UlN.ViiRSITY Of ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANACHAMPAIGN ;?lA latest Date stamped below. for dl..lplln=ry «.lon and may re.ul. the University- 333.8400 FEB V L,61— 01096 Proposed Park Areas of Illinois ^? y Q 7 HERTZBERG - NEW METHOD. INC. EAST VANDALIA ROA' ^7^ ACCOUNT NO, 7200"-J50 F'K'JI-'Ubl-.U I"f-1H'K f-iKi::.AS IN TllE ■OKSONVILLE, ILL. 62650 LOT AND TICKET NO 21 ■ 102 B nr j.llj;no3;9-.>' 42-28 CLOTH COLOR 719.32«F910P 01.STX4 HEIGHT CHARGING INFORMATION FRONT COVER THRU SEW ON TAPE HAND ADHESIVE FOREIGN TITLE LINES OF LETTERING PAGE S LAMINATED EXTRA THICKNESS MAP POCKET PAPER MAP POCKET CLOTH SPECIAL WORK SPECIAL WORK AND PREP Doer Pai'k Oanvon PROPOSED PARK AREAS IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS ^3iends ot Our Native Landscape Foreword .....•• The Apple River Cannon ot Jo Daviess C'oiintx The Savanna Headhmds .... The Rock River Area The White Pine P\)rest Tract of O^le Count) Starxed Rock Park An Illinois River \'alley Park The Effingham Prairie Park Marsh Lands and Drainage Projects of Illinois Cahokia Mound Park The State Park Possibilities of Southern lUinoi State Park Possibilities Along the Mississippi Ri The Preservation of Our River Courses and Thei ural Setting Nat- I I 15 '7 ^5 33 43 49 59 67 75 87 95 109 509028 Illustrations PAGE Deer Park Canyon Frontispiece Map showing locations of areas troated of in tliis book 13 Castle Sninniit of Apj^le River Canyon IG In Apple River Canyon 17 Sandstone "Walls of Apple River Canyon 18 In the Apple River Conntry 19 Shelving- "Walls in Apple River Canyon 21 A Flood Plain in Apple River Canyon 22 Mississippi River near Savanna 25 Bevis Blnffs along the IMississippi North of Savanna 26 Palisades of the ^lississippi at Savanna 27 The "Thousand Islands" of Savanna 29 Rock River near Oregon ?>'^ Yie\y South from Prospect Rock .')4 "View East from Green Rock looking toward (!rand Detour 35 Colored Sandstone Wall of Rock River 38 Castle Rock, Oregon, Illinois 39 View up Stream from Castle Rock -lO Prospect Rock 41 Along Pine Creek 43 In the "White Pine Forest of Ogle County 44 Starved Rock and the Illinois River 49 Starved Rock fioni Trover's fjcap 50 Starved Rock 51 Island and Flood Phiin fioiii Starved Rock 54 Deer Park Canyon 55 Bailey's Falls, Staivcd Rock i'ark 57 The Spoon River helow Bei-nailotte 59 In the Spoon River Country 60 The Spoon River at Bernadotte 61 A Corner of Lake Kanaga 67 Woodland Scene, looking Nortli 68 Little Wabash River Dam and Bridge on "National Old Trails Road," looking Northwest 69 Little Wabash Valley Bottoms 71 10 l^roposcd Viirk Areas oj UhnoiS PACE Pi-oposeil Lake Site, looking East 7'J Lake Kanaga, looking Pjast, Showing Soiitli Shore.. <.j In many places the timber is dying in the Kankakee district for lack of water. This photograph was taken during the last week in July, 1921. Note that there are no leaves on the trees 75 Little Beaver Lake, now sand and thistles 76 One of the ditches through the Kankakee District which removed both surface and underground water "7 A desert where formerlv existed a Sjiortsman's Para- dise '. SO AVhite Sand— Part of tract of l(),(in() acres in the Kan- kakee Districts plowed and i)lanted in rye in 1!>'J1. Nothing grew • • 81 Persimmon Mound, 500 feet southeast of Cahokia Mound 87 Cahokia (Monk's) Mound. North view 89 Cahokia Mound. South view 91 Natural Bridge, Pope County 95 The Stone Face, Cave Hill, Saline County 96 "Glen Fern," near Tunnel Hill, Johnson County. ... 97 Great Wall and Cave-in. Pope County 100 Piasa Bluffs along the Mississippi, Graftini, Jersey County .' 103 Flory's Cave, near Tunnel Hill, Johnson County (Front view of central part) 109 Road in Beautiful Illinois . 1 lo Road in Northern Illinois. This also compares with the Ozark Country 11^ Road in Northern Illinois 115 Prairie of Illinois 1 19 Proposed Park Areas The Friends of Our Native Landscape The society of The Friends of Our Native Landscape was founded for the purpose of preserving our native landscape. As the great- est number of its members are in IlHnois it is quite natural that its chief efforts at present are directed towards the preservation of what is left of the scenic and historic lands in this state. To carry on this work in a comprehensive and scientific manner, a committee was appointed by the Board of Directors on January 8th, 1919, for the purpose of investi- gating such lands in Illinois as are worthy of preservation and reporting their findings to the board. The only stipulation was that each tract should contain not less than a thousand acres. The reason for this is primarily not to interfere with the present state laws which give counties the privilege to vote them- selves into forest preserve districts for the acquisition of scenic and forested lands. This gives each county the advantage of purchas- ing small areas which are of local interest only. Another reason is that it requiries large areas to preserve the native flora and fauna in all its wild and mysterious beauty. Over- crowded parks or preserves mean the de- struction of all such. On January 27th. 1918, the first meeting of the committee was held and on February 15th, 12 i'fo/>oSi-(I I'jrk- Aiwis of lU'/nois 1921, the report of the committee was accepted by the Board of Directors. The survey of the lands mentioned in the report was undertaken by members of the committee who were well qualified for their tasks. The expense of the survey and the printing of this report has been met by the generous donations of the members of The Friends of Our Native Landscape. The following named persons constitute the State Park Committee: Jens Jensen, Chj/nimn Chicago Prof. Stephen A. Forbes Urbana Prof. Ernest Freund Chicago Clarence Bonneli Harrisburg Dr. Henry Cowles Chicago John Sherman Chicago George Dauchy Chicago Miss Anna Page Scott Dubuque Spencer Ewing Bloomington W. D. Richardson Chicago Theodore Jessup Chicago O. M. Schantz Cicero Mrs. W. L. Arnold Chicago Mrs. Kathryn Hammond Savanna Everett L. Millard Highhmd Park \Vn I ARD H. Ashton Rocktord The committee on publication which has had charge of the preparation and printing of this report consists of Dr. Henry Cowiks Chicago Jesse L. Smith Highhind Park R. B. Miller ITrbana Jens Jensen Chicago lV\i I'll Fi ! -re 11 1 R Si VMOiR Ravinia '^)Baid Knob ,A..d @ParK..-TaonJA C!6)j<.c.K^or, UoNow-CUJ^Br^nct, A Foreword jHIS report is a contribution by The Friends ot Our Native Landscape. Each survey repre- sents on the part of its author a feeling of insight and intimacy toward the area de- scribed. The report is a work of love and must be accepted as such. Although there still remains a great deal to be done in the way of complete surveys of the lands recommended, this report can be accepted as a general outline of such sec- tions of Illinois as should be preserved for present and future generations. Practically all the lands mentioned in this report are of little or no agricultural value. They bring to us more of the spiritual side than the material. They represent Illinois as the white man found it — a dif- ferent world from the man-made one — equally important in developing the cultural life of Illinois. They offer ref- uge for native wild life and a place of escape for a while, at least, from the grind and cares of daily life. Besides the areas described here, there are lands along the Little Vermilion, the Kaskaskia and the Wabash Rivers that should be preserved either for county or state reserva- tions. The Ozark uplifts in Southern Illinois are better fitted for forest lands than agricultural, and a large sec- tion of this region, outside the areas recommended for parks, should be acquired by the State for forests. In the Savanna region an interstate park might be established, taking in all the islands of the Mississippi, together with the bluffs and canyons of Illinois and Iowa. The islands will furnish camping sites for thousands, and as a bird preserve, this region would be equal to any in the middle West. Another matter of importance is the selection of conven- ient roads between the reservations. They should be con- structed and controlled by the state. Wherever possible, these roads should follow the rivers or water courses so as i6 Proposed Park Areas of Illinois to reach the most pirturesque sections of Illinois. In time they will become the great pleasure highways ot our State. Count}' parks may be locateti on or in close proximit}- to these highwajs. A plan as outlined in the following pages will eventually make our State one great park where the primitive America will vie in interest and beauty with the rural country, where fields of corn are fringed with our native crabapple and prairie blossoms, and entwined by winding streams and rivers on whose towering blutfs the golden tassels of the oak are silhouetted against the blue sky of Illinois. Jens Jensen. Castle Summit of Apple Eivcr Canyon The Apple River Canyon of Jo Daviess County 111 A])ple River Canyon Saiiilstduc Walls of AppU' Mivcr C'anyoii In the Apple River I'oiiiiti-y The Apple River Canyon of Jo Daviess County Hkrman S. Pepoon A Proposed State Park Site An area to be set aside as a State Parle tor the perpetual use and pleasure ot its eiti'/ens should have a number of prominent outstanding characteristics or qualities: (l) As far as possible it should be in the original condition with as little evidence of man's interference as is consistent with accessibility: (2) The topographic features should be strik- ing and diversified: (3) Forest growth should be much in qu'antity and pleasing in quality: (4) Water, pure and natural', should be well distributed: (5) The site should be easy of access by steam and auto roads: (6) Historical values would add much to the interest: (7) Nearness to supplies so that campers may not find their pleasure marred by precarious necessities of life, is imperative, and, lastly, (8) The neighboring citizenry should be friendly to such a location so that best results may accrue. 20 I'roposctl [\irk Areas of Illinois Measured b) .sucli btandards our .state has no place tliat can be considered more entitled to recommendation than the Canyon ot Apple River. This canyon is 138 miles north by west of Chicago, lying between the Illinois Central and Great Western Railways, live miles from each; three miles from the Grant Highway, five miles from Warren, seven miles from Stockton. Its beginning is three miles south of the Illinois-Wisconsin line and its tull extent lies within the boundary of Rush Township, Jo Daviess County. The canyon is a water formed gorge cut into the Galena dolomite and its length of five miles wearing through that formation from summit to base, or 250 vertical feet. The rocks are more or less precipitous, often fomiing cliffs from 50 to 150 feet in height. Everywhere the remaining slopes vary little from 4; or more degrees. The gorge floor is rarely ever more than ten rods wide, the upper width less than one-fourth of a mile. T\\f depth varies from 60 to Fhe App/r R/vcr Can van 21 siicKiiii; Walls in Apple River Canyon 250 feet and tor much of the distance approximates the latter ti^ure. The direction is almost exactly X.E.-S.W., the outflow being the latter, but minor curves add to the beauty and charm. The rocks are a gra}-bufF dolomitic limestone in massive or thin strata, much mingled with chert seams, and on exposed blufFs often assuming striking or fantastic forms of castles, towers and the like. Fossils are numerous at certain horizons. The sheer cliffs are often tinted with the prolific lichen flora. The Apple River which has carved the cannon rises on the state line, 15 miles northwestward, and near West Point, 8 miles eastward, the two forks uniting at Millville at the immediate entrance to the canyon. Jo Daviess County is a driftless area, the Illinoisan glacier separating northward and passing by to the east at the Jo Daviess- Stephenson County line, and westwardly a little beyond the present Mississippi. In preglacial days the state line source was the only one, the river passing the present site of Millville, flowing through the east branch course for two miles and then along the present valley of Mud Run and 22 ['ropost'd l\irk Areas of lll/no/s then Yellow Creek valley into the Pecatonica near where Freeport now is located. l"he glacier above referred to dammed this ancient river valle} and turned the accumu- lated waters of Apple River southwest over what was prob- ably a low divide, into the waters of a preglacial tributary of the Mississippi River. Thus began the cutting down of the canyon, which we see today in all its extent and beaut}', not a finished product but yet in the formative period. The river iself is a small stream of clear cool water flow- ing about 1 oo cu. ft. a second at ordinary stage. Its course is marked bj- long and wide stretches of quiet deep water invariably at the bases of great cliffs, alternating with cross- ing riffles of shoal water where the river passes from one side of its narrow valle}- to the other. For example — in a distance from Millville of one and one-half miles there are fifteen crossings and the same number of pools. The bed is always rock, either the solid bed rock of the deeps or the loose worn rubble of the riffles. Springs abound, adding volume and coolness and affording many places of refresh- ment. The side gulches, numerous and exceedingly pic- A Flood Plain in A])ple Hivcr Canyon The App/c R/ver Canyon 23 turesque, coniiiionly bring to the main stream small addi- tions in the torm ot cold sparkling rivulets. With the exception of an occasional bald and sheer precipice of stone, vegetation is everywhere. Sixty or more varieties of trees are found within the first mile of the can- yon's