Richton Park- Bartel Grassland and Water Reserve
Richton Park- Bartel Grassland and Water Reserve Previously an agricultural field bordered by hedgerows, the 585-acre Bartel Grassland is now a flat, damp terrain home to a growing array of native plant and bird species in Richton Park, IL. Visitors may examine how restoration efforts have fostered natural processes at an observation area with a […]
Harvey-Gensburg Markham Prairie
Harvey-Gensburg Markham Prairie The Gensburg-Markham Prairie, commonly known as Markham Prairie, is a 105.6-acre high-quality tallgrass prairie near Markham, Illinois (Harvey, IL). It is a component of the broader Indian Boundary Prairies, which are administered jointly by Northeastern Illinois University and The Nature Conservancy. It is a National Natural Landmark, described by the Illinois Department […]
Lansing- Community Veterans Memorial
Lansing- Community Veterans Memorial The Community Veterans Memorial is a 6.5-acre park in Lansing, IL that has bronze and granite sculptures as well as life-size monuments reflecting the main military wars that defined the twentieth century. The monument offers a thoughtful and challenging picture of peace. The memorial pays the highest respect to all […]
Orland Park- Orland Grassland
Orland Park- Orland Grassland Orland Grassland, located in the south suburbs and administered by the Forest Preserves of Cook County, is an outstanding example of the huge grasslands that formerly swept the region. This 960-acre park was converted from farmland to a grassland with a wide range of operating conditions, prairies, wetlands, open ponds, oak […]
Olympia Fields- Old Plank Road Trail
Olympia Fields- Old Plank Road Trail The Old Plank Road Trail occupies the western half of a plank road right-of-way purchased in 1850 and upgraded into a railroad line known as the Joliet and Northern Indiana Railroad in 1855. This allegedly independent railroad line in Olympia Fields, IL, which ran from Joliet to Lake Station, […]
Homewood-Thornton Quarry
Homewood-Thornton Quarry Thornton Quarry, located in Thornton, Illinois, just south of Chicago, is one of the world’s largest aggregate quarries. The quarry spans 1.5 miles, is 0.5 miles broad, and is 450 feet deep at its deepest point. Gallagher Asphalt Corporation has been working on the quarry sites since 1928. A dryland dike spans […]
Crete-Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve
Crete-Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve Between 1938 and 2007, the 891-acre Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve was purchased in Crete, IL. The preserve is part of the Plum Creek preservation system, which includes over 2,300 acres of land. The area formerly served as a Boy Scout camp until it was purchased by the District. In 1996, a […]
Tinley Park-Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery
Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery is a cemetery in (Tinley Park, IL) Bremen Township, Cook County, Illinois, in Chicago’s southwest suburbs that is famous for purported ghost sightings. The cemetery has also been known as Bachelor Grove, Batchelder’s Grove, and Everden Grove (or Everdon). Bachelors Grove Cemetery is located in the southwest Chicago suburbs, approximately northwest of […]
Park Forest – Thorn Creek Woods
Thorn Creek Woods Nature Center and Preserve is located in Will County, Illinois, near the town of Park Forest. It is a part of Will County’s Forest Preserve District. Thorn Creek Woods Nature Preserve is situated at 247 Monee Road, roughly 0.25 miles north of Stunkel Road in Park Forest. The preserve is open everyday […]
