New Piasa Chautauqua
| Chautauqua | |
| Unincorporated community | |
 Cottages near the entrance
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Illinois |
| County | Jersey |
| Township | Elsah |
| Elevation | 436 ft (132.9 m) |
| Coordinates | 38°57′52″N 90°23′08″W / 38.96444°N 90.38556°WCoordinates: 38°57′52″N 90°23′08″W / 38.96444°N 90.38556°W |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 62028 |
| Area code | 618 |
  Location of Chautauqua within Illinois
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 Location of Illinois in the United States
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Chautauqua (also known as the New Piasa Chautauqua Historic District) is a private semi-gated summer resort that started as a 19th-century tent settlement. The name Piasa is taken from a nearby Native American painting of a mythical bird, called the Piasa Bird, which was painted on the bluffs high above the Mississippi River. Chautauqua is located between Elsah and Grafton in Jersey County. Today, it is bordered by and has access from the Great River Road. It has functioned as a private non-denominational Christian summer resort for over a century.
Founded in 1885 by Methodist leaders, Piasa Chautauqua attracted thousands of people from the St. Louis area and other places in Illinois. Arriving first by packet boat, and later by automobile or the trains that ran by as often as six times a day, the vacationers were entertained, educated, and inspired by such luminaries like William Jennings Bryan, evangelists Sam Jones, Billy Sunday and Gypsy Smith, the Swiss Bell Ringers, John Philip Sousa’s band and "Sunny Jim," reputed to be one of the Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders.
The physical situation of the settlement added to its appeal as the hottest summer days had cool valley breezes and some evenings might require a jacket. Before the days of air-conditioning, this offered a welcome relief from the heat of the city. An early swimming pool, that used to be filled with cold spring water, remains a popular attraction.
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