Candlewick Lake Walking Trail
January 2013
After many months of dreaming and talking about a walking
path within
Candlewick Lake, the Recreation Commission approved a plan
for a walking trail.
Before the actual work could begin the Recreation Commission
had to send
the recommendation to the CWL board for their approval. This
recommendation was placed on the CWL Board’s agenda in September 2012.
The CWL Board of Directors approved the recommendation and
voted to name the trail “Witt Trail”.
With this approval work began on the trail. Since there is
an old railroad right away there from years ago using this would add to the
beauty of the area. This railroad was a branch of the Chicago and North Western
Railroad, ”KD line” as a guide.
With a “Bucksaw”, loppers, hedge clippers, shovel, and a
madox, Rich started cutting the trail. There was a lot of thick brush and small
trees that had to be cleared. The idea was to have a walking path/trail for all
of the residents and guest, young and old could use and see this part on the
Candlewick Lake community that many residents had only driven by in their
vehicles. Rich also wanted it to be wide so that 2 people could walk side by
side on their outing on the trail. As the trail progressed the side of the
trail placed the brush that was cut. Care was given to leave as many of the
trees and bushes as possible and still have a wide path. The path was planned
to wind through the area of the old railroad grade to let the people know that
this was an important part of history for this area before Candlewick Lake was
even part of some ones dream.
As the trail continued south through the woods, it was
important that the big Oak and Cottonwood trees be made the highlight of the
trail. Many of these trees are hundreds of years old and are the homes of many
of the animals that call these woods their home.
At the same time the old railroad that ran through this area
was a vital part of opening up this section of the prairre to become what it is
today.
After opening up a “ruff” trail I asked several ladies if
they would please take a walk with me on the trail. As we went down the trail,
I could see that there was work to be done to get the trail in condition so
that seniors and those with a handicap could walk the trail and not need
someone holding onto their arm. Safety was always in my mind in the path of the
trail and the ups and downs of the trail.
With this 1st walk through with my friends I
started back at the head of the trail and put on my safe trail glasses and made
some major revisions. I could not follow the old deer trails that I had used as
everyone is not use to walking on the side of a bank that I have done. Having
grown up in West Virginia and being an out doors person this type of walk was
common for me. I needed to adjust my mind set for seniors and the handicapped.
I also needed to think about some of the Stubbs, roots and
vines that were still there that someone could trip on and fall. The trail is
to let people walk through this part of history in their community and enjoy it
and to come back many times and see nature right in front of their eyes. The
number of birds that call this section of Candlewick Lake home is unbelievable
and the types change with the seasons.
With this mind set several more tools had to come into my
work plan. The ground was ruff and there was no need for the users of the trail
to get their feet muddy or slip and fall. I needed to put mulch or some type of
cover on the trail. I had all of this brush that was cut and I needed it to be
ground up into mulch. I knew that the trail was not wide enough to get a
chipper along it so the branches and brush had to be pulled, carried or drug
out to where a chipper could do its work. Working with the CWL maintenance
staff a location was selected that would not cause an eyesore for the
residents. This location was agreed on and a new tool came into play. My deer
drag rope. I would wrap a rope around a bundle of branches and tie my handle of
the deer drag on it and start pulling the branches. I always started at the
point farthest from where I needed to drag them so that the task would get
easier with each load. I could soon tell how many branches I could put into
each bundle as the drags would get tuffer to drag. At the location where they
were to be placed the pile of branches and brush was getting bigger and higher.
Getting them up to the top after those long drags was ruff and enjoyable at the
same time. I knew that they would soon be mulch. There were 2 locations where
the branches were placed. This was to help with the long drags. All of the
brush and branches were not taken to the chipper as some decore was needed and
I was tired of dragging them there.
Now that the brush and branches were there I knew that I
would have mulch that needed to go back down the trail where the brush and
branches had come from. I had just changed their appearance and they were going
back home. I also got a truckload of mulch from a tree trimmer who was looking
for a location to unload their work.
Before the mulch could be put down there were some low spots
and some high spots that needed an adjustment. The high spots shared with the
low spots as best they could. There were still more low spots that needed fill
dirt.
The next set of tools was a wheel borrows, pick and shovel.
