The Sand Creek Conservation Area is a 755-acre (3 km²) natural area in the U.S. state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, located in South Wheatland Township south of

Lake Decatur Lake Decatur is a reservoir located in the city of Decatur, Illinois, USA, east of downtown. The city and lake both share the name of U.S. Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur. The lake is above sea level and has a watershed of or reaching into pa ...

. The conservation area preserves tallgrass prairie and prairie-savanna acreage and serves the people of Macon County and the Decatur metropolitan area. The area is operated by the

Macon County Conservation District The Macon County Conservation District (MCCD) is a public park authority, created in 1966, serving the metropolitan area of Decatur in the U.S. state of Illinois. The conservation district operates five conservation areas and six historic sites, a ...

Description

The contiguous parcels of property that make up the Sand Creek Conservation Area were, in pioneer times, patches of wet and damp tallgrass prairie, cut by the muddy ruts of Euro-American carts and wagons. In March 1830 a family, headed by

Thomas Lincoln Thomas Lincoln (January 6, 1778 – January 17, 1851) was an American farmer, carpenter, and father of the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Unlike some of his ancestors, Thomas could not write. He struggled to make a succes ...

and assisted by his son

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, slowly made their way westward on the former Paris–Springfield Road as part of their trek from the

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a United States presidential memorial and a National Historic Landmark District in Lincoln City, Indiana. It preserves the farm site where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family from 1816 to 1830. During that ...

to a new homestead at what would become the

Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial The Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park and Memorial is a state park located on the Sangamon River in Macon County near Harristown, Illinois, United States. Home of Lincoln family The state memorial is believed to contain the site of the hom ...

near the Sangamon River west of Decatur. The ford over Sand Creek inside today's Conservation Area, now the ''Old Trace Ford'', waded through water that flowed into the Sangamon, and was evidence to the traveling family that they were nearing their Illinois destination. The Lincoln trail is marked by signs. Remains of the Paris–Springfield Road have been supplemented by other sandy paths to form a 7.6-mile-long (12.0 km) network of Conservation Area trails. Hikers and horseback riders are welcome. For riders, an equestrian fee permit is required. Trailside wildlife features

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

and upland tallgrass birds, particularly redtail

hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

s and Eastern bluebirds. Wetland and savannah plant life includes pawpaw trees and

wahoo Wahoo (''Acanthocybium solandri'') is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh makes it a prized and valued game fish. In Hawaii, the wahoo is kno ...

bushes. The Conservation Area is primarily accessed by a parking area on the north-south Franklin Road, a rural Macon County road south of Decatur's city limits. The parking area is 4.0 miles south of center-city Decatur.

References

{{coord, 39.786, -88.943, type:landmark_region:US-IL_dim:3000, display=title Protected areas of Macon County, Illinois Tourist attractions in Macon County, Illinois