Take a ride on the canal into the past

LaSALLE –  It’s a fall weekend, sunny or not, and there’s nothing quite like the wind slightly ruffling hairstyles on a canal boat.

This weekend, LaSalle is celebrating all that is good about 1848. Abe Lincoln Days is continuing today, Saturday, and Sunday.

Why now? It just so happens that in October 1848, Lincoln rode the Illinois and Michigan Canal between Chicago and LaSalle on the way home from a congressional session. Visitors can follow his steps with their own canal boat ride and a trip to Lock 16 Visitor Center.

The 1-hour boat rides are in a full-size replica of 19th-century boats. Guides dressed in canal-era clothing will be aboard. This isn’t a sailing trip or a motorized journey; it’s a matter of horse and mule power. Boat-ride season is April through October.

While there, visit the mule corral near the boat dock for an explanation of a mule’s working life. The program takes 20 minutes.

Visitors also can take a look at the canal silhouettes. The silhouettes are made of steel and represent 10 passengers from the past and three crewmen. Name-droppers will find Wild Bill Hickok, Abraham Lincoln and his family, and Chief Shabbona. The walk takes about 30 minutes.

The visitor center is open year round, so travelers who have other things scheduled this weekend can explore 7 days a week.

A film, “Prairie Tides,” is shown at the center. This 60-minute show chronicles the history of the canal. Those who don’t have time to watch it or who are restless to see other things, can buy a DVD in the gift shop.

The center itself has history. The building used to be a buggy maker’s workshop. It features canal information, presentations, cultural programs, a cafe, and gift shop. They even have free Wi-Fi.

During the festival, the cafe will have Lincoln’s favorite desserts, such as apple crisp and almond cake, as well as Lincoln-related goods for sale.

If visitors wonder what all the fuss is about the canal, they need to look back to the canal’s origins. It was hand-dug. Part of the country’s water highway system, it helped people and cargo travel by inland waterways from the East Coast to the Gulf of Mexico. One end stopped in Lake Michigan near Chicago. The other headed toward the Illinois River and St. Louis.