Even though I initially told you I wasn’t going to be able to make it, I actually did trek out to the rural, remote, hidden-from-plain-sight ghost town of Vishnu Springs on Sunday with C-Nor.
(more below, after these photos).
The second year of the “open house” was an absolutely heavenly fall day. And in addition to sharing the feeling of taking it in with all the other people interested in the intriguing history of the place, I ran in to lots of friends from my hometown of Carthage. (Though, I couldn’t get any of them to own up to having done this!)
I visited the spring many times in the early 70, good time were had back then. I have some photos of my visits on the web. And I really hope to make it back for an open house or would like to help do some cleaning up if needed.
Once again, I’m going to have to miss it this year. But if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, and an excuse to be outdoors, you should think about attending the “open house”—(a.k.a permission to visit legally)—at the property once known as Vishnu Springs.
As loyal readers know, the legend of Vishnu Springs—a once-bustling little resort that became a ghost-town, an invisible-from-the-road spot in the remote-est of places in McDonough County—has long been an obsession of mine.
But before you go, could I please offer a[nother] piece of unsolicited advice?
I encourage you to steep yourself in the idea of the place first.
This week, a co-worker (formerly a suburbanite) asked me if she and her kids would get anything out of the event. I thought I should answer honestly that, once you find the place, there really isn’t all that much to see.
(more below, after the photos I took when I was **definitely not trespassing there** in 2007)
Vishnu Springs Capitol Hotel backside (north)
But, if, like me, you get the chills from standing in a certain spot—an almost entirely forgotten spot—and thinking about all that once took place there, you’ll get more from the experience.
In other words, think about the fact that out in the middle of nowhere, there was once a town so popular, it included a railroad stop that brought tourists from Chicago. That it was rumored to be a hideout for Al Capone. That WIU students from the counterculture era made their way out there to live communally and play music and…do other things. And that every person who spent time there, all those years ago, thought his/her own time in the world was just as important as believe ours to be.
So yes, I think anyone who has an interest in history and ghost towns and local legends can “get something out of it.”
Here are the open house details (from the Facebook event page, where one respondent—perhaps reflecting the spirit of his time there in a certain previous decade—wrote that even though he can’t be there, “Smoke one for me!”
The second opportunity for the public to visit Vishnu Springs (Ira and Reatha T. Post Wildlife Sanctuary). A short historical and educational update will take place at 1:30 pm. Take this opportunity to come visit Vishnu without the risk of having to “trespass” to do so. More information about Vishnu Springs is at www.vishnusprings.org.
Alison, this is actually my first time ever reading your blog because I never knew about it before. I happened to see that you posted about Vishnu Springs on facebook, and I LOVE hearing stores about Vishnu Springs (I have seen it a few times myself, also NOT trespassing…). Now that I have read through a few of your blogs, I will continue keeping up with what you’re writing about. I enjoy midwestern Illinois history! Thanks for taking time to write this blog. Next time you’re in Carthage, maybe I’ll see you at The Wood.
Wow, Jared, thanks! So glad you found something interesting on here.
Also, apparently I missed you riding the mechanical bull in Hancock County last weekend??:)
Oh, and, I have a question for you, as Chamber prez, can you help me find out who wrote the story about John Dillinger in Carthage, the one in the new brochure at Carthage businesses? i really want to know more about this!
Sorry, just had a chance to read through your posts from the week. I’ll see if I can find out more information about the John Dillinger story. You’re welcome to email me at the email address that I have provided. I know who to talk to, so I’ll send him an email to see what I can find out.
(I try not to be too harsh in poking fun at any newspaper, student or professional, because I’ve been in their shoes. But this one made me truly LOL. Couldn’t resist!)
The Friends of Vishnu want to respect the wishes of Ira Post and keep it a wildlife sanctuary, where no animals are harmed. The current caretaker of Vishnu Springs is Morris Wells, who helped get people to and from the parking area.
McDonough County sheriff Johnny Carson was also on site to help. He estimated that throughout the six hours that Vishnu was open to the public, roughly 1,000 people attended.
Thanks to Ziggy and HerGLX3 for the reports of the Vishnu Tour!
Oh, how I wish I could’ve gone. Especially to see the inside of the hotel, to view those photo albums HerGLX3 mentioned, and to hear those“extras” that Marla Vizdal shared.
