History of a Landmark
A commenter named Gary emailed me some comments about the Park District Property on the opposite side of Galena Rd from Forest Park Nature Center, accessed via SanKoty Ln. This was the subject of Name This Peoria Landmark #’s 217, 218, and 219. Gary also got in touch with Dale Goodner of the PPD for additional information. I have combined their comments and organized them below.
If you haven’t made it down there, it’s a fascinating area, which also includes a geocache and a trail along the river’s edge which I’m told has a breathtaking view and runs a couple of miles in either direction. (currently under water)
This place easily ranks in the Top 10 Cool Places In Peoria.
Directions:
Heading North on Galena road, just past Forest Park Drive, turn right onto SanKoty towards the river and park where the road curves. It will be obvious. Looking to the South you will see a break in an old fence. It doesn’t look like much at first, but you will soon find a well defined trail which will lead you past some strange sights all the way to the river.
Brief History:
It had been the Krause family truck farm [a farm devoted to the production of vegetables for the market, also known as a market farm]. The property was acquired by the PPD from Forest Park Foundation, back around the early 80’s. Not sure exactly when. This was the site Elroy Limmer, PPD arborist now retired in AZ, and Dale Goodner had attempted to develop as a living history farm of the early 20th century. That project found its way to 3 Sisters Park in Chillicothe instead for various reasons.
Barn:
You can see an old gravel RR crossing and gate to the south of the Sankoty crossing. That is how I always entered the property. The road went all the way to the river, but was getting covered with silt and sand deeper each year. There were times we couldn’t reach the barn because of the water but mostly the mud.
It was threatened with a variety of functions over the years. The latest I heard was to tear it down several years ago because of its attractive nuisance state.
Uniformly Rowed Trees:
The walnut trees were planted there as a plantation by Jim Barborinas back when he was still working for Wildlife Prairie. He now lives north of Seattle and runs UFS (Urban Forestry Services).
Soccer Field:
Suspect the soccer field may have been informally established by people who lived in the house that used to sit a couple hundred yards north of the barn. Jim B. lived in that house for a while. I think the house to the north was also occupied by park district employees over the years, so that may have been another source for the goal posts, perhaps cast off from some other field.
Other Info of Note:
It’s been a good location for Bob White quail, yellow warblers, warbling vireo, orioles, etc. Just to the north (adjacent to San Koty Lane) used to stand the state’s largest Ohio Buckeye, Aesculus glabra, tree. Why it’s a “was” and not an “is”, I don’t know. The state’s big tree registry shows the current one as taking the title in 1999.
There was talk of moving Forest Park Nature Center to the property, and I would guess that’s one reasont hey still hold onto it. The Nature Center building is not owned by the PPD, nor the land it’s on. Every once in a while, Bill Rutherford would rattle his sword about the Forest Park Foundation not renewing the lease. There are many that think it would make a good extension of the nature center, kind of like a “field lab” facility.
[Again, my thanks to blogger Scott O'Brien for the initial photographs]