I received permission from Aqua, IL to use some of the dirt from their location
and I used dirt from the CWL location. This was loaded into the wheel borrow
and wheeled down the trail to it new resting place. In the same manner the
mulch was wheeled down the trail to it new home.
It was a lot easier doing the mulch than doing the dirt.
There were just a lot more trips with the mulch.
With this work done it was time for another trial walk
through with my test crew. The residents selected were the same as the 1st
time. Before the 2nd test walk I was contacted by a resident asking
if he could make benches that could be located along the trail so that users of
the trail could stop, rest, and take in the beaty of nature. This is just
called “stop and smell the roses”.
Jim Brefeld was the resident that made and donated, time and
material, and placed the benches. It was
1st throught that 3 benches would be enough. After the placement of
2 benches Jim suggested that there should be 2 more benches made which Jim has
done. Thank you Jim for your work and donation of the benches as well as the
sign at the trailhead , “Witt Trail”.
During the cutting of one of the high spots I hit a hard
object in the ground. I was grubbing a small stump out and soon a big piece of
metal appeared. Since I was digging in the old railroad embankment I thought
that it was a railroad spike. The more I dug the bigger it got and soon I had
it out on the ground. It was covered with dirt and rust and soon I found that I
had uncovered a door from a grease box from a rail car. A train maintenance
crew would open this door and put grease in the box to keep the berrings
lubricated. I could see something was on this door but the rust and dirt from
the many years under ground had taken its toll on it. After trying to clean it
and than trying to get it sand blasted with no success I needed a new approach.
With a lot more cleaning I was soon able to read the writing on the door. The
door was stamped with the following:
PAT
Aug 18 1899
C&NW
-
797
This just opened up more of the history of this old railroad
grade that the WITT TRAIL goes along. What else is there that can tell the
Candlewick Lake residents about the ground that many of our homes are built on
and we walk and play on?
Yes it picked my interest enough for me to go to the Boone
County Museum research files and read more about this old railroad that we have
on our front door.
Of course it is a long story and it is right here for us to
see from what is left of what used to be in what is now call Candlewick Lake
Association, Inc. our home.
The railroad started in 1835 in what was called Pike which
were in the area waters. That name was changed to the Potawatomi Indian word
Kenosha that is their word for fish.
The individuals that started this railroad wanted a railroad
from Kenosha, WI. to Galena, IL. for shipping goods from Lake Michigan to the
Mississippi River. Their first leg was to get from Kenosha to Beloit. This was
completed with the railroad going along the state line with stops in Harvard,
Chemung, Capron, Poplar Grove, Caledonia, Argyle, Roscoe, and Beloit. This was
called the “K& B Line. They soon put a line to Rockford. This was known as
the K&R Line. These soon were all changed to the KD Line, which was the
Kenosha Division.
From Caledonia there was a line that went south to Belvidere
and one that went southwest to Rockford. At one time Caledonia has 2 depots.
Caledonia also had The Chamberlain Hotel, which was built just before the Civil
War. Katherine Chamberlain operated the hotel from 1879 to 1929. This hotel can
still be seen at Midway Village.
A line went south from Caledonia to Belvidere. There was a
passenger train that used this route with a train going between these 2 towns
twice a day. This line was then extended to DeKalb. In the 1930’s this line had
little traffic with resulted in the then C&NW sought to abandon that track
age. Permission to abandon was granted in 1939 but the line continued to
operate. By 1942, even with heavier wartime traffic the situations showed no
significant improvement and in that year 1942 service was discontinued and the
tracks were torn up.
It should be noted when the U.S. President William Howard
Taft came to Belvidere that he did come on the train.
The line from Caledonia to Rockford ceased operations on May
3 1937. This was the first modern adandonment of a line, which made up an
orginal part of the railroad formed when the C&NW and G&CU merged in
1864. There was a rail line still coming into Rockford from the south.
The following are a few facts about the area as noted in the
historical records on file:
There was a terrible snowstorm in the winter of 1936.
In 1955 Steam power had disappeared.
September 7, 1965 ending 104 years of railroad service to
Hebron.
I still think that with some more time and use of this trail
more history will be uncovered to help us understand how our community property
played a vital part in the history of opening the northern part of the State of
Illinois.
Time will tell as we “Stop and Smell the Roses”.
How bout having a Bird watchers group?
Names of some of the trees and plants will soon be posted.
So come often and see the changes that are planned for this
trail.