Weekly Photo Challenge: Abandoned

The Weekly Photo Challenge from the folks on The Daily Post at http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/photo-challenge-abandoned/ is Abandoned.

It is said that Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington Hills, Illinois, stands on the site of what was once a harness racecourse. Although I’ve tried to research the track, I can’t find any records and would welcome any information on the subject. It evidently wasn’t very well known nor did it have the same following as somewhere like the track at Maywood.

Sulky Pond, which takes its name from the two-wheeled carts that are used in harness racing, is home to all types of wildlife and is well-know by local ornithologists as a rest-stop for migrating birds, with 260 species having been recorded.

I’m not sure when the racecourse was abandoned but it probably didn’t take long for nature to take over. The Forest Preserve District purchased the land in the mid-1960’s and since then it has been restored to its original natural state.

I certainly like the idea of returning the area back to its former glory. Much better than building a lot of offices or, worse still, a shopping mall. Somehow it’s hard to think of something as being abandoned when Mother Nature moves in.

Still, despite the peace and quiet that now settles on the preserve, you can, if you use your imagination, summon up the sounds of the sulkies as they raced around the track and the cries of those who had wagered on them.

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