White Pines Forest State Park
Encyclopedia
White Pines Forest State Park, more commonly referred to as White Pines State Park, is an Illinois state park in Ogle County, Illinois
. It is located near the communities of Polo
, Mount Morris
and Oregon
. The 385 acres (1.6 km²) park contains the southernmost remaining stand of native white pine
trees in the state of Illinois, and that area, 43 acres (174,015 m²), was designated an Illinois Nature Preserve in 2001.
The area was poised to become a state park in 1903, but a veto
by Governor
Richard Yates
prevented that from occurring. Supporters continued to press for the White Pines Woods, as it was once known, to receive state park designation throughout the period 1903-1927. In 1927 the park was established with help from supporters in the Chicago
media. The park contains two freshwater streams, dolomite
rock formations, and a variety of activities generally associated with Illinois state parks. Along Pine Creek
, one of the park's two streams, ford
s were constructed instead of bridges allowing visitors to drive through the creek.
. Members of the Oregon, Illinois
Woman's Council started the process by lobbying the Illinois legislature
to set aside White Pines Woods as a state park. In 1903 the Illinois legislature appropriated US$
30,000 for the purchase of White Pines Woods, the southernmost stand of virgin, native white pine
trees in the state. The move was stalled when then-Illinois Governor
Richard Yates
vetoed the measure, citing costs. After 1903 and before 1927 (when the state park was established), the "Pines Woods Bill" was introduced several times without success. The designation of Starved Rock State Park
in 1912 reportedly frustrated the supporters of White Pines Woods' designation as a state park.
The influential Friends of Our Native Landscape included the area around the Rock River between Dixon
and Oregon on a list of 20 places in Illinois that should be designated state parks. Located in "Rock River
country," along an old Indian trail, was White Pines Woods covering 500 acres (2 km²) in a canyon of dolomite
rock carved by Pine Creek. At the time, within White Pines Woods, the tallest trees stood 90 feet (27 m) in height. The area was noted by Elia Peattie, a poet and member of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony
(located at present-day Lowden State Park
), who expressed the need for preservation of the White Pines Woods in one of her poems.
The Illinois Board of State Park Advisers was established under a 1925 state law. The law, which was amended in 1931, gave the director of the Illinois Department of Public Works jurisdiction over the state parks. The Public Works position was a result of 1917 reforms by Governor Frank Lowden. The law also mandated a system of state parks, under the Illinois Department of Conservation, later renamed the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
. Per the 1925 mandate, White Pines Forest became a state park in 1927 after its proponents enlisted the support of the Chicago Tribune
and WGN Radio. That year, Governor Len Small
moved to purchase White Pines for $63,949.
in full swing, the Civilian Conservation Corps
(CCC) sought to relieve the work needs of unemployed Americans. The National Park Service
sought to work with state governments in an effort to meet those ends. Many of the projects the CCC was involved with were construction projects. The project at White Pines was originally meant to be the construction of a lodge building. From 1933 to 1939, two hundred men, many of them World War I
veterans, worked on the State Park
construction project.
After the lodge was completed, it was decided to build a restaurant
and breezeway onto the lodge building. Logs for most of the project were shipped via railroad from as far away as Oregon and Washington state, unloaded in Stratford, Illinois and dragged to the construction site by teams of horses. The CCC project also completed sixteen one-room log cabin
s and three four-bedroom cabins. The work crews also built picnic shelters, trail shelters, and foot bridges. Only the logs for the cabins came from another source. They were purchased from a salvage company that had purchased utility pole
s from a defunct utility company at the price of 30 cents a piece.
and birdwatching
. Activities such as logging
, farming, hunting
, and fishing
are all prohibited within Illinois Nature Preserves, though in some cases there are exceptions for hunting and fishing.
White Pines State Park is a 385 acres (1.6 km²) state park located in the heart of the Rock River Valley
in Ogle County
. The park represents the southernmost remaining stand of virgin white pine forest in the state. The state park, like all Illinois state parks, is operated and maintained by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). White Pines Forest State Park provides habitat for a variety of plant and animal life and has two freshwater streams within its boundaries.
