Black Hawk State Historic Site & Nature Preserve

About this natural area:

This 208-acre site is managed by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, providing visitors with opportunities to explore the natural history and cultural history of the area. The nature preserve consists of high quality oak woodlands within the city limits of Rock Island, Illinois and is a favored destination for bird watching and spring wildflower observance. Visitors are also introduced to the 12,000-year cultural and archeological significance of the area, with a museum dedicated to educating the public on the historic and pre-historic peoples of the Quad City region.

Those interested in the preservation and management of this site can become members of the Citizens to Preserve Black Hawk Park Foundation. The Quad City Natural Area Guardians, a local conservation group, assists in managing the parks natural resources and is actively seeking volunteers to help with these efforts.

Amenities:

Visitors can enjoy 6-miles of maintained hiking trails throughout the park as well as picnic shelters, modern restrooms, and playground equipment. Facilities include the Singing Bird Nature Center, the Hauberg Indian Museum, and the Watch Tower Lodge, an impressive facility built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the mid-1930s. This site is near The Great River Trail.

How to Get There:

The Black Hawk State Historic Site and Nature Preserve is located at 1510 46^th Avenue, Rock Island, Illinois 61201.

• From Interstate-280 West - take exit 15 Airport Road toward Milan/US-67. Turn right onto 1^st Avenue E/Airport Road and continue for 2.2 miles. Turn right on 46^th Avenue/Black Hawk Road and continue for 0.6 miles.

• From Davenport, Iowa - take the Centennial Bridge (US-67 South) to Rock Island, Illinois. Take a left on 5^th Avenue and in 387 feet turn right onto 16^th Street. Merge onto 17^th Street and continue for 2.6 miles. Continue on 24^th Street for 0.4 miles and turn right onto 46^th Avenue/Black Hawk Road for 0.3 miles.

Nearby Sites of Interest:

• Credit Island Park and South Concord Street: head west on 46^th Avenue/Blackhawk Road toward 15^th Street/45^th Avenue for 0.6-miles. Turn right onto 11^th street and continue for 0.9-miles. Turn left onto 31^st Avenue and continue for 0.7 miles. Continue on Sunset Lane for 0.4 miles and take the Illinois 92 West exit. Take IL-92 West for 1.2 miles, and then take the I-280 W exit towards Des Moines. Take I-280 West for 2.3 miles and take Exit 8 IA-22/Rockingham Road. Turn right on IA-22E/Rockingham Road and take the 1^st right onto Wapello Avenue. Continue on Wapello Avenue for 1.2 miles and take a left on South Concord Street. In 1.3 miles, take a right on West River Drive and Credit Island Park will be on the right in 0.9-miles.

• Nahant Marsh: head west on 46^th Avenue/Blackhawk Road toward 15^th Street/45^th Avenue for 0.6-miles. Turn right onto 11^th street and continue for 0.9-miles. Turn left onto 31^st Avenue and continue for 0.7 miles. Continue on Sunset Lane for 0.4 miles and take the Illinois 92 West exit. Take IL-92 West for 1.2 miles, and then take the I-280 W exit towards Des Moines. Take I-280 West for 2.3 miles and take Exit 8 IA-22/Rockingham Road. Turn right on IA-22E/Rockingham Road and take the 1^st right onto Wapello Avenue. Continue on Wapello Avenue for 0.7 miles.

Literature and links:

• Click here to view a Google Scholar search for additional literature using the pre-filled search terms of "Black Hawk /State Park Illinois."

• Gustafson, D. J., Gibson, D. J. and Nickrent, D. L. (2004). Conservation genetics of two co-dominant grass species in an endangered grassland ecosystem. Journal of Applied Ecology, 41: 389–397.

• Michael Sherfy, “A Persistent Removal: Black Hawk, Commemoration, and Historic Sites in Illinois,” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 100, no. 3 (2007), 248.

• Thornton, B. O. (2016). The Conservation and Preservation of Blackhawk State Park, 1917-1927.

• To learn more about this site, click here to visit the official Black Hawk State Historic Site website.

• Click here to visit the Facebook page for this site.

• Click here to visit the River Action webpage for this site.

• Click here to view the Enjoy Illinois webpage for this site. Or here for their YouTube video for this site.

• Click here for a map of trails

• Click here to view a soils map for the Black Hawk State Historic Site and Nature Preserve.

• Click here to view an eBird species checklist for this area.