Beaver Dam State Park (Illinois)

Infobox_protected_area
name = Beaver Dam State Park, Illinois, USA
iucn_category = III


caption = Map of the U.S. state of Illinois showing the location of Beaver Dam State Park
locator_x = 112
locator_y = 232
location = Macoupin County, Illinois, USA
nearest_city = Carlinville, Illinois
lat_degrees = 39
lat_minutes = 12
lat_seconds = 40
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 89
long_minutes = 58
long_seconds = 34
long_direction = W
area = 750 acres (3.04 km²)
established = 1947
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Beaver Dam State Park is an Illinois state park on 750 acres (3.04 km²) in Macoupin County, Illinois in the United States. The park is 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Carlinville, Illinois and is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) as a public place for fishing.

The state park centers on the 59 acres (0.24 km²) Beaver Dam Lake, an artificial reservoir which was created by a private Carlinville fishing club in the 1890s. The club later became a private resort which catered to visitors who arrived via the adjacent Chicago and Alton Railroad. During the Great Depression, the resort failed. The state of Illinois purchased the lake and some adjacent property in 1947. Additional land purchases have created the present-day Beaver Dam State Park.

The IDNR manages Beaver Dam Lake for the fishing of largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and sunfish. In addition, the park offers opportunities for the hunting of deer, wild turkey, and small game. There is a power limit for boats using the Beaver Dam Lake reservoir, with no gasoline-powered motors allowed.

Beaver Dam State Park preserves park of the historic oak-hickory forests that line upper Macoupin Creek. There are 8 miles (13 km) of hiking trails in the park. The reservoir and park drain into a tributary of Macoupin Creek.cite book
year = 1991
title = Illinois Atlas and Gazetteer
publisher = DeLorme Mapping
location = Freeport, Maine
id = ISBN 0-89933-213-7 ]

References

External links

*cite web |url= http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/Landmgt/PARKS/R4/beaver.htm |title= Beaver Dam - State Park|accessdate=2007-04-03 |publisher = Illinois Department of Natural Resources
*cite news | author= USGS | url=http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?lat=39.21111&lon=-89.97611&datum=nad27&u=4&layer=DRG&size=l&s=50 | title= United States Geological Survey Topographic Map, USGS Plainview (IL) Quad | publisher= TopoQuest | accessdate= 2008-06-30