WE WANTED TO DISPEL THE THOUGHT THAT ILLINOIS IS
JUST A PRAIRIE STATE.
SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF MURPHYSBORO
R WE RECENTLY WALKED A LITTLE
GRAND CANYON TRAIL.
>>
LITTLE GRAND CANYON IS EXCEPT SHAN NULL IN THE SHAWNEE
NATIONAL FOREST.
NATIONAL FOREST. IT IS SET ASIDE FOR BIOLOGICAL
AND SCENIC VALUES YOU FIND HERE.
IN 1980, IT WAS DESIGNATED A
NATURAL NATIONAL LANDMARK.
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST WAS SET
ASIDE IN EARLY 1930'S.
LOCAL COMMUNITIES AROUND HERE
HAD APPROACHED GOVERNMENT, THE
STATE OF ILLINOIS, TO TAKE OVER
SOME OF THE SEVERELY ERODE
LANDS, IN THIS AREA OF ILLINOIS
BECAUSE IT NEEDED MAJOR
RESTORATION.
RESTORATION. THEY APPROACHED THE GOVERNMENT
TO GET THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO
COME IN AND SET UP A NATIONAL
FOREST.
FOREST. THIS WAS DONE IN 1933.
ONE OF THE FIRST LANDS THAT WAS
ACQUIRED WAS RIGHT HERE WHERE WE
ARE STANDING, GRAND CANYON TRAIL
HEAD.
HEAD. CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORE, CCC,
PUT IN ABOUT 16 CAMPS ACROSS
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS, AND ONE OF
THEM CAME IN AND REFORESTED THIS
AREA.
AREA. SO IF YOU CAN IMAGINE THE TRAIL
DIDN'T HAVE NEARLY AS MANY
TREES.
TREES. PRIOR TO THE NATIONAL FOREST
BEING SET UP HERE, OF COURSE,
THE LAND WAS SETTLED BY WHITE
EUROPEAN SETTLERS.
EUROPEAN SETTLERS. BEFORE THAT, A NATIVE AMERICAN
TRIBE NAMED THE SHAWNEE UTILIZED
THE AREA EXTENSIVELY.
MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS WAS CARVED OUT BY THE
GLACIERS.
GLACIERS. NATURALLY IT WASN'T.
THE GLAZE IERS STOPPED ABOUT
30 MILES NORTH OF HERE.
AND ALL OF THE SANDSTONE
FORMATIONS THAT YOU SEE HERE AT
LITTLE GRAND CANYON WERE CREATED
BY EROSION, PRIMARILY WATER
EROSION.
EROSION. SO WHEN YOU COME TO LITTLE GRAND
CANYON, YOU WILL SEE HOW SPECIAL
IT IS.
IT IS. THERE IS FOUR NATURAL
COMMUNITIES HERE.
COMMUNITIES HERE. THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS IT
WAS SET ASIDE.
YOU WILL HAVE UP LAND FOREST.
YOU WILL HAVE A HILL PRAIRIE
WHICH IS LIKE A DRY UP LAND
PRAIRIE, AND SANDSTONE
OUTCROPPINGS AND BOTTOM LAND
FOREST.
FOREST. WITHIN ALL OF THIS IN ABOUT A
THOUSAND ACRE PARCEL YOU HAVE
THESE FOUR COMMUNITIES AND IT
PROVIDES A DIVERSITY OF PLANT
AND ANIMAL LIFE.
THIS IS THE GREAT THING ABOUT
LITTLE GRANDIAN O CANYON, YOU
SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN EVERY
SEASON.
SEASON. ONE THING PEOPLE SHOULD BE
AWARE.
AWARE. IF THEY ARE PLANNING TO HIKE THE
WHOLE THREE MILE TRAIL.
IT IS DIFFICULT.
THE ONLY WAY IS BY WAY OF CREEK
BED.
BED. IN THE CREEK BED, IT IS CHISELED
OUT HAND HOLDS.
SO IT CAN BE A LITTLE
CHALLENGING.
CHALLENGING. YOU WILL SEE LUSH FERNS AND
TREES AND BUSHES CLINGING TO THE
BLUFF.
BLUFF. THE SANDSTONE FORMATIONS AS YOU
DESCEND THE CANYON ARE GORGEOUS.
THERE IS CREVICES AND DIFFERENT
SHADES OF RED, RUST COLORED RED,
TO LIGHTER RED, AND STONES OF
BROWN AND TAN.
ON TOP OF THAT IS GROWING THIS
LUSH GREEN VEGETATION, FERNS AND
WILD FLOWERS, AND SHRUBS AND
THINGS THAT ONLY LIVE ON A ROCK
OUTCROPPING LIKE THAT.
THE GEOLOGIC STORY OF LITTLE
GRAND CANYON IS THE REASON IT IS
BEAUTIFUL, THE GEOLOGY.
IT TOOK HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF
YEARS TO FORM.
WHEN YOU GET TO THE MAIN
OVERLOOK, OVERLOOKING THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER, YOU ARE ABOUT
SEVEN MILES FROM MISSOURI, BUT
YOU CAN SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WHICH IS
MISSOURI.
MISSOURI. AT THAT POINT YOU ARE 350 FEET
ABOVE THE CANYON.
THE WINTERTIME, IF YOU LIKE TO
GET AWAY, HAVE A LITTLE QUIET
TIME IN NATURE, IT IS GREAT,
TOO, BECAUSE WE HAVE MILD
WINTERS.
WINTERS. MOST YOU WILL PROBABLY ENCOUNTER
IS A LIGHT SNOW.
IT IS VERY QUIET ALONG THE
TRAIL.
TRAIL. ONLY OTHER THING YOU WILL
PROBABLY SEE IS WILDLIFE.
YO WON'T RUN INTO TOO MANY
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. IF YOU WANT TO SEE A BEAUTIFUL
PART OF ILLINOIS, YOU SHOULD
VISIT THE LITTLE GRAND CANYON.
>>
FOR THE MORE ADD VEN SURSOME WHO WANT TO HIKE THE MORE RUGGED
TRAIL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE
CANYON, THERE ARE SEASONAL WATER
FALLS AND SANDSTONE OVERHANGS.