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Welcome to Brookdale
Located in the northwestern quadrant of the county, Brookdale offers a serene getaway from daily life. Visitors can enjoy a 1 mile mowed grass trail loop that transverses one side of the 11 acre pond, past a wildlife observation deck overlooking the water and up through a former pine plantation, tree plantings. A picnic shelter and restroom are available on the east side of the pond/Paulson Road entrance, as well as a 1/4 mile paved trail that leads to a handicap accessible fishing pier and small dam where the pond spills into the north branch of the Kishwaukee River. The Paulsen Road Entrance also offers a horse trailer parking lot for up to 10 trailers and is the closer access point to the 6.15-mile multi-use trail.
History
On February 9, 1848, the Village of Brookdale was formally established, with the expectation that the Illinois and Wisconsin Railroad Company would extend its tracks from Cary through Brookdale and on to Janesville, Wisconsin. However, due to a disagreement said to have taken place between a surveyor for the railroad and a local innkeeper the railroad route made a bend around Brookdale and into Harvard. (One account states the argument was with the innkeeper of the S.S. Parker hotel in Chemung over the price of cigars.) Although the new railroad line was not completed until 1859, Brookdale was already on the decline, and was formally abandoned on February 15, 1856, just eight years after it was founded.
In 1954, the Beckwith family purchased the property and designed and constructed a concrete dam to retain the north branch of the Kishwaukee River, creating the small lake you see today. In 1968 the property changed hands again, when purchased by Aaron and Sylvia Scheinfeld. The Scheinfelds were deeply committed to helping the disadvantaged, and this property provided the perfect location to establish a conference center “dedicated to a program for the creative solutions of social problems”. Named The Woodstock Center, it opened in 1969 and for more than 15 years successfully hosted thousands of participants in hundreds of conferences. In April of 1987, the Scheinfeld Foundation gifted the center to the Northern Illinois University Foundation, which operated the center until the McHenry County Conservation District purchased the property in 1998. The historic structures were then remodeled for administrative use, while retaining much of the character of the Pellegrins’ original creative design. In 2000, the Conservation District moved its Administrative Offices to the Woodstock site and restored the name "Brookdale" to reflect its storied history.
GeoSeries Question
Overharvesting was the first big blow to river otter populations, but what was the other cause of such population decline in river otters in the state of Illinois?
To learn how to participate in the GeoSeries and earn a special District geocoin visit MCCDistrict.org/Geocache
Geocachers
Please join us in playing! Geocaching is a high-tech “treasure hunting” game played throughout the world by adventure seeker. All are welcome who observe and obey the rules.
- Please do not move or vandalize the container.
- Once you find it, log your name in the book, take a trinket and leave one of your own behind for the next person.
- Replace the cache in the same spot that you found it, and make sure it is completely covered.
- Please do not remove the informational card from the containers, this is an essential game piece for cachers completing the GeoSeries.
- The real treasure is finding the container and sharing your thoughts with everyone who finds it.
For a complete list of rules and instructions on how to earn a special district geocoin visit MCCDistrict.org/Geocache
Email geocaching@MCCDistrict.org with any questions or concerns
McHenry County Conservation District Information
Visit our website at MCCDistrict.org or call (815) 338-6223
Photo Release
Photos posted here may be featured on the McHenry County Conservation District's various social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram, and twitter, as well as our website (MCCDistrict.org) and print material such as Landscapes Magazine. By posting photos to this log you agree to allow us to share your work. Photographers will be acknowledged in any shares or posts of photos, so please include your name in your post if it is different from that of your username.