Forest preserve site to host voyage into past.

Byline: Stanley Ziemba

Sep. 28--Visitors to Columbia Woods near Willow Springs will be transported more than 200 years back in time over the weekend with the re-creation of the 18th Century French fur trade era along the Des Plaines River.

The setting for the history lesson is "A River Thru History, the Des Plaines Valley Rendezvous," sponsored by the Cook County Forest Preserve District and the I&M Canal National Heritage Corridor Civic Center Authority in cooperation with the Canal Corridor Association.

It revives the former "I&M Canal Rendezvous," which had been staged annually each fall in Columbia Woods for 17 years until dwindling interest led to its cancellation last year.

"After much renewed support from the community and the Forest Preserve District, a revised version of the event is back with several exciting new features, including an authentic Native American village to go along with re-enactors dressed as French voyageurs, a host of Native American craft demonstrations and an expanded lineup of food, music and other entertainment reminiscent of the fur trade era," said Stan Johnson, the rendezvous' director.

The main focus also has changed -- to the fur trade that flourished along the Des Plaines from about 1660 to 1848. The former rendezvous emphasized the I&M Canal, which was built between 1836 and 1848 and established a continuous water route between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, Johnson said.

"What we want to get across is that the Des Plaines is the river of history for the Chicago area, a major waterway that led French explorers like Pierre Marquette and Louis Joliet further into the continent, brought French fur ...