The author, Steve Stout, had little knowledge of Starved Rock's rich history when he first moved to LaSalle County in 1974. Sine that time, he has become a student of Illinois Valley's heritage, fascinated by the many legends of the land. From such stories as a bungled bank robbery which killed seven people for seven cents to Charles Lindbergh's near fatal crash north of Ottawa in 1926, this collection or stories and photographs honors all the diverse people, past and present, who made the communities around Starved Rock State Park.