As I’ve blogged about before, I first heard about Vishnu when I was 15 years old, and I was so fascinated by what I learned back then that I felt as if I was being told about something truly magical.
An old hotel deep down in a ravine that you “can’t see from the road” was in itself—after having lived my life on this flat, flat prairie—exciting enough, not to mention the idea of the place turning into a counterculture commune (right outside my little ol’ homogeneous hometown).
Since having actually seen the place (ok, I admit it, I trespassed), I admit that it seems at first like not much more than a dilapidated building out in the woods. Big whoop.
But if you know the story, and the fact that you’re standing at the spot of a ghost town, and when you think about such a bustling area once having existed there… it still fascinates me.
Also, there’s a brief mention of a former tenant from the commune days.
“It had its wild phase before I got here,” he said about the hotel’s student-rental era.Fortuna also recalled the harsh winter he spent there, being snowed in for days at a time and shoveling his way up the road leading out the hotel’s valley. …. “It’s a beautiful place.”
IT WAS PACKED! I have no idea how many people would have been there – would love to hear a head count. Traffic backed up, lines waiting to get in, steady stream of walkers in/out the whole time we were there.
Now come on, that means there are some people out there who need to send me some details. Had you been before? Learn anything new? Find any evidence of Al Capone’s ghost?
OK – Here are MY deets. (I have to call them mine, because there were so many people there that others may have gotten a different experience.)
1. Being a resident of (outside of) Tennesse, I HAD to go. I went with my husband and Mother-In-Law – Both I consider Vishnu Experts. My parents and daughter went along, too.
2. Parking was about 1/2 mile away – you had to walk down a hill to get here, back up to get out. I heard several people saying they wished there would have been clearer instructions on parking and more details on the walk/ getting there. (I think there may be some blue-hairs still there trying to get up that hill! Think: wet leaves and mud!)
3. Once you got there you just walked around and went where you wanted to. The first floor of the hotel was open to go through. It was pretty much just an empty building. There weren't any furnishings or anything, just some old spray-painted graffiti.
4. There was an information table set up with albums of old pictures to go through and to read the history. You could also buy bottled water with a Vishnu label. (Not really from the spring.)
5. There was supposed to be a history presentation at 1:30. We didn't stay for it (I was with the 2 history buffs. The information for the presentation was actually my Mother-In-Law's!)
6. It was PACKED! (As your "esteemed" reader mentioned. I couldn't estimate how many people were there, but it is safe to say several hundred turned out for the event!
7. It was a gorgeous day. The weather was perfect. Even with the hundreds of people – it still felt very peaceful and you could almost imagine how it would have been years ago.
8. I hope the far off, hopeful dreams of restoration are in store for this historic place. It is in a beautifil area and has some pretty cool history. They were taking donations during the tour. Maybe they could do a once a year thing? Or have some sort of fund-raising event? I would take an unimaginable amount of money – but well worth the time. I overheard several comments of appreciation for the place.
I took LOTS of pictures I would love to share with you sometime!
I was there Sunday, twice in fact. (Went away to grab some food but came back for the presentation.)
There was no tour and little to see of the building and previous structures, but the history of the region and the scenery itself are just amazing.
The valley, where the Capitol Hotel structure still stands, is rather unique in that it is not prone to flooding and yet provides a natural sanctuary and a feeling of protection.
A tiny trickle of the springs still runs into the man-made pond near the hotel.
The number and size of animal trails would indicate that animals through the size of deer still frequent the location.
The amount of exposed roots from trees near the ravines leading to the valley would seem to indicate that erosion is a fairly major contributor to the shape of the region and that the region is changing at a relatively rapid rate.
The presentation from Marla Vizdal included a few extras beyond what you would find in previously published material about the site. I am hoping for a transcript of the presentation because I was busy taking pictures.
The crowd was very pleasant and considerate, and I was impressed by the number of children and elders who made the trek.
Western University was collecting video commentary from notable visitors and I would love to see the edited results.
This Sunday, Oct. 18, will be “…the first time the public has been invited to visit Vishnu Springs since it was acquired by Western Illinois University“
Richard R. Kline, 19, of Bloomington, was arrested Thursday about 12:50 p.m. and charged with criminal damage to state-supported property. He is accused of damaging property at Vishnu Springs, west of Argyle Lake State Park.
