The Piasa Bird (pronounced Pie-a-saw), is a local legend in the Alton
area. Its foundings go back to 1673 when Father Jacques Marquette, in recording
his famous journey down the Mississippi River with Louis Joliet, described
the "Piasa" as a birdlike monster painted high on the bluffs along the
Mississippi River, where the city of Alton, Illinois now stands.
According to the diary, the Piasa "was as large as a calf with horns like
a deer, red eyes, a beard like a tiger's, a face like a man, the body covered
with green, red and black scales and a tail so long it passed around the
body, over the head and between the legs."
The creature was given its name by the Illini Indians, "The Piasa", meaning
a bird that devours men.
There are many legends regarding its origin.
One of the more popular accounts goes like this ...
||Many moons ago, there existed a birdlike creature of such great size,
he could easily carry off a full grown deer in his talons. His taste, however,
was for human flesh. Hundreds of warriors attempted to destroy the Piasa,
but failed. Whole villages were destroyed and fear spread throughout the
Illini tribe. Ouatoga, a chief whose fame extended even beyond the Great
Lakes, separated himself from his tribe, fasted in solitude for the space
of a whole moon, and prayed to the Great Spirit to protect his people from
|On the last night of his fast, the Great Spirit appeared to
Ouatoga in a dream and directed him to select 20 warriors, arm them each
with a bow and poisoned arrow, and conceal them in a designated spot.
Another warrior was to stand in an open view, as a victim for the Piasa.
|When the chief awoke in the morning, he told the tribe of his
dream. The warriors were quickly selected and placed in ambush. Ouatoga offered
himself as the victim. Placing himself in open view, he soon saw the Piasa
perched on the bluff eyeing his prey. Ouatoga began to chant the death song
of a warrior. The Piasa took to the air and swooped down upon the chief.
The Piasa had just reached his victim when every bow was sprung and every
arrow sent sailing into the body of the beast. The Piasa uttered a fearful
scream that echoed down the river, and died. Ouatoga was safe, and the tribe
The re-creation of the original painting (one version is depicted in the
image at the top of this page), has been a local landmark and, until just
recently, could be seen on the bluff just north of Alton on the Great River
Road. Due to weather damage and an increase in local traffic, the painting
had been removed for restoration and relocation.
-The Piasa Bird
now rules over the River Bend once again. Through the efforts of local citizens
, government and business advocates, the painting on the bluff has been