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State Park Overview |
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Whether you are looking for history, unusual plant life or recreation, Lincoln Trail State Park has something to interest you. Located just west of Illinois Route 1, two miles south of Marshall in Clark County, the area is named after the trail Abraham Lincolns family followed en route from Indiana to Illinois in 1831. Three Native American groups, the Miami, Kickapoo and Mascouten, occupied the site before it was ceded to the United States in the early 19th century.
Today, visitors to the 1,023-acre park can enjoy the sights of an American Beech woods wildflowers, including the unusual squaw-root and beech drops and recreational activities such as boating, camping, fishing, hiking and winter sports. There is truly something for everyone. |
Nature of the Area |
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Lincoln Trail Lake
The focal point of the park is Lincoln Trail Lake, which covers 146 acres in the southwest corner of the park. With its numerous fingers and more than seven miles of thickly wooded shoreline, it offers one beautiful vista after another. Lincoln Trail Lake was the third lake created in Illinois (1955-1956) using federal monies under the Dingell-Johnson Act. The lakes maximum depth is 41 feet.
Plant Life
American Beech Woods, an Illinois Nature Preserve, is an especially noteworthy part of the park. The deep ravines of the preserve overflow with a beech-maple forest that is little changed from pioneer days. Southern Illinois and the eastern border of the state are the only areas where the American Beech grows in Illinois. It is a distinctive tree, with smooth gray bark. If youre looking for something a little out of the ordinary, try to find squaw-root and beech drops. These two wildflowers are unusual because they lack chlorophyll. |
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Area Activities |
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Camping |
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Two Class A campgrounds, Plainview and Lakeside, offer something for every type of camper. For those who like the beautiful sights and sounds of the great outdoors but prefer the amenities of home, both areas offer electricity, showers, tables, fireblocks, playground equipment, water, toilet facilities and a sanitary dumping station. For those who wish to be attuned to nature without the distractions of modern conveniences, Lakeside Campground also includes a Class C camping area for tents.
Organized adult or youth groups may wish to reserve the group camping area in advance by calling the park office.
All campers must obtain camping permits before entering the campground. |
Trails |
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Fifty years after Lincolns death, the Illinois General Assembly authorized the Illinois State Historical Library to mark the exact route traveled by Abraham Lincoln from Kentucky through Indiana to Illinois. Almost another 50 years passed before the 1,000-mile trail was opened in 1963. With 3,000 markers showing the way, the trail winds through Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. The Lincoln Trail State Park is just west of the Trail, as it follows Illinois Route 1. A few miles north of the park, the trail branches off onto a county road heading west toward Clarksville.
Aside from the Lincoln Heritage Trail, you can enhance the pleasure of your stay at the park by taking a short walk past the boat docks and campgrounds or a longer hike that lets you experience the diversity of the site.
The Beech Tree Trail is just a half-mile long, extending from the boat dock parking lot and concession stand, past the large picnic shelter, and to Lakeside Campground. The trail includes a series of stairways and foot bridges, which provide an excellent view of the beech maple forest contained within the nature preserve.
For the adventurous, Sand Ford Nature Trail is an opportunity to experience the parks habitat changes while enjoying a two-mile hike through an oak-hickory forest. |
Picnicking |
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Boating |
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Fishing and Hunting |
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History of the Area |
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Long before Abraham Lincoln passed through the area, it was settled by Native Americans. Before the 18th century, the main tribes in the area were the Piankeshaw and Wea, of a Miami group. In the early 1700s, the Kickapoo moved south from Wisconsin, pushing the Piankeshaw and Wea south and east. The Kickapoos remained in control of the land until it was ceded to the United States in two separate treaties.
The western boundary of the first cession is known as the Old Indian Boundary Line or the One OClock Line. It runs through Clark County, passing through the Lincoln Trail State Park near the boat dock and crosses the campground. It is called the One OClock Line because it is said that, if you look south from Pilot Grove in Vermillion county, the boundary runs in the direction of the sun at one oclock in the afternoon. The area west of the original boundary was ceded by the Kickapoo in 1819.
The state acquired the first 31 acres of the park in 1936. The park and lake were officially dedicated in 1958. |
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More Info | |
DNR ... Parks Recreation Publications Research/Surveys State Museums Search DNR Illinois [IL Search Tips] Lincoln TrailState Park East-Central Region 16985 E. 1350th Rd. Marshall, IL 62441 217.826 ... | |
Lincoln Trail State Park Overview. | |
... Preserve at Forest Glen in Vermilion County, American Beech Woods Nature Preserve in Lincoln Trail State Park in Clark County, Robeson Hills Nature Preserve in Lawrence County, and along Hamburg ... |
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