Siloam Springs State Park
| Siloam Springs State Park | |
|---|---|
  Map of the U.S. state of Illinois showing the location of Siloam Springs State Park  Siloam Springs State Park (the United States) | |
| Location | Adams and Brown counties, Illinois, United States |
| Nearest city | Clayton, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 39°52′59″N 90°55′31″W / 39.88306°N 90.92528°W |
| Area | 3,323 acres (1,345 ha) |
| Established | 1940 |
| Governing body | Illinois Department of Natural Resources |
Siloam Springs State Park is an Illinois state park on 3,323 acres (1,345 ha) in Adams and Brown counties, Illinois, United States.
History
[edit]Siloam Springs State Park land was originally part of the military tract of western Illinois set aside to be given to combat veterans.[1] In 1852, George Meyers acquired the land for his service in the Black Hawk War and Mexican War.[1] He died in 1882 at the age of 102.
The name Siloam Springs came from a biblical reference, christened by Rev. Reuben K. McCoy, a Presbyterian minister from Clayton, Illinois.[1][2][3] Local legend held that the spring water in the area had a medicinal effect. In the 1800s, visitors came to the five mineral springs.[4]
After Meyers' death, Quincy Burgesser, a local businessman and stock dealer, had the water analyzed and discovered it had a higher mineral content of magnesium, iron, and sulfur than water from the famous healing springs of Eureka Springs, Arkansas and Waukesha, Wisconsin.[1][2] Burgesser touted the water's ability to cure almost all ailments, even drunkenness and drug addiction to morphine and opium.[1][5][6]
Water from the Number Two spring was bottled and distributed by the Wabash Railroad as far west as Kansas City, and bottling became a flourishing business for several decades.[1][6] In the 1890s, Siloam businessman J. B. House sold the water and shipped it cross-country by rail for $3 per barrel, with an additional $2 surcharge if he had to provide the barrel.[2]
The Forest Hotel
[edit]Burgesser began building a mineral springs resort hotel in 1882.[2][7] The Siloam Springs Company was founded in 1883 to operate the property.[2] By 1884 he had erected two buildings, a bathing house and the Siloam Forest Home Hotel.[1] The Siloam Forest Hotel, also known as the Siloam Forest Home Hotel, contained 40 rooms in its three-story structure.[2][4] The L-shaped hotel had balconies, a ballroom, full kitchen facilities, tennis courts, and croquet grounds.[2] In May 1887, a three-day grand opening attracted guests from as far as Colorado.[2]
Notable guests of the hotel included Charles Edward Ringling, P. T. Barnum, and E. I. DuPont.[2]
The hotel closed from 1912 to 1915. In 1924, the hotel manager C. S. Johnson purchased the property from the Siloam Springs Company.[2] However, the era of springs resorts was winding down.
In 1934, J. S. Harwood purchased the property at a tax sale and renovated it.[2] He operated it for two seasons before selling.[2]
In 1935, the Siloam Springs Recreation Club purchased the site in an effort to restore it and provide local recreation.[1] Citizens of Adams and Brown counties raised money to match state funds.[1][5] The hotel was renovated in 1937.[2]
State Recreation Area
[edit]By 1940, it was made into a state recreation area.[1] The state decided not to maintain the old structures and they were torn down for lumber by 1943.[2] The hewn stone foundation of the hotel is still visible in the present-day.[2] The No. 2 spring house was rebuilt in 1995 and contains the most popular spring.[1][4]
Between October 1954 and August 1955, an earthen dam was constructed across a deep ravine and the 58-acre lake was created from the waters of Crabapple Creek, a branch of McKee Creek.[1][5][6] The lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet.[6] This lake was the second in Illinois built from the Dingle-Johnson Act funds.[6]
Siloam Springs was dedicated as a state park in 1956.[1]
Geology
[edit]The park has flatlands, forested gullies, steep wooded valleys, ridge tops, and scenic crests.[8] The rough topography is carved by the McKee Creek and its tributaries, eroding the Illinois glacial drift to reveal Pennsylvanian and Mississippian rocks.[5][9]
Flora and Fauna
[edit]The deciduous woodlands consist of white oak, red oak, and shagbark hickory timber with some interspersed brushy, fallow pasture areas.[10][5] Other tree species include sassafras, ironwood, rock maple, and post oak.[5]
Some of the floral species include: goldenrod, asters, wild roses, black-eyed Susans, white false indigo, and snapdragons.[5][8] Grasses and shrubs include smooth sumac, prairie willow, Indian grass, and bluestem.[5]
Siloam Springs State Park is home for several species native to Illinois: deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons.[1]
The lake is stocked with several species of fish, including largemouth bass, bluegill, redear, carp, crappie, channel catfish, walleye, and rainbow trout.[1]
Recreation
[edit]Hunting, fishing, camping, boating, picnicking, hiking, equestrian trails, and bird watching are some of the activities available at Siloam Springs State Park. There are over 15 miles of hiking trails.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "About Siloam Springs State Park". dnr.illinois.gov. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Mayfield, Linda Riggs (September 23, 2012). "The Forest Hotel: A Siloam treat". Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Mayfield, Linda (June 16, 2019). "Clayton Township has always been on the move". Herald-Whig. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c Vetterlein, Hailey (May 16, 2018). "The Bones of Siloam". KHQA. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Evers, Robert and C. Clayton Hoff (1946). "Siloam Springs State Park" (PDF). Illinois Academy of Science Transactions. 39: 50–56.
- ^ a b c d e Siloam Springs State Park. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. [Springfield, Ill.] : Dept. of Conservation, Division of Parks and Memorials. 1973.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Combined History of Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois: With Illustrations Descriptive of Their Scenery, and Biographical Sketches of Some of Their Prominent Men and Pioneers. W.R. Brink & Company. 1882. p. 847.
- ^ a b "Siloam Springs State Park". dnr.illinois.gov. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Frankie, Wayne T. (May 13, 2000). Guide to the Geology of Siloam Springs State Park Area, Adams and Brown Counties, Illinois (PDF). ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.
- ^ "Hunt Illinois". huntillinois.org. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- "Siloam Springs State Park". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
- USGS. "Red Hills State Park, USGS Sumner (IL) Quad". TopoQuest. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
