More than two years ago, a group assembled in Prairie du Rocher to help address levee issues in the Prairie du Rocher, Modoc, Edgar Lakes Levee System. The all-volunteer, Steering Committee of the Community Foundation of Prairie du Rocher has been working since, and earlier this year, issued a strategic plan. One component of that plan was to establish the Prairie du Rocher French Colonial Historic District (PDRFCHD) as a national park or a national monument.
“There are two different routes to those outcomes,” said Ray Cole, chairman of the steering committee. “The first is to introduce legislation proposing the PDRFCHD as a park. But before that, and by following National Park Service guidelines, we had to secure three letters of intent from property owners who would be willing to transfer control to the NPS. We did that, and proposed to Congressman Mike Bost that he request a National Park Service (NPS) reconnaissance survey of the district. Mike Bost made the request. The survey process has begun.”
Cole, also village president of Prairie du Rocher, added it is vital that the survey has a positive outcome. Assuming it does, the NPS may conduct a second, more in-depth study. Whether one study or two, legislation could be introduced to induct the district into the National Park System.
For more on this story, please see this week’s print edition.