course. Shrubs and vines are rampant — nearly 500 species of herbaceous plants, many with beautiful bloom, grace the valley, the slopes and the rocks and crags. Rare forms abound, finding congenial habitat in the sheltered depths of the canyon where no cold and blighting north wind ever blows. Since the seas of the Ordovician Period receded an interrupted reign of sun and rain, frost and sleet has stimulated the growth and luxuriance of what must be very ancient habitants of this field Elysian. The stream abounds with small-mouth black bass and other brethren. The wolf, the fox, the mink, the raccoon, and many weaker forest folks and swarms of birds, resi- dent, summer visitors or migrants, invite to study or enter- tainment, and the crowning point will be when all these charms and treasures of water, rock, tree, flower, beast and bird are taken under the protecting care of creation's master and so conserved and preserved for the sons and daughters of men for all time to come. The Savanna Headlands Mississippi River near Savanna Bovis BluiTs ahniix the ]\lississii)|)i, North of Savanna Photo Maaica li Palisades of the ^Mississip])! at Savanna The Savanna Headlands Jens Jensen The site recommended tor a State Park in Carroll County commences north of the city of Savanna and toUows the Mississippi River north beyond the Apple River. It in- cludes the rocky blutTs, the wooded flood plains, and the numerous islands in the Mississippi. As a great many ot these island belong to the State of Iowa it is proposed that by joint action between the State of Iowa and the State ot Illinois this wonderful park be created. The park would include the Iowa Bluifs as well as the Illinois Blutfs and the canyons of the Apple River. Just north of the city of Savanna, the Mississippi River hugs closely to the Illinois side and through thousands of years of erosion has formed the Mississippi Palisades, a prototype of the famous Palisades of the Hudson. On these ancient cliffs of prehistoric times, botanical and geological science, together with the early history of Illinois, vie with each other in importance and interest. The deep ravines are tilled with forests of ferns and the crag and talus 28 I'roposri/ ['ark Areas of llhno/s torniarions are tuU o\ inttresting planrs not touiul in the adjacent prairie counrry ot Illinois. The views from the Palisades up and down the Mis- sissippi are both dramatic and inspiring. Nowhere in Illinois are they tiner. It is here that we of Mid-America may feel the greatness ot the prairie country to the fullest At ^avat^aJa extent — its vastness and its intimate beaut} . Here we may watch the "Father of Waters" as it flows silently by and our thoughts follow its silvery thread along to the Gulf of Mexico and are then carried with the Gulf Stream far, tar away to other shores and other peoples. What more in- spiring, more fascinating can there be to the boys and girls of farm and town in this great land of wide prairies? The Savanna Headlands 29 The "Thousand Islands" of Savanna The imposing cliffs are doubtless the chief attraction at Savanna, and the dolomite limestone of which they con- sist, has been made to appear in many bold and grotesque or strikingly imitative shapes, as is the case with the famous "Indian Head" a mile from the city. This cliff viewed from certain points on the Indian Head Auto road has a startling resemblance to the low-browed — high cheekboned — ftrm chinned visage of an Indian, and there are not lack- ing legends that hold that of a verity it was the handiwork of some ancient red craftsman. A cliff farther north, sep- arated from the head by a charming wooded valley in which flows a pretty stream, has the form of a pair of tall separated columns called the "Sisters." In many places bold cliffs thrust out their bald brows from the universal foliage. A small cavern near the Indian Head is reputed to be a favor- ite resting and watch place of Blackhazvk himself. Savanna occupies the extreme point of a great ridge that lies between Plum River and Rush Creek and the views from the narrow crest of this elevation and its sister Ter- rapin Ridge next west are remarkable for extent and mag- nificent outlook. All these headlands and ridges were favorable places for the erection of the fascinating "Indian" 30 I'rolxjsccI I'ari' Arc'cis of llluio/s mounds that occur by scores. Many have been "opened up" and great treasure in flints, beads, etc., have at times been found. The narrow back-like ridged summits were the chosen trails of the Indians in passing from the great river to the hunting grounds and encampments toward the north. These trails were adopted by the first whites and today in many places remnants of these ancient trails and coach roads are plainly seen. On practically every bare and overlooking bluff brow by river and trail the mounds ap- j)car. About the waters of Big Rush Creek and Apple River farther north, other mounds occur, in some the dirt being carried long distances for their building. The Savanna site lies near the famous Sand Prairie of Car- roll and Jo Daviess Counties, much of which is now occu- pied by the great ordinance-proving grounds of the l^. S. This prairie is a bit of the far west set down in Illinois with all its unique flora and is a happy hunting ground for the botanist as it aforetime was tor the red man. On this prairie also mounds appear and on either side of Apple River where it emerges from the bluffs hosts of other mounds attest that the whole area from Savanna north along the sand terrace upon the bluff crowns and on the ridges was the home of a very numerous ancient people. A little north of the Park are the Mississippi Flats more or less covered with forests. It is in the bottom lands of our rivers that the trees of Illinois have reached their great- est size and many a venerable giant, born in the ages long before the white man settled in this wild western country, still stands here to tell the story of Indian occupation and the coming of the white man. Numerous islands, gems of verdure and beauty, are scattered all through the bottom lands of the Mississippi in this section. The}- are covered with tree growth and many of them provide camping places for summer visitors and the many channels between the islands furnish fine opportunities tor canoeing. Bird life is rich in these islands, as well as in the forests and ravines of the Mississippi bluffs. It is not unusual, at the time when the pentstemon is in bloom, to see swarms of humming birds sucking the nectar from the flowers. This State Park or State Reservation would make one of the best TJic Savanna Headlands 31 bird preserves in the Mississippi valle}' and the greatest in all Illinois. From Savanna north, the Indianhead Trail winds its way through this proposed reservation, touching the Apple River Can}-ons. Let us hope that some day in the not so distant future, the Indianhead Trail will continue on through Lee County, joining this great Park of the Mississippi and the Apple River with the already established park at the mouth of the Wisconsin River in Wisconsin. The Rock River Area Rock River near Orearon A'it'W South from Pros]ioet Kock View P^ast from Green Rook, looking toward Grand Detour The Rock River Area Fredkrick H. Fattee Among the rivers of the prairie states, the Rock River of Illinois is unique in the beauty and variety of its landscape. From its entrance into the state, near the center of the Wis- consin line, to its junction with the Father of Waters below Rock Island, a course of one hundred and fifty miles, it pre- sents a succession of interesting pictures. var}ing in char- acter and effect with the geologic history of the different portions. Where the river follows its pre-glacial course, the valley is broad with gently rounded hills; but where a new course has been cut through old divides, the valley is nar- row, with rugged hills or precipitous cliffs. Throughout its length, the hills and the valley are for the most part heavily wooded, although occasionally a naked hillside with eroded gullies stands as an object lesson of the folly of de- forestation. The present growing interest in the creation ot state parks v^ l'rnj)o.wil I'dik Areas of III/ik and forest preserves will doubtless brin^- forth local de- mands tor the conversion into park lands ot numerous desir- able areas of Rock River frontage. And it is to be hoped that the time will come when the Rock and other Illinois rivers will flow through practically continuous areas of state park land. But a tirst step in this direction should be taken at once, and the logical one would be to secure the area which is at once the most picturesque, most accessible, and most available. Those familiar with the Rock River know that this de- scription refers to a section between Oregon and Dixon, which is convenienth- designated the "Grand Detour re- The Rack Rrccr Area 37 gion," from the quaint and interesting little \illage ot that name, midway between the other towns mentioned. This stretch contains a wealth of beautiful and interesting fea- tures. Few persons who have not visited it suspect that in the heart of the prairies ot Illinois, there exists a region of such striking and romantic beauty. Here are majestic hills, sweeping vistas of island-studded river, abrupt cliffs of sandstone or limestone, and luxuriant ami \aried forest growth. The village of Grand Detour itself would be well worth saving, were it possible and necessary, for it is in agreeable contrast to our generally crude and unlovely midwest vil- lages. It was settled by New Englanders early in the last century, and still retains the character of a New England town, with its elm-shaded streets and white cottages. In pioneer times it was the seat of a thriving frontier industry, and its citizens proudly boast that John Deere, the village blacksmith, made the first steel plow in his Grand Detour forge, thereb}- laying the foundations of the great establish- ment bearing his name which later grew up at Moline. When the railroads began to extend westward from Chi- cago. Grand Detour had dreams of industrial greatness, but the railroad went to Dixon, its rival down the river, and Grand Detour was left to dream out its existence, under its great elms, without benefit of railroad yards, roundhouses, freight trains and "vestibule limiteds." Instead, it has be- come a place of recreation and refreshment for a goodly and growing number of people who appreciate quaintness, quiet, and scenic beauty. The village takes its name from the great bend or loop in the river at this point, which the early French explorers tenned the "grande detour." In a sweep of three and one- half miles, the river returns within half a mile of itself, and the village is situated on the narrow neck, with the same river as its eastern and western boundaries. .A strip of river bank, varying from a few feet to a mile in depth, and extending for five miles up and five miles down the river, would include some of the loveliest scenery in the middle west, and provide innumerable camp sites. The land required has no great commercial value, and can 38 i'roposcd I'ark Areas of IHnio/s Colored Sandstono Wall of Mm'k Klver doubtless be secured at \o\\ rates b\- purchase or condemna- tion. Down the river from the village, the right bank ot the river presents a series of splendid wooded bluffs with a num- ber of cliffs of St. Peter's sandstone, rising sheer from the river, interesting! v sculptured by water and weather. From The Rock River Area 39 Castle Rock, Orcyoii, Illinois the last one, Green Rock, the sweeping panoramic view is of unusual charm. A little farther on the bluffs are broken by the valley of Pine Creek, a picturesque stream which flows through the White Pine Grove of Ogle County, a notable and important state park project. It has been suggested that the valley of Pine Creek should be included in the park project to connect the White Pine tract and the Grand Detour tract. Beyond Pine Creek the high ground begins again, and follows the river to Dixon. South of the village, the bluffs are on the left bank of the river, with a number of fine rocky cliffs, the most nota- 40 Propositi I'jrk Areas of UV/no/s ble hi'wv^ c-allt'd •AMiirlpool Rock." This massive wall of sandstone is directly in the westerly course of the river at the southern part of its great loop, and deflects it suddenly to the north through a narrow channel. The headland is crowned with a group of white pines, of which occasional specimens are found in this section. North of the village the "river road" to Oregon is of un- usual interest, skirting the west bank of the river part ot the wa}', with a splendid view of the fine wooded bluffs on the farther side. About five miles from Grand Detour, the valle-s" becomes narrower and the rounded hills bounding the valley on the west are replaced by a group of steep cliffs of sandstone, rising from the water's edge, and extending about half a mile. (Geologic lore explains that this marks an old divide through which the river has cut its way in relatively recent times.) The most northern of these rock masses, called Castle Rock, is a detached pyramid of bare sandstone. Prospect Rock, the most imposing of the cliffs of this region, is the exposed end of a long ridge running at right angles to the river. The views from these cliffs are exceptionally fine ; Castle Rock, being located at a bend in the river, shows a sweeping panorama, including both the up-stream and the down-stream views, but the vista from N'ii'W up Sti-i'ani from Castle T?oc Hic Rork Rrccr Area 41 Prospect Rock, looking south down the river, is by tar the best ot all the splendid views in this favored region. A miniature archipelago