Palmisano Park Boardwalk - Chicago, IL - Non-Coastal Boardwalks on Waymarking.com

Palmisano Park in the Bridgeport Neighborhood of Chicago was created out of a former limestone quarry. A short boardwalk leads over wetlands and prairie plantings to a fishing bond.

From the Chicago Park District:

This is a dynamic park, with a fishing pond, interpretive wetlands, preserved quarry walls, trails, an athletic field, a running track, and a hill that offers dramatic views. Over 1.7 miles of paths, including recycled timber boardwalks, concrete walks, a crushed stone running path, and metal grating walkways traverse the park. These trails allow for a variety of experiences along the quarry wall, across the terracing wetlands, and down to the pond. Scenic overlooks provide dramatic overviews of the pond and wetlands, and spectacular city views can be seen from the mound.

...

This is the site of an ancient coral reef dating back to the Silurian age 400 million years ago. Dolomite limestone formed, and fossils that were found here are now in the collections of several area museums including Field Museum of Natural History.

In the late 1830s, the land was purchased by the Illinois Stone and Lime Company which began quarry operations. Within a short time, one of its partners, Marcus Cicero Stearns took over and renamed the quarry. Stearns was an early Chicago settler who got his start by opening a supply store for workmen who blasted out rock to build the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

Even after Stearns died in 1890, the quarry continued operating under his name until 1970. For the next few decades, the site was used as a landfill for clean construction debris. After the dumping ended, the idea of transforming the site into a new park emerged. The new park would be especially important because the surrounding Bridgeport neighborhood had long suffered from a lack of adequate green space.

Today, visitors to Palmisano Park can go fishing in a pond that retains old quarry walls; stroll along a wetland area that drains into the pond; watch for birds and other wildlife attracted by the site's vast range of native plants; fly kites in an open meadow; or take in the views of the cityscape.

(visit link)

Approximate boardwalk length (feet): 1000 What is the boardwalk over?: wetlands and a pond Boardwalk material: recycled plastic, timber, and metal

Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture of the boardwalk. Try to get a shot that hasn't been taken before if possible.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.