Bailey Falls Oglesby Illinois

My photos and videos of Bailey Falls go back to the 1980's. This is out by Ottawa Illinois. It was a big quarry along the Vermilion River across from Matthiessen State Park . The quarry was no longer being used and it was ATV 4x4 OHV heaven on earth.

We were there in 80's and 90's and the sign said, LONE STAR INDUSTRIES. Apperantly in 1987 Lone Star sold it to the Italian Cement company, "Buzzi UniCem USA." I never knew that we always called it Lone Star.

Here is the upper trail from the Vermilion River to Bailey Falls. Thats my Toyota 4x4 it shocks me to see the places I took that vehicle, it had shitty Snow Tires no Lift Kit, completely stock. The water level is different in every picture. This was a very dangerous trail someone rode off the side and died, they helly Coptered the victim outta there. I don't remember what year that was.

This is the 1980's. One of the many times I was stuck. In the quarry. Trying to find new ways to get to Bailey Falls. This was probably 1985. I had just arrived and I had a unopened cold 12 Pack of Beer. I told the girls wait here. I took the beer and walked looking for other 4x4's. I ran into a group O them I said I got a cold 12 pack for anyone who can pull me out. .

I have more photos and video too. Stay Tuned and Check back in a month or two. There is a slice of the Lone Star Quarry on the other side of the Vermilion River. The iconic "Iron Bridge" crossed over to that side. Over there was what we called "Caves" but were actually abandoned Mining Tunnels. We went in there but it got dark quick and there was water as well. It was a bit spooky.

Here is a video from 1993 going into one of the tunnels that was on the Falls side of the Vermilion River. My 1989 Yamaha XT600 Enduro is basically a bigass honkin' dirt bike. 600 is a beast, she could take three people up hills. Here we have three of us Me driving, Nandor in the middle, and Mike D on the back with the video camera. I told those guys i was going to put the video on ESPN. Nandor proceeded to spout out a X Rated narration Sound Track in his attempt to as he stated, "I jus wanna make sure this is not on ESPN." This was 1993 YouTube was not invented yet, the whole internet wasn't even invented when we shot this video. This video sat dormant in the Vaults for 25 years.

In the 1990's I had a Public Access TV Show called, "The Wheelie Circus" and it was mostly based on trips to Buffalo Rock, Lone Star Quarry and Bailey Falls. In the beginning of the video you can see Bailey Falls as we frolick in the water. The people are a group of Chicago Video Game Animators known as RUN N GUN. They were pioneers in early video game production. In the beginning we're jumping off the side of Bailey Falls to the water below. On top I'm lighting off Fireworks as it was 4th of July that day. We also celebrated the beginning of the video game, "Duelin' Firemen." After that Opening then we get on the XT600 and go into the mining tunnel as the "Three Man Cave Enduro." More like the Three Stooges on one dirt bike.

Roy Plotnick is a Paleontologist, geologist, ecologist, educator. Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Author of Explorers of Deep Time. He says the Oglesby quarry has abundant, "Brachiopods." What the hell are Brachiopods you might ask? Me too.

Brachiopods are marine animals belonging to the phylum Brachiopoda, characterized by having two hard shells (valves) on their upper and lower surfaces. They are often referred to as "lamp shells" and have existed for at least 550 million years, with a rich fossil record primarily from the Paleozoic era. Oh boy who knew.

Professor Roy says, "One of the greatest challenges I face in teaching paleontology in Chicago is finding a place to bring my classes on field trips. I also am frequently asked by members of the public “where can I take my kids to collect fossils?” Unfortunately, there are currently are very limited number of places in Northern Illinois to collect fossils. There are only a few small roadcuts. Most exposures of bedrock are in commercial quarries, which are generally off limit to members of the public, including groups from schools and universities. Not long ago I found myself scrambling at the last minute to find a site to bring a field trip, because the quarry management rescinded our permission to visit.

When I first taught paleontology in 1982, I was advised to take my class to the Lone Star Quarry in Oglesby, Illinois. It was a fantastic place to go. The quarry mined the La Salle Limestone member of the Bond Formation (Pennsylvanian, about 300 million years old) for cement production. Also exposed at the quarry were red and gray shales above the limestone, and gray and thin black shale layers below it. The rocks in the quarry were extremely fossiliferous. The limestone contains numerous and diverse crinoids, snails, corals, brachiopods and rare trilobites; shark teeth and other vertebrate remains are not uncommon.
These fossils weather out and were easy to collect on the quarry floor. We collected so many specimens of the brachiopod Composita that I can give them away to children. The black shale contains orbiculoid brachiopods, shark teeth and fish scales, and sometimes a complete fish. An amphibian bone has also been recovered there. Prior to 2008, the quarry was a popular site for both college classes and amateur collectors.

Prof. Roy says, "Unfortunately, the quarry was purchased about two decades ago (1987) by Italian Cement company Buzzi UniCem USA, who eventually made the site off-limits." It sure wasn't off limits to the 4x4 and moto people! We had a blast there. My first trip was 1985. I think someone at Buffalo Rock told me about Baileys Falls and that's how I found d the place.

It was exciting to learn of the acquisition of the quarry in 2018 by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), making it part of the adjacent Starved Rock and Matthiessen Park units. As a result, I, along with Dave Carlson of the Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois (ESCONI; a long-established avocational society) and Mike Phillips of the Illinois Valley Community College, which is close to quarry, proposed to IDNR that a portion of the new acquisition be set aside as a “fossil park.” We are supported by a large group of professional and amateur paleontologists who have committed to aid in the park’s development. This effort is also supported by Illinois State Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, who introduced legislation (House Bill 2789) to have IDNR designate the site as a fossil park.
Wow a Fossil Park how cool is that.

What is a fossil park? Fossil parks were sites where members of the public can observe, collect, and usually keep the fossils they find. There were currently about ten fossil parks in the United States. They are run by a variety of local and state agencies, as well as private land owners.

The proposed fossil park can also be integrated with Starved Rock, Buffalo Rock, and Matthiessen State Parks to provide IDNR opportunities for outreach concerning the fascinating geology of this part of the state.

It would be expected that the fossil park would be again be used for geology classes by institutions such as the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Chicago, Northern Illinois University, Illinois State University, and Illinois Valley Community College. Such field trips could include stops at Matthiessen, Buffalo Rock, and Starved Rock State Parks in order to describe the geologic history and structures of the area, such as the LaSalle Anticline. The Lone Star quarry preserves key evidence for this structure.

The prospect of a fossil park in Northern Illinois is very exciting. UPDATE: July 2022. The site for the future Fossil Park is now under the management of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, as an addition to the Matthiessen State Park. From Alvin Harper, the park superintendent: “The Matthiessen Annex project as a whole is in the Capital Development Board survey stage. The Annex and what falls within its boundaries i.e. the fossil park is now entering the official surveying and planning stage. IDNR has done the initial layout request for amenities and areas of development. Now CDB will take allocated funds and have engineering companies start to officially design infrastructure for the park. The Fossil Park is still very much a part of this park. In the next couple months we would expect professional surveyors to start mapping out the request of IDNR. The project is still years away from official development.”

Mike Phillips and I visited the site with the park superintendent, park education coordinator, and Renee Clary (Mississippi State University expert on fossil parks around the U.S.). The site remains in excellent condition and the fossils are abundant!

Details of access, development of educational materials, signage, etc. have not been decided. But this is wonderful progress! Much of the credit belongs to Mike Phillips, who has done most of the interaction with the various stakeholders in the state government.