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The Rise and Fall of Vishnu Springs
Caroline Pircon During the late 1800s, Vishnu Springs was a successful resort and small village. Vishnu is located in McDonough County near the small town of Tennessee, Illinois. The spring itself does not have an actual discovery date, but there have been many owners of the spring and the land it is on. The original owner of Vishnu Springs was a man named Ebenezer Hicks. Ebenezer's son leased twenty acres of land including the springs to Dr. John Aiken. Aiken tried to make a profit from the land, but his attempts failed. The next owner was Darius Hicks, who inherited the land from his father, Ebenezer. Darius was the one to develop the land and make something of it. He took a partner, John Mourning, but they eventually parted ways. This left Darius the sole owner. Darius developed the property. First he built a hotel. The building was 26 by 40 feet, 3 1/2 stories tall, and had 24 rooms, a grand piano, and indoor plumbing. The grounds that were developed eventually had a fountain, a goldfish pond, a skating rink, beautiful flower gardens, a croquet court, a deer park, swings and hammocks, a horse-powered merry-go-round, a racetrack, and a wrestling ring. Some of these recreational improvements, such as the wrestling ring and the merry-go-round, were also open to the residents. The village of Vishnu was built around the resort and was small. This village consisted of a few houses, a store, a post office, and a saloon. The village's first resident was Andy Ruddle. Because of the resort's existence and success, the town prospered. There were many reasons for the popularity of Vishnu Springs. One of these reasons was that people believed that the water had special healing powers. Another and more practical reason is that the water had a high mineral count, which helped alleviate or improve certain ailments and conditions. The beautiful surroundings combined with a luxurious hotel with many recreational activities to make Vishnu Springs a "hotspot." Even though Vishnu Springs was popular and seemed successful, it failed. There were many things that contributed to this failure. One reason was the lack of roads and railroads close to the resort. It was also geographically difficult to get to from major cities. The resort itself was virtually in the middle of a forest and was hard to reach except on foot or horseback. Possibly the biggest reason for the failure of Vishnu Springs Hotel was that the owner, Darius Hicks, committed suicide after his wife died from difficulties in childbirth. Although the current owner of the property is Western Illinois University, there were many successors who tried to restore the resort after Darius. Unfortunately, all of the attempts were unsuccessful. During the 1930s Ira Post acquired the property and attempted to restore it to its once-successful era. The hotel never regained popularity and it lost money for the Posts. Eventually, Ira died, and his wife tried to open the land to the public as a nature preserve. Vandals started ruining the property, and Mrs. Post was forced to put up "No Trespassing" signs. In the 1970s Vishnu Springs saw another attempted revival when students from Western Illinois University rented the hotel as living quarters because they wanted to enjoy nature and the surroundings of Vishnu Springs. They organized a music festival, which proved to be a large event with hundreds of people in attendance. The students eventually moved out and the hotel became empty again. Vandalism continued to be a problem throughout the 1980s with graffiti being the most common offense. Because of the concern for the future of the property, two organizations united to try another solution for Vishnu Springs. The McDonough County Historical Preservation Society and The Audubon Society jointly tried to preserve the grounds, but again the attempts fell through. Today the future of Vishnu Springs is uncertain. However, there is still hope the property will be used for the greater good, and it still attracts sightseers. It stands as a skeletal reminder of a fascinating chapter in local history, that led to the development of Tennessee and surrounding areas.—[From Joseph Adams, "A Lost Village," Historic Illinois; Macomb Sunday Journal, Nov. 14, 1982; Macomb Daily Journal, Feb. 13,1989; Colchester Chronicle, April 1, Sept. 23,1999.]
40 ILLINOIS HISTORY / FEBRUARY 2002 |
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