Sand Ridge State Forest is a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Containing , it is the largest state forest in Illinois. It is located in northern Mason County. The nearest town is Manito, Illinois, and the nearest numbered highway is U.S. Highway 136. It is located on a low bluff, or "sand ridge", overlooking the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

, hence the name. The sand ridge is believed to be an artifact of the post-glacial

Kankakee Torrent The Kankakee Torrent was a catastrophic flood that occurred about 19,000 calibrated years agoCurry, B.B., Hajic, E.R., Clark, J.A., Befus, K.M., Carrell, J.E. and Brown, S.E., 2014. "The Kankakee Torrent and other large meltwater flooding ev ...

. The Sand Ridge State Forest largely dates back to 1939, when the state of Illinois purchased parcels of submarginal sandy farmland for conservation purposes. The Civilian Conservation Corps planted pine trees on much of the land. Today, the state forest contains of dryland oak-

hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexi ...

woodlands, of pine woodlands, and of open fields and sand prairies. Endemic species include the prickly pear cactus, ''

Opuntia ''Opuntia'', commonly called prickly pear or pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as ''tuna'' (fruit), ''sabra'', ''nopal'' (paddle, plural ''nopales'') from the Nahuatl word f ...

'', more familiar to Mexicans and residents of the U.S. Southwest. The Sand Ridge State Forest contains the

Clear Lake Site Clear Lake Site is an archaeological site located in Sand Ridge State Park from Manito, Illinois. The site was occupied for the majority of the period from 500 B.C. to 1500 A.D.; cultures which have occupied the site include the Early Woodla ...

, an archeological site listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Current status

In the 2020s, Sand Ridge is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) as open space for active recreational purposes, especially whitetail deer hunting.

Revis Hill Prairie Revis Hill Prairie State Natural Area, also known as ''Revis Hill Prairie Nature Preserve'', is a state park located six miles south of Easton in Mason County, Illinois. It is operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) as ...

, also located within Mason County, is operated by IDNR as a disjunct area of Sand Ridge State Forest. In early 2012, Sand Ridge State Forest lost about to a fire caused by a man burning brush in high winds which sparked the trees.

External links

Illinois DNR Sand Ridge State Forest site
1939 establishments in Illinois Civilian Conservation Corps in Illinois Illinois River Illinois state forests Protected areas established in 1939 Protected areas of Mason County, Illinois {{MasonCountyIL-geo-stub

Current status

See also

External links