of willow-covered islets is a fascin- ating element of the picture, which includes another cliff in the foreground, the heavily wooded and rounded hills of the left bank, and the extended prospect down the ri\er valley to the far hills at the horizon. The topography of the Castle Rock region is more rugged and broken than any other portion of this district, and as a result is more nearly in a state of nature. Unbroken woods cover the abrupt hills and deep ravines to a depth of a mile back from the ri\(r. One can easily feel that he is in the heart of an untouched wilderness, if he is out of sight of the road, the summer cottages lining the river, and the crude pavilion for dancing and refreshments, which some misguided mortal has erected in the shadow of Castle Rock. One of the delightful features of this region is the excel- lent boating. The dam at Dixon is of sufficient height to make a long back-water, so that even at Grand Detour, ten miles up stream, the current is very slight, making ideal con- ditions for rowboats or canoes. The water is deep enough ^^^ Prospect Rock 42 Proposed l\irk Areas of lUnio/s fur launchi'.s of considerable size, as far as Grand Detour, but beyond the village the river is too shallow tor large boats, and the current too swift to induce much upstream traffic on the part of small boats. Unfortunately but few of the many persons who visit this delectable country ever see it from the river, for without this experience much of its charm and beauty is missed. This region is so accessible that it seems strange that it has not been discovered by a larger number of vacationists and nature lovers. Near the center of the northern half of the state, it can be reached in a few hours by train from almost any point in that section. The main lines of the Chicago and Northwestern, and the Chicago, Burlington & Ouinc}-, crossing the state from east to west, land passengers respectively at Dixon and Oregon, between which the pro- posed park area lies. The recently completed Lincoln Highway is now a con- crete pavement from Chicago to Clinton, passing through Dixon. Another main cross-state thoroughfare soon to be improved runs from Chicago to Dubuque, through Rock- ford. The Black Hawk trail, as the highway which follows the Rock River from Sterling to Beloit is called, is on the list for early improvement; it will be one of the most beau- tiful drives in the state, and passes through the area under discussion. Probably no other proposed park area in the state is so easily reached by so large a number of people. The need of immediate action is apparent. Men of wealth are beginning to appreciate the beauty of Rock River frontage, and several estates of large area have already been established. The choicer portions may be purchased for this purpose at any time, with results disastrous to the park project. The wooded areas are being reduced every year, in the interest of the farmer's fire wood, and increased area for cultivation. \'alues are increasing, and every year's de- lay means a higher price for the land. In this connection, the experience of the Cook County Forest Preserve is illum- inating. The prices paid for the twenty thousand acres thus far acquired, during the last five years, are about three times as much as would have been paid had the land been purchased twenty years ago, when the first ?ur\ey for an outer jiark district for Chicago was made. The White Pine Forest Tract of Ogle County Rebecca H. Kauffman The White Pine (Pinus Strobus) Tree Tract lies in Ogle County, nine miles from Oregon and seven miles from Polo. It is bounded on the south by the Chicago and Iowa Trail (known as the "C. & I. Trail"), and on the east side by the highway leading to Mt. Morris, live miles to the north. On the north of the tract is the main line of the Burlington from Chicago to St. Paul. To the west and southwest the tract reaches out irregularly over the charming Spring \'alley Branch and towards the little vil- lage of Stratford on the Burlington, not far from the larger sources of the "Branch." As defined this makes the entire tract include about 1,000 acres. The tract is owned by a number of individuals, many of whom purchased their hold- ings years ago in small timber lots of from five to sixty acres, it being the custom in an early day thus to divide up forest area for use in conncttion with the more fertile farm- 46 Proposed i'iirk Jreus of lll/no/s \\v^ land nt-ar. lor pasture, tircwood. and the- various needs of the work and lite on the farm. The tract is traversed by Pine Creek, which rising farther up in Ogle Count}-, flows in a winding course of twenty- five miles and empties into Rock River several miles from the white pine forest and just below the curious bend in that river at Grand Detour. The creek is a most picturesque stream along its course in places other than where it cuts through the forest, but here it reaches the height of its picturesque beaut)- and variety as it runs by the high, rocky, vine-and-flower-covered banks, mirroring them in its clear ripples as it eddies bv. The name Pine Creek would indi- cate that pine trees prevailed along the creek at the time it received its appellation. Old settlers, who came to the region about 1840, say that white pines were found then prettv much all along the east bank of the creek and ex- tending out to a breadth of sometimes half a mile and more. It is chiefly on the east bank that the white pine is found now. The red cedar is found in this tract also, but mainly on the west side of the creek. The American yew, or ground hemlock, the third evergreen growing in this tract, is found mostly on the east side of the stream, creeping and hanging in long dark festoons over far stretches of the rocky wall. In October the brilliant colors of the hardwoods (which are intermixed with the evergreens over most of this tract) mingled with the soft, rich green of the white pines and the young growth make a picture of entrancing loveliness. The white jiine and red cedar, procured from Pine Creek, were planted around the early homes of the settlers, both in town and country, for protection from the fierce storms, and for their beaut}-, too, for the people who made up the sturdy body of pioneers had not lost their appreciation of the beautiful things in life, even though they were struggling with the stern asperities of the new situation. The groups of these evergreens, as they surround the homes and dot the landscape, are today an evidence of the houses in which once lived a pioneer family. Since 1903 an effort has been made at every General .\ssembly, save the one during the Great War, to have the State purchase the White Pine Forest and set it aside as a state park, establishing therewith a forestry experiment sta- The ]]'hdc i'inc Tnir/ 47 tion. The General Assembh of 1903, when "forestry was in the air," passed a resolution asking the U. S. Depart- ment of Agriculture to make an examination of the torests of the state, with recommendations as to preserving and propagating them. Mr. R. S. Kellog of the U. S. Bureau of Forestry (now Forest Service) had charge of this exami- nation and made a report to which the years since then have only given additional signiticance. The writer is con- tent to close this article with the following quotation from this report : "The tract should be made into a State Forest Reserve, since it is the onh- white pine grove in the state and shows excellent prospects of enlarging itself by natural seeding — in time, perhaps, overrunning the greater part of the tract — if a little care is taken to cut out a little oak now and then, as the young pines become larger and denser. The natural beauties are exceptional. Natural conditions are favorable to good tree growth. The present forest is young, and evi- dently very few of the trees in it are over seventy-five years old. In a rather hurried survey the following species were noted: red oak, white oak, burr oak. scarlet oak, chinquapin oak. white elm. slipper}- elm, large-tooth aspen, quaking aspen, sugar maple, box elder, hornbeam, hop hornbeam, red mulberry, black walnut, butternut, shagbark hickory, pignut hickor}', mocker-nut hickory, sycamore, white ash. black ash. choke cherry, black cherr}-. wild plum, basswood, hop tree, black willow, Juneberry, white pine, red cedar. "The interesting feature of the proposed reserve is the small forest of white pine, which is unique for Illinois and represents the southernmost extension of the species in this section of the United States. (This does not take into consideration the scattered groups of white pines in Starved Rock State Park.) The maximum height of the pine is go feet and the largest diameter, breast high, about 30 inches. A long distance in the tract from the nearest pine tree one finds patches of }oung pine so tlense as to be almost impene- trable, while smaller numbers and individual young trees are scattered about ever} where. A tew years of care and good management would make this tract a beautiful spot and a fine object lesson in forest preservation and regenera- tion." Starved Rock State Park starved Rock and the Illinois River starved Rock from Lover's Leap starved Rock Starved Rock State Park Horace Hull Starved Rock State Park with its rare beauty and his- toric appeal is an accomplished tact and requires no detailed description for this report. It is for the purpose of recom- mending the more adequate conservation ot some of its notable features and for incorporating with it other and near-by areas equally noble and appealing in aspect that I submit this informal contribution to the Report upon Pro- posed State Parks for Illinois. The enclosed sketch shows the present boundaries of the park and the timber and other tracts adjacent to it, which I deem not only beneficial but absolutely necessary to be made part of the park in order to protect the adjoining land- scape now within the park boundaries. Practically all of the land I suggest acquiring lies within the boundaries of the tract authorized by the original act creating the park to be obtained but, owing to lack of funds, was left out. Tract A extends the full length of the extreme eastern end of the park and along the bottom land is covered with 52 Fro posed Wirk Areas of UHno'/s The. c^i5lat£.r ^tarvxd Rock Arz/A a beautiful grove of walnut and oak. This property is used very extensively as picnic grounds and its timber covering would afford a very desirable eastern boundary to the park. The land adjoining in the park is bare of timber and a large area of it has been used as a borrow pit in the construction of the new Chicago-Peoria-St. Louis cement highway. On the bluff there is a dense grove of timber and shrubbery, which, if cut, would absolutely ruin the beauty of the eastern wall of the Illinois canyon. The present boundary line runs very close to the edge of the canyon and in the place indicated dips down into the can3on. This timber covering is very narrow, but from below appears like a dense forest and makes a charming border for the rocky wall of the Illi- nois canyon. The immediate obtaining of this tract is of the most imperative necessity. Tract B is also heavih' timbered and some of the best rock formations in Ottawa and Kaskaskia canyons are on the tract just outside of the present park line. In fact the highest falls in each of these canyons is just inside of the boundary and in order to pass around the canyon, the trails are laid on private property, anil are liable to be closed at any time. Tract C. In order to accommodate the Federal Aid con- crete road, this tract as indicated has already been purchased and that road (which never should have gone through the park), is completed through the tract. Starved Rock State Park 53 Tract 1). The present park limit at the point marked, D passes through a splendid tract of timber, mostly lying just south of the park boundar}-. The cutting awa}- of this timber will most seriously injure the beautiful and very un- usual miniature mountainous effect of the landscape as the visitors pass around the edge of La Salle and Tonti canyons. Tract E. By straightening the park lines as indicated the park would acquire, not only some hne timber, but also the site of the old earthen fortifications, an outline of which can still be seen at the point indicated with an X on the sketch. At point F the right of way owned by the park, and leading out to the south entrance, passes through some fine timber and why it was not acquired in the beginning I cannot conceive. Again it might be stated tliat these valleys, the valley of Illinois Canyon and Kaskaskia and Ottawa Canyons above the Falls, are wide, open, flat-bottomed valleys carry- ing fine groves of timber, and are very beautiful, especially in the spring when they are covered with wild flowers. The character of the timber in these flat-bottomed valleys is dif- ferent from that in the canyons, and they ought to be pre- served in their original character. The same statement holds true in regard to the upper parts of La Salle and Tonti canyons as included in Tract D. The Are.a West of the Present Park In outlining the features, physiographic and otherwise, of the area west of the present park, I take the liberty of incorporating herewith a memorandum kind!) prepared for that purpose b}- Professor Ulysses S. Grant of Northwestern University. Professor Grant writes as follows: Lying just west of the present limits of the park and ex- tending for a distance of two miles to the vicinity of Little Rock, is a series of rough canyons very similar to those in the park. While it may not be necessary to acquire all of this tract of land between the present limits of the park and Little Rock it would