Among the park's most distinctive and well-known features are the vehicular river crossings. At three places, crossing Pine Creek, ford
s were constructed instead of bridge
s. The fords offer visitors a chance to actually drive through the creek, though high water frequently closes the crossings. Hikers are relegated to pedestrian bridges or stepping stones in the creek to cross the stream. Floods are frequent enough on Pine Creek, a large watershed to the north of the park, that there is an emergency exit from the campground. When high water closes the fords, the campground is cut off and the emergency exit is the only way out.
and Spring Creek are lined with large rock and cliff formations that provide habitat to plants ranging from large trees to moss to hanging vines. The cliffs harbor plants rare in the state of Illinois such as Canada yew
and sullivantia (family
Saxifragaceae
), an Illinois state-threatened species. When in season, the park's many species of wildflower
s bloom, some of the flowers found in the park include: trout lily, Solomon's seal
, bloodroot
, blue-eyed grass
, spring beauty, and hepatica
. The forest undergrowth provides small mammal habitat and among the mammals that can be seen in the park are: red squirrel
s, raccoon
s, deer
, and chipmunk
s. Birds include, the pine thrush
, warbler
s, turkey
, and winter-migratory birds. The creeks are populated with smallmouth bass
, rock bass
, channel catfish
and, when they are stocked by the IDNR, rainbow trout
.
The park is a public area and has a variety of activities that are typically associated with protected areas meant to be visited by the public. During the warmer months, picnicking, camping, lodging, hiking, and fishing are available. During the winter, cross-country skiing
trails open, and other activities such as camping remain available as well. The lodge and cabins are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
. The 25 cabins are operated by a privately owned entity, the White Pines Inn, and the lodge features a popular private restaurant.
White Pines has 103 campsites all accessible by vehicle; the campgrounds are sometimes closed because of high water or soft ground. Seven hiking trails wind a total of five miles (8 km) through the park; three of the seven trails are less than one mile (1.6 km) in length. The two cross-country ski trails total 4.5 miles (7.2 km) in length and are open as winter weather permits. The park's lodge and cabins consist of 13 one-room cabins and 3 four-room cabins; all cabins have a shower and other modern amenities. The lodge, though renovated, maintains its historic integrity, and new features were blended with the old. The lounge, in the lodge, is filled with crafts and artwork.
Ogle County, Illinois
Ogle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,497, which is an increase of 4.8% from 51,032 in 2000. Its county seat is Oregon, and its largest city is Rochelle...
. It is located near the communities of Polo
Polo, Illinois
Polo is a city in Ogle County, Illinois. The population was 2,355 at the 2010 census, down from 2,477 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Polo is located at ....
, Mount Morris
Mount Morris, Illinois
Mount Morris is a village in Mount Morris Township, Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,998 at the 2010 census, down from 3,013 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mount Morris is located at ....
and Oregon
Oregon, Illinois
Oregon is a city located in Ogle County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 3,721, down from 4,060 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ogle County.- History :...
. The 385 acres (1.6 km²) park contains the southernmost remaining stand of native white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
trees in the state of Illinois, and that area, 43 acres (174,015 m²), was designated an Illinois Nature Preserve in 2001.
The area was poised to become a state park in 1903, but a veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
by Governor
Governor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
Richard Yates
Richard Yates (son)
Richard Yates, Jr. was the 22nd Governor of Illinois from 1901 to 1905. From 1919 to 1933, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois. Although he failed to receive his party's nomination in 1928 to the Seventy-first Congress, he was later appointed nominee and elected in place...
prevented that from occurring. Supporters continued to press for the White Pines Woods, as it was once known, to receive state park designation throughout the period 1903-1927. In 1927 the park was established with help from supporters in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
media. The park contains two freshwater streams, dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
rock formations, and a variety of activities generally associated with Illinois state parks. Along Pine Creek
Pine Creek (Illinois)
Pine Creek is a short tributary of the Rock River that flows through western Ogle County in the U.S. state of Illinois.-Course:Pine Creek rises where several stream branches come together south of Illinois Route 64. The creek then flows to the south to join the Rock River between Grand Detour and...
, one of the park's two streams, ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
s were constructed instead of bridges allowing visitors to drive through the creek.
Early history
White Pines Forest State Park is located in what was once a part of the Sauk leader Black Hawk's territory and encompasses an area once known as White Pines Woods. White Pines State Park nearly became an Illinois State Park as early as 1903, when the state established its first state park at Fort MassacFort Massac
Fort Massac is a colonial and early National-era fort on the Ohio River in Massac County, Illinois, United States.Legend has it that, as early as 1540, the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his soldiers constructed a primitive fortification here to defend themselves from native attack...
. Members of the Oregon, Illinois
Oregon, Illinois
Oregon is a city located in Ogle County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 3,721, down from 4,060 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ogle County.- History :...
