2,600-acre Matthiessen State Park annex taking shape

Phil Wire steers over a bumpy dirt road and surveys the detritus. There are old railroad ties, scrap metal of every size and shape and, though not readily visible, nails and bolts that some unlucky trespasser will surely catch with his foot.

Wire is a sergeant with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police and he hopes curiosity seekers will steer clear of the new acres annexed into Matthiessen State Park. The public may be eager to survey the park’s expanded boundaries but Wire knows a massive cleanup job awaits the IDNR.

“There’s not been any safety precautions that have taken place like fencing or signage,” Wire said, “and they’re still doing research and finding out where to put the trails and everything else.

“So it’s going to be a while before it’s open to the public,” he said. “In the meantime, it’s important that the public stays out because of the hazards.”

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 10

An aerial view of a large lake in the Matthiessen Annex area on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, near Oglesby. In October 2018, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources purchased 2,628 acres from Lone Star Industries Inc. near Oglesby. This formerly mined property is adjacent to Matthiessen State Park and is now referred to as the Matthiessen Annex property. In its reclaimed state, this property will provide recreational opportunities, as well as habitat and public access to the Illinois River and Bailey Creek. (Scott Anderson)

That is not to say nothing been done with the new acreage.

I see huge opportunity, something I was extremely excited to see

—  Jason Curran, mayor of Oglesby

Very quietly, the IDNR has mapped out plans for what to do with the 2,629 acres acquired six years ago from Buzzi Unicem, which grew Matthiessen and Starved Rock state parks a combined 55%. Most of that new land adjoins Matthiessen rather than Starved Rock.

A capital improvement proposal, obtained under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, shows IDNR has mapped the new acres into eight zones and identified improvements for each, albeit over a long time span.

Zone 1 will be annexed to the far western end of Starved Rock State Park north of Oglesby. There, DNR plans to develop a 1-mile trail with a scenic overlook of the Illinois River.

To the south are much larger parcels to be opened as part of Matthiessen State Park. Eventually.

Zone 2, to be located directly across from the Starved Rock annex, will include a 200-site campground, Matthiessen park office and a BMX riding area.

Oglesby Mayor Jason Curran was among the local government officials to get a peek at the IDNR proposal when it was circulated last year. The agency then warned Curran and others the project would be at least 10 years in the making, but the diagrams fired Curran’s imagination and opened some intriguing possibilities for Oglesby’s business district.

“I see huge opportunity, something I was extremely excited to see,” Curran said. “I wasn’t so excited to hear the timeframe, though. A decade is a lot of time and opportunity to miss out on. The most urgent need is to have early discussions on options and opportunities before any design plans get too far along.

“Far too often do I see or hear that someone had a great idea or option, but it’s left out because plans were already set in motion. Well, we are aware now and it’s early in the process, now is the time to plan.”

Curran is hungry for more information – and a tighter timeline from IDNR – because he can imagine an influx of new visitors that could transform Oglesby, though perhaps not overnight.

“A large scale hotel or even a casino along the interstate would be the ultimate opportunity for Oglesby,” Curran said. “However, for something like to happen I feel this park expansion would have to attract so many people that we essentially would become a miniature Wisconsin Dells.

“I think those long-term goals are things to keep in mind, but to get there first we have to be smart about getting better access to the park, which in turn will make it a lot more economically possible for people to invest in old abandoned properties or create new ones.”

From the day the land was acquired, IDNR warned it’d be years before the land was surveyed and deemed safe for hiking, hunting and fishing. It still isn’t safe.

In all eight zones, workers will have to clear out scrap metal and debris leftover from Buzzi’s operations as well as fence off mines. Wire, during a driving tour of one of the annexed areas, pointed out sinkholes that abruptly appears above old mineshafts.

There are six more zones adjoining the western boundary of Matthiessen’s original acreage. Plans there vary. There are three outlying areas where IDNR will invest only in safety upgrades such as removing scrap metal and fencing off quarries and mineshafts.

A couple of other areas are targeted for additional campgrounds and a shooting range. Those will be years in the making.

Oglesby Fire Chief Ron Popurella can wait. He shares Curran’s excitement for business development in Oglesby, but in the short term he foresees more emergency dispatches for a department that already needs more manpower.

“I think it’s going to increase the volume of calls to the wooded areas around Oglesby,” Popurella said. “Once you start putting trails and campgrounds in, it will definitely increase our calls. I don’t see anything that’s not possible, but I am going to need more personnel to do the job.”