The Sac or Sauk are a group of Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands culture group, who lived primarily in the region of what is now Green Bay, Wisconsin, when first encountered by the French in 1667. Their autonym is oθaakiiwaki, and their exonym is Ozaagii(-wag) in Ojibwe. The latter name was transliterated into French and English by colonists of those cultures. Today they have three federally recognized tribes, together with the Meskwaki (Fox), located in Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Kane County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 515,269, making it the fifth-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora.
The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for 133 miles (214 km) through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the United States Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River.
The Des Plaines River Trail is a recreational multiuse trail that follows the course of the Des Plaines River through most of Lake and part of Cook County in northeast Illinois in the United States.
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are mostly set aside as natural areas. Cook County contains Chicago, and is the center of the most densely populated urban metropolitan area in the Midwest. The Forest Preserve lands encompass approximately 70,000 acres (280 km2), about 11% of the county, providing open space within its urban surroundings. It contains facilities for recreation, as well as a zoo and a botanic garden.
The Ned Brown Forest Preserve, popularly known as Busse Woods, adjoining Elk Grove Village and Schaumburg in Illinois, is a 3,700-acre (1,500 ha) unit of the Cook County Forest Preserve system. It is named after Edward "Ned" Eagle Brown. A section of the northeast quadrant of the forest preserve is the Busse Forest Nature Preserve, which was registered as a National Natural Landmark in February 1980. Busse Forest Preserve was named for Cook County Commissioner William Busse in 1949.
Barrington Township is one of 29 townships in Cook County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 15,636. The northwestern corner of the Cook County panhandle, it is the county's northwesternmost township. It is also by far the least densely populated township in the county, with less than half the population density of the next least Lemont Township.
Bloom Township is one of 29 townships in Cook County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 90,923.
Johnson-Sauk Trail State Recreation Area is an Illinois state park on 1,365 acres (552 ha) in Henry County, Illinois, United States. The park also has a 58-acre (23 ha) lake with various types of fish. The lake has boat rentals and a maximum depth of 21 feet (6.4 m). The park has many trails, and a campground. Ryan's round barn has a tour every year in the park. Near the round barn, is a scenic 3-acre (1.2 ha) pond which is a great place to hike to.
The Chicago Portage National Historic Site is a National Historic Site in Lyons, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located in Chicago Portage Forest Preserve and the Ottawa Trail Woods Forest Preserve, at the junction of Portage Creek with the Des Plaines River, on the west side of Harlem Avenue on the line of 48th Street. Preserved within the park is the western end of the historic portage linking the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River, thereby linking the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. A memorial depicting the portage of French explorers is located at the parking area. A trail leads from the memorial down into the portage wilderness area.
Shabbona, also known as Shabonee and Shaubena, was an Ottawa tribe member who became a chief within the Potawatomi tribe in Illinois during the 19th century.
Thorn Creek is a 20.8-mile-long (33.5 km) tributary of the Little Calumet River that travels through Will and Cook counties in northeastern Illinois just south of Chicago. It starts in the high land of the Valparaiso Moraine before dropping 200 feet (60 m) to the lower elevations of the Little Calumet River valley. Along its path it has cut many deep ravines and valleys. It is usually quite narrow, though the width of the river varies. Under 26th Street in Chicago Heights, a dam built in 1928 forms Sauk Lake, but just north of the street it is just a few feet across. This dam creates an accumulation of several feet of silt in Sauk Lake and is being considered for Notching in 2016 by the Corps of Engineers. The intent is to 'improve stream habitat'. The impact upon Ground Water Recharge, mitigation of Thorn Creek's 'flashiness' and future recreational activities are also concerns of Water-Shed Stakeholders.
The North Creek Woods or North Creek Meadow is located within the Cook County Forest Preserves in Lansing, Illinois. The woods are connected to the other forest preserves of the Thorn Creek Trailsystem. They are named after North Creek, a tributary of Thorn Creek that runs through the woods. They contain many miles of paved bike trails and off-trail dirt hiking paths. They are a popular place for runners, cyclists, and walkers during the warm and cold times of the year. North Creek Woods contains both dense forest and prairie shrubland. The bicycle trails go through both. There is also a pavilion located at the main parking lot on Glenwood-Lansing Road. The woods are mostly flat.
Sauk Trail Woods are located within the Cook County Forest Preserves in Park Forest and Chicago Heights, Illinois. They are part of the Thorn Creek Trail System. They contain miles of paved bike trails and off-trail dirt paths. Sauk Trail Woods contains Sauk Lake and Thorn Creek. The topography is fairly hilly, featuring ravines and steep, eroded hillsides. The elevation is the highest on the outskirts of the preserve. Then, as one goes into the Thorn Creek River Valley, you descend steep hills and sandy bluffs. There is an abundance of ravines that have been cut by creeks flowing into the valley. Many of the ravines are surprisingly deep near the bottom of the valley. Most of the Sauk Trail Woods Preserve is covered by dense woods, however there are some open prairie areas. In the northwest section of the woods, there is a fairly large marsh, that is surrounded by thick pampas grass and shallow bogs. The woods are located on the Valparaiso Moraine, which accounts for the hilliness of the area. There are many parking lots with pavilions situated throughout the preserve.
The North Branch Trail is a Class I bicycle trail located in northeastern Cook County, Illinois. The trail starts at the western part of Gompers Park in Chicago, and from there it continues north approximately 22 miles (35 km) to Glencoe. The trail follows a path along the North Branch of the Chicago River, the Skokie River and the Skokie Lagoons.
The Sauk Trail was originally a Native American trail running through what are present-day Illinois, Indiana and Michigan in the United States. From west to east, the trail ran from Rock Island on the Mississippi River to the Illinois River near modern Peru then along the north bank of that river to Joliet, and on to Valparaiso, Indiana. Then it ran northeasterly to La Porte and into southern Michigan running through Niles, Sturgis, Ypsilanti, and ending at the Detroit River near Detroit.
Sag Bridge, Illinois is a populated place in southwestern Cook County, Illinois. Sag Bridge is an important waterway junction between the Calumet Sag Channel and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. It is also the junction of IL 83 and IL 171 which meet at Sag Bridge to cross the Calumet Sag Channel together on the eponymous bridge. The community was named for a predecessor of the present bridge. It is within the village limits and postal delivery zone of Lemont, Illinois.
The Palos Trail System is a multi-trail system located in southwestern, Cook County, Illinois. It is part of the 15,000 acre Palos Forest Preserve. The Palos division headquarters of this forest preserve is in Willow Springs, Illinois. This trail system is the largest trail system in the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. There are over 40 miles of unpaved trails and they all connect to each other by the many intersections. The longest of these trails is labeled “Yellow Unpaved” with a 9.2 mile distance, and the shortest is labeled “Brown Unpaved” with a 1.1 mile distance. These trails are made for hiking, bicycle riding, horseback riding, and even skiing in the winter. There are 16 entrances to the Palos Trail System and it's open from dawn to dusk everyday along with the whole forest preserve system.
