Makanda Boardwalk (Makanda Trading Co, Visions Art, Rainmaker's garden)

The community of Makanda began with the building of a boarding house and construction camp for the Illinois Central Railroad. In the earliest documents known, the valley was known as North Pass.  Cobden to the south was referred to as South Pass, and Alto Pass to the west was, of course, known as West Pass. Through each ran a line of the railroad. By 1857 the name had changed to Markanda or Markands; historians are not certain.  When the first official postmaster came to town in 1870 the name was Markauda. In 1872, it received its present name which allegedly was the name of the Indian chief last inhabiting the section.  The Village of Makanda was established in 1845 and incorporated Feb 7, 1888.

The prosperity of the community was tied closely to that of the railroad. Fortune offered the advantage of being only one day’s train ride from the market of Chicago.  Many items were shipped and sold from here, including flowers, and in springtime daffodils will still bloom in the valley, left over from the fields grown for sale.

At one time a large business community stretched up and down the valley and hillsides. In fact, a boardwalk used to extend from H. L. Bell’s Buildings to the entrance of Giant City State Park. Business thrived. There existed numerous general or grocery stores, a bank and a coffee shop, a shoe repair shop, 3 or 4 barbers, 3 doctors, a dentist, a druggist, an undertaker, a photographer, a grainery, a flour mill, a haberdashery (men’s clothing store), a blacksmith, several sweet potato storage houses, hotels, a plant nursery, a blacksmith, a police magistrate with a jail, and many other establishments.

Allan Stuck, sculptor and jeweler, said the railroad made an impact on Makanda’s economic climate. The trains ran daily to Chicago to ensure the fruit arrived fresh. Then technology allowed fruit to travel farther, bypassing the village.  “All of the farms down in Cobden, in Anna and Jonesboro seem to get more water than all of us in the little towns,” Stuck said. “Then refrigeration came into existence and Makanda stopped being important as a shipping area,” Stuck said.

Makanda went practically overnight from a shipping hub to a ghost town. Because of multiple floods and a fire that claimed businesses in the valley, prices were low and the population had dwindled. 

The affordability led several Southern Illinois University Carbondale artists to change their residences in the early 1970’s.  Shortly thereafter, Makanda found its resurgence as an artist haven. Dave Dardis, proprietor of Rainmaker Art Studio on the boardwalk, moved to Makanda with a few art school friends from SIUC in 1973.  He and his two partners rented out studio space for $40 a month. Because of the strong artist migration, Makanda is a thriving center for arts. Local art shop, Visions Art Gallery features works from more than 100 local artists.

 Makanda boasts two fairs per year in celebration of their rich arts and crafts foundations, with the annual spring Makanda Fest and the fall Vulture Fest. (Makanda Fest is the first weekend in May and Vulture Fest is the 3rd weekend in October)  The festivals feature live music, arts and crafts and in the fall, hundreds of black and turkey vultures. “I think that between our little village down here and the state park behind us, people just swarm down here,” Addington said.  Stuck said that the swarming was because “people with aesthetic senses automatically wanted to move in here.”

We spent an afternoon in Makanda and spent some time in several of the shops, and in Rainmaker's amazing garden behind the boardwalk.  

Makanda Trading Company

Makanda Trading Company offers a vast variety of art and gifts from around the world. There is something for everyone at the Makanda Trading Company. Open daily from 9am - 5pm.

618-351-0201

Visions Art Gallery

Visions Art Gallery features local artists and their works. Ranging from paintings, stained glass, to ceramics it is a must see on your visit to the valley of the arts. Open every weekend.

618-549-5523

PB&J

Rainmaker's Studio and Garden

Rain Maker Studio displays amazing metal work from jewelry, sculptures and fountains made by an internationally known artist. Visit the 1 acre sculpture garden year round. Open daily from 9am - 5pm

618-457-6282

There is so much more to enjoy in Makanda, we couldn't fit it all in to one afternoon!

How to get there:

Take I-57 to exit 45 onto 148.
Follow 148 North.
Turn left onto Grassy rd.
Twice you will turn/veer left to stay on Grassy.
Turn left onto Giant City rd.
Turn right onto S Church rd.
Continue on to Baptist Hill rd.
From here you will meet up with main street, go left for Allan Stuck's amazing art gallery or go right for the boardwalk!