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Anyone wanting to understand how Giant City State Park in rural Makanda earned its name need only hike on the Giant City Nature Trail. Here they walk through the parks namesake rock formations, carved 20,000 years ago by the melting waters of a Pleistocene glacier that stopped a mere 1.5 miles from the park. Yet it wasnt until 1933 to 1941, when the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) operated its three work camps, that man blazed his most notable trail in the parks history. The CCCs work since then has been enjoyed by millions of park visitors to its stone picnic shelters, trails throughout the park, and the massive Giant City Lodge.
Many recognize Giant City State Park as one of the premier recreation spots in southern Illinois, with its unspoiled forests, glorious rock formations, and famous sandstone lodge. But few know the park’s history or are aware of the remarkable men who struggled to build it. Giant City State Park and the Civilian Conservation Corps: A History in Words and Pictures provides the first in-depth portrait of the park’s creation, drawing on rarely seen photos, local and national archival research, and interviews to present an intriguing chapter in Illinois history. Kay Rippelmeyer traces the geological history of the park, exploring the circumstances that led to the breathtaking scenery for which Giant City is so well known, and providing insightful background on and cultural history of the area surrounding the park. Rippelmeyer then outlines the effects of the Great Depression and the New Deal on southern Illinois, including relief efforts by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which began setting up camps at Giant City in 1933. The men of the CCC, most of them natives of southern and central Illinois, are brought to life through vividly detailed, descriptive prose and hundreds of black-and-white photographs that lavishly illustrate life in the two camps at the park. This fascinating book not only documents the men’s hard work—from the clearing of the first roads and building of stone bridges, park shelters, cabins, and hiking and bridle trails, to quarry work and the raising of the lodge’s famous columns—it also reveals the more personal side of life in the two camps at the park, covering topics ranging from education, sports, and recreation, to camp newspapers, and even misbehavior and discipline. Supplementing the photographs and narrative are engaging conversations with alumni and family members of the CCC, which give readers a rich oral history of life at Giant City in the 1930s. The book is further enhanced by maps, rosters of enrollees and officers, and a list of CCC camps in southern Illinois. The culmination of three decades of research, Giant City State Park and the Civilian Conservation Corps provides the most intimate history ever of the park and its people, honoring one of Illinois’s most unforgettable places and the men who built it.
From Chicago's magnificent lakefront to the mountain trails of the Shawnee National Forest, no state has more varied terrain for the cyclist than Illinois. Large, full-detail maps guide you confidently on city streets or prairie back roads, and concise, entertaining trail descriptions make your bicycle adventure come alive. Includes 60 rides for cyclists of all ability levels, tips on where to find water, snacks, lodging, repairs, fascinating notes that help you appreciate the nature and history along the trail, and much more.
In this completely revised, expanded, and updated edition, Walter G. Zyznieuski and George S. Zyznieuski describe sixty-nine trails that total more than eight hundred miles. Thirteen new trails have been added in this edition. All but four of the original maps have been revised and updated and many new photographs are included. Since the first edition was published, there have been many changes along the trails or at the parks or forests where the trails were located. In order to update their book, the Zyznieuskis contacted the headquarters of each park and forest to obtain detailed and up-to-date information. In the appendixes the Zyznieuskis provide information on obtaining trail maps, hiking organizations, and rules and regulations for Illinois state parks and recreation areas. As in the first edition, the authors have hiked each trail they describe. It is their firsthand experience that makes it possible for them to provide reliable, detailed, and up-to-date information on each of these trails for Illinois hikers and backpackers.
More than 950 parks are included in this guidebook of State Parks of the United States.
Offers tips from parks staff; suggests trails for biking, hiking, and flower gazing; with photographs and maps.
A guide to rock-climbing routes in southern Illinois, updated from the second edition to include land closures and ownership changes, policy changes, information on the Illinois Climbers Association, and new climbing routes. Includes a listing of bed & breakfasts and campgrounds, and guidelines for climbing ethics and etiquette.
Offers tips from parks staff; suggests trails for biking, hiking, and flower gazing; with photographs and maps.