Illinois Route 71
Encyclopedia
Illinois Route 71 is a 66 miles (106.2 km) long southwest-to-northeast state highway in north central Illinois
. It runs from the end of Interstate 180
in Hennepin
to U.S. Route 34
in Oswego
. This is a distance of 69.37 miles (111.64 km).
near Oglesby
, paralleling I-39 to the north for several miles on a concurrency
with Illinois Route 351
before turning eastward again near LaSalle-Peru
.
Between LaSalle-Peru and Ottawa
, Route 71 parallels the south bank of the Illinois River
and passes Starved Rock State Park
. It then crosses the Illinois River on a simple four-lane girder bridge. It overlaps Illinois Route 23
through downtown Ottawa and U.S. Route 6
east from Route 23 before intersecting with Interstate 80
. From here it continues to the northeast, passing through Norway
, Newark
, and Yorkville
. Its eastern terminus is near downtown Oswego
at an intersection with U.S. Highway 34 and Wolfs Crossing Road.
The proposed Prairie Parkway
limited-access highway will interchange with Route 71 southwest of High Point Road near Yorkville.
who settled in the area, with a small park, a cemetery
, and a plaque from King Olav V
. This memorial commemorates the Fox River Settlement
. Dating from 1834, this was the location of the first permanent Norwegian-American immigrant settlement in the Midwest.
Near E. 26th Road, south of Norway, Illinois
, there is also a crashed airplane which serves as a "memorial" of sorts to commemorate the 1980s agricultural crash, which affected the primarily rural farming county.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It runs from the end of Interstate 180
Interstate 180 (Illinois)
Interstate 180 is a north–south spur highway that runs from Princeton, Illinois to the small town of Hennepin, Illinois on its southern terminus. It is long.- Route description :...
in Hennepin
Hennepin, Illinois
Hennepin is a village on the Illinois River in Putnam County, Illinois, United States. The population was 707 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Putnam County.Hennepin is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
to U.S. Route 34
U.S. Route 34
U.S. Route 34 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 1,122 miles from north-central Colorado to the western suburbs of Chicago. Through Rocky Mountain National Park it is known as the Trail Ridge Road where it reaches 12,183 ft , making it the highest paved through highway in...
in Oswego
Oswego, Illinois
Oswego is a village in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 30,355. Its population has more than doubled since the 2000 census count of 13,326...
. This is a distance of 69.37 miles (111.64 km).
Route description
Outside of Hennepin, the road stretches east to an intersection with Interstate 39Interstate 39
Interstate 39 is a highway in the midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois at Interstate 55 to Highway 29 in Rothschild, Wisconsin, approximately six miles south of Wausau. I-39 was designed to replace US Highway 51, which in the early 1980s was one of the busiest two-lane...
near Oglesby
Oglesby, Illinois
Oglesby is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,791 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Schools:...
, paralleling I-39 to the north for several miles on a concurrency
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
with Illinois Route 351
Illinois Route 351
Illinois Route 351 is a north–south state route that leads from Illinois Route 71 and Illinois Route 251 by Oglesby through downtown La Salle to Interstate 80. It is long.- Route description :...
before turning eastward again near LaSalle-Peru
Peru, Illinois
Peru is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,295 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Between LaSalle-Peru and Ottawa
Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...
, Route 71 parallels the south bank of the Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
and passes Starved Rock State Park
Starved Rock State Park
Starved Rock State Park is a state park in Illinois, characterized by the many canyons within its 2360 acres. Located just southwest of the village of North Utica, in Deer Park Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, along the south bank of the Illinois River, the park hosts over two million visitors...
. It then crosses the Illinois River on a simple four-lane girder bridge. It overlaps Illinois Route 23
Illinois Route 23
Illinois Route 23 is a north–south state highway in northern Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 116 in Pontiac north to U.S. Route 14 south of Harvard. This is a distance of .-Route description:...
through downtown Ottawa and U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...
east from Route 23 before intersecting with Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
. From here it continues to the northeast, passing through Norway
Norway, Illinois
Norway, Illinois is an unincorporated community in Mission Township, LaSalle County, Illinois. The community was the site of an early Norwegian-American settlement.-History:...
, Newark
Newark, Illinois
Newark is a village in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 887 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Newark is located at ....
, and Yorkville
Yorkville, Illinois
Yorkville is a city located in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,189 at the 2000 United States Census and is estimated to be 16,505, . It is the county seat of Kendall County...
. Its eastern terminus is near downtown Oswego
Oswego, Illinois
Oswego is a village in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 30,355. Its population has more than doubled since the 2000 census count of 13,326...
at an intersection with U.S. Highway 34 and Wolfs Crossing Road.
The proposed Prairie Parkway
Prairie Parkway
The Prairie Parkway is a transportation project by the Illinois Department of Transportation to connect Interstate 80 to Interstate 88 in the outer western and southwestern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.- Corridor protection :...
limited-access highway will interchange with Route 71 southwest of High Point Road near Yorkville.
Points of interest
Just south of Norway, there is a memorial dedicated to Norwegian immigrantsNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
who settled in the area, with a small park, a cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
, and a plaque from King Olav V
Olav V of Norway
Olav V was the king of Norway from 1957 until his death. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Olav was born in the United Kingdom as the son of King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Maud of Norway...
. This memorial commemorates the Fox River Settlement
Fox River (Illinois River tributary)
The Fox River is a tributary of the Illinois River in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. There are two other "Fox Rivers" in southern Illinois: the Fox River and a smaller "Fox River" that joins the Wabash River near New Harmony, Indiana.-Wisconsin:The Fox River rises near...
. Dating from 1834, this was the location of the first permanent Norwegian-American immigrant settlement in the Midwest.
Near E. 26th Road, south of Norway, Illinois
Norway, Illinois
Norway, Illinois is an unincorporated community in Mission Township, LaSalle County, Illinois. The community was the site of an early Norwegian-American settlement.-History:...
, there is also a crashed airplane which serves as a "memorial" of sorts to commemorate the 1980s agricultural crash, which affected the primarily rural farming county.