Woman's Council started the process by lobbying the Illinois legislature
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...
to set aside White Pines Woods as a state park. In 1903 the Illinois legislature appropriated US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
30,000 for the purchase of White Pines Woods, the southernmost stand of virgin, native white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
trees in the state. The move was stalled when then-Illinois Governor
Governor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
Richard Yates
Richard Yates (son)
Richard Yates, Jr. was the 22nd Governor of Illinois from 1901 to 1905. From 1919 to 1933, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois. Although he failed to receive his party's nomination in 1928 to the Seventy-first Congress, he was later appointed nominee and elected in place...
vetoed the measure, citing costs. After 1903 and before 1927 (when the state park was established), the "Pines Woods Bill" was introduced several times without success. The designation of Starved Rock State Park
Starved Rock State Park
Starved Rock State Park is a state park in Illinois, characterized by the many canyons within its 2360 acres. Located just southwest of the village of North Utica, in Deer Park Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, along the south bank of the Illinois River, the park hosts over two million visitors...
in 1912 reportedly frustrated the supporters of White Pines Woods' designation as a state park.
The influential Friends of Our Native Landscape included the area around the Rock River between Dixon
Dixon, Illinois
Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 at the 2000 census. Named for its founder, John Dixon , it is the county seat of Lee County. Located on the Rock River, Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S...
and Oregon on a list of 20 places in Illinois that should be designated state parks. Located in "Rock River
Rock River (Illinois)
The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Illinois. It rises in southeast Wisconsin, in the Theresa Marsh near Theresa, Wisconsin in northeast Dodge County, Wisconsin approximately south of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin...
country," along an old Indian trail, was White Pines Woods covering 500 acres (2 km²) in a canyon of dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
rock carved by Pine Creek. At the time, within White Pines Woods, the tallest trees stood 90 feet (27 m) in height. The area was noted by Elia Peattie, a poet and member of the Eagle's Nest Art Colony
Eagle's Nest Art Colony
The Eagle's Nest Art Colony, the site known in more modern times as the Lorado Taft Field Campus, was founded in 1898 by American sculptor Lorado Taft on the bluffs flanking the east bank of the Rock River, overlooking Oregon, Illinois...
(located at present-day Lowden State Park
Lowden State Park
Lowden State Park is an Illinois state park on in Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The park was named after Governor Frank Orren Lowden. Governor Lowden had served Illinois during World War I. Lowden State Park is home to the Black Hawk Statue, by artist Lorado Taft...
), who expressed the need for preservation of the White Pines Woods in one of her poems.
The Illinois Board of State Park Advisers was established under a 1925 state law. The law, which was amended in 1931, gave the director of the Illinois Department of Public Works jurisdiction over the state parks. The Public Works position was a result of 1917 reforms by Governor Frank Lowden. The law also mandated a system of state parks, under the Illinois Department of Conservation, later renamed the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is a cabinet-level department of the state government of Illinois. It is headquartered in the state capital of Springfield...
. Per the 1925 mandate, White Pines Forest became a state park in 1927 after its proponents enlisted the support of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
and WGN Radio. That year, Governor Len Small
Len Small
Lennington Small was the 26th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1921 to 1929. He also served as a member of the Illinois state senate from the 16th District from 1901 to 1903 and was Illinois state treasurer, 1905–07 and 1917-19.Small was born in Kankakee County, Illinois.Lennington Small was...
moved to purchase White Pines for $63,949.
Lodge and cabins
In 1933, with the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in full swing, the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
(CCC) sought to relieve the work needs of unemployed Americans. The National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
sought to work with state governments in an effort to meet those ends. Many of the projects the CCC was involved with were construction projects. The project at White Pines was originally meant to be the construction of a lodge building. From 1933 to 1939, two hundred men, many of them World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veterans, worked on the State Park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
construction project.
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
and breezeway onto the lodge building. Logs for most of the project were shipped via railroad from as far away as Oregon and Washington state, unloaded in Stratford, Illinois and dragged to the construction site by teams of horses. The CCC project also completed sixteen one-room log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
s and three four-bedroom cabins. The work crews also built picnic shelters, trail shelters, and foot bridges. Only the logs for the cabins came from another source. They were purchased from a salvage company that had purchased utility pole
Utility pole
A utility pole is a pole used to support overhead power lines and various other public utilities, such as cable, fibre optic cable, and related equipment such as transformers and street lights. It can be referred to as a telephone pole, power pole, hydro pole, telegraph pole, or telegraph post,...
s from a defunct utility company at the price of 30 cents a piece.
Nature Preserve designation
In September 2001 the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission dedicated a 43 acres (174,015 m²) section of the state park at White Pines Forest as Illinois' 300th nature preserve. Nature preserve designation gave the stand of white pine trees in the park the highest form of legal protection in the state. The designation restricts activities to those that do not impact the area's natural features such as hikingHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
and birdwatching
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
. Activities such as logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
, farming, hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
are all prohibited within Illinois Nature Preserves, though in some cases there are exceptions for hunting and fishing.
