Nature
Beaver Dam State Park in Macoupin County, Illinois, grew from an artificial lake created in the 1890s by a private Carlinville fishing club into a resort reached by the adjacent Chicago and Alton Railroad, reflecting an era when rail travel shaped rural leisure. After the resort declined during the Great Depression, the state bought the lake and nearby land in 1947 and later expanded it into the present 750-acre park. Centered on Beaver Dam Lake, the park is known for fishing, quiet boating, hunting, and hiking, while also preserving oak-hickory forest along upper Macoupin Creek.
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Illinois · United States