be wise to acquire the canyon which lies to the south and southeast of it. Little Rock is a bold mass of sandstone extending out into the valley, and corre- .sponding to Split Rock on the north side of the river. These Proposed i'lirk Areas of III/ikj/s Island and Flood Plain from Starved iioek two — Little Rock and Split Rock — form part of the most interesting portions of the geolog}- of the district, for they show clearly the steep westerly dip of the sandstone near the crest of but just west of the axis of the La Salle anti- cline. This anticline is the main structural feature of the state, and extends from the Wisconsin border southeast to Crawford and Clark counties, where it conditions the ac- cumulation of the vast quantities of oil and gas for which Illinois is famous. This anticline is cut in two by the valley of the Illinois River, and the section here exposed is one of the most interesting and most instructive in the whole state. Here also are found the oldest rocks which are exposed in the state, and the whole history of this great fold in the earth's crust can be worked out from the exposures seen on both sides of the river in the immediate vicinity of Little Rock and Split Rock. It is due to this fold that Coal Num- ber 2 (locally known as the Third ^'ein Coal) passes rapidly from the elevation of 600 feet above sea level, as shown by its outcrop at Little Rock and Split Rock, to a depth of 500 lower in the vicinity of La Salle. Part of this Little Rock district has alreadv been im- Starved Rock State Park J) J) Doer Park Canyon proved by the Matthie^on estate, and is in line sliape for park uses. Deer Park This tract has been beautified by the Matthieson estate and is without question one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful park area in the whole state. Deer Park 56 Piof)osccl Park Areas of lU'/no/s CaiiNon rivals in hcaur_\ and tlcpth the tinest and largest ot the canvons in the Star\ ed Rcx-k Park. There are several small side canyons which are exceedingly beautitul and the whole area has been well laid our m trails and nian\ im- provements have been made. Just to the south of Deer Park proper are other can)ons of a wild and almost inaccessible nature, which ought also to be included in this [)ark. Bailey's Falls One of the great industries in this La Salle district is the manufacture of Portland Cement. This is made possi- ble b}' the presence of a limestone of the proper composition known as the La Salle limestone. This limestone forma- tion is more resistent to erosion than the other rocks imme- diately adjoining it and it consequently makes steep cliffs along'the \'ermilion River. A few small streams entering the valley of the \Vrmilion tumble over these cliffs. The S/jrvcii Rock State Park 57 most picturesque ot these waterfalls is that of Bailey's Creek, which enters the \'ermilion River near the center of Section 6 of \'ermilion Township. Here great masses of heavy limestone have been detached from the cliffs and have fallen in confusion into \'ermilion Gorge. A few acres sur- rounding these falls are rough and almost useless for farm- ing purposes, but would add a spot of marked beauty to the state park. Summari'/ing. it is proposed that the State ot Illinois acquire approximately loo acres immediately adjacent to the boundaries of the present Starved Rock State Park, and that to this area be added the district of Little Rock Canyon. Deer Park with its notable series of canyons, and the Bailey's Falls district, approximating in all looo acres. It is eminently fitting that a Greater Starved Rock Park be thus created and become the notable possession of the State of Illinois. Bailev's Falls, Starved Rock Park An Illinois River Valley Park The SixMiii ]\ivcr below Bcniadotte In the Spoon River Country The Spoon Rivor at Beniadotte An Illinois River Valley Park Theodork Jf.ssup Th/.< report has to do only •zc/t// J park pro]cct for the Middle Illinois River Volley. Upper Illinois Rreer Willey has Starved Rock Park., and along this same section of the river, from LaSalle to Peoria, there are a number of possi- bilities for parks of beauty and significance, hoiver Illinois River Valley might well have a state park, especially where Calhoun County lies wedged between the Illinois River and the Mississippi. T'his is brought out well in Dr. Cowles' description of the Piasa Bluffs area in the article entitled State Parks' 'possibilities along the Mississippi River -which appears elsezvhere in the Report. For geographical reasons the Havana Region was selected to represent State Parks' possibilities in the Middle Illinois River Valley. Havana. Mason Count}, is situated on the southeast bank of the Illinois river, forty miles by rail southwest of Peoria. The Illinois ri\er Hows in a southwesterh' clirecrion from ()1 FroJuAWi/ I'jfk Areas of Ul/nois IVoria ami winds through Icxcl bottom lainl> honlcrcci b\ bluti's from thirt)- to one hundred teet in height. The eleva- tion of this river bottom is about 450 feet above sea level. The lands adjaeent on both sides vary from 500 to 750 feet. One point immediately above Peoria is over 800 feet and another half way to Havana is 777 feet high. The bluff, usually clay, rising from the valley is quite sharply dehned. There is a similarity between the easterly side of this river bluff, which extends for many miles upstream and downstream from Ha\ana, and the east shore of Lake Michigan from Michigan City to St. Joseph. The fringe of tree growth, the elevation, and the clay bank intermixed with .sand, are quite the same except that the varieties ot trees differ in part. Mason County, like Berrien County, Michigan, has a sandy soil and veritable sand dunes, some of them quite distant from the river. The opposite side of the Illinois in Fulton County is quite free from sand. The Lakes The valley bottom between the mouth ot the Sangamon, some twenty-tive miles down stream, and Peoria contains a number of depressions, possibly survivals of old river beds which were abandoned b} the shifting stream. These de- pressions which are connected with the main stream and are tilled by its backwater are known as lakes. Occasionally small streams or springs flow into them and thus keep their water from being stagnant. In a natural state these lakes are separated from the main stream by strips ot land cov- ered with trees and shrubs. At Havana the main stream comes near the bluff so that river boats have a wharf at which to stop. There is no other point for many miles in either direction where bluff and river are so related to each other. About three miles downstream on the Havana side be- gins one of the lakes known as Lake Matanzas. A small brook rtows from the back prairies down into its upper end, through a forested ravine. The lake is about four miles long and a quarter of a mile wide. The bluff fronting the lake is from ^"o to 7^- feet high and is covered with trees J/? lll/iKJ/s River ]' alley Pdtk 63 (second growth tor the most part) which extend inhind from a few rods to half a mile. The opposite side of the lake from the bluff is a low, tree-covered strip of land, beyond which is the main stream of the river. Two or three miles awa}- beyond rise the bluffs of Fulton County side of the valley. Many cottages have been built on the bluff facing Lake Matanzas and in summer it is a much frequented re- sort. Houseboats, motor boats and rowboats find here an almost ideal water condition for their use. Going in the opposite direction from Havana, one passes first an attractive Chautauqua park with its customary 64 l'ro/>o.W(/ l\irk Areas at lll/nois asscmhl}' aiui rt'crt'atitJnal huiUliii^s, also on the bliiH. Beyond this is another lake called Quiver Lake. Here, too, a long row ot cottages — a mile or two in extent — front on the quiet water. Quite near a part ot another river bottom lake is being surrounded by a dike and will eventually be drained. Opposite this bluff a mile or so away on the northwest side of the river can be seen the water ot Thomp- son's Lake. Thompson's is the largest ot these backwater lakes, is upwards of ten miles long, and is destined to be drained and its bottom and adjacent lands converted into farming land. These reclaimed lands can only be drained and kept free from water by pumping. Havana residents are of the opinion that Quiver Lake and ALitanzas Lake are in no danger of being exploited in the same way. It is probable that these lakes are respon- sible for the wonderful abundance of river tish. Havana is famous as one of the largest, if not the largest, shipper of river iish in the country. Its residents even declare that planked "Lake Superior" white fish, which easily takes iirst place as the choicest fish food served at Chicago restaurants, quite probably is Illinois River carp shipped from Havana, Illinois. Spoon Riner Immediately opposite Havana, coming in from a north- erly and westerly direction is the Spoon River. This stream is about as large as the Des Plaines at Riverside or the Du Page at Plainfield. Its eroded valley is from half a mile to a mile wide and fifty miles long. The bottom lands are for the most part dry and farmed. At this season ot the year the stream is an inoffensive large-sized brook of quiet charm winding in and out in graceful curves from one side of the valley to the other. Its bluff boundaries are from 50 to 150 feet above the stream. Evidentl}- these bluffs were once heavily wooded, but are now largely denuded. Here and there the roads climb to the top of the bluffs and one gets far-sweeping views up and down and across the valley that are similar to those along the Rock River at Grand Detour and Oregon. Enough trees are left to give variety to the lantl-M-ape but there is nothing like so well An lUnw'/s River \' alley Park 6^ preserved a survival ot early forest conditions as along the eastern and southern sides ot the Illinois river. No better illustration could be found anywhere of the destructive re- sults which follow destroying the tree growth on such bluffs in an endeavor to make farm lands of them, for gullying is already eating back into the fields which have been made from these once forested hillsides. A PioNi: i:r \'ili.age One ancient village, Bernadotte, some titteen miles north- west of Havana, should, like Channahon, near Joliet, in Will County, be preserved just as it is by the State His- torical Societ}-. Houses and a mill, built before the days of railroads, and to which a railroad has never come to this daj% resemble the half-abandoned villages in New England and New York hill regions. Indi.vn Mounds Just below Havana at a ]H)int where the main stream of the Illinois comes near the blutf are two Indian mounds of such size as to make their preservation important. The one examined is apparently twenty feet high and seventii-five teet long. Some dirt at the north end has been dug out of this, but not enough to mar its original outlines. Stand- ing as it does at the top of a bluff of fifty feet washed by the river its value as a lookout station can readily be under- stood. Oaks at least 150 years old are growing on its top and sloping sides. The second mound looked from a dis- tance to be eqvial in size and was perhaps a quarter of a mile farther downstream. The first one is inclosed in a picnic ground owned by a railroad. This picnic ground contains only a few acres and is no longer used for excursion purposes. The second mound is on private property. Within the Chautauqua grounds adjoining Havana on the east are two other round mounds, perhaps four feet high. These are not protected except that they are on inclosed grounds which are onl}- occasionally used. In my opinion the whole shore line of the Illinois River, extending for nearly a hundred miles, from Peoria to the 66 Proposed I'urk Areas of lUinois inouth ot thf Sangamon River, slu)uld be })re.served either as a State Park or included in the [proposed forest preserve s_\stem. Perhaps a thorough examination \\'ould also in- clude some parts ot the Spoon River \'alle}'. The Effingham Prairie Park A Coriifr dl' Lake I\aiiana \V()oiJsc(l Wirk Areas oj lllnio/s sibilities a.s dors tlic opportunit} ot restoring to a si-niblance ot primitive eonduions a suitable prairie area wirhiir the park. In submitting the reeomniendation tor a state park in the Effingham area, it is frankly admitted that there is nothing unique in the natural setting for a park at that place. There are doubtless other places with the same simple beauty and equally as attractive whose claims might be con- sidered. It is maintained, however, that its accessibility sets a peculiar premium upon this particular natural setting. A park developed here after the manner suggested, with its prairie and woodland and bottom land flora, its small lakes, its springs and water courses, its protected wild life, its camps and recreation centers, would serve for the whole- some diversion, the education, and the spiritual refreshment of people within a wide area of the state. Marsh Lands and Drainage Projects of Illinois 111 many places the tiinlicr is dying in the Kankakee district for lack of water. This photograph was taken during- the last week in July, 1921. Note that there are no leaves on the trees. Little Beaver Ijake, now sand and thistles One of tlu' (litt'lies through the Kankakee District which removed both surface and underground water Marsh Lands and Drainage Projects of Illinois .Tkssi; L. Smith Within the borders of Illinois there are many lake and marsh areas whose beaut} and appeal to nature lovers should be recognized in the organization of state parks. It is probable, however, that there is no area of this kind in Illinois, no matter how beautiful, which has not at some