Description
Rock River (Illinois)
The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Illinois. It rises in southeast Wisconsin, in the Theresa Marsh near Theresa, Wisconsin in northeast Dodge County, Wisconsin approximately south of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin...
in Ogle County
Ogle County, Illinois
Ogle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,497, which is an increase of 4.8% from 51,032 in 2000. Its county seat is Oregon, and its largest city is Rochelle...
. The park represents the southernmost remaining stand of virgin white pine forest in the state. The state park, like all Illinois state parks, is operated and maintained by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). White Pines Forest State Park provides habitat for a variety of plant and animal life and has two freshwater streams within its boundaries.
Among the park's most distinctive and well-known features are the vehicular river crossings. At three places, crossing Pine Creek, ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
s were constructed instead of bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s. The fords offer visitors a chance to actually drive through the creek, though high water frequently closes the crossings. Hikers are relegated to pedestrian bridges or stepping stones in the creek to cross the stream. Floods are frequent enough on Pine Creek, a large watershed to the north of the park, that there is an emergency exit from the campground. When high water closes the fords, the campground is cut off and the emergency exit is the only way out.
Wildlife
The banks of Pine CreekPine Creek (Illinois)
Pine Creek is a short tributary of the Rock River that flows through western Ogle County in the U.S. state of Illinois.-Course:Pine Creek rises where several stream branches come together south of Illinois Route 64. The creek then flows to the south to join the Rock River between Grand Detour and...
and Spring Creek are lined with large rock and cliff formations that provide habitat to plants ranging from large trees to moss to hanging vines. The cliffs harbor plants rare in the state of Illinois such as Canada yew
Taxus canadensis
Taxus canadensis is a conifer native to central and eastern North America, thriving in swampy woods, ravines, riverbanks and on lake shores. Locally called simply "Yew", this species is also referred to as American Yew or Ground-hemlock.Most of its range is well north of the Ohio River...
and sullivantia (family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Saxifragaceae
Saxifragaceae
Saxifragaceae is a plant family with about 460 known species in 36 genera. In Europe there are 12 genera.The flowers are hermaphroditic and actinomorphic...
), an Illinois state-threatened species. When in season, the park's many species of wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
s bloom, some of the flowers found in the park include: trout lily, Solomon's seal
Polygonatum
Polygonatum , King Solomon's-seal or Solomon's Seal, is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae...
, bloodroot
Bloodroot
Bloodroot is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia, Canada southward to Florida, United States...
, blue-eyed grass
Blue-eyed grass
Sisyrinchium is a genus of 70-150 species of annual to perennial plants of the iris family, native to the New World.Several species in the eastern United States are threatened or endangered.-Taxonomy:...
, spring beauty, and hepatica
Hepatica
Hepatica is a genus of herbaceous perennials in the buttercup family, native to central and northern Europe, Asia and eastern North America...
. The forest undergrowth provides small mammal habitat and among the mammals that can be seen in the park are: red squirrel
American Red Squirrel
The American Red Squirrel is one of three species of tree squirrel currently classified in the genus Tamiasciurus and known as pine squirrels...
s, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s, deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, and chipmunk
Chipmunk
Chipmunks are small striped squirrels native to North America and Asia. They are usually classed either as a single genus with three subgenera, or as three genera.-Etymology and taxonomy:...
s. Birds include, the pine thrush
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
, warbler
Warbler
There are a number of Passeriformes called "warblers". They are not particularly closely related, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal and insectivorous....
s, turkey
Turkey (bird)
A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
, and winter-migratory birds. The creeks are populated with smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
, rock bass
Rock bass
The rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...
, channel catfish
Channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...
and, when they are stocked by the IDNR, rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
.
Activities
The park, Illinois' third oldest, has become one of the state's most visited parks, hosting over 350,000 visitors each year. It was visited by 10,000 people on given weekends during the 1930s, and the 1958 record-setting attendance mark was documented at 874,000.The park is a public area and has a variety of activities that are typically associated with protected areas meant to be visited by the public. During the warmer months, picnicking, camping, lodging, hiking, and fishing are available. During the winter, cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
trails open, and other activities such as camping remain available as well. The lodge and cabins are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The 25 cabins are operated by a privately owned entity, the White Pines Inn, and the lodge features a popular private restaurant.
White Pines has 103 campsites all accessible by vehicle; the campgrounds are sometimes closed because of high water or soft ground. Seven hiking trails wind a total of five miles (8 km) through the park; three of the seven trails are less than one mile (1.6 km) in length. The two cross-country ski trails total 4.5 miles (7.2 km) in length and are open as winter weather permits. The park's lodge and cabins consist of 13 one-room cabins and 3 four-room cabins; all cabins have a shower and other modern amenities. The lodge, though renovated, maintains its historic integrity, and new features were blended with the old. The lounge, in the lodge, is filled with crafts and artwork.