Warren Woods State Park

Warren Woods State Park. . ,

This is not an ordinary wood," says Bill Burger, curator emeritus of The Field Museum's botany department, who was first drawn to Warren Woods some 30 years ago by "a botanist's desire to see virgin forest." Indeed, it is like nowhere else in the Chicago Wilderness. It is, perhaps, as close as we can come in our area to the mythic "Forest Primeval."

, Warren Woods, on he banks of the meandering Galien River, contains one of the finest remnants of original beech-maple forest in the entire Great Lakes region. To hike its trails is to share an experience with the Native Americans and early European explorers who traveled these deep, dark woodlands in centuries past. Walking under the towering beeches (Fagus grandifolia), the visitor is embraced by an aura of serene grandeur. The smooth, slate-gray trunks of these dominant trees rise up from the forest floor to form a 100-foot canopy, blocking out 95 percent of the summer sunlight. Sharing dominance in this forest is the sugar maple (Acer saccharum), which rules the understory and seeks to fill holes in the canopy created by beeches felled by storms or disease. Scientists refer to places like Warren Woods as a climax forest. The site embodies the classic eastern woodland in succession, where one dominant species replaces the next: lichens and moss, grasses and forbs, woody shrubs, poplar and cherry, oak and hickory, beech and maple. Chicago Wilderness Magazine, National Natural Landmark , Warren Woods National Natural Landmark , Designated: 1967, The National Natural Landmarks program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of our country's natural history. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies the best examples of biological and geological features in both public and private ownership. These special places are designated by the Secretary of the Interior. To date, fewer than 600 sites have been designated a National Natural Landmark., Who is E.K. Warren? , Edward K. Warren 1847-1919 , In 1853, Rev. Waters Warren moved west with his wife Caroline, and four sons, from Ludlow, Vermont. A missionary, Warren was determined to bring religion to the New West and established the First Congregational Church in Three Oaks, Michigan., In 1879, Rev. Warren's son, Edward Kirk Warren, a prominent local businessman, purchased the property known today as Warren Woods. The land initially was purchased for the production of charcoal, but aware that it was an exceptional stand of virgin hardwood, E.K. Warren changed his mind., E.K. Warren had a very successful business career. Young Edward worked as a clerk in the local dry-good store. It was in this job, he recognized the need for a cheaper and more pliable stay material for women's corsets and other garments for the Woman's Dress Industry. Warren and George Holden, a partner from Michigan City, devised a way to make a light, stiff tape from shredded turkey feather quills. Featherbone turned out to be a big improvement over whalebone, which became brittle, stiffened with age and was expensive as whales were in decline. In 1882, Warren organizes the Warren Featherbone Company, patented the "featherbone", introduced it to the market in 1883 and quickly amassed a great fortune., In 1885, Warren establishes the Warren Featherbone Whip Company and began manufacturing buggy whips with featherbone., E.K. Warren was considered one of the great churchmen of his day. As the president of the International Sunday School Union, he chartered an ocean liner so that 800 delegates could attend his World Sunday-School Convention in Jerusalem in 1904., Around this time, Warren began buying up duneland as well. These purchases eventually became the heart of Warren Dunes State Park., In 1917, he established the E.K. Warren Foundation, which was dedicated to: "The preservation of forests, the establishment and maintenance of a park or parks; and the collection and preservation of historical documents, data and publications." Warren placed 300 acres of virgin hardwood forests and 289 acres of duneland, including 1.25 miles of Lake Michigan frontage, into the hands of the foundation., Warren died in 1919 at age 72. The foundation was administered by his brother, then the Warren family. In 1930, the foundation gave the state the first 252 acres that would mark the beginning of the creation of Warren Dunes State Park., Map caption: Warren Woods and Warren Dunes State Park , The two Michigan State Parks, both named in honor of E.K. Warren, are located 6 miles apart., Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Outdoors