time or another been held up to public attention as a possible drainage project, either by some engineer intent upon a job or some statesman desirous of demonstrating his interest in increasing the prosperity of the state. In the light of the disastrous experiences of other states, notabl) Indiana, Wis- consin, and Minnesota, where marsh areas of economic sig- nificance in their natural condition have at public expense been transformed through drainage projects into waste land, the people of Illinois may well withhold authorization of indiscriminate projects of that sort. There are undoubtedly in Illinois many marsh areas whose economic importance as fountain heads for springs 7osr(/ Wirk Areas of llltiio/s and wells within a wide radius, and whose value as the home of fish and fur-bearing animals and ot water fowl, greatly outweigh their possible value as raw land. To the economic loss b}- their destruction should be added the spiritual loss felt by every nature-loving man, woman, and child when such wild beauty passes out of existence. It has not been possible to make for this report even a tentative survey of the more significant marsh arca> ot the state but one such area will be brought forward for general mention and to this will be added extended quotations from a report upon the Kankakee drainage district. As a type of the marsh land occurring along the Missis- sippi in Illinois the Lima Lake area, eighteen miles north of O'.iincy seems especialh' notable. Mr. T. E. Musselman who has explored the river in a skiff from St. Paul to St. Louis believes this particular area has the greatest possibili- ties as a wild life s^nctuar^■ alonu that stretch ot the river. Mdisli Lunds uf \Un}(>/i /() l-'roni hi> notes as well as those turni>hed b\ Mr. O. 1). Prank and by Mr. Ensminger, a well-intormed farmer who has lived in the vicinity of Lima Lake for the past forty-tive 3ears the following description has been prepared. The Lima Lake area contains 13,320 acres, the lake proper co\ering about 5,000 acres. The lake is rather shallow with marshy extremities and indentations of that nature along its sides. It lies back from the Mississippi about two miles but is believed to be connected with it by subterranean channels, this seeming to explain the tendency of its water level to remain stationary. The bottom lands of the area were original I v covercil with forests ot yellow birch, sycamore, willow, ash. silver and red maple, black walnut, pecan, persimmon, hackberry, Kentuck}' coffee tree, etc., with papaw, sumach, hawthorn, buttonball bush, and many other species of small trees and shrubs as undergrowth. The limestone bluffs just back of the lake were covered with w^hite oak, red oak, black oak, hickory, linden, mulberry and other notable forest trees. Much of the above timber still remains both in the bottom land near the lake and on the bluffs farther back. The shores ot the lake are difficult of access but those who have explored its surface report the great luxuriance ot plant life — reeds and giant grasses, water arum, pickerel weed, golden club, mud plantain, with acres and acres of water lilies. The open water, the fringing marsh, and the forests of bottom land and hillside make it an itfeal haven for birdlife of the greatest variety. Old naturalists tell of the nesting ot swans there man}- years ago. The white pelicans rest there on their northern migrations. Cormo- rants, cranes, herons, and geese and wild ducks of manv species are common there during migration, and rails, coots, herons, bitterns, and several species of wild ducks including the wood duck nest there. The lake could be made an ex- cellent fish preserve. The whole area is in a drainage district and ditches have been started. While it would seem that eff()rt^ of this sort would be largely futile in this particular instance, it is very probable that large j)(>rtion- ot the area wouki lo-e their character and great harm be done while the experiment was So Vroposcil Park Areas of lll/nois I A desert where formerly existed a Sports- man's Paradise in progress. There is a great difference between a natural marsh and a tract of waste land of no benefit to man, which much of so-called "reclaimed land" is likely to be. The Lima Lake countr) should be kept in its primitive wildness and beaut} . A recent issue of the Bulletin of the American Gaine Pro- tective Association contained a significant article by Mr. A. Reywohl on mistakes in drainage operations. The portion relating to the Kankakee drainage district seems of svich graxf imiHirtance for Illinois readers, that it is reprinted in full. ''One of the nio'-t notable mistakes in tlrainagr opera- Mars// Lands of Illinois 81 \ . . 'i J ii i 'i 'ommmii^mmimm 4MMM yi*^>jft^ir <> ^. - 1. .:.>-^;? '■. White Sand— Part of tract of 10,000 acres in the Kankakee Districts plowed and planted in rye in ]9l!l. Notliins;' U'rcw. rions is that ot the Kankakee River marsh area in Indiana, tomierl} one of the most noted wild-fowl breeding and hunting resorts in the country. 'Lake Kankakee,' as the river formerly was known, extended from the Rocky Reefs at Monience, Illinois, nearly to Laporte, Indiana, forming a region of river, lake and marsh land over hftv miles long and from five to ten miles wide. Wild ducks and wild geese by the millions annually frequented the Kankakee River marshes, some to nest and rear their young, and others to rest and feed during migration. Thousands of sportsmen went there each year to enjoy the health-giving sport of Hi l'/o/>fj.wi/ l\irk A reus of ilhiuj/s liiiiuin;^, and \ ast minibcrs ot tine ^anic bird> were added fo rlic \early food supply. Fish also were in cxtceding abundance wherever water existed — even ditches formed by road construction contained them in great numbers. Fur- bearing animals, too, were vet}' numerous and gave ()ccui)a- tion to hundreds ot trajipers, who dcrixcd substantial moiii}' returns. "On the Dajoha marsh, a tract of 4,000 acres, muskrats formerly were verA abimdant, their houses being as thick as hay cocks in a meadow. Over 12,000 muskrats were taken from this marsh during the trapping season of 1913. The value of their pelts, at prices prevailing a little over a year ago, would have been between $)0,000 and $60,000. The marsh was drained several years ago, but onh' about one lumdred acres have ever been put under the plow. "Here and there were large lakes having a depth in some cases as great as fourteen to sixteen feet. The owners, en- couraged by drainage promoters, either willingh or under compulsion favored a plan to drain these marshes. To this end legislation was enacted in 1881 and thereafter fre- quently amended, creating Boards ot Drainage Commis- sioners, authorizing the construction ot ditches, requiring the state to bear a share of the cost, and directing the com- missioners to assess to each tract the full and entire amount of any benefit it derived. Some sections of the marsh areas previously had been privately drained by the construction of ditches, anci while much of the land thus uncovered was of little or doubtful value for the agricultural uses for which it was intended, the work authorized by legislative act seems to have proceeded on a large scale uninterruptedh' to the present time. "During the last week in July of the past \ear the writer visited the Kankakee River country at a time when he had a good opportunity to inspect the nature ot the soil in the drained areas, its lack of fertility, the character of the crops, and the general effect the drainage operations have had in the sections adjacent to the drainage ditches. It was his privilege also to interview prominent citizens, including bankers, merchants and farmers, some of whom owned land in the drained area, and at least one ot whom is engageci in Miirsli Ljiiils ot lll/nots 83 the construction ot the big ditch that \o\- _\ears has been under wa}" and will be continued tor many more years unless legislation is enacted to prevent further waste and destruc- tion. "'It would be futile to assert that no part ot the drained area is tit for agricultural purposes, but it is safe to assert that onl}- a small proportion of the land uncovered can be cultivated successfulh . The drainage operations have been carried on apparentl)- without a proper examination and survey to determine the character of the soil, as much ot the reclaimed land is sand and covered with onh a tew inches of decayed vegetation, sufficient to allow crops to be grown for two or three }ears, after which the vegetable matter is exhausted. "I was informed b) reliable people that at the end ot five years of cultivation the land will cease to grow crops unless highh fertilized and irrigated — operations costing more than the value of the crops the land will produce. Furthermore, the drainage ditch, which straightened the old Kankakee Ri\ er bed and changed the stream into a swifth' flowing current, has been dug to such a depth that all water, even that needed for subsoil irrigation, i^ either carried off in a torrent or else seeps away, and much of the land now fails to get the proper amount of subirrigation; the channel acts as a sink, thus too quickly relieving the contiguous terri- tory of the moisture and in dry season producing results that have been serioush- harmful. 'T examined several acres — a portion ot the Big Beaver Lake bottom — that had been plowed and planted to r}e last spring. Not a spear of rye was in evidence; hardly a weed was growing. The white sand was lying a bare waste — mute testimony to the havoc wrought by the tolly of those who planned to make this section the world's garden spot. "\'aluable trees — birch, beech, oak, maple and elm — along the ditch and far into the interior have died and are dying for lack of sufficient moisture to give them lite. I obser\ed hundreds of acres of dead second-growth timber ruined bv the same cause. An assistant state engineer in a recent letter to the state conservation commissioner says. T 84 I'ropost'ii I'cirk Arcc/s oj Ul/no/s cannot say to what extent these ])rojects resulted in the kill- ing ot trees, but 1 do know that in the more recent con- struction of the Marble-Powers ditch, between Porter and Lake counties on the north and Newton and Jasper counties on the south, practically all the trees adjacent to the ditch are either dead or dying.' "The removal of the water destroyed the homes of the wild fowl, and these former inhabitants now frequent the section only in small numbers except for a short period m spring when some of the low bottom land is tilled with water by rains and freshets. When the big ditch was opened the water in the river sloughs and road ditches rushed madly out, leaving thousands of tons of valuable food fishes stranded and unable to escape. Tons of decayed tish became a stench in the nostrils of the inhabitants and served the sole purpose ot feeding buzzards and crows. "A still more alarming feature connected with this huge ditch is the fact that beautiful lakes near Laporte and Val- paraiso and other cities, some of which are fourteen to six- teen miles distant from the big ditch, are drying up as a result of its construction. After the ditch was opened Pine, Stone, ancf Fish Trap lakes — some of Indiana's most beau- tiful bodies ot water — were lowered over four feet, making two little lakes out of Pine Lake, and one very small lake out of Stone Lake, while Fish Trap Lake completely dis- appeared. The water-line of Flint Lake, near \"alparaiso, has receded about one hundred and fifty feet during the last few years. The water in Hudson Lake, Laporte County, is six or seven feet lower and several other lakes have a far lower water-level than the}' had before the Kankakee was ditched. "If those directly responsible for the ciestruction of the beautiful Kankakee River and the adjacent valuable lake and marsh areas alone were to suffer the results of their tolly it would not be so bad, but it is affecting also innocent people, far removed from the seat of the drainage opera- tions, and the public at large must bear their share of the devastation thus wrought. "It is said that the people along the Kankakee River in Illinois suffer serious losses each year during spring freshets Mursli Lands of lU/no/s S^' by the onrubhing warers ot the Kankakee ditch, sent hurr}- ing in increased volume through the channel to the lowlands ot Illinois, with the consequent destruction of crops and great inconvenience to the inhabitants. To remedy this it is now proposed, as I understand, to extend the drainage operations into Illinois, to which the people of that state offer strenuous objections, as the}- undoubtedh' have seen the light. ■"What is the answer? What relief can be granted the inhabitants of northwestern Indiana V In conversation with a state official who has a contract to construct a part of the big ditch, I ventured to remark that it was my opinion they were lajing the foundation for the creation of a desert. Much to my surprise the reply came quickly in a manner indicating that the subject had had previous serious thought : 'I will tell you what will happen sooner or later — it will not be very long before a big canal will be constructed from Lake Michigan down through this country and off into the Mississippi River, and then the water from it can be used to irrigate this section.' "Think of it! Hundreds of thousands of dollars ex- pended to drain the natural reservoirs of Indiana — those lake and marsh areas — and now millions of dollars must be expended to bring in other waters to irrigate land that concededly will otherwise become arid and worthless in a few years as a result of ill-judged drainage operations. A careful examination and surve}- of the soil underlying the Kankakee River marshes would have disclosed areas suitable tor cultivation and those unfit for agriculture."" Cahokia Mound Park Persiminoii Moiiiid, 500 feot southeast of ("aliokia Mound ,:"tr," I .il.wiw.i ,iluiik'^) AldUiul. Xortli \'u'\\ ^^ Cahokia Mound Park Caroi.ini: M. McIlvaine Li//riiriiin Chicn^a Historical Society From time to time the inhabitants ot earth become in- tensely curious concerning the manners and customs of the hypothetical inhabitants ot our neighboring planet Mars and devise codes for signaling across the 35,000,000 miles of intervening space. Yet in the heart of our continent, decorating the prairies of Illinois, lie gigantic ciphers of a past age that had not engaged the curiosity of the denizens of this state to the point of deciphering their code until the greedy hand of commerce had all but obliterated their message. In St. Clair County about six miles from the Mississippi River directly east of Illinois Town, now called East St. Louis, lies the series of great earth works, originally at least one hundred in number, that are known as "The Cahokia ()0 Vrofxiscd Wirk /I /wis of I/////o/s Indian Moiuuls" now rfduced b) the slow but sure plow of the agriculturist to about sixty. The largest of these in the form of a truncated pyramid is 700 by 1,000 feet at its base and covers a greater area than the greatest Egyptian pyramid. Although observed b} the first explorers of this region and commented upon by later travellers and archaeologists, the people ot Illinois themselves have never until the present time, in any conspicuous manner, claimed the honor of cus- todianship ot the largest earthwork of human hands in the world — which the Great C'ahokia Mount! is. Cahokia Mound Wirk 91 -issaswai Caliolvi.