"O-Say-G" Can You See It? Traditional Geocache

During the mid 1800's settler's found their way to this area and began to set down roots. Perus and Electra Barney owned the land now called, Hidden Lake Forest Preserve. Records indicate that the area included a sawmill, post office, general store, schoolhouse, creamery and general store. Remnants of a millrace were discovered in an archaeological dig in 1987; however no traces of the mill were found.

Stretching in a line through this "patchwork" piece of forest is a stand of beautiful Osage (O-Say-G) Orange Trees. When exactly they were planted is not known yet the most likely scenario is during the first part of the 19th century when the land was owned by Arthur Cutten; one of the richest men in America, until the stock market crash of 1929. These beautiful, stately trees take their name from the Osage Native American Tribe. They are not native to this area but were planted regularly to form living fences and boundaries between farms. The forest has overgrown around them but one can imagine how they made a "stately" entrance to the grounds of Arthur Cutten. The clearing, just to the east, held several residences.

One of the most unusual "finds" at the Cutten Estate, when it was purchased by the DuPage Forest Preserve in 1977, were 2 Goddess Statues. These statues originally stood on the second floor of the 1833 Chicago Board of Trade Building. They represent Industry and Agriculture. When the CBOT was demolished in 1885, to make room for a new building, the statues "went missing"!. The statues were discovered in 1978 by the DuPage Forest Preserve District when they purchased the Cutten Estate and surrounding lands. The statues were moved to the entrance of the Danada Forest Preserve. In an effort to reclaim their heritage, The Chicago Board of Trade and the DuPage Forest Preserve, worked to bring the Goddess Statues back home. Since 2005, the statues can be seen at The Chicago Board of Trade's outdoor plaza.