NW Illinois News

The Hennepin Canal is where Illinois made history when the first boat sailed through in 1907, intending to connect the state to the Mississippi River. Over a century later, Illinoians can take cruise tours on it.

“Great opportunity to see the Hennepin Canal,” Senator Win Stoller wrote on Facebook.

The Friends of the Hennepin Canal wrote it saw use for recreational traffic in the 1930s. With its construction and its sister canal, the canal opened its transportation route as far as the Gulf of Mexico.

“With calm waters like glass, Hennepin Canal is an easy waterway to navigate,” Only In Your State wrote. “That is one big reason it's perfect for those who are just learning how to kayak.”

The Geneseo Chamber of Commerce organized the Cruise the Canal Tours, which will run on Sept. 9 and Oct. 14. It is $25 per person and you get access to a golf cart you drive along the tour.

Tours leave at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person.

Shaw Local reported Thomas Zebron, 18, reeled in a paddlefish of approximately 6 pounds.

“Zebron had hooked a bluegill but the paddlefish got to it before Zebron could reel it in,” Shaw Local wrote. “The 33-inch, 6-pound paddlefish was luckier than the bluegill; Zebron released it back into the canal after getting photographic evidence.”

Zach Sullivan will lead the tours. 

There are opportunities to sponsor golf carts for the tours. The sponsorship levels are as follows: 

• 1 tour date: $75/cart

• 2 tour dates: $125/cart

To learn more about upcoming events at the canal, visit the Friends of the Hennepin Canal’s events calendar webpage.

Stoller was first elected to the Illinois Senate in 2021. A Republican, their legislative experience includes serving on the Environment and Conservation Committee and Senate Higher Education Committee. Stoller is a state senator who resides in Germantown Hills, according to the Illinois Senate.