Pere Marquette State Park

Guest House is attractive and comfortable
The hub of park activities is the rustic lodge
Sprawling picturesque Pere Marquette State Park and Conservation Area, located on the bluffs overlooking the gentle flowing Illinois river, offers many diversified forms of recreation and abounds in scenic beauty. The 5180 acre area is in Jersey county five miles west of Grafton on Illinois route 100 and approximately 19 miles west and north of Alton via the scenic Great River Road.
The park was named in memory of Father Jacques Marquette, the French Jesuit missionary priest, who in 1673 along with explorer Louis Jolliet were the first white men to enter what is now the State of Illinois at the confluence of the Mighty Mississippi and the Illinois rivers. A large white cross, east of the park entrance alongside route 100, marks where these two famous men landed.
The park with its 2605.90 acres and the conservation area consisting of 2574 acres were acquired by the state in 1932. The two areas adjoin each other. Across the Illinois river to the south and west is the Federal Wild Life Refuge of more than 8,000 acres.
Long popular and much used is the massive Pere Marquette Lodge built of colorful native stone and rustic timbers, and the seven stone guest houses back of it, nestling into the hillside. The guest houses with 29 rooms and the lodge with 18 rooms are all heated, completely air-conditioned, and each have televisions. The spacious dining room has maintained a continued reputation for exceptionally good food and gracious hospitality which spills over to the large lounge with a huge 700 ton stone fireplace, furnishing the ideal spot for old-fashioned corn popping or just plain loafing. There are also many outdoor activities including a swimming pool (open May 15 through September 15), a five-hole, par three, golf course, shuffleboard and horseshoe courts for lodge guests. Room or dining reservations should be made with the Pere Marquette Lodge management, Grafton, Illinois (A.C. 618—Grafton 786-3351).