A rare find in Linne' Woods
Discovered growing far north of its usual range was a fine specimen of Carya Laciniosa, the Kingnut Hickory in Linne' Woods near the Horse Bridge. This rare hickory is distinguished by having 7 to 9 leaflets on a leaf twig instead of the 5 to 7 that the Shagbark Hickory has. The nuts are twice as large as other hickory nuts and taste much sweeter. It grows to 100 feet high and its normal northern range here is to central Illinois. There are several saplings clustered around the parent tree hopefully insuring a future grove of them. Other common names are Shellbark Hickory or Big Leaf Hickory.
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The North Branch Horse Bridge in Linne Woods
The first bridge constructed across the river in Linne woods was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during in the 1930's. It was replaced by a rather makeshift structure composed of pieces of steel girders and piping mounted on two concrete piers set in the river. These caused debris to build up, eroding the banks. When the Forest Preserve noticed the deteriorated and unsafe condition of the bridge, they closed it to traffic. For several years the river could not be crossed here and the Friends campaigned for a new bridge. We insisted on a clear span that would not catch debris and a low maintenance structure of Cor-ten steel. The result was the graceful structure now spanning our river. Unfortunately, the builders and the District did not clear the residue of both the CCC bridge and the second from the river itself. Friends, with assistance of the Forest Preserve District, spent a morning hauling about 20 tons of rubble from the area under the bridge by hand, carting it away in three dump truck loads. Now visitors can enjoy a clean peaceful woodland scene as the river glides underneath.
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Vandalism at the Horse Bridge !
This fall, around the Thanksgiving Day, the bridge was desecrated by an unknown party who attempted to paint it an ugly shade of green. The structure was designed to not need paint to protect it and the brown color of the steel blended well in the woodland setting. If anyone knows who the culprits were, please contact “The Friends”!
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