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Points of Interest

Dedicated Nature Preserves.

Area notable for woodland wildflowers, native prairies, uncommon trees, shrubs and other vegetation. Good Shoreline Fishing

Winter Sports

Thorn Creek Division Headquarters.

Model Airplane Flying Field

Green Lake, formerly a deep clay pit for making brick.

Youth Group Camp (by permit only)

Sauk Trail Road: originally part of the Indian trail from the Mississippi river to Fort Detroit.

Pioneer homesite of John McCoy, soldier in the Revolutionary War; a "station" on the "Underground Railroad."

Brown's Corners a crossroads of midwest America in pioneer days intersection of the Great Sauk Trail with Hubbard's Trace to Danville and, later, Vincennes Road.

Site of Absalom Well's cabin-first settler in this part of Cook County.

Thornton quarry, largest in the Chicago region, notable for fossils and a coral reef in the Niagara limestone.

Sand Ridge Nature Center

River Oaks Golf Course

Thorn Creek Forestry Headquarters.

Trails

In the Thorn Creek division there is a loop of improved trail, from 26th St. and Euclid Ave., in Sauk Trail Woods and Schubert's Woods; and an extension north from 26th St, to 16th St from there, thru Chicago Heights and as far as Glenwood, there are walks, streets, and informal paths following Thorn Creek but usable only by hikers. From the C. & E. R.R. in Glenwood, there is an improved trail, suitable for equestrians, to Cottage Grove.; and from 183rd St, (Jurgensen Woods) to Torrence. Ave.

More information about Forest Preserve Trails

Interesting Things

• Thornton-Lansing Rd. and Glenwood-Dyer Rd. formerly trails, follow the crests of sand dunes marking beaches at the southerly limits of Lake Chicago when, during the last glacial epoch, it stood at levels much higher than present Lake Michigan.
• The Green Lake region has low dunes that were formed in shallow water by wave action during that same glacial period.
• Species of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and other plants uncommon in this region exist here because of the unique topography and sandy soil conditions resulting from geological history.
• Scubert' s Woods - old white oak trees.
• Steger Woods fine bur oaks
• Sweet Woods - sassafras, sour gum
• Ohio Buckeyes along Thorn Creek
• Sauk Trail Lake created by damming Thorn Creek for 26th St.; Wampum Lake dug to provide earth fill for the Calumet Expressway.

About this page...

This page is based on a publication of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, tIllinois, adapted for the web as a public service by CLONK. This web site is unofficial, and not associated in any way with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. CLONK is not responsible for any errors, either in the original publication or in this web version. The information presented here follows the original Forest Preserve District publication as closely as possible, with minor variations such as choice of typeface and added web links. CLONK cautions that items such as names of public servants and telephone numbers are subject to change! This web version was completed Spring, 2000.

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