Black Hawk State Historic Site — Attraction in Rock Island

Absolute favorite park!!! As a history buff this place is full of Great history, you feel it everywhere you walk. They have an awesome native american vibe on the river side of the park and a wonderful native american museum my 4 year old daughter fell in love with. I too used to visit as a child and its still mystifying! The models seriously come to life I swear! It's full of amazing artifacts and awesome displays of wikkiups and long houses! Thank you John Hauberg for such a gift!!! They also have a facinating CCC museum on the opposite side of the lodge which is extremely informative on how the park was established in the 30s. As you walk around this side of the park there are awesome pictures of the lodges that once stood before and the theme park that used to be on the property!! On the lower level through the forest there are awesome cliffs, bridges and rock formations! If you look close you might find some arrow heads!!! On the opposite side of the park across the bridge that runs over black hawk road, there too is a lot of history. There was a coal mine once in the area and when you follow the trail there's an awesome picture of the mine itself!! Singing bird lodge named after Black Hawks wife is a nice little building for events such as girl scouts and ive attended a drum circle once before that was super powerful. The only thing i trulh miss are the yearly pow wows that used to be held on the grounds. But It's always a great place. Lots of places to walk and generally pretty clean. We Will always go back!!! Great place to explore and walk your dog as well. Kids...

A tribute to the Sauk and Meskwaki tribes of native American peoples who both had settlements in this area. It’s namesake, Blackhawk, was a ‘war chief’ of the Sauk peoples. (In very oversimplified terms, it may help to think of a ‘war chief’ in similar terms as a ‘general’ on the battlefield. He was never the actual ‘chief’). Much of the grounds here are preserved as a park. The Hauberg Museum is also located here. It offers background information on the history and lifestyles of these people and their interactions with non-native people, especially fur traders. The docent working at the museum during my visit was also very helpful in providing even more in-depth information. Adjacent to the museum is a beautiful, large reception hall. It is currently closed off as it undergoes...

This review is for the Hauberg Museum at the state historic site. It focuses on Native American life about 1800. There was a large village close by where Blackhawk lived, and tells the story of these somewhat nomadic people in excellent dioramas. It told how the people moved thru the seasons and their way of life. The audio guides very helpful in understanding the roles, responsibilities, and activities of the people. Admission is free with donations requested. We stopped in winter so could only explore the paved trails on top of the hill. We visited the museum for...