-i \i General George Rogers Clark, the Revolutionary hero of Illinois, was not too bus)- eonquering the British at Kas- kaskia and Cahokia to learn the traditions oi the Indian relative to the great earth works, for he wrote in lyHc), "Thev sa}- they were the works of their forefathers and that they were formerly as numerous as the trees in the woods." .■\rchaeologists estimate that the population ot the region at the period of the construction ot the mounds could not have been less than 100,000 persons. In K)i 1. under an act of the 46th General Assembly of Illinois appointing a Commission to investigate and report on the preservation of certain lands for public parks for the State of Illinois, Dr. James A. James, and his associates in- cluded in the sites recommended, the Great Cahokia Mound, which the}' styled "the most imposing monument ot the Mound Bviilders in the United States." Ten \ears Jater. i.e.. in the late summer ot u)2i. Dr. Warren K. Moorehead. chief of the Dejiartment of Archae- ology of Philips .Academy, .\ndover. Mass., and for many rears government investigator ot Indian reser\ations. at the 92 Proposed Piirfc Areas of Illinois instancf ot St. Louis .scientists, was suarsstul in enlisting the cooperation ot scientific institutions throughout the country, to linance an experimental survey of the mounds with a view to arousing general interest in their preserva- tion, with the result that the l^niversity of Illinois will probably take over the exploration work for the future. The net results of Dr. Moorehead's work are the kindling of a wide spread interest, the promise of the owners to hold the properties until the next Legislature, proof that Cahokia is the largest archaeological site in the country and one of the most important, and the deposit in the State Museum at Springfield and in the State L'niversity of large collec- tions of "finds." So much for the scientific significance of the Great P\ ra- mid ot the Western World, as the largest mound might be termed. The art sense ot the native American ever directed him in the selection of his sacred places. The location of the Great Mound is no exception in point of natural beauty, and just two decades after George Rogers Clark described its beauties, it was selected as the site for a monastery by a small band of monks of the Order of LaTrappe who came from France in 1809 to find sanctuary in the wilderness of the Illinois Country made known by Marquette, LaSalle, Tonty, Pinet and their successors. Thompson, the author of "The Mississippi Valley," who in 1844 visited the site with the artist. Wild, who sketched the mounds, wrote : "From the top of the great mound the view is of exceed- ing beauty. The wide prairie stretches for miles its carpet- ing of green gemmed with the most beautiful flowers, and dotted at intervals with clusters of trees that look in the distance like emeralds embossed in a rich embroidery, while there where former!}- the wild buffalo ranged, now herds ot domestic cattle are grazing and 'Peace is tinkling in the she[:)herd's bell And singing with the reapers.' " This descrijition is [iracticalh- as true toda\' as it was when it wns written three (luarters ot a rcntur\ ago. and Cahokni Mound l\/rk 93 unless annihilated by nianutacturin^' plants, it nia_\- be as true a thousand }ears fron: now for the reason that like the Nile, the great Father of Waters, through hundreds of jears has spread on the prairie here a soil ot inexhaustable rich- ness. The phenomenon of the American Bottom in Illinois is considered one of the wonders of the world tor the depth of this alluvial soil reaches 100 feet in places. I Let the State of Illinois recognize this gift of God, where the Aborigines erected their loftiest altar to the Great Spirit, by making it a public park forever!^ And let it be remembered that we owe it to the uncommercial spirit of the patient farmers of the locality, the Ranieys, Merrills, Edwards, Tippets, Smiths, Powels, and Hardings, who have often had tempting offers for their land, that it is still in the power of the people of Illinois to perpetuate this area of beauty and archaeological interest. The Cahokia Park Bilt, — A Word to tjik Wise Protiting by the lessons learned in the failure of the Bill providing for the preservation of the Cahokia Mounds as a State Park presented to the Legislation of 1913, Dr. Moore- head's splendid campaign of education has laid to rest the age old bogy that "the mounds may be of natural origin." It therefore only remains for us to redeem Illinois from the stigma of lagging behind the States of Ohio, Michigan, Wis- consin and Iowa in perpetuating her Indian antiquities. Writing to one of the Friends of Our Native Landscape, Dr. Moorehead says: "I think if your organization and the historical societies, women's clubs, Kiwanis, and Rotary clubs of Illinois all get together the bill will pass. All the hundretfs of letters nec- essary should now be sent out by Illinois organizations. Be sure to instruct your organization to f/ef acquciinted zcith your state senators. That is more effective than writing letters to them. W^here possible committees should visit the scene of operation and get the situation at first hands." '(ilcii Fcru," near Tunnel Hill, .Johnson County The State Park Possibilities of Southern Illinois Hf.nrv C. Cowles As here understood, the term southern Illinois will be used to include the eleven southern counties, that is, essen- tially the portion of the state south of the latitude of 38 degrees. Southern Illinois as here interpreted is marvel- ously rich in state park possibilities. Every one of the eleven counties has from one to several desirable sites for state parks. If only one or two of these are to be taken over by the state, it will be a matter of extreme difficulty to determine which the fortunate one, or ones, should be. It is to be hoped that our state will embark upon a policy of such magnitude that eventually there will be several state parks in that portion of Illinois which is known as "Eg\'pt."" It is to be hoped also, that wirhiii these eleven t>S I'roposLt/ I'urk Areas of llhiio/s counties state toiest {)resc'rvcs \\ ill be set aside. It lias been estimated by the state bureau of soils, that Illinois has six million acres of land better adapted for forestry than for agriculture. .\ large portion of these si.x million acres is found in the .southern part of the state. The eleven southern counties are an eastern extension of the Ozark up- lift and hence form much the most rugged and scenic portion of Illinois. IVIost of the country is hilly, some of it almost mountainous. Hills with an altitude of five hun- dred feet to seven hundred feet are frequent. The great abundance of rock, the steep hillsides, and the magnificent timber ever} where displayed naturally make an area well suited tor the development of natural parks and forest pre- serves. Attention may be directed to the fact that many of these sites are well suited for county forest preser\es quite as well as or even better than for state preserves. In the following paragrai)hs, the southern counties will be treated seriatim, starting with Jackson County on the northwest and concluding with Massac Count}' on the southeast. Jackson Coi nty The northern part of Jackson County is comparati\ely flat, contrasting sharply with that portion of the Ozark uplift, lying south of Murphysboro, the county seat, and Carbondale, the seat of the Southern Illinois State Normal I ni versify. In the southern part of the county from Gor- ham to Grand Tower are some wonderfull}* picturesc]ue bluffs along the Mississippi river, notably Fountain Bluff and the Devil's Bake Oven, which will be described later. Along the Mobile and Ohio railroad south of Murphysboro, especially near Pomona, is some interesting territory, in- cluding a natural bridge. In the southern part of the county along the Illinois Central railroad, south of Carbon- dale and near the village of Makanda, is a very picturesque territor}-, known as the Giant City. The most talked of area in Jackson County is the one at Fountain Bluff near the village of Gorham. There is a very strong public senti- ment in the county, especially at Carbondale and Mur- ph}sboro, for the perpetual preservation of Fountain Bluff. Park Poss/bilitics of Soi/fl/cni Jll/nois 99 It is alrcadA a well known and popular place ot resort tor picnics antl outings. In connection with the joint meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science and the Friends of our Native Landscape at Carbondale. in the spring of K)2i, a great picnic and barbecue was held at Fountain Bhirt. and was attended by many hundreds of people, all of whom expressed their great enthusiasm for the state park movement and the preservation of Fountain Bluff. ,\ quite notable speech was made by Senator Otis Glenn ot Murphysboro, one of the strongest supporters of the state [xirk idea in Illinois. Another good friend of state parks is Representative Eltherton, of Carbondale. Fountain Bluff is an isolated area of great ruggedness and beauty, separated by many miles of flood plain from the main bod}- of the Ozarks, with which it was once con- nected. This rock island stands u{) like a mountain from the flood plain extending on every side, reaching a height of three or four hundred feet at its highest point. At the south-west portion of the bluff the Mississi})pi washes its banks, and from the top of the bluff, the Father of Waters forms an impressive feature of the landscajie. The bluff is comj)Osed of massive sandstone, interspersed with peculiar iron layers, except at the south where there is some lime- stone. The Fountain Bluff area embraces some four thousand acres, and all of it should certainly be included if it is set aside for a state park. Within these four thousand acres are many beautiful ravines, grottos, and springs. The whole tract is beautifulh wooded, though most of it is not virgin timber. There is a fine display of hickory, oak, and beech. The spring flowering display of the service berry and later of the dogwood beggar description. A few miles to the south of Fountain Bluff is the in- teresting old village of Grand Tower, which was much busier during the days of the Civil War than it is today. The village acquires its name from a i)icturesque limestone tower on the Missouri side of the river. The same forma- tion, however, is seen on the Illinois side, and on account of its fantastic erosion features is known as the Devil's Bake Oven. On account of the limestone ledge, which crosses the rixer at this point and which is conspicuous on either 100 [' 10 posed Furk A reus of Ul/iiois Givat Wall and C'avc-iii. Pdiic Couiitv bank, the river here flows rapidly throuj:;h narrows. The red cedar and a number of interesting flowering plants and ferns are especially characteristic of these limestone rocks. The area involved in the Devil's Bake Oven is but a itw acres and it might well be acquired as a subsidiarv of the P^ountain BlutF project. The Pomona area with its natural bridge and the Giant City at Makanda are much smaller tracts than that of Foun- tain Bluif, though both of them are perfectly well suited for state parks, their small size would seem to make it pos- sible to have them set aside as county parks, or even as outer city parks respectively for Murphysboro and Carbon- dale. The author has not visited the Pomona area. The Giant City is of the same sandstone and iron formation as Fountain Bluff, and there are many picturesque grottos, bluffs, and other erosion features. \Vii,LL\MsoN County Williamson County is an important industrial county antl noted tor its coal niinc>. The northern part of the Park Possib/hfn's of Soi/tlwrn JU/no/s lOi count}- is relatively fiat, as in Jackson Count}'. The noithern outliers of the Illinois Ozarks are somewhat developed in the southern part of the county. The author has not seen any place in this county which he would be inclined at the present time to recommend for state park purposes. Some mention has been made locally of the neighborhood about Creal Springs, which has for some years been more or less of a resort. The area has not been visited b}- the author. Saline County Saline County also is an important industrial county with numerous coal mines. It is also the center of some vigorous state park sentiment. This probably is largely due to the fact that it is the home county of ^Ir. Clarence Bonnell of Harrisburg, an influential member of the Friends of Native Landscape. Mr. Bonnell has for years been preaching the value of the Illinois Ozarks as desirable places for the establishment of natural preserves. It is largely due to Mr. BonnelTs influence that many northern Illinoisans, in- cluding the author, have become interested in southern Illinois. As in the previous two counties. Saline is rather flat in its northern portion. It is very rough and almost moun- tainous in the southern part. It is in this county probably that there is to be found the greatest topographic relief within a small area in the state of Illinois. This is due to the fact that the northern edge of the Ozarks is brought into very sharp relief by a prominent fault line. The relief is still further accentuatecl by the fact that the Saline bottoms are just north of this escarpment. Probably the most striking of these escarpments is Cave Hill, the crest of which is seven hundred feet above the Saline bottoms. The scenery on and about Cave Hill can- not be surpassed for beaut}' in the state. There is also a wealth of timber of all classes, varying from the species of the river bottom lands to the types that are characteristic of rocky hills. As the name would indicate, there is an in- teresting cave on the slopes of Cave Hill. There are other attractive hills and outlook points in the 102 I'm posed Wirk Aiwis of Ul/no/s --i ©Voll Late. A,^ -(ll;.cf>.