4 THEA U D U_ BION 3 UG Eile eas 
Illinois State Parks and Memorials 
By Brockett R. Bates 
ONLY ONE NEW ILLINOIS state recreational area was dedicated in 1962, 
the Winnebago Conservation Area, a lovely hilly terrain northeast of Rock- 
ford. In dedicating the area, Gov. Otto Kerner said that when made a state 
park it will be known as Rock Cut State Park, and the lake will be Pierce 
Lake. 
This is one of five con- 
servation areas where 
new man-made lakes 
have been built. Lakes 
are also under con- 
struction at the Mc- 
Lean, Marion, Hamil- 
ton and Saline County 
Conservation Areas. 
Whiteside, Douglas, 
. Jasper, Monroe and 
Massac-Pope Counties 
have areas where lake 
dams are to be built as 
money is made avail- 
_ : able. All of these have 
Winnebago County Conservation Area - Pierce Lake great natural beauty 
and park possibilities 
and will, in all probability, become state parks in time. 
During recent years a new type of park has been developed around 
river boat launching sites. Dedicated in 1961 were the Sid Simpson Park 
at Quincy and the William G. Stratton Park at Morris. Other state parks 
incorporating launching areas are Delabar near Oquawka and Montebello 
at Hamilton. Improved launching sites have been added at Pere Marquette 
and Starved Rock in the last year. Such facilities are also to be added to 
Mississippi Palisades State Park. With the growing interest in boating, 
similar parks are in the offing. The Illinois Department of Conservation 
has added a number of new launching sites in the Grafton-Alton area and 
at Thebes. Between St. Paul and St. Louis there are now over 200 launch- 
ing spots along the Mississippi River free to the public. The state areas 
generally have scenic interest, picnic tables, and comfort facilities. 
Other Illinois parks acquired in recent years have been Cairo-Point 
Fort Defiance at the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers south of 
Cairo; Johnson Sauk Trail north of Kewanee; and Spring Lake south of 
Pekin near Manito. Spring Lake and Johnson Sauk Trail have much beauty 
and offer excellent fishing. Spring Lake has possibilities of becoming a 
major park. 
Of recent years Illinois state parks and memorials have enjoyed only 
a slow growth; today the parks total 35,474 acres and memorials, 426 acres. 
Of the 49,643 acres in Conservation Areas, 14,773 are under control of the 
