Fort Daniel Conservation Area facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Daniel Conservation Area |
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 Fort Daniel Conservation Area
Location in Illinois
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| Location | Macon County, Illinois, United States |
| Nearest city | Decatur |
| Area | 200 acres (81 ha) |
| Website | https://maconcountyconservation.org/conservation-areas/fort-daniel-conservation-area |
The Fort Daniel Conservation Area is a cool outdoor spot. It covers 200 acres (about 0.8 square kilometers). You can find it about 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) east of Mount Zion, Illinois. This special area helps protect nature and history. It even includes the site of an old ghost town called Whistleville.
Today, Fort Daniel Conservation Area is a great place for outdoor fun. You can go hiking and picnicking here. The park is located near Big Creek, southeast of Decatur.
You'll find five marked trails, perfect for exploring. These trails stretch for 4.5 miles (7.0 kilometers). They often cross Big Creek, making your hike interesting. At the north end of the park, there's a fun area. It has a picnic shelter, a playground, and a fire ring.
Nature lovers will enjoy looking for different trees. Keep an eye out for sugar maples and chinquapin oaks. You might also spot pawpaw trees, wafer ash, and Kentucky coffeetrees. The Macon County Conservation District takes care of this conservation area.
Good news for the park! In August 2022, a generous donor gave $2.9 million. This money will help the park buy 236 more acres of land. This means the Fort Daniel Conservation Area will almost double in size. More land means more nature to explore!
The closest main road to the park is Illinois Route 121. It is southeast of Decatur.
Whistleville: A Ghost Town Story
The area around Big Creek is peaceful open space now. But it was once a busy place. In the 1820s, it was one of the first spots settled by European-American pioneers. These early settlers came to what is now Macon County. They were looking for wooded land and firewood. They found plenty of oak and hickory trees here.
The first people to settle here named their small village Whistleville. Soon, a stagecoach route passed through. This made Whistleville an important stop for travelers. It was on the way between Indiana and Central Illinois. Many early settlers came from the American South. During the American Civil War, some people in Whistleville supported the Southern states. After the Civil War ended, Whistleville slowly became smaller. Eventually, it disappeared and became a ghost town.
