Saturday, November 10, 2007

And now ...............the rest .......of the story.


Vishnu Springs was a small village and resort located in west central Illinois. There is a small spring located on the property that is thought to have healing powers. So the area was sought after and went through many owners from when it was first developed for use to the present day.

The property was first developed by Darius Hicks in the late 1800’s. Hicks started out with a hotel that had many attractions to it, one of those being indoor plumbing. There were also swings and hammocks, flower gardens, a deer park, horse-powered merry-go-round, a pond filled with goldfish, and many other attractions. The village would eventually surround the resort.

Eventually the town failed though. Hicks committed suicide after the death of his wife. There were many owners after him who tried to get the place up and running. Ownership traded back and forth. Some Western Illinois University students even rented the place in the seventies because of its beauty and tranquility. Today though, Western Illinois University owns the property and will be turning it into a wildlife refuge. What will be come of the hotel which still stands? Who knows what will happen. No one can deny the history that will stay locked away in the memories of ones who have visited.

No Trespassing signs are posted.

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Trespassing at Vishnu Springs

In what's been an ongoing occurrence, people continue to trespass at Vishnu Springs. McDonough County Sheriff Rick VanBrooker says seventeen people were charged last weekend with trespassing. Around 3:30 Saturday afternoon, two cars were found parked outside the gate and blocking the entrance and the road that leads to the former hotel and springs and police ticketed *seven people. Just after 10 o'clock Sunday night police again found two vehicles parked at the entrance. This time they ticketed 10 people. The ages ranged from 18 to 22. There are rumors that the former hotel on the site is haunted and the spring water was rumored to have healing power. People pry off the boards covering the hotel windows and doors to get inside, and the walls inside are spray-painted with graffiti.

* My 21 year old good as gold daughter and friends, on Halloween. How did I find out? Her court summons came in the mail today. Am I thrilled? Not so much. Am I angry with her?

Would you be?

**Added - They did not go inside, it is all boarded up, nor did they vandalise anything. They poked around and explored outside.


7 comments:

  1. I wouldn't be upset....she sounds like she is a great daughter....now if she was caught drunk...or something along that line...then I would be upset...

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  2. A mothers work is never done...I thought we were all over peer-pressure by 21? (I think its safe to assume it wasnt her idea in the first place LOL)
    Oh well, lets hope getting caught at this serves as a warning to be more alert to consequences?
    Hang in there BetteJo, she is a good kid.

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  3. 21 is young, but old enough to start taking responsibility for her own actions. She needs to deal with the repercussions of this on her own. Have her talk to an attorney on a consult basis. They will probably tell her to ask the DA to let her plead on a lesser charge and get a small fine and some community service.

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  4. I wouldn't be angry, but I'd pretend to be mad as hell!

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  5. Well, she could have done something a lot worse than trespassing! A court summons seems a bit OTT to me. We all make mistakes and she's never done anything before.

    However, as a mum, I would be pretty upset about it but it's not the end of the world is it. I'd just have to put it down to experience.

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  6. mmm the fascination with the myth and a no-go sign sounds like it won!!

    Been there done that - at least she is usually the model daughter - we all slip up from time to time - and it could be worse huh?

    Jo
    xx

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  7. my mother always told me "do whatever you want, just don't.get.caught."

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