It may not be fall yet, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait to think about shady lanes, colorful leaves and…ghost stories!
As I mentioned last fall, I’ve been fascinated by the (local) legend of Vishnu Springs since I was a teenager. And, as I mentioned, I certainly haven’t trespassed on the property or, um, taken pictures while I was(n’t) there.
After that post, I heard from several other people in the area who find the place fascinating. I heard from an old friend who said his family had a strong connection to previous owners, and that somewhere in his family home an interesting Vishnu-related artifact is hidden away. Now, I am happy to report that people who hear about the legend and want to know more can go to a new, professionally created web site (sponsored by a new-ish organization, Friends of Vishnu. )
It’s all there—everything and anything you might want to know. The creepy, troubled history of its previous owners. The 60′s resurgence / commune. The status of the place today.
Ponder this: It might be true that, had something like this existed when I first heard about the place (back in the dark ages of the 90′s, when there warn’t no Internets), the whole story might have seem less ghostly, less like a legend, less fascinating—since such a huge part of what made it fascinating was its hidden status, something you only heard about through word of mouth.
But at the same time, having a professional site like this could help raise funds and support, and therefore keep the place protected.
If you, too, find the legend of Vishnu Springs interesting, be sure to visit the site and check out the photo collection, which contains images of the hotel and grounds from pre-1900′s all the way up through today.
Have you (not) trespassed to Vishnu? Do you know people who know stories about it? I wanna know.
My great grandfather, Albert Simmons, ran Vishnu for awhile back when it was still a hotel. My mother used to spend time there in the summers. My great grandpa always said that the spring water had healing power. My mom became ill when she was younger and was in the hospital for awhile, my great grandpa made her drink the water every day. She got better, and has never had that ailment again.
I was out hiking today in the Vishnu Springs area. I have yet to actually come across the Capitol Hotel. I can’t seem to pinpoint exactly where the trail is that leads back to abandoned village. I turned on County Rd 1100 and drove west an then turned south on County Rd 175. After pondering around in a field for almost an hour I then drove to County Rd 200. Drove till it turned into a dirt road of two tire tracks. County Rd 175 does the same thing and I drove on that until I hit a corn field. I lived in Hancock County most of my life and I never hear of Vishnu Springs until the explosion of the internet. Anyway I have hiked a lot in that area, mostly along Crooked Creek. All I can say is there are some spots that give me the creeps. I know when they built the 4 lane highway out going out of Tennessee they did a lot of archeological work in the area because of ancient Indian burial sites uncovered in the area. I often wonder if maybe Vishnu Springs itself was once such a burial site that was disturbed. I have heard over the years that the local area has been said to be haunted. I am glad that a lot of individuals are interested in preserving the area.
@Nick, I’ve heard people claim that Vishnu could be haunted, but never because of the American Indian connection! And yes, I too am glad that the area is being preserved. WIU now owns the property and is using it as a biological study area for students.
I grew up on a farm in west central Illinois, where there was one stoplight in the entire county. As a newspaper reporter and award-winning columnist ("Six Degrees from Galesburg"), public-radio commentator and blogger, I've uncovered the truth behind local legends (remind me to tell you the one involving Ringo Starr's tonsils), visited ghost towns and forgotten haunts, and interviewed marginally famous celebrities who happened to be stopping through town ("Corky" from "Life Goes On," anyone?). Now, after 12 years in journalism and PR, I've moved to Davenport, Iowa, to start life with my husband and to embark on a new gig as an English instructor. I'm also working on a batch of essays about life in small-town, murderous-to-latter-day-prophet America, (see "Joseph Smith" tag below). I love to hear from people who land here. Please leave comments at the bottom of posts, or drop me a line at alison dot sixdegrees at gmail.com.
nate the GREAT 
Alison 
Her GLX 2 
Shelby 
Nick Carter 
Cool! I wish I could of went with you guys!
Hopefully they will have an open house sometime when you are back in the area!
I visited the spring many times in the early 70, good time were had back then. I have some photos of my visits on the web. And I really hope to make it back for an open house or would like to help do some cleaning up if needed.