The destination for today's excursion was Indian Boundary Park in West Rogers Park. The name of the park refers to the fact that its location is along the territorial boundary between US and Pottawattomie lands as determined by the Treaty of 1816. Sadly, as with most such treaties, this one was honored for only a few years before it was superseded by the Treaty of 1833 which forced the removal of the Pottawattomie west of the Mississippi.
Since it was a long walk to the park, i've included a lot of pictures (and a refueling stop at the end). This is one of my favorite parks in Chicago; it isn't huge but it seems like it is because there is so much to see and do there.
Poor George Washington! Apparently the mulberries and the birds that eat them have no more respect for him than for the cars, sidewalks, and everything else that falls prey to their devious and indelible schemes. This was originally the keystone of the old Chicago city hall, but was donated to the park in 1927.
Sadly, the lovely Tudor-style field house was badly damaged in a fire on 20 May of this year. All the windows on the ground level are boarded up and you can see in this picture that a tarp is covering the large hole where the fire burned through the roof. I haven't heard any news about how long it will take to repair or how much it will cost, but i really hope this beautiful local treasure can be restored.
The Indian Boundary Village has to be one of the best pieces of playground equipment anywhere. As you can see from the pictures, it's huge!
Did i neglect to mention that there is also a zoo? Admittedly, it isn't a very large zoo, but still, it's a nice treat for the local kids. I haven't been to the park for a few years, but i remember that there used to be a llama there.I didn't see it today so i'm not sure if it's gone or was just not out when i was there. The only critters i saw were some chickens and ducks and this fat and contented goat. A little boy who was there with his grandmother played a trick on me. He said, "Look, there's a gorilla!" It's pretty obvious that there isn't going to be a gorilla in an area enclosed with nothing stronger than chicken wire, but i was high on the magic of the park and somehow really wanted there to be a gorilla, so i walked over to see what he was pointing at. It was worth feeling a little foolish just to hear that little boy's laugh at putting one over on a grownup.
The duck pond is a lovely and peaceful spot.
The fish are smart enough to follow the ducks around hoping to catch a few stray crumbs.
End of the road. Rub BBQ at Lunt and Western. It caught my eye because it's so quaint looking, and i ended up being unable to resist the tempting prospect of getting some ribs for dinner. Okay, i confess, i wasn't even able to resist the ribs until dinner time and dug into them the minute i got home.
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