Sangamon River Forest Preserve

Sangamon River Forest Preserve Map
About the Residence
Directions, Hours & Contact Information

The fifth forest preserve in Champaign County is now open. This peaceful 160-acre jewel is located in Fisher, Illinois, on County Road 600 E, approximately two miles south of U.S. Route 136.

As you walk around, you’ll notice only a small amount of development. In addition to the parking area, restroom, roadway and trails, we plan to add a few more trails along with a shelter. This will be an ideal setting for low-impact activities, such as picnicking, bird-watching and hiking.

The goal for this land is to restore the landscape as closely as possible to its original pre-settlement conditions. Then we will no longer have to imagine what it once looked like because we will be able to see it with our own eyes.

Original surveyors’ maps will guide the restoration of our landscape heritage. The upland soil will again hold the roots of the prairie plants that evolved and thrived here for thousands of years following the retreat of the last glacier.

The transitional oak savanna ecosystem that has persisted on the east side of the site will continue to tower above the grasses below. With individual branches as large as most trees, these craggy giants reach out in every direction to capture the light.

Fortunately, the low, bottomland areas have already been planted with thousands of native trees by the former landowners, Ron and Karen Cook. These thriving young trees will become the backbone of the restored Sangamon Grove. The result – visitors will someday be able to experience what their forebears did when they arrived at this challenging and amazing place on the Illinois frontier, known as the Grand Prairie. In short, it will be a window to our past.

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About the Residence

On the eastern edge of the property lies an early 20th-century farmhouse. Sangamon River Residence The home tells a story from the memories created by all who have lived there.

Peter Hedrick Nelson and his wife, Mary Ann, had nine children when they obtained this land in 1908. He began farming and raising cattle, and soon after built the home that stands here today.

The c. 1919 home, built in the Prairie Foursquare style, was equipped with modern conveniences such as a furnace and acetylene lighting. Mr. Nelson and sons made the concrete blocks that side the home and barn. The gravel they used came from a gravel pit on the property, where the preserve’s parking lot sits today.

After the Nelsons passed away, their daughter, Lela, lived here. In 1940, her brother, Cecil, with his new bride, Mary, stayed for a bit. Mary recalls the home as a “picture. It was an ideal place.”

Along with rock gardens and fish pools, the landscape was filled with flowers, particularly roses. The home had electricity and even a refrigerator when only 25% of rural homes in the United States were electrified.

In 1988, the family sold the home to the Cooks, who were great stewards of the home and surrounding land. Mr. Cook describes the home as being the essence of “stability and timelessness.”

The Cooks lived here until 2008 when they sold the land to the Forest Preserve District. It is now home to a forest preserve employee and his young family. They have not forgotten about all who lived here before, but instead are inspired by them to protect the historic integrity of the house and this wonderful preserve.

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Directions, Hours & Contact Information

Sangamon River Forest Preserve is located in northwest Champaign County, approximately two miles south of Fisher. From Champaign-Urbana, go north on I-57 or Route 45 to US Route 136; go west to Fisher; turn left on 1st Street/Amvets Road/County Road 600 E, and go south about two miles.

Physical Address - 2797 County Road 600 E, Fisher
Sangamon River Forest Preserve Map

Hours
Sangamon River Forest Preserve opens at 7 PM year-round, weather-permitting. Closing times vary:

1st Saturday in April	9 PM
1st Monday in September	7 PM
Monday before Halloween	5 PM

For more information, please contact our Headquarters office at (217) 586-3360 or hq@ccfpd.org.

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