Birds
White Pelican
Canvasback Duck
Lesser Scaup
Caspian Tern
Bald Eagle
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Site Description
Its first name was Quashquema, a Fox Indian word meaning "peaceful place." Its current name is Nauvoo, a Hebrew word for "beautiful place" or "pleasant land." This historic town is the backdrop for Nauvoo State Park, on the banks of the Mississippi River in western Illinois' Hancock County.
The 148-acre park, on the south edge of Nauvoo along Illinois Route 96, includes a 13-acre lake with a mile-long shoreline. In addition to fishing, boating, camping and hiking, people return to these serene surroundings for the park's recreational features, its annual grape festival, and to soak up the area's history.
Ornithological and/or Birding Significance
White Pelicans, Canvasbacks, Lesser Scaup, and Caspian Terns may all be seen in Nauvoo State Park during migration. Bald Eagles may also be seen during migration as well as winter.
Site History
Once a Fox Indian village of 400 to 500 lodges, the site of Nauvoo was relinquished by a treaty in 1824 for 200 sacks of corn. Six years later, Hancock County's first post office was established here under the name of Venus. By 1834, the name had changed again, to Commerce, and later Commerce City, by some eastern land speculators.
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