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 Hot News Deerfield Road Bike Path Grand Opening 2009 Construction Project Update Village-To-Resident Notification System E-Pay Meetings and Agendas Events
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Welcome to Riverwoods! 60015 Imagine waking up on a crisp autumn day in your secluded retreat in the forest. Imagine walking out to your country mailbox on the road, seeing the dappled sunlight streaming through brilliantly hued leaves, listening to the sound of acorns crunching beneath your feet and early morning birdsong, inhaling deeply of the fresh, woodsy-scented morning air. [more]  Riverwoods to Celebrate 50 Years! Save the date . . . The Village of Riverwoods 50th Anniversary Party will be October 4, 2009. Lynn Dorfman is looking for information, pictures, pamphlets, old periodicals, etc. for the 50th anniversary. Please contact Lynn at 847-459-8626 if you have any interesting or historical items to share. Also, Dave Kaufman has volunteered to help with one or more time capsules to celebrate the Village's 50th anniversary. The time capsules may be put together at the next Family Day to get everyone involved. Any residents wishing to help plan the celebration are welcome. Please call Cheryl at 847-945-3990. On the Des Plaines River: Exploring Riverwoods from a Canoe By Johnathon Schlesinger Seeking to better understand the Des Plaines River and its connection to the natural and human histories of our community, I paddled a section of the Des Plaines River in a canoe. Neither an experienced naturalist nor paddler, I hoped that this journey may inspire you to look at this often overlooked natural resource in a new and dare I say, more positive way. Each year more than 2000 canoe and kayak racers from around the Midwest descend on the Des Plaines River to take part in the Des Plaines River Canoe Marathon. Starting in Libertyville, the canoe marathon covers an 18.5 mile course as it makes its way through Riverwoods to Dam #2 in Mt. Prospect. Today my goal is a bit more modest: paddle with a friend from the Rivershire Park canoe launch to the Lake Cook Road bridge, turn around, and paddle back - without falling in. It doesn't take more than a few minutes on the water for us to realize that falling in, though possible, is highly unlikely. The same glacial forces that leveled Riverwoods and most of Northeastern Illinois condemned the river to a flat course. Over its 150-mile course from Racine County Wisconsin to Channahon, Illinois, the Des Plaines loses only a foot per mile, making it the perfect river not only for beginning paddlers but also for those looking to get away from hustle-and-bustle on land. It is this latter quality that makes the river almost magical. Within five minutes of our departure, the sounds that dominated the area around canoe launch - the hum of lawnmowers, car horns, and the din of traffic on nearby Milwaukee Avenue give way to the sounds of wood ducks, the wind, and the river itself. Buffered from the noises of man-made world, it is easy to forget that we are essentially on a cruise through one of the most densely populated areas of Illinois. Here even time seems to slow down to the pace of the river. We pass a tawny colored doe and speckled fawn standing high above on the bank; a few minutes later, a mother Wood Duck and her babies flee as we approach. Just outside of Ryerson Conservation area, a fat beaver emerges from the trees and waddles down the bank. Many years ago the presence of this animal brought opportunistic fur trappers to the banks of the Des Plaines eager to obtain the beaver's waterproof and highly-valuable pelt. From Moscow to Rome, the demand for beaver hats remained immense for more than 200 years, helping to build the American economy and driving western expansion and Anglo-Indian interactions. Curiously, it was the mercury nitrate used in the construction of these hats that led to mercury poisoning and gave the world the expression "mad as a hatter." Although While Green Ash, Cottonwood and Black Willow can all be found here, Acer saccharinum, the Silver Maple, is by far the most common tree along the River. For this reason, the Potawatomi Indians who hunted on and around the river called this river the She-shick-ma-wish-sip-pe, interpreted literally as "soft maple tree river." Others attribute the name of the River to the French word "Plein" (flood), because of the river's propensity to spill over its banks. In truth, the contemporary river seems to support both theories: colored bands run high up maple tree trunks throughout the river, their presence 4ft above the water are a reminder of the dramatic river floods in recent memory. Today we are thankful that the water is flat and calm. Or is it? Falling water can be heard ahead: it is the sound of water spilling over the Ryerson Dam. Most likely constructed for aesthetic reasons, low-head dams like this one do more harm than good. Not only are they a nuisance (and danger) for paddlers, but they have also decreased fish diversity, increased sedimentation above the dam and bank erosion. For these reasons the Lake County Forest Preserve District is considering removing this dam; for now, the only way to continue our journey is to land and carry our canoe - what serious paddlers call portage - downstream. The effort of carrying an 80lbs. boat around the dam is mitigated by the opportunity to speak with two birdwatchers seated outside of Edward L. Ryerson's cabin, located just north of the dam. It is a fitting location for birdwatching: not only does the cabin provide a quiet vantage point to observe the Cedar Wax Wings and Swallows that have taken up residence above the dam, but it also represents the fulfillment of philanthropist and steel magnate Edward L. Ryerson's dream of sharing this beautiful location with the people of Lake County. Not far from below the Ryerson Dam is the unmarked location of the former Clybourn Park. Here day-trippers would sneak away from the hustle and bustle of Chicago for an afternoon of fishing, gathering, bowling and dancing on the banks of the Des Plaines. While Mother Nature has erased all evidence of the Clybourn's roller coaster, beer stands, and a dance and roller-skating pavilion, the spirit of these fairgoers lives on each summer weekend as their descendents travel to the Clybourn Park of the 21st Century: the Wisconsin Dells. We pass underneath the Deerfield Road Bridge. Here the river and sorrounding forest seems wilder than it is north of the bridge. As we make our way south, we pass Sandhill Cranes and Great Blue Heron, Wood Ducks, Deer, and stands of Iris Virginica (Blue Flag Iris). Half way to Lake Cook, the river splays open where Aptakistic Creek spills into the River. Low-flying planes from Chicago Municipal Airport are the only reminder that we are still in the heart of suburbia. Between Deerfield and Lake Cook Roads, only one house can be seen. Designed and built by the architect Robert Hausner for his family, the one-story contemporary house sits on a small rise above the river. Like Mies van der Rohe's more-famous Farnsworth House on the Fox River, this house features floor-to-ceiling glass windows that soften the boundary between the interior and exterior worlds. With little exterior adornment the house is the antithesis of today's Mcmansion. The house is in contrast with development that marks the land near Lake Cook Road. Here two gleaming office towers, an exposed concrete parking garage, and a condominium complex loam over the river. The presence of these structures raises an overwhelming question: given all of the recent development along Milwaukee Avenue, what will the land along this stretch of the river look like in the next five years? The fate of one of the largest undeveloped pieces of property - a 37-acre landfill site just south of Deerfield Road - is in the hands of the Village of Riverwoods. What will be here? Another strip mall or hotel? A park? The answer to this question is surely the next chapter in the on-going story of the relationship between the Des Plaines River and this community.
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Riverwoods Village Hall
300 Portwine Rd. We welcome your responses. Please e-mail all responses to nmorten@riverwoods-il.net Get Involved! Arts & Riverwoods Family Programs Orphans of the Storm Plant Sale Committee Sheila Hollander, chairman Plant Sale Photos 2009 Riverwoods Preservation Council Riverwoods Residents Association Safety/Bike Path Committee Theatre in the Woods Village of Riverwoods Senior Program
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