„HolW-CI..«J- N.^1.4^ ©Cv.H.H-V.Uo^H.H, A..< 01^ OXARK OPLirX l/{ southern part ot Saline Count}'. One ot the most notable of these is Womble Mountain, which is the habitat ot rare terns and other interesting plants. The rough nature ot the region is reflected in the name "Mountain," as just noted, and also in the name "Mountain Township," one ot the sub-divisions of the county. In this county, as else- where in southern Illinois, are many indications of prehis- toric inhabitants. Wherever these remains are well pre- served they should certainly be set aside as parks. An interesting instance is an old stone fort near the village of Stone Fort in the southwest part of the count}'. Gallatin Coi'nty Gallatin Count}" is the only one of the eleven southern counties that has not been visited by the author. It is how- ever a county rich in scenic and historic interest, and it is one of the longest settled portions of the state. This county certainly contains areas that should be set aside because ot their importance in jiioneer days. Shawneetown on the Ohio River and New Haven on the Wabash are picturesque old cities, fascinating in their historic interest. In the southern part of the county are several areas of great scenic Park PossihiUf/cs of Soi/fJicni lllino/s 10^ Piasa Bluffs alono- !_■ Misisissijipi, (iiat'tou, Jersey C'ouutv beaut} and natural interest, that mi^'hf well be set aside as state or county parks. Among these are Gold Hill and Wild Cat Hill which are prominent escarpments, brought into strong relief by the same fault noted tor Saline Count}'. Near Shawneetown are the famous Shawneetown Lakes which ha\e long been familiar places ot resort. Union County Union County lies wholly in the Ozark Uplift and is one of the most picturesque counties in the state. Many citizens of the county, especially in the towns of Anna and Jonesboro are absorbingl}- interested in the state park move- ment. The Mississippi River, with its wide bottoms in- cluding many picturesque lakes, borders the count}- at the west. Rising abruptly from these bottoms is a continuous line of hills, resembling Fountain Bluff in Jackson County in manv particulars. One of the most attractive and most talked of places is Wolf Lake. The Wolf Lake area should 104 Proposed Fark Areas of Ul/no'ts certainly be preserved as a state park or as a state forest preserve, tor in this neighborhood, is the only stand ot southern }ello\v pine within our state. The pine hills with Wolt Lake in the foreground furnish one ot the most attrac- tive landscapes to be seen anywhere. \\'olt Lake is one of those interesting bodies of water known as an "ox bow" lake, having once been a channel of the river. The lake has long been a resort for hunters and fishermen, and should certainly be kept in its natural condition forever. The yellow pine is by no means the only plant of interest on the pine hills. So far as is known, these hills are also the only habitat in our state ot the wild Azalea so characteristic ot the Alleghanies. These hills are chert hills, known locally as silica hills, and they have a widely different tlora from that of the sandstone hills of Jackson County. Picturesque places near the river farther south, are the Atwood Ridge and Willow Springs. Both of these places, and especially Willow Sp:irings are places frequented for their beauty and natural interest. In the northern part of the count}' is the village of Alto Pass on the Mobile and Ohio railroad. This is the highest railroad point in Illinois and is a place with very picturesque surroundings. Near by looms up Bald Knob, one of the very highest peaks in the entire state. The relief is par- ticularly striking here because the Mississippi, with its very low altitude is but a few miles to the west. From the sum- mit of Bald Knob, so named because of the absence of natural trees, there is obtained a marvelous view of the country for miles in all directions. On the slopes ot Bald Knob are hundreds of acres of some of the finest timber in the state. This would therefore be an excellent place tor the establishment of a state forest. The central and east portions of the county also have many points of interest that are well suited for the estab- lishment of state or county parks. One of the most talked about of these is Roaring Springs, which, however, the author has not visited. LTnion Count}' is rich in prehistoric remains, some of which might well be preserved. One of the disheartening things observed by the author in Union County in particular Park Possibilities of Southern Illinois lOC is the prevalence of forest fires. Sad to relate, these forest fires are not accidental but are set on purpose regularly every year. No preserves of any sort can be established with any degree of security until this abominable practice is stopped. Johnson County Johnson County is in the very heart of the Illinois Ozarks, being the only one of the eleven southern counties with neither river frontage nor flat country to the north. Per- haps the most talked of place in this county is Fern Cliff near the little village of Goreville on the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad. This tract is owned by Miss Anna Rebman, former count}' superintendent of schools, and always a great friend of the conservation movement. Fern Cliff combines many of the features of Fountain Bluff and the Pope County canyons to be mentioned later. One finds there massive sandstone walls with great detached blocks of wonderful picturesqueness and numerous caves and am- phitheatres carved out from the rock walls. Waterfalls and a fine growth of timber also add to the attractiveness. Fern Cliff has long been a favorite place of resort and certainh- should be set aside as a permanent natural pre- serve. In the neighborhood of Parker and Tunnel Hill, some miles east of Fern Cliff, are places of rare beauty and scenic interest. The ride on the Big Four Railway from io6 l'/o/)oscu/ i\irk A /WIS o/ Ul/nots Parkrr to \'ii-iina. the count)- scat, is pcrha])s the nio^t pic- turesque railway ride in Illinois. In the southern part ot the county alon^ the Cache River and its tributaries are in- teresting cypress swamps, reminding of the familiar cypress swamps of Louisiana and Arkansas. The cypress is rapidly being cut off on account of its great value tor lumber. It is to be hoped that here or in some of the adjoining counties a good tract of cypress will be reserved for a state or county forest. Vienna is an interesting old town witli many relics of i)ioneer da)s. Pope County Pope Count) is perhaps the wildcat ami most rugged county in the state. It is also a county of great topographic diversit)', varying from the high hills of the Ozarks in the north to the bottoms of the Ohio River in the east and south- east. The very culmination of Ozark scener)- is found in the northern part of the county, where there are a number of beautiful canyons, locally known as hollows. It is this section that has been particularly brought to our attention by Mr. Bonnell of Harrisburg. Among the picturesque places that should certainly be preserved in a big state park are Jackson Hollow, portions of Hunting Branch and Clarida Branch (local names for creeks), and especially the neighborhood of the splendid natural bridge and the mag- nificent sand cave. Hereabouts are found man)' rare ferns, notably the filmy fern, known nowhere else in Illinois, or tor that matter in any northern state. The highest hill in southern Illinois is said to be Mount Williams in the north- east part of the county. Many picturesque places, suitable for parks are found along the banks of Lusk Creek. In the central and more settled part of the county is Dixon Springs, long a favorite place of resort and well suited tor state park purposes. Here there are numerous springs of medicinal value and picturesque canyons and defiles. The timber here is interesting and there are some very large trees. Golconda, the county seat, is a picturesque town on the Ohio River, rich in historic interest. The hills about Golconda and up the river toward Eli'/abethtown are beautifully wooded and w( 11 suited for count) and state parks. Park Possd?d/f/cs of Soi/tlicni III mots 107 Hardin County Hardin Count} is })rc)bably the most diliiciilt of access of any county in the state, having no railroad within its limits except for a short distance in the extreme southwest. At present this county is best known to the world through its mines of fluor-spar at Rosiclare, which are among the most extensive in the world. This is a county noted for its caves and cave scenery, having numerous sink holes so character- istic ot cave regions. In the northern part of the county is Hicks Dome, a well known topographic feature. Like most ot the .southern countie.s, Hardin is of great interest historically, and has many relics of pioneer days. Eli/a- bethtown. the count}' seat, is a picturesque old city on the Ohio River, and Cave-In-Rock, farther up the river, is a famous landmark about which many interesting old tales are told. The author has made so little study of Hardin County that he is unable to make specific park recommenda- tions. Alk,\.\nder County Alexander County is an interesting old county at the junc- tion ot the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Cairo, the countv seat, has long been a well known city and has had a large part to play in the pioneer development of Illinois. Most of the county is covered with river bottoms, but in the northern part, one encounters the Ozark uplands. In the neighborhood of Thebes are picturesque hills and splendid forests, well suited for state park and forest purposes. Along the lower stretches of the Cache River are interesting swamps ot cypress and tupelo. Pui,.ASKi County Pulaski. like .Alexander Count}-, is a covmtv of low alti- tudes and is rich in the bottom-lands of the Ohio and Cache rivers. It is perhaps in this county that the southern cypress and tupelo swamps reach their greatest development, es- pecially along the Cache river and its tributaries. The.se swamps can be well seen at Karnak. Ullin. and Pulaski. One ot these c}j)ress areas .should certainh be set aside for 108 Proposed Park Areas of llliiio/s all finie as a srare [lark or state forest. IVrhaps a site in Tulaski County would be best suited tor this purjiose. Massac County No county in the state has more interesting tales of the pioneer days than has Massac with its long extent of terri- tory along the Ohio River. Metropolis, the county seat, is one of the most interesting historic points in Illinois and already has a small state park for the preservation of old Fort Massac, which is so rich in pioneer history. Massac, like Pulaski County, is mostly low in altitude, bottom lands being its most conspicuous feature. As in the other southern counties, there are interesting cypress swamps. Flory's Cave, near Tunnel Hill, Johnson County (Front view of central part) State Park Possibilities Along the Mississippi River Hknrv C. Cowles The entire stretch of the Mississippi River on the western border of our state is so uniformly beautiful and interesting that it is almost impossible to make selection of areas that are better than the others. If all conditions were ideal and if immense sums of money were available there might be recommended a continuous parkway along the river with the exception of cities and agricultural tracts all the way from Dubuque to Cairo. Even though such a dream cannot be realized perhaps for a time, some state parks should cer- tainly be organized at various points along the river, and those counties that adjoin the river should all establish their county forest preserves. Cities along the river also should establish city preserves in like manner, as Ouincy has so conspicuous! } and successful h' done. 110 