Hitchcock Woods, one of the largest urban forests in the United States, was consolidated between 1891 and 1898 by Celestine Eustis, Thomas Hitchcock, and William Whitney. Known as "the greatest equine playground in America," the tract of more than 8,000 acres was used for steeplechases, fox hunts, and other equestrian recreation by wealthy Northerners of the Aiken Winter Colony. Now comprising almost 2,000 acres, it has been owned and managed by the Hitchcock Foundation since 1939, when Thomas Hitchcock and his daughter Helen Clark established the foundation. Its landmarks include Memorial Gate, Cathedral Aisle, a portion of the railroad bed built by the S.C. Rail Road in 1833-34, and Sand River, an unusual natural formation. Annual events include the Aiken Horse Show each April and the Blessing of the Hounds each November.