VISITOR TO THE STATE'S MOST POPULAR PARK OFTEN OVERLOOK THE HISTORY AND NATURAL
VARIETY WHICH LINE THE SHORES OF
LAKE MICHIGAN AT ILLINOIS BEACH
STATE PARK IN ZION.
LLINOIS BEACH STATE PARK IS FULL OF 4160 ACRES, DIVIDED IN THE NORTH AND SOUTH UNITS IN IN
A VERY NORTH UNIT BORDERING
WISCONSIN, NORTH POINT MARINA,
1500 SLIP FULL SERVICE MARINA.
FREE BOAT PARKING IN LAKE
MICHIGAN.
AS WE TRAVEL SOUTH, WE COME DO
CAMP LOGAN ESTABLISHED IN THE
1880'S AS A FIRING RANGE,
MILITARY FIRING RANGE FOR WORLD
WAR I AND WORLD WAR II, ACTUALLY
MARKS THE TROOPS HERE FROM FORT
SHERIDAN IN GREAT LAKES FROM THE
SOUTH AND HAD THEIR BASIC
TRAINING IN FIREARMS, ANTI
AIRCRAFT GUNS, AND MORTAR AND
HAND GRENADE.
WE KEPT FINDING SMALL
AIRPLAN
ENGINES, MODEL AIRPLANE ENGINES.
THERE WERE A LARGE NUMBER OF
THEM. WE DID RESEARCH AND FOUND
THEY FLEW AROUND RADIO
CONTROLLED AIRPLANES AND SHOT
THEM DOWN AS PART OF THE ANTI
AIRCRAFT TRAINING.
WE COME FURTHER SOUTH, WE COME
IN THE OLD ILLINOIS BEACH STATE
PARK WHICH IS SOUTHERN UNIT OF
THE PARK.
IT CONTAINS THE CAMP GROUND.
WE HAVE 250 CAMP SITES HERE.
50 ARE RESERVABLE AND WE TAKE
RESERVATIONS FOR THOSE AFTER THE
FIRST OF THE YEAR.
REMAINING ARE FIRST COME FIRST
SERVE.
EACH SITE HAS ELECTRICITY,
ACCESS FOR YOUR VEHICLE, FIRE
RING, PICNIC TABLE, TWO SHOWER
BUILDINGS.
IT IS A CLASS "A" CAMP GROUND IN
ILLINOIS.
RESORT IS FACILITY RUN BY THE
PRIVATE CONCESSIONAIRES STATE
OWNED FACILITY.
IT HAS CONFERENCE ROOMS, 109
ROOM FACILITY, AND FULL HEALTH
CLUB AND DINING FACILITIES.
THAT IS BUSY YEAR ROUND.
AS WE COME FURTHER SOUTH, WE
COME INTO THE NATURE PRESERVE,
FIRST NATURE PRESERVE
ESTABLISHED IN THIS COUNTRY IN
THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
>> WE HAVE OVER 600 DIFFERENT
PLANTS.
YOU CAN GO A MILE FROM THE
WESTERN EDGES OF THE PARK TO THE
EAST, AND FIND OVER 600
DIFFERENT PLANTS.
EVERY TWO WEEKS THERE ARE
DIFFERENT PLANTS.
YOU CAN COME ALL SUMMER LONG AND
FIND DIFFERENT THINGS IN BLOOM.
WE HAVE AN INTERPRETIVE CENTER,
NATURE SEN STER ON THE GROUND.
BRAND NEW DISPLAYS ARE COMING IN
THE MOST TALKED ABOUT HOW THE
LAKE FORMED THE DO YOU KNOWS
THEMSELVES.
THE PLANTS THAT ARE HERE, THE
ANIMALS THAT ARE HERE, THE
HISTORY THAT IS HERE.
THE PARK WAS CREATED BY SAND
MOVING IN WITH THE LAKE.
SO AS WE GO FURTHER AWAY TO THE
LAKE WHICH IS THAT DIRECTION
TODAY, THAT IS THE OLDEST PART
OF THE PARK.
WE HAVE A LOT MORE VEGETATION
THIS WAY.
IT IS OLDER, MORE DIVERSE, AND
AS WE COME FORWARD, WE GET IN
THE YOUNGER VEGETATION.
THERE IS NOT QUITE DIVERSITY.
OUT HERE ON THE PRIS TEENS, WE
HAVE TWO GREAT PLANTS, ONE IS
HORIZONTAL JUNIPER, A LOW
GROWING SHRUB.
IT HANGS ALONG THE EDGE OF THE
DUNES.
THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE
AS IT GROWS ALONG THE DUNES, IT
HOLDS THE SAND IN PLACE, AND
MORE IMPORTANT HOLDS PRECIOUS
NUTRIENTS IN PLACE SO OTHER
PLANTS CAN GROW.
IT IS NOW ENDANGERED SPECIES AND
THE BIGGEST POP POPULATION IS AT
ILLINOIS BEACH.
LIGHT GREEN IS FAIR BERRY.
10,000 YEARS AGO, THE GLAZER WAS
HERE, TEMPERATURES WERE VERY
COOL.
IT WAS VERY MOIST, AND A LOT OF
ARCTIC PLANTS WERE HERE.
AS THE GLAZER LEFT, TEMPERATURES
WARMED UP, AND MOST OF THOSE
ARCTIC PLANTS DIED OUT.
THIS IS THE ONLY ONE LEFT.
YOU CAN DIG IT UP, MOVE A MILE
INLAND, IT WILL DIE.
IT NEEDS THE COOLING EFFECT OF
LAKE MICHIGAN IN ORDER TO
SURVIVE HERE.
THE PINE TREE GROVE DOWN IN THE
NATURE PRESERVE ON THE SOUTH
SIDE WAS PLANTED BY A LOCAL
NURSERY MAN ALONG WITH DANIEL
BIRNHAM WHO DEVELOPED THE
CHICAGO WORLD'S FAIR.
PART OF THEIR EXPERIMENT WOULD
BE WHAT SPECIES WOULD GROW ON
THE SHORELINE IN ANTICIPATION OF
THE CHICAGO'S WORLD FAIR.
>>> IT IS THOUGHT, ALTHOUGH WE
DON'T HAVE THE PROOF FOR IT
BECAUSE THE LIBRARY BURNED WITH
CHARLIE CHAPLAIN'S FILM.
ONE OF CHARLIE CHAPLAIN'S FIRST
MOVIE IS THOUGHT WHO HAVE BEEN
HERE.
MANY MOVIE LOTS WERE ESTABLISHED
IN THE EARLY PRESENTATION OF
THAT MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY IN
OUR NATURE PRESERVE.
>>> ILLINOIS BEACH STATE PARK DRAWS 2.5 MILLION VISITORS PER YEAR.
IT IS THE LARGEST VISITED
FACILITY IN ILLINOIS, AND THE
11TH HEAVILY VISITED STATE
FACILITY IN THE UNITED STATES.
THE PARK ALSO OFFERS FIVE MILES
OF TRAILS, A BIKE PATH, AND A
CHILDREN'S CAMP GROUND.
TO REACH THE ILLINOIS BEACH STATE PARK CALL (847)662-4828.