With permit it hand we started on the short flat stretch. We all went either under the gate or around. About a 1/2 mile in we saw another grass parking lot. I'm guessing this is used for the hunters. Along the way we did see this coyote. He didn't fair so well.
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| Coyote |
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| Sign about the endangered bats |
The
Blackball cement company was started by a John Clark who was chief
engineer in charge of building this section of
the I&M canal. He spotted the limestone in the
cliff next to the canal back in the 1840's. After his canal work was
done
he seized the opportunity for mining the limestone in
this area and started the Utica Hydraulic Cement Co. Other mines started
too and one of them was the Blackball Cement mine. The
Utica plant eventually bought out the Blackball.
At
this mine was one of the very first electric
generators in the state of Illinois used to supply power to carbon arc
lights.
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| Old Kilns |
All along the creek there are holes or entrances into the mines. I'm not sure if they are just air holes or actually entrances. There was quite a few. We did not have permission to go into any of the mine entrances.
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| Pecumsaugan Creek |
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| Pecumsaugan Creek |
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| Mine entrance along the Creek |
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| Main mine entrance along the Creek |
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| Main mine entrance from a distance |
We also saw many wildflowers on the walk.
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| Blood Root |
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| Spring Beauty |
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| Dutchman's Britches |
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| False Rue Anemone |
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| Hepatica |
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| Trillium |
When we left the Lodge we had about 20 walkers. When we pulled up in the lot we counted 39 walkers. Many families, many regular walkers, many Lodge guests. We had a record amount of walkers. Joe was explaining how they mined the limestone.
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| Geology Joe doing his thing- teaching |
If you would like to join us, the Walker's Club departs from the Starved Rock Lodge's Lobby every Thursday morning at 9:00a.m. No reservations needed.
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| All the kids posing for a photo |
I don't know why, but I pick up golf balls when I find them. I found these 6 in the creek. Further up on the creek there is a golf course and when the water rises the balls that end up in the creek go down the creek.
I will leave you with this: Wherever you may hike or walk, just put one foot in front of the other. It's all about the experience not the destination.
My father, Harlan D.Walley, Is the man who disovered the 5 species of bats in this area! Many years ago we used to collect bats for Brookfield zoo reptile house, for Ray Paulie. My father had many publications, including the finding of timber rattle snakes often in the slag around the old furnaces! I contacted DNR several years ago about permission to hike in there again to no avail! I have forgot more about that area than they will ever know! My familly also has maps of those mines that my father did himself in the earlly 70s!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a teenager,we would camp in the mouth of the mines and explore the area. This was long before the area was a nature preserve. We would get our drinking water fron the natural springs in the area. It will always be a special place for myself and my wife as it was the first camping trip we ever did together. I am glad to see the area was preserved
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger during the 60's my family would go to this area for family reunions. My great uncle Ed Hack was the caretaker for the LaSalle drive in that is now the speedway. My great uncle Sam Hack had a small farm with in walking distance from there. My self, brothers and sisters and our cousins would walk down to the caves as we called them. We had many good times there.
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