Kickapoo State Recreation Area

Kickapoo State Recreation Area in Illinois is a reclaimed landscape shaped by Native history, salt making, coal mining, and ecological recovery. Named for a former Kickapoo village near the Vermilion River forks, the area shows evidence of Native settlement between 500 and 1500 and is associated with Kennekuk, the Kickapoo Prophet. After Native displacement, settlers worked nearby salt springs from 1819 to 1848, then strip-mined coal from the mid-19th to early 20th century. Illinois began acquiring the land in 1939, creating the first U.S. park on strip-mined ground. Today its ponds, trails, river access, and rare habitat reflect both restoration and strong local support.

Illinois · United States