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Blog + Resources

Maintaining the Trails We Ride on

5/6/2016

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This month, we lent a helping hand to Friends of the Major Taylor Trail, on Earth Day Weekend, organized by local bicyclist Anne Alt.

​Hosted by Cook County Forest Preserves, in association with TreeKeepers of Openlands and Green Corps, the day brought us out to Chicago's South Side Whistler Woods to clear out overgrown sections of the Major Taylor Trail and to remove invasive species.  We learned about new, up & coming trails and a little local history too. Read on to find out more.
Whistler Woods Bike trail, Out Our Front Door Organization helps out Friends of the Major Taylor Trail.
photo by Anne Alt

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Lake Chicago -The Ancient Shorelines

5/20/2015

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Vast amounts of sand in spits, dunes and beach lines—particularly at the southern tip of Lake Michigan—were left behind by each of the three stages of lake level drop. Today, evidence of these vast sand deposits are still clearly visible.  many of the Chicago area's trails and roads follow some of these ancient beach lines or ridges in the sand spits.

For example, Ridge Road from Homewood, Illinois, through Thornton and Lansing, Illinois, and then crossing the state border into Munster and Highland, Indiana, is one; Michigan City Road through Riverdale, Dolton, and Calumet City, Illinois, is another; LaGrange Road is another; Riverside Drive in Riverside; Ridgeland Avenue in Oak Park, or Grosse Point Road, Carpenter Road, and Ridge Avenue (The Rosehill Spit) in the Rogers Park/West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago, north of Devon Avenue and continuing north through Evanston, Illinois, are some others. Blue Island, Illinois, and Stony Island were, literally, islands left behind as Lake Chicago's water level fell.
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The First Vertical Silo - Spring Grove History

5/20/2015

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Spring Grove HistoryIn the 1700s the areas native Pottawatomi Indians named the Nippersink Creek, which runs through Spring Grove,  “Neversink”, which translates to “place of small waters”. In 1834, as the result of a treaty signed with our government, the Potawatomi and other Indian tribes were removed from the area, although friendly wandering bands still occasionally appeared. Related accounts of these Indians include those of an early settler, Jonathan Imeson, who was said to have hidden his bed from curious Indians who had never seen one before.

Spring Grove was named for the natural springs and groves of trees in the area. Tall flowing prairie grasses reminded the first English settlers of their homeland and they named the area they settled English Prairie. English Prairie Cemetery, road and subdivision remind us of these first adventurous pioneers. Spring Grove was initially established as an agricultural community in the late 1830s. The first vertical silo constructed in North America was built in 1873 by Fred Hatch on a small farm located in Spring Grove. This new way of storing silage for his dairy cows kept the corn dry and unfrozen and resulted in fatter cows producing more milk. Improvements were made to the boxy wooden design and in 1893 the first steel silo was exhibited at Chicago’s Columbia Exposition.  A small replica of the first silo was dedicated in 1984 and stands today at Lyle Thomas Park in Spring Grove.

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McHenery County History

5/20/2015

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After the 1832 Black Hawk War, land-hungry New Englanders and western Virginians pushed out along Indian trails radiating away from Chicago in search of farm sites. To the north and northwest, they found a rolling, well-watered prairie interspersed with large oak groves. Finding access to Cook County government difficult, they petitioned for the formation of a more local county seat. The Illinois legislature approved the petition in 1836 and named the new county McHenry, after a leader of volunteers in the area during the Black Hawk War.

McHenry County stretched west from Lake Michigan to present-day Boone County and north from Kane County to the Wisconsin state line. Since the Fox River flowed through the approximate center of the county and was easily fordable at the present site of McHenry, that village became the county seat.

The eastern side of the new county was settled earliest as most newcomers established homes along the Green Bay Trail. Farmers and speculators there found trips around numerous glacial lakes and across wet prairies to McHenry too time consuming. In 1839 voters in eastern McHenry County were granted the right to form a new county (Lake County.).


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Origin of Name Algonquin

5/20/2015

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© 2006 Copyrighted by Superior Library. Pages and Images are for the viewers pleasure and are not to be copied or reproduced without permission from Superior Public Library.
The Story of the Schooner Algonquin...
In 1843 a town meeting was held and the town now known as Algonquin changed its name from Cornish Ferry to Osceola. But it was discovered another town in Illinois had chosen its name as Osceola before Algonquin petitioned the courts. The name of the town was left to Mr. Edwards, largest land owner to name the town. He suggested Algonquin which was the name of the the boat he part owner or worked on board as a sailor. The schooner Algonquin was named after the Indian Confederation and built in Ohio but became a famous schooner of Lake Superior.
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Ride to School on the Milk Train-The History Of Wadsworth 

5/19/2015

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Railroad and station crew, Milwaukee railroad.
A major industry in Wadsworth in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s was the production of bricks and field tile.  Winter’s Brick Yard and Cashmore Tile and Brick Yard were two enterprises involved in this.  Several brick houses in Wadsworth were built by Jonathan Cashmore or his children and are still in use today.

Many of the buildings in Downtown Wadsworth go back to the late 1800’s or early 1900’s.  There were grocery stores, taverns, restaurants, general stores and dance halls.  Some of these buildings are gone, but others remain, although with different uses.

The Village of Wadsworth incorporated in 1962 and celebrated its 50th Anniversary as an Incorporated Village in 2012.  Its current population, following the 2010 Decennial Census, is 3,815.  The Village prides itself on its rural character which is exemplified in its acre minimum requirement for residential lots and proximity to active farmlands and Lake County Forest Preserve land holdings.  Located in northern Lake County within Benton, Newport and Warren Townships, the Village’s neighbors include the Cities of Waukegan and Zion and the Villages of Beach Park, Gurnee and Old Mill Creek.  The Village proudly salutes and welcomes commuters entering and leaving the State of Illinois at the northern end of I-94 at the Wisconsin State Line.

* Special thanks to the Newport Township Historical Society for the above article.
Source: http://www.villageofwadsworth.org/index.asp?SEC=B329CB49-54CF-4441-8442-0EB26ABE2F10&
Photo from: Newport township Historical Society

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A  Bike Camping + Nature Community ​for Chicago and the Lake Michigan Area
​​Founded in 2015.​ A 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
​www.oofd.org
  • Adventures
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    • Family Rides
    • Youth Program
    • Adaptive Bike Camping
    • Where The Wild Things Grow
  • About Us
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    • FAQ
    • Get Involved >
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