I'roposc't/ I'urk Aiwis ol lU/nais rhrre of tlic .soutlurn eounrics aliurrin;j; on rhc lixcr, namely Jackson, Union, and Alexamicr, liavc been con- sidered elsewhere in this report. SiniilarU the magnificent tracts along the river in northern Illinois, especially in Ruck Island, Carroll, and Jo Daviess counties, have been con- sidered by others. Brief mention may be made here of some of the other counties in the central and south central portions. R.ANDoi.i'H County This county lies next above Jackson Count} and is one of the most interesting of all the counties from a historic point of view. This is the county of the famous old Kaskaskia. the first capital of Illinois and the oldest white settlement in the Mississippi valley. Chester, the county seat, is an interesting old town, and old Fort Gage not far away is rich in historic memories. Old Kaskaskia has almost en- tirely disappeared, having been eaten away by the Missis- sippi River. Around Fort Gage, however, ,there is an interesting tract that should be taken over for a state park for historic reasons. It is also an area not without scenic beauty. .St. Clair and Madison Counties These are industrial counties of great importance, close to the city of St. Louis. They are mostly without tracts of great scenic beauty, but the famous old Cahokia mounds in Madison County should certainly be acquired by the state because of their large human interest. Archaeologists regard these as great prehistoric monuments and if their interpretation is correct, they are about the largest con- structions of antiquity found anywhere in the world. What- ever their origin their interest is such that they should be acquired by the state and kept in a permanent preserve. Ji:rsi:v and Caiiioun Counties The Illinois River forms the boundary between Jersey and Calhoun counties, discharging its waters into the Mississippi near the picturesque little town of Grafton. This is a region of sx^wl ruggedness and beaut\-. containing Parks A I on;/ the M/ssisstppi i i i some ot the most picturesque river clitfs ot the entire state. Calhoun County is so rugged in its topograph}- and so little settled that it does not contain a railroad. Perhaps the most interesting tract in this region for a state park is the Piasa Bluff area near Gratton. The Piasa Bluffs tower high above the river and contain many marvelous landscape fea- tures. They have long been visited by nature lovers and are well known places ot resort throughout the region. Many interesting Indian legends cluster about the cliffs. Close b)- the cliffs is a well known Chautauqua assembly ground, and not tar away are interesting old estates high up on the river bluffs. On account of the proximity of this area to a large industrial population in Illinois and Missouri this should certainly be one of the first tracts to be acquired for a state park. Pike, .\d.\ms, .and Hancock Cointifs In the.se counties are several picturesque tracts along the river, those in the neighborhood of Ouinc}- having already been included in the cit}' park system. Near the boundary between Adams and Hancock counties is Lima Lake, one of the most interesting flood-plain lakes in Illinois. This lake is rich in aquatic lite and is a great feeding ground for migratory birds. The tract should be taken over by the state, preferably, it would seem, as a game preserve. Be- 112 l'ro/>oSi-(/ I' ark A reus of lll/nois twcen Warsaw ami Hamilton in Hancock Count} arc in- teresting blurt's and woodlands that might well be incor- poratcil into a state or county park system. Across the river from these blurts is the place where Missouri and Iowa meet, the Des Moines River entering the Mississippi at that point. A little farther up stream is tlie city ot Keokuk with its famous dam. Still farther north in Hancock Count}' is the interesting ohl town ot Nauxoo, so important in Mormon historv. The Preservation of Our River Courses and Their Natural Setting Road in Beautiful Illiiic Road in XortluMii Illinois. This also oompai-es with the Ozark Conntrv Road in Northern Illinois The Preservation of Our River Courses and Their Natural Setting .ll NS .Iknsen It is well to consider the significance of our heritage of river and stream and prairie, of wooded hills, of bluffs and cliffs and headlands looking down over winding water- courses. Out here on the great plains where a twent}-five foot elevation is called a hill and a three hundred foot ridge is a mountain and such changes in the geography of the country are a rarity, one would naturally think that the appreciation of such diversions from the level prairie as the bluffs and headlands of rivers would be much greater than it actually is. In the real prairie country these picturesque and dramatic expressions are always found in the rivers and glacial lake depressions. Through thousands of 3'ears this process of sculpturing out the rock has gradually gone for- ward. Gorges and canyons, broad valleys flanked b}' gentle 1 i6 I' ro posed Park Areas of JUino'/s bluti's, 1)1- hoki and daring clitfs is the result. It is here that nature through countless ages has written poetry and ro- mance deep into the })rairie soil. It is here where we today hnd the intimate beauty and loveliness ot our country with her hidden treasures in contrast to the tree and open prairies. These really are the poets of the prairie country. They work on the imagination ot old and young. It is here where the artists are born and where the poets seek tor inspiration in the pure and unadulterated soil. With few exceptions this land is unfit tor food produc- tion and was {)rimarily preserved for the soul — it was so destined. Primitive beauty still reigns supreme. It is America in |irimeval state and it is still here in a great measure. But even these secret shrines are not safe from spoliation. Nothing is safe that might bring forth the Dollar, the God of our age. The fertile plains were destined to turnish us with food for our material and bodily welfare, but the rivers, blutfs, and canyons, the inland lakes, and hills with food for the soul; woe to him who thinks differently tor he shall dig his own grave. The early pioneers of the plains took shelter in these woods which fringe our rivers. Here were the first settlements in Mid- America and the Indian before him builded his wigwam in the same place. All of our history has been written in these woody bluffs and the flowing streams below. They represent the only book of history that we have. The great out-of-door school of vast re- sources teaches at tirst hand the great and only lesson man needs for a healthy development of body and mind. As I mentioned before, the woods are situated along our water courses in the prairie country. These woods are rich in nature's garments that here cover both bluff and hill. Variations in soil, moisture and protection from the biting west winds has brought this about. Plants native to a more southern region often follow the protected river bottoms wa}' beyond their homes in the open countr}. Here you ma^• be about with the great Master where each tfower, each tree, and each shrub has a message tor you. The rivers are the great highways over which our birds travel. No- where in Mid-America is bird life so rich. Their songs and The F reservation of Our River Courses 1 17 gleeful chatter may be heard above the towering cliffs. The valle3S of our rivers are the bird sanctuaries of the prairie countr}. Without a doubt the most romantic and the greatest in vision and expression is the Father ot Waters — our own and beautiful Mississippi. Its tributaries are by no means inferior in some ot the things that have given the prairie rivers charm and beaut)-. The Mississippi has this expres- sion in bolder form and in greater measure. At times it may be said that the region is mountainous, at least from the viewpoint of us prairie tolks. Eagles may be seen soar- ing around towering cliffs above which rise wild and foam- ing rapids. Peaceful islands in placid waters where the elms and willows can see themselves arc in sharp contrast to the picturesque bold and massive crags. Thrifty cities lie snuggled between bluffs and hills just as if these natural openings had been sculptured out for human habitation. Laughing brooks hasten on through worn canyons, centuries old, to join the great Father of Waters. No greater sanc- tuar} — no finer and deeper expression of the great out-of- doors is found anywhere. It is the landscape of inspiration expressing those things that make life richer and fuller; those things vital to the normal life — things that are needed as a balance to the material development of life, and this grandeur is right at our doorstep, just where it should be. It is therefore not surprising that we should lend our efforts to the preservation of these shrines of the out-of- doors. It does surprise one, however, that we did not think of this long ago. Many are the scars in our cliffs and in our forest covered hills. A great deal of natural beauty might have been saved from destruction. However, if we start in earnest now the possibilities for great pleasure grounds in the Mississippi Valley are wonderful and the scars incurred by men will soon heal under the guidance and the direction of Mother Nature. But why talk about the preservation of certain disrricts that may excel others in grandeur and beauty; why not make all the river bluffs public property! Some day our rivers will be equally as important as pleasure ways as our roadways are at present. Some day they will become the most important and the most beautiful high- iiS Proposci/ Wtrk Areas ot Ul/nots \va\s that we have, and especially it they are kept in this primitive \\a\. I want to emphasize that they will be American, because this is America. In a more intimate way it is Illinois. Their preservation is not all for mere plea.s- ure; their great value lies in what this primitive — this real America will do in the way ot fostering a greater love for our country and awakening within us the tiner strain of the chords of life. It is in the uplifting of our moral stand- ards that the final settlement comes. Just think what rich- ness and beauty these protected river highwavs will give to Mid-America — what a lesson to the World I I have often thought what it would mean if every boy and girl, and the grownups as well, from farms and cities would come to these bluffs to get a greater outlook on the world. If only once a year they could sit down on the edge of a steep cliff and watch the currents flowing by. If they would only let their thoughts follow the currents away to the ocean and then be carried along on the gentle waves far beyond our shores to the distant lands where live other peoples. In this wa\- our Mid-American rivers become the high- ways of our thoughts that may cart}- us to any point of the earth. From these same crests one may watch the beauty of the prairies as they stretch out toward the great moun- tains in great billowing waves, as much an expression of the beauty of Mid-America as our lovely and romantic rivers. The early pioneers of Illinois have placed in our historic archives records of their admiration for the beauty they saw. Rivers enveloped in deep and mysterious forests, flowing like a ribbon through open prairies — prairies ex- pressing a wealth of color from the petals of millions ot flowers which reflect their brilliancy in the heavens above, and at the same time express a freedom and breadth ot greatness unrivalled anywhere in America. Let the Forest States of the North jirovide us with coal and shady woods and let us provide the great highways that lead us to the N'orrli la^d'^ illuminated by the magic Northern lights. But what is far more imjiortant. let us jirovide shady places in the romantic landscape tor the millions who have TJtc Prcscrcdt/on of Our River Courses i 19 not the means ot travel and still most important surround them with places of primitive beauty so that it may exert a daily influence upon us and provide pure and unadulterated surrounding's amongst which our children may grow to man and womanhood — a place where God's liowers decorate the sanctuary and our native birds sing the requiems. Let us look into the tuture to the time when ever}- inch of soil that can be cultivated is occupied by human habitation and the population has become dense. Then the villages will have grown into towns and the towns into cities and the agri- cultural country has almost become a scattered village. Just think what these ribbons of primitive America, these river highways with their blutfs and canyons, their hills and val- leys, will mean to the future American. Like the branches ot the giant tree will these grand parkwa}s of native beautv spread through fertile farm lands with greetings from vil- lage to village and city to cit)-. Onh- pure and simple thoughts will they breathe into the soul of our great America. Some da}- our great land roads will follow these river valleAS extending from the far northlands to the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Canoes with merry-making Americans will paildle down these \\-onderful waterwa^-s as Prairie of Illinois 120 Vroposcd Park Areas of Illinois the Indians ot the past, sin^in-; to the glor}- ot our wonder- ful country. Camptires will light the hills and bluffs until they are aglow with greeting and camps of tresh air seeking city folks will rest under century old trees. On every side are the fertile plains with the happy homes tucked away in the sweet scent of the apple blossoms against a back-ground of forest covered hills and ridges. This is the Mid-America of tomorrow, rich in everything that is vital to a strong and moral life. Let us hope for the tomorrow. w)