Rock Springs Conservation Area facts for kids

Rock Springs Conservation Area is a large park covering about 1,300 acres (which is like 5 square kilometers). You can find it about 4 miles (6.5 km) southwest of Decatur, Illinois. This special place is home to the Rock Spring Nature Center. The Nature Center is a small museum and community spot where you can learn all about the environment. Rock Springs Conservation Area is the biggest parkland in Macon County.

Discovering Rock Spring

The "Rock Spring" itself is a natural flow of water. It comes out from the sandstone cliffs on the south side of the Sangamon River. Long ago, this spring was an important meeting place for local Native American groups.

History of the Spring

Around 1915 and 1916, there was a small factory near the spring. This factory bottled the spring water to sell in local stores. Today, you can only see the old ruins of that building.

Miller's Mill Site

Close by, you'll find the site of "Miller's Mill." This was a gristmill from the 1800s. A gristmill is a place where they ground local maize (corn) into cornmeal. There's a special information sign on a trail overlooking the mill site. It tells the interesting history of the mill.

Protecting the Land

The land around Rock Springs includes Sangamon River wetlands. Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present near the surface, for all or parts of the year. There are also low bluffs (steep hills) that weren't very good for farming.

How the Park Was Created

In the early 1900s, the city of Decatur grew a lot. To help protect the environment and manage water for the city, large areas of land along the Sangamon River were set aside. More than two square miles of land, including the area around Rock Springs, was made into a nature center and a special "buffer zone." This zone helps protect the natural environment.

Exploring the Trails

Today, the Rock Springs Conservation Area has about six miles (10 km) of nature trails. These trails let you explore the park. Most of the conservation area is covered in trees. However, some parts have been planted with special tallgrass prairie plants. Tallgrass prairies are open grasslands with very tall grasses and wildflowers.

Rock Springs Nature Center

The Rock Springs Conservation Area and Nature Center you see today were created as part of this important city planning. The Macon County Conservation District manages and takes care of the center. They work to protect the natural areas and teach people about the environment.

Getting There

The closest main road to Rock Springs Conservation Area is Illinois Route 48